by Jessica Lee
“You’ve made your point, Eion,” Olivia stated. “You’ve seen Kris. Goodbye.” She crossed her arms under her breasts.
Eion stopped, reached into his back pocket, and pulled out his wallet. He flipped it open and pulled a small card free before looking up. “I should be in town another day or two.” He flicked the small rectangle onto the side table by the front door. “That has my cell number.” Eion glanced up, his gaze shifting between her and her brother. “If you need anything.” Hazel eyes found hers once more and settled. “Anything.” It may have been her imagination, but the tone of his voice dipped, resonating in her bones. “Call me,” he added, as he stepped across the threshold and closed the door. A chill ran down her spine as if something had brushed past her soul. An awareness long buried. She shivered and rubbed her upper arms.
Olivia checked over her shoulder and her brother’s expression mirrored the battle inside her head—rage, frustration, and grief. “I know…” She moved over and helped her brother ease down onto the couch.
“He was the last person I expected to see at the door,” he grumbled. “I had no idea he was in town.”
“I saw him a little while ago at the clinic.”
Kris looked up. “Yeah. I caught that.”
“He brought in a dog that he’d hit on the road.” Olivia headed toward the kitchen. “Josie stopped by this morning too and told me that Eion had come by the real estate office yesterday. That’s why I came home for lunch. To fill you in.” Near the refrigerator she called out, “Hey, you want a sandwich or something?”
“No, thanks,” Kris yelled from the other room. “I’m good for now.”
“Josie said Eion had asked her about putting his ranch on the market.” Olivia quickly put together her favorite comfort food, peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich with a tall glass of milk, and sauntered back into the living room.
“Sounds like a common theme going on in this town,” Kris said, picking at the edge of the cushioned armrest of his crutch. “He doesn’t know about our visit to Josie, does he?” He glanced over to where she’d plopped down on the sofa.
Olivia swallowed a bite of her PB&J, savoring the flavors on her tongue for a moment. Such a perfect combo to soothe the anxiety of the day away. After washing it down with a gulp of her milk, she faced her brother. “I asked Josie the same question, and she reassured me that she never said a word. Everything is confidential.”
“Good,” he muttered. “Let’s keep it that way.”
She sighed. “I plan to.” Olivia took another bite, chewing not only on her sandwich, but on everything else she had no idea how they were going to handle.
Kris shook his head. “The damn nerve, showing up after not a word from him all these years. I don’t know what he expected to accomplish.”
“It was unexpected.” She lifted her glass and took a sip. “But you know, I think that was part of what we both found so much fun about Eion…” Kris swung his head around to face her. “He was never predictable.”
Kris coughed out a laugh. “That was for damn sure.”
“Changing the subject on you…” God knew she really needed to. “What are we going to do?” Olivia stared across the room at the dark TV screen, her mind churning.
“I don’t know…” He grunted and squirmed on the couch beside her. “I do know that Dad will turn over in his grave if we sell. Dammit.” He propped his elbows on his knees and hung his head. “If only he had said something to one of us before the debt got so out of hand. The man always had so much damn pride.”
Olivia jerked her head in his direction. “Like someone else I know.”
“Kiss my ass.”
“Classy, Bro.” She sighed. “So we’re going to have to sell or the bank’s going to take our home,” Olivia groaned, “unless we can somehow pull a fresh dose of capital out of our behinds and into our bank accounts. Plus find hands to get our cattle where it needs to be so we can turn a profit. If not, we’re done.”
“You don’t think I know this?” Kris barked. “Our ranch hands are too young and inexperienced. They have drive, but they’re not what I need right now. What I do need, we can’t afford.” He swiped a hand over his short hair. “Someone experienced, who knows what he’s looking at, and recognizes when there’s a problem before it happens—proactive.” Kris grabbed his crutches and hefted himself up on a grunt. He swung around, banging the legs of the coffee table along the way. “Shit! I’m so sick of this.” He froze and sucked in a deep breath. “I need to be the one out there, managing the property fulltime. Not be some invalid trapped inside while the ranch crashes down around us.”
“I know, Kris.” She swallowed hard, her PB&J suddenly feeling like a thick, lead anchor in her gut.
“Like hell you do.” Kris’s head cranked around on his shoulder. “I know you mean well. But you have no fucking idea how I feel right now.”
Olivia’s breath hitched. Kris shuffled off toward his room. God, her heart ached for him. Even though he’d never believe it, she did understand how he felt. Because it was the same helpless, trapped feeling she carried every day when she had to walk out that door and struggle to keep afloat the things she loved the most in this world.
Like a magnet to its polar opposite, Olivia crossed the room toward the table where Eion had left his business card. She stared down at the simple, yet elegant black on cream design that stated only his name and number. Sighing, she lifted the card from the table and slipped it into her top pocket. Her pulse raced at the idea of having something of Eion’s next to her flesh.
So stupid.
Her brother was close to a meltdown. Her home and land were within inches of the chopping block. The man who seemed to hold a piece of her heart and had plagued her dreams for more than a decade had just shown up on her doorstep, but wanted nothing to do with her. Yet here she was coveting a slip of paper that belonged to him. But the man who did want her, who would never skip out on her, she couldn’t seem to give her heart.
She shook her head, whirled around, and gathered up the remains of her lunch. Damn, could life get any better than this?
***
“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Olivia said and checked her hair in the visor’s mirror. “It’s Sunday. We both have to be in early tomorrow morning, and you know I don’t like leaving Kris alone when it’s not necessary.”
“You need a night out, Livvy,” Taylor said, sliding his Tahoe into a parking spot in front of Chuck’s, the best steak house in Little Crow Pass. Well, the only steak house in town. “You wouldn’t go out last night, and I wasn’t going to let you come up with another excuse tonight. Besides, Kris will be fine for one evening. He does okay during the day while you’re at work.”
“Yeah, I know.” She closed the visor with a snap against the vehicle’s roof. “But the ranch hands are in and out during the day, checking on him.” Olivia popped her seatbelt free. “I just can’t help but worry. He’s going through a lot right now, and me being out on a date…” Taylor grabbed her hand.
“Is exactly where he wants you to be.” His gaze captured hers, softening her resolve. Maybe he was right. She sighed. Maybe this is where she needed to be tonight. Taylor was such a great guy, and Lord knew she could really use some fun. Josie would be all over a night like this. Heck, most women, in fact, any woman in town would be falling all over themselves for a chance with the handsome doctor. Sometimes Olivia wondered if she even knew how to let her guard down and live in the moment.
A few minutes later with Olivia on Taylor’s arm, they passed through the restaurant’s oversized, thick doors with Chuck’s etched in the glass windows in the center of the wood. Inside, the place had a chic lodge-like feel with peanut shells on the floor and dark heavy wood paneling. But it was cozy, with a few booths hugging the perimeter of the room.
“Taylor, Olivia, so good to see you.” Sue Larson, co-owner, hustled up to the front. She tugged at the sleeves of her black Chuck’s shirt, the logo embroidered in
white with a steer horn protruding from either side of the name. “Would you two like a booth for a little privacy?” She swung her gaze to Taylor with a knowing smile.
“That would be perfect,” Taylor said.
They followed her toward the rear of the restaurant to a booth in the corner with a rounded back. Taylor allowed Olivia to slide in first. After placing menus on the table, Sue grinned and informed them that Barb would be over soon to get their drink order.
“No rush,” Taylor added with a flip of his hand. “I’m determined that Olivia is going to enjoy herself this evening.”
“That sounds like a fine idea.” Sue tapped the outside of their booth and hurried off to her next customer.
Olivia fished her cell from her purse, sat the device on the table, and tossed her bag beside her on the seat. She looked over and noticed Taylor’s gaze honed in on her iPhone. “Just in case Kris or one of my patients needs me.” He looked at her, his expression one of disapproval.
“Um…are you insinuating that if I checked the other side of your hip, I wouldn’t find yours attached?”
He cleared his throat. “You got me.” A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
“That’s what I thought.” Olivia cupped his cheek. “And I understand. But we’re doctors, and the closest vets for the next twenty miles. We’re never not on call. Even on date night.” She turned back to her own cell, checking the display.
After a delicious meal consisting of a filet, baked potato, and Caesar salad, Taylor ordered them both a glass of wine. Olivia reached for hers and held it up, admiring the bubbles in the blush color.
“I’ve always thought wine was so pretty.”
“Not nearly as beautiful as its bearer.” Taylor clinked his glass against hers.
Olivia lifted her gaze from the liquid and met Taylor’s.
“Dinner, wine, flattery…if I didn’t know any better, Dr. McDaniel, I would think you were trying to seduce me.” He stared back, the intensity hard to miss, then he leaned in, aiming straight for her lips.
“Taylor, I don’t think…” Her breath hitched, and his mouth softly touched hers, hesitant, as if asking for permission. She pressed in, sealing the kiss for the both of them. God, how she wanted to feel her blood rush. She was crazy not to feel anything for this man!
She lowered the stemware to the table with a thump, turning more into his kiss. Taylor followed suit and moved in closer, pressing his thigh against hers. He cupped her face and slid his fingers into her hair.
This is nice, right? Olivia ran her palms along his biceps, up along his neck, and into the short blond strands at his nape. So why wasn’t her heart jumping or the hairs on her arms standing on end from his touch?
Taylor cared about her. He’d never hurt her. Hell, he was a hunk—sexy even. She opened, inviting him to deepen his exploration of her mouth. Taylor answered and dove inside, thrusting against her tongue. His fingers curled into a fist, tugging on the hair tangled in his hand and stinging her scalp, but not enough to hurt. He groaned and suddenly pulled back, breaking free of her lips on a harsh breath.
“I love you, Livvy,” he whispered. She opened her eyes. Taylor’s stared into hers, his blue irises hooded as if he was intoxicated—by her. “I want you so much. Can’t imagine my life without you in it.” He planted another gentle kiss against her lips, then leaned back and reached into the pocket of his khakis.
Oh, God. What the hell is he doing? Her heart raced. Absently, her palm covered her mouth. Her stomach flipped. If only her symptoms were a result of their intimacy and anticipation, not fear of what was coming next. Dammit. She closed her eyes. I have to stop. Stop measuring every man who has come into my life by Mandrake standards, and a little girl’s memories. That was twelve years ago. People changed. Evolved.
Taylor pulled his hand free from his pocket, and in his palm sat a small black velvet box. She swallowed hard at the sight, and seized her lower lip between her teeth. He reached out and pulled her palm away from her face, then gently lifted her fingers to his lips and placed a chaste kiss to the back of her knuckles. Warmth bloomed in her chest, and she couldn’t help but smile.
“We’ve known each other for almost five years,” Taylor said, lowering her hand. “Five of the most amazing years of my life.” He grinned. “You’re my best friend. You’re the first thought on my mind every morning, and the last thought of my day.” Taylor glanced down at the little black box that appeared to be in a chokehold in his grip. “The only thing missing in my life is you in my arms at sunrise and sunset.” Taylor pulled on the top of the velvet case, revealing a brilliant, oval, diamond solitaire engagement ring tucked within the silken folds.
“Taylor,” she breathed, the only word her brain could grab and hold.
He lifted the ring from its confines with one hand and grasped her fingers with his other. Holding her gaze, he gave a slight squeeze to her fingertips. “I know this may seem like a giant leap from where we are, but I want you to know just how much you mean to me. How committed I am to us, and that you and I taking that next step in our relationship isn’t a risk. Nothing will go wrong. It’s only going to bring us closer. I want forever with you, Livvy.” Taylor cleared his throat, and a smile bloomed on his face. “Olivia Wilson, make me the happiest man on earth and become my wife. Will you marry me?”
Will you marry me? Will you marry me? The question ricocheted inside her head like she’d been sucked into a deep tunnel by a cyclone of get me the hell out of here.
This should be the most wonderful moment in her life. Taylor was great. Any woman would be lucky to call him husband. So why did it feel so wrong? Olivia mentally shook herself. She couldn’t risk everything they had—friendship and partnership—on an impulse. A whim. He’d said himself this was a huge leap from where they were, and Olivia had learned at an early age that the cost was too high when you didn’t think before you act.
“No.” Like a lead weight into a still pool, the word fell from her lips, the ripples rolling out and crashing into Taylor.
His smile fell. “What?”
“I-I’m sorry…” Gently she pushed his hand and the ring away. “It’s not you. It’s me.” She groaned. “God, that sounds so cliché.”
“I don’t understand.” Taylor shook his head. “We’re so perfect together.” He grasped her hand once more. “You get me. You’re my best friend, Livvy.”
“That’s just it. We’re best friends.” She gave his fingers a squeeze. “Why do we need to change that? We’ve only been in the clinic for one year. Everything is still so fresh. I don’t want us to jump into something like marriage. If it goes south, we’ll ruin what we have.”
“It won’t. Our marriage or our feelings for each other will never change.”
“You don’t know that. We need time.” She dropped her eyes to where their hands were still joined. This is the right thing to do. “I need time. I would really like to continue being Taylor McDaniel’s girlfriend for now and see where that leads.” She looked up, giving him a soft smile.
“That’s a good thing.” Taylor stroked the side of her cheek with the back of his knuckles, the ring nestled inside his fist. “Because I really like you being my girlfriend.” He lowered his arm and turned her hand over, exposing her palm. “But I want you to hold onto this.” Taylor positioned the ring in the center and folded her fingers over the solitaire. “That ‘no’…well, I’m thinking of it more as a ‘not yet’.” His smile grew. “Only a matter of time before this is going to be where it should be…” Taylor patted her wrist. “On your finger.”
“Taylor…” Olivia plucked the ring from her hand. “I shouldn’t keep this. I don’t want to lead you on.”
“Where is our server?” Taylor scanned the area around their table, ignoring her attempt to return the solitaire. “I think we need a little more to drink.” He pulled away and stood. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
Taylor stepped away, and Olivia couldn’t hold back the
sigh that rushed from her chest. God, that had been hard. She stared down at the diamond between her fingers, the empty box sitting on the table where Taylor had left it. The recessed halogens over the booth danced off the facets of the stone, sending prisms of light into the air. She studied the patterns. So complex, beautiful. She loved Taylor dearly as a friend. Maybe with time, the deeper passion that she desperately wanted to feel for him would come.
Snatching her glass from the table, Olivia allowed her shoulders to fall against the seat’s backrest. She tossed back a large gulp of the slightly sweet wine, then glanced out at the other tables across from their booth.
Oh. My. God.
The Zinfandel hit her stomach with a heavy thud, and her head buzzed. Not from the alcohol, but from the person staring at her from across the room.
Eion.
Had he seen what had transpired between her and Taylor? His expression told her nothing about what went on in his head. Then with a flick of his wrist, he snagged his beer bottle and lifted it in salute.
Her pulse hammered to life.
He’d seen the whole thing.
With the elegance of a prize stud, Eion rose and sauntered in her direction. He hadn’t been in Little Crow for years, but the way he crossed the floor of Chuck’s, a stranger would have thought he owned the place. His aura screamed confidence, strength—dominance. On any other man, the swagger would come off as arrogance, but on Eion, it was just a damn fact. She yanked her gaze away from him and all his hotness, planting it on the beverage remaining in her goblet.
The heels of his boots struck the hardwood floor, their thump like a predator’s warning to its prey. But she couldn’t muster the strength to run. Or maybe there was something on a deeper level that kept her there, waiting for him to come to her once more. Yeah, she must be a masochist.
“Should I be offering my congratulations?” Eion’s deep voice rolled over her flesh like a warm blanket on a frigid night. She tightened her grip on her wine, battling the urge to run her palms over her arms. In the best nonchalant attitude she could muster, Olivia lifted her head.
