Forbidden Bond by Jessica Lee Page A

agree. He is pretty special.” Olivia smiled.
    “Was he crushed when you told him you weren’t ready?”
    “He was really disappointed. I tried to make sure he understood that I do love him, and I don’t want to break up. I just don’t think we’re ready to be married, and it’s not fair to him for me to pretend to be.”
    “You’re right. He doesn’t deserve a woman who’s stringing him along.”
    “Besides, you know me. I’m not one to take an impulsive leap like that. Not anymore. I did that once years ago, and I don’t need to be burned twice before I learn that it’s not wise to let your heart lead.” The stunned look on Eion’s face the summer she’d taken the risk and kissed him flashed before her mind’s eye. The embarrassment of that moment, followed by the way he’d ignored her until he left town a couple of weeks later, had left an emotional wound that had never healed. Olivia grabbed the beer their server had left on the nearby bar table and took a swift gulp. “I think Taylor understood,” she went on to say. “Except for the fact he wouldn’t take this back.” Olivia reached inside her purse on the stool and grasped the small velvet box sitting beside her wallet. She opened the top and held it up for Josie’s inspection. Her friend’s breath hitched. Josie leaned over and studied the solitaire before glancing up, her eyes wide.
    “He wanted you to keep this even though you turned him down?”
    Olivia nodded. “He said he refused to think of my ‘no’ as anything other than a ‘not yet’.” She closed the box and slipped it back inside her bag. “For as long as I’ve known him, Taylor has been the eternal optimist and he swears it’s only a matter of time before I put it on my finger.” Her heart swelled. He had such faith in their destiny. “What was I supposed to say to that?”
    “Doc McDaniel is one of kind, girl. I don’t know how you resist.” Josie rolled her eyes.
    Olivia sighed. “But it has to feel right, you know? Marriage is forever. Till death do you part and all that stuff, in my book.”
    “Well, I just can’t imagine Mr. Right isn’t Taylor for you. But you know I’ll support you whatever you decide.”
    “Thank you.” Olivia returned to the pool table’s edge.
    “Oh! Speaking of a special man…I have some news. Guess who was back in my office yesterday?”
    Olivia swallowed, forcing the sudden knot of apprehension in her throat to retreat, took her next shot, but missed. “Who?”
    “Eion Mandrake.”
    “Um. He actually stopped by our house this morning and mentioned he was selling his place.”
    “He came by?” Josie moved in closer.
    “You mind if we take a break?” Olivia motioned with her stick toward the rack.
    “Sure.” Josie shrugged. “That’s fine.”
    After putting away their cues, they snagged a table near the back corner of the saloon and ordered another round.
    “So,” Josie began, “what was it like seeing your first crush again?”
    Olivia breathed deep, searching for a way to steady her nerves. She was so glad to have Josie around. After high school graduation, most of her girlfriends had gone away to college and never looked back. Little Crow Pass was a pimple on the map of Wyoming, and unless you were a rancher, there wasn’t much to offer. And of course there were no boyfriends hanging around from those days—mainly because there never really were any. None of the boys had ever measured up to the fantasy that had been Eion Mandrake. So when Josie had moved back last year and had opened up her real estate office, Olivia had been overjoyed.
    But how much should she tell Josie about her lingering feelings for Eion? Any normal woman would not still be affected by a guy she’d crushed on when she was fourteen. She was in a relationship now. Josie would probably think she was mental.
    “It felt kind of odd.” Olivia toyed with the label on her beer. “But it wasn’t the first time we’d run into each other.”