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that path might cost him.
    Because he knew, without any doubt at all, that without Olivia, his life would be meaningless anyway.

Chapter Five
    O livia still had ten minutes before she had to be back at her desk, so she used it to call Eve.
    â€œOh, my God,” Eve said. “The woman is certifiable.”
    Olivia couldn’t help laughing. Eve never did mince words. “We think so, but there are plenty of people who follow her lead.”
    â€œTell you what, hon, as soon as we hang up, I’m going to call Austin. He’s a top-notch attorney, and I know he’ll represent you.”
    â€œDon’t you think I should wait till I talk to Matt tonight?”
    â€œNo. I think you should line Austin up immediately. After all, we both know Matt can’t represent you in this. He can be on your side privately and he can help from the sidelines, but he can’t oppose his parents in court. I mean, think about it. If he fights her openly, your mother-in-law will just become more vindictive toward you.”
    Olivia did know that. It was one of the primary reasons she knew she could never have a romantic relationship with Matt, despite what Eve thought. She hesitated a moment, then said, “I would have to use some of Mark’s insurance money to pay Austin, and I hate to do that. I wanted to keep it intact for Thea.”
    â€œDon’t worry about the money, Liv. I’m paying his fee,” Eve said. “And I don’t want any argument about that, either.”
    â€œI can’t let you do that.”
    â€œYou’re not letting me. I’m doing it, period.”
    â€œBut—”
    â€œNo buts. Seriously. Adam has put so much money in my ‘fun’ account, as he calls it, I couldn’t spend it all if I wanted to. Please let me do this for you.”
    Olivia’s eyes filled with tears. “I love you, Eve.”
    â€œI love you, too. I’ll let you know what Austin has to say.”
    â€œI don’t want to talk about this while I’m at work. And I have to go back in a few minutes.”
    â€œI’ll text you instead. And we can talk later tonight. After you’ve had dinner with Matt.”
    â€œAll right.”
    They hung up then, and after Olivia tossed her trash, she headed back inside the hospital. She was filled with so many mixed emotions: disbelief and anger over Vivienne, gratefulness and relief over Matt’s and Eve’s support, and worry over the future.
    She wondered what Mark would think if he knew what his mother was doing. He would be disgusted, she was sure. After all, he’d stood up to his mother when she tried to discourage him from marrying Olivia. Yes, Mark would be on her side. Of course, if Mark were alive, Vivienne would never even think of doing something like this.
    Maybe not, but she’d have done her best to ruin your marriage.
    Oh, God. What a mess everything was.
    For the rest of the afternoon, Olivia couldn’t give one hundred percent of her concentration to her job. How could she? At the back of her mind was always the thought of what could happen if Vivienne followed through on her threat. Even with Austin representing her, Olivia knew there was always the chance Vivienne could win, because the Britton family name carried tremendous influence in the county. In fact, Olivia had heard Vivienne had several judges in her pocket. Some of that was just gossip brought about by envy, but still...if there even a grain of truth in what was said, Olivia could be in for a rough ride.
    I could lose. She could take Thea away from me!
    Dear God. That couldn’t happen. Eve was right. Olivia needed to be prepared with the best legal representation she could find. And aside from Matt, who was off-limits, Austin Crenshaw was the best. But what if Austin no longer wanted any part of this? Olivia wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t. After all, he had to live and work in Hays County, too, and Vivienne