Forbidden Bond (17 page)

“Starved.”

After pulling out sandwiches, grapes, cheese, along with a tall bottle of water, she brought out her handgun and sat it next to them. Taylor eyed the weapon, then her.

“I was wondering if you’d remembered that,” he said, nodding at the pistol. “I forgot to ask before I left my SUV at your place. If you hadn’t brought it, I was going to grab my shotgun.”

She handed him a ham and cheese. “I don’t want to have to kill such a beautiful animal, but based on how they took out our calves, we can’t be too careful.” Olivia glanced around. “Since they travel in packs, we’d be outnumbered.”

“Definitely.” Taylor rose into a sitting position.

They didn’t have many chances to socialize outside of the office, so it was nice to see him relaxed and casual, sitting there in jeans, running shoes, and an old Dave Matthews Band concert tee. “The moon’s almost full,” he said, glancing back up at the sky. “That should give us decent visibility if anything other than the herd starts moving around.” He looked back over his shoulder. Olivia took a bite of her sandwich and nodded.

Taking her queue, Taylor settled back and picked up his sandwich.

The next hour was uneventful. A few times, Olivia could swear she saw something dart in and out around the herd, but each time it had been nothing. She decided it had to be shadows playing tricks on her mind, because neither she nor Taylor heard anything other than the normal sounds of the night on a cattle ranch.

Rubbing her arms, Olivia brushed away a chill. Even though it was early summer, the nights were cool in Little Crow, and she’d only dressed in jeans and a short-sleeve blouse. Taylor wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Come here,” he whispered in her ear and pulled her back against his chest. His warmth surrounded her, and at the moment she had to admit, it did feel good having him hold her.

“Thanks.” She sighed and nestled into his embrace.

“I love spending time with you like this,” he said. “You in my arms. The stars.”

“It is nice.” She toyed with the back of his hand, tracing his fingers with her own. Taylor was familiar, nonthreatening. Comfortable. But was “nice” enough to make for a happily ever after?

He gently rubbed her arm. “Can’t you see it, Livvy? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be like this, the two us, for the rest of our lives?”

She drew in a long, deep breath. If only she could eradicate the brain cells that refused to forget the image and the touch of Eion Mandrake… “You don’t know how much I wish I could say the words I know you want and are waiting to hear. You deserve so much more than what I’m able to give right now.”

Taylor’s fingertips found her chin and lifted her head, bringing them face-to-face. “I won’t lie and say that I’m not disappointed that you said no to my proposal and aren’t wearing my ring yet. But at this moment, as long as you’re not kicking me to the curb, Dr. Wilson, I feel like I’m the luckiest man on the planet.” Taylor leaned in and sealed his mouth over hers. Her heart rate spiked, and as if her soul already knew what her brain had yet to consciously accept, the sweet taste of the fruit left behind on his lips suddenly morphed, turning sour.
No…no…
This wasn’t right. She couldn’t do this any longer. Couldn’t do this to him. Taylor deserved so much better than a woman who was only capable of giving him half her heart.

Olivia broke away from their kiss, pressing her palm into his shoulder. “Taylor…” Closing her eyes for a second, she pulled in a shaky breath. She had to do this. “I think we should take a step back.”

“What are you saying?” Taylor’s brow furrowed. “Are you breaking up with me?”

“I just think with everything that’s going on, my brother’s injury, the attacks on our cattle, we’re just starting up our practice, there’s so much I’m juggling.” She shook her head. “I can’t give you what you need, Taylor. I’m not the woman you need.” Olivia swallowed hard, forcing the fist-sized lump back down her throat.

Taylor cupped her cheeks. “You’re exactly the woman I want and need.” He smoothed a hand over her hair. “I’m pushing too hard. That’s what this is. We can slow down.” He nodded and placed his forehead against hers, his breathing ragged. “You’re under a lot of stress.”

Yes, it was the stress, but not the external kind he was referring to. It was the emotional turmoil over Eion that she couldn’t seem to outrun. The chaos inside her heart and mind was chasing her like a rogue wave and slowly dragging her under.

A rustling sound from a nearby copse of trees drew her attention. “Did you hear that?”

“No. What?”

“A noise, coming from over—”A low growl slammed the lid on the rest of her sentence. “You had to hear that.”

Taylor froze.

“Shit,” he hissed between his teeth and pulled back.

Inch by inch, Taylor moved away from Olivia. The biggest damn wolf she’d ever seen stood a couple of feet away from their blanket, teeth bared. With his fur black as the night, his fangs shone like stars. It eased forward like a shadow creeping over the grounds. No wonder she hadn’t seen him approach. Another low warning rumbled off the beast, standing every hair on her body on end.

The gun.

She glimpsed Taylor out of the corner of her eye. His gaze flicked between the hulk-o-wolf and the basket where they’d placed her handgun after their snack. Yes.

Slowly, he reached over for the basket, every movement matched by the wolf’s progression.

The animal’s entire focus was centered on Taylor. Irises a shade lighter than his coat, glared at her partner. But primal instinct wasn’t the only thing lurking behind that single-minded scrutiny. Intelligence gleamed back at her. The sound of her pulse roared like rushing waters in her ears. Her body trembled.

What did it want?

She quickly scoured the trees to the left and right of the beast for more wolves. Nothing.

Where is its pack?

Olivia cocked her head, studying the lines of the massive animal. Suddenly, as if he sensed her assessment, his attention switched from Taylor to her. Moonlight glinted off its eyes, and her breath hitched at the intensity of its stare. He screamed alpha—he was power personified.

His muzzle lowered, and he reversed a step. Again her skin prickled with awareness. He wasn’t going to hurt her. Somehow she knew he meant her no harm.

Movement to Olivia’s right snagged her attention. Taylor must have sensed the moment the animal had turned his head in her direction, giving him the opening he needed. He dove into the basket.

No!

It happened so fast, Olivia had no idea if the word had left her throat or ricocheted only inside the walls of her mind. His hand withdrew from the wicker, the outline of the dark revolver unmistakable in his fist. And as if the three of them had been thrust into a made-for-TV action movie, the film slowed before her eyes for maximum heart-wrenching effect.

Olivia lunged for his arm.

A gunshot split the night air.

Her heart stuttered and froze.

A yelp filled her ears.

The smell of gunpowder singed her nostrils.

The wolf leaped, twisted, and darted off into the night.

Olivia fell back onto her palms, resetting her world to normal speed. Her gaze swung to the man at her side.

What had they done?

“I think I at least grazed it,” Taylor said, lowering the gun. “It won’t be coming back around here any time soon. And after the sound of that blast, any of its friends in the area will be heading the other way, too.”

“Why did you shoot him?” She straightened, making no attempt to hide the incrimination in her voice.

“What do you mean, why?” Taylor stared at her, his brows drawn. “Did you see the size of that wolf?”

“But he was leaving…” Olivia groaned. “You didn’t have to shoot him!” She surged to her feet, grabbed the gun, and stowed it away.

“
Yes,
I did. There was no way we could know it was going to leave.” Taylor stood and snatched the blanket from the ground. “To me, it looked like it was ready to attack, and I did what I felt was needed to protect us.”

“I just don’t think he was going to hurt us,” she mumbled, her stomach roiling at the thought of that beautiful animal out there alone, hurt. Because of Taylor. Because of the gun she’d brought. Silence bloomed like an oily fog between them. Thick and uncomfortable, making her desperate for escape. Olivia stuffed the remains of their meal back inside the wicker compartment, not giving a damn what condition anything was left in by the time she got home.

“I’m sorry.” Taylor sighed and pulled her up into his arms. The basket in her hand bumped their legs. “I know you hate the thought of any animal being mistreated or in pain. But this time, I truly didn’t see any other way to protect us.”

She nodded on his shoulder. “I know. It’s not like you get a thrill out of killing.” She maneuvered out of his hold. “You’re a healer.” Olivia wheeled around and started toward her truck, flashlight in hand. “But I swear, Taylor, I really did get the feeling that he intended to move away.” She glanced behind her. “Didn’t you notice that it had taken a step back?”

“No. I didn’t. All I saw were fangs glaring at me from a wolf that had to be twice the size of any I’ve ever seen.”

“God, he was such an impressive sighting.” The image of the moment the wolf had turned his gaze on her, his eyes bright, intelligent, peering into her own, shimmered in her mind. A shiver ran down her spine.

“You should probably call Eion and let him know what happened.”

Olivia tensed. As much as she hated, and at the same time, loved the idea of reaching out to Eion, Taylor was right, he definitely needed to know what had gone down. In fact, he’d probably already heard the shot and was freaked out searching for the source, thinking hunters were on their land without permission or that one of the hands was in trouble. “Yeah, I’ll call him after I get you back to your SUV.”

“I’m sure he’d like to be aware that there’s an injured predator out there that’s probably pretty pissed off right now. Plus, I don’t like the idea that an animal is suffering, and if Eion crosses paths with that big boy, maybe he can make sure it doesn’t.”

Her heart softened with Taylor’s compassionate words. “Yeah. I can’t stand the thought of him out there bleeding and in pain.”

A few minutes later, they made it back to his Cherokee. Taylor handed over the blanket, opened the driver side door, and turned back to Olivia. He reeled her in gently by her arm and held her close. “I know you’re still upset with me, but for what it’s worth, it was nice spending the evening with you.” Taylor kissed the top of her head. She breathed deep, the hot stew of anger, disappointment, and hurt in her gut cooling.

“I know you were trying to protect us.” Olivia wiggled free and did her best to pull off a bit of a smile. “I’m not angry.”

“Good.” He cupped both sides of her face and leaned in, but before he could steal a kiss, Olivia tugged free.

“We still need to finish our talk,” she stated. “But I have to call Eion, and let him know what just happened. Maybe tomorrow?” Regardless of whether or not she and Mandrake were ever going to be more, Olivia had to make sure Taylor understood where their relationship stood. She loved him. Just not the way he deserved. They were the best of friends, and she hoped that would never change, but in her heart, Olivia finally realized that was all they could ever be.

“Yeah, right.” He nodded. “See you tomorrow night.” Taylor smoothed a palm over her hair and climbed inside the cab of his vehicle.

Olivia waved and hustled inside to ditch the items from the picnic. After placing the picnic basket on the kitchen counter, she retrieved her cell from the bottom. The time on the display read nearly eleven-thirty. It was late, yet it was the weekend, and she knew Eion would be on watch for at least a few more hours. She dialed his number, waited, but the call went to voicemail.

“Eion, this is Olivia. I need you to call me as soon as possible. It’s very important.” On a long exhale, she lowered the phone beside the basket and launched into the task of cleanup. The house was quiet, and she decided against waking Kris to tell him about what had happened. There wasn’t anything he could do at this point anyway, and at least one of them should get some sleep tonight. If she kept busy, maybe it would help occupy her thoughts until Eion called her back.

A half hour later, Eion still hadn’t phoned, and the waiting was driving her crazy. He was supposed to be watching the property. Why didn’t he have his cell? Or what was going on that he couldn’t call back?

That was it.

She couldn’t stay there and wait any longer for her phone to ring.

Grabbing her keys from the hook by the door, Olivia left the house and jumped into the closest vehicle—Kris’s truck.

One of two things were going on: Eion was either in the middle of handling something so big that he couldn’t stop to pick up his cell, or he wasn’t doing the job he had promised them he’d handle. Either one, she needed to know about. And if it was the latter, she was going to kick his ass.

Olivia gunned the pickup out of the driveway in a cloud of dust. Several minutes later, she pulled up in front of Eion’s house. A few interior lights were on and his Silverado sat in the driveway. She parked beside it and cut the engine. Olivia stared at the dark blue and white two-story dwelling through the front windshield. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been to the Mandrake’s house. Probably that last summer before Eion and Kris had graduated.

If he was in there watching TV and ignoring his commitment to them… She stepped from the driver seat and slammed the door. Damn, she actually wanted to growl. He was the one who had asked them not to call the department, because he wanted to obtain solid confirmation on what had attacked her cattle. Well, she’d gotten their confirmation. An
in your face,
look at my fangs
confirmation.

Olivia marched up the steps, gave the front door several raps with her knuckles and waited. No sound came from the other side. She eased over to one of the windows and peered through the sheer curtains into the den. No movement inside.