OLIVER: WESTERN CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE (Blackwater Canyon Ranch Book 2) (14 page)

Oliver’s house was dark when Daisy pulled into the drive. She would have thought he wasn’t at home except his truck was parked out front.

With trepidation rolling through her, she shoved her gearshift into park. She had to do this no matter how difficult it was. Resigned to his certain anger, she opened her car door and stepped out.

The boots she’d shoved on her feet didn’t match her skirt and silk blouse, but she didn’t care. This wasn’t about impressing him.

She knocked on the door and waited.

No answer.

She knocked again, but still no sound from within.

Agitation urged her to check the knob. When it twisted beneath her grip, she pushed open the door and stepped inside. Darkness greeted her.

“Oliver?” she called hesitantly.

“Breaking and entering is a criminal offense.” Oliver’s deep voice reached out from the dark and startled her.

She inhaled a sustaining breath as she searched the shadows. “Can I turn on a light?”

“No.”

She couldn’t mistake the anger in his voice. “I’m sorry, Oliver.”

No response.

She stumbled forward, trying to navigate the room by dim light and shadows. “Shit,” she hissed when she rammed her knee into a table she’d failed to see.

Something clicked and a table lamp illuminated the room. Oliver sat in an oversized recliner with a beer in his hand. Another sat on the table next to him, cozying up with the lamp that had saved her from more bruises.

“I don’t want you here. Please leave.”

She nodded in understanding. “I won’t stay long. I only wanted to let you know that I’ve talked to Rachel, and she’s retracted her decision to fire you.”

“Did she now?” He took a swig of his beer, not seeming thrilled with her news.

“She did once I explained things to her. She and Caleb need you.” Daisy exhaled a long sigh. “I’m leaving first thing on Monday, and you won’t need to worry about running into me before then. I’m good at staying indoors. After that, things should go back to normal for you.”

He stared at her for a long moment. His eyes held no warmth, and his lips sat in a firm line. The evening’s events had hardened him.

Her heart crumbled. Whatever flame had burned between them had been extinguished, if it had ever existed at all beyond her imagination.

“Okay, then. I’ve said what I came to say and can now leave with a clear conscience. I’m sorry to have brought you so much trouble.” She gave him a quick nod and turned as tears flooded her eyes.

“Damn it, Daisy.” He was out of his chair and gripped her arm, whirling her around before she reached the door. Frustration twisted his features, and what was stern had dissolved into a heated expression.

She swallowed, unsure of his intent.

“What the hell am I going to do with you? You come to Blackwater all sassy and full of fire. I didn’t want to like you. But you’re smart and you’re kind, not to mention the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Then you do the worst thing possible and allow me to make love with you. Now, you’re going to walk away, and I might not ever see you again. You think this fixes things? They’ve never been so fucked up as they are right now.”

His words stole hers, and it took her a few seconds to find them. “I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry. What can I do to make things better? Do you want me to apologize to Karla?” It might kill her, but he was right when he’d said she’d waltzed in and messed up everyone’s lives.

“No, I don’t want you to talk to Karla. I don’t give a damn about her. What I want is this.” He pulled her into his arms and laid a fierce kiss on her lips.

She struggled to stay focused as his love threatened to pull her under.

When he was finished, he stepped back and released her. “If you want to leave me, then go.”

She blinked several times as she tried to process his information. “What if I don’t want to go?” As soon as she said the words, she knew they were true. “What if I’m only leaving to make things easier on you?”

“Then you’re making a huge mistake.” His throat worked over a swallow. “If you leave, you’ll take my heart with you.” His last words didn’t make it past the emotion in his voice.

Her heart trembled, and she stepped forward to take his hand. His was big compared to hers, but she wrapped her fingers around him anyway. Slowly, she lifted her gaze. “If I stay…” Even now, she couldn’t be certain until he said it.

He slid a hand behind her back and pulled her against him. “If you stay with me, you’ll make me the happiest man ever.”

“But I know nothing about living on a ranch. I’m a city girl through and through. You might get tired of me being a complete novice.”

A grin crossed his lips and breathed warmth into her cold heart. “I think you have more country in you than you think.”

Maybe he was right. Maybe what she’d been born into had never fully left her. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. The powerful feeling of coming home washed over her like a fresh summer rain.

“This is right, Daisy. I feel it in my bones.” He crushed her against him.

She nodded. He was one hundred percent right. She traced a finger along his jawline as she stared into his beautiful eyes. “I shouldn’t admit it because you’ll hold it against me forever.”

He chuckled. “I might.”

She wouldn’t care if he did as long as she could be with him. “When I told my mom I was ready to leave, when I pulled my suitcases from the closet, I might as well have cut out my heart. I haven’t had the easiest time here, but Blackwater has calmed my spirit like nothing else. I want to be here with you, Oliver. I never thought I could be happy living in the country, but you and this place has calmed my restless soul like nothing else. I want to take care of Sugar and watch you train Bucky. I want to learn to cook more things, and I want to make love to you under the stars without worrying who knows.”

“Then do it, Daisy. Love me like crazy for the rest of my life.” His eyes lit up in a seductive challenge.

She grinned. “Yes. I think I’ll start right now.” She pulled his head down to hers and kissed him with all of her heart.

As Daisy parked in front of Rachel’s house later that night with Oliver’s kiss still on her lips, she smiled. Only hours before, she’d been certain her life as she knew it was over.

Now everything had changed again. She wore his mother’s engagement ring on her finger until he could buy one for her.

She still couldn’t believe it. Everything in her future was still up in the air, but not in the way she’d believed it would be.

Oliver parked behind her and caught up to her as she exited her car. “They’ll be asleep,” he whispered.

“Rachel won’t care. If I don’t give her the news right away, she won’t be happy. I think we’ve tested her enough lately, don’t you?” She grinned, unable to keep her happiness contained.

“Yeah,” he snorted. “Don’t want to piss off the boss lady any more than I have to.”

“She’ll be your sister now.”

He chuckled. “That’s right. I wonder how she’ll feel about that.”

She pulled him to her for a delicious kiss before she opened the front door. “She’ll love it because she’ll get to keep me here.”

Upstairs, unexpected nerves tangled inside her as she quietly rapped on Caleb and Rachel’s bedroom door.

“Yeah?” Caleb called out.

“Can I come in?” Daisy answered.

She met Oliver’s gaze as whispers and shuffles came from behind the closed door. Then it opened, and Rachel glanced in surprise to find both of them in the hall. “What’s going on?”

“Oliver has agreed to come back to work for you.” Daisy grinned up at him.

“And Daisy has agreed to marry me.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her against him to claim her.

“Say that again.” Rachel shook her head as though to clear it.

“I’m staying,” Daisy announced. “And we’re engaged.” She lifted her hand to show Rachel the ring.

Her sister glanced back and forth between them and then put her hands to her mouth as she laughed. “Seriously?”

Caleb peeked over her shoulder and gave Oliver the nod of approval.

“Yes.” Daisy couldn’t contain her happiness.

Rachel laughed and pulled her into a hug. “This is crazy. I mean I knew you were always the odd sister, but I never would have guessed.” She sobered. “Mom is going to freak out.”

Daisy waved her off. “She won’t. She’s too busy loving her work. She’ll barely miss me.”

“Oh God,” Rachel said as she glanced between them and then landed on Oliver. “Give your new sister a hug. I’d welcome you to the family, but you’ve been a part of it all along.”

****

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Happy Reading, Cindy

Love small town romance? Read on for an excerpt from WHISPERS (An Argent Springs Novel).

Erin Silvestri hurried across the manicured lawn toward the beckoning shadows that lurked beyond the watchful glow of multi-colored hanging lanterns. She glanced over her shoulder, praying she’d lost Devon amongst the crowd of guests. Being hit on by a man she didn’t like was bad enough. When the man was her drunken cousin, the embarrassment was much worse.

Festive dance music and laughter filled the evening air, creating a thin layer of celebratory grandeur that hid the subtle judgments of her uncle’s guests. The fact that most of the finely dressed men and women were related to her in one fashion or another didn’t mean a thing. These were not her people.

If she stayed a second longer, she’d suffocate from the high-octane oxygen that surely graced the backyard of the stately mansion in the hills above Salt Lake City. The evening was warm. The air thick. Sultry days like this were meant for skinny-dipping in a mountain lake as opposed to squeezing into a constricting cocktail dress.

“Erin,” her mother called out, her shrill voice bringing her to a halt. She eyed the cobblestone path that would have led her to sanity. Damn.

She pasted on a smile and swiveled on her black heels. When she did, she spied her mother standing next to a woman with beautiful salt and pepper hair, looking like a regal regarding her subjects.

“Aunt Annabelle,” her mother said when Erin approached. “I’d like you to meet my youngest daughter, Erin.”

Erin held out a hand and was surprised by the strength of the older woman’s grip. Two minutes. She could be friendly for two more minutes to these upper-crust socialites who appeared to thrive in their stuffy suits and dresses.

Wrinkles around the older woman’s eyes deepened as she pushed up her glasses and smiled. “I remember you, love, although you were twenty years younger.” She laughed, the sound musical and a little louder than would be socially acceptable in this type of situation.

Erin shrugged, intrigued by the woman who pushed social boundaries. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember you.”

“Of course you don’t. You were maybe four or five at the time. But I remember you.” She pointed a slightly crooked finger at her. “You have unforgettable hair, the color of fire, just like I used to when I was younger.”

She liked the woman much better than she had thirty seconds ago.

“It’s a ghastly shade, don’t you think?” her mother interrupted, directing her question to Annabelle. “I’m sure you’ve fought it your whole life, too. I keep trying to convince her to add some highlights or go completely blond like her sister.”

A smart retort hovered on Erin’s tongue, but before she could spit it out, her great aunt spoke instead.

“I beg to differ, Marian. I turned quite a few heads in my day, and many young men admitted they’d asked me out just to have an opportunity to touch my hair.”

“Seriously?” Her mother scoffed and shook her head as though completely dismissing the idea. “Well, we all know times were different back then. Women didn’t have the options they do today.”

Erin tucked her lips in and tilted her head down, trying to hide the smile on her face. When she did, she caught a glimpse of worn cowboy boots peeking from beneath Annabelle’s elegant silver skirt. Surprised yet again, Erin switched her gaze back to the older woman.

Her great aunt remained focused on her mother. “Regardless, I would have kept my color. It made me unique instead of a cookie cutout of the other girls my age.” Annabelle met her mother’s disdainful look with a sugary smile.

Her mother, on the other hand, had always tried to look like every other woman at the country club. As expected, her mother immediately began to search for an escape. She’d never been one to handle people challenging her passive-aggressive ways.

Erin knew her mother had found her excuse when a smile lit her face. “I’ve truly enjoyed our conversation, Aunt Annabelle, but you’ll need to excuse me. My husband is waving me over.”

Laughter simmered on Erin’s tongue as she watched her mother’s slender figure and perfectly-styled blond hair disappear into the crowd of a hundred people. She and her mother weren’t as different as her mom liked to think. They both had a tendency to want to escape uncomfortable situations. The only difference was her mother was usually the cause for the awkwardness.

“What a pleasant lady,” the older woman said, earning a surprised look from Erin.

She wasn’t sure if her aunt was teasing or not, so she played it safe. “I’m glad you think so.” Just then, Erin spotted Devin heading in their direction though she wasn’t certain he’d seen her yet. “How about we move to the bar for a drink?”

A twinkle appeared in Aunt Annabelle’s eye, and she winked. “A girl after my own heart. I hear my nephew has stocked some of the best whiskey for his party, and I couldn’t possibly let that boast go without testing the truth of it.”

“Of course.” Erin held out an arm, allowing her great aunt to grab hold and pull herself up.

“I’m eighty-two years this summer and still going strong, except my back gives me fits every once in a while.”

Erin hurried her along as fast as possible. “That’s amazing.” She did seem pretty spry for her age, and once Annabelle was out of her seat, she walked fairly well.

“It’s the cowboy boots,” she whispered as though she’d disclosed state’s secrets. “They remind me to stay grounded to my roots, and they keep me steady on my feet.”

Erin smiled, liking this woman more and more. “I’ll have to remember that.”

She parked her great aunt at an out-of-the-way little table to the side of the bar that had been constructed especially for the party.

“We’ll both have a shot of the Jack Daniels Sinatra Select,” Annabelle said to the penguin-suited waiter.

“Yes, ma’am.” If he was surprised an 80-year-old woman wanted a shot of whiskey, he didn’t show it.

“It sells at close to two-hundred and fifty dollars a bottle,” Annabelle whispered behind her hand. Not that anyone was close enough to hear. “We’ll see if it tastes like it.”

When the waiter returned with their drinks, Annabelle lifted her glass and slugged down her drink as if she was in an old-western saloon. This time, her actions earned her a pair of raised brows from the waiter. “Jack Daniels has always been my favorite,” she said to him.

“Hold on a second, son,” she added when he started to turn away. She looked to Erin. “Your turn.”

Erin laughed, but then she could see Annabelle was dead serious. It had been a long time since she’d downed anything stronger than coffee, but it seemed this evening called for it. She lifted the glass in a toast and then drained the contents.

“Good Lord.” She gasped as the smooth fire burned a trail down her throat.

The older woman took her glass as Erin tried to catch her breath, and she set it on the waiter’s tray. “We’ll take two more.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a chuckle as he turned away.

Erin tried to blink away the tears from her eyes before Annabelle noticed.

“I’ll have to admit that’s some damn fine whiskey. Worth every cent.”

“Uh-huh,” Erin croaked and tried to clear her throat.

“What’s the matter? A little too strong for you, love?” She patted her hand.

Erin nodded as the molten liquid continued to spread from her stomach to other parts of her body, leaving her a little dizzy. “I think one might be my limit.”

“That’s okay. I’ll drink yours if you can’t.”

Her choke turned to a laugh.

“How come I haven’t seen you in twenty years?” Erin asked. “I might have looked forward to these absurd reunions if I’d have known you’d be here.”

Her aunt clucked. “I’ve been pretty busy, child. Too busy for this type of nonsense. A few years ago, I moved back to the little mining town where I’d been born and met a handsome man who charmed my socks off. Life was always an adventure with him. It turns out he lived in this delightful old house that used to belong to my family, and we turned it into a bed and breakfast.”

“You make it sound like a fairytale.”

Her lips parted in a warm smile, wrinkling the skin on her cheeks. “It’s my fairytale. I’ve learned to make it a priority to do what makes me happy, but living in our town, enjoying each other, the beautiful surroundings and our friends was the best part of my life. I’ve always believed the best is yet to come, but I lost him two months ago and now realize my love with Henderson will be hard to top.”

A sudden ache of envy rippled through her. She wanted the same out of life. A strong man, a cozy home, and good friends who understood her. “Where is this magical little town?”

“The southwest part of Colorado, high in the San Juan Mountains. It’s called Argent Springs. Ever heard of it?”

Erin shook her head.

“We have some pretty rough winters, but the cold makes it extra nice if you have someone to snuggle.” She tilted her head, the silver in her hair catching the light of an overhead lantern. “What about you? How is your fairytale coming along?”

Erin rolled her eyes. “You heard my mother. If only I’d colored my hair, my husband might have been a better man, and I would have wanted him to hang around longer.”

“Oh, love.” Her great aunt reached out and covered her hand, sending a rush of caring and comfort through her, along with a reminder of the emptiness she’d experienced most of her life. “How old are you, honey?”

“Twenty-six.” With one failed marriage under her belt.

“Twenty-six? What I wouldn’t give to be that age again.” She put a finger beneath Erin’s chin, the gentle gesture coaxing forth buried emotions. “You are
so
young, my dear, with many, many wonderful years ahead of you. Don’t be concerned by past mistakes. Take what you’ve learned from them and move forward to the amazing future that awaits you.”

“I’m working on it.” She sniffed, embarrassed she’d let this woman see her weakness. Her mother would have sent her into the house to gain control of herself if she’d spotted a tear. Silvestris did not cry in public. “But sometimes it’s hard to believe I’ll ever find a guy like your Henderson.”

“I’m curious. How long since your divorce?”

Erin thought for a moment. “Two years.” She was surprised to find she’d been divorced longer than she’d been married.

“
Two years
? That’s far too long to mourn a dead relationship.”

Erin widened her eyes. “It’s not as easy as it sounds.”

“Do you think I don’t know that? Henderson was my fifth marriage. Two of those ended in divorce, and do you know what I found?”

She shook her head, afraid to ask.

“It’s a lot harder to climb back on the saddle the longer you wait, and think of all those great rides you’re missing out on.”

Erin raised her brows, not sure if Annabelle was talking about life experiences or great sex. She supposed it didn’t matter either way. She’d recently begun to think life might be passing her by as well.

“Do you know what I think? I think you should come visit me in Argent Springs. You need a change of scenery. You need to meet some real men, and you’ll find plenty of those in Argent Springs like I did with my Henderson. Besides, I’d love to show you my little yellow house and all the treasure it holds. It’s only a few hours from here. Say you’ll come.”

Erin wasn’t too sure about the men, but she’d like to spend more time with Annabelle, and a chance to get away from the craziness of the city sounded perfect. “I would love to come visit you.” She truly would.

“It’s a date, then,” the older woman said. “Give me your number, and I’ll call you. Once you’ve experienced life in Argent Springs, I promise you won’t want to leave.”

****

The middle of October arrived before Erin had saved up enough money to cover her bills so she could escape her job as a massage therapist for a couple of weeks and go visit Aunt Annabelle. Unfortunately, in Erin’s chosen occupation, if she didn’t work, she didn’t get paid. Vacation pay didn’t exist in her world.

The drive between Salt Lake and the small mining town in the lower part of Colorado took more than the few hours Aunt Annabelle had claimed. Seven hours was more like it. But she couldn’t complain. The nice weather was holding out, and the scenery was spectacular. She’d stopped several times to pull out her camera to shoot Utah's amazing red rock country.

As she drew closer to Argent Springs, her excitement increased. She wasn’t sure which thrilled her more, the idea of spending time in the quaint little town she’d researched on the web or the thought of enjoying her aunt’s company.

The steep grades and hairpin turns of the last mountain pass before she reached Argent Springs left her hands sweaty. Majestic aspens bearing frost-kissed yellow leaves and deep rock gorges begged her to capture them with her camera, but she didn’t dare stop on the narrow road.

Then suddenly, the tall pines high in the San Juan Mountains gave way to a view of the beautiful vista sprawled below her. Carpets of yellow-green grass matted the hillside, traveling down to the small town nestled at the base of the surrounding majestic, blue mountains.

The haven spoke to her soul.

A beautiful green river encouraged her to follow its descent into town and discover the magic Argent Springs held for her. She ached to press harder on her accelerator so she'd arrive sooner, but the steep descent already had her little coupe traveling ten over the speed limit. She wasn't too keen on taking the shortcut straight off the cliff.