“Don’t you dare walk out on me. I am not done speaking to you.”
“Sure you are. Now move aside.”
He was blocking the doorway. He was short but solidly built, as were most men who handled timber for a living. She didn’t want to have a physical confrontation with him unless she had a Colt in her hand.
“Your father and I have decided that you’re going back to Chicago. It’s for your own good, and if we have to place you in an institution until you regain your senses, that is what we will do.”
Olivia didn’t believe her ears. “An institution.” It was a statement, not a question. “Why are you so insistent upon marrying me?”
“I’m the man your father picked.”
“I’m sensing there’s more to it than that.”
“I’ll admit that certain arrangements and agreements were signed on the understanding that we would marry.”
Olivia thought that over for a moment. “So you made some type of financial deal using the prospects of controlling my money as collateral?”
He stiffened, as if she’d struck him across the back with a whip. Now she understood. “You did, didn’t you?”
His tight lips told all.
“Is the deal crashing around your feet, or are the other parties now demanding the money? Or are both scenarios in play?”
Silence.
Olivia shook her head with amusement, but her eyes were hard with purpose. “Mr. Butler, you should marry a woman far less intelligent than I. And as for taking me back and placing me in an institution? Considering who my husband is, you should probably plan on heading back to Chicago without me. Neil would hunt you down like the weasel that you are, and then he and Shafts and Teresa would draw straws to see who would shoot you first. Now let me pass.”
A vein stood out in his forehead. He let her see the fury in his eyes, then moved aside.
She sailed by without further word.
By the time Olivia made it to the hotel she was angry enough to shoot Butler herself. That he’d threatened her with a forced stay in an institution brought back to mind the advice she’d been given a few days ago by the spinsters. They’d been concerned about Butler wanting to harm her, and Olivia had to admit that on the surface, they’d been correct.
She heard all the hammering and activity in the dining room, but she chose not to stop in; tomorrow would be soon enough for her to view the transformed space. Right now she was intent upon seeing her mother and confronting her father about this institution nonsense.
Olivia’s knock upon the door to the Presidential Suite was answered by her mother, who smiled at her daughter and said, “Come in, dear. How are you?”
Olivia entered. “I’m well, Mother.”
“Your father is off seeing the sights. He’s attempting to determine what it is you find so wonderful about this town. Have a seat, dear, I’ve something I need to discuss.”
Olivia sat.
“I’ve decided to leave your father.”
Olivia’s eyes widened.
“When we go home to Chicago, I’ll be seeking out a good barrister to handle the papers and whatever else is necessary.”
Olivia was speechless for a moment, then asked, “Why?”
“I’m tired of being alone, Olivia. It was bearable when you were home, but in the last year, the house has been like a tomb.”
“But Mother—what has changed?”
“I have, dear.”
The response surprised Olivia.
Eunice continued, “When you defied your father about this marriage to Horatio—which you know I never approved of—I went in search of my own spine.”
“I see,” Olivia replied, but she didn’t really. She knew her mother had been unhappy for many years, but it had never occurred to Olivia that Eunice would seek such a drastic solution. “Are you sure about this plan, Mother?”
“As sure as I’ve ever been of anything in my life, and I’ve decided to spend what life I have left here with you in Kansas.”
Olivia stared. “Oh, really,” she said, trying to keep the horror out of her voice. “Why here?”
“You lead such an interesting life here, dear. I believe I’d like a bit of that myself.”
Speechless, Olivia couldn’t make a sound. “But Mother—”
“I won’t have to live with you and your Neil very long. Once I get on my feet, I’ll find my own place, of course.”
Olivia’s eyes were plate-wide now. “Of course.”
Her father came into the suite then, and Olivia had never been so happy to see him in her life. She’d originally wanted to confront him about Butler’s nefarious schemes, but she decided that was a minor issue compared to what her mother had just revealed.
Her father walked over to where the women were sitting and tossed a newspaper onto the settee. He growled at Olivia, “Have you seen the paper? You made the front page.”
Olivia sighed and picked up the issue of the Nicodemus Cyclone. Sure enough, the banner headline read: “Female Mayor Weds Notorious Outlaw.” She set it back down.
Her father snapped, “And his trial is tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
He did not look happy. “I’m beginning to think you are not in full control of your faculties. Horatio believes you should seek medical attention, and I may have to agree. There’s a doctor—”
“Oh, James, stop badgering the child,” Eunice voiced impatiently. “She’s a grown woman and married. She’s no longer under your control. Life goes on.”
Olivia couldn’t decide whose jaw dropped the furthest—her father’s or her own.
James studied his wife and said tightly, “Eunice, you must still be suffering from the long trip here. Maybe you should go and lie down.”
Eunice countered with, “I feel fine, and why is it that every female who defies you has to be suffering from something, James?”
He stared at his wife as if he’d never seen her before.
“I just told Olivia something that I am now going to tell you. I’m divorcing you, James. Just as soon as we get home.”
“What!”
“Don’t play deaf. You heard me.”
James turned his eyes to Olivia, but Olivia kept her face emotionless. He asked his daughter, “What have you been filling her head with?”
Eunice shot back, “There you go badgering her again. Talk to me, James. I’m the one ending this dried-out marriage, and she has absolutely nothing to do with it.”
Olivia glanced over at the door and wondered if she could slip out without them noticing.
Her father asked Eunice, “Have you lost your mind?”
She smiled serenely. “No, I have not.”
“You’re pulling my leg, correct?”
“Nope.”
Olivia had never seen her parents argue before, and this prologue was more than enough. “I should go.”
Her mother replied in an amused voice, “Coward.”
The playful taunt took Olivia so much by surprise that her smile bloomed before she could suppress it. “Mother? I am not a coward.”
Eunice studied her only child and said softly, “No, you aren’t. You’re the strongest young woman I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. You stick to your guns and continue to live life on your own terms. I am very, very proud of you.” She turned to her husband. “And now, James. I am going to lie down.”
That said, she stood, went into the bedroom, and closed the door.
Olivia and her father were left staring at her exit in the now silent room.
On the heels of that, James Sterling went over to the large windows and stood before them. He stared at the glass, his arms crossed, his face perturbed.
When he still hadn’t spoken after a few moments, Olivia departed quietly.
Chase was back at the office. “Seen today’s edition of the Cyclone?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said glumly.
“So you’ll know, Malloy is campaigning to have you removed as mayor at tonight
’s Elder Board meeting.”
Olivia slumped. “It’s to be expected, I suppose.”
“He’s saying you’re not upholding your oath.”
“Which says I am to uphold the law and to conduct myself in an honorable manner.” And by society’s standards, there was nothing honorable about marrying an outlaw for any reason. Olivia’s day was getting worse and worse, and tomorrow was the trial. “I feel like stealing a horse and hightailing it to California.”
“Not allowed,” he said. “You’ve been good for this town. Because of you, Henry Adams is solvent for the first time since the founding.”
“That’s because of the vice taxes Malloy’s been paying.”
“And whose idea was it to make him pay?”
Olivia accepted the credit without comment.
Chase said, “Do you have any idea how long it’s been since Cara Lee has had new books for her students?”
“No.”
“Since ’82, when Virginia Sutton died, but because of the vice funds there are brand-spanking-new books.”
Olivia looked him in the eye.
He said, “Granted, marrying Neil might not have been the best plan, but it’s all you had. I met Horatio Butler. I’d have married Neil, too.”
She smiled.
“You’ll weather this storm, Olivia. Just hang on.”
She was so proud to call him friend. “Thanks, Chase.”
“You’re welcome.”
The Elder Board meeting didn’t take long. One half hour after it began, Olivia Jean Sterling was stripped of her duties. A new election would be called next week to find her replacement. In the interim, Chase was appointed the town’s new executive. Malloy had nominated himself for the post, citing his previous run for mayor, but he lacked the backing of enough Board members to put the nomination to a vote.
As Olivia left the hall, she passed Malloy. He gave her a nasty little smile. She ignored him and hurried home.
Neil was on the back porch when he saw her walking toward the house through the tall grass. Her slow steps made him believe the Elder Board meeting had gone badly, and his heart ached. Because of him, there was a good possibility she was no longer mayor. His beautiful, radiant Olivia was facing more challenges than Hercules, and it was his fault. She was like a city under siege: from her parents, the newspapers, the gossips, the Elder Board, all because she’d chosen him to be her husband in order to preserve her way of life. Society didn’t like independence. If it did, none of the tribes would be captives on reservations, and women like Olivia wouldn’t have to make hard choices in order to keep themselves free of men like Horatio Butler.
Neil wanted to throw her over his horse and ride her away to a place where there were no worries. Places where renegade men and women of all races lived hidden in the mountains and valleys in the wilds of Texas, Mexico, and California; out of the sight of soldiers and all others who enforced laws that stole rights, land, and cultures. The two of them could be together and never be disturbed by so-called civilization ever again, but it wasn’t a solution based in reality. His Olivia Jean hadn’t been bred for that type of hard existence; she didn’t know about living on the run, or cooking beans over an open fire; she couldn’t hunt rabbit or elk, or slaughter a sheep for its wool, but knowing her and her indomitable spirit, she’d try to learn, and do them all without complaint, no matter how much she hated it.
So running away was not the answer. He didn’t need to change her life; he needed to change his own.
When Olivia looked up and saw Neil walking toward her with his arms wide, her heart swelled with all the emotions she felt inside. Hiking up her skirts, the former mayor ran to him and let herself be enfolded in his strong embrace. His heart beat strong beneath her cheek, and she closed her eyes and savored the closeness. “I’m no longer mayor.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, and he truly was.
“It’s okay, I’m more worried about tomorrow.”
“Don’t be. It’ll be here soon enough.”
Olivia didn’t want him to go to prison or have to flee to Mexico; either way, she’d never see him again more than likely, and she didn’t want that. She wanted to come home to him each day and have him hold her until the stresses and frustrations melted away. She wanted to explore the parts of him that she still didn’t know, and enjoy him exploring her depths in the same way. Horatio Butler didn’t understand. Why would she choose a bounder when she could have a man who made her scream and holler and could cook rabbits for her under the stars? Neil might not be socially acceptable, but in her mind, neither was Butler.
Losing her job had saddened her, though, and she was glad he’d walked out to meet her and offer her the comfort of his arms. “You’re a very special man, Neil July.”
Neil raised her chin so he could look into the face that he might not ever get to see again after tomorrow’s trial. “You think so.”
“Very much so. My father would never have walked out into the grass for my mother.”
“I’m not your father.”
She smiled, “And I’m glad about that.” The memory of her encounter with her parents rose in her mind, but she decided she’d tell him about their arguing later. Right now she just wanted to relish his closeness.
“You’re very special, too,” he told her. “So much so that back at the house, dinner is waiting for you, along with enough hot water heating for three baths.”
She leaned up for a kiss. “You spoil me.”
“You’re easy, and besides, it’s what a man is supposed to do for his woman.”
She searched his eyes. “Am I your woman?”
“I think you are,” he replied softly. “What do you think?”
“I think I am, too.”
Neil held her against his heart again and wrapped her up tight. “Oh, Olivia. What’s going to happen to us?”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to live without you.”
“Or me, you.”
She reached up and tenderly touched his cheek. “No matter what happens tomorrow, you will always, always have my heart.”
He kissed her bent fingers. “You deserve better.”
She shook her head. “For me, there is no one better.”
He gave her a smile. “Let’s go home.”
She nodded.
They linked hands and walked back to the house.
Over dinner Olivia told Neil about the episode with her parents. “I have never heard her speak to him so forcefully before. It was the most amazing thing.”
“Was she serious?”
“So much so, Papa and I were speechless.”
“Will she really divorce him?”
Olivia shrugged and reached for another piece of the cornbread he’d made for their meal. “I honestly don’t know. Divorce is much more acceptable these days, but will she actually go through with it? Only time will tell.”
When she finished dinner, they cleaned up the dishes, then Neil said, “Come on outside on the porch with me. Got something to show you.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“What kind of surprise?”
“A surprise surprise.”
“But—”
He grabbed her hand. “Come on. Need to rename you Woman With Many Questions.”
She grinned and let him lead her out.
To her delight, she saw that he’d made her a blind of sorts for the back porch so she could bathe outside in the fresh air. Canvas had been tacked up around one corner, effectively closing the space in on two sides, and he’d added a horizontal piece of wood, which was attached to the lip of the roof at one end and the wall of the house at the other end. Across it hung another piece of fabric that screened off the third side. “This is wonderful.”
“Look inside.”
He pulled back the drape, and the smiling Olivia entered. Inside was a large, gleaming, claw-footed bathing tub. She turned back, confused. “Where’d you get this?”
 
; “Had Shafts and Tee steal it out of Malloy’s place last night.”
Appalled, she gritted out, “Neil!”
He laughed. “I’m only kidding. Dios, you’re easy to get. I bought it off of Handy Reed this morning. He said someone ordered it but never retrieved it. He’s had it for months.”
She punched him in the arm. “Don’t scare me like that.”
“Hey, quit beating up on an injured man.”
“Only thing injured on you is your brain.”
Olivia scanned the space again and saw the upside-down barrel that had originally served as the porch’s table standing in the corner by the tub. Atop it were the lantern, a wrapped bar of scented soap, and some folded bath sheets. It was all so lovely and so thoughtful that she began to cry.
“Bought the sheets from Sophie.” Neil looked at her face. “Olivia, why the hell are you crying?”
She shrugged and sniffed. “I don’t know. You are so wonderful to me.”
He smiled and eased her against his chest. “No crying allowed. Makes me hurt.”
She smiled and wiped at the moisture in her eyes.
He told her softly, “This might be our last night together for awhile, and I wanted it to be special.”
She held onto him as tightly as she could. No moment in Olivia’s life had ever equaled this—not Oberlin; not owning her own shop; not coming to Kansas. She would never, ever forget him, no matter what the future held.
“Ready for your bath?”
“Yes.”
“Then you go get yourself ready and I’ll bring the water.”
Olivia headed to the door, then stopped and turned. “Neil?”
“Yes?”
“I love you….”
He nodded. “I love you, too, querida.”
And it was a special night. He filled the large tub with buckets and buckets of hot water, then took the soap and slowly and sensually soaped her up. He paid particular attention to her breasts and the secret places within her thighs, and by the time he’d rinsed her clean, she’d already had her first orgasm. He then wrapped her pulsing and throbbing body in the bath sheet and carried her into the kitchen. He laid her tenderly on the cleaned-off table, kissed and caressed her until she parted her legs, then pulled up a chair and had her for dessert. Only after all her screaming and hollering faded away did he pick her up and carry her to the bed.