Chapter One

It was early fall and Jonas Taylor impatiently waited at the depot for the stage to arrive. He had put off making the monthly trip down the mountain until today; a week later than he usually would. He looked in the widow of the depot at the clock on the wall. The stage coach was suppose to have been here at noon and was nearly a quarter pass. He wouldn't be here at all if his friend and trapping partner, Marley Rollings, hadn't had to go up north for some important matter.

Jonas didn't know alot about Marley's past. He always seemed to steer the conversation elsewhere whenever it was mentioned. All he had said before leaving was that a very important package would be arriving on today's stage. He was to bring it back to his, Jonas', cabin and guard it with his life. But what got him the most was when Marley said that men would lust after it and do anything to get there hands on it. It was that fact that made him nervous about the whole deal. But..., he had made a promise to his friend and partner and he would honor it.

A cloud of dust in the distance told all that the stage was approaching. Again, Jonas looked at the clock inside the depot; 12:30 pm. He was glad now that he had picked up supplies before coming to the depot. Now he could pick up Marley's package and head home. But he never would have imaged that he too would lust after and do anything to get his hands on the package that was about to be delivered.

Eighteen year old Olivia Rollings tapped her foot impatiently as her trunks were unloaded from the stage. She was the only passenger that was getting off here, but the driver complained about all the baggage that he was having to unload; just as he had done while it was being loaded. "I feel sorry for your father, ma'am," he said with a drawl. "I hope that he has brought a wagon to haul all this stuff." She hmphed at his remark. "I assure, sir," she said with her hands on her hips, "that my father can afford as many wagons as it will take to get my luggage home." The man dropped the last one next the others, leaving only half the trunks on the stage.

Olivia walked past a scruffy looking man in buckskins and into the depot. People like him discussed her. They were always unclean and didn't even care to do anything about it. She walked directly to the young man behind the counter and asked if he had seen her father. "Ah... Ah... No... No ma'am," he stammered as he stared at her. "The last I heard, your father had gone up north." She stared at the young man with what she knew to be daggers shooting from her eyes. "What do you mean he's gone up north," she demanded. "He arrange for his partner to pick you up though," he said, pointing out the door.

Olivia walked out the door and looked around. Nowhere did she see a man dressed in a proper attire. In fact, the only man she seen was the older mountain man. "Where," she asked as she walked back into the depot. "Right there," he said as he pointed outside again. "The man there in the buckskins." "That's impossible," she exclaimed in a shocked voice. "My father is Marley Rollings, one of THE wealthy men in America." She pointed at the man who was now standing in the doorway staring at them. "That is in no way, shape, or form my father's business associate."

All the way home, Jonas listened to Olivia rant about how she couldn't believe her father was not to pick her up. And about how much of an inconvenience it was to have to leave her trunks behind. Why couldn't he just hire a wagon to bring them up? He had tried to explain to her that her father didn't live like she thought he did. He sure as hell didn't live in a big fancy house like she thought. She wouldn't even believe him when he showed her the rundown shack that her father lived in.

It was still daylight when they reached Jonas' cabin, which was a couple miles further up in the mountain than his own. He watched Olivia as she entered his large one room cabin and looked around disgustedly. "It will take some cleaning, but I guess that I can manage for a while," she said as she turned back to face him. All he could do was stare at her.

So this was the package that Marley wanted him to pick up. Marley had been wise in not telling him what the package was because he would never agreed. "You we're right, Marley," Jonas thought to himself as he watched the extremely beautiful woman as she paced his home, "all men will lust after her and do anything to get their hands on her."

Six months had pasted and spring had finally arrived on the mountain. Olivia set about the cabin in a spring-cleaning fury, cleaning anything that didn't move. Having spent most of her life a boarding school, she had never seen how the "less fortunate" ones lived. Nor was she use to having to do for herself. Everything had always been handed to her. She was having a first-hand eye-opener and was surprised with herself to discover that she was enjoying it. Jonas had taught her how to cook over the wood stove, but she still refused to clean the game he brought home. Even his gruffness towards her had softened and he bathed regularly and shaved without having to be asked.

Olivia had thought it gentlemanly of Jonas to let her have his bed and take the small cot in the corner of the room. She now stared at it's emptiness in a daze, wondering why her father had yet to return or at the very least send word to her. She jumped when Jonas entered the room with a letter in his hand. "Here," he said as he laid the letter before her on the table, "I think you should read this." She turned the letter over and saw that it was address to Jonas; the sender was her father's lawyer. Slowly taking the letter out she read.

Dear Mr. Taylor,

It is with my deepest sympathy to inform you that your business associate and friend, Marley Rollings, has passed away. I do not know if you were aware of his illness or not, but it overtook him quickly once he arrived and he suffered very little.

He spoke highly of you and has asked that you look after his most prized and beloved possession, his only child and daughter, Olivia. It is with my understanding that she is now in your care. He told me that he had sent her away after her mother died ten years ago. It was then that he lost interest in the running of his mining, logging, and cattle businesses. Which, by the way, you now own lock, stock, and barrel. You are free to run them personally, or as he did, by letting others handle the matters and you receive the royalties from them. Or you may sell them and profit that way. I know of several interested buyers who would be more than happy to met any price asked.

Please respond by letter or telegraph to inform me of your decision as soon as possible. And please..., give my love, regards, and deepest sympathy to Olivia.

Sincerely,

William J. Forelock
Attorney at Law
Boston, Massachusetts

Olivia sobbed as she read the letter. Her father had died of an illness and she didn't even know that he had been sick. Why hadn't he told her? When had he died? And why hadn't he told her about Jonas Taylor and why he had chosen to live here? She realized all too late that she knew very little about her father. For the past ten years that she had lived at the boarding school and not once had any of his letters ever mentioned any of this. Not once. She felt as if she had never known him at all.

Jonas pulled out the chair next to Olivia and sat down. He placed his large hand on her small, fragile shoulder and gently rubbed. She surprised him by rushing into his arms. He wrapped his large arms around her small body and held her while she cried. He smelled her sweet womanly scent and pushed away the thoughts that had been recently going through his mind.

The past few weeks had been a living hell on Jonas. He had begun to think of Olivia as more that just his partner’s daughter and someone he was looking after. But as a beautiful, virile woman with whom he could share not only his nights, by his life, with. For sometime, he held her until her sobbing had stopped and she fell asleep in his arms. He stroked her long brown hair before standing up and placing her on the bed. He then started supper.

Later in the week, Jonas and Olivia traveled to town. He stood with her as she wrote the message telling Mr. Forelock to sell everything and to deposit the money into Marley's account at the bank. He was turning everything over to her. They were both shocked to learn of the large sum that already existed in her father's account. It alone made her a very wealthy woman. They then headed back for his cabin.

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