Millie's Second Chance (The Town of Pearl 4)

Millie felt herself getting angry again. She didn’t know why, considering he was thousands of miles away and she would never see him again. It was surprising that she even got involved with him to begin with. Good looks and charm could only go so far before personality kicked in.

She laughed. At least she could chuckle about it now. Weeks ago, she cried her eyes out in despair pathetically when he dumped her. His angry, hurtful words were clear in her mind, yet the weak, foolish woman she was allowed that, him, to get inside of her mind. Never again. She was done being weak. She was finished feeling worthless and out of control of her life and her destiny. She was a good person who loved people. Especially people who needed some extra help.

Millie glanced back over her shoulder and saw Cindy opening the front office door. Millie smiled at her. She was going to ask Cindy to please talk with Sally again. Maybe she was just having a difficult time telling her or anyone else how she wound up in Pearl and the shelter.

“Millie, I just got a call from Deputy Lewis. He needs to meet you up at the main house.”

Millie instantly smiled. She was dating a deputy of Pearl now. Damn, did that do something to her insides.

Millie waved.

“I’ll head back there now,” she said, and instantly thoughts of last night with the Lewis brothers filled her mind. She was living in a fantasy world. Like something from a storybook except erotic romance style, with several handsome, sexy princes and one not-so-perfect princess.

She giggled to herself. I wonder what Anthony, Jeremy, Dalton, Hank, or even Marco would think about that?

Chapter 16

Marco stood alongside Wyatt as Millie approached from the side of the house. As soon as his eyes locked with hers he felt a little better now that she was in his sight and safe. He wasn’t sure how he was going to handle this situation. He cared for her. In fact, if he wasn’t mistaken, he was in love for the first time in his life.

“Hi, Wyatt. Hi, Marco.” Millie waved as she approached the steps, made her way to Wyatt first, and kissed his cheek. Then she blushed as she smiled toward Marco.

He immediately reached out his hand for her to take it. She did, shyly, and he pulled her closer to him. “Hey, beautiful,” he whispered then leaned down to kiss her softly on the mouth. He made it quick because of Wyatt and the situation, but he sure as hell wasn’t happy about it. He’d like nothing more than to take his woman back to the Lewis ranch and protect her from the world. It was selfish and also unacceptable. Millie would never allow that. He and his brothers had work to do in convincing her she needed their protection now.

“So what’s going on?” she asked.

“Let’s go inside and sit. I think Max is pouring us some sweet tea,” Wyatt stated then opened the screen door. Millie’s facial expression changed as she glanced at both Wyatt and Marco.

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and took a deep breath. “Okay.”

When they walked inside and through to the kitchen, sure enough, Max was pouring ice-cold tea into glasses. He was in uniform and no one else was around.

Millie sat down and Marco sat down beside her despite the fact that his hands shook in anger. Millie was gorgeous with her long brown hair and dark blue eyes. She didn’t deserve this situation. No one did.

“Millie, there’s been an update in the investigation back in New York,” Wyatt began to explain and Millie nodded her head then looked at Marco. He reached over to take her hand and squeezed it before laying it on his thigh. He hoped that she didn’t feel his body shaking. He feared for her life.

“Your facial expression is telling me this is bad. Let’s get on with it,” she whispered, and Wyatt nodded his head.

He began to explain about Stewart disappearing and then turning up murdered.

She pulled her hand away from Marco’s and covered a gasp with her hand. As Wyatt explained the situation without giving too many gory details, yet indicating the danger and seriousness of the situation, Millie began to shake her head, and then she looked at Marco.

“We’re going to protect you. He won’t be able to find you here.”

Millie stood up and walked toward the counter. She gripped the surface and Marco waited for her to do something like cry or scream in frustration, but instead she shocked him as well as Max and Wyatt.

She turned toward them.

“Frank killed Stewart because of me?”

* * * *

Millie felt almost numb. She stared at the three men in the room, not really seeing them at all but instead, images of Stewart. Every good thing he ever did crossed her mind. When they first met, his compliments, his attention to every detail about her appearance and style of clothing. She couldn’t think of any of the insulting, verbally abusive comments at the moment. She felt like shit. She had said such hurtful, mean things about him in her mind. She had hoped that he would suffer. She had said that. She wanted others to know how much of an asshole he was, and now this? Frank found out about Stewart. He killed him because they were lovers and Frank wanted Millie all to himself.

You’re mine and we belong together for eternity.

Frank’s words came crashing into her mind.

She felt someone grab her by the shoulders. Opening her eyes, she looked up and up until she locked gazes with blue eyes. Marco.