Chapter 1
Olivia
You know that old saying “if it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all”? Yeah, that’s been my catch phrase for the last two years. It all started with finding my boyfriend balls deep in a girl from his college study group while he had her bent over the back of my couch…in my apartment. The sick bastard didn’t even have the decency to cheat on me at his own apartment! After breaking up with Nate, I thought for sure that my life could only get better from there, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The second tragic event came the day my boss announced he sold the company I had been working for since my freshman year of college. I had been there for three years and instead of the new company keeping the employees, we were all let go...you know...cleaning house and all that.
With no boyfriend and no job, surely things couldn’t get much worse, right? WRONG! Three months after losing my job, both my parents died in a horrible robbery gone wrong. I did manage to catch a reprieve from bad luck for almost eight months, but now I’m facing a whole new level of shit because while I was working my shift at the restaurant, (yes, I know…great use of my business administration and accounting degrees) I got the call from my landlord that my apartment building had caught fire.
So, let’s recap…no boyfriend, downgraded from dream job to minimum wage shit work, no parents and my apartment and everything I own up in flames…literally. With no other choice, I've been forced to turn to the only relative I have left, my grandfather. Now, most people have kind, loving grandparents, but I’ve only met my grandfather a handful of times and the man was always cold and withdrawn. I was kind of surprised when I called and told him what was going on and he told me to come stay at his ranch with him while I figure things out. I’ve been to the ranch twice when I was a child, but that seems like a lifetime ago now.
After quitting my job, I went and bought enough clothes to get me by on a ranch, a pair of boots and, because why the hell not, a black Stetson hat, then I load up my truck and begin the eleven hour drive to Summit Peak. I guess it’s a good thing that my parents taught me the importance of saving money because without the money I had put into my savings account over the past five years, I would be screwed…up the creek without a paddle. I have a little over fourteen thousand in my savings that was going to be added to until I had enough for a down payment for a house, but now it'll have to be used to help me restart my pathetic excuse for a life.
I arrive at the ranch just after ten the morning after leaving Trenton and while I’ve been a city girl all my life, my body, mind and soul are feeling more at ease with each breath of fresh country air I draw into my lungs. I park my truck between two older trucks in front of the main house and take in the four men standing on the large wraparound porch, all of them looking pretty damn intimidating. It’s been over ten years since I last saw my grandfather, but I recognize him right away as I get out and he starts walking toward me.
“Olivia, you look just like your mother.” His tone isn’t cold, but it isn’t exactly warm either.
“Hey, grandpa. I really appreciate you letting me stay with you for a while.” His stern expression softens slightly and a small smile pulls at his lips, but it leaves as fast as it appeared.
“Come, I’ll show you to your room and one of the boys can help you with your bags after.” He starts walking in when my next words stop him.
“I can get my things. Remember, everything I own was destroyed in the fire? I just picked up what I would need for the time being.” He doesn’t turn to face me, but he does give a stiff nod before continuing inside. After a quick tour and showing me my room, he leaves to get to work on his chores around the ranch while I take my things to my room, which takes only one trip. I change into a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, my boots and throw on my Stetson before heading outside to see if I can help with anything. I find my grandfather and four of the ranch hands standing along a fence for a pen where a single horse is contained and the poor creature does not seem happy.
“Pete, I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve tried everythin’ with this beast and nothin’s workin’.” A tall, muscular man with dark shaggy hair peaking out from under his dusty white cowboy hat states in a frustrated voice.
“No horse is unbreakable, Liam, not even this one.” Grandpa states firmly.
“Up until I met this evil bastard, I would've agreed with you. He won’t let any of the men near him and he’s kicked two of the men already and they were just tending to his food and water!” Liam sounds exasperated and I continue walking past them, wanting to get a better look at the unbreakable horse in question. I walk about thirty or so feet down from them and stare intently at the black horse with a single white patch over its right eye. I smile when the horse turns and its eyes connect with mine, but then it surprises me by taking slow, but steady steps toward where I’m standing.
It slowly picks up speed and I hear a deep voice yell from somewhere to my right, but my eyes are so focused on the creature that I hadn’t even realized I'm now standing right at the fence with the horse galloping toward me. Just as it nears the fence, it comes to a dead stop about three feet away from me and the deep voice speaks again, but this time it’s much closer, softer and only feet away from where I stand.
“Don’t move. Stay very still.” The voice is firm, but I can hear the twinge of anger in it. I still keep my eyes locked with the horse’s and I swear the horse looks curious, but a little frightened. Without thinking, I slowly stretch my hand out in front of me and hear a sharp intake of breath beside me.
“Are you fuckin’ deaf?” The horse stretches its neck enough to sniff my hand then simply turns and walks away.
“I’m not deaf. I hear just fine.” I turn and have to look up to see the eyes of the angry man, Liam. His eyes are a deep blue, his face perfectly sculpted and slightly rugged, but I have no time to appreciate them before he opens his mouth and destroys anything positive I could say about him in a single breath.
“So, then you’re just plain stupid? Because it has to be one or the other for you to do somethin’ so damn reckless!” I take a step back and narrow my eyes at him.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” He takes a step closer, his anger practically flowing off of him in violent waves.
“What’s wrong with me?! What the hell’s wrong with you?! You coulda been hurt, or worse and all because you don’t know how to listen! Do yourself and everyone here a favor and go back to the city. You clearly don’t belong here.” He turns and storms off while the others he was with when I walked up, my grandfather included, stare with their mouths hanging open at me.
Feeling embarrassed, angry, unwelcome and defeated, I turn and walk away, heading in the opposite direction of where Liam stormed off to and going straight out into the open field. I walk the whole length of the field then slow my pace when I hear running water and change quickly course, heading straight toward it. I feel myself smile when I spot the stream nestled in the trees and find a decent sized rock to sit on while I try to let my emotions sort themselves out.
