by Renee Ryan
The same age difference between her and Connor. Had he made the connection?
“Because of the considerable gap in their ages—”
“That’s not a considerable age gap.”
“It is if the woman is only seventeen at the time.”
Olivia pressed her lips together in an attempt to keep her thoughts on the matter to herself. “Go on.”
“Her guardian objected to Logan’s pursuit,” Connor continued. “Logan, a stubborn, determined Mitchell to the marrow, wanted Megan for his wife and refused to allow anyone to stand in his way.”
Olivia grinned. “Gotta love a man who knows his own mind.”
“No argument here. As the story goes, Logan had words with Megan’s guardian. One thing led to another and the preacher slammed the poor guy up against the wall.” He patted the spot beside Olivia’s head. “Right here.”
Caught in Connor’s gaze, Olivia remained perfectly still. Perfectly. Still. “That doesn’t sound very preacherlike.”
“Supposedly, he was only trying to get Logan’s attention.”
“Did it work?”
“Temporarily. Logan lost the battle that day, but he won the war.” Connor grinned. “He married Megan five years later.”
With him leaning over her like this, Olivia could smell Connor’s masculine scent, see the flecks of gold weaving through the other shades of brown in his eyes. She took another slow, steadying breath. “A happy ending.”
“With a few speed bumps along the way. They said their vows in a jail cell.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope, but it’s a long story. I’ll tell you the rest another time. Come on.” He pushed away from her, offered his hand again. “We’ll continue the tour inside.”
She pressed her palm against his, felt a jolt of recognition that started somewhere deep in her soul.
She yanked her hand away from his.
Opening the back door, Connor paused, waited until she drew alongside him on the steps. “It’s your turn to tell me a story about my home.”
“Me?”
“Didn’t you say you wrote a paper on Charity House when you were in high school?”
“You remember that?”
“I remember everything you tell me.” He led her through the house, toward a large staircase, then rested his forearm on the newel post. “That surprises you?”
“Actually, yes. It does.”
“I don’t see why.” Pushing back, he led the way up the first set of stairs, stopping on the landing so she could catch up with him. “You’re a remarkable woman, Olivia. I’ve always thought so.”
“I...” She searched for a response, any response, but came up empty. “I simply don’t know what to say to that.”
“Olivia, I’m sorry.” Placing his finger beneath her chin, he applied light pressure until she looked directly into his eyes. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“You didn’t. I’m just, that is... I had no idea you thought of me at all.”
“Oh, I think about you.”
“I think about you, too.”
“Do you, now?” He touched her cheek, a mere whisper of his fingertip across her skin. The gesture was unbearably sweet, tender even.
Afraid she might blurt out what was in her heart, yet not exactly sure what that might be, she scooted past him and hurried down the hallway.
Something was different about Connor today, more intense.
The shift in him made her strangely happy and breathless, and that was a problem. He came with baggage, and far too much potential for heartache. His schedule alone would make a relationship with him difficult.
Even if he freed up time for a woman, part of his heart would always belong to his wife. As she mulled this over, Olivia decided his devotion was as attractive as the man himself. He understood what it took to make a long-term relationship work. Better than most men.
No denying he’d loved once and had loved well.
But would he ever love again? Or had he given everything he had the first time around?
Was the rest reserved for his daughters?
Warner had been divorced and hadn’t been able to love both Kenzie and Olivia.
Stopping at the first door on her right, she took a moment to pull her emotions back under control.
When Connor finally came up beside her, he reached behind her and twisted open the door.
Olivia quickly stepped into the room and glanced around. “What’s that on the walls?”
“Come and see.” He directed her to the wall on their immediate left. “Megan painted this before she became Logan’s wife.”
“It’s a mural, of a...” Olivia studied the faded image “...children’s fairy tale?”
“Look closer.” Connor moved in beside her. Shoulder-to-shoulder they studied the paintings in silence.
“It’s a depiction of Noah’s Ark.”
“That’s right.” He ran a finger over the rows of animals moving two by two toward a large, wood boat.
“And over here...” Connor strode to the next wall on their right “...is the parting of the Red Sea. Megan painted a different scene on every wall, and in every room on this floor.”
“What a wonderful legacy for your family.”
“I think so.”
Olivia roamed through the room, drinking in the faded murals, marveling as she went. Each scene made her want to return to her innocent youth, where dreams still existed, where every boy wanted to grow up to be a courageous knight and every girl a beautiful princess.
Megan had also written Bible verses along the top edges of the walls. Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them. And another one, Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name. And her favorite, Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.
As she read the Scriptures silently to herself, Olivia experienced an overwhelming sense of peace, as if God was wrapping His unconditional love around her.
Over a hundred years ago, Connor’s great-great-grandmother had created all of this with a paintbrush, a love for the Lord and a vivid imagination. “They’re so real, as if the images are about to walk off the wall.”
“I’m contemplating having the murals restored.”
“A lovely idea.”
“Want to see the other paintings?”
“Absolutely.” When they entered the next room Olivia went immediately to the image on her right. “The walls of Jericho.” She ran her finger along a swirl of red paint faded to a light pink. “This must be the cord Rahab hung from her window to alert the Israelite soldiers of her location.”
“Megan’s mother was a prostitute.” Connor touched the wall beside Olivia’s hand. “I like to think this story especially mattered to her, maybe even gave her hope that she could break the cycle of sin in her family.”
“Her faith shows in her artwork. It’s beautiful.”
“Breathtaking.”
Something in his voice had Olivia glancing up at him. Her stomach knotted at the admiration in his eyes, admiration for her. “Connor?”
His name was a mere whisper on her lips.
“You’re so beautiful, Olivia.”
He sounded sincere, and maybe caught off guard. Was this moment real?
Or were they both caught up in the romance of the past, of the tale of love that had been found by two people others thought didn’t belong together?
Connor stepped slightly back, his eyes not quite meeting Olivia’s anymore.
A door slammed in the distance, followed by dogs barking and pounding feet.
Not sure what to say before the others joined them, Olivia stared up at Connor.
He stared down at her.
Neither said a wo
rd.
“Olivia.” He speared his fingers through his hair, let out a tight breath. “I... You... You’re my daughters’ nanny.”
They might have had an emotional connection just now, a recognition that went beyond words, but nothing would come of it. Nothing could come of it. Their lives were going in two separate directions, only crossing because she was a solution to his temporary child-care problem.
She’d been another man’s solution once, and knew what came from reading too much into the situation.
“Olivia,” Connor began again. “We need to—”
“Daddy?” Molly’s voice came from downstairs. “Miss Olivia? Where are you?”
“Up here,” Connor called back, then took Olivia’s hands in his. “We’ll talk about this later. No, don’t scowl at me like that. We will discuss what just happened between us.”
“Nothing happened.”
“You know that’s not true.”
He let go of her hands and stepped away from her. The twins entered the room a second later with Connor’s sister right behind them.
“Wow.” Avery’s feet ground to a halt. “Look at those walls.”
Welcoming the topic of discussion, Olivia smoothed her face free of expression. “They’re great, aren’t they?”
“Amazing. I haven’t been up here yet. I didn’t know.” Avery stepped deeper into the room, her gaze traveling from one mural to the next. Slowly, she turned her attention back to Olivia and Connor. “Sorry, didn’t mean to be rude, got caught up in the gorgeous murals.”
“Understandable.” Olivia smiled at the other woman, or rather she tried to smile. She was still shaky from the strange encounter with Connor moments before.
Avery’s gaze narrowed over her face. She glanced from her brother to Olivia and back again. With each pass, a knowing glint settled in her eyes. “Did we interrupt something?”
Connor and Olivia answered simultaneously, “No.”
“All righty, then.” Clearly, Avery wasn’t buying their response. At least she didn’t call them out in front of the twins.
“Ready to go to work, big brother? Assuming you can tear yourself away from your beautiful, compelling...” She paused a beat, looked pointedly at Olivia. “Artwork.”
Chapter Nine
Several days later, Connor navigated a slow morning in the office by updating patient charts. The beautiful weather beckoned, urging him to play hooky. His mind wanted to wander, back to the moment in his house when he and Olivia had...
What? What, actually, had happened between them?
A shift had occurred in their relationship. But he couldn’t put a name to it, didn’t want to put a name to it.
He focused on work, opening the next file on his laptop and scanning his incomplete notes.
Halfway through expanding his diagnosis in clearer terms, Ethan stuck his head in the doorway. “Got a minute?”
He pushed back from his desk. “Sure.”
Expression bland, Ethan plunked down in one of the chairs facing Connor’s desk. “How’s Olivia getting on with the girls?”
“You’d think she’d known them all their lives.”
“That good, huh?”
“That good.”
“So.” Ethan set his feet on the desk, crossed his ankles and went fishing without a pole. “She say anything to you about why she came home?”
“Only that she’s between jobs. I didn’t ask for more.” He’d been too busy trying to keep his distance, avoiding any personal connection.
And not always succeeding.
Probably not the direction his thoughts should be taking with her brother eyeing him with those all-knowing, all-seeing Ranger eyes.
“She’s hiding something from me, or rather, withholding key pieces of information,” Ethan said, frustration obvious in his tone. “I get the feeling something more than her job loss drove her home.”
No, Connor wasn’t getting in the middle of this. “Maybe you should ask her directly.”
“You think I haven’t tried?” He rubbed his chin. “She keeps saying she has...plans and will share them with me when she has something more concrete to present. She supposedly needs more time.”
“Then give her more time.”
Ethan looked out the window, his gaze seeming to latch on to something in the distance. “She’s not in trouble. At least, I don’t get that read.”
“Maybe your mind-reading skills are off.”
Ethan threw him a get-real look. “They’re never off.”
Right. “Leave it alone, Ethan. Olivia’s a grown woman. She’ll talk to you when and if she decides you need to know what’s going on with her.”
“Guess there’s not much else I can do but wait her out. And that’s not the reason I’m here.” He stood, gave Connor a quick once-over. “I came to tell you to take the rest of the day off.”
“It’s not even noon and I already had my day off this week.”
“You covered for me the other night, no questions asked, so...” He dug in his back pocket. “Here’s my way of saying thanks.”
“We’re partners. I don’t need thanks. You’ve done the same for me countless times and I— Are those Bobcats tickets?”
Connor leaned forward, his gaze zeroing in on the logo of Village Green’s minor league baseball team. The purple cat snarled at him from just beneath Ethan’s thumb.
“Four seats directly behind first base.” Ethan handed the tickets across the desk. “Treat your girls to an afternoon of baseball, hot dogs and fun in the sun.”
His twins loved baseball. Not as much as Connor did, but they were still young yet. He studied the tickets, noted the game started in two hours. Plenty of time to pick up the girls. He counted out three, then handed back the fourth. “I don’t need this one.”
“It’s for Olivia.”
He hadn’t thought to bring Olivia, but now that Ethan put the idea in his head...
“She might want the afternoon off.”
Ethan shrugged. “Won’t know till you ask.”
Before he could thank his friend, their nurse, Tasha, entered the office. “Hope I’m not disturbing you two, but Lacy Hargrove’s back again. Says she’s dizzy and seeing spots.” She rolled her eyes.
Ethan headed for the door. “Be right there.”
The nurse shared a look with Connor.
Ethan caught them. “What?”
“You’re actually volunteering to see Lacy?”
Not quite hiding his grimace, the other doctor lifted a nonchalant shoulder. “It’s my turn to take one for the team. And it’s your turn—” he pointed at Connor “—to go have fun with your girls.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Giving Ethan no time to change his mind, Connor shut off his computer and gathered his belongings. “I’m out of here.”
Fifteen minutes later he nosed his SUV onto Aspen Way. He’d already called Olivia to tell her he had a treat for his girls. His girls. It didn’t occur to him until he swung onto the gravel drive that somewhere between the office and home he’d begun to include Olivia in that term.
His chest tightened at the thought.
The moment he cut the engine, the front door opened and the twins rushed out. Olivia caught up a second later, moved in between the girls and slung her arms over their shoulders.
The cinch around his chest clutched tighter.
They looked so right together, standing on the edge of the porch with their arms linked and pretty smiles on their faces. The dogs joined them, one on either side of the twins. As if waiting for this precise moment, the sun split through a seam in the clouds and washed the tiny group in golden light.
Huh.
Connor’s soul felt a little less empty as he commandeered the front steps
.
“Welcome home, Daddy.”
Home. Yes. He was home. With his girls.
“Hi.” He looked at Olivia as he spoke the greeting.
Her smile widened. “Hi.”
Molly shifted into view, her voice a mixture of impatience and little-girl excitement. “Miss Olivia said you have a surprise for us.”
“I’m taking you to a Bobcats baseball game.”
“Today?”
“Right now.”
“Awesome.” Molly spun in a delighted circle.
Megan joined in the celebration, skipping around her sister. Samson caught on to the game and proceeded to leap in the air and bark wildly. Polite as always, Baloo remained sitting at attention and looked up at the sky, the equivalent of a canine eye-roll.
“We’re leaving in twenty minutes,” he told the twins over the chaos. “Go do whatever little girls do before spending the day at a baseball game.”
They hurried off, Samson chasing in their wake.
Olivia stayed behind, hand on Baloo’s shoulders.
Aware her eyes were on him, Connor slowly turned his head. He dropped his gaze over her simple shorts and green T-shirt. Even in clothes that could be described as plain and boring, she was the essence of femininity.
Something in him softened. Toward Olivia. Toward—
He cleared his throat.
“You’ve just made their day,” she said, touching his forearm, sliding her fingers down to wrap around his hand a moment.
Such a simple gesture, yet he had a sudden urge to ride off to battle. To slay dragons. To fight the good fight. Something about this woman made him want to step up, to be a better man. To reach for...more.
A movement at his feet caught his attention. Samson had returned, with one of Connor’s socks in his mouth. After a few hard tugs, followed by Samson’s playful growls, Connor picked up the puppy and held him against his chest.
He knew he was using the animal as a shield between him and Olivia. Couldn’t be helped. They’d crossed another line just now, and all she’d done was cover his hand with hers for a few seconds before letting him go.
He dragged his gaze over her face and wondered why Olivia was the only woman since Sheila who made him want to live beyond the moment, to look toward tomorrow.
