Behind us, I hear a voice that stops my heart.
“Knock, knock, knock!”
I turn and see the man behind the voice and my blood runs cold. What the fuck is he doing here?
Emma walks past me toward the barn door and I watch her open it. His eyes meet mine, and I see him freeze, though he manages to keep talking to Emma. I walk over, coldly staring him down.
Emma pauses her conversation about Jenny and her colt and looks back and forth between us. There are so many things I want to say, but none of them come to the surface.
“Kyle?” Emma says, watching us.
He continues to stare me down his blue eyes dark with fury and hatred. I want to hit him. My knuckles itch, and I feel my fist ball up. His jaw ripples and I know he’s clenching his teeth. The tiny motion of him rising to the balls of his feet is not lost on me. He wants a fucking fight? Let’s fucking do it, then.
I’m only aware Olivia has come up behind us when I hear her sweet, bell of a voice speak up from behind me. “Uncle Kyle?”
Suddenly, the tension drains from the room and Kyle looks down at Olivia, a smile on his face that warms even his eyes. “Hey, love! How are you?” he squats down and opens his arms.
“Good!” she says, her face lighting into a smile that belies the hatred and anger in the room. In an instant, she’s in his arms. Emma watches me, her eyes wide, as if she knows what almost happened right here in her barn.
“That’s great!” Kyle says, pulling back from the embrace. “Are you learning to ride horses?” he asks, and Olivia nods, her excitement sparking in her pretty blue eyes.
“Well,” Kyle says, looking up at Emma, “She’s the best teacher around. You better listen to her, bug.”
Olivia giggles and I start. Bug? The last person to call Olivia bug was my father. And that was well over six years ago. That was before.
“Have you seen the colt?” Kyle asks Olivia, who nods.
“I put him out to pasture with Jenny,” she says, sounding very grown up all of a sudden. “Want me to take you to him?” she asks.
“Yep!” Kyle says, “I have to make sure he’s healthy. Em, here, likes to worry,” he says, looking up at Emma, who smiles.
My anger shifts. Who the fuck is he to her? Calling her Em? Saying she likes to worry? How often does she call him? What the fuck is their relationship?
I look at her, but she’s not paying attention to me as Olivia takes Kyle’s hand and he stands up, allowing her to lead him out of the barn.
“I didn’t know he was your brother,” Emma says, but I’ve got nothing to say as I watch my daughter walking off with the brother who’d told me he wished I died instead of dad so many years ago.
Chapter 24
Emma
The tension between the men was palatable. I had no idea Kieran even had a brother, much less that it was the guy who’d been making soft passes at me for a while. I wasn’t expecting Kyle today. But then again, he’s been coming around without me calling for a while now.
It never seemed weird, until now.
Sure, he never did that when dad was alive. But since dad passed away, he’s stopped by often, claiming he’s checking in on the horses. Now, after the tension between the brothers, I wonder if he was actually checking in on me.
And what the hell was with Kieran? Why was he so on edge?
There has to be something more between the brothers. Something I don’t know about. Something that has nothing to do with me. I wonder what, though. I’d swear Kieran wanted to bash Kyle’s face in. And Kyle was right there with him, ready to lash out like a cobra.
I reach out and grab Kieran’s arm before he can leave.
“What the hell was all that about?” I ask, suddenly furious. Kyle is my vet. Whatever personal feelings there may be, he’s still an important fixture around here. I don’t need Kieran chasing him off.
And besides, I don’t need the drama of two guys trying to kill each other on my damn lawn.
But Kieran says nothing. He’s all steel and ire as he looks down at me, then after his brother. So I attack from another angle while Olivia is out of ear shot.
“Why did you say no?” I ask, and he looks at me, shock registering behind those incredible blue eyes.
I know he’s not going to answer, though, and I’m not about to take that bullshit. He’s going to answer me. “It’s a good deal,” I tell him, and he arches an eyebrow at me like he’s skeptical.
“It’s an amazing ROI,” I tell him, feeling pang of satisfaction that he seems surprised I know the term return on investment. “So this must be personal.” I conclude, and he finally decides to say something.
“It’s not personal,” he says, his eyes darkening. Sensing the danger, I push forward.
“Then why did you say no?” I ask a bit too sweetly, sure I’ve backed him into a corner.
Suddenly, his lips are on mine, but there’s nothing sweet about the kiss. It’s rough. His tongue pushes past my lips and my knees tremble as the sheer brutality of it shakes me to the core. Interestingly enough, it also ignites something within me and I kiss him back.
His arms circle around me; holding me tightly as he leans into the kiss and pushes me back. My heart bangs against his chest and finds his heart beating quickly. Everything in me comes alive and I want nothing more than to feel him again, skin to skin, heart to heart.
But he pulls back and I hear why. The approaching voices of Olivia and Kyle.
“Well, maybe we can see each other more,” Kyle is saying to Olivia.
I feel Kieran tense up as the two enter the barn.
Kyle’s eyes dart from me to Kieran and I know he knows. My cheeks sting as Olivia chatters on, seemingly unaware of all the tension between the adults around her.
“I’d like that. I need to get back to Dreamer’s stall, though.” She stands on tiptoe as Kyle leans down. She kisses his cheek and gives him a one arm hug around the shoulders before heading back to Dreamer’s stall.
“A word?” Kieran says in a low, threatening voice to his brother.
The two step outside, and I follow, needing to make sure there’s no bloodshed on my property.
“Don’t bother,” Kyle is saying to a livid Kieran. “You took everything else from me, why should this be any different?” His blue eyes flick to me and suddenly, both men are studying me.
“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 t
hink 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.”
Billionaire Bash: The Complete Steele Series Page 38