Wyatt

by Fisher-Davis, Susan

  “Nothing,” she whispered glancing away.

  Not believing her, Wyatt took her hand and led her back to her apartment. Once inside, he insisted she sit on the couch, closed the door, and then joined her there.

  “Tell me, sweetheart.”

  Olivia burst into tears. He wrapped his arms around her and waited for her to calm down. When she finally quieted, he tilted her chin up and kissed her tenderly.

  “Tell me,” he whispered against her lips, and then listened as she explained everything to him. What Sharon wanted and how she threatened to harm Wyatt if Olivia didn’t comply.

  Anger tightened his body so much that he had to get to his feet. “You are not to give her any money.” He put his hand up when Olivia started to object. “No. I mean it, Olivia. Do not give her one red cent.”

  Olivia stood, wearing an expression of defeat. “I don’t have a choice, Wyatt. It’s the only way she’ll leave and get out of my life.” She put her hand on his arm. “I saw her touching you.”

  “Shit!” He closed his eyes wishing she hadn’t seen that. “It shocked the hell out of me too.”

  “She’s one crazy bitch and I want her out of my life.”

  “That doesn’t mean you give her money in the hope of getting rid of her. She’s the kind to keep coming back for more. Sam is going to check into her. Do you remember what last name she used when she was going by Charlotte?”

  “I think it was Mitchell, but I’m not positive about that.” She shrugged. “It could’ve been Roberts, since that’s mine.”

  He nodded. “I’ll let Sam know.”

  “What are you doing here anyway?” Olivia gazed up at him.

  Wyatt grinned. “I was just heading back from town so I thought I’d stop in and see how you’re doing.”

  Olivia wrapped her arms around him, pulled his head down, and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her, lifted her up, and deepened the kiss.

  “I want you, darlin’,” he murmured against her lips.

  “I want you too.” Olivia smiled. They sprang apart when a sudden knock sounded on her door.

  Wyatt groaned and set her down, but raised his hand when she started for the door. He strode over to it and opened it to find Stacy standing there.

  “Oh…hi, Wyatt, I just wanted to let Liv know I’m leaving. She needs to cover the desk until seven tonight.”

  He heard Olivia swear behind him. He glanced back at her. “You have to work?”

  “I forgot. Stacy told me yesterday she was leaving early today.” She shrugged and stuck her bottom lip out in disappointment. She wasn’t the only one disappointed by the news.

  Wyatt nodded and sighed. “Okay, I’ll call you later then.” He smiled then kissed Olivia quickly on her mouth, and moved around Stacy to make a fast exit.

  * * * *

  The next day, Olivia met Becca for lunch at the diner. As they sat there enjoying their lunch, the door opened and Sharon came striding in with Stephanie. Olivia almost choked on her drink.

  “Are you all right, Liv?” Becca asked.

  “Sharon just walked in with Stephanie,” Olivia whispered.

  Becca glanced around. When she spotted them, she turned back to face Olivia. “Why are they together?”

  “Two people I can’t stand most, together. Imagine that.”

  “I think we need to let Sam know about this. Sharon is here for a reason and Sam needs to know she’s buddies with Stephanie.” Becca turned to look at them again.

  “They’re not sitting together. They went to separate tables,” Olivia said as they stood to leave. She noticed Sharon looking her way but Olivia refused to look at her.

  After leaving the diner, Olivia and Becca crossed the street and walked the few blocks to the Sheriff’s department. Betty Lou Harper smiled up at both of them.

  “Hi, girls,” she said with a big smile.

  Olivia smiled. “Hello, Betty Lou. How are you?” Then she mentally groaned when Betty Lou proceeded to tell her exactly how she was. Becca nudged her as they tried not to laugh.

  “Liv? Becca? What are you two doing here?” Sam asked as he sauntered toward them. Olivia bit back a sigh. Sam was so hot. Those baby blues were absolute killers. If I weren’t so crazy about Wyatt…

  “Hi, Sam.” Olivia grinned up at him.

  “Can we talk in your office a minute?” Becca asked.

  Sam gave a worried frown but had them follow him. He nodded for them to take seats and then he sat behind his desk. They sat in the chairs opposite him.

  “Olivia’s birth mother is in town and we’re sure she’s up to no good. We just saw her and Stephanie Taylor talking,” Becca told him.

  Sam nodded. “I know. It’s not the first time either. Wyatt, Jake, Gabe, and I saw them talking the other day.”

  “Could you check into her for me?” Olivia asked.

  “I’m on it. I already called a friend at the U S Marshals’ Office in Butte. He’ll get back to me in a few days, I’m sure.”

  “Is it possible Stephanie had Sharon come here to mess with me?” Olivia asked.

  “Anything’s possible, Liv. With the Internet the way it is today, just about anyone can be found,” Sam told her. “Stephanie’s made it clear she’s not happy about you and Wyatt so nothing would surprise me, but what does she hope to gain? Wyatt’s not going back to her no matter what she does.”

  “I agree, but Stephanie won’t give up. I’m sure she’s behind Sharon being here,” Becca said.

  After talking a little longer with Sam, and confirming all the information she had on Sharon, Olivia and Becca thanked him and left the office. She felt Becca boring a stare through her.

  “Spill it, Liv.”

  “She wants money from me. I told her I didn’t have any, but she knows your parents left me some.” She glanced at Becca, feeling guilty about it all. “I don’t know what to do. Wyatt said I’m not to give her a single penny—”

  “He’s right. Don’t you dare give her any money,” Becca exclaimed.

  “Becca, she threatened to harm Wyatt.”

  Becca gasped. “You need to march right back in there and tell Sam that.”

  “It’ll just be her word against mine, Becs.”

  “I don’t know…I suppose you’re right. We’ll talk about it later. You’re still coming tonight for Jake’s birthday party at the town hall, aren’t you?”

  Olivia smiled. “Of course, I am. Wyatt’s picking me up.” She hugged her friend. “I’ll see you tonight. I love you, Becs.”

  Becca waved goodbye, got into her vehicle, and drove away. Olivia headed home as well and since she had a few hours before Wyatt was picking her up, she decided she’d work on the website a while longer. Only a few more days and the B and B would close and Sharon would be out of her hair. But sadly, not out of Clifton.

  Olivia bit her bottom lip with her teeth. If she gave Sharon the money she could be rid of her, and she definitely wanted her gone and out of her life, which made her ponder how Sharon had found her at all. As Sam had reminded her, the Internet was full of information but why show up all of a sudden? Becca’s parents died seven years ago and the coffee shop sold months ago, so why had Sharon shown up now? It all seemed to come back to when Olivia started seeing Wyatt, and that was why she suspected Stephanie had something to do with it.

  Too distracted to work, she returned to her apartment, fed Punkin, took a shower, dressed, and sat down to wait for Wyatt to pick her up. She was so anxious to see him. They hadn’t had much time together lately and she missed him terribly. When someone knocked on her door, she jumped up and ran to open the door, only to groan aloud when she saw Sharon standing there.

  “What do you want?” Olivia demanded folding her arms across her chest.

  Sharon pushed her way in, and then spun around to stare at her. “You know why I’m here. I’m getting tired of this one-horse hick town. I want to leave, and I want my money.”

  “Well, you sure as hell aren’t getting any.” Wyatt surp
rised them both when he strode in before Olivia could shut the door.

  “So, she told you, huh?” Sharon waved her hand. “No matter. If you want me out of your lives, you’ll give me the money I want.”

  Wyatt folded his arms across his chest and glared at her. “Then I guess you’ll be staying in Clifton for a while because it’ll be a cold day in hell before you get any money from either of us.”

  “You’d better give that some more thought, gorgeous. I can make your life a living hell,” Sharon shouted.

  “Are you threatening me? Because if you are…bring it on. I can take anything you dish out.” Wyatt clenched his jaw. “You will get nothing from us.”

  Sharon’s eyes widened, and then she smiled. “It looks like we’re going to become a family after all, Olivia.” She narrowed her eyes at Wyatt. “Think about it.” She marched through the door, slamming it behind her.

  Olivia let out a breath and sat down. She was shaking. Wyatt crouched in front of her and took her hands in his.

  “She’s bluffing. Once she finds out we’re not giving her the money, she’ll leave. She hates it here.”

  “I hope you’re right. I can’t live in the same town she does.” Olivia shuddered.

  “All the more reason to get rid of her since I sure as hell don’t want you going anywhere, darlin’.”

  She grinned at him. “You’re so getting lucky tonight, cowboy.”

  Wyatt laughed. “Let’s go celebrate Jake’s birthday and just put the bitch out of our minds.” He stood and put his hand out to her. Olivia placed her hand in his and they set off together to Jake’s birthday party.

  As usual, the citizens of Clifton had packed the town hall. Anytime there was a reason to celebrate, just about the entire town turned out. When Olivia and Wyatt entered, people waved and called out to them. She laughed in delight.

  “This is such a tightknit community. I love it.” She gazed up at Wyatt, and he grinned.

  “Tightknit, as in knowing everyone else’s business, you mean.”

  Olivia was about to reply when Becca and Jake walked forward to meet them.

  “I was wondering where you were,” Becca said with far too much worry in her voice.

  “I had a lovely visit from Sharon, but I don’t want to talk about it right now.” She grinned at Jake. “Happy Birthday, handsome,” she exclaimed before kissing Jake’s cheek.

  “Thanks, Liv.” Jake grinned and shook Wyatt’s hand. “Come sit with us. Gabe and Emma are already here.”

  A few hours later, Olivia sat in her seat holding Sophie as she gazed around the room. She noticed Sam Garrett sitting alone. She watched as his eyes swept the room. She glanced in the same direction where his gaze had stopped, and spotted Sharon. What in the hell was she doing there? Olivia noticed how Sam watched her.

  “Who are you looking at, Liv?” Emma asked as she reached for her daughter.

  “Sam Garrett.”

  Emma laughed. “I know…nice scenery. He can arrest me anytime.”

  Olivia smiled. “He’s hot, isn’t he? I just noticed he’s sitting alone but he’s watching Sharon.”

  “Sharon is here?” Emma asked with raised eyebrows glancing around.

  “Yep.” Olivia jerked her chin toward where Sharon was sitting. Emma turned to look. She whipped her head back around, and then slipped into the seat next to Olivia.

  “She has no business being here. Let’s ask Sam to sit with us. I hate seeing him sitting alone anyway.” Without hesitation, Emma was back out of her seat and Olivia watched her stride across the floor to speak with Sam. He stood when she reached him, towering over her.

  Olivia grinned when Sam took Sophie from Emma. A gorgeous guy who had no problem holding a baby, how much sexier could one man get? She watched as Sam followed Emma back toward her.

  “Hey, Sam.” Olivia smiled at him.

  Sam grinned at her. “Hi, Liv. How are you?”

  “Great. Are you here alone?”

  “I have to work tonight to cover for Brody. He’s out with the flu. I just stopped in before I have to go into the office.” He took a seat at the table and bounced Sophie on his knee. Yeah, sexy!

  Jake and Becca were on the dance floor dancing to a slow song and looking completely in love. Olivia scanned the crowd for Wyatt but couldn’t find him, which didn’t surprise her since the place resembled the inside of a sardine can. When she finally spotted him, she stood up and glared at him. She saw him frown at her as he came toward her.

  “What?” he asked.

  “What’s that?” She pointed to the cupcake in his hand.

  “It’s called a cupcake, darlin’.” He grinned at her.

  “A cupcake?” she repeated.

  “Yes. It’s like a cake, only smaller,” he teased.

  Olivia put her hands on her hips. “I know what a cupcake is, Wyatt. Why are you eating it?”

  “Because I like them?” He was looking at her as if she was crazy. She took it from him. “What the…?”

  “It’s chocolate,” she said clenching her jaw. Wyatt nodded. “You don’t like chocolate.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “I don’t?”

  Olivia moved closer to him until she was almost touching him. “I remember a day when I had chocolate all over me and I asked you if you wanted to lick it off. You specifically told me you didn’t like chocolate.”

  Wyatt stared at her for a long moment, and then suddenly burst out laughing. He pulled her tight against him. “Sweetheart, if I had licked the chocolate off you that day, we’d still be on the kitchen floor.”

  Olivia tapped her fingers against his chest. “So…you lied to me?” She watched as his lips twitched.

  “Yes. Yes, I did.”

  “You, Wyatt Stone, are in big trouble.”

  Wyatt ran his lips along her jaw. “How can I make it up to you?”

  She moaned when his teeth nipped her neck. “I’ll have to think of something.”

  He ran his lips to her ear. “You do that, darlin’, and let me know. I’d do anything to make it up to you.”

  Olivia moaned again. “For now, just kiss me, cowboy.” He did.

  As a group, they all sat at the table chatting, laughing, and enjoying the music when Olivia felt Wyatt stiffen up beside her. She glanced around expecting to see Sharon but instead, she saw Ryder Wolfe approaching them. She hid a grin as he took a seat beside her.

  “Hi, Liv,” he said to her.

  “Hi, Ryder, how are you?”

  “I’m good.” He glanced around her to look at Wyatt and nodded. “Wyatt.”

  “Wolfe,” Wyatt practically growled.

  Olivia chuckled when she heard Ryder laugh. “Something wrong, Wyatt?”

  “Not a thing, Wolfe. Are you alone?”

  “I came alone, if that’s what you mean.”

  Wyatt muttered under his breath and Olivia swore she heard him say something about not getting any ideas about leaving with her. She snickered, and then covered it with a cough when he glared at her. She batted her eyes at him. Ryder stood and grinned at them.

  “You two have a nice evening.” He put his fingers to his hat and chuckled as he walked away.

  “Do you have a problem with Ryder?”

  “I don’t want to discuss Wolfe with you,” Wyatt told her.

  She nodded. “Sure.”

  She grinned at him and let the subject drop, but she knew Wyatt didn’t like Ryder talking to her. He had seemed jealous of Ryder ever since they’d gone on a date together. Olivia stopped herself from laughing. One date, it had been one date. She leaned over and kissed Wyatt’s cheek.

  * * * *

  Later in the evening, everyone seemed to be winding down a bit when Becca went up on the stage and called for everyone’s attention.

  “I want to say happy birthday to my wonderful, gorgeous, sexy husband, Jake. I gave him his present earlier.” Everyone laughed. “No! Not that.” Becca giggled. “But I have one more for you, Jake.” She took a deep breath. “I’m preg
nant.”

  The place went silent until Jake let out a whoop then the place erupted with good cheers. Olivia watched Jake pull Becca off the stage and hug her. Olivia got tears in her eyes. She glanced at Emma to see her crying too. Wyatt and Gabe were congratulating their brother. Olivia ran over to Becca, and hugged her.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” she scolded Becca.

  Her best friend hugged her and smiled with pure happiness. “I didn’t want to tell anyone until I told Jake. I’m two months along and I’m due in May.”

  Olivia hugged her again. “Jake must be over the moon happy.”

  Becca laughed and cried at the same time. “If it’s a boy, I’m sure he’ll have those Stone good looks.”

  Her face went all dreamy when her husband came striding toward her. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her toward the main doors.

  “Goodnight everyone,” Jake yelled as they left the town hall, leaving everyone behind them grinning, applauding, and cheering.

  * * * *

  Wyatt smiled as his oldest brother carried Becca from the building. His gaze roamed the room and landed on Olivia. She stood talking with Sam. Wyatt frowned. He liked Sam but there wasn’t a woman in town who didn’t think the sheriff was the best-looking thing on two feet. He’d heard it enough from his sisters-in-law. He headed over to where they stood and wrapped his arms around Olivia from behind.

  “Who’s behind me, Sam?” Olivia asked. He and Sam grinned at each other.

  “It sure as hell better be me, sweetheart,” Wyatt growled in her ear.

  She laughed and leaned her head back to kiss his jaw.

  “That’s my cue to leave. You two have fun.” Sam laughed.

  Wyatt noticed how Olivia watched Sam move through the crowd but then when she sighed, he frowned. “What was that for? You like Sam?”

  He tightened his arms around her when she laughed.

  “I was just thinking Sam needs a woman.”

  “Matchmaking? Seriously, Olivia?”

  She turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I can’t be a matchmaker if I don’t have a woman in mind for him—yet.”