by Mia Ford
She shakes her head, “I have no idea. I just know that I wouldn’t leave any stone unturned if I were in his shoes. We need to find out what’s wrong with him. So, that we can help him, Isaac. He’s like a father to me, Isaac.”
“I know, I know.” What else is there to say? I can’t stop him from dying if he’s terminal. Nobody can.”
I’m holding her in my arms trying to comfort her, but she’s sobbing and getting emotional. I decide that we need to get to the bottom of this illness and then try and figure out how to help him.
“Look, I’ll leave Autumn Crooker to her cookies and then when I get back we’ll figure what to do with Granddad. I’ll insist that we all go to see his doctor’s together or something? I’ll think of something. Okay?” I quickly give Olivia a peck on the cheek.
She winks at me and then says, “And then after that, I want a real kiss.”
“Frankenstein’s created a monster,” I say as I give Olivia a pat on her butt before running for the door.
“You better run, Cowboy, before I swat you with a cookie-dough spoon!”
I laugh as I walk across the lawn. If someone had told me a few weeks ago that I was going to be this happy, I would have spit on their face. Damn how fast the world turns!
As I enter the tack room, I remember the first time I tried to polish a saddle. I must have been five. I put saddle soap all over my pony’s and then ran and got Granddad to look at it, but he just laughed so much that he started to cry. I remember looking for Grandma, knowing that she’ll make me feel better.
I shake my head thinking about all the memories. I was in a good mood and didn’t want to spoil it by drudging up things I didn’t want to think about. There’s no way that I’m going to let Granddad die, not if I can help it. I’ll work with the doctor’s and he’s going to be alright. I’m sure about it. As Olivia said, he hasn’t been sick, not since I’ve been here and she hasn’t noticed the change. Not like Grandma, she didn’t even have to tell her that she was dying. It was written all over her face.
Before I start on Buckskin’s saddle, I take a quick peek at the one that belongs to Autumn. It was spotless and as shiny as if it had just come out of the store. I’m putting the final polish on the silver trimming when I see movement and glance toward the door.
“There you are, Isaac,” Granddad says as he enters the tack room.
“You found me. There no hiding from you,” I say and smile.
“I just wanted to tell you how proud I am about what you’re doing. You’ve pitched in and done everything asked of you. And thanks to you and Olivia the ranch’s running smooth as silk again.”
“You don’t need to thank me. I should be thanking you for insisting that I come and spend three months on the ranch.”
“Well, what’s the verdict?”
I smile. “You mean you have to ask after seeing how we enjoy each other’s company,” I sound like a lovesick teenager and I don’t care for the first time in three years I feel alive again.
“She makes me feel alive as if I’ve been dead for the last two years. Shit, she’s everything that a man can want and more. But we’re still getting to know each other. You know it’s not as if I’m going to put a ring on her finger tomorrow or anything, but there’s a potentiality that I’ll do that in time.”
I want to put him in place, let him know that I’m happy to be with her, but I’m not going to run down the aisle with her because he says I need to do it now.
“Well, I’m going to keep my part of the bargain. If you marry Olivia, I’ll leave everything to you.” He pauses. “And I don’t have very long left. My health is declining rapidly. I don’t want to rush things between the two of you, but when do you think you ask her to marry you?”
“Never!”
Olivia blurts out as she’s standing in the door of the tack room. I glance in horror at granddad. His face is as pale as a full moon.
“I heard every word about your deal! How could you, Neil!” she cries out looking directly at Granddad. “I trusted you. Loved you like a father. And here you are trying to marry me off to Isaac as though I didn’t have a say in the matter. I feel so . . . so used.”
“Olivia, calm down. It’s not as bad as it sounds,” I say but when I see her flashing green eyes, I know my words are rolling off her like water off a duck’s back. “I fell in love with you. That’s all that matters.”
“Oh no, Isaac, it’s much more than that. It’s about trust. It about not being a pawn in some rich man’s chess game of life,” she says shaking her head “I feel violated! You two used me.”
She glances at Granddad. “Neil tell me one thing. Just how long have you been planning on forcing Isaac and I together? How long?”
“I knew you could make him snap out of the downward spiral he was in at the time,” Granddad says weakly, and then I realize what’s upsetting Olivia the most.
“How long?”
She demands, I didn’t think that there was an angry bone in her body. Now I can see that it exists, and it’s fucking frightening, but I don’t blame her. She’s been used, but I wonder like she does, how much.
“Two years,” he whispers.
“So when you helped me after my parents died, you had all this in mind.”
Granddad blurts out, “Yes.”
“How many other schemes did you try on Isaac to get him where you thought he should be?” she asks him as she stands in front of him. The tears are streaming down her eyes, and I wish that I could comfort her. Tell her that I knew nothing about this, but part of me is curious about how far he’ll go to help me.
“Olivia, lighten up on him. He’s just trying to help the two people he loves most. He wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble to get us together if he didn’t love both of us. And he’s a sick man.”
“No!” Olivia says shaking her head. “I’m not going to lighten up. He should have been honest with me from the start and so should of you,” Olivia snaps, “Don’t be so naive Isaac, do you believe that he’s sick?”
Shit, I hadn’t even thought about that. Granddad wouldn’t stoop so low to make out that he’s dying just to get us together. I’ve seen nearly every family member die; he wouldn’t lie to me about dying.
“Don’t be silly; he wouldn’t lie about dying. Not after what I’ve been through. First my parents, then Dede. That’s when I melted and couldn’t get back up again.”
“Who the fuck is Dede?” Olivia says, and I know that she’s mad. She cusses not ever.
“She was Isaac’s fiancee, she reminds me of you in a way,” Granddad says as he’s trying to comfort Olivia, but with her arms folded he’s going to have to do a lot more than apologies.
“Isaac used to work twenty-four seven. He loved Dede, but that wasn’t enough for her. She wanted his attention. She had a heart condition,” Granddad pauses as he relives my painful past.
I nod my head confirming that it’s fine for him to tell Olivia the truth. The one that I’ve kept hidden from her and I should have just told her from the start.
“She stopped taking the pill. Hoping that if she was pregnant and we had a family that our two-year engagement would turn into a marriage,” I say as a tear escapes my eye.
“Did it work?”
I shake my head, “No, even worse she was told about the risks of getting pregnant. She was seven months when they rushed her to the hospital. I lost not only her but my baby boy at the same time.”
“And that’s when you started to drink?”
Olivia asks as if she’s trying to put all the pieces together.
“Yes.”
“The girl in the photo. The one on the wall in your apartment.”
I nod again, “Yes.”
Olivia sighs, “The one that you still love?”
I’m about to correct her and say that I never thought I could give my heart to another when Granddad says, “Olivia’s right. There’s nothing wrong with me.”
“Oh fucking hell!”
I’m so fucking mad I know that if I stay in the barn a minute longer, I’ll fucking blow. And he’s going to wish that he never confessed. That’s when I hear Olivia mumble, “The cookies are on the table,” she appears as if every emotion has been taken out of her. She starts to head to the cottage.
I throw down my polishing rag and walk out of the tack room, leaving Granddad alone with the saddles. As I cross the lawn, I see Olivia slowly heading toward the cottage. I want to run after her but don’t.
In a few minutes, everything had been turned upside down. I couldn’t put all the blame on the old man. I told myself. I was part of the conspiracy. Damn it, why couldn’t I have just played along with Granddad. Why did I have to fall in love with Olivia? Why, why!
I don’t have the answers, just the questions. Without thinking I take a cookie from the platter. I bite into it and shake my head. Damn it! I need to leave this fucking ranch. Before I do something that I’ll regret. I knew that I shouldn’t have fucking come back. This place has too many painful memories, and the old man’s just added another one to the list. He made me fall in love with the ranch hand, only to have to fall out of love with her all over again. There’s just one problem; I haven’t got a fucking clue how to do it.
Chapter 14
Olivia
It’s been a few days since I left the ranch. I had to get out of there. When I was in Houston with Isaac, I felt alive. I realized that there’s a whole world out here and I haven’t explored any of it. Luckily living on the ranch and being paid and having my meals paid for, meant that I was able to save. I managed to get a room, and I’m trying to find a job. There’s just one problem. Apart from my high school diploma I have no skills.
I need a job.
There’s just one problem - no one wants to hire anyone with ranch skills, not in the city. I knew that I would bump into Isaac sooner or later. I was walking past the coffee shop when I saw him.
“Olivia, I was hoping to see you again,” he smiles awkwardly.
I want to tell him that I’m busy and that I need to go. Out of all the coffee shops in Houston, why did I have to walk past this one?
“Come inside. Let’s talk?”
“No,” I blurt out. “I’m busy.”
“Well do you have a number I can call you on? I keep trying your old number, and it says out of service.”
I stand to feel as if he’s trying to put the blame on me.
“I got a new one because Neil kept calling me too.”
That’s the extent of people who call me. No one else is interested in speaking to me; it’s kind of sad.
“Do you have a new one? Maybe when you’re less busy, then we can meet up and have a coffee. On me. I’ll pay for your chai latte this time.”
He’s trying to be charming, and I hate it about him. The fact that he wants to meet up and talk to me. Didn’t he get his wish from our time together? Sex and money from Neil.
I shake my head and start to walk away, “Please Olivia. Let’s start again.”
I want to tell him, no, but then the moment I look up into his eyes I think that like the ranch I have no friends in the city. Realistically I have no skills either. Not for the type of jobs that the agency was talking about. Maybe one coffee and he can help, but then after that, I do not have anything to do with him or Neil ever again.
“Okay,” I say the number so fast hoping that he won’t catch them.
“Right, I’ll call you tonight and then we can figure out a time tomorrow.” He kisses me on the cheek, “I’m glad that you’re in the city.”
He walks away before I have time to respond to him. I forgot that he’s smart, of course, he managed to get all the digits. I wonder if part of me is in the city to be near to him when I should be as far away as possible from him and especially Neil.
***
All that time I was thinking that Neil was acting like my surrogate father and he was just using me. As for Isaac, I was just part of a business transaction. It’s as if they don’t believe in real people; they think that because they have money they can do whatever they want.
No!
Not with me. I may not have much, but one thing I do have is pride.
I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t come looking for him in Houston? Would I still be at the ranch taking care of Neil?
I glance at my cell phone. I see that it’s time to meet Isaac. I check the address for the tenth time. I don’t know why and it irritates me so much that I decided to meet him. I certainly didn’t have to agree to it, did I? It also irritates me that Isaac has chosen the same coffee shop where we met the day I drove to Houston. The day I faced the murderous traffic on I-10 and then meeting Isaac. I’d never imagined traffic could be so bad. Of course, the traffic probably wouldn’t bother most people, but I admit it, I’m just a country girl who’s never seen much of anything which is why Neil chose me as an easy target.
Okay, so I did have a great time talking to him at the coffee shop and an even better time at the Space Center. But that was then, that was before I learned the truth about Neil and Isaac’s little plan. There’s been a lot of muddy water under the bridge since that day.
I check myself out in the reflection of the window. Why am I even bothering? I know I can never again trust Isaac. And the same thing holds true for Neil, the man I’d thought was the most trustworthy person I’d ever met.
I’m not sure meeting Isaac at the coffee shop is going to change anything. He used me, end of story! I take a deep breath as I walk into the coffee shop. I look to the rear knowing that he’ll be at the same table that we set for the first time.
I stiffen in surprise! Isaac isn’t alone! Neil’s sitting beside him.
I nod my head in their direction as I walk up to the counter. Isaac comes up beside me, “I’ve already got your latte on the table.”
I snarl, “What’s he doing here?”
Isaac sighs, “He’s been staying with me. As soon as I told him about bumping into you yesterday, he didn’t hesitate in coming here to meet you.”
“You should have warned me.”
“If I did Olivia would you have come?”
That’s an easy question as I reply, “No.”
Most people wouldn’t be able to resist when someone dangles millions of dollars in front of them, to spend time with a woman. One that’s as innocent as I was until I found out their dirty secret.
Sure, Neil is the mastermind behind the plot, but if Isaac had even an ounce of integrity, he would have told his grandfather to go to hell. But instead, he went along with the plot so that he could be filthy rich.
“Olivia,” Neil says as I approach the table. “You look as radiant as ever.” I ignore him. I can’t even bear to be in the same room with him right now.
“Thanks for coming, Olivia,” Isaac adds as I pull out a chair.
“I wasn’t expecting you, Neil?” I say. “I hope you feel as good as you look seeing as you’re not dying.”
“I was afraid you might not come if I told you my granddad was coming,” Isaac says, and I don’t hesitate in replying, “I would have moved to another city to be as far away from him as possible.”
I lift up my latte and put it back down. All of a sudden I don’t feel like drinking coffee.
“How’s Autumn?” I wasn’t going to reveal how much I missed my horse, but the moment I saw Neil my love for Autumn washed over me, and I felt overwhelmed.
“She’s doing great. I brush her daily. But, I can tell she misses you.”
I sigh. “I miss her too. Maybe I’ll find a stable here in town and bring her to Houston once I get a job.”
I see Neil flinch when I suggest bringing Autumn to the city and boarding her here.
“Of course. She’s your horse, and you can do as you please. I’m sure you know she loves being there on the ranch, and she may have a hard time adjusting to being in a different place, particularly one that is so different from what she’s used to.”
“Yeah, well we d
on’t always get what we want, do we, Isaac?” I can’t help asking as I glance at him.
“Olivia, I’m trying, as hard as I can” He motions to his grandfather. “We’re both trying.”
I don’t answer. I just take another sip of my latte. I’m waiting for one of them to tell me why we’re here, but it’s clear that they’re great at manipulating people but not fantastic at confessing when they’re in the wrong.
Chapter 15
Isaac
I can’t believe that we’re just sitting here facing each other and no one’s saying a thing. Granddad begged me to tag along, and he’s not even making an effort. I watch as Olivia tries to sip on her coffee and then she doesn’t have the means to taste it. I don’t blame her; I don’t feel like drinking myself.
“I want to try again, Olivia.”
“What?”
Both Olivia and Granddad blurt it out at the same time.
“I’ve forgiven granddad for what he did. My dad killed himself in our house. Maybe he was pushed for the business or whatever, that’s all in the past. I was living a dangerous life, and he saw an opportunity to help me. What he did with you was inexcusable, but I know that in time he did it out of love. He’s not a mean man. You’ve lived with him for two years. Did you at any point think that his feelings for you were of a man that’s just using you?”
She shakes her head, but I know that I shouldn’t guilt trip her into this because it wasn’t just her fault.
“Olivia, I’m not saying that you should forgive us. But I would like to help. I know that you’re here for your independence.”
“I’ll like to do the same,” Granddad chimes in with a smile on his face.
Olivia ignores him, “I could do with a job.”
“Really, well there’s a need for an admin assistant that I could put in a good word.”
This time I’m the one holding the cards. The one that’s pulling strings and I’m going to milk it for every dime.