Rocky Mountain Daddy. Lois Richer
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loved you. But you don’t want me. You only ever wanted what Dad’s ranch could give you—money. Now you have it, though the stress and pain you’ve caused us will cost us a lot more than those few dollars you grabbed at. Goodbye, Eve.
Then he’d waited for her to leave. Had she already known she was pregnant?
“Gabe?” Olivia’s soft voice cracked the mirror of his past. She moved closer to meet his gaze, her silver-gray eyes clouded as she glanced pointedly at the sobbing child. “Do something,” she whispered.
“I don’t know—” He spread his hands helplessly. The kid wouldn’t even shake his hand. What was he supposed to do?
“Oh, for mercy’s—” Obviously exasperated, she walked to Eli and squatted in front of him. “Eli? My name is Olivia DeWitt. My aunties live in that great big house up there. See it?”
Eli paused in his weeping, looked up and nodded with a sniff.
“It’s called The Haven,” Olivia continued. “My sister is making doughnuts there today. Would you like to go with me and have some?”
Gabe stared. He hadn’t seen Olivia interact with kids much. She always seemed aloof, or perhaps standoffish was more accurate. Yet here she was offering to take his son—his son?—for doughnuts. Just another thing his brain couldn’t seem to process.
“The thing is, Eli, my car has a flat tire. We’ll have to ride up there with Gabe in his truck. Okay?” she asked.
“Uh-huh.” Eli scrubbed away the tears, which left dirt streaks across his face. He stared at Gabe. “Is he my dad for sure?” he whispered.
“I don’t know, but why don’t we forget about that for now and go enjoy the doughnuts. Maybe some lemonade, too. Deal?” Olivia held out a hand and, to Gabe’s shock, Eli shook it.
They rose together. To Gabe it was as if some invisible bond stretched between them. A bond he hadn’t been able to achieve. That stung.
“Could you drive us, please, Gabe?” Olivia asked, locking up her vehicle. “I’ll leave my car here for now. Gabe?” she prodded when he didn’t respond.
“What? Uh, drive. Sure.” He could hardly tear his gaze away from the boy. His son.
God, I’m going to need some help here.
He put Eli’s small shabby suitcase in the truck bed without saying anything more, mostly because he couldn’t think of anything appropriate. And yet, as he drove to The Haven, a million questions rolled inside his head. Why? That was the most pressing of them all. It seemed that his questions, like Eve’s letter in his pocket, would have to wait till later.
Eve. Every nerve in Gabe’s body tensed. Anger surged and the knot in his stomach tightened. Deceiver. Cheater. Liar. She’d been all of those, so why was he surprised by this? He clenched his jaw, braking a little harder than he should have in front of the huge stone house.
“Livvie!” Tillie and Margaret Spenser jumped up from the shaded cedar bench outside the back door. Both rushed toward them as Gabe parked and walked around to open Olivia’s door.
“Another of our dear girls is home,” Aunt Tillie gushed.
“Just for a week,” Olivia said as she released Gabe’s helping hand.
He thought that sounded like a warning.
“But—”
“My dear aunties, Victoria, and Adele have made their lives at The Haven and I’m very happy for them and you.” Olivia interrupted Margaret as she hugged her close. “But Gemma and I are still the family’s wanderers. I’m home for a visit, then I’ll have to leave here to start my job. But having two of your four foster daughters living here permanently isn’t bad, is it?” she teased.
“It’s wonderful. All part of our God’s glorious plan, my dear. Where’s your car?” Tillie Spenser asked as she followed her sister in hugging Olivia.
“Bottom of the hill. Blown tire.”
Olivia’s unconcealed chagrin made Gabe smile, until Tillie released her and included him in the hugfest. Then she bent to study Eli.
“Hello, young man. Welcome to The Haven. It’s doughnut day, did you know that?”
“She said,” Eli responded, shooting a small smile at Olivia. The smile disappeared when he looked at Gabe.
“This is Eli,” Olivia explained. “He’ll be joining us,” she managed to say just before being encircled by Adele’s adopted twins, Francie and Franklyn, who’d come racing around the side of the house.
Gabe noted how quickly Olivia drew away from them.
“Hey, guys, you’re kinda dirty,” she said, nose wrinkling at the muddy streaks on her formerly pristine white shirt.
“Yeah. Choc’late mud pies.” Francie grinned. “We gotta wash ’fore we c’n eat doughnuts,” she told Eli.
“It’s a rule,” Franklyn agreed.
Gabe had loved the twins from the moment Adele arrived with them over six months ago. He couldn’t have been happier when she’d married his boss, Mac McDowell, owner of the Double M, because it meant the cute pair now lived on the ranch. He loved kids, had always wanted some of his own, but Eve—don’t go there.
He had a son. Gabe couldn’t make that sink into his brain. Nor could he comprehend why Eve hadn’t told him, especially after she’d become ill.
“Come on.” Francie grabbed Eli’s hand. “Washup time. An’ don’t miss no dirt ’cause we can’t eat nothin’ till we get clean an’ the doughnuts are yummy.” She whirled to inspect the adults. “Uncle Gabe, you got dust on your cheek. You gotta wash, too.”
“Yup, you do,” Franklyn agreed. He grabbed Eli’s other hand and drew him alongside, discussing crash-up cars. Eli went along with a confused look on his face.
“Let’s do have some doughnuts,” Aunt Margaret said. She and her sister followed the kids inside. Only Gabe and Olivia remained.
“I figured you wouldn’t want to explain to them about Eli until you have everything sorted out,” she said quietly.
“Thanks.” He could feel her questions.
“I didn’t know you’d been married, Gabe.”
“At eighteen. For about three years.” Because she’d witnessed the debacle with Kathy, Gabe figured he owed Olivia at least a rudimentary explanation. “Eve was the new girl in town and I fell hard for her. My dad didn’t approve, though. We eloped, then she moved onto our ranch. I’d worked the ranch with Dad my whole life and I loved it, but Eve said it was boring and hated it. She started to cause problems—on the ranch and between Dad and me. I finally realized that when she looked at me, all she saw was a meal ticket.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Me, too.” He pursed his lips. Best to get it said and then forget it. As if! “Eve wanted out, so Dad agreed to sell off part of our land to pay her off. She took the money and ran, but Dad’s treasure, our ranch, was decimated. We couldn’t ranch on so little land, though he fought hard to make it work. Six months later he died from a massive coronary. I had to sell the land at rock-bottom prices.”
“Oh, no.” Olivia sounded genuinely upset. “What did you do then?”
“Enlisted. Did two tours, but I hated it. I worked at Wranglers Ranch in Tucson for a while. Tried to rebuild my faith in God.” He heaved a sigh. “Then I got into equine-assisted learning. Eventually I came to the Double M and—” He shrugged. “That’s my story. My stupidity in marrying Eve cost me my dad and my home.”
“I’m so sorry. You never saw Eve again?”
“No.