Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 51624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 258(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 258(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
“Carson, just stop. Maybe … maybe I just overreacted,” she murmurs, head down.
I shake my head at the audacity of this chick. She’s trembling. I watch, frowning. Then, I just shake my head. She’s obviously just realizing she’s gone too far.
“We saw everything, Livy. You should have come to us sooner.”
“Today was the worst, and I’m not sure it was that bad …”
“Livy, honey,” Colt murmurs, looking as if he’s in pain.
“I don’t like being the center of attention,” she practically whimpers.
“Hey, Coop, take Livy back to the house. Let her stay with Lisa and Claire while we deal with this asshole,” Carson tells him.
“I can’t do that. I’m working today. I just—”
“I’ll get Deb to cover the campground. You just spend the rest of the day with Lisa.”
“But—”
“No buts. It’s all okay, Livy. Do you remember our promise to you if you agreed to come to the ranch?”
“Carson—”
“We promised you that you’d be safe here. What this asshole said to you today is unacceptable, and you’ve been through too much to put up with it in your home. You’re family, Olivia,” Carson says.
“Exactly, Livy. You’re our family,” Coop chimes in.
“You’re our little sister,” Colt adds, grinning at her.
Olivia looks at them all in shock. “Sister?”
“Exactly. We all love you, Livy. Lisa and Claire love you, too. This family became much better when you came into it,” Carson adds. “Hell, I think Lisa would pick you over me. I know Claire already does,” he jokes, making Olivia laugh.
“She does love me,” she murmurs so quietly that I have to strain to hear her. There’s such a soft, loving look on her face right now that I have to look away. There’s just something about her that keeps getting my attention. I’m drawn to her. What the hell is going on with me?
“Go to the house, Livy. Relax with my girls. This idiot is the last thing that should touch your day,” Carson murmurs like he’s talking to a wounded animal.
I frown. Is there something going on here? Maybe this woman has them all wrapped around her finger so much because she plays on their sympathies. I shrug. None of this involves me. I turn around and walk away. For some reason, when I’m near this woman, I feel like I can’t breathe. I shake my head at the stupidity of it all. I don’t bother saying anything to Ray. I don’t really like him, and I can read the writing on the wall. He’s gone after today, and I can’t even say I’m sorry. I’m only upset because of the thought that this woman is conniving to get everyone in her corner. I mean, so he hit on her. If she didn’t like it, shut him down and walk away. There’s no reason to make such a spectacle of it. From the way they all reacted, though, she’s really good at causing scenes and playing the victim. I need to stay far fucking away from her. I don’t need to give her an opening to allow me to be one of her victims.
5
SILENT WARFARE
OLIVIA
I feel like my skin is trying to crawl off my body. There’s a small crowd here and I’m really wishing I had listened and stayed in the office. I didn’t, and now this has become a huge thing, and everyone knows I’m involved. I try to plead with Carson and the other brothers to just let it go, but I know they’re not going to. In my head, I know I’m right. Ray went too far, and he was overly aggressive. Yet my mind is a mess and automatically goes back to thinking I’m the one to blame for everything. Years of dealing with the shame and guilt Douglas piled on me just refuse to disappear.
I find myself being escorted to an all-terrain vehicle that the guys use for ranch errands. This particular model seats four and has a utility bed on the back of it. Once Colt is sure I’m sitting down, he turns to the crowd we just left. “Hey Lake!”
Oh shit. That’s the man I try to stay away from. He reminds me too much of Bear. Sure, his hair is shorter and more styled than Bear would ever wear. His voice is different, yet the same in some ways. It’s just better for my sanity—which I’m barely holding onto—to stay far away from him.
The man stops walking away, his back becoming completely rigid. He jerks at the sound of his name, as if someone just aimed a gun at the back of his head. “Yeah?” he says, his voice gruff. It sounds like he’s had a ten pack a day cigarette habit and a bottle of whiskey as a nightcap for at least twenty years or longer. I should hate it, but it slides over my body like a warm, soft blanket that I want to curl up in on a cold winter night. An image of Bear comes to my mind, and I instantly feel ashamed.