Staring Into the Eyes of Chance Read Online Free

sink. “I have a good feeling about this one.” She giggled and Olivia rolled her eyes. “Can I have a cup to go?”
    Olivia poured her sister a travel cup and bagged a couple muffins.
    “I’ll walk out with you.” Olivia held the door. Lacey wheeled her suitcase out, with another bag and her purse slung over one shoulder. She pointed and pressed her key-fob and the trunk popped open. She dumped the suitcase and bag inside, and then slammed it closed.
    “I love you, sis,” Lacey said, giving Olivia a quick hug. She opened the driver side door of her bright red sports car and climbed in. She got comfy and then reached out. “Here, I’ll take those.” Olivia handed her the travel cup and muffins.
    “Drive safe, and, know your big sis loves you, too.” Olivia waved until Lacey’s car vanished around the bend in the drive. Her sister’s vibrant energy overwhelmed the peaceful balance Olivia craved. Even though she enjoyed hearing all about Lacey’s exciting life, Olivia was done participating in it, or almost done.
    One more with a guy named, Chance…hmmm, what are the chances?
    Early dawn light filtered through the trees, igniting bird calls and chirping chipmunks. Olivia breathed in the dewy morning air of nature and, with a smile growing steadily across her lips, strode into the largest barn. Usually her five goats were milked around six o’clock while still a little groggy, but today she ran them through about a half hour late. She poured their milk into containers and either froze or refrigerated it. Goat’s milk was an expensive, but much needed commodity. She appreciated her good supply for drinking and also using it for the four-legged baby wildlife brought into her refuge. Though no babies resided with her at present, only a few young goat kids fed by their mamas.
    Olivia opened the side door leading to a pasture pen and herded her goats outside. She fed them hay and grain and then watered them.
    “Rebel, I miss you, my friend,” Olivia whispered. Her Australian shepherd had herded the goats for her. He was great at it, a real knack at calming the troublemakers. She glanced at the two worst-tempered goats, and once satisfied they would behave, she wandered back inside for feeding and watering the hawk, raccoon, and ground hog.
    Goat stalls got mucked out, milking stations swept and washed, and finally cages cleaned out. Like a ritual, her morning ran the same every day. When finished, she walked outside behind the barn.
    Her body trembled and her senses heightened. She stood at the place where her collision occurred with her wolf. Olivia scanned the ground until spotting his paw prints. A match for the set on her breasts last night, only hers didn’t have claw marks at the tip of each toe pad like the ones indenting the dirt.
    “Olivia, where are you?” Lindsey, her closest friend, called out.
    “Backside of the barn, come here a minute.” Olivia opened her hand across one of the prints. It spanned almost two hands in height and width.
    “What’s up? You get your sister out of here alright this morning?” Lindsey walked over, chuckling. Olivia was on her hands and knees. “Oh my God, what kind of animal made that? No dog is that large.”
    “Not a dog. A wolf, the largest one I’ve ever seen.” Olivia stood up and brushed dirt off her knees. She looked over at the disturbed pebbles closer to the barn and a shiver quaked through her. Globs of her stomach contents from the night before marked the ground.
    Lindsey touched Olivia’s shoulder. Olivia jumped.
    “Are you alright?” Lindsey asked. “Do you think this beast killed Rebel?”
    “It’s a good possibility some wolf did.” Olivia considered the creatures from last night. She knew deep in her heart and in her psyche, the visiting black wolf had not been involved in the death of her Australian Shepherd a week ago, but there was a good possibility the milky-eyed deformed wolf was. Olivia didn’t want that guy crossing paths with