Read Online A Change of Heart by Barbara Longley - Free Book Online

wrapped around her middle. Not here. This horror had no place in her new home with its coziness, its magic and healing powers. She clenched her jaw so tight it ached.
    Sergeant Dickhead could not have this place. He could not fill the carriage house with his ugliness and violence. He’d already taken so much. She couldn’t let him take this as well. Angry tears coursed down her cheeks as she rocked back and forth. Finally the trembling stopped, and she got up on shaky legs and headed for the bathroom. She turned on the shower to scalding hot, stripped and stepped under the spray.
    Scrubbing her skin until she couldn’t take any more didn’t erase the disgust. Her attacker’s filth lived inside her, in a place so deep she couldn’t reach it with soap and a washcloth. Still, she stood under the nozzle, praying the water would wash her clean, trying to shut out the words echoing through her head.
    “You tell anybody this was anything other than consensual, and I’ll make sure you never receive another promotion for the rest of your career.” Sergeant Barnett put himself back together. He loomed over her where she lay broken and battered on the concrete floor. “Next time I expect your full cooperation.” He took a step back and studied her swollen and bruised face. “If anyone asks, you tripped and fell into the metal shelving in here. You got that, Corporal?”
    Damn him to hell.

    Ted sat next to Cory at her desk, close enough to catch a whiff of the soap she used, along with her own unique feminine scent. He drew a deep breath into his lungs and guided her through the shipping process. She smelled so damn good, like fresh air, sunshine and sweet clover.
    The week had flown by, and Cory had proven herself over and over. She’d already taken over the web maintenance and ordering, handling both like she’d done the job for months. “We have several trucking companies we work with, and who we use depends upon the region for delivery and their availability.” He brought up the file with the links to the companies they used on a regular basis. “Once an order is completed, you have to check with their dispatchers to see if they have a truck already going to a particular area. Once you choose a carrier, you fill out the paperwork, a packing slip, and let the guys know when the pickup is going to take place. They’ll crate everything up and have it ready to go.”
    “That sounds easy enough.”
    “It is, but it’s time-consuming.”
    She glanced at him. “Have you given any more thought to my suggestions for updating the ordering process? I still think bringing a piece of paper down to a basket on the wall is archaic. We could do it all electronically with a computer or tablets.”
    “Uh, no. Let’s keep it as it is for now.” Dollar signs flashed in front of his eyes. Tablets weren’t cheap. “It’s simple, and it’s worked for us up till now.”
    “Welcome to L&L.” Paige smirked from her desk. “We like to keep things low-tech.”
    “It’s time to update.” Cory’s eyes held a challenge. “There should be a computer in the production area.”
    “There used to be,” he told her. “When it was just the fourof us, Ryan liked to keep his desktop in the workspace. Now it’s in his office. We needed the extra room to accommodate the increase in production.”
    “What if we mounted a screen on the wall? We could send the orders, and each guy in production could have a separate file. You back everything up, don’t you?”
    He took in another breath, savoring the Cory-scented air filling his senses. “Um…you’d have to ask Paige. Technology isn’t really my thing. I know how to navigate the software, and that’s about it.”
    “Yes. We back everything up.” Paige raised her eyes from her computer.
    “That’s good.” Cory grinned at Paige like they shared some big technological secret he didn’t get.
    True. He didn’t get it, and he didn’t care that he didn’t. Ted shifted in his