A Change of Heart (Perfect Indiana#3)

by Barbara Longley

  Noah’s jaw twitched. “Cory is—”

  “I’m sorry. Maybe I should leave,” a soft feminine voice said from behind him.

  “Don’t listen to him, Cory.” Paige leaned back and smiled a welcome. “Come in and have a seat.”

  Huh? Ted whipped around, his eyes widening at the sight of the waif standing uncertainly in the doorway. Feathery layers of dark brown hair with lighter golden-brown highlights framed her wide-set, luminous dark brown eyes. She wore jeans and a peasant blouse that failed to hide how thin she was. He brought his gaze back to those alluring eyes of hers and stumbled right in. They held a sadness so profound it would take a deep-sea submersible to get to the source.

  A throat cleared, decidedly male. How had he missed Wesley Holt and his three-legged dog hovering in the hallway behind their newest “emergency”? Wesley scowled at him. Ted scowled back, unintimidated by the big marine. What was Wesley to Cory anyway? His protective stance suggested close familiarity.

  Noah cleared his throat and shot him a look that said he’d better make nice or else. “Ted, meet Cory Marcel. Cory, this is Ted Lovejoy. This is my sister, Paige, and her husband, Ryan Malloy. Cory is an IT specialist, and a whiz with computers.”

  Ted shot up from his chair, almost knocking it over in his haste. It couldn’t have been pleasant for her to hear his rant. “Welcome to L&L. It’s good to have you aboard.” Their eyes met and held. Her brow creased, and she looked away, but not before he caught a glimpse of the alarm clouding her features. I’m alarming? Great. Lately he’d been unraveling like the edges of an old burlap feed bag, and he couldn’t deny being more than a tad alarmed himself.

  Shifting his attention back to their newest employee, he wondered what it was about her situation that had prompted Noah to disregard their protocol. He also wondered what it would take to coax a smile out of her. What would a full-on smile do to her delicate features? No doubt it would do a number on his heart. An inexplicable urge to be the one hovering protectively near her shot through him, sending him into a tailspin. What? No.

  Did he even want to get involved with a troubled waif? No. He had enough problems of his own. Besides, she’d soon become a member of the exclusive we’re-veterans-and-you’re-not club at L&L. “We can take it from here, Wes. Thanks for showing her to the conference room.”

  Wesley reached out as if he meant to place his hand on Cory’s shoulder, and quickly pulled it back. “You gonna be OK, Squirrel?”

  “Yeah, Bunny. I’ll be fine.” She glanced over her shoulder at him. Wesley nodded his head once and turned on his heel to leave, his dog trotting behind him.

  Squirrel and Bunny? Lord help me, the two are a petting zoo. Only someone very close would call a guy like Wesley Holt “Bunny”. “You and Wes are…” He clamped his jaw shut. None of his business.

  “Wesley and I grew up in the same tr—er…neighborhood.” She slipped into the room and took the chair next to Paige. “His youngest sister and I are good friends.”

  Ted nodded, sat back down and stared. Were she and Wesley a couple, or just childhood friends? Why should he care? He had no clue. He tried redirecting his attention, but his gaze kept drifting back to her, drawn by the mystery, no doubt. That’s all. She was pretty enough, but too thin for his tastes.

  Noah cleared his throat, and he caught the odd look focused his way. Ryan wore a crooked smirk. Ted glared. “What?”

  “Nothing, kid.” Ryan chuckled. “Nothing at all.”

  Paige passed them each a sheet of paper. “This is the list I made of Cory’s responsibilities.” She turned to face their newest employee. “I’ll be training you on the website and social media end of things. Ted will go over ordering and shipping.” She grinned. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to have another woman in the building.”

  “Thank you.” Cory skimmed the list. “Where will I be working?”

  “You and I share the office at the end of the hall by the back stairs,” Paige told her. “The guys built a desk for you, and there’s a brand-new Mac still in the box. You can get that all set up once we’re done here.”

  “Does the…” Color rose to Cory’s cheeks, and her expression closed up tight. “Is there a lock on the door?”

  Paige leaned forward and rested her forearms on the table. “You’re safe here, Cory. The men who work for us are more likely to be overly protective than anything else, and most of them are happily married. As the only woman on this all-male staff for the past three years, I can personally vouch for every one of our guys.”

  Mystified by the exchange, Ted frowned. “If that’s what you need, I’ll put a deadbolt on the door right after we’re done here.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered, her gaze meeting his for a fraction of second. “I’d appreciate that.”

  “I know you and Wes go way back, and you trust him, right?” Noah added.

  Cory nodded. “I’ve known him for most of my life.”

  “He lives in the apartment on the third floor. If you ever feel uncomfortable, he’s already sworn to stick by your side whenever you need him. Wes adopted his dog, Rex, through a program that matches veterans with retired military working dogs. If you want, he also said you can have Rex with you during the day.”

  Cory’s lips pressed together, and she gave a slight nod, keeping her eyes on the list. What the hell had happened to this woman? Had she been captured by the enemy? Tortured? She reminded him of one of the stray dogs his family had adopted when he was a kid. The mutt always seemed spooked, crouching low and tucking tail whenever anyone reached out to scratch him behind the ears. It had taken months for that dog to trust them. Why had Cory’s eyes filled with alarm when they met his? More important, what would it take to gain her trust? Whoa, he was already getting sucked in.

  “We have ads coming out this August in Architectural Digest and a couple other upscale magazines,” Paige said. “We want to be prepared for a spike in business.” She beamed. “That’s one of the reasons we wanted someone to take over the web and order processing. Both have gotten so big, managing them has become a full-time position.”

  “What’s your operating system? Who’s your web host?” Cory leaned forward, a spark of interest dissipating the haunted look she wore.

  Ted settled back, listening and watching as she and Paige went on about their systems and what Cory’s job entailed. He glanced at Noah and Ryan. Both were staring at him with smug expressions. “And again, what?” He scowled.

  “Nothing.” Noah rose from his place and picked up his coffee mug. “Do we have any other new business to discuss, Paige?”

  “No, not really. You guys can go. I’ll give Cory the tour.”

  “I’m heading to the hardware store to pick up that deadbolt. I’ll put it on when I get back.” Ted rose. “You can fill out the paperwork to get on our payroll then, and we can start training on the ordering system.” He glanced at her. “Once you have that down, and you’re comfortable, we can add the shipping stuff. There’s no hurry.”

  “We’re taking you out to lunch today,” Ryan told her. “It’s a tradition with new hires.”

  “Thank you,” she muttered, more color flooding her cheeks.

  Ted wondered what his aunt Jenny would make of her. “I’ll introduce you to my aunt. She owns the Perfect Diner down the street. They’re open for breakfast and lunch.” She nodded without taking her eyes from the table, and he kind of wished she’d look at him again. He wouldn’t mind another look at her pretty brown eyes. He followed Noah and Ryan down the hall toward the back stairs. “Noah, can I have a word?”

  “Why? You feeling the need to shout some more?”

  He thought about it. Curiosity about Cory trumped his irritation. “Nope. I’m done for today.”

  “All right. There are a few things I need to pick up for home. I’ll come with you to the hardware store.”

  “I recognized that dumb-ass stricken look on your face back there.” Ryan slapped Ted’s shoulder on his way past them down
the stairs. “You’re in for it, kid.”

  “He is, isn’t he?” Noah barked out a laugh.

  “I don’t know what the hell you two are talking about. I was surprised, is all. I thought Cory was a guy’s name.”

  “Her name is Corinna Marcel.” Noah preceded him out the back door toward the 1968 Mustang convertible. “By the way, I get to drive your car today since you yelled at me for nothing.” He held out his hand for the keys.

  “Fine. You can drive, but the yelling wasn’t for nothing.” Probably just as well, since he couldn’t concentrate. Thoughts of their newest employee circled around in his brain. Corinna. He liked her name and practiced saying it to himself. It suited her much more than the shortened version. Corinna.

  Ted handed Noah his car keys and settled himself in the passenger seat. The Mustang’s engine purred to life, and they headed down the alley before he said anything. “What’s her story? Why was hiring her such an emergency that you couldn’t involve me?”

  “I’m surprised her name isn’t familiar to you.” Noah glanced at him before turning onto the road. “She’s been all over the news for the past year.”

  Ted shrugged. “Finishing my master’s and working full-time, I haven’t had a lot of time to pay attention to current events. Just tell me.”

  “Cory was sexually assaulted and badly beaten while deployed in the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan.”

  “Shit.” All the breath left his lungs. “Was she captured? How’d she get free?”

  “Uh, no. She was assaulted by her CO, a noncommissioned staff sergeant.” Noah’s jaw tightened. “I never tolerated any kind of harassment in my platoon, and my troops knew there’d be hell to pay if they stepped over that line. It was far too common elsewhere, though. Most cases of sexual assault in the military go unreported, because the women are threatened with demotion or at least no more promotions. Then there’s the army’s response.”

  “The army’s response?”

  Noah nodded, a single eyebrow raised. “They’ve been known to slap a personality disorder diagnosis on any woman who reports sexual assault and pushes the issue. They’re found ‘unfit to serve’ and kicked to the curb.”

  “I think I did hear something about that in the news recently, or I read about it on the Internet.”

  “Knowing all of that, Cory came forward anyway and fought to put her assailant behind bars. Her name and story created quite a media frenzy and blew the lid off the issue of rape in the military. Wesley came to me because Cory’s mom and his youngest sister were worried about her. Once the court case was over, she slipped into a pretty serious depression.”

  “Man, she has guts. I can’t imagine what it must’ve taken for her to face her assailant and the army.” Anger bunched the muscles between his shoulders. He wanted a shot at the asshole who’d done this to her. “Did she win her case? Is the guy behind bars, because if he isn’t—”

  “He is. She won, but…it’s not over. Not entirely. She’s still fighting to have the borderline personality diagnosis expunged from her record. She’s been diagnosed with PTSD by an independent psychologist, and the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School is working on getting her records straightened out.”

  Ted shook his head. “Raped by one of her own, and then the army rubs salt in the wound by finding her unfit to serve? Shit. She’s been through the meat grinder more than once.” She’d suffered the worst kind of trauma, and that had to have left scars. No wonder she wanted a lock on the door.

  “Cory hasn’t had an income since the army let her go, which was about a year ago,” Noah told him. “I had to hire her on the spot. You remember how it was with Ryan. He was suicidal. I was afraid that if I didn’t step up for Cory…” He shrugged.

  “Yeah. I get it, and I’m glad you did.” Ted swallowed hard. “But you could’ve filled me in at any time, like after Wes came to you, or—”

  “You’re right. My bad.”

  Ted let out a long breath. “Damn.”

  “Damn is right.” Noah pulled into the parking lot of their local hardware store. “She’s going to move into the carriage house, which reminds me.” He shut off the engine. “My wife is having an ultrasound this afternoon, and I want to be there. I was hoping you’d give Cory a ride home after work.”

  “Sure.” His heart raced at the thought. Why was that? He shook it off, focusing on more immediate needs. “I’ll take her grocery shopping first, help her get stocked up. It’s going to be awhile before she gets her first full paycheck.”

  “Tread lightly. She has a lot of pride. It can’t be a personal loan. Give her an advance on her pay, or she won’t accept it.”

  “Good idea.” With his mind on other things, like what he could do to gain Cory’s trust and help her to feel safe at L&L, he wandered through the hardware store aisles by rote, picking up a deadbolt lock and everything he needed for installation. He waited by the cash register, a semideveloped plan in mind. “I have another errand to run after I drop you off.” Ted fell into step beside Noah as they left the building. “I’ll be back in an hour or so.”

  “Where to?”

  A smile broke free as certainty settled his mind. “The sporting goods warehouse store outside of Evansville.”

  “Really?” Noah’s brow creased. “You gonna take up fishing?”

  “Ha. Like I have the time.” He met Noah’s curious stare. “Don’t worry. It’s just an idea I have to help Cory feel more comfortable in her new surroundings.”

  “Do not buy her a gun, Ted. In her present state, that’s not a good plan.”

  He laughed. “Nope. No firearms. I’m not that stupid.”

  “Maybe I should tag along…”

  “Not this time.” He held out his hand. “Give me the keys.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  CORY TRIED TO CONCENTRATE ON setting up her new workstation and Mac desktop, but with Ted Lovejoy installing a deadbolt on the office door, keeping her mind on what she was doing was impossible. He confused her. One minute he’d been ranting about not wanting her here, and the next he offered to put a lock on the door so she’d feel safe. Which she didn’t. Good thing Paige was with her, otherwise she’d be forced to leave until he finished the job.

  She sneaked another peek at his clean-cut country-boy good looks. All that thick, curly blond hair, his serious gray eyes and well-formed physique…If this had been a couple of years ago, she would’ve flirted with him. But it wasn’t a few years ago. It was now, and things had changed. She’d changed.

  That leather tool belt strapped low around his narrow hips, his biceps all manly looking, and all that muscle shifting going on as he worked sure didn’t help matters. Too bad he wasn’t homely. No. It wouldn’t make any difference. Homely men were just as dangerous as the good-looking ones.

  How the hell could she spend every day of the week working for a man she found sexy? She didn’t want to feel attraction, and this betrayal by her own body was more than she could handle. She squirmed, uncomfortable in her own skin, and fought the urge to flee. Dragging her eyes away from him, Cory booted up the Mac and focused on the task before her—installing the software needed to begin her job in earnest.

  Ted glanced at her. “I need to make a copy of your Social Security card. Did you bring it with you today?”

  “Yes.” His voice set off a flurry of anxiety inside her chest. Get a grip, dammit. She studied Paige, gauging her reaction to the situation. Paige knew Ted well, and Cory tried to emulate the other woman’s obvious calm. “Thank you so much for putting the lock on the door. I know it must seem…”

  “Don’t give it a second thought. It’s no big deal.” Ted stepped back to survey his work. “Let’s give this a try.” He shut the door and slid the lock into place.

  Click.

  A tight space with a man on the wrong side of the locked door, shut in with him blocking the only way out. Not good. Not good at all. Cory’s heart pounded so hard, she was surprised neither of them said something ab
out the noise. A fine sheen of sweat beaded her forehead, and she couldn’t get enough air into her lungs. She shot up from the chair and backed herself up against the wall, her muscles tightly coiled and combat ready.

  Ted and Paige stared at her as if she’d turned into some kind of wild animal trapped in a corner. Not too far from the truth. “I have a charley horse.” She leaned over and massaged her calf, glancing up when neither of them said a word.

  Ted’s expression had shifted into confusion and concern. He unlocked the door and opened it. “I’ll go get the paperwork.”

  Relief flooded her. She sucked in a huge breath, then another, letting it out slowly. Giving her calf one more rub just because, she finally slipped back into her chair.

  “Ted is harmless,” Paige said, returning to her work. “He’s the sweetest guy in the world.”

  “I’m sure he is.” The chaos he set off inside her said otherwise, but she couldn’t explain. She cast around for a change of topic. “When are you due?”

  “Middle of September.” Paige’s features softened. “We’re having a little boy.”

  Yeah, this felt safer. Her pulse began its slow descent. “Do you and Ryan live in town?”

  “No, but we used to. Ryan and I had the third-floor apartment before Wesley moved in. We built a new house on an old farmstead bordering the river. It’s about twenty minutes west of town. We just moved in a few weeks ago.”

  “Oh.” Cory nodded, trying to fathom what it must be like to be able to buy acres of land on the Ohio River. She’d grown up dirt-poor, and as a child, she couldn’t even have imagined what it might be like to buy brand-new clothes for school each year. Instead, she and her mother both wore secondhand wardrobes from the thrift stores in town. “It sounds really nice.”