Amelia nodded. “I know. I guess I’m still trying to break old habits, now that I have people around who truly care for me and my well-being.”
“Well, you better get to it,” Oliver replied. “I have no intentions of changing my ways.” He laughed.
“You better not,” Amelia replied. “I’m rather fond of your ways,” she admitted.
Oliver grinned. “The feeling’s mutual.” He brushed her hair behind her ear, and then again.
Oliver’s gaze lingered on her for a while, and Amelia felt her heartbeat begin to slow. She’d never felt safe with anyone in her life until she met him and Melvin. The older man was like the father she always wished she had. Oliver was the man she always wanted to have. Now, she had both.
“You’ve changed everything,” she commented.
Oliver’s smile broadened. “I could say the same thing.”
“No,” Amelia stopped him gently. “No, you really did. You changed everything I thought I knew. Everything I hoped to have.”
“I wasn’t trying to,” Oliver replied. “I couldn’t help it.”
“I know,” Amelia replied. “Before you and this place, I could only ever dream of belonging with people like you or having a place like this. Of having love,” she whispered. Her voice cracked. “Because of you, I see things differently. And I’m scared,” she stated as tears filled her eyes.
Oliver moved closer and took her hand. “You don’t have to be scared, Amelia.” He cupped her cheek. “You never have to be scared again. I won’t let anyone or anything hurt you. I promise you that.”
Amelia’s lips trembled as she began to speak. “I know, and I don’t want to lose it. I’ve waited my entire life for this. I’m afraid that it’s all going to be taken away.”
Oliver got to his feet and gently pulled her with him. He held her tight and kissed her forehead as tears overflowed the brims of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tight.
“That won’t happen,” Oliver assured her. “I promise you, that won’t happen.”
“How can you be sure? Rayner almost did it. He almost had you sent to prison,” Amelia countered.
Oliver was silent for a long while. “But he didn’t,” he said finally. “Everything turned out fine.”
“And what if it didn’t? What if he’d decided to go ahead? You could be facing prison time, Oliver.”
“Don’t let what could have happened stop you from enjoying what is. I’m here. We’re here, together. I won’t let anyone get in the way of that.”
Oliver hugged her tighter and Amelia closed her eyes at his embrace. She could do that. She could hold on to the moment, that was something she was used to. It was the fear of losing that was foreign to her. She’d never had anything to lose before, now, she felt she did and she didn’t want that to happen.
They were still in each other’s arms when Melvin returned. The older man’s face was grim as he set his gun down. Oliver released her.
“What is it, Melvin?” He asked as he stepped toward the other man.
Melvin’s gaze shifted from her to Oliver. “I found this in the tree line,” he said. He lifted a half-smoked cigar. “Wasn’t even put out. The embers were still burning when I got to it.”
Amelia stepped forward. She placed a hand on Oliver’s arm to steady herself. “That could have caused a fire.”
Oliver tensed immediately. His jaw twitched slightly as he stared at Melvin. He took the half-smoked cigar from the other man’s hand and turned it over in his fingers. Amelia watched him closely.
She wished she knew what Olive was thinking. Whoever had come onto the property, Rayner or otherwise, had gotten close to the house again, too close. Amelia was sure that Oliver would not let that stand. He would do whatever was necessary to protect their home. The thought frightened her because of the repercussions. Oliver would put himself at risk to protect them all.
Oliver folded the cigar in his hand and crushed it in his palm. “Melvin,” he said in a low tone. “I don’t care what you have to do, or how many people you have to get. No one gets on this property again.” He shot the older man a cold look. “No one.”
Melvin nodded. “Understood. I’ll go into town in the mornin’ for new ranch hands.”
“Oliver, can we afford all these new people?” Amelia asked sheepishly.
He turned to look at her. “To keep you safe, there is no cost too great.”
She was speechless at his words, but something in his eyes made her stomach knot. Did Oliver think this had something to do with her? Why was it her he was trying to protect and not the ranch?
“I’ll go back out. It’s my watch now anyway,” Melvin commented. He gave Amelia one last, long look before he retrieved his gun and headed out the door.
Oliver turned to her. “I think you should get to bed.”
Amelia didn’t think she could sleep if she tried, but there was no protesting. Oliver led her to her bedroom and held the door open for her. They lingered in the doorway holding each other’s hand.
“Goodnight, Amelia,” Oliver said softly. “Don’t you worry about anything. Melvin and I will be up watching over this place.”
“What about you? You should rest, too,” Amelia urged.
“I’ll be all right,” Oliver replied. “You get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Amelia wanted to say something, but Oliver continued to urge her inside her room. She stepped inside. “Goodnight, Oliver,” she said softly.
He nodded at her and then turned away as she closed the door. Amelia stood in her room and looked out the window. There was no way she was sleeping tonight, not after what had happened. There were too many unanswered questions. She needed answers and she was determined to get them.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Oliver hardly slept. He spent the night walking the perimeter near the house until the sun was almost up. Melvin tried to convince him to rest, but Oliver couldn’t. Someone had snuck on to Glenore and had gotten close enough for Amelia to see the fire of their cigar in the night. That was too close. He had to ensure that never happened again.
He was exhausted by the time he finally crawled on top of the sheets. The birds were sounding in the trees and the rest of the property was coming awake as he closed his eyes.
Just an hour. That’s all I need.
The sun was high in the sky when Oliver opened his eyes again. The smell of food filled the air. He pushed up from his pillow. His body was stiff and achy, but he forced himself to his feet. He shuffled toward the door. Sleep made his eyelids heavy, as he wandered toward the kitchen. Amelia was standing over the stove while the other men were seated at the table. They looked as tired as he felt.
“Morning,” Oliver murmured. He raised his hand to the other men and they did the same in return.
“Good morning,” Amelia said with a smile as she looked over her shoulder at him. “Breakfast is almost done.”
“Seems like we’re all havin’ a late mornin’ today,” Melvin commented.
Oliver nodded lightly. “No trouble. It gives me time to clean up a bit. I’ll be right back.”
He turned from the room and walked toward the washroom. Oliver raked his hand through his brown hair, the long front strands falling over his eyes. He shed his clothes and slid into the tub. The water was cold but Oliver didn’t care. He sat down and slid beneath the water to clear his head.
Knocking on the door startled Oliver wake. He didn’t know when he’d fallen asleep. He bobbed under the water and washed his face before he responded. He wiped his hair from his face. “Who is it?”
“Amelia.”
Her sweet voice made him smile. “Yes?”
“Is everything all right in there? We’ve been waiting,” she answered.
Oliver looked around him. “I’ll be right out,” he stated. He pushed up from his bath and got out.
When Oliver returned to the kitchen, the table was laid and several hungry faces w
ere looking at him. “Sorry for the hold-up,” he replied. “I lost track of time.”
“No worries,” Russell replied. “I think we’re all having a day like that.”
Oliver nodded quietly. He took his seat beside Melvin, while Amelia took the food from the oven and placed it on the table. She smiled at him demurely as she set the flapjacks before him. Oliver raised a finger and lightly grazed the inside of her wrist as her hand passed near him. He hid the grin that threatened to break loose as he did so.
“Everyone knows what they have to do today?” Oliver asked. “He felt a little out of it and wanted to be sure that everyone had their chores for the day.
The table of faces nodded.
“I’m headin’ to town to look into what we talked about last night,” Melvin informed him. “Shouldn’t be too long. A few hours, I reckon.”
Amelia’s gaze shifted to him. Oliver met her eyes and smiled lightly to reassure her. He knew she was nervous after the previous night’s events. Who could blame her?
“I’ve got some trees to fell for winter,” Oliver informed Melvin. “We’re gonna need more firewood.”
The increase in hands on the ranch meant more fires were going to be needed, and sleeping quarters. The barn was already filling up with workers. Oliver was beginning to think that he was going to need to build a bunkhouse before winter set in. The additional men meant more people to get the structure built, and that meant a shorter time to get it done in.
Something to think about.
Oliver ate his breakfast as the thought rolled around in his head. The longer he mulled it over the better the idea seemed to be, and by the time breakfast was finished, he’d made up his mind.
The men filed out of the room to carry out their various chores. Oliver lingered behind with Amelia and helped her collect the dishes at the basin to wash.
“How did you sleep?” he asked her quietly.
Amelia nodded her head lightly. “All right,” she replied. “It took me a while to finally fall asleep, but I got there eventually. What about you?”
“I didn’t sleep much,” Oliver admitted.
“Why?” Amelia asked. She turned toward him and set her hands on his hips. “You need to take care of yourself.”
“I’ll be fine,” Oliver assured her. “I’m used to long hours.”
“Not when things are as unsettled as they are now,” Amelia interjected. “You need your rest to think straight.”
Oliver nodded and smiled. “Have you always been so wise?”
“Yes,” Amelia said with a grin.
Oliver’s gaze lingered on the braid that hung over her shoulder. He reached up and curled the end of it around his finger. “I’m glad. It’s good to have a wise woman around here.”
“I think you did just fine without me,” Amelia replied with a chuckle.
“Better since you’ve been here,” Oliver replied. He took her hand. “And I only see it getting better and better now.”
A rose hue colored Amelia’s cheeks at his words. It made Oliver smile. He liked the effect he had on her. He liked that he affected her as much as she affected him. Oliver kissed her forehead tenderly.
“Stay close to the house?” he said softly.
Amelia looked up at him from beneath long lashes and nodded.
“Good,” he continued. “Someone won’t be far.” He smiled at her and cupped her cheek.
Amelia smiled and placed her hand over his. “I know. I’m not worried.”
He didn’t want to leave. Everything inside of him wanted to stay by her side, keep her close, watch over her. However, he couldn’t. There was work to be done. The day didn’t stop just because he wanted to be near Amelia. He’d never known such an urge to protect and love. It was invigorating, but it was also frightening. He understood how Amelia felt. He didn’t want to lose her, either, and he would do whatever he had to protect her and keep her safe. Oliver kissed her forehead once more. “I’ll see you when I get back.”
The sun baked down on him like a roast in the oven, and Oliver labored hard beneath it. He wanted to be sure the trees were felled that day. It would be another task to cut them into firewood.
Oliver hitched the trees to a sled dragged by two horses. He walked the horses back. They had enough load without him to add to it. He strolled toward the main house, his heart lightening with every step. He couldn’t wait to see Amelia.
He led the horses up the slope behind the house and dropped the trees there before leading the horses back to the barn. He unhitched the stallions, put them back in the stable and headed for the house and the warm welcome he was sure awaited him.
The house was quiet as Oliver approached. There was no humming or singing or the sound of someone inside. Oliver’s brow furrowed. “Amelia?” he called as he pushed open the backdoor and stepped into the kitchen. “Amelia?” he called again.
Oliver surveyed the room. The oven was cold and there was no sign that anything had been prepared, or was even in the process of being made. His stomach began to knot. “Amelia!”
Something inside him felt sick. Oliver rushed into the living room. His heart was beating loudly in his ears. Then, everything became still. The laundry basket was overturned on the floor, its contents strewn about the room. The chairs were in disarray. A lamp lay on the floor, broken. The rug was half turned over.
“Amelia!” Oliver called loudly. “Amelia!”
There was no answer.
Oliver ran to each room, flinging the door open. Amelia wasn’t there. She was gone.
“No,” Oliver breathed as his heart raced. He thought of Rayner’s note.
“He’s taken her,” he panted as he backed out of her bedroom. His hands balled into fists at his side. A growl that Oliver had never heard himself utter, suddenly ripped from his lips. He kicked over the only chair that was still standing. “No!”
Oliver grabbed his gun and ran from the house. He called Amelia’s name with every step he took. Still, there was no answer. He glanced through the barn, and then the fields. He got his horse and raced it toward their secret spot. She wasn’t there. Then, he headed for the plains to gather the other men. By the time they returned, Oliver found Melvin pulling the wagon up to the main house.
“Melvin!” Oliver called. He directed his horse directly to him.
“What’s goin’ on?” Melvin questioned as he stood.
“Amelia’s gone,” Oliver stated urgently. “I think Rayner took her.”
Melvin’s expression transformed before his eyes. “What?”
“I came back from gathering the trees and she was gone. There’s no sign of her anywhere. The house was a mess. The lamp was overturned, the laundry she’d been folding was strewn about. The chairs were toppled.”
“How can you be sure it’s Rayner?” Melvin questioned.
“Who else can it be?” Garrett interrupted. “That man’s a snake. You can’t put anything past him. This is just the type of thing he’d do.”
“All right,” Melvin declared. He jumped down from the wagon and strode toward him. “We need to check for clues. If it was Rayner, you can bet he’s gonna leave somethin’ behind so we can know it. That man likes to show off.”
Oliver’s jaw clenched. “If he hurts her…”
“Hey, none of that,” Melvin stopped him. “We’ll find her and everythin’ will be all right. You listen to me.” He took hold of the reins of Oliver’s horse and stared him in the eye. “We’ll get her back.”
“If anything happens to her…”
“It won’t,” Melvin assured him. “We won’t let it.”
“That’s right!” Garrett agreed.
“Nothing,” Russell said and the other men chorused. “We won’t let anything happen to Miss Amelia. We’ll bring her home safe. You got my word on that,” Russell continued.
Oliver gave him a silent nod. He wished he could be so optimistic, but he also knew the kind of man they were dealing with. Rayner was unscrupulous, unfeeling, and determ
ined to win no matter what. He didn’t care who he hurt in the process. All that mattered to him was coming out on top.
Not this time. I’m gonna stop you this time. There won’t be a coming back from this one. I’m gonna end this once and for all.
“Oliver?” Melvin called.
“I’m fine,” he replied quickly. “Let’s get going.” He turned to the other men. “Search everywhere. I mean everywhere. Leave no place untouched. There has to be something here to tell us where they’ve gone or what he’s done. We have to find it if we want to find Amelia.”
For the Love of a Wounded Cowboy: A Historical Western Romance Book Page 22