by Leigh Riker
“But you weren’t sure then.”
“I could only hope,” he said. “You needed a small trial by fire. I’m told you also performed well at your clinic abroad. With Olivia.” Doc smiled. “Word gets around. If I were you, I’d take care of business now right here.”
* * *
“HOME SWEET HOME,” Sawyer said, standing in Olivia’s doorway that night. He hoped he wouldn’t lose his nerve.
After he’d left the hospital, he’d run into Liza—and learned an eye-opening fact that made him forget everything else. Olivia’s deal with Ted Anderson, Liza had told him, would go through after all. Had Olivia already made her decision about him—about them—too?
Clearly surprised to see him, she threw her arms around his neck. “When did you get back? I didn’t know you were coming.” She drew him into the house.
“Can we talk, Olivia?”
“Of course,” she said.
He’d been mulling over his options ever since he’d taken off in Kedar, fearing those few weeks would be their one and only trip, their last time together. Having learned about her new shop, he felt depressed all over again. He glanced around but didn’t see, or hear, Nick.
“We’re alone,” Olivia explained. Excited about his new little sister, Nick was staying overnight at the Circle H. Blossom and the baby were coming home tomorrow morning and he wanted to be there. “I already miss Kedar,” she said.
“So do I. Always.” Her comment surprised him. Was she testing him, like Doc? Now that his partner had forgiven him, he could go back tomorrow, stay there, work with Charlie, watch baby Benjamin grow, teach little C.J. to fly kites...instead of guiding Nick here to ride better, working shoulder to shoulder with Logan and Sam on the ranch, seeing Blue turn into the horse he knew he could be. But was that what he wanted? To leave again? To lose Olivia?
In her living room, she sat in her favorite armchair, Sawyer on the sofa. He wished they were back in his hut with Olivia sleeping a few feet away from him, walking along the street in the village together, chatting with the locals. He cleared his throat. “I hear you’ve finally made a deal with Ted Anderson.”
Olivia blinked. “A good one, I think. As it turns out, he’s not ready to fully retire—that was more his son’s idea—and I was in no position to pay full price for his business anyway. Thanks to Liza, we can now draw up our agreement and I’ll have the funds I need.” She smiled. “And, apparently, a stepmother I admire, but not because of the loan.”
That sure sounded to Sawyer like she meant to stay. A silence followed.
“But about Kedar,” she said, clearing her throat. “I didn’t think about this when I was there, yet I’ve been wondering. Sawyer, why was Charlie’s oldest son called Khalil? Before I knew that, I always thought he was one of the village children, not Charlie and Piper’s child.”
“When he was born, they named him Charles Worthington Banfield the Fifth. Then they moved to Kedar, and he wanted to be part of the group of kids there. But not with that name, which set him apart. You saw them all playing in the street. So in order to fit in, he decided to rename himself Khalil. Insisted upon it, much to his parents’ amusement.” He paused, remembering he’d done the same, changed his name to separate from Sam. “I never thought to mention that. I didn’t mean to deceive you, Olivia.”
“You didn’t.” She said, “That’s kind of a sweet thing he did.”
“He was a sweet kid.” Sawyer shifted on the sofa. “I’ll never forgive myself for Khalil, but that won’t bring him back. And you know what else I did? Charlie was right. I made yet another mistake. Instead of staying to face him, Piper and what had happened to Khalil—instead of facing myself—I just cut and ran.”
“Sawyer, you did what you felt you had to at the time.”
“But did I have to? Khalil’s death was terrible, and I’ve felt more than ashamed of myself for that, but I never realized—until now—that I’ve felt equally ashamed for having run away.”
She smiled sadly. “Maybe that’s not much different from me shutting out Everett. Maybe it’s time we both stopped making mistakes.”
She was right. As Logan had pointed out, running had been a lifelong habit for him. Why didn’t you stay? Fight for her? Instead, he had gone to Kedar. Yet when Piper had needed him, he’d stuck around. He hadn’t lost her or the baby. He wouldn’t lose Olivia. Not this time.
Able to forgive himself at last, in part because of her, Sawyer felt his whole body relax. He had to make her see his side. To find some compromise.
“Listen. Here’s what I want to do. I’m going to talk to Charlie. We could continue our partnership in the clinic, and we’ll always be friends, but being here all summer in Barren, playing cowboy again...feeling, after so many years, that I do belong on the Circle H...that’s important, too.” He said, “I know you’re intent on this deal, moving out of Barren to be closer to Ted’s shop...” When she didn’t answer, he went on. “I mean, I understand that living in Kedar, even part time, wouldn’t work very well for you and Nick, but—”
She cut him off. “You don’t know that at all.”
* * *
OLIVIA SAT UP straighter in her chair. This was the talk they’d needed to have when she left Kedar. Was he trying to say goodbye again? But, home sweet home, he’d said. Just as he’d announced on his first visit that he was making a house call, and later, a home invasion. The notion of belonging seemed more important to him than she’d imagined, far more than his teasing words had suggested. She watched his face, his eyes, but he looked serious now.
“Why not?” she said at last. “Nick would be part of that group of boys and girls playing in the street.”
Sawyer touched the scar by his right eye. “You’d really consider that?”
“I’ve been considering it—ever since our trip to Kedar. It wasn’t the part-time marriage I had with Logan that was the real issue. It was being with the wrong man for me. All I had to do today was see Logan with Blossom and their baby to know how true that is.” She paused. Earlier, she’d thought she had almost everything she wanted—just as she’d thought she did when she married Logan—but that wasn’t true. It was Sawyer who’d been missing from her equation. In all their years apart, he had always been here in her heart.
And now, she could tell, his heart was in his eyes. She could see him holding his breath. “You think I’m the right one?”
Olivia reached for his hand. “Yes. You are.”
“I’m not talking about us living apart.”
“Neither am I.” Olivia’s mind whirled. Months ago, she’d assumed love wasn’t her strong suit; that she had tried a serious relationship but failed; that she would raise Nick by herself with some guidance from his father. Once, Olivia had been overprotective, quick to find fault with Logan’s parenting. Yet she’d managed to alter their relationship, and earlier today she’d bent with Liza. It was more than time to take another chance. With Sawyer.
“Ted will continue to work at his shop some of the time, and I can talk to Jenna Moran—Shadow’s sister. She’s divorced, working to become a decorator in order to support herself. She might like to help out there as well as my store in Barren. Gain some firsthand experience.”
He smiled. “Then I’m going for broke. Nick’s at the ranch right now. So is Blue. Makes more sense if you and I stay there, doesn’t it?”
This might have been the deal breaker but it wasn’t. Olivia answered his smile. “Well, it is only a fifteen-minute drive into town.”
His voice gained strength. “I know the house will get crowded with Logan and Blossom, the new baby and Sam there, but we could build another place on the property. There’s plenty of land, and there’s a spot I love on the other side of the creek with a view of the trees and, well, all the bison.”
“What about your clinic?” Neither of them should make a
mistake this time. “You wouldn’t really give that up?”
“No,” he said, taking a breath. “I hope Charlie will be okay with me spending three, four months a year there—not all at once—and the rest here. I’m going to ask Doc about buying his practice, too. That will keep my hand in on the medical front here.”
“You really think Doc is ready to retire? I’d bet he’s more like Ted Anderson.”
“At least for the next few years, we can share the practice like you and Ted will do with your two shops. Later on, we’ll take over. In the meantime, that frees us up to keep doing what we love.” He added, “As for Kedar, Max Garrett isn’t only a doctor at the walk-in clinic here. He’s a big outdoorsman. He just might like to help Charlie, have an adventure himself. I’ll need to sound him out—as you will Jenna.”
She hardly dared to hope. “You’re sure about this?”
“I want us, Olivia.” He drew another breath. “I want to marry you.”
With those words, no doubt remained. She was out of her chair, across the space between them and into Sawyer’s arms. They exchanged a long kiss before Olivia eased back to look into his beautiful deep blue eyes. “I do have one condition,” she said.
“What’s that?”
“When you spend time in Kedar, Nick and I go with you.”
There. She’d taken the ultimate chance.
Sawyer shook his head, as if to marvel at all of this. “You’re serious. And amazing. I love you, Olivia.”
He’d told her so before, and this time she didn’t hesitate.
“I love you, too, Sawyer. Yes, of course I’ll marry you.”
When he drew her even closer, Olivia melted into his embrace. Bending his head so his mouth could meet hers, he kissed her for a sweet moment, each of them making silent promises for their future together, a future that had been a long time coming.
Or maybe, Olivia thought as she sank into yet another kiss, it had been waiting for them all along. For her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
THE FAMILY ROOM at the Circle H could hardly hold another person. That morning, Blossom had come home with the baby, who was being passed around and was now in Olivia’s arms. She wasn’t sure she belonged here, but she’d come to pick up Nick, then gotten drawn into the impromptu party. She gazed down at the infant’s sweet little face and felt her heart melt all over again.
The past day and a half had been amazing. First, her agreement with Ted, then Olivia’s “reunion,” if she could call it that, with Liza. The new baby. And, of course, the crowning touch: her engagement to Sawyer, who had promised her a ring as soon as the celebration died down.
Olivia wasn’t that eager for the party to end. She’d never felt more at peace within herself or happier—she never would have expected this in the very house she’d shared with Logan. She studied her ex-husband’s tiny new daughter, the perfect bow of her mouth, the baby blue of her eyes, the coppery glints in her hair, which reminded Olivia of Blossom.
“How precious is this?” she murmured to no one in particular, touching the little multicolored knitted cap on the baby’s head. It had a cowboy/cowgirl design woven into it. Until Kedar, and today, it had been a long time—seven years—since she’d held a newborn. She felt a pang of longing.
The noise level in the grand old ranch house seemed to shake the rafters. Olivia didn’t hear her father’s footsteps, but suddenly he was there, peering over her shoulder to examine Blossom’s baby. And her heart skipped a beat.
“Never know what to make of a newborn,” he said.
Olivia turned to face him—and, in a knee-jerk reaction, fell back on her usual stance. “You never knew what to make of me.”
Everett glanced around, as if searching for Liza to rescue him, and Olivia regretted her unkind words. Hadn’t she promised herself to make an effort with her father?
He reached out to trace a light finger over the baby’s cheek. His tone softened. “I remember almost the very minute you were born. You looked a lot like this little girl—except your hair was blond, not red. Your mother whisked you right out of my arms the first time I tried to pick you up. I’m not blaming her, understand, for how you and I went wrong later on. But it occurs to me, maybe that’s where it began. It’s hard to connect with your own child when you can’t even...hold her.”
He’d obviously sought her out today, perhaps at Liza’s urging. “Are you sure you really tried?” Olivia asked. “All I remember is watching you ride off into the sunrise every morning, coming back after dark. Often when I was already in bed.”
“You know why, Olivia.” He hesitated. “The ranch took much of my time. And I had a wife who hated the place. Your mother always wanted a house in town, to be closer to her friends, to shop and grow a garden without the occasional cow trampling the plants...or a spring flood wiping everything out. I think I often stayed away to avoid another argument. I wasn’t that surprised when she left me.”
The way Olivia had left Logan? She felt tempted to be offended but the feeling refused to take hold. There were similarities in the two situations.
“How is your mother?” he asked, surprising her. “We haven’t spoken in a while. Not that we need to, but I doubt we’ll ever forgive each other and I regret that.” He managed a smile. “After all, she gave me a wonderful son and daughter, my bond with her for life. Whether she likes it or not.”
“She seems happy enough.” Olivia chanced a smile at him. “Of course, there’s always something to complain about. Often these days, that’s me. I don’t call, I don’t come to visit, I mailed her birthday present late—as usual. She’s right about that, but honestly, I can’t bring myself to fly to Denver just to hear more of the same.”
“She’s worse with Grey. You both love her, but...”
“I do,” she admitted. There seemed to be something missing after that. “I can handle Mom. I doubt there are many mothers and daughters who don’t clash now and then.”
“But you and I... Olivia, I’m grateful you and Liza have found some way to connect. She’s a fine person. I think you’ll discover just how good she is.” He glanced down at the baby, then back at Olivia. “What can I do to change your mind about your old dad?”
She blinked. “You’re not old. It’s not easy for me, though, to forget what it was like when I was a girl, growing up in Barren with Mom instead of at Wilson Cattle where Grey was still part of things, your buddy, the guy who would take over from you. You have every right to feel proud of him.” She smiled through sudden tears at the baby in her arms. “I always felt...invisible.”
Everett reeled back. “Invisible? Olivia, you’re my daughter. Maybe we haven’t been as close as we should be—maybe that’s still my fault—but I...I love you. I see you. Never doubt that. Just because I don’t know how to express it doesn’t mean I don’t care.”
“That’s no excuse, Everett.” Liza glided between them, having obviously heard part of their conversation. “Maybe you should try harder.”
Olivia sent her a grateful look. “I should, too.”
Her stepmother took the baby from Olivia. “My turn. I’m having the best time,” she said, reminding Olivia of their talk at her shop. “Would it be okay if we take Nick home with us for the day?”
“He and Ava are joined at the hip,” her father agreed. “We’ll take Hero with us, too. Borrow Sam’s trailer. I’ve already promised the kids a ride later.”
He was testing Olivia. Would she trust him with her son? His grandson.
“Of course you may.”
“Then I’ll leave you two to straighten yourselves out,” Liza said and disappeared into the crowd. Olivia heard more cooing over the baby Liza carried. Then Olivia turned to Everett. For too long she’d thought only of making a stable life for Nick. Yet all along, she had been missing that same stability for herself. She needed th
at, but so did her father.
“How do we start?” she asked.
“Like this.” He pulled her close, tightened his hold on her and let her bask in the warmth of his embrace. “Olivia.” He kissed the top of her head.
And Olivia murmured, “Dad.”
* * *
STILL CARRYING THE BABY, Liza made her way through the crowd. In a quiet corner, she gazed down at her and blinked. Several times. Once for this new little life, twice for Everett and Olivia. Clearly, they were trying to mend their relationship. She blinked again for herself and her dream. She didn’t realize he had joined her until Everett reached out to wipe a tear from her cheek.
“Happy occasion,” he said. “Why are you crying?”
She swallowed. “I love babies. Don’t you dare tease me for it.”
“Would I risk my life? No, I wouldn’t.” His hand joined hers on the baby’s head. His voice was hushed. “Today I’m far too happy—probably more than I deserve to be.”
“You and Olivia,” she murmured.
“You and me, too,” he said. “There’s something troubling you, though.”
Liza couldn’t meet his eyes. “A foolish daydream, that’s all.” But she remembered Olivia’s advice. She studied the baby’s face, her rosebud mouth, felt the slight, warm weight of her in her arms. Her heart ached but Liza forced a smile. “How silly I’m being. Grey and Olivia are grown. How could I expect you to indulge my fancy? Start all over again?”
His gaze captured hers. “You...you want to have a baby? Us?”
It was now or never. She’d come this far.
Liza planted a soft kiss on the baby’s head, then handed her to Everett. “Yes,” she said. “I do.”
He laughed. Actually laughed, and for a second her heart froze. She thought he would turn away, reject the notion, but he didn’t. Liza heard the faint buzz of conversation in the room, or was that in her ears? She thought she might faint. Everett jiggled the baby he held.
“I’m trying her on for size. She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” he said.
