Forbidden Bond (2 page)

Taylor broke away on a breathy sigh. “Olivia…” He cupped her cheeks with both hands. “I—”

“Whoa! Down, boy.” Olivia released a small chuckle and ducked out of his hold, her gut in a knot. “For someone who’s been up all night, you’re pretty frisky.” Quickly, she reached inside the sack on the countertop and tossed him a muffin over her shoulder. “Head’s up!” No doubt, three words she was nowhere near ready to hear were about to drop from his lips. Three syllables, like tiny hydrogen bombs, with the power to tear their tidy relationship to shreds.

Taylor captured it with one hand. “Oh. Thanks.”

“Good catch.” One day, maybe, she’d be at the point where she could return those feelings, but not yet. Olivia tucked a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear. “You asked about Kris.” She moved to one of the two empty stainless steel exam tables in the small triage room and gripped the side. “He had a rough night.” This time, Taylor drew up behind her, placing a warm palm on her shoulder. “He woke me up more than once, crashing, swearing, and banging around. But he refuses to ask for help.”

“How much longer before he can bear weight on his leg?”

“About four more weeks, I think.” She turned and faced her best friend. “But there may be more surgery needed on the knee and the surrounding muscles, so it could be longer.” Olivia shoved her hands in her scrubs. “He’s frustrated and mad as hell. This was his last tour in Afghanistan. He came so close to making it out without a scratch. Third time was supposed to be the charm, right?” She pushed off the exam table, grabbed her breakfast, and headed toward the back of the clinic and the office they shared.

Taylor closed the door behind them. Olivia plopped into her swivel chair, and Taylor took a seat opposite her. “I’m sure that’s not the only thing that’s pissing him off. I’ve only known him a few years, but Kris is as tough as they come. An injury might annoy him, but he can handle it. It’s the survival of the ranch, while he recovers, that’s eating away at him, isn’t it?”

Olivia released a deep breath and rested her forearms on the pine top of her desk, leaning forward. “It’s driving him crazy.” She shook her head. “Kris and Dad were so much alike. Both driven, dedicated hard workers. Dad loved the ranch. His soul was in that land. Kris loves the place too, but he joined the military right after high school and never had the chance to learn how to run the place before Dad passed away. When Dad died, Kris decided he wouldn’t re-enlist and this last tour would be it. He intended to come back home and take over the ranch. But then…” She leaned back, gaze locked on Taylor’s compassionate blue eyes.

“Then he took a hit to his leg.”

“Yup.” Olivia slowly nodded. “And my brother cannot stand being dependent on anyone. He’s going crazy not being able to get out there and run the place like he wants.” She dropped her gaze to her desk and the array of lab reports waiting for her attention. “He has the four-wheeler, but he still has to have someone operate it, and with the crutches and brace, he can’t maneuver like he needs to out in the pasture.”

“I wish there was more that I could do.” The deep sincerity in his tone touched her heart and she met his gaze. “I would do anything for you. You know that. Don’t you, Livvy?” He pulled in tighter against the desk, eliminating a few of the inches between them. “I love you.”

Her insides tripped over his words, tumbling end over end, oscillating between deep affection and sheer panic.
Oh, God.
“Taylor,” his name escaped her lips on a breathy sigh.

Over the last couple of months, Taylor had made it clear that he would like their relationship to move beyond friendship and the occasional dinner and movie. But becoming more than friends and business partners would put their professional relationship at risk. What if they didn’t work out? How would they go on working with each other every day if they crossed that line and didn’t like what was on the other side?

All of her reasons were quite valid, logical even, and Taylor didn’t need to know that she was still a virgin and had never been able to give all of herself to any man.

When she’d explained her misgivings about taking things to the next level, he’d said he understood. Yet the more time they spent together as a couple, Taylor’s feelings and desires were growing stronger.

Olivia swallowed hard. “I—”

A knock sounded on the door and her jaw snapped shut.
Thank you, Lord.
A half-second later, one of her best friends from high school, Josie McAllister, popped her head in, her hazel gaze swinging between her and Taylor. “Hi! Mind if I come in?”

“Hey there.” Olivia motioned for her to join them. “Come on in.” Josie flashed a broad smile and stepped through, closing the door behind her. Josie took the vacant chair nearest Olivia’s desk. She was dressed in a pair of cherry red capris and a crisp white cotton blouse, her long dark hair back in a polished ponytail. Josie was a breath of fresh spring air and always brightened her mood.

“How are you this morning, Dr. T?” Josie crossed her legs and rested back against the chair, facing Taylor. “You’re looking a little tired. Not saying that you can
ever
look bad, though.” She lifted a corner of her mouth in a flirty grin.

“Josie!” Olivia laughed and glanced over at Taylor whose normally fair color had grown a little pinker in his cheeks.

“What?” She swung her head around to Olivia, eyes wide and slathering on a large dose of innocence. “You know he’s the only guy that makes me wish like hell I owned a dog. But,” she gave a resolute sigh, “being single, I wouldn’t be home often enough to take care of the pooch.” Josie looked at Olivia’s partner and batted her lashes.

“Josie Ann McAllister, you are too much.” Olivia scoffed. What she wouldn’t give to feel so free and uninhibited to flirt with the opposite sex. But she’d learned at an early age to rein in her daredevil side.

“I’m flattered, Ms. McAllister,” Taylor placed his palm over his heart in a dramatic display of sincerity, “that you would even consider sacrificing some of your freedom to take on the responsibility of a canine soul just so you could spend more time with me.” His gaze shifted from Josie to Olivia, blue eyes going from wide and playful to hooded and seductive. “But you know my heart is taken.”

Josie sighed before adding, “Yeah, yeah.” She tossed up her hands in mock surrender. “I know. Livvy here has reeled you in. Hook, line, and sinker.”

The last part of Josie’s statement yanked Olivia away from Taylor’s stare. “Good Lord, Josie.” Olivia chuckled. “I haven’t reeled anyone in.” She grinned and added, “I’ve never fished a day in my life.” Taylor and Josie joined in on the laugh.

Sobering, Olivia plucked a pen from her desk drawer and flipped open the file in front of her. “So what brings you by this morning, Jos? Besides the opportunity to flirt with Taylor,” she added and aimed a wry smile in Josie’s direction.

“Oh, yeah.” Josie straightened in her seat, giving Olivia her full attention. “You’ll never guess who came in the office yesterday evening before closing, wanting to discuss the possibility of placing his property on the market with me.”

Josie ran the only real estate office in their small town, so if anyone wanted to get the word out that they were selling, she would be it.

“I have no idea.” Olivia clutched the hard plastic shell of the ballpoint in her palm. “You said ‘his,’ so I’m assuming it’s a man?”

“Let me put it this way…who do you remember that is more than six feet tall, jet black hair, hazel eyes, and the last man on earth you thought you’d ever see in Little Crow Pass again?”

A hard tremor coursed through Olivia’s system, and the pen fell from her hand to the desk with a soft
thud
.
No…
Her heart raced.
How could the very thought of running into Eion Mandrake after so many years make her break out in a cold sweat?

“Judging by the look on your face, you know exactly who I’m talking about.” Josie nodded and smiled.

“Eion Mandrake?” Olivia uttered barely above a whisper.

“Who is Eion Mandrake?”

The question had Olivia glancing at Taylor, and her gut doing a somersault. But before she could answer, Josie jumped in, more than happy to fill in the details.

“Eion was Kris’s best friend all through high school. He was so damn good-looking every one of us had a crush on him, especially Olivia.” Josie didn’t give Taylor time to respond. “By the way, if you thought he was cute in high school,” she rolled her eyes, “wait till you get a look at him now. He is hot, hot, hot!” She placed a hand to her bare throat as if she needed a cool touch to bring down the temperature of her blood.

Eion was back. The revelation looped inside her skull like some crazy hamster on a wheel. He was actually here in Little Crow, planning to sell the Mandrake ranch.
Wait.
A moment of panic jerked her back to the present.

“Josie, you didn’t mention anything about our ranch to him, did you? Since they’re neighboring properties and all.” Olivia clutched the edge of her desk, desperate for something to ground her.

“Oh, no. Of course not.” She shook her head. “You know what we’ve discussed is confidential.”

A wave of relief swept through Olivia. Of all people, she did
not
want Eion to hear anything about their business. He hadn’t cared enough back then or during all these years to even pick up the phone, he certainly didn’t need to know a damn thing about them now.

“Whoa,” Taylor broke in. “You’ve talked to Josie about the ranch?” He leaned back in his chair, squaring his shoulders. “Are you and Kris at the point that you’re thinking of selling?”

Olivia shrugged, a twinge of guilt zinging across her chest for not having confided in Taylor. He knew they had been struggling since Kris’s injury but she hadn’t wanted to tell him how much. Before their dad had died, he’d never revealed to them that the ranch had been failing and had accumulated a small ocean of debt that she and Kris were now drowning under. The prospect of losing their home and land felt like a gnarled vine coiled around her trachea, getting tighter, choking her a little more each day that they got further and further behind.

Dear God, if she could only clone herself, be there for her practice, her brother, and the ranch. There just weren’t enough hours in the day to oversee it all.

“Kris and I are just weighing all of our options and we talked to Josie about what we could get out of the ranch. If it came to that. That’s all.”

“I see.” He dropped his gaze back to his desk. “So you used to like this guy, huh?” Taylor tapped out a random melody with his ballpoint on the stack of files on the desktop, his eyebrows lifted in a
spill your guts and come clean
statement.

“What?”
That was a one-eighty.
Olivia allowed her head to loll between her shoulder blades as if she didn’t give a damn, but her pulse refused to obey. Inside, she was anything but nonchalant. Her skin itched to bolt from the office and track down the man who’d plagued her dreams, her nights, for more than a decade. Just the memory of Eion Mandrake had kept her from giving herself completely to anyone, including Taylor.

Unbidden, her fingers curled into a tight fist. Taylor was such a great guy. So very patient with her. He deserved someone who was ready to give herself to him, body and soul. Olivia wanted to be that woman, but she didn’t know when or if she ever could. Dammit. Of all times for Eion to come back to Little Crow.

She plastered a smile on her face for Taylor and went on to say, “That was years ago. I was a young girl and he was an older high school boy who always hung around the house with Kris. Of course I had a crush.” She gave him a dismissive wave. “But like I said, that was a long time ago, and he left town without a word—and we haven’t seen or heard from him in more than twelve years.” Olivia reshuffled the reports on her desk, the names and words a senseless jumble of letters that, at the moment, she couldn’t decipher. “Kris didn’t get it. He was really hurt,” she blurted out. “And now with everything Kris is going through, Eion Mandrake coming anywhere near our ranch might not be our prodigal friend’s wisest move.”

Chapter Three

“Shit, shit, shit,” Eion mumbled under his breath, clutching the bleeding pup against his chest.

He kicked the door to his truck shut and hurried toward the entrance to Little Crow Veterinary Services. The mutt was so still. At the front door, he glanced down at the bundle of wiry dark brown hair. “Don’t you die on me. You hear that, you little mongrel? There will be no dying.” The pooch whimpered and twitched an ear. “Good. That’s more like it. Fight.”

Inside, the lobby chairs were empty. Eion scanned behind the raised counter that divided the waiting area and the rest of the clinic. No one. What the hell?

“Hello?” he called out. “Anybody around? I have an emergency here.”

An interior door popped open behind him. “I’m here. What’s going on?”

Air burst from Eion’s lungs and the room tilted on its axis. He widened his stance to regain his balance. More than a decade wasn’t nearly enough time to dilute the neurons in his brain that recognized that female voice. Every synapse in his nervous system fired in her presence, and only one person he knew of would have such an effect on him: the woman his wolf and soul had claimed.

Shit.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. Eion’s pulse hammered out a familiar melody.

He turned.

Their gazes locked.

“Hello, Liv.” Yeah, it wasn’t brilliant or clever, but it was the best thing he could muster up. Unbidden, his gaze drifted over breasts much fuller than he remembered. His mouth watered. Lower still, he couldn’t help but notice, even behind the loose fit of her work clothes, the rest of her had matured into a woman with curves in all the right places.

“Eion…”

The sound of her voice drew his attention back to her face. Liv blinked, and her gaze fell to the injured dog. “What happened?” She ushered them back to a treatment room.

“I was coming into town and he…” Eion stared at the bundle of blood-tinged fur resting against his shirt, “or she—I didn’t have time to look, just came out of nowhere. I swerved but I clipped him with my truck.”