Beau
“Well, I’m absolutely exhausted,” I said to a very tired Wyatt and Chet as we walked back into the house. It was almost midnight. We’d been gone all day. Tony had lost a couple of fingers, and he hadn’t been the only one who’d been injured. It had been a shit show out there. I didn’t even know what to think, but we were going to have to hire some new foreman and ranch hands.
“I’m just glad that everyone’s alive,” Chet said, shaking his head. “It sucks that we missed the barbecue.”
“Yep.” Wyatt yawned. “What a day. I’m glad we were able to be there with you, big brother. You shouldn’t have to handle something like that yourself.”
I managed a chuckle. “Well, sounds like the youngest is trying to make me feel all sappy and sentimental.”
“Why do you always call me the youngest?” Wyatt said. “I’m an adult, you know.”
“You might be an adult, but you’re still the youngest. So you’ll always be our baby brother.” I grabbed his ear and pulled.
“Knock it off, Beau!” he grumbled. “I’m not a little kid, and you’re not Mom or Dad, so you can’t get away with it.”
“I’m almost like your dad,” I said, chuckling. But I sobered up quickly, thinking that if Dad did pass, I would be in charge once and for all.
“I’m going to bed,” Wyatt said. “I’ve been texting Sadie all night as we drove back, and she hasn’t responded to me. I’m guessing she’s mad or something.”
“Maybe you should apologize with some flowers,” I said.
“Eh, I don’t want her head to get too big.”
“What does that mean?”
“I mean, if I compliment her and give her flowers and stuff, she’s going to think she’s the belle of the ball or something.”
“Wyatt, are you freaking kidding me right now?”
“What?” He looked at me with a confused expression. “I’m just saying, you know how girls are.”
“I know how women are. And obviously you don’t,” I said.
“You’re going to lose her, man,” Chet said. “You’re a fricking idiot.”
“We’ve been best friends forever. That’s never going to change.”
“You don’t think that when she gets married, her husband is going to be her best friend?” Chet said.
“She’s not even dating anyone. She’s not going to be getting married anytime soon. So no, I’m not really worried about it.”
“Okay, dude.” Chet rolled his eyes and looked at me. “Absolutely fucking clueless.”
“Clueless about what?” Wyatt started to get angry.
“You don’t think Sadie’s hot, bro?”
“Sadie?” Wyatt made a face. “Oh my gosh. Are you joking? She’s Sadie.”
“Chet, leave it.” I laughed. “He’s an idiot. Anyway, I’m going to check out the stables and make sure everything’s okay, and then I’m going to head to bed as well. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.”
We parted ways and I walked to the kitchen so that I could get a beer. I thought about going to Olivia’s room, but I wasn’t sure if she was in bed. I’d also tried calling her once we’d figured everything out, but she hadn’t answered my calls either. Granted, I hadn’t started calling until ten p.m., so maybe she was already asleep. I decided to go check out the stables and then drop by Olivia’s room. But then I realized it was already late. I’d go to Olivia’s room first.
I walked quietly down the corridor, not wanting anyone to know what I was up to, even though Austin and Lucy already seemed to know everything. And if Austin and Lucy knew it, then I was pretty sure everyone else in the house knew that we’d hooked up. Aside from my dad and his health issues, there were no secrets in the Hamilton family.
I knocked gently on Olivia’s bedroom door. There was no answer. I knocked a little bit harder, but still no response. I turned the door handle and peeked in to see if she was sleeping, but the bed was empty. I frowned as I walked into the bedroom and looked around. She wasn’t in here. And the door to her bathroom was open. Where the heck could she be?
I walked back out of the bedroom and down the corridor feeling flummoxed. I wanted to ask Lucy where she was, but I knew Austin would kill me if I went into their bedroom. They were either making love or sleeping. Either way, they wouldn’t be happy if I interrupted.
I sighed and walked back outside. There was a light on in the stables, and I frowned. There should be no lights on in the stables. It was always dark after hours. I grabbed one of my guns and headed toward the stable. Hopefully, there wasn’t going to be more trouble today.
“Who’s there?” I said as I reached the stable entrance. I saw someone on a horse walking toward me. “Olivia?” I was surprised to see her sitting on a new mare who wasn’t yet broken in.
“What are you doing?” I said, concerned. This horse was far too powerful for a new rider like Olivia.
“I’m going for a ride,” she said. “What are you doing? How come you’re back already?”
“Um, because everything’s done.”
“Oh, so you got some and then left another woman by herself?” she snapped.
“What are you talking about?”
“Is that your MO, Beau Hamilton? Do you find a woman, fuck her, and then leave?”
“What?” My jaw dropped. “What are you talking about?”
“Whatever. I’m going.”
“Olivia, wait!”
But she kicked the horse in the flanks and went galloping past me. Fuck. I couldn’t believe it. She wasn’t listening to me. I quickly went around to one of the stalls and grabbed another mare and jumped on.
“Come on, Maisy. Let’s go,” I said, kicking the horse into a gallop.
I felt sick to my stomach when I heard Olivia’s screams in the distance. I was pretty sure that her horse had probably gone too fast and she’d fallen. There was no way she’d know how to hang on, because this horse also liked to buck and rear. She was a good horse with a lot of potential, but she was still in training.
What the hell was Olivia thinking? I couldn’t believe she’d decided to go riding in the middle of the night by herself. I found her a moment later. She was on the ground, crying, her horse standing a few yards away.
I jumped off Maisy and rushed over to her. “Are you okay? Where does it hurt? Tell me where hurts.”
“Ah, everything hurts,” she said, rubbing her leg. “Oh my gosh. Why? Why did it do that to me?”
“Because you went on a pretty much unbroken horse. What were you doing? I was trying to tell you to stop.”
“I thought you were just telling me to stop, not that the horse was faulty.”
I couldn’t help a laugh. “The horse isn’t faulty. She’s just not well trained yet.”
“Well, why didn’t you tell me that?”
“Why did you think you were ready to go riding by yourself in the middle of the night when you’ve gone riding exactly one time in your life?”
“Because you said that it makes you feel better. When you can’t sleep and you just want some nature, you like to go riding. I couldn’t sleep, and I thought it would help me.”
“Why couldn’t you sleep?”
“Because of you and Brittany.”
“Me and Brittany?” I sat down on the ground next to her and cradled her head into my lap. “What are you talking about?”
“You left to be with Brittany because you love her.”
“Okay, I’m really confused now. What?”
“Brittany came when you left this afternoon. She told us you went to go pack up your stuff so that you could take her on some sort of romantic date or something.”
“Brittany did what? The fuck!” I shouted. “Oh my God, that bitch is getting on my last nerve.”
Now it was Olivia’s turn to look confused. “Why did you call Brittany a bitch?”
“Because she’s a bitch, obviously. That fucking liar.”
“She lied? But you disappeared.”
“There was an accident on the ranch. I had to go right away. I’d been talking with her right when I got the call. I asked her to go to the back to tell you and the others that I had to go tend to an emergency and that I’d be back later. Of course we weren’t running off into the sunset together.” I shook my head. “Do you really think I would do that, Olivia?”
“I don’t know.” She sniffled. “I thought you fell in love with her again and wanted her back.” She was sobbing now. “My leg hurts.”
“Oh, darling,” I said and moved her head slightly onto the ground. “I’m going to feel your legs, and we’re going to see if anything’s broken or sprained. Okay?”
“Oh my gosh. Why did this happen to me?”
“Because you didn’t listen to me.”
“I’m so fed up with this place.”
“What does that mean?”
“I want to go home.”
“Why?”
“Because of you and Brittany.”
“But she lied, Olivia. I just told you that.”
“Well, because . . . I don’t know. I just can’t deal with this anymore.”
“You can’t deal with what anymore?”
“This just hurts too much, Beau. I don’t know if I’m coming or going with you. You’re hot and you’re cold.”
“I’m sorry. That’s why I wanted to talk to you this afternoon,” I said. She winced as I touched her ankle. “You’ve either got a fracture or a sprain. Let’s hope it’s a sprain. I’m going to hold you up, and we’ll see if you can walk on it.”
She sobbed again. “It hurts. Can you give me a couple of minutes to just lie here?”
“It’s cold, Olivia.”
“Please.”
“Fine,” I said. I sat back down, put her head back on my lap, and stroked her hair.
“Brittany is an ex. We dated, but she was crazy. She told her dad we were going to get married, and when he found out I had no intention of marrying her, he threatened to kill me. I told her I never wanted to hear from her again. It wasn’t even a serious relationship. We hooked up a few times. I have a past, yes, and I made a mistake. Lots of us men do. She was hot and—”
“You don’t have to tell me anymore.” She was starting to look annoyed.
“Fine. I just wanted you to know that she means nothing to me. You have to believe that.”
“I was wondering how you could be with someone like her. She’s horrible.”
“Trust me, I know. And I will have to have a very serious conversation about what she said to you this afternoon.”
“I don’t want you talking to her again. She’s a bitch.”
“Don’t worry about it, Olivia. I need to talk to her again, because if she thinks she can go around lying about me, she’s got another thing coming. I can ruin her father. She doesn’t know this, but we have an eighty percent stake in his ranch. I could have them out within days if I chose.”
“Oh, wow. I didn’t know that.”
“No one knows that,” I said. “Part of the reason why we’re so overextended is because we’ve invested in a lot of smaller ranches in the area that haven’t been doing well financially. I know you don’t really know about dairy farms and farming in general, but it’s a dying industry. And a lot of families haven’t been making enough money to pay their bills and take care of their kids and families. And my family and I, we don’t want to see people losing their livelihoods. People losing the ranches that they’ve had in their families for years. So we’ve been helping them out financially.”
“That’s really kind of you.”
“Oh, we’re not a nonprofit. It’s business, and we’ll make a profit. It’s just a slow process.” I sighed. “But enough about that. I need us to talk about us.”
“Us?” she squeaked.
“Yes, us. Brittany lied because she was mad, and she was jealous because she knows I want you. I don’t want her. I’ve never wanted her. And she knew that. She was mad because I finally found someone that I did want.”
“You did?”
“That’s what I wanted to tell you this afternoon. I had a meeting with my brothers the other day, and they made me realize that I’m not in this alone. We can handle this business at the ranch together. I’ve been obstinate and stupid, and it’s been a lot of pressure, and I didn’t think I could handle taking care of the ranch and being in a relationship because relationships require time and energy. But I realize now that there’s nothing more important to me than you.”
I stroked her hair. “You make me happy. You make me feel things I’ve never felt before. You make me want to be a better person and help others. Have a family and love. I want to see little kids around here.”
“But you know I might not be able to have kids, Beau. I told you about my PCOS.”
“I know.” I nodded. “We’ll go to fertility doctors and whatever we need to do. If we’re not able to have our own kids biologically, then we can adopt or foster. It doesn’t matter. You do want to have kids, right?”
“I want a huge family; I told you that before. I just don’t know if it’s going to be possible.”
“You know, Olivia, whatever God’s plan is or whatever the universe has in store for us, it’ll happen. I have faith in that. If it’s meant to be, it will happen. Because you know what?”
“What?” she said, beaming up at me.
“Years ago, I wished for a happy marriage and a connection with someone like my mom and dad have. I’d almost forgotten about that. But as I thought about how much I loved you and wanted to be with you, I realized that we have that. We have something really special. And even though it wasn’t something I’d been looking for recently, or even on my mind, it was something I wanted subconsciously. I don’t want to lose you. I need you, Olivia. I think I’m falling in love with you. I don’t want you to go back to New York; I want you to stay here. I want to continue getting to know you better and making love to you every single day. And you can design our cabins from here, and our house.”
“Our house?”
“I’m not like Austin. I’m not crazy, and I’m not going to propose after a few dates. But I already know you’re the woman I want to marry. I want to see you walking down that aisle in a white dress someday. And who knows? Maybe by the time Lucy and Austin get married, we’ll be ready as well, and we’ll have a double wedding.”
“Firstly,” she said with a laugh, “I hope when you do propose, it’s much better than this. And secondly, I don’t know about a double wedding. Every woman wants to feel special on their wedding day.”
“Fine,” I agreed. “Trust me, I might not be the most romantic man in the world, but when I propose, it will be the most romantic experience of your life.”
“Really?” She was smiling now.
“Really,” I told her. “But right now, this is my promise to you. I promise to love you, listen to you, honor you, respect you, and to always be there for you. I promise not to ever let you feel alone. And I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel that in the last few days. It’s been a lot.”
“I know. The ranch has been weighing heavily on your mind, hasn’t it?” She reached up and stroked my face. “I understand, Beau. It seems like a lot; a really big responsibility. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“It’s more than that,” I said quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s about my dad.” My voice cracked.
She sat up. “What is it? Beau, what is it?”
“I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I trust you and I love you and I need someone to know. I need some support.”
“Oh my gosh. Beau, what is it?”
“My dad’s sick. He’s gone to Seattle for heart surgery, and he might not make it. We don’t know. Mom and Dad didn’t want my brothers to know, so you have to promise not to tell anyone. Don’t tell Lucy or Sadie or anyone, okay?”
She grabbed my face and kissed me firmly on the lips. “I’m so sorry. You’ve been carrying this by yourself?”
I nodded as a tear rolled down my cheek.
“Oh, Beau.” She ran her hands through my hair and kissed me again, and I felt myself softening as we held each other.
“Thank you for understanding,” I said. “It’s been a lot. I’m strong and I can take it, but it’s been a lot. I’m so worried. What if he doesn’t make it? What if he dies? I don’t know what I would do.”
“He’s not going to die.” She grabbed my hands and squeezed. “Look at me,” she said firmly. “He’s not going to die. He’s going to be okay. I promise you that.”
“But you can’t promise me. You don’t know.”
“Trust me,” she said. She took my hand and placed it on her heart. “He’s going to be okay. I feel it in my heart. He’s going to be okay.”
I kissed her and then ran my fingers through her hair. I could feel her heart beating as we kissed, and I wondered how I could have lived so many years without her in my life. Without someone as wonderful and calming and passionate and sweet and sexy as Olivia.
I pulled back and looked into her eyes. “You’re everything to me. You know that, right?”
“Really? I don’t know what to say.”
“You’re perfect. Absolutely perfect in every single way. My mom made a comment to me once that you are astute, but you’re so much more than that. You’re loving. You’re sweet. You’re kind. You’re everything I ever could have dreamt of or asked for.”
“And so are you, Beau. You are the most marvelous, standup guy I’ve met in my life.”
“And the sexiest?” I grinned.
“And sexiest.”
“How’s your ankle?” I asked.
“It’s okay. Why?”
“Well, if you were up to it, I was thinking . . .”
She giggled. “You were thinking what?”
“Well, you know.”
“Um, Beau, we can’t.”
“Why not?”
“It’s too cold!”
“Well, can we if we get back to the house?”
“I guess so.” She smiled. “If you want to.”
“I always want to.” I laughed. “Is that even a question?”
“I guess not.”
“I love you, Olivia. I really and truly love you. My heart is so full right now. I don’t even know how to express the amount of love I have in there.”
“Maybe you can express it to me in the bedroom.”
“Oh, I can definitely do that.” I laughed. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and placed it in front of us.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m taking a photo. I want to capture this moment forever.”
“I look like a mess,” she said, shaking her head.
“You’re beautiful. You’re always beautiful,” I said as I took the picture and showed it to her. “See?”
She laughed. “We look cute.”
“So you like it?”
“I do.” She nodded. “You’ll have to send it to me.”
“Of course. I’ll print it out, and I’ll put it in a photo album and in a picture frame and all over the house.”
“I think one copy is okay.”
“I’m going to also have a copy of my wallet so I can always remember this moment.”
“That would be nice,” she said. “That’s so sweet.”
“No, Olivia, there’s nothing sweeter than you. Today has been such a long, horrible day, but tonight you’ve made all my dreams come true. I love you.”
“I love you too, Beau. I’ve never loved you more than anyone in my life. And I love your family. And I’m so happy that I’m here.”
“My mom is going to be so happy when she gets back.” I laughed.
“You think so?”
“I know so.” I nodded. “She loves you already, and to know that we found love, it’ll make her a day. Just as much as it’s made mine.”