by Mari Carr
“I love you guys.” She slumped in their group hug, pleased when Daniel ruffled her hair from his place behind Sienna.
“Compass Girls rule.” Sterling slapped her ass. “Go.”
Chapter Three
A knock rattled Hope’s bedroom door on its hinges. Brisk yet steady, the rap made it easy for her to guess who made the intrusive noise before her grandmother poked her head through the opening she forced. “I’m old, girly. I don’t have time to wait for you to quit moping.”
Hope couldn’t help the smile that led to a wince. The entire right side of her face felt disfigured this morning. She didn’t have to consult her mirror to know it was at least as bad as she speculated when Vivi’s eyes bulged.
“Well, I haven’t seen one of those in a while. Used to be a staple around the house when your dads and uncles were growing up.” She tsked. “Did you at least put some frozen peas on that thing?”
“Seriously?” Hope gingerly prodded the area with her fingers, measuring the swelling that inhibited her vision.
“Works like a charm.” Vivi spun on her heel. Considering she didn’t have to shout her request for produce, there were at least a few more visitors waiting in the hallway.
“Oh, jeez.” Rehashing the night before a million times didn’t hold any appeal. “Invite them in, Vivi. Let’s get this over with already.”
Before she’d finished granting her permission, the space flooded with concern and distraction from her various relatives. Sterling, Jade and Sienna didn’t know any boundaries. They crawled into bed beside her, still in their pajamas. Sienna leaned her shoulders against the headboard beside Hope while Sterling and Jade lounged at the foot of the mattress. Her aunts were hot on their heels.
Vivi stood beside her. She grasped Hope’s chin and angled her face toward the light. “Yeah, nothing some cheap veggies can’t fix.”
“I’d like to be the judge of that.” Hope’s mother approached, squeezing in beside Vivi.
Hope tried not to let her eyes mist in the first few seconds they saw her. She’d save that for the retelling of the attack. Crap. But she couldn’t deny the comfort and welcome relief her mother’s touch infused. As she had last night, Lucy examined her daughter. Several quick tests later—mashing on her cheekbone, which hurt like hell but supposedly not enough to warrant an X-ray, rotating her arm in all kinds of directions, prodding at her bruised knuckles, then tending to the scrapes and cuts on her hands, knees and lip—Hope was cleared for duty.
And the rest of the slack they’d been granting her vanished.
“Tell me what happened.” Her grandmother perched on the edge of the bed and took Hope’s undamaged hand in hers. “I heard a version from Sawyer, but I want it direct from the source. Don’t leave anything out. I have a feeling your uncle wasn’t entirely truthful. So fill us in on what he wanted you to share.”
“Oh, um, well…” She glanced up at her mom and squirmed a bit. “I’m guessing he didn’t tell you what started the fight.”
“He mentioned that you wouldn’t be seeing John anymore.” Vivi huffed. “I can’t say I’m sad to see him go. Even if it weren’t for this insanity, and what his friends did. You didn’t have the sparkle, you two. He was never right for you.”
“You’re right.” Hope groaned. “Next time, could someone mention this before I waste six months of my life on a loser?”
“What did he do?” Aunt Leah propped her hands on her hips from where she stood with Aunt Cindi and Aunt Jody. “Do we have to hurt him?”
“Pretty sure Wyatt took care of that.” She winced. “He’s not going to get in trouble, is he? Not Clayton or Boone either, right?”
“My dad said they’re clear of all charges.” Jade assured her.
“Now that…” Vivi narrowed her eyes. “That’s what I’m talking about. Something happened between you?”
Hope cleared her throat. No use in trying to lie to women who knew her at least as well as she knew herself. “Yeah. Sort of. It was an interesting night.”
“Back to the guys who beat you up.” Lucy wasn’t ready to let go so quickly. “Why, Hope? What did John do?”
“Actually, it was my fault.” She stared at her fingers where they played with the edge of the quilt Vivi had made for her when she was little. “I had a few drinks. At the club, they poured them stronger than I’m used to. I told him—”
Sienna squeezed Hope’s knee when she stalled. “Stop talking crap. This could never have been your fault. No matter what you said to your boyfriend, he didn’t have the right to lay a hand on you. Or the right to let anyone else hurt you. Uncle Sawyer said there were several guys in jail last night.”
Hope nodded, then continued, “I told him that someday I’d like to try a threesome and that I thought his roommate was cute.” Oh. My. God. The admission nearly stuck in her throat.
“Whoa.” Sterling whistled. “You hadn’t even let him touch you and you were talking about another guy?”
“Well, yeah. Why lie?” She peeked up at her mom. The woman had a gentle smile on her face. Certainly no recrimination hid in her electric blue eyes.
“So he didn’t take the news well and decided to hit a woman?” Aunt Jody seemed like a flight risk. Any second she might grab a shotgun out of the locker by the front door and demand to know where John lived.
“No, no.” Hope didn’t like the thought of being responsible for murder. John was weak and a complete jerk, but there was no sense in ruining both their lives over someone so insignificant to her future. “Not him. His friends were there. Damon.”
“I told you I didn’t like that guy.” Jade glared at Hope. “Liam says he’s a complete asshole.”
Liam owned a neighboring ranch. Half the time, Hope couldn’t figure out if he was Jade’s best friend or her worst enemy. Jade pointed at her. “Remember the time I saw him looking up your skirt when you were climbing the stairs to your workspace in the hospital?”
“I should have listened. He overheard me talking to John. Things got out of control.” She gulped.
“He tried to rape you. That’s what Sawyer didn’t say, isn’t it?” Vivi very rarely lost her temper but Hope could feel her trembles, transmitted through the mattress springs.
“Him and his friends. John included.” Hope ignored the tears that overflowed her eyes again. They’d go away soon enough. “I fought them as hard as I could. I wouldn’t have broken loose in time. But the ranch hands stopped them.”
“I’ll be inviting those boys to Sunday dinner.” Vivi nodded. “Maybe every week for the rest of the year.”
“I won’t argue.” She’d love to see Wyatt and Clay again. Boone too. Maybe she could pry some answers out of him.
“Then it’s settled.” Her grandmother smiled. “I’ll stop by the barn to talk to Jake and…”
The elderly woman blinked. As if she realized what she’d done, she stalled, waiting for one of her granddaughters to bail her out of the tricky situation. They’d gotten used to covering for Vivi in the past year. Her memory seemed to decline by the season.
“Jake is already coming.” Jade stepped up to the plate this time. “I talked to him this morning. I’m sure he won’t mind letting the guys out early under the circumstances. I can invite them when I head in for my chores this afternoon. Save you a trip to the barn.”
“Thank you,” Vivi said quietly.
In the dim space Hope couldn’t be sure, but she thought she detected a glint of fear and sadness in her grandmother’s eyes that had nothing to do with the violence of the night before. It broke her heart and hurt ten times worse than the impact to her face had.
All the Compass Girls exchanged glances. They knew Vivi was grateful for their support in her ruse. They’d agreed to this charade to give her some semblance of normalcy following her diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. It wouldn’t be long before they got busted. And oh would the Mothers be furious then.
Hope had wondered lately if it might be time to revisit their pact. What
if Vivi forgot something at the wrong time and it put her in a bad situation? They couldn’t deny the holes in her memory were getting bigger and seemed more plentiful lately.
So it surprised her when Vivi said, “I want to tell you girls a story. A long time ago, when I first started dating JD, things were wild.”
The Mothers joined their daughters, everyone cramming onto the mattress with their legs crossed or tucked beneath them. Vivi’s memories were precious, even more so now. The Compass Girls had never met their grandfather, so they’d gotten to know him through the millions of anecdotes their family and all the residents of their town had shared with them. The girls had been collecting them. Recording them in a journal.
They’d add this chapter to the rest of Vivi’s legacy.
“He was older than me by a bunch, you know? A lot of people in town said we’d never last. They thought he was using me.” She snorted. “As if he gave a damn about my family’s land.”
“Anyone who knew you both could see you had him wrapped around your little finger.” Cindi reached across to pat Vivi’s knee. “He adored you. Nothing meant more, not even this ranch.”
“Later, yes.” She smiled as her eyes took on a faraway look. “Those beginning times, though. Not as much. He was so in control. Authority oozed from him naturally. I was innocent and foolish enough to know no fear around him. I think that’s what attracted him, actually. Nobody talked to him like I did. He ensured I was unafraid to ask for what I wanted. JD would have given me the moon if I desired it. He kept me safe and allowed me to experiment with whatever caught my interest, a rare luxury for a woman in those days.”
“Hell, maybe even now.” Hope deflated as she let out a huge sigh.
“Not with the right man. Or men.” Vivi reassured her so simply and easily, Hope could have bawled.
“See, JD had heard folks talking about Charles, my boyfriend, and me. He knew we were serious before he strutted into that barn dance. But when he saw something he wanted, he wasn’t the kind of man to be deterred.” Vivi tapped her toes to a beat only she could hear. “He told me he never wanted me to regret hooking up with someone so early, before I’d had a chance to try other men. We had an instant attraction. He was willing to talk to Charles about it. To see if…we could work something out. Charles refused. He got jealous. Angry. He wanted to own me. It didn’t take me more than a moment to realize I was about to make a horrible mistake. So I broke it off. JD came to my house the same night. He promised that with him things would be different. I’d always be free. He’d make sure I had what I needed. But he refused to be my one and only man. Not until I was sure I’d signed up for eternity with the right mister.”
“On one hand, I totally don’t want to know. But I have to ask…you slept with other guys while you were dating Grandpa?” Sienna seemed a little horrified.
“Of course not.” Their grandmother crossed her arms over her chest. “Without JD, sex meant nothing. With him, it was everything. From the most romantic to the naughtiest things we tried. Like inviting another man to play along.”
“I’m not hearing this.” Sienna put her hands over her ears and pretended to hum. At least for a moment, until curiosity won out.
Hope agreed. It kind of grossed her out to hear about the ancient exploits in her kinky family tree. Still, the idea that she might not be a total freak kept her from objecting in the spirit of too much info.
Some of her other cousins didn’t seem to have any such reservations.
“You and Grandpa JD had a ménage?” Sterling leaned in closer. “Go Vivi!”
“We did. More than once. But unlike Lucy, Si and Colby, it wasn’t a forever thing. It was fun. And temporary. While JD shaped the trysts into the perfect experiences for me, I understood pretty quickly that only he held the key to my heart. After that, it lost some of its appeal. Plus, our playmate Landon found a woman he was serious about and ended up marrying her quick, before she could get away.”
“Wow.” Jade looked at their grandmother with wide eyes that only got bigger when Aunt Cindi cleared her throat.
“Go ahead, Cin.” Lucy waved to Sterling’s mom. “Share. It could help, please.”
“What?” It was fun to see Sterling shocked for once. “No way. Not my mom. Ack! It’s so much cooler when it’s someone else’s parental unit.”
“Oh, shush. Listen, Hope, I lived on Compass Ranch for a while before your Uncle Sam came home from New York. I never had a place of my own, really. I was insecure about family, and loneliness ate at me. For me, ménage was a way to feel grounded. A part of this place and something more important.”
“Seriously, Mom?” Sterling rose up to her knees. “Does Dad know?”
At first Hope thought Sterling might actually be horrified. Then she realized Cindi had just gained a ton of admiration from her wild daughter.
“Oh, hell yeah.” Aunt Jody laughed. “Your mom doesn’t do anything half-assed either. She didn’t settle for two guys, but a barnful from time to time. It went on for years after she hooked up with your dad. He likes to show off, that one.”
“Okay, Mom, we probably don’t need all the details.” Sienna winced.
It was good to hear Vivi and the Mothers laugh, even if their amusement came at the price of their children’s squeamishness. When they’d settled down, Vivi stepped in. “All I’m trying to say, Hope, is that a real man knows what his woman needs. Unconventional or not, he’ll find a way to grant her wishes. If John couldn’t be that man for you, forget him. Embrace the one, or ones, who fulfill your desires. The ones who understand you and make you complete. There’s nothing wrong with what you asked of your boyfriend if that’s what you really need right now. It was his damn fault this happened. His reaction is the shameful one. If I ever hear you call yourself stupid again over this, you’ll have me to deal with. Understand?”
Somehow she was certain Vivi wouldn’t forget that threat.
“Yes, ma’am.” She relaxed for the first time since John had started shouting at her the night before.
“Good. You should know better. You’ve seen your mom and dads all your life. They couldn’t be any other way than they are. Trust me, they tried long enough. Until they were all together, something just wasn’t right.” Vivi reached out to squeeze Lucy’s hand. “I know you’re looking for something similar, at least you told me once you were.”
Hope nodded.
“It’s tougher when there are lots of people to consider. Yourself included.” Aunt Cindi nodded wisely.
“These boys—the ranch hands—are they the ones?” Vivi grilled her.
“I’m not sure. I hardly know them.” She ignored the fairytale part of her that screamed, Yes, you do!
“Mmm hmm.” Vivi didn’t look convinced. She squinted at Hope, tapped her foot a few times, then smiled.
“I mean… I’d like to get to know them better. But who knows if that’s even what they’re really into? Or if I am.” She sighed.
“Trust your instincts. Don’t second-guess yourself, Hope. Please. Dooming yourself to traditional because you think you must be crazy…or greedy…” Her mother’s raspy entreaty rent Hope’s heart. “You can’t force something to be everything when it’s only a piece of the puzzle. I got lucky. You might not. If you think there’s a possibility that Wyatt and Clayton are your guys, you go out and get them. Don’t let them run. It’s hard, baby.”
“That’s what they said last night.” Hope seemed to shock them all with her admission. “They tried a poly relationship and it didn’t work out. I’m not sure they’re up for another shot.”
“With Boone,” Jade murmured. “That makes sense now. They’ve been acting so odd around him lately. Extra polite. Poor guy. I think I’ll try to pair up with him more during our shifts.”
“Things that seem impossible are sometimes the best, once you win them against outrageous odds.” Aunt Jodi cracked her knuckles. They all knew how she’d fought for Uncle Seth.
“Jody’s right. You’re stro
ng and smart. You’ve done the hard part. You’ve opened up and admitted your heart’s desire. If you backtrack now or try to take the easy way out, you’ll be miserable for the rest of your life.” Aunt Leah tossed in her two cents. “I don’t think any of us found it a snap to land our Compass brother, but I can honestly say all the effort was worth the reward.”
They all looked to Vivi. Long faces guaranteed they all thought of her late husband. Vivi smiled. “Leah’s right. I wouldn’t change one minute of my years with JD.”
“We made it through, and we’re stronger for it.” Her mom stared at her a little too shrewdly. Did she suspect the secret they were keeping? “When you go through something like that together, it’s not likely you’ll break apart easily. Family, friends, lovers—all the bonds were tempered in the flames of that time. And they’re holding.”
“You girls will be the same. I know it.” Vivi nodded to her grandchildren. She smiled at Sienna, who’d already claimed her forever guy. “Who could resist a Compass Girl?”
Hope yawned, the restless night and her aches catching up to her.
“All right, time for you to take a nap.” Her mother shooed people from the bed. “I’ll go get you a pain blocker and I’ll have your dads bring up those peas, okay? Ignore all their blustering and let them see you’re just fine. Besides, they have a lot of experience with black eyes. Have to say, though, yours is a hell of a nice one. Going to be pretty purple for a while.”
“See you in a bit, Hope.” Her cousins waved as they trickled out, Sienna last. “Daniel is baking those brownies you love.”
“Mmm.” She smiled. “Thank you. All of you.”
Suddenly, their departure set her adrift.
“Vivi, wait.” Hope snagged her grandmother’s wrist before she could get very far. She swallowed hard as her mother nodded then filed from the room behind her aunts.
“What is it?” She put her arms around her granddaughter and held on tight.
“You were right, Vivi.” Hope tried not to nibble on her abused lip.
