by Ella Cooper
“Aileen? So, you did take her name?” the old man said. I looked at Aileen and back to the old man. “I told you, Olivia. You are not famous enough. Cowboys don’t even know who you are. You need me to become famous.”
Olivia? I looked at Aileen. Her face was pale with panic. Mandy called her by that name, too. Olivia Dylan? I had no idea who she was.
“Don’t you dare hurt him, Marcus,” Olivia warned as she stood next to me. She turned to the man in a coat and tie and uttered, “Ryan? You led him here? How could you?”
“Just get in the chopper, darling. You don’t want these people hurt, do you?” The guy named Marcus ordered Olivia. He ordered her like he owned her.
Aileen…Olivia... – whatever her name was – looked at me. Tears flowed down her cheeks as guilt covered her eyes. Her hands trembled like when she was scared of me. I looked at Marcus. He was the one she was running away from.
“Stop,” I ordered Aileen – Olivia – her. I grabbed her hand and pulled her behind me. “She’s mine and she’s not leaving with you.”
Marcus’s bodyguards pulled their guns and pointed at me. The young woman panicked and she covered me. Marcus glared at her. His face darkened with anger.
“Did you let this man pluck you all year?” Marcus yelled. “Did you become his whore?”
“Just get in Olivia. You don’t want these people hurt,” Ryan, the man in the black tie ordered.
Olivia looked at the man with eyes that burned with fury. She attacked him with furious punches and slaps as she cried, “I trusted you. I did this for you because you’re my brother! And now, you’ve sold me out to him.”
Ryan grabbed Olivia’s wrist. I wanted to take her from his hold, but someone hit me in the back. I fell on the ground.
“Austin!” Olivia cried as the men continued to hit me.
“I’m trying to keep you alive!” Ryan told Olivia. “Just get in.”
“No!” Olivia yelled. She used all her strength to escape her brother and ran to me.
Olivia stopped when the old man pointed a gun at me and said, “One more step and I’ll blow his head off.”
I gathered all my courage and parried the gun from my head. Marcus was surprised at my defense and he panicked. I twisted his hand and wrestled his gun from him. He froze like a coward when I wrapped my arm around his neck and pointed the gun at his temple.
“Get behind me, Olivia,” I ordered.
Olivia smiled a little when I called her name. I avoided her eyes and focused on Marcus’s company.
“Give up, lad,” Marcus warned me. “My boys know how to deal with men like you.”
“But, do they know how to deal with men like us?” Bentley yelled.
My face lit up when Bentley came forward. He was on top of a horse holding a sniper. My other employees came with him and they all had guns pointed at Marcus’s men. His bodyguards panicked, but they refused to lower their guns.
“You must know, Choteau has many excavation sites,” Bentley stated. He cranked his gun and added, “A few decades from now, kids would probably be digging a chopper with bodies in it. No one would know what happened to the chopper. No one would ever know what happened here.”
Olivia held my shoulders. I looked at her and our eyes met. Her eyes were clear of falsity and guilt. She looked more beautiful as herself, Olivia. My heart throbbed fast – faster than when I knew her as Aileen.
“Please don’t hurt Ryan. He’s my brother,” she pleaded.
I flashed an assuring smile and nodded. I looked at Ryan. He and Olivia had very similar features. He looked nervous. His worries mirrored my worry for Olivia. Something told me that he knew something that we did not.
Olivia
My hands were sweaty and my blood was about to dry out from my fear. I had been in this situation before, but then, it was in front of the camera. This was not acting anymore. This was real. I could lose the people I love in exchange for my freedom. Even then, my freedom would not be certain.
Ryan. Of all people, my brother betrayed me. I could not believe it. Ryan had been protecting me since we were kids. He was my only brother, but I swore he was the best in the world. Why would he give me to Marcus this way?
“Olivia, you can save all these people,” Ryan told me. “Just trust me.”
“Trust you? You brought this asshole in here,” I retorted. It was the first time I’d ever yelled at Ryan with hatred.
“Return to the house now,” Austin ordered me. I shook my head and stayed behind him. He groaned and murmured, “Whatever your name is, you’re still one stubborn woman.”
“Follow him or follow me,” Ryan snapped.
I became confused by Ryan’s words. Even Austin was perplexed by him. Ryan groaned angrily and pulled a gun from his back and pointed it at one of Marcus’s bodyguards. Marcus cursed and called my brother a traitor. Ryan glared at me. My face lit up with delight. Ryan had something up his sleeve.
The horses and the other animals panicked when a police chopper flew on top of the ranch. Police cars and some fancy black cars rushed into Colton’s private ranch. Police officers stepped out of their cars. A group of Canadian Intelligence Service and the FBI stepped out of black cars.
“Mr. Marcus Tanawatt, you are under arrest!” a police officer said. “Put your guns down. All of you.”
Austin’s employees put their guns on the ground. Bentley was hesitant, but he followed. Austin refused to put his gun down and to let Marcus go. Ryan moved closer to us and assured him that, “They are with me. Just trust them.”
I gave Austin’s shoulder a squeeze and urged him to trust my brother. He stepped back and pushed Marcus towards the chopper. One of the older man’s bodyguards caught him. Marcus grabbed his bodyguard’s gun and pointed it at me. Austin and Ryan panicked and they both shielded me.
My heart stopped when I heard a gunshot. I fell on the ground and the two big men fell on top of me. More shots followed and fear froze me. The shots stopped when someone ordered a ceasefire. The police rushed to us and arrested Marcus and his men.
“Are you okay?” Austin asked, obviously worried.
I smiled when I realized that despite the panic, Austin thought of shielding my head and my back from the ground with his hands. Ryan pushed him away before I could reply. My brother checked my head and my back. His eyes were full of worries. He exhaled in relief and looked at Austin.
“Thank you,” Ryan sputtered. He turned to me and wrapped me in his arms. “Let’s get you out of here.”
I looked at Austin. He looked annoyed that my brother had shoved me from him. He ran after us and stopped Ryan.
“She’s not going anywhere,” Austin declared while blocking my brother.
“Mr. Dylan, we have an ambulance ready for her,” a medic said as he approached the three of us.
“I-I don’t need to go,” I told the medic. The two men looked at me and I assured them, “I’m fine.”
“You still have to go,” my two most beloved men in the world said in unison.
They looked at each other with annoyed faces. My brother seemed to be bothered that after years of being my only protector, another man had come to protect me.
#
I looked at my brother with the heart of a thankful and proud sister after the police explained the situation. Ryan had been trying to find a way to fix my situation. He had contacted the RCMP about my situation and they cooperated with the FBI.
Marcus had been on the FBI’s watch list, but they could not investigate him because he stayed in Canada most of the time. His operation in the United States was still new and the FBI did not have enough evidence to hold him. I became the key for them to investigate him.
Aileen. I could finally give her justice and the burial she deserved. My happiness was cut short when the lawyer explained that I had to leave immediately. Aileen was killed in Toronto and I had to stay there while the investigation was in progress.
I locked eyes with Austin. His lips twitched and he walk
ed out of the room. I stood from the couch and ran after him. He ignored my call despite my desperate cries. Bentley and Mandy looked at me, but did not say a word. They understood how Austin felt.
I knew how he felt. Betrayed. Played. But, on my defense, I had only met him two days ago. There was not enough time to tell him everything about me.
“Just give him time,” Ryan told me as he stepped out of Austin’s house. “The investigation won’t be that long. You can always come back and explain.”
Ryan patted my shoulder and I nodded. I can always come back, but would he still accept me. Austin. I wanted to call him again, but he rode his horse up to the mountain. Ryan smiled softly at me and held my hands. The FBI agents and the RCMP representatives came to escort us back to Toronto.
“It was nice meeting you, Olivia,” Mandy said when I turned to her.
I hugged her tight and looked at Bentley. My tears rolled down as I told them, “I’ll come back. Can you ask him to wait?”
“He’ll wait,” Bentley assured me. “I’m pretty sure of that.”
“Let’s go, Oli,” Ryan said.
I looked around the ranch. For two days, it had become my refuge. It was a rough journey, but it had created the greatest events in my life. I’m coming back, but would Austin still want me?
#
“He would come if he wants you back,” Ryan told me as I watched the stars from the roof of my bedroom.
The summer night was too dark, but the stars danced in glitters. It had been a week since I’d been on my brother’s ranch and a lot of things had happened. I’d met Aileen’s family and we’d buried her as my hero. Marcus was still in FBI custody in Montana without the possibility of bail. I wanted to return to Choteau, but Ryan was persistent in stopping me.
Marcus could still harm me even from prison. Ryan did not want me to take a risk. The RCMP and the local police suggested that I should not contact any of the people I had befriended or interacted until the investigation was finished. I might put their lives in danger if I did.
I heaved a deep breath and looked at Ryan. His eyes showed that he was also missing someone. He missed my nieces. Ryan had to hide the girls to keep them from harm. I had been dying to see them, too. Just as I was dying to be with Austin again.
“When will this end?” I asked.
“Soon,” Ryan replied.
I laid my head on his shoulder and said, “I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess.”
“Yeah,” he said, frowning. I glared at him and he laughed loudly. He wrapped my shoulders in his arms and said, “I wish another cowboy would come to protect you. But, until then, I’ll do it for you.”
“That cowboy won’t be coming,” I told him while fighting my urge to cry.
Ryan hugged me tighter and patted my head. He laughed a little and said, “Did I ever tell you I like taking long drives?”
I giggled at his hint. My brother was still the best. If only his ex-wife had realized that and hadn’t left him and my two nieces. “I wish you could find a better woman for a wife.”
Ryan fell silent for a while and responded, “I already have three girls to protect. I don’t need a wife.”
“But, I want to be his wife,” I admitted in tears.
Austin
My employees turned off the television when I walked into their resting area. The sudden silence in the room irritated me. They had been careful in following the news about Olivia Dylan. The guest ranch had an influx of visitors since the news of how cowboys saved Olivia Dylan from the head of an illegal syndicate.
Young women also came to the ranch to see me. The tabloid called me as Olivia’s real life knight in shining armor. Many people thought our love story was like the “Notting Hill” movie brought to life. But this was not a movie. In real life, the actress did not choose to stay. She had no reason to stay.
“Turn it on,” I ordered Steven.
I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. The news channels reported Olivia Dylan’s survival and Marcus’s crime almost every day for a week. Local and national stations tried to get me to talk about her, but I refused. I knew nothing about her as Olivia Dylan.
By the second week, her survival was hidden under stories of being the lead in a new movie. Her agent confirmed that she was considering going back to acting. Well, she was good at it, I thought sarcastically. My name vanished from all the news about her. It was better that way, I supposed.
“That Marcus guy was killed,” Steven told me.
“What?” I blurted.
Steven grabbed the control from me and switched to a Canadian news station. The face of Marcus Tanawat flashed on the right side of the screen. He admitted to his crime of killing Aileen Moore to evade the custody of the FBI. The agency had to surrender him to the custody of the RCMP. A prisoner killed him the day after he was placed in prison. Reports said that the killer was an avid Olivia Dylan fan. But, the police suspected that it was his syndicate that did it.
“Whether it was the syndicate or an avid fan, at least Olivia is safe. Right, Uncle?” Steven asked.
My other employees waited for my reply. I only nodded and walked out.
Yes! I should be thankful that Olivia was safe. She did not have to be afraid, to change her name, or be accused of anything. She could return to her old life as a young actress. I could return to becoming a… deprived cowboy.
Olivia was back in a circle full of hot young male stars. She would not want a cowboy. Also, what difference would it make if Olivia returned? She would only come to say goodbye again.
My heart jumped when I heard a chopper flying over my private ranch. I ran to my horse and rode it back to the house. My workers on the ranch cursed as they tried to calm the horses and the other animals.
Olivia! I wanted to scream when Ryan assisted her out of the chopper. I frowned a little when I saw her hair. She had changed it to red – her natural color, and she’d covered it with a stylish cowboy hat. She wore a simple shirt that hugged her body and a pair of fitting jeans that showed her curvy hips. Her cowboy boots made her legs look longer. My cock twitched hard at her presence. I wanted to rush to her, carry her on my shoulders and bring her to my bed again.
Olivia had changed her name and her hair, but her magical effect on me hadn’t changed. My entire being agreed she was the only one for me.
“Rima!” Olivia called happily.
My nanny ran to Olivia and hugged her tight. Olivia saw me and she pulled away from Rima. She became anxious as I rode the horse closer to the chopper. I climbed down from the horse and walked to Ryan.
“Don’t you people know how to drive?” I asked. “You’re scaring the shit out of my horses.”
“Just let Olivia say her goodbyes and we’ll be gone,” Ryan told me.
I was right. She would only return to say goodbye. I glanced at Olivia, but I refused to walk towards her. Ryan smiled and told me, “You do want her to say goodbye, don’t you?”
I glared at Ryan. Olivia’s brother was bigger than me, but I would punch his smug face any time if not for her sister. The propeller of the helicopter stopped and the noise toned down.
“Surprise!” Olivia said to break the awkwardness.
I frowned and said, “Surprised that you came back.”
“I came back to tell you everything,” Olivia explained.
“And to say goodbye? You don’t have to explain anything, Aileen. Olivia. Whatever the hell your name is,” I snapped at her.
“If you’re angry that I didn’t tell you my name, you can always make it right. You did it before,” Olivia countered. Her statement confused me. She smiled and explained, “You can just call me Mrs. Colton. That is if you agree to that.”
I clenched my jaw to stop myself from smiling too wide. My lips trembled as the smile tried to break free. Did she propose to me? My heart thumped fast from being overjoyed. My cock rejoiced by becoming hard, as if it was saluting its only owner. Mrs. Colton. I would never disagree with that.
I held Olivia by the wrist and pulled her close to me. Ryan wanted to step between us, but she stopped him. I flashed a boyish smile and told her, “Never make an offer you will regret. Remember what happened the last time you made an offer?”
Olivia turned pale, but her eyes twinkled. The corners of her lips rose as she tried to hold back her smile. She nodded and answered, “You made the most of it.”
Her playful answer made me lose my stern face. I was excited to see another side of Olivia. Her playfulness added to her beauty and drove me even more crazy. You can assume that she is another Gracie and let her go. Or, you can convince her that she is not like Gracie and keep her. Either way, you’ll still be in love with her. Bentley once told me that. But Olivia was neither of those choices. She was a better woman than Gracie.
Bentley was right. I was still in love with her. I would not mind knowing all the other sides of Olivia Dylan as long as she became my wife.
Olivia shrieked when I suddenly lifted her from the ground and carried her across my shoulder. Ryan wanted to meddle, but he recognized the giggle under her shriek. No one stopped me as I carried her to my horse.
“Where are you taking me?” Olivia asked as we rode the horse back to the guest ranch.
I did not answer her. Her eyes widened when we entered a wedding venue on the ranch. Pink and white tulip flowers decorated the place. A red carpet with gold edging was rolled at the center and extended towards an altar.
“Are you sure about your offer?” I asked.
Olivia looked at the venue. The preparations were simple, but beautiful. I could tell that it was not the wedding she’d hoped for as a young woman. Olivia turned to me. She slipped her lips into mine. A chuckle escaped between our lips when she pushed her tongue into my mouth. Yeah. I will have a lifetime knowing everything about her.
Olivia
I clung to Austin’s shoulder and he slowly dipped me. My heart trembled as he looked straight into my eyes. His green eyes brought contrast to his white cowboy hat and the bright blue sky. His wavy hair hugged the back of his ears and the inner rim of his cowboy hat. He looked younger and filled with happiness.
