“This better not be about me,” I say. “No one took me from anyone.”
“Right,” Kyle says, his voice ice. “What about Olivia?” He looks at his brother. “What about dad?”
Shock rips through me as I wonder what the hell they’re talking about. I stare form one to the other, waiting for some clarity. But Kyle looks form me to his brother, a small, cruel smile on his lips.
“She doesn’t know, does she?” he asks, his icy tone clearly affecting Kieran like frostbite. With that, Kyle turns and leaves, then seems to think better of it. He turns around again, his movements so threatening I feel frightened and jump back a step as he focuses the full force of his wrath on me.
“Don’t trust a fucking thing he says,” he says, running a trembling hand through his hair as rage rolls off him like this fog. “He’ll gut you without a second thought. He only cares about himself. Don’t let him fool you otherwise.”
“You’re wrong,” I whisper, and his eyes lock on me, narrowing a tiny fraction. “He cares about her,” I jerk my chin toward the barn and Olivia.
To my horror, Kyle lets out an ugly laugh. “Right. That’s why she hasn’t seen her grandma in over a year. Every girl should grow up without her mother, her grandparents, her uncles. He clearly cares.”
I glance over at Kieran, who’s clearly livid and I realize how very little I know about this family. And Kieran surely has dark secrets. While I’d wondered where Olivia’s mom was, I had assumed she’d passed away. The finality of Olivia’s references of her felt like she’d died. But now that I think back, she’d never said so. She’d mentioned missing her mother. But she’d never actually said she’d lost her, even after I mentioned my dad had died.
Without another word, Kyle walked away, his back straight and his shoulders square.
I look over at Kieran, both wanting to demand answers and help him. But he’s staring after his brother. And I can’t help it.
“Fix it,” I tell him, and he glances over at me.
“I can never fix the evil things I said to dad.” My voice lowers to a wobbly whisper. “And now he’s dead. Fix it.”
But Kieran eyes me with a look that’s impassibly harsh. “Some things can’t be fixed,” he says, but I shake my head.
“Everything can be fixed,” I say, gathering courage.
Suddenly, Olivia peeks around the barn door at us, her face filled with fear. “Are you telling daddy on me?” she asks me, her eyes wide with unshed tears.
My heart stops as I glance at Kieran. “No,” I tell her, knowing the jig is up.
His eyes narrow in fury. “You are now,” he tells me as Olivia tries to slip back in the barn.
“What are you hiding from me?” he asks, his eyes granite as he glares down at me.
“It’s not a big deal,” I say, trying to figure out how to tell him without making things worlds worse.
“Olivia, get in the truck,” he says, his tone so low and menacing, I feel genuine fear bubbling up in my belly.
“No.”
Kieran looks away from me at her, and I sense he’s battling his rage. “Now, young lady.”
But she stands up. “No.” Her eyes dart to me, and I sense she’s not nearly as afraid of her father as I am right now. “Does the offer still stand?” she asks and I find myself on the spot.
“What offer?” Kieran snarls.
“I’ll help anyway I can,” I tell her, and I sense Kieran’s rage multiplying.
Olivia stands tall. “Dad,” she begins, balling her fist and bringing it to her chest in a quick double tap. “You promised me a safe space to say anything and not get in trouble,” she says, and I know all his rage is shifting to me.
He nods, his face tight.
“I was going to run away.” Olivia sounds so sure of herself I feel my heart breaking for her. Before me, Kieran stiffens. “But Emma told me that things would seem better in the morning. She told me if I ran away to her, she’d make me work, hard, like I was her daughter.”
Olivia plants her feet a bit apart in what feels like a fighting stance. “And I stayed. Things did seem better in the morning. She helped me, dad, when I needed it most.”
And Kieran’s anger seems to deflate.
But Olivia isn’t done. “But she didn’t tell you to protect me. So leave her alone or I will leave, and you’ll never find me.”
Chapter 25
Kieran
White-hot terror turns my blood cold as I study my daughter. She looks so much like her mother right now, I feel like I’m seeing far into the past.
But the hits just keep coming.
“Mom contacted me,” Olivia says, her innocent voice the only thing that keeps me from losing it right now and hunting her mother down and ending what I should have ended so very long ago.
All I can do is stand here, praying to gods I don’t believe in as she speaks.
“I want to stay here,” Olivia says, looking over at Emma, who is white as a sheet, looking at both of us.
“Of course,” Emma says.
“I’ll have your ass thrown in jail,” I tell her.
Olivia’s blue eyes meet mine. “So you want me to leave, then?” she asks, her voice so very calm. And I feel a flash of pride. My daughter really is mine. She’s backed me into a corner, and she knows it.
“If you stay, I stay,” I tell her, and Olivia arches an eyebrow at me before glancing at Emma.
“That’s up to you,” she says, and I see Emma stiffen.
“Aren’t you glad you got in the middle of this?” I ask her, and she meets my gaze, silently begging me to tell her what to do.
“Stay,” she tells me, and I nod.
I glance over at Olivia, feeling pride more than anger. She’ll never want for anything. She’s strong, like I’ve raised her. While this isn’t want I had in mind when I’d wanted her to blossom, I’m still glad to know she’s asserting herself.
And, as uneasy as I am that her mother is involved, I know that she’ll control every situation come hell or high water. She’s ready to know the truth about her mom, if she doesn’t already. And, the more I think about it, the more sure I am she does know.
I glance over at Emma, who seems lost.
She looks at me, her green eyes suddenly clearing as instinct kicks in. And I’m impressed at how well she’s handling everything.
“I’ll put you in the guest room,” she tells Olivia, who nods and says thanks while flashing a smile that shows off her cute dimples.
“And you,” she says, looking at me, “I’ll put you on the couch.” A little smile curves her lips and I sense she’s getting a kick out of making me uncomfortable.
“I put Dreamer away,” Olivia says, sounding very grown up.
Emma, still seeming a bit stunned at all that has transpired, nods and turns to lead us to the house.
Inside, I see her lead Olivia upstairs and look around. The couch seems like it’s comfortable, and I realize it’s slept in often. There’s even sheets and a pillow in a box beside it. What the hell is Emma doing sleeping on the couch in her own home?
When she comes back downstairs, I corner her. “I need your help,” I tell her and she looks up at me, her eyes wide.
When she says nothing, I talk fast and quietly. “I need you to get her phone while she’s asleep.” When she looks ready to balk, I talk fast. “Her mother is dangerous.”
She looks dubious, and I sigh. “Her mother had a problem. Being a mother was just too much, and what started as a glass of wine a night turned into several bottles of wine a night.” The truth begins to pour out, and I feel Emma softening.
“One day, she came to pick two year old Olivia from day care. She was wasted. So wasted the day care refused to let her take Olivia. They called the cops.” That old, familiar shame rises up in me as I talk. “She promised it would never happen again.” The bitter taste of betrayal sours my tongue and I feel the bile begin to back up my throat.
“But it did?” Emma asks gently, looking up
at me with those cat like eyes in a way that melts my heart. She understands. She’s not judging, or hating me for the precarious position I put Olivia in. She does not hate me for taking Olivia from her mother. She understands.
I never expected anyone to understand.
“It did,” I say, swallowing hard. It’s painful to talk about, even now. “She got into an accident with Olivia in the car.” Even now, the pain clouds up my heart, leaving it hard to breathe. I’ve never opened up like this, never told anyone how I failed them both. I failed my wife by not getting her the help she needed. I ran away from her when she needed me. I took Olivia from her mother, instead of trying to fix things.
I was afraid.
I was weak.
“Olivia was in the hospital for two months. They thought she’d die. She almost did.” I have to stop, to breathe, to remember it didn’t end that way. She’s whole, she’s strong, she’s perfect.
Emma pulls me into a hug. “I’ll help,” she whispers in my ear, and suddenly, I want her more than I’ve wanted anyone in my life.
But she pulls away and tells me she’ll get some dinner ready.
“Can I help?” I ask, and she looks at me with a mix of surprise and amusement.
“You’re my guest.” She heads into the kitchen and I follow.
“I hope I’m also your friend,” I tell her, and she furrows her eyebrows a bit.
“Sure,” she says, not sounding very sure of it at all.
I smile. “Good. Why do you sleep on the couch?” I ask, needing to know. She seems surprised and she turns from the fridge to stare at me with wide eyes.
“What makes you think that?” she asks, her voice nearly breathless.
I arch an eyebrow at her. Surely she doesn’t think I’m stupid. “The sheets, blankets and pillow in the box beside the couch.”
She turns away and opens the fried, as if needing a moment to compose herself. “That’s for guests,” she says, but I know she’s lying.
“I told you some pretty dark secrets,” I tell her, and she stiffens up a bit.
She closes the fridge and looks up at the ceiling a moment before turning to me. “Some days I’m too tired to go up the stairs.”
“Why was that so hard to share?” I ask, mostly teasing.
Her eyes narrow. “Because you’ll use it to try to get my ranch.”
I hesitate, realizing this conversation for what it is. She’s sure I’m only out to get her home. And I have been. I am. She’s right.
Hell, I’ve been contemplating marrying her to get this damn place.
Kyle was right about me.
Fuck.
Chapter 26
Emma
The shock in Kieran’s eyes is all the proof I need to know I’m right. About everything. He’s only been using everything I’ve fed him to get to me. To get my ranch.
“Kyle was right about you,” I whisper, hurt filling the depths of my soul.
Shock lights behind his eyes and I hear Olivia coming down the stairs. “What do you want for dinner?” I ask her.
“I’m not picky,” She says, before heading out the door. I stare after her. I expected to feel like a hostage in my home after all this. But I don’t. I feel like a mom, a wife, dealing with the new fires that have sprung up since I last put them out.
“You make dinner,” I tell Kieran before hurrying after Olivia.
“What is your plan?” I ask her as she heads toward the pasture Jenny and the colt are in. She turns to me.
“Simple,” she says, a shy smile on her face. “I like you, Emma, a lot. And I know dad likes you too.” We walk, side by side toward the pasture. “I was hoping that, if we spent the night, you’d realize you like us too, and maybe we could be a family.”
My heart breaks at the simplicity of love and family in a child’s mind. It’s easy to forget that she’s nine. She’s so very mature, so grown up, it’s more like being around another adult rather than with a child.
“It’s not that simple,” I tell her and she looks over at me as she climbs up on the fence to watch the mare and colt playing in the pasture.
“Isn’t it?” she asks, and we both watch the horses play.
I wonder what she means. There’s so much more that goes into love, into falling in love than just spending some time together. Besides, her father doesn’t seem like the type to fall in love. And with all he’s been through, I doubt love is something he’s even open to right now.
As we stand, Jenny’s colt wanders over to Olivia, who reaches a hand out to let him sniff. He seems interested in her and sniffs her face, nibbles on her hair, before rearing playfully up on his back legs and dashing off toward his mother.
Olivia, as if unaware I’m still here, brings her fist to her chest. “You’re a warrior, little colt,” she says softly, her eyes focused on something only she can see.
I smile at her, Kieran’s words floating back into my mind. They thought she’d die. She almost did.
That’s why they do the chest thump thing, I realize. She’s his little warrior. Because she almost didn’t make it.
I feel the sting of tears and blink them back.
When we finally head back to the house, Kieran has dinner ready, and I have the amazing feeling of coming home. It almost feels like dad is right here, sitting with us, enjoying the company.
We take our places and eat, and I finally figure out what was bothering me. Something Olivia said. I know Kieran’s plan is to sneak around, to take it easy on her and not push. That’s his way. Go easy on her, because she’s having a rough time.
“So, Olivia,” I say as I take a bite of the salad before me. Kieran had made beautiful baked chicken with rosemary and thyme, a salad with fresh tomatoes from the garden, and baked potatoes. Simple, perfect. “What did you and your mother talk about?” I ask.
Kieran tenses right up and I expect a swift kick under the table.
But Olivia chokes on her bite. “Um,” she says, taking a drink of her milk. “We talked about how I could come stay with her.”
I sense a shift in Kieran’s attitude, and know my hunch was correct. “Oh,” I agree with her. “Where is she at?”
“I can’t tell you,” Olivia says, looking miserable as she picks at her food.
“I mean,” I say, side stepping the refusal. “is she in a hotel? Apartment? House? I mean, you want to live on a ranch, is she on a ranch?”
“She didn’t really say,” Olivia says.
“Olivia,” Kieran says, his voice a warning.
She refuses to look at him, and I sense her bravado waning.
“Olivia, look at me,” Kieran demands, and she listens. Only now do I see the sparkle of tears in her eyes. “Did you talk to her?” He demands, and Olivia stares at him, her eyes red as two tears slip down her rounded cheeks.
She says nothing, but her eyes tell us everything we needed to know. “We’re going to talk later, young lady,” Kieran says, but I shake my head.
“Feel free to talk now. Having a mediator might help.” I mean it as a joke, but he glares at me.
He goes back to eating, as I take another bite. I sense he’s unable to keep contained, and I take a breath and wait for it.
“You’re grounded,” Kieran says, and I wince.
“Why did you lie, sweetie?” I ask, looking her in the eyes. Offering her silent strength, I think hard at her as if she can hear me. If you tell him, maybe he’ll understand rather than just be mad.
“I just wanted to stay here,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper.
He says nothing, but I push her. “Why?” I ask, my food all but forgotten. It’s delicious, but I’m interested in what the girl has to say. And I know Kieran is too, even if he’s ignoring us right now.
“Because you’d be a good mom,” she whispers, her blue eyes locked on mine as my heart stops dead in my chest.
Chapter 27
Kieran
I almost choke on my food. Not only have I found out my nine year old daught
er has played me for a fool, but she’s wanting Emma – of all people – to play mommy.
Fuck.
How fucked up is my life right now?
What the hell is going on? Have I lost it?
When we finish our food, I tell Emma thank you, and tell Olivia to get ready to go home. Emma pulls me in for a hug, but it’s just cover for her to whisper in my ear. “Go easy on her. She needs a friend, not an angry dad.”
As she says it, I flash back to my dad finding out I’d lied to him. He’d belted me until I couldn’t walk that time. But his anger, his anger had shut me down. I felt like he never heard me, like he didn’t understand me. Like he didn’t give two shits about how I felt.
I never wanted to be him, yet here I am, grounding her rather than hearing her out. Like my dad did to me, I’m invalidating her feelings. Like an asshole.
I’m a fucking asshole.
I’ll make it right.
“I’m sorry.” The words feel weird.
Olivia looks up at me, her face alight with love. “It’s okay, daddy. We all screw up.”
I’d ungrounded her. We’d talked until three am about everything and nothing. I’d finally gotten to hear her heart, her thoughts, her fears and dreams. Things I’d felt cut off from up until now. And it was all thanks to Emma.
My phone lights up and I answer it.
“Mr. Knight,” Nikki purrs.
“Yes?” I say, wanting her to get over it.
“The tenants are out. You’re free to remodel the Birch property.” She sounds ecstatic, and I realize that I’m going to be busy.
How about my messages?” I ask, trying not to ask in a way that might clue in Olivia.
She pauses. “Oh! No, she hasn’t been calling.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. No more calls from Cami.
“Thank you, Nikki,” I tell her. Hanging up the phone, I look down at Olivia.
“Go,” she says, “I’ve got to make Sandy work for that paycheck.” An evil grin crosses her lips and I laugh.
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