Staring Into the Eyes of Chance Read Online Free Page A

Lindsey.
    Olivia recalled the aggressive howls scattered throughout her woods. She originally thought a bear mutilated her best four-legged friend. Rebel’s dead body lay near the road a distance from her house, which hadn’t made sense at the time. He never left the yard, never wandered near the road in the seven years of his short life.
    “Olivia?” Lindsey shifted from one foot to the other, looking uncomfortable.
    Olivia made a decision regarding her friend’s assistance.
    “I don’t believe this creature killed Rebel. I had a close encounter with him last night.”
    Lindsey gasped and her eyes popped wide. She scanned the ground around Olivia. “Is that what I think it is?” She pointed at the vomit. “Yours?”
    “That happened after the visit. He didn’t hurt me, just knocked the wind out of me. He had opportunity enough to hurt me. At first, I thought he was calling in his pack for dinner. But…I sensed he was protecting me.” Olivia watched Lindsey’s eyes squint and her brows scrunch together. “I know, it sounds silly, but you know my animal sensitive ability. You know I can read their energy, emotions, or rather their feelings. I can practically wear it as my own.”
    “Are you telling me you were here?” Lindsey pointed at the ground again. “With the wolf?”
    “Yes, and do you know the damn power company acted up right then? It was black as Lacey’s coffee when the wolf visited me.”
    “Visited?”
    Olivia sighed. “I don’t expect you’ll understand my decision, but you aren’t going driving through the forest. No checking on the deer status or refilling their feeders. I’ll have you doing some work for the other animals. More things need done around the barns.”
    “So, who’s going out there?” Lindsey’s mouth pinched into her judging look.
    “Me. I’ve done it for years, nothing stopping me from doing it again. Especially now, we don’t have many rehabilitating animals.”
    Tires from several vehicles crunched over the dirt and gravel drive, both women looked up at the same time.
    “Expecting anyone?”
    “No.”
    Lindsey walked back through the open barn door. Olivia listened for Rebel’s bark of greeting and an overwhelming sadness punched her heart. She stepped up her pace, following Lindsey out the other side of the building. Three trucks stopped between her house and the barn, creating a billow of dust.
    Olivia’s sensitivity sky-rocketed, at least four animals came through her psyche, but she depicted none of them as injured. Maybe these people simply needed a spot for releasing healthy animals into a protected habitat.
    “Hello. Ms. Bentley, I presume,” said a man with black hair, silver flecks glistening in the sunlight at his temples. He stood tall, almost military stature, trim build, and tight blue jeans. His green ranger-type uniform shirt stretched across his broad chest. Rolled sleeves ended at his elbows and an impressive muscular forearm dusted with shiny dark hair flexed as he reached toward Olivia with his right hand. She accepted it.
    An instant sizzle of current warmed her skin, climbed her arm, and zipped through her body at the speed of light. It sparked her animal psyche. Surprise at the instant overload of sensitivity made her step back and break their connection. He looked as shocked by it as she felt. He stood staring at her, wide-eyed, his mouth open. She looked back at him and something familiar about his vibrant amber eyes startled her, something she should know, recognize.
    What the hell?
    Three men and a woman wearing similar shirts stared at Olivia in some kind of awe, like she was from another planet. Olivia’s overwhelmed animal sensitivities booked her entire brain, leaving her grasping for inner balance. Lindsey nudged her and then finally spoke for Olivia.
    “Yes, this is Olivia Bentley, owner of Nature’s Friends Wildlife Refuge and Preserve. Do you have an injured animal or something?” Lindsey’s tone sounded a bit