“In some ways, she reminds me of Justin. Anxious to take part, but afraid of disappointment.”
Ivey let out a strained breath. That summed it up pretty well. “When Hope was seventeen, her sister’s fiancé tried to rape her.”
Corbin went very still. “I wish I was surprised, but I figured it had to be something that awful.” He reached for Ivey’s hand. “Please tell me the bastard is locked away.”
“Oh, how I wish I could.” His hand was big and strong, holding hers securely. “The assault was bad enough, but her family...they blamed Hope. Her sister didn’t want to break off the engagement, so they ordered Hope to keep quiet about it.”
“Jesus.”
That he didn’t question whether or not it actually happened meant the world to Ivey. To her, it seemed anyone could look at Hope and know she’d gone through a terrible ordeal. But on top of that, Hope had a great many facts to back her up.
“The man’s family has wealth and influence, and without her own family’s backing, Hope knew she didn’t stand a chance in court. If she’d told her family about it first, they might have talked her out of saying anything at all. But it happened at a swanky party. She went upstairs to use the restroom while most of the guests were outside.”
Repeating it hurt, so how much harder must it have been for Hope to live through it?
“He’d followed her, and the second she stepped out of the restroom, he was on her. At first, she didn’t know what to think, so she didn’t scream or fight as she might have with a total stranger. She’d known him for months, and she didn’t like him at all, but she hadn’t guessed that he could do such a thing.”
“Her sister’s fiancé? No, of course she didn’t.” Corbin lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed an encouraging kiss to her knuckles.
Best to just get it over with. “He dragged her into an empty bedroom.” Her voice lowered to a raw whisper. “He left bruises on her, Corbin. In terrible places.” Her throat felt thick. “But my girl fought him hard. She raked her nails over his eye and that hurt him enough that she was able to get away. As soon as she was out of the room, she started screaming for help. Several people reached her before her family got there and took her to a secluded room.”
“And despite all that, her family didn’t back her up?” He sounded as angry as she often felt.
“They wanted his money. Hope’s sister thought she’d misunderstood. Her mother thought she’d overreacted.” Ivey’s fingers tightened on his. “Before anyone knew who had attacked her, the police were called. I’ve seen the photos from that day, and believe me, there was no misunderstanding. She left, of course, and she hasn’t heard from her family since.”
“God, that’s harsh.” He freed her hand to put his arms around her, holding her close. “I’m glad she has you, Ivey.”
“We have each other.”
For a minute, he just held her, his hands moving up and down her back, occasionally giving her a squeeze, then he kissed her temple. “You want me to talk to Lang, tell him to back off?”
“Actually...no. This is the very first time I’ve known her to show any interest at all. Usually if a guy looks at her, she gets as far from him as she can. Your brother didn’t pressure her, and that’s good, but he probably needs to know that Hope moves at a different pace. Unlike me, who by the way, is totally hoping we can work something out sooner rather than later, Hope hasn’t even been kissed in four years. If Lang isn’t the patient type, or if he’s going to consider her dysfunctional or something, then yeah, he better back off or I’ll demolish him.”
Corbin gave a soft laugh. “If my brother was that way, I’d help you.” He tipped up her face. “But, honey, he’s not. He’s a good man. I’m proud of him.”
“I assumed.” Sadly, Hope couldn’t.
“I can’t speak for him, so I don’t know his intent, but I can make sure he understands the situation.”
“That’s what I figured.” Ivey licked her lips. “Darn it, we should have done the necking first.” Hard to follow up such a sad, depressing topic with kisses.
“Look at it this way.” Corbin pecked the tip of her nose. “We’ll have something to look forward to.” And with that disappointing conclusion, he opened the door and helped her out.
Chapter Six
On Sunday morning, the skies stayed dark and the air was static. By midmorning, the storms had started and the electricity went off and on before dying completely. It was Ivey’s day off, but she worried about Daisy and the puppies, so much so that a few hours before Corbin and Justin were due to visit, she decided she had to collect the animals.
Luckily, there were no other animals at the clinic just then. Knowing she’d be back home in plenty of time, she bundled up in a rain poncho, stepped into her knee-high rubber boots, grabbed her purse and headed to the garage. The second she backed out of the driveway, the windows were awash with rain. It came down so hard and fast, the wipers could barely keep up.
Worried about Hope as well, Ivey called her, put the phone on speaker and set it on the console while she drove.
“Everything okay?” Hope said at once.
“The power is out here. What about you?”
“Yes. Of course I didn’t think about candles or anything, so I might be running out to the store if this lasts. Good thing I got my bedroom stuff set up yesterday because we sure couldn’t have moved it today.”
“So the boys came through?”
“They were super nice, even though they had to navigate those narrow stairs with my mattress and box spring. I gave them all generous tips.”
“Because you’re a generous person.” Sheets of rain washed over the street, causing Ivey to drive very slowly. “I wish I could have helped you more with your move.” Not that she could have gotten a box spring and mattress up those stairs.
“You were working, and besides, I enjoyed it.” Hope hesitated, then confided in a whisper, “Lang offered to lend a hand.”
And Hope hadn’t shared? “You big sneak! Why didn’t you tell me?”
With a laugh, Hope said, “I turned him down, but, Ivey, it was so nice of him. He asked, I thanked him and said I could handle it, and he said if I changed my mind to let him know. He didn’t press so I’m guessing you talked to him?”
“To Corbin, who I’m sure shared.”
There was a long pause. “How did he take it?”
“Corbin? He was rightfully angry on your behalf.” Just as she’d known he would be. “He couldn’t speak for Lang, of course, but he agreed it would be best to let him know, just so he didn’t come on too strong.” Tentatively, Ivey asked, “It worked?”