She walked back over toward her bedroom mirror.
She wasn’t surprised to see the red-rimmed eyes, blotches over her breasts, and hair rumpled. She’d had a sleepless night. She ran her fingers through her hair, annoyed that the hairbrush was in the bathroom down the hallway. She’d sneak in there first and make herself look decent before venturing into the living room.
She adjusted her T-shirt then grabbed her robe.
Her plan was to go take a shower then tell Marco he could leave and that she would be just fine, but as she slowly opened the door she caught sight of both Anthony and Jeremy Lewis doing something to her front door.
“Excuse me, but what the hell is going on?”
* * * *
Anthony was measuring the door to see where to place the dead bolt and provide extra security in case someone attempted to break into Millie’s cottage.
Marco had spent the night and that gave them all a little peace of mind about Millie. None of them could believe what had happened to her. Anthony and his brother Jeremy had immediately suggested coming over to the cottage in the morning to secure it better. Marco had said that Millie hadn’t been too keen on him staying over last night.
Just then, Millie entered the living room and she didn’t seem too happy about them being there, either.
Marco turned toward Millie and just stared at her. She looked tired and her eyes were red and swollen as if she had been crying, and she seemed angry.
“Anthony and Jeremy came over to do some security upgrades. They won’t get in your way and should be done in a little while.”
“Security upgrades? What the hell are you talking about?” She held her head between her hands.
“You okay, Millie? You have a headache?” Jeremy asked, and she nodded her head then walked toward the kitchen.
Jeremy stopped what he was doing and headed after her. Marco felt a tinge of jealousy that stemmed from his need to protect Millie. His feelings grew stronger for her overnight as he checked on her while she slept. He wanted to hold her as she moaned in her sleep and tossed and turned. She even cried a few times but was so exhausted she slept right through it. He gathered more information on Frank while she slept and he even spoke with Wyatt first thing this morning.
Things seemed to be getting worse.
* * * *
Jeremy met her by the small island in the kitchen.
“Where do you keep the aspirin?” he asked her.
“I don’t know. I just moved in here a few days ago,” she whispered as if it would provide less noise for her headache.
He began to gently open cabinets until he found the one filled with a few different over-the-counter cold remedies and ibuprofen.
“Here, I found some. Let me get you a glass of water.”
He walked toward the refrigerator, poured some water into a cup, and brought the meds and drink to her.
“Take two of these, honey, and it will help in no time.”
She looked up into his eyes and he could see the sadness and weakness there. Her long thick lashes nearly hid her dark blue eyes.
“Thank you.” She took the pills.
Her head must have really been hurting her because she crossed her arms onto the table and laid her head down.
She was an attractive woman. Jeremy thought so the moment he met her the first day she arrived in Pearl and on the Triple C Ranch. As he saw her the days to follow and they shared a few friendly words, he began to think about her more and had realized that he was attracted to her. Apparently, his brothers were, too. That was okay by him. However, he had a feeling that Millie wasn’t going to entertain the idea.
“Can I get you anything else?” he whispered next to her.
“I just need a few more minutes for these to kick in. God, I feel like crap.”
He took a deep breath then released it. “It’s understandable. You probably didn’t sleep very well, either,” Jeremy replied then caressed her back. He felt her body tense under his touch and then she relaxed.