––––––––
Olivia couldn’t take it any longer. The thought of not having Wyatt was killing her. She was becoming pitiful. She’d had enough of feeling sorry for herself so she decided to woman up and go after the man. Not having him was too hard for her and she was miserable without him. If she had to beg...well then, maybe she would. She was willing to take him any way she could get him. Before she lost her nerve, she picked up her car keys, grabbed a coat, and headed out. As she drove the road toward his ranch, she began to have doubts again. Tightening her grip on the steering wheel, she talked herself back to her goal.
“You’ve never backed down from anything in your life, now is not the time to start.”
She pulled into his driveway and parked by the back door. She glanced toward the arena figuring he was probably in there working the horses. She got out of the car, squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and strolled casually in that direction. As she entered the building, the heady heat from inside felt good. She glanced around for Wyatt. Her breath left her when she saw him. He had his back to her but she’d know that body anywhere.
His jeans hugged his butt deliciously, and he was shirtless. She bit back a groan at the sight of him. His shoulders and back gleamed with sweat. She slowly walked toward him. It was then she noticed he didn’t have his hat on either and the ends of his hair were damp from sweat, and had started curling. He was raking wood shavings around the floor.
When he turned her way, her knees almost buckled. She loved that chest. He raised his head and stared at her. She watched a drop of sweat roll down his chest to his rippled stomach, dip inside his navel, roll back out, and disappear into the top of his jeans. She lifted her eyes again and met his. Looking at him made it difficult to breathe.
Wyatt leaned the rake against the wall, took his shirt from a nearby hook, and put it on. Olivia closed the distance between them and stopped in front of him. She took a deep breath as he continued to stare at her. One dark eyebrow lifted at her as if in question.
“You’re not going to make this easy are you, cowboy?”
Wyatt leaned against the wall and hooked his thumbs into his pockets. She moved as close to him as she could without touching him. He tensed up. She hid a smile, stretched up on her tiptoes, and ran her lips along his raspy jaw. He took in a shuddering breath. She ran her tongue along his bottom lip before taking it between her teeth, and then tugged on it. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. She felt his entire body tense and his breathing grew heavier. She moved her hands over his chest. He grabbed her wrists. She jerked back from him.
“How long are we going to do this, Olivia, before you run off again? You can’t do that every time we have an argument. Around here, we talk about it like adults.”
“I’m here now,” she replied repentantly.
Wyatt grunted and strode around her, heading toward the door. Olivia couldn’t believe he was walking away. She ran after him, and when she reached him, she put her foot between his feet and pushed on his back. He went down like a ton of bricks. He hit the ground and she landed on his back. She sat up and straddled him. She leaned down and whispered in his ear.
“You just said we need to talk things out. Well, I’m here now so let me talk. I’m sorry I got angry over the thing with Gabe. It was stupid. I should be more sensitive to how it is with you and your brothers, but I didn’t deliberately set out to cause trouble. I’m sorry, baby,” she whispered. “I’m not letting you up until you agree we talk.”
Wyatt sighed. “You’re not letting me up, huh? Do you seriously think a little spit-fire like you can hold me down?”
“Whether you want to admit it or not, I am holding you down, cowboy.”
Wyatt lifted himself up as if doing a push-up with her on his back, and then he rolled to his side knocking her off. He got up in one motion leaving her sitting on the floor. He put his hand out to help her up, but she ignored it and glared at him.
“If this,” he said waving his hand between them, “is going to work at all, we don’t just walk away when there’s a disagreement. We talk about it. You have me dating which I don’t do, so if you want to keep doing it, we talk when things go wrong. We’re going to have arguments, Olivia.”
“You pissed me off, Wyatt. I can’t help it if Gabe took it wrong when I answered the phone and I only answered it because I saw it was him.” She stood and stomped her foot.
“It’s never boring with you, I’ll say that,” he muttered, glancing to the ceiling of the arena.
Olivia put her hands on her hips, and narrowed her eyes at him. He shifted his to meet hers and smiled at her. Her mouth twitched as she fought her own grin.
“Come here, darlin’,” he said in a low tone.
Without hesitation, she leaped into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips. He kissed her, sliding his hands up to cup her face in his hands. She moaned.
“I’ve missed you, Olivia.”
“Then why didn’t you come after me?” She pouted.
“You’re the one who left over something silly. Yeah, I know I overreacted, but we should have talked about it, not walked away.”
She nodded. “You’re right. From now on, we talk it out.”
Wyatt grinned, dropped her feet to the floor but when she frowned, he picked her up, and tossed her over his shoulder. “I need a shower.”
“Need some help?” She snickered as she ran her hands over his butt.
“I might. Why?”
“There are a few parts I wouldn’t mind washing for you.” She laughed.
Wyatt chuckled. “As long as I get to wash some of yours too.”
“I’m sure we can work something out, cowboy.” They both laughed as he carried her back to the house, where he pushed the door open then kicked it closed behind them.
* * * *
Wyatt woke up, got out of bed, and moved to gaze out the windows. He gazed out over the in-ground pool, and then back at Olivia. How had this happened? His feelings for her had grown stronger than he wanted. Falling in love was not in the plan. It was just sex. That was all this was supposed to be. He sighed and went to the end of the bed to grab his jeans. He wanted to get out of here but when he saw her lying on the bed, his groin tightened. She was on her stomach with her legs slightly spread.
He dropped the jeans and crawled up behind her on the bed. He nudged her legs wider apart. She stirred a little, but didn’t wake up. He ran his hand down over her ass. He swallowed hard when she wiggled slightly under his hands. God! He loved her ass. Mentally groaning, he leaned down, running his tongue down along her spine, and moving his hand between her thighs. She moaned loudly when he rubbed his finger over her clitoris.
Olivia glanced over her shoulder at him, and smiled, the heat blazing in her eyes.
Wyatt moved his arm under her waist and lifted her back onto his lap as he sat back on his heels, and thrust into her. Olivia’s hands snaked back to wind behind his neck. Her legs straddled his. She ground back against him. He groaned and thrust hard into her and felt her breathing increase. He could feel her tightening around him already.
“Come with me, sweetheart,” he whispered against her ear, nuzzling the side of her neck.
Olivia moaned out his name and bucked against him as she came. He groaned and came with her. Her head fell back onto his shoulder and he put his forehead on her shoulder. Both of them tried to catch their breath, until finally, Olivia moved off him and lay flat on the bed.
“Please, roll over,” Wyatt told her. She looked at him with a frown, until he smiled. “That,” he said pointing at her backside, “is what started this.”
Olivia laughed. “But do you regret it?”
He kissed her. “Never.”
“I don’t either, baby,” she whispered.
He closed his eyes, and then looked at her. “I love it when you whisper that in my ear.”
She smiled. “I love when you call me sweetheart and darlin’.” She imitated his drawl.
He laughed. “I think every cowboy uses those.”
Olivia sat up. “You didn’t call Stephanie sweetheart, did you?”
He chuckled at that idea. “No. I didn’t call her anything but Stephanie.”
Olivia nodded and smiled. “Good. I call her fluffy because she’s a nonsense piece of fluff.”
Wyatt burst out laughing and wrapped his arms around her. “It suits her.”
* * * *
Later that afternoon, Olivia walked into the barn to give the horses some apples. She wanted to make a habit of it so she could get used to being around them. Wyatt had gotten her on Cochise several times but she was still afraid of horses. She spotted Cochise in the corral alone and turned toward him. He put his ears back when she stepped up to the rail.
“Come here, you gorgeous beast,” she said quietly. The horse whinnied and tossed his head. She laughed. “Don’t tell me no, mister. Come on.” She held her hand out.
“That horse hates everyone but Wyatt.”
Olivia started and glanced over to find one of the ranch hands standing beside her. He was the same one who’d informed her about Stephanie visiting Wyatt. He grinned at her. She gave him a half-smile. He was good-looking and he certainly knew it, but she just didn’t care for men with blond hair. His blue eyes ran over her, making her feel uncomfortable. She frowned. Something about him gave her the creeps. He put his fingers to his hat.
“Ben Collins, ma’am,” he said by way of introduction.
Olivia nodded. “Nice to meet you.” She didn’t bother providing her name.
“My pleasure, Olivia.” Ben grinned, moving slightly closer.
Olivia stepped away from him. She had no desire to have a conversation with him, not even to ask how he knew her name, and the fact that he did bothered her. She supposed he just knew it from the people in town or possibly Wyatt might have mentioned it to him. Somehow, she doubted that though. He moved beside her when she moved.
“I tried to unsaddle him once for the boss and the damn horse tried to bite me.” He laughed.
Olivia laughed. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all. “I’m afraid of horses. Wyatt’s had me on Cochise with him, but I’d never get on one by myself.”
“You’d love it if you did. It’s really exhilarating feeling all that muscle between your legs.”
O-kay! He wasn’t talking about horses anymore. She tossed the apple to the horse, but he ignored it. Olivia sighed and turned to leave.
“You aren’t giving up, are you?” Ben asked.
“He’s never going to come to me.” She shrugged. “It was nice talking with you.” Not!
“How about the other horses? You could give them apples. There are plenty of apples in the barn.”
Olivia hesitated. What could he do to her on the ranch? Only, she really didn’t trust him for some reason. Wyatt was around somewhere and she wished she knew where—maybe in the barn. She shrugged, nodded her head, and then followed Ben into the barn. He led her to a back stall and jerked his chin for her to go in. She glanced inside and saw a basket of apples. With a smile, she entered the stall. She had just bent over to pick up an apple when he grabbed her around the waist and tossed her down onto the hay. The breath rushed out of her when she landed, and he was on top of her in a heartbeat.
“Get off me,” Olivia growled. She tried to knee him, but he had her legs trapped. He laughed and put his face against her neck. She thought she was going to be sick when he started running his tongue over her skin. She grabbed his hair and pulled as hard as she could.
“Pull all you want honey, I love it.” He chuckled, and then tried to kiss her. She bit his lip. He sat up, straddling her to keep her down, and slapped her across the face. Olivia saw stars, but when he reached for her blouse, she reached up and raked her fingernails down his face. He drew his fist back to hit her but it never landed because someone pulled him off her.
Olivia looked up to see Wyatt had him by the collar and was dragging him away from her. He hit Ben in the jaw, knocking him down. Wyatt leaped on him and pounded his fists into Ben’s face. She sprang up and ran to them.
“Wyatt! Get off him. You’re going to kill him,” she shouted and pulled at him but she couldn’t budge him. Several ranch hands came running in and succeeded in pulling Wyatt off Ben.
“Get off me,” Wyatt shouted as he jerked away from them. Lucky didn’t let go of him even though Wyatt glared at him. The men lifted Ben from the ground. Blood covered his face and his nose looked broken. “You’re fired. Get the fuck off my ranch and don’t ever come back.” Wyatt stepped toward him threateningly. “And if you even look at her, I’ll finish this.”
The ranch hands made sure Ben left the ranch. Wyatt glanced at Olivia. His jaw clenched, and then he strode away. Olivia glanced at Lucky, not knowing what to think, and then she started to shake. Lucky wrapped his arm around her shoulder, giving her comfort.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes. Thank...thank you,” she whispered, and then burst into tears. Lucky put his arms around her and pulled her close.
“You just let it out, hon. You’ll feel better,” Lucky whispered against her hair.
She sobbed and held on to the older man. He’d always seemed distant to her but he was the only one there for her now. She glanced up at him.
“Why’s Wyatt angry with me?”
“I don’t think that’s the case, Liv. He just needs to calm down. I’ve worked for him since he started this ranch and I’ve never seen him this angry. I’m sure it surprised him too.” He rubbed her back. “It’ll be all right. Ben’s been a pain in the ass since he was hired. Wyatt only hired him because Ben’s older brother works here. He only felt obliged because Kirk asked.”
Olivia smiled half-heartedly through her tears and they walked out of the barn together. She walked slowly toward the house while Lucky headed toward the other barn. She entered through the back door and hesitated, wondering where Wyatt was. Walking through the living room, and not finding him there, she headed for the bedroom and poked her head inside. She found him sitting on the bed. He sat there bent over with his forearms on his knees. He was clenching and unclenching his fists. She could see his jaw tightening, while a muscle twitched in his cheek.
“Wyatt...” She stopped when he glanced at her.
“I’m sorry, Olivia. I should’ve never let him near you.”
She gasped. “Good grief. Wyatt, it wasn’t your fault.”
Wyatt laughed without humor. “It was. I asked him to go tell you where I was. I saw you heading toward the barn and I thought you were looking for me.” He stood up quickly. “I knew there was something about him I didn’t trust. I wanted to kill him, Olivia. I have never felt such rage in my entire life.” He clenched his jaw. “If the men hadn’t pulled me off him...”
Olivia moved to stand in front of him. She put her hands over his fists. “You’d have come to your senses...”
Wyatt glared at her. “No. I wouldn’t have. I would have killed him.” He moved away from her. “I don’t like feeling like that.” He stared at her. “I can’t control myself around you.”
“What...what are you saying?” She blinked back tears.
“I don’t know...” He took a deep breath. “I’m just so pissed right now. I could put my fist through a wall.”
Olivia slowly moved to stand near him. She touched his shoulder. He jerked but didn’t move away from her. She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek.
“I know a great way you can relieve that stress,” she whispered in his ear, and then took the lobe between her teeth.
Wyatt pulled her into his arms and she wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his chest.
“I’m sorry I walked away. I should have stayed with you...you needed me.”
“I need you to make his touch go away. Please, Wyatt.” She choked back tears and looked up at him. He pulled her against him, picked her up, and laid her on the bed. He shed his clothes, stretching out beside her, and after removing her clothes, he gathered her into his arms and proceeded to make them both forget.
The next day, Olivia walked outside and headed toward the barn. She turned and saw Wyatt sauntering toward her from the arena with a smile on his face. She returned his smile and waited for him to reach her. When he did, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
“You smell like a horse,” she told him. He laughed and pulled her against him again.
“You like my horse.” He nuzzled her neck.
“Is that a euphemism?”
Wyatt laughed. “No. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“Oh, please. You like my mind in the gutter.”
He reached for her hand. “Come here, I want to show you something.”
“I’ve seen it,” she teased.
“Jesus. Just come on.” He led her to the barn and inside. “I want you to meet my new girlfriend.”
Olivia stopped in her tracks. “You keep her in the barn? At least I get to go in the house.”
Wyatt just pulled her along behind him until they reached a stall, and then he nodded toward it. She looked at him wondering what he was up to but then glanced inside. There, a beautiful brown and white horse stood.
She gasped. “Oh! She’s so beautiful.”
“I thought so. I bought her last month when I was in Butte. She just arrived this morning. If you’d have gotten your ass out of bed earlier, you would have seen her already.”
“Excuse me, but some cowboy had me up half the night,” she muttered.
“I didn’t hear any complaints.”
“And you never will.” Olivia moved closer to the stall. “What’s her name?”
“She doesn’t have one yet.”
“Coco.”
“Coco?” Wyatt groaned. “Where do you come up with these names?”
“She has chocolate markings. I could’ve said chocolate.”
Wyatt laughed. “Thank God you didn’t. Come on, I need a shower.”
“What does that have to do with me? I want to stay here with Coco. I can’t believe I just said that.”
“I knew these horses would grow on you.”
“I’m still not riding one.” She shuddered at the thought. “They’re so big.”
“You don’t have a problem being on Cochise.”
“Yes, but you’re holding me and I know you won’t let me fall.”
Wyatt stopped and stared at her. “No. I won’t let you fall.”
She wasn’t sure if he was still talking about the horse or not.
“All right,” she whispered and followed him inside the house.
Later, Olivia dressed while Wyatt lay on the bed watching her. She smiled at him.
“I wish I didn’t have to go yet but it’s getting late and I still need to finish going through the reservations.” She put her knee on the bed, leaned down, and kissed him. Wyatt pulled her down on top of him to deepen the kiss.
“You could wait until tomorrow to do that,” he said against her lips.
“I’m never going to get caught up as it is. By tomorrow, there’ll be a lot more.” She kissed him again. “We’ll get together again on Saturday. You can wait till then, can’t you, cowboy?”
“That’s three days away.”
“You already did without me for almost a week.” She narrowed her eyes at him.
“I was pissed then. I’m not now. Come back here.” He put his hand out toward her.
“I’m leaving, cowboy. I’ll see you in a few days.” She ran from the room, and outside where she got into her car, and quickly headed out toward the B and B before she changed her mind.
The sun glowed red as it slowly sunk behind the mountaintop, coloring the sky with pink, and yellow. It was hard to believe winter would be coming again. More snow would soon blanket the little town. Olivia smiled as she pulled into the driveway of the B and B and saw the parking area full. She walked inside and smiled as Evelyn handed her a plate of hot food.
“I saw you coming up the drive.” Evelyn grinned as she wiped her hands on a dishtowel.
Olivia laughed. “I thought for a minute you were a mind reader.”
Evelyn burst out laughing. “If I was, I’d be able to know what Stan’s thinking.” She frowned. “Then again, maybe that’s not such a good idea.”
Olivia laughed. “I don’t think it takes much to read a man’s mind. It would simply have the letters s-e-x in big red flashing letters.”
Evelyn almost doubled over with laughter. Olivia joined in. She loved being in Montana, which surprised her almost as much as being in love with a cowboy.
* * * *
In less than two weeks, the B and B would close. Most of the rooms were already vacant, and only a few of the staff remained but tonight Olivia was alone at the front counter when a woman walked in. Olivia smiled at her. She looked familiar but Olivia couldn’t place her.
“Hello. Welcome to the Clifton Bed and Breakfast...how can I help you this evening?”
The woman was beautiful with dark brown hair that touched her shoulders. She looked to be in her mid-forties, although Olivia really couldn’t tell since the woman was wearing sunglasses. Sunglasses, of all things...it was dark outside. Olivia mentally shrugged. It was none of her business.
“I have a reservation. The name’s Sharon Winters.” The woman smiled at her.
“Great.” Olivia handed her a card to fill out. “Just fill this card out and I’ll show you to your room.”
She watched as the woman filled out the card. A strange feeling came over her. What was it about this woman that had her on edge? Olivia took the card, picked up the key to the room, and walked around the counter to pick up the woman’s luggage. She had two bags. Why did she only have two bags if she was staying almost two weeks? Again, it was none of her business.
Olivia led the way up the stairs with the woman following behind her. A weird shiver ran through her, like the kind when someone claimed somebody had stepped on his non-existent grave. She stopped at the room the woman was staying in and used the key to open the door. She motioned for the woman to precede her.
Olivia set the luggage down and explained about meal times and activities, even though the woman should be familiar with everything since she’d registered online. When she was finished, she turned to go.
“I hope you enjoy your stay with us, Ms. Winters.” She clasped the doorknob to pull the door closed behind her when the woman spoke.
“Oh, I’m sure I will...Olivia.”
Olivia spun around. “How did you...”
Her heart nearly stopped when the woman removed her sunglasses and Olivia found herself gazing into eyes the exact same color as her own.
“Aren’t you going to say hello to your mother, Olivia?” Sharon Winters smiled at her but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“My mother died in a car accident seven years ago. I don’t know who you are.” Olivia turned to leave the room.
“As much as you obviously hate it and want to deny it, I am your mother.”
Olivia spun around again, and glared at her. “Why are you here?”
Sharon laughed. “To see my daughter, of course.”
Olivia grabbed the doorknob, stepped into the hallway but before closing the door, she glanced back. “Enjoy your stay Missus...what was it? Oh, yes. Winters. Mrs. Winters, the staff will be in tomorrow to take care of your needs. Goodnight.”
She closed the door softly when in reality she wanted to slam it so hard that it came off the hinges. Taking a deep breath, Olivia fisted her hands, walked down the stairs, and went straight to her apartment. She sat on the sofa and refused to allow herself to cry. Why was that woman here? What did she want? How had she found her? She lay down and cried herself to sleep.
* * * *
The next morning, Olivia was trying to concentrate on the books when her cell phone rang. She answered without looking at the caller ID.
“Liv?” Becca’s voice came over the connection.
“Oh, hi Becs,” Olivia said absently.
“Okay, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, why?” Olivia asked.
“You didn’t even check your caller ID and you always do. You live by that thing. Did something happen between you and Wyatt again?”
Olivia tried to answer her but it came out as a choked sob.
“I’m on my way,” Becca told her and hung up.
Olivia put the phone down and burst into tears. She’d barely slept last night trying to keep the tears at bay, and now she couldn’t stop them.
A few minutes later, Becca walked straight into her apartment without knocking. Olivia went to her and cried on her shoulder. Becca wrapped her arms around her. They moved to the couch and sat down.
“Liv? What is it? I thought you and Wyatt were doing great,” Becca whispered. Olivia shook her head in an attempt to tell her it wasn’t about Wyatt but couldn’t get the words out. “What did he do?”
Olivia knew Becca was getting angry but no words would come out to explain. When her cell phone rang, Becca picked it up, looked at the name on the screen, and answered it.
“Wyatt Stone, what did you do to Olivia?” Becca yelled into the phone. Olivia shook her head again as she listened to Becca’s end of the conversation. “She’s very upset about something. I assume you two had a fight or something. I can’t get anything out of her.”
Olivia reached for a tissue and blew her nose. When she reached for the phone, Becca held it away from her.
“Okay. See you in a few minutes.” Becca hung up and looked at her. “Wyatt’s on his way.”
Olivia sighed and shook her head again, swallowed and cleared her throat. “It’s not Wyatt. I’ll tell you both once he gets here. You’re not going to believe it.”
When Wyatt came through the door, Olivia stood and wanted to throw herself into his arms so when he didn’t stop until he was in front of her, she threw her arms around him. He took a seat on the sofa with her on his lap hugging her to him.
“What’s going on, darlin’?” he asked her, caressing her hair with his large hand.
“My mother...no, that’s not right. The woman who gave birth to me is here.”
Becca leaped up. “Here? In Clifton?”
Olivia snorted. “Here...at the B and B.”
“What?” Becca yelled.
“Why?” Wyatt asked.
“I have no idea. She said she was here to see her daughter which is a crock since she hasn’t wanted to see me in twenty-eight years.”
“How did she know where to find you?” Becca asked.
“I have no clue but she showed up last night. She had a reservation. Sharon Winters is what she’s going by now. I remember being told her name was Charlotte, but certainly not Winters.” She began to giggle for no reason and couldn’t seem to stop. She knew she was getting hysterical.
“Liv, sweetie. Calm down.” Becca squatted down in front of her. Olivia stared at her through more tears. “I want to talk to her.” She stood and started out the door of the apartment.
Olivia jumped off Wyatt’s lap. “No, Becs.”
But she was talking to air, Becca was already gone heading to the front desk. She ran after her and heard Becca talking to someone as she came around the corner. Surely, it wouldn’t be that easy for Becca. Olivia came to a stop when she saw Sharon standing at the desk with Becca on the other side glaring at her.
“Can I help you? I’m Becca Stone. I own this bed and breakfast.”
Olivia stepped up beside her and glared at Sharon.
“I was on my way out when you stopped me, Mrs. Stone. I don’t need...” Her words faded off when her eyes shifted to the doorway behind Becca and Olivia. A grin suddenly lit her face. “Well, hello gorgeous. Who are you?”
Both Olivia and Becca turned to see Wyatt leaning in the doorway staring at Sharon with a not so friendly scowl on his handsome face.
Olivia slapped her hand on the desk. “Do you want something?” She watched as Sharon ran her eyes over Wyatt and it pissed her off.
“You could certainly say that, Olivia.” Sharon’s eyes didn’t leave Wyatt.
He stepped up alongside Olivia and wrapped his arm around her. Sharon grinned.
“Well, well. It seems you’ve done pretty well for yourself, Olivia.”
Olivia strode around the desk. “I’d like to know why you’re here. For once in your life, tell the truth.”
“I told you. I came to see you—my daughter.”
“You don’t have a daughter,” Olivia screamed at her.
Sharon stepped back but straightened her shoulders. “Whether you like it or not, I’m your mother. My name’s on your birth certificate.”
Olivia gritted her teeth. “Oh yeah? Who’s my father then, or did you forget which one it was?” She wasn’t ready for the slap but once she recovered, she raised her hand to hit her back only Wyatt stopped her. Olivia glared up at him but then the air went out of her. He was right. Hitting Sharon wasn’t worth it.
“Well. I’ll be here for two weeks. So there’s plenty of time for us to get to know each other again.”
“Again? We never knew each other before and I have nothing to say to you now or ever.” Olivia spun around and left the foyer with Becca following right behind her.