Read Online Millie's Second Chance by Dixie Lynn Dwyer - Free Book Online
Authors: Dixie Lynn Dwyer
Tags: Romance
Ads: Link
Apparent in her shaky hands, her rapid heartbeat, and the anxiety that he was out there, he was looking for her and he wanted her dead.
She had had little sleep and mostly tossed and turned last night because of similar thoughts. She didn’t miss the sounds of living in the city, the slight hum of traffic outside her apartment complex, and the bright city lights invading the blinds in her apartment. Surely the quiet sounds of night in the country on a ranch were more appealing and better for a good night’s sleep. However, that same quietness that once brought her peace and relaxation had her anxiety levels higher. The creaking of the old porch as the wind blew and the sounds of bugs in the night had her straining to hear what she really feared—the footsteps of a man coming to get her, the crackling of leaves beneath his feet as he approached the cottage, ready to strike. Crazy thoughts like that had kept her up most of the night. She knew that she wasn’t completely alone out here and that her aunt’s workers were yards away in their sleeping quarters, but still, her mind played tricks on her. It became apparent that she was still deathly afraid of Frank.
She swallowed hard, feeling her heart rate increase and her throat clog up. Then she took a sip of coffee to try and alleviate the sensation.
Then came the anger. She had worked hard after surviving the attack. She never wanted to be a victim again. Now images of Stewart jumped into her mind. She shook her head and sighed . So much for gaining back self-confidence and taking all those martial arts classes. She had been just shy of achieving her black belt when Stewart demanded that she quit messing around and act more ladylike. She, of course, didn’t stand her ground and she caved in. Her instructors were disappointed and so was she.
When will I gain a backbone and learn to stand up for myself? Where do I go from here?
She heard the horses approaching and glanced up to see two cowboys in the distance. She smiled at the sight. It appeared the men were hours into their work already and here she was sitting around feeling sorry for herself.
She shook her head as enthusiasm for the day ahead motivated her movements. Standing, she stretched, took a breath of fresh country air, and headed inside the cottage to start her day. Anna and Stacy were picking her up at nine to go into town.
Change begins within myself, and today is a first step toward that change.
Chapter 7
“Jacob Frost, is that any way to treat your brother, a fellow student?” Dalton Lewis asked his student as Jacob tripped his brother, Thomas, then sat on him. He had to hide his chuckle. They were young and quite the handful. It was tough sometimes teaching martial arts to children, but Hank and his brother loved doing it.
“Sorry, Sensei Dalton, but he’s annoying,” Jacob responded as he continued to sit on his five-year-old brother.
“Get up off of him now, Jacob, and get serious.”
“I am not annoying. I do better front roll dan him, dat why Jacob mad at me,” little Thomas replied as he attempted to wiggle his way from under Jacob.
Dalton placed his hands on his hips and eyed the two boys. Immediately, they scrambled up off the mat and got back into line with the rest of the class. The other ten children were doing kickboxing drills on the bags with Dalton’s brother, Hank.
Dalton looked at the clock. It was nearly ten and class would be out soon. He had an hour before the next class started at eleven. That was a mixed martial arts class that was used as a training session for both firefighters like himself and Hank as well as deputies and law enforcement officers like their brother, Marco.
“Fall in!” he called and the children hurried to their positions.
“Attention!” Hank called the class to order and all the children lined up in order with their hands by their sides.
He looked at a few of the younger ones who were at their limit of concentration.
“Remember,
She had had little sleep and mostly tossed and turned last night because of similar thoughts. She didn’t miss the sounds of living in the city, the slight hum of traffic outside her apartment complex, and the bright city lights invading the blinds in her apartment. Surely the quiet sounds of night in the country on a ranch were more appealing and better for a good night’s sleep. However, that same quietness that once brought her peace and relaxation had her anxiety levels higher. The creaking of the old porch as the wind blew and the sounds of bugs in the night had her straining to hear what she really feared—the footsteps of a man coming to get her, the crackling of leaves beneath his feet as he approached the cottage, ready to strike. Crazy thoughts like that had kept her up most of the night. She knew that she wasn’t completely alone out here and that her aunt’s workers were yards away in their sleeping quarters, but still, her mind played tricks on her. It became apparent that she was still deathly afraid of Frank.
She swallowed hard, feeling her heart rate increase and her throat clog up. Then she took a sip of coffee to try and alleviate the sensation.
Then came the anger. She had worked hard after surviving the attack. She never wanted to be a victim again. Now images of Stewart jumped into her mind. She shook her head and sighed . So much for gaining back self-confidence and taking all those martial arts classes. She had been just shy of achieving her black belt when Stewart demanded that she quit messing around and act more ladylike. She, of course, didn’t stand her ground and she caved in. Her instructors were disappointed and so was she.
When will I gain a backbone and learn to stand up for myself? Where do I go from here?
She heard the horses approaching and glanced up to see two cowboys in the distance. She smiled at the sight. It appeared the men were hours into their work already and here she was sitting around feeling sorry for herself.
She shook her head as enthusiasm for the day ahead motivated her movements. Standing, she stretched, took a breath of fresh country air, and headed inside the cottage to start her day. Anna and Stacy were picking her up at nine to go into town.
Change begins within myself, and today is a first step toward that change.
Chapter 7
“Jacob Frost, is that any way to treat your brother, a fellow student?” Dalton Lewis asked his student as Jacob tripped his brother, Thomas, then sat on him. He had to hide his chuckle. They were young and quite the handful. It was tough sometimes teaching martial arts to children, but Hank and his brother loved doing it.
“Sorry, Sensei Dalton, but he’s annoying,” Jacob responded as he continued to sit on his five-year-old brother.
“Get up off of him now, Jacob, and get serious.”
“I am not annoying. I do better front roll dan him, dat why Jacob mad at me,” little Thomas replied as he attempted to wiggle his way from under Jacob.
Dalton placed his hands on his hips and eyed the two boys. Immediately, they scrambled up off the mat and got back into line with the rest of the class. The other ten children were doing kickboxing drills on the bags with Dalton’s brother, Hank.
Dalton looked at the clock. It was nearly ten and class would be out soon. He had an hour before the next class started at eleven. That was a mixed martial arts class that was used as a training session for both firefighters like himself and Hank as well as deputies and law enforcement officers like their brother, Marco.
“Fall in!” he called and the children hurried to their positions.
“Attention!” Hank called the class to order and all the children lined up in order with their hands by their sides.
He looked at a few of the younger ones who were at their limit of concentration.
“Remember,
Similar Books
