The American Soldier Collection 4: Their Blue-Collar Girl
Lori Ann Shay, her sister Maggie, and nephew Ben have been on the run. They finally reunite with their parents and learn to live their lives without fear. But moving on is not so easy for Lori and her inability to forget she helped kill a man. When she meets Charlie, Dante, and Trevor Henley, sparks fly between them. But she’s scared and inexperienced, and these three brothers are intimidating, untrusting, and carrying around their own insecurities and fears. They must learn to trust one another if this relationship is going to work.
They’re jealous, protective, and possessive, and caught in the middle of a business deal that’s about to place Lori in the ultimate danger. Someone wants them to stop construction on their land. When they abduct Lori and Ben in a plan to kill them, can Lori help save Ben again and ultimately save herself? Will her soldiers get to her in time, or will tragedy strike again?
Note: There is no sexual relationship or touching for titillation between or among siblings.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre
Length: 84,336 words
THE AMERICAN SOLDIER COLLECTION 4: THEIR BLUE-COLLAR GIRL
Dixie Lynn Dwyer
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
THE AMERICAN SOLDIER COLLECTION 4: THEIR BLUE-COLLAR GIRL
Copyright © 2013 by Dixie Lynn Dwyer
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-384-9
First E-book Publication: August 2013
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
If you have purchased this copy of The American Soldier Collection 4: Their Blue-Collar Girl by Dixie Lynn Dwyer from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.
The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.
This is Dixie Lynn Dwyer’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Dwyer’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com
DEDICATION
Dear readers,
Please enjoy the fourth book in my new series The American Soldier Collection: Their Blue Collar Girl.
Sometimes life throws you some unexpected things. Even at such a young age, Lori pulls through for her sister and nephew. Scared, unable to do the normal things a teenager does, she becomes an instant adult, provider, protector, and ultimately, a hero.
A bond between sisters is strong. A bond between lovers, powerful. Pulling from both of those sources makes Lori a heroine to respect and be proud of.
Thank you for purchasing this book, and may you enjoy this story of self-sacrifice, determination, and the power of love.
~Dixie~
THE AMERICAN SOLDIER COLLECTION 4: THEIR BLUE-COLLAR GIRL
DIXIE LYNN DWYER
Copyright © 2013
Prologue
Lori Ann began placing the red floral cushions on the chairs she just purchased at a local outdoor furniture store. Her sister Maggie thought the color was too bold. Lori didn’t care. All she knew was that the colors were bright and uplifting and that was exactly how she felt today.
The last moving box was unloaded, items placed in their specific locations throughout the dining room, and the empty box sat on the porch floor next to her. New Orleans was now their home. She pulled the remaining tags from the last and largest cushion, tossing them into the empty box and placing the cushion on the chaise lounge.
“There! Now doesn’t that look perfect, sis?” Lori asked Maggie.
“I guess so,” was all Maggie said as she continued to look outside watching her four-year-old son Ben play on the swing set that came with the house. By the end of the summer he would be turning five and ready to start school in September. Maggie and Lori had moved around so much in the past four years, out of pure fear. They made the decision to finally settle down, stay put for a while and let Ben have a permanent home. He was going to start kindergarten, make some friends and perhaps join “Just for Fun Baseball.”
“Why are you so quiet, Maggie?” Lori asked, taking a seat on the rocking chair next to her.
Maggie slowly turned toward her sister. She was worried. Lori could tell.
“What is it?”
“We’re finally settling down, Lori. This is going to be our home.” Her eyes filled up with tears.
“I know, sis, isn’t it great! The landlord said we can do anything we want to this place. We can color the walls with polka dots or some wild and crazy color like raspberry hot pink or something,” Lori added excitedly. Maggie giggled.
“You’re crazy, Lori, you know that?” Maggie’s smile appeared and disappeared like the click of a camera. Now she looked emotional.
“I…I would have never survived all these years without your help….I love you. You know that, right?”
Lori smiled.
“Yeah I know that, Maggie, and I love you, too. We’re sisters and I’ll always be here for you.” Lori leaned over and hugged her sister.
“Mommy, come push me!” yelled Ben from the swing set and Maggie jumped up and headed out. The porch door slammed closed.
Lori watched as Maggie gave Ben a hug and began pushing him back and forth on the swing set. Inside the house the phone began to ring an
d Lori headed toward the kitchen to answer it.
The new refrigerator would be delivered tomorrow. The balance was due and the warehouse wanted to know which credit card to charge the purchase to.
“We’ll pay cash upon delivery or a money order. Which would you prefer?” Lori asked the customer service rep and they tried to get her to give a credit card number. She refused and said she was told she could pay by cash or money order. The customer service rep said a money order would be fine then gave Lori an approximate five-hour window for delivery. As she hung up the phone, she laughed a little. She knew that by not using a store credit card the sales rep probably missed out on offering Lori extended warrantees or extra packages the reps are trained to try and sell a customer.
Lori and Maggie were too smart for that. They hadn’t used credit cards in over four years. They didn’t own any and they refused to leave any kind of paper trail or any means of being tracked down.
Lori opened the small compact refrigerator door and grabbed two Snapple iced tea bottles and a Grover grape juice box for Ben. The phone rang a second time and Lori put down the drinks to answer it.
“Hello…Hello…” Lori repeated into the receiver but no one responded. Instantly, she got a bad feeling then pushed those feelings aside trying to convince herself that there was no need to worry. She walked outside carrying the drinks and told Maggie about the two phone calls.
“I’m sure it was nothing, Lori. It’s a new number and we’re bound to get some prank calls or people dialing the wrong numbers.”
“You’re probably right,” stated Lori as she opened up Ben’s juice box and handed it to her nephew. She loved him so much and acted more like another mother to him than an aunt.
Ben was a blessing in many ways. Every day he seemed to learn something new. Watching him do so helped to keep Lori focused on ensuring his safety and his right to a safe and loving life.
Lori couldn’t believe that five years had passed. She was only sixteen years old when she left home with her sister Maggie, who was twenty-one at the time. It broke their hearts to leave their family and friends behind but Maggie’s and Ben’s lives were in jeopardy, and if they were to survive, they needed to stay on the run. Their mother Diana and father Lou had moved around a little as well. They were now living in a small town in Houston, Texas. They hoped to someday visit them but felt it was still too risky. Not with that madman loose and out of control.
Derrick needed serious help. With his parents in denial, covering up his abusive behavior and lies, there was only one choice, and that was to run.
Lori recalled being scared out of her mind but she would do anything for Maggie…anything.
Lori watched Maggie push Ben on the swing. One day it would be safe enough to meet up with their parents again. She had dreams and moving around so much was beginning to take a toll on her. Despite being twenty-one she felt somewhat older. It was probably all the stress of providing for a family in every aspect of the words. Even Maggie had dreams and one bad decision changed all that.
One day they would be free. They could see their parents, pursue their dreams, and all the fear and danger would be behind them.
* * * *
John Luke came out of the back kitchen at Casper’s to find Lou and Diana sitting at the table in the corner. New to town, and originally from New York, they were cautious in making friends. They were a very nice couple and stopped in once a month or so for lunch. They were quiet and it had taken him and his wife Eve months to get them to engage in conversation. Once Eve, Jasper, and Davie got a hold of them, they were inviting Lou and Diana over for dinner and family barbeques. They had become close and considering that Gunner, Garret, and Wes were involved in law enforcement and ex-military types, Lou and Diana confided in them about their daughters.
“Hey, Diana, Lou, what’s going on?” John Luke asked as he shook Lou’s hand hello then leaned down to kiss Diana on the cheek. She smiled and blushed which earned her a roll of the eyes from her husband Lou.
“I didn’t know you two were coming in for lunch. I would have made sure that Jasper sent out today’s special for you to try.”
“Aw that’s awfully nice of you, John Luke. We kind of decided last minute to head out here from the ranch. How are Gia and your sons?”
John Luke smiled wide. He loved talking about his family. He felt kind of badly that Lou and Diana couldn’t have their daughters, Maggie and Lori Ann, come live with them.
“They’re doing great. Keeping busy. We’re all hoping for some grandchildren to spoil soon.”
“I hear you there. It would be wonderful to see our grandson. One day, I suppose.” Diana lowered her head as she stared at her clasped hands.
“I’m sorry, Diana. I wish you would allow my sons to help you out. I’m certain with their connections, they could get those two girls of yours and your grandchild home safely to you both.”
“We can’t take the chance. We explained it before,” Lou said.
“He’s got connections, too, and the girls are simply too scared to trust anyone.”
John Luke felt both sad for Lou and Diana and angry at the way the system allowed abusive men to get away with criminal behavior just because of family connections.
“Well you let me know if you change your mind. I’m going to go check on your lunch orders. I’ll be right back.”
John Luke headed into the kitchen. He saw Eve, Jasper, and Davie and told them about Lou and Diana.
“I wish there was something we could do. It’s seems so unrealistic that two young women and a child have to remain on the run in hiding from some abusive man and his domineering, wealthy family. Why don’t laws apply to people like that?” she asked as she shook her head and wiped down the counter.
“It has to be pretty bad. They explained the situation and I for one think it best if the girls remain in hiding. Perhaps they won’t have to for too much longer,” Jasper said then gave his wife Eve a hug.
John Luke shook his head in annoyance and prayed that the two women could come home to their parents sooner rather than later.
* * * *
Lori looked out across the yard and watched Ben. He surely was a blessing and the one amazing miracle that came from such a tragic, abusive relationship.
Maggie met Derrick when she was seventeen. Lori remembered how excited her sister was. Maggie had a crush on him big-time. He was a handsome, rugged, bad-boy type that all the girls wanted to date. He chose Maggie and the sparks were flying between them. While she attended community college, he worked with his father and uncle as a correctional officer at the county correctional facility. After they were dating for a year, Derrick started to become abusive and Maggie was too scared to tell anyone. Derrick had just proposed to her on her twentieth birthday, and they decided to wait until she was twenty-one and at least finished a year or two of college before getting married. During that year he continued to control Maggie, pulling her away from her family and controlling every move she made. Maggie confided in Lori and Lori convinced Maggie to leave Derrick and break things off before they became worse. Unfortunately Derrick and his family were well known in the community and there was nowhere to turn for help. Derrick convinced Maggie that he would change and that he loved her more than anything and she believed him.
As Lori recalled those days of denial and fear, her heart clenched with trepidation. As far as Lori was concerned, Maggie and Ben weren’t safe until Derrick was either behind bars or dead. But the man seemed invincible, especially with all the family connections.
She remembered that one fateful night that proved Derrick’s capabilities and evilness. One night, in an intoxicated and abusive state, Derrick forced himself on Maggie, they had unprotected sex and she became pregnant. Only Maggie, Lori, and Derrick knew the truth, and as their families celebrated the news, Lori and Maggie planned their escape from the small town in upstate New York.
Lori and Maggie’s first attempt failed as Derrick and his friend Jed caught them bef
ore they could cross the border into the next state. They both suffered the consequences and Maggie nearly lost the baby after Derrick roughed her up. Still no one came to Maggie’s aid and Lori came up with another plan along with her mother.
Maggie was six months pregnant and Lori was nearly seventeen years old when they escaped from Derrick and his family. Those first three years away were intense as they moved from town to town and Derrick continued to follow them just missing them, sometimes by a day or so.
They never stayed in one place too long and it had been a good two years since they heard anything from Derrick or his family. Maggie and Lori kept contact with their mother as they called from pay phones and sent pictures or letters from towns they were passing through.
They spoke to their mother a year ago, and she said Derrick was back home in New York, working at the jail again and seemed to give up hope of finding Maggie. He would harass their mother Diana, every chance he got when he first returned home. But soon he stopped and seemed to go about his life again.
Maggie and Lori made the decision to finally settle down now that Ben was almost five and starting school. Lori attended the local community college during the day and worked weekends. Maggie took Ben to and from school during the day and worked nights. It was tough but at least Ben always had someone with him.
One afternoon, months ago, their mother Diana called saying that Derrick had gotten into some trouble. He had been drinking a lot lately, got involved with another woman who he beat up pretty badly and the local police were on to him. It didn’t matter who he was or what family he came from. He was out of control, lost his job at the jail, and one night got into a bar fight with another local guy named Ted Duncan. Derrick was drunk and started a fight with Ted. Ted apparently put Derrick in his place and knocked him onto the floor with one punch.
The American Soldier Collection 4: Their Blue-Collar Girl (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 1
