“Damn, woman, you look good!” Eric exclaimed as he approached with Charlie and Ben.
Anna giggled as Eric lifted Millie up in the air and twirled her around.
“Oh, God, Eric, you haven’t changed a bit,” Millie stated.
* * * *
Glancing around at the small crowd that had formed, Millie felt incredibly happy and relieved to be with her family. She wasn’t alone. She was back home in Pearl where she belonged.
As the others greeted her, she caught sight of two very tall cowboys standing near a truck that said “Lewis Construction” on it in in bold, uppercase black lettering. One cowboy was holding a clipboard with papers and the other was chewing on a straw, staring at her. She felt his gaze through the crowd and she was perplexed by the mixed emotions. She felt her cheeks warm. He had that look that could make even the most experienced woman blush. She looked at Stacy, who raised her eyebrows as if indicating how hot the two men were. Millie tried not to laugh. That was so Stacy.
“Millie, let us introduce you to Anthony and Jeremy Lewis. They own the construction company we hired to start the project,” Stacy stated as if she sensed the men staring at Millie.
Millie smiled as Jeremy offered his hand first.
“Nice to meet you, Millie. Stacy and Anna were worried about you. Glad you made it to Pearl in one piece.” As she touched his hand, she felt a tingling sensation travel past her wrist as his words sunk in.
She pulled her hand away quickly and gave a scolding look to Stacy. Stacy cleared her throat and shook her head. Did that mean that Stacy hadn’t informed the strangers about her situation in New York? Damn, she hoped not.
“I’m Anthony,” the other man stated, and she turned back to him. She shook his hand as not to be rude and she noticed that his hair was crew cut short as opposed to Jeremy’s who had his tied back neatly. Looking back at Jeremy as she released Anthony’s hand Jeremy winked at her with chocolate eyes. He was a flirt, she could tell immediately, and damn if her body didn’t react instantly to it.
“Nice to meet you both. So what is this secret project you two have been hiding from me?” Millie asked.
“No secret, just something we think that you’ll be interested in helping out with and being part of.” Anna winked at Stacy.
“What is it?”
“Jeremy, can you show Millie the blueprints of the construction site and the main page?” Stacy asked.
“Sure. It would be my pleasure.” Jeremy smiled at Millie as he looked her over again. When he and Anthony turned away, Anna gave her a nudge in her shoulder and a wink. She shook her head at her friend. Millie was done with men, especially the flirtatious kind. Plus, she was doing her best right now not to break down and cry. She had no idea what would come of her leaving New York and losing her job so suddenly. For all she knew, Frank wasn’t even in New York and was just messing with her like always. But he had sounded so confident. She had done what Stacy and Anna told her to do and what Detective Flynn suggested and left town. She had contacted Detective Flynn and given him Wyatt’s number at the Sheriff’s Department as well. Wyatt was also the detective that arrested Frank and helped Stacy save Millie’s life. Although he had no grounds to locate Frank and arrest him, he suggested that she take Frank’s threats seriously and take a vacation. She swallowed hard as she tried her hardest to submerge her emotions.
* * * *
Jeremy opened up the blueprint on the hood of his truck and then realized that Millie was too petite to see that high. His truck was an extra-wide load and very big, just like him and his brothers. He and Anthony were tall, stocky, and muscular, while his brothers, Dalton, Hank, and Marco, were trim and fit, keeping their military physiques like true martial artists.
“Grab the other end, Anthony, so she can see it better.”
Millie slowly moved closer and he noticed she kept her hands clasped in front of her as if she were afraid to get too close to either of them. Jeremy smiled. She was a mighty fine-looking woman, with brown hair tied up in a ponytail and dark blue eyes that almost looked too large for her smaller features. They were the first thing he noticed about her. Then, of course, he noticed her hourglass figure. She was a knockout and dressed very conservatively in a black, sleeveless one-piece dress and a white sweater. She looked sweet.
“Is this a new development you’re putting in on Cantrell’s land next to the shelter?” Millie asked.
“This is something we’ve talked about in the past but with no real direction. Your ideas and accomplishments in New York kind of helped us zero in on our idea, Millie. As you know, we built the women’s shelter so that women in trouble or on their own with no place to go can come here and have a new start,” Anna stated, and Millie smiled. Jeremy watched as the tears hit her eyes and she lost coloring in her face.
“We want you to be part of this, Millie. We have a new friend, Lena, who has some really great ideas as well. She’s had to deal with so much on her own, just like Anna and me and, of course, you, too. The four of us will organize and run the place. We were thinking about making a series of specialty shops. Maybe a place where you can sell the jewelry you make and other women can sell things they’ve made as well,” Stacy added.
“Yeah, we’re going to have small cottages, some single and some multifamily, so that women can share or so that women with children can live there while they work. We’ll have child care services and we’re even thinking about other forms of income for the women so they can eventually support themselves,” Anna added.
“I’ve been in contact with some government agencies offering education grants and scholarship programs we can do online. Plus, with your background as a fundraising co
ordinator and financial coordinator, we could maybe use your connections to help us expand and really help these women out,” Stacy stated.
Jeremy remained, watching Millie. She looked shocked, but he saw something else in her eyes, something that made him feel like she knew how the women felt and perhaps had been in need at one time herself, or maybe she was just touched by the idea Anna and Stacy had.
“This is amazing. This is exactly what I’ve been wanting to create in New York.” As she said the words she covered her mouth and began to turn away. Anna and Stacy were immediately by her side.
“It will be okay, Millie. He can’t get to you here,” Stacy whispered, but Jeremy heard her. Immediately, he felt as if a fist tightened around his heart. Was this beautiful, sophisticated-looking woman in some kind of trouble?
He looked at his brother, Anthony, who held the same concerned expression. Anthony was a control freak. He ran their business and he ran it well. If he were concerned over Millie, he would get the answers he was looking for. Jeremy hoped that his brother remained quiet.