MAIL ORDER OLIVIA

by Kathleen Lawless

  “Who says?” Olivia snapped.

  Robert exhaled. “I know I have no right to tell you how to raise your child, but your overprotectiveness is making her timid. She wasn’t like that before.”

  Olivia’s gaze narrowed. “Robert, I realize it’s past time to tell you this, but you have every right to tell me how to raise, Chloe.”

  “I’m truly touched you trust me to that extent but—”

  “It has nothing to do with trust. You are her father. In every sense of the word.”

  Robert stared at her in disbelief. “We both know that’s not possible.”

  “On the contrary—”

  Robert interrupted. “I’m a doctor, Olivia. I understand the gestational period better than most men. I know there is no way Chloe could be mine.”

  Chapter 9

  Olivia had fantasized a dozen different scenarios of what would happen when she told Robert the happy news, but none of them mirrored this. To have him flat out deny what she said. How dare he cling to some priggish notion that he was right and everyone else was wrong.

  If he was going to be like that—she saw no point in challenging his faulty math. She knew the truth. If he couldn’t be bothered to hear her out—that she had only married Harry so their child wouldn’t be a bastard—clearly there was no hope for their future.

  After her fateful disclosure, she couldn’t bear his pitying looks across the table each day, as if she were truly delusional. He treated Chloe the same as ever, with a slight distance, as if not wanting to give Olivia false hope that he might start to believe her. Any conversation Olivia exchanged with Robert was strained to the point of being painful.

  Which is why she decided to leave. This was no life for herself or her daughter. One day, while Robert was at the clinic and Mrs. Franklin was out shopping, Olivia packed her and Chloe’s things.

  She couldn’t go back to Philadelphia in case Harry’s creditors were still on the lookout for her, but she had enough money put aside to take the stagecoach West. She hated to involve Robert’s cousin Laura, but she didn’t know anyone else she could trust. From the short time she’d spent with Laura and her sisters-in-law, she gathered there were a lot of good things happening in Bullet. Perhaps there could be a place for her and Chloe.

  Robert faced his friend, Daniel, across a table in the saloon where the two men had met for a pint.

  “What do you mean Olivia left?” Daniel asked. “Where did she go?”

  “I don’t know,” Robert said morosely. “She didn’t leave a note, or word with Mrs. Franklin. She and Chloe and their things were just gone.”

  Daniel shook his head. “What you’re saying doesn’t make any sense. Anyone with eyes in their head could see she adores you.” His gaze narrowed. “What did you do?”

  “Nothing,” Robert said, but he knew Daniel well enough to anticipate the man wasn’t about to leave it there. “Well, there was this one incident.”

  Daniel signaled for another round. “Tell me what happened so I don’t make the same mistake when my bride arrives here in town. I was counting on Olivia to take her under her wing.”

  “I don’t understand why Olivia said what she did,” Robert said. “I was growing very fond of Chloe. Then out of the blue, when we were on our way home from a wedding in Bullet, Olivia announced that Chloe is mine.”

  Daniel looked unfazed. “Does it matter to you one way or the other?”

  Robert shook his head. “Of course not. She’s the innocent.”

  “Why would Olivia say such a thing if it wasn’t true?” Daniel said.

  “Beats me,” Robert said. “She got all sentimental meeting my cousin and her family. Then we were invited to the wedding while we were there. I think she just wanted us to be the same. One big happy family.”

  Daniel took a sip of his beer. “You know, we meet here on this day every year to celebrate the anniversary of you selling me your father’s business.”

  Robert nodded. “I’m glad you took it over. I had no interest, but you’ve increased business, how much in two short years? Threefold?”

  “Close,” Daniel said. “Are you quite certain there’s no truth to what Olivia said about Chloe being yours? Because I only met Olivia once, but she didn’t strike me as the delusional type.”

  Robert shook his head. “Chloe was born in November the year before last. My father died in January two years ago, and I was out here seeing to his affairs.”

  Daniel banged his beer glass on the wooden table so abruptly some of the suds sloshed over the top. “You moron!”

  “What?” Robert asked.

  “For a doctor, you can be mighty dense. Too self-righteous to see what’s right in front of you.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “Two years ago, today, we signed the papers for me to buy the business.”

  “We’ve been over that.”

  “The reason I didn’t buy it sooner was because you weren’t here yet—in fact you were bound and determined you were never coming back, till Hicks forced your hand. Count back from November, doc.” He held up nine fingers. “In February you were still in Philly. No doubt saying a fond farewell to your lady love.” He slanted Robert a look. “Still convinced Chloe isn’t yours?”

  Robert couldn’t be more stunned if Daniel had hit him over the head with a sledge hammer. “I was mixing up the date of my father’s death with my arrival back in Yuma.”

  “And there’s your little gal back in Philly, anxiously awaiting your return so she can tell you the news.”

  “Instead, she was told I’m dead.”

  “Enter your friend Harry, not much of a friend by the way, who takes advantage of Olivia’s shock and grief and convinces her to marry him, knowing at the time it’s you who she really loves.”

  Robert’s eyes widened. “Harry intercepted my mail to her, then forged a letter telling me she never wanted to see again.”

  “And when Olivia finally finds her way to tell you the truth about Chloe, you don’t believe her. I’d have left, too, bucko.”

  Robert rose.

  Daniel looked up at him. “Where are you going?”

  “I have to go find Olivia.”

  “Sit down. Don’t be stupid twice. First, you need a plan.”

  Laura and the other Mason wives were as warm and welcoming as Olivia could have hoped. Before she knew it, Chloe was off playing with her cousin Charlotte, while Olivia sat at the huge scarred table in the ranch house kitchen being plied with tea and sympathy.

  “That Robert,” Laura said. “Even as a young boy, he was as stubborn as they came. My brother loved to get his goat by calling him Bobby.” She smiled at the memory. “As I recall, even then, it was Robert’s road or the high road. His father was the same, which is one reason they had such a blowup that Robert refused to see him ever again.”

  Laura leaned across the table and filled Olivia’s teacup from the seemingly bottomless pot. “You’re welcome to stay here at the ranch for as long as you like. Take your pick of the bedrooms upstairs for you and Chloe. No one lives here now that each of us have our own home, but we enjoy getting together more often than not.”

  She squeezed Olivia’s hand in a comforting gesture. “Do you want Brody to go over and talk some sense into Robert? He’s had to do that for most of his brothers when they were messing up with their ladies.”

  Olivia dashed away a lone tear. It had been so long since she had been treated kindly by a sympathetic female.

  When Laura passed her a hankie, Olivia gratefully dabbed at her eyes. “I’m afraid this is so tangled it may be too late to salvage things. Robert and I have an insurmountable number of misunderstandings and half-truths to overcome.”

  Laura shook her head. “It’s never too late. Ten years went by before I came back, still afraid Brody would never talk to me, yet knowing that I had to try.”

  Olivia sighed. “So many people have interfered in Robert’s and my life. Starting with that solicitor who sent a telegram tellin
g me Robert was dead. Why would anyone do that?’

  “Money, I imagine. Some deal that was cooked up between the solicitor and Robert’s father, before the old goat died.”

  “I never even met the man,” Olivia said. “Yet he had no qualms about ruining my life.”

  “Consider yourself lucky. From what I recall, he was a hard-nosed bully. When he couldn’t bludgeon Robert into staying here and marrying who he chose—” She leaned forward. “You can’t allow him to win, Olivia. You can’t let him manipulate you and Robert from the grave.”

  “I also can’t be with someone who won’t believe me and defend me with the last breath in their body. How could Robert believe I would choose Harry over him?”

  “Men act in peculiar ways when they feel hurt.”

  “Robert feels hurt. Imagine how I felt when I saw his advertisement for a bride. I thought he faked his own death to be rid of me.”

  Just then Storm, the librarian, joined them.

  Olivia was still trying to sort out the Mason brothers and their wives, but Storm’s unusual name made her easy to remember.

  “I’m heading over to Dove House,” Storm said, pulling on her gloves as she spoke. “Do either of you want to come with me?”

  Laura looked at Olivia. “It might be helpful for you to meet some of the women staying there. They’re all in the midst of starting over with their lives.”

  “Why is that?” Olivia asked.

  “Each of them has escaped from a bad marriage,” Laura said. “Not quite the same as your situation—”

  “Oh, but it is,” Olivia said.

  Laura gave her a startled glance.

  “Not Robert,” Olivia said. “Harry. The man I married when I believed Robert was dead. He had issues and at first, he took them out on me. Later, I saw the way he looked at Chloe, knowing she wasn’t his and resenting her because I loved her so much, while I didn’t love him.”

  She was aware of Laura and Storm exchanging a glance. “It sounds like Dove House would be ideal. Talking to some of the other women there might help you get things sorted out. Decide if you want another chance with Robert or not.”

  Robert reread the telegram from his colleague in Philadelphia. As far as his friend could tell, Olivia had vanished. There had been no sign of her around the hospital lately, and it sounded as if Robert wasn’t the only one seeking Olivia’s whereabouts.

  Robert crumpled the telegram. All he wanted to do was to keep his wife and daughter safe. How was he supposed to do that if he didn’t know where they were?

  The answer came to him almost immediately, and he wasted no time in ensuring that Harry’s past would never haunt Olivia again.

  Chapter 10

  The woman outside his clinic looked familiar, but Robert didn’t think she was a former patient. He tended to have a good memory for those he had treated in the past.

  “Robert.” She extended her hand. “I’m Storm Mason. We met at Benjamin and Georgina’s wedding.”

  “That’s right.” He shook her hand. “You’re Laura’s sister-in-law.” Robert unlocked the clinic door and ushered her inside. “Do you have a medical concern?”

  She shook her head. “I’m hesitant about being here, but I know Olivia misses you, and you must be worried about her.”

  “I’m worried sick!” Robert said. “Do you know where she is?”

  Storm crossed her arms over her chest. “If I tell you where she is, you must promise you won’t go dashing in blindly and upset her.”

  “I don’t want to upset her. I want to take care of her.”

  “My husband, Blake, and I got off to a rocky start when we met,” Storm said. “I had escaped an abusive husband, unsure if I had killed him during my escape and was maybe wanted for murder. Blake found out my past, and in a luge leap of faith, he took a chance to get to the truth of the matter. I loved him all the more for that.”

  “I’m glad your husband played a role in your future, but what does that have to do with Olivia?”

  “You may not be aware, but Olivia’s first husband was abusive. Living with someone who treats you that way takes a terrible toll on a woman’s trust and self-worth—both of which take a long time to rebuild. Sometimes it’s too late. The woman’s scars are too deep. For a woman to take a chance, and then to have a second man, a man she’s chosen to trust, also let her down—” Storm gave him a hard look “—many women never recover from a situation like that.”

  “Tell me what I can do. There must be some way I can make it up to Olivia. To regain what we lost.”

  “Do you remember Dove House?”

  “Where the wedding took place? I most certainly do.”

  “It’s become a house of refuge for women who have managed to flee from an unfortunate home life. Perhaps you heard about it at the wedding and thought to make a house call, to see if any of the women are in need of medical attention. If you’re lucky, some may even share their stories, which will help you to better understand Olivia.”

  Robert pushed a hand through his hair. “A short time ago, Chloe disappeared from our yard. It turned out she was safe at the neighbor’s, but the fact that it happened changed Olivia. She became overprotective and paranoid about the safety of our daughter. I wasn’t very understanding.”

  “Clearly, you’ve never been a mother. Particularly one whose trust has been badly abused, and who feared for her daughter’s safety. Come to Dove House when you can, Robert.” She gave him a long, level look. “For everyone’s sake, I was never here, and the suggestion didn’t come from me.”

  “Is Dove House where Olivia is staying?”

  Storm shook her head. “Olivia and Chloe are safe at the Copper Moon Ranch, but she spends part of her time at Dove House. She seems to find talking to the other women helpful. I would think that after your visit there, it would be a natural move to stop at the ranch and say hello to Laura, don’t you?”

  Robert extended his hand. “Thank you, Storm. I am in your debt.”

  Storm nodded. “I can see that you’re a good man, and that you love Olivia. Nothing would make me happier than to see the two of you reconciled.”

  “So many people conspired against our happiness,” Robert said.

  “Precisely why the two of you need to learn to trust each other. And for pity’s sake, if Olivia tells you something, even if she says the sky is green, agree with her.”

  Robert nodded.

  After seeing to his patients at the clinic, Robert went home and made a plan.

  Olivia was around back of the ranch house hanging out laundry as she watched Chloe and Charlotte play together. The two little ones, close in age, had fast become best friends. Olivia put down her clothes pegs and simply looked her fill at her happy, healthy little girl. For Chloe to be part of a big family, as well as to have a best friend, was more than she ever could have wished for her daughter.

  If only Robert—

  She sighed and went back to her laundry. She missed him so much.

  How she wished she had told Robert the truth about Chloe’s parentage the day she arrived, but her pride had gotten in the way. Hurt, compounded by the fear that perhaps Robert really never loved her, had clouded her judgement.

  She knew, being the honorable man that he was, he would have done the right thing by her and Chloe, but she didn’t want to be seen as a duty. Someone he was stuck with the rest of his life, due to one fleeting night of passion.

  Hearing Chloe’s excited cry, she looked up to see her daughter racing across the ranch as fast as her chubby legs would carry her.

  “Papa. Papa.”

  Olivia spun around. As if she had conjured him up with her thoughts, Robert rounded the corner of the house and scooped Chloe in his arms. He swung her around before he tossed her high in the air and caught her.

  Chloe giggled.

  Olivia’s heart leapt into her throat. What if Robert dropped her?

  She clamped her lips shut. She had to trust that he would never let anything bad happen
to their daughter.

  “Papa missed you, Chloe. And mama, too. Where is your mama?”

  “Mama.” Chloe pointed in Olivia’s direction. Then she wiggled to be let down, pointing to her cousin. “’Lot.”

  “Charlotte. Yes, I see Charlotte.” He ran a loving hand across the top of her head. “You’ve turned into a right little chatterbox this past while. What other words do you know?”

  Chloe just grinned as she reached her feet, before she raced back to her cousin.

  Robert faced Olivia and approached slowly, as if unsure of his welcome.

  “Hello, Livie.”

  “Hello, Robert,” she said stiffly, staring at the diaper in her hands that had somehow twisted itself into knots. “How did you know where to find me?”

  “I called by Dove House to see if any of the ladies had need of a doctor’s care. I popped by to say hello to Laura if she’s here, before I head home.”

  “She’s up at their house. It’s the first one on the left.”

  Robert didn’t move. His eyes searched her face.

  “I’ve missed you, Livie. You and Chloe both.”

  She gave a jerky nod. Words eluded her.

  “Can you possibly forgive me for being a self-righteous know-it-all? One who made the biggest mistake of his life by not listening to what you were trying to say?”

  She dropped the diaper back into the basket near her feet.

  “I wrote to you every week for six long months before I received that letter that I believed was from you. I’m sorry I didn’t keep my word and come back for you in person. It’s no excuse to blame the tangle of my father’s affairs.” He let out a disbelieving laugh. “If I didn’t know better, I would say the old goat did it on purpose, just to try and further destroy my life. If I’ve lost you a second time, it means he succeeded. Please don’t let him ruin us.”

  Olivia couldn’t look away. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest. Drawing a full breath was difficult.