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"He won't stop," she said, her eyes wide and wild.
With his hands on her shoulders, he looked at his niece. "No, I don't think he will. While this isn't your fault, I think it's more about you than me. He's angry at being rebuffed and he will, most likely, try something else."
I agreed with the older man.
"Then we must go away where he can't get us."
"I'm staying here, but you'll go."
She shook her head. "No, Uncle Allen, you can't. He's dangerous."
He cupped her jaw so she stilled her motion. "To me, he's not. He could, at a minimum, compromise you and then where would you be? Married to the damn bastard. I couldn't live if something like that happened."
Olivia pursed her lips for she knew the answer. So did the three of us. She would be married to the bastard, stuck with him for a lifetime of cruel treatment.
"If he resorted to setting fire to our house," he continued, "he could want to truly harm you."
"If he wants the money, he could...he could kill you to get it." Unshed tears filled her eyes, made them glisten in the moonlight.
"He won't get a dime, I promise."
I glanced at Simon, then at Cross. Both men nodded.
"She'll come with us back to Bridgewater. No harm will come to her," I said, vowing to protect her.
Mr. Weston looked at me over her shoulder, then at the other men. "Yes, Bridgewater is a safe place for you, Olivia."
"You want me to go off with three men? Three strangers?" She waved her hand in our direction.
"Their reputation precedes them. I know other men from their ranch and I'd trust them with my life. Yours, as well. They are honorable." He looked at me directly. "You have no idea how important she is to me."
"We will keep her safe," I vowed.
"Protected," Cross added.
A horse whinnied in the background, the fire brigade's pumper being pulled down the street and back to the station. With the fire out, there was not much more they could do.
"There is one stipulation." He took Olivia's shoulders
and turned her to face us, her eyes wide, her body shrouded in the overly large robe. "You must marry her."
"What?" she cried, spinning back around, the robe swirling about her legs. "Uncle Allen, perhaps they are doing this for the money!"
She didn't dare glance at us, for it was clear she knew the words were insulting. The barb did not hit its mark, for we all knew she was under duress.
"We don't need your money. Bridgewater is self-sufficient," I said.
"Yes, but marriage, that's not necessary—"
"Olivia. Stop." At her uncle's words, Olivia quieted, but I could tell she wished to argue. The tone of the man's voice was enough to keep her from brooking further argument. "Lightning, remember?"
She bit her plump lower lip and nodded, glancing at the three of us in turn. I had no idea to what her uncle was referring regarding lightning, but Olivia did.
"But...but how do I choose?" she asked, her voice low, but I heard it readily enough. So had the others. The fear for her safety lessened, knowing that this man was giving his niece to us. He, too, was honorable if he expected marriage before letting us take her. While we'd honor whatever gentlemanly rules existed when it came to being in the presence of a maiden, her virtue would still be in tatters upon her return regardless of our good behavior. Three bachelors didn't just take an unmarried woman to their ranch, no matter the reason.
In this instance, Mr. Weston could feel confident in her safety, Olivia would know our intentions were honorable and we'd know that she belonged to us. I could see his request for more than just honor. If something did happen to him, she'd inherit all of the Weston fortune. But married, it would pass to her husband, therefore preventing Peters from getting a dime. It was an uncle's way of protecting his niece and I had to respect him for that.
We should have run away at the idea of Mr. Weston forcing us to marry Olivia, but for the first time, she was the woman we wanted. I flicked my gaze to Simon, who'd had the least interaction with her, but he nodded his head, his intentions silent but very clear.
