Chapter 4
Liv
Footsteps continued down the hall, telling me Hudson was leaving me alone up here in this overly country room that even boasted a yellow quilt and needlepoint pillow that read, “Guests are always welcome.”
I wanted to gouge my eyes out. I wanted to be home.
I sat on the bed and texted Gabe.
Liv: I really hate you.
Gabe: I know, but you’ll forgive me.
Liv: Never.
Placing the phone next to me, I stared out of the small window with the pull-up shade that looked like it had stepped out of the 1950s.
Stuck. That’s what I was. Stuck on a farm, in a house with a man I had devastated, a man who hated me, a man I had never gotten over even when I’d forced myself to move on after years of convincing myself there was no going back.
Hudson Thomas had been the love of my life, and no one had taken his place. I had let no one in again, but even if I had, they would never have competed with him.
I buried my head in my hands, unable to fight the emotions or the memories that came rushing back.
No matter which way I turned the map, I couldn’t figure out where I was. My sense of direction was horrible, even with the map Gabe had drawn for me. My attempt at deciphering came to a halt when I smashed into something hard.
“Ouch,” I whined, taking a step back as the backpack in front of me turned and soft chocolate eyes met mine, lit with amusement that matched his grin. A mop of dirty blond hair shifted with his movement, and my pulse thudded.
“I’m sorry,” I stuttered, trying not to gawk at how cute this boy was.
“Why?” His brow arched, his eyes twinkling with humor.
“I ran into you.”
He gave me a shrug. “I’ve had worse happen than having a pretty girl run into me.”
“That’s a cheesy pickup line,” I said with a roll of my eyes.
He scratched his head, a move that only made him cuter. “Yeah, it was.” He glanced at the map in my hands. “Let me guess. Freshman?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Only from the map and the confusion written all over your face.” He held his hand out toward the map. “May I?”
I handed it to him.
“Impressive,” he said as he studied it.
“My little brother is a nerd and overly detail oriented.”
He peeked up at me, causing heat to spread in my belly. He was gorgeous.
“Your little brother drew this?”
“From one he found online.” I pointed to the highlighted buildings, specifically the large one in the middle.
“This is where I have class.”
“Ah, Green Hall.” He folded the paper and handed it to me. “Tell you what. I’ll show you where it is if you tell me your name and let me walk you there.”
A thick lock of hair shifted onto his forehead as lush brown eyes waited for my response.
“You’re not one of those upperclassmen who prey on freshman girls to put another notch in their belt, are you?”
He chuckled, a sound that left me hoping he wasn’t.
“Never been accused of that one.”
“Well, you can’t be too careful. My father warned me to stay away from guys like that.” About the only decent thing he’d said to me as he’d given me a curt nod goodbye before informing me the car was there to drive me to school.
“Hm, fatherly advice. I like it. And no, I’m not one of those guys.” He put his hand out. “I’m Hudson.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Hudson? What kind of name is that?”
“Damn, you don’t have a filter, do you?”
Only when my father was around. “No, I don’t.”
“Family name. Now, do you want me to take you to class?”
I didn’t have a choice, and he was entirely too cute to deny. “Yes, and it’s Olivia.”
“Olivia. I like that.”
“My friends call me Liv.”
“Liv?” He squinted at me. “Nah, I like Olivia.” He gestured for me to follow, and I almost had to run to catch up to his long strides. He was even taller than Gabe.
“What’s your major?” he asked as we walked.
“Business.” Following in my father’s footsteps, whether or not he appreciated it.
“Nice, that’s my major.”
“You don’t strike me as a business major.”
“Eh,” he said with a shrug. “My mother has her plans.”
I glanced at him, seeing the resentment flicker in his eyes and wondering if his mother was anything like my father.
“That’s where you have class,” he said, pointing to the building we were approaching.
I stopped and looked back at where we’d been, then back at him. “Why didn’t you just point to it?”
“Figured it was an excuse to talk to a pretty girl longer.”
He really thought I was pretty? That was the second time he’d called me pretty. I was confident and secure in my looks, but this boy was hot. The kind of hot that had no trouble getting girls.
I swallowed, shifting my backpack.
“Is that a pickup line?” I asked.
“Only if you want it to be.”
My cheeks warmed, but I forced myself not to break contact.
“It can be,” I said.
His grin was mischievous. “Good, then you won’t mind if I ask you out, Olivia.”
Gaping was something my father would have scolded me for, but I did it anyway. For a moment, I awaited his belittling words or the smack of his hand against Gabe’s head for my infraction, but it didn’t come.
“Is that a yes?” Hudson asked. “This weekend? There’s a new movie playing. We could go if you want.”
I nodded, saying yes when I finally found my voice.
His grin turned to a beaming smile.
“Nice. What dorm are you in?”
“Butler,” I answered.
“I tell you what. Meet me at Campus Center tonight at six, and we’ll make plans.”
“Tonight? But that’s two dates.”
“Gotta go. Nice meeting you, Olivia. Don’t stand me up tonight.”
He jogged away, and I stared at the square shoulders and muscular legs before I checked out his tight butt. Blinking and turning away once the heat rose in my cheeks, I wondered how I’d just made plans for not one but two dates with a guy I’d just met.
“You get lost up there, Olivia?” My name came out clipped, jerking me from the memory.
“No,” I snapped, stalking to the bathroom.
Oh God. There was only one bathroom. His things were in the corner of the large sink. A towel hung haphazardly over the shower curtain. I tried not to imagine him drying himself with it while I washed my hands.
Glimpsing at myself in the mirror once I dried them, I smoothed my hair down, checking my makeup before I adjusted my dress and headed down the stairs.
Hudson was leaning against the island, his arms crossed.
“You’re slower than molasses.”
“Who did the tacky decorating in your guest room?” I retorted.
“My ex-girlfriend.”
The words cut like a knife, and I stumbled slightly.
“Oh. Must have been serious to let her decorate for you.” I tried to maintain my indifference, but it was difficult.
“Guess it was.”
And the knife stabbed again.
He looked down at my feet. “Tell me you brought something other than heels.” His eyes roved up my legs and my dress. “And fancy clothes. You have jeans and boots, right?”
“I don’t own jeans,” I said, and his eyes narrowed. “I didn’t bring boots. They don’t go with what I packed.”
He gave me a look that screamed he wanted to strangle me and stormed through the kitchen toward the back of the house. After rummaging, he returned with a pair of cowboy boots.
“Put those on.”
“I don’t need to change.”
“Damn it, Olivia, put the fucking boots on.” My teeth ground, hating how he sounded like he was scolding me. “You can’t ride in heels.”
“I don’t need boots to ride in a car.”
“We can’t take my truck,” he said, his jaw ticking. “We’re taking the horses.”
I gaped at him, something that was happening too frequently.
“Horses?”
“Yes, now put the boots on. I have no idea how you’ll ride in that fancy dress, but you’ll have to manage.”
I picked the boots up and held them in front of me. “These look like women’s boots.”
“Because they are. Jessie left them. She wears them when she comes riding.”
“Jessie?” I was going to murder Gabe. Hudson had a girlfriend. If he’d wanted to hurt me this horribly, he could have just stabbed me. I didn’t want to know that Hudson had moved on. Not that I thought he hadn’t, but it made it easier not to know the truth.
My eyes lifted from the boots, and I searched for an escape. Some way out of this, but Gabe had left me cornered like a caged animal brought to slaughter.