Page 45 of Love for a Lifetime

They’d milked all of the mama goats and fed the rest before Levi looked around. “Where’s Miss Olivia?”

Dawson was on his feet in a split second. “Let’s go check on her.”

Levi jogged past a few roaming chickens, and Dawson picked up his own pace. He’d been fighting the urge to check on her since the moment he walked away.

“Are you okay, Miss Olivia?” Levi asked.

Dawson rounded the corner into the feed shed and screeched to a halt. Olivia sat doubled over on a crate.

Levi was already by her side, and Dawson fell to his knee at her feet. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said through gritted teeth. “I just need a minute.”

“You’ve had enough minutes. What can I do to help?” The time for waiting was over. Every cell in his body hummed with the need to act.

“Dawson, just–”

“This isn’t normal, Liv. Tell me what to do.”

Her eyes pressed tightly closed, and deep lines formed between her brows. Her jaw was tense as she tried to stand. “I–”

As soon as she got to her feet, she crumpled. Dawson wrapped her in his arms and pulled her to his chest.

“Miss Olivia!” Levi shouted.

Dawson set her on her feet long enough to readjust his arms to cradle her. With her body held tight against him, he jerked a chin at Levi. “Go tell Mr. Lawrence I’m bringing her to the house.”

Levi rushed off at a quick run, eager to help.

“Hang in there, Liv. I’m right here.”

11

OLIVIA

The pain gripped Olivia again as Dawson laid her on the couch.

“What’s going on?” he asked sternly.

Oh no. Dawson hardly ever used his serious tone. At least not around her. Any of the playfulness she’d come to expect was thoroughly pushed aside to make way for the intimidating man standing over her.

She curled into a ball as another cramp gripped her insides. “My purse.”

Dawson looked around. “Where?”

“My car.”

“I’ll go get it!” Levi said as he ran out the front door.

Olivia’s dad stepped out of the room, and the moment she was alone with Dawson he whispered, “What’s going on?”

Her cheeks and ears burned, but there wasn’t any way to get around telling him about her embarrassing problem.

Her dad came back into the room with a bottle of water in hand. He passed it to Dawson who twisted the top off before handing it to her. Using the moment to figure out how to explain her current situation to him, she took a few extra gulps of the water.

Her dad’s mouth pressed into a thin line as he looked down at her. Her hero had aged two decades in the five years since her mom died. The crow’s-feet at the corners of his eyes were deeper, and more gray was weaved into his hair and beard.

“She’s okay,” her dad said. “It’s an ongoing issue Olivia has, but it’s not dangerous.”

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