Penny rolled over to her back and sighed. The sun peeking in from behind the blinds was unusually bright, and she slapped a hand over her eyes to keep the light out.

After tossing and turning for hours, her body had told her brain, “Enough!” and forced it to shut down. Thank God, because she wouldn’t be able to get through the day without her sleep. Turning to the small clock beside her bed, she realized it was nearly noon.

She still couldn’t believe what had happened last night. Her stupid Toyota finally conked out and in the middle of the highway, too. She had been so frustrated and annoyed that she hadn’t notice the large pickup truck backing up in front of her. And then he came out. She thought she was hallucinating, but no. It was definitely Ben Walker.

God, he was more handsome up close. Blue eyes like the sky on a clear day. Dark blond hair that was a tad overgrown and an even darker, thicker beard that only made him more attractive. She couldn’t help but stare at him. And then he offered to give her a ride. She didn’t even really protest. Oh yes, Ben, take me home!

She threw a pillow over her face. He could have been a psycho, and she jumped right into his truck. But there was just something about him that made her feel safe, and she wasn't sure why.

“You don’t even know him,” she said to no one in particular. Anyway, it was just a ride, right? What else was she supposed to do, being stuck in the middle of nowhere? So she accepted his offer, forgetting where she lived.

Penny groaned and rolled onto her stomach, burying her face in her pillow. It’s not that she was ashamed of living in a trailer park, but Ben had never even been in one, which only made the gap between them that much more obvious. He probably grew up in some mansion while she’d never lived in anything bigger than this trailer.

You think you’re better than me, Penny? Better than all of us?

Her mother’s words rang in her brain.

Think you’re so high and mighty, doncha?

Sweat broke out on her forehead.

Don’t you know men only want one thing?

She was fourteen when it started.

Deep down inside, she knew her mother loved her. She’d tell herself that over and over again. Momma made sure they had a roof over their head … using whatever means necessary. That usually meant a string of men who would move in and help out with the rent and bills, only to leave a few months later. Sometimes they would just sneak out in the middle of the night, other times, there would be loud fights that ended up with a lot of screaming, broken furniture, and tears.

Of course, when momma wasn’t shacking up with her latest boyfriend, she’d be hitting up the bars, cozying up to any man who would buy her a drink. ‘Cozying up’ might be too soft of a word. Eleanor Bennet was the proverbial town bicycle—everyone got a ride. And it made Penny’s life a living hell.

She didn’t understand it at first. But as she grew up, the whispers became louder and clearer. The women at the supermarket who would give them the side-eye. The other parents who would stop talking when Eleanor walked into homeroom during parent-teacher conferences, dressed in sky-high heels and a short dress. Or even the teachers at her school, who would shake their heads when she would complain about her classmates teasing her.

It didn’t help that puberty arrived early, and her curves came in the summer she turned thirteen. The normal teasing would have been bad enough, but with her mother’s reputation, it had been worse. And she couldn’t even count on Momma for comfort. No, as she blossomed into a woman, Eleanor had lashed back at her, accusing her of all kinds of things. She was a slut if she came home late or wore short shorts; hoity-toity if she stayed at home and didn’t come out of her room for dinner with her and her latest boy toy. It seemed nothing she ever did could please Eleanor. And then it happened ….

She just wished … if her father had been more of a fit parent, if he wasn’t drunk half of the time, then ….

Penny shook her head and sat up. She should be thankful for where she was now. She had a job, a place to live, and food to eat, paid for by her own hard work.

But, still, it only cemented the thought that she and Ben were like oil and water. They would never mix together. What would his family think if he got involved with someone like her?

I can’t.

His words puzzled her and made her feel things she shouldn’t feel, for the reasons she just told herself. Okay, so maybe he was attracted to her physically. She knew men liked to look at her. But it would never work out between them.

Determined to put all thoughts of Ben aside, Penny swung her legs over the side of the bed, walked to the small bathroom, and got ready for the day. She was thankful The Den was able to open so soon. She had considered getting a second job but loved having afternoons to herself before her shift. She winced, thinking that she didn’t have a choice now; the car repairs would surely put her into an even deeper hole. How would she even get to work today?

“No use crying over spilt milk,” she said aloud as she poured some juice into a mug. She took a sip and strode to the front door. As she looked out the window, she nearly dropped the mug. Her car was sitting in the driveway.

Grabbing her coat and slipping into her discarded boots, Penny raced down the steps all the way to the car. It was definitely her car—her keys with The Little Mermaid key chain were sitting on the hood. But who …?

Who else? Ben. How …? Did he tow it all the way back here with his truck?

She touched the hood. It was still warm. That meant it had been running. She grabbed the keys, opened the door, slipped in, and turned on the ignition. The engine roared to life and purred.

“No, no, no, no!” She laid her head on the steering wheel. This couldn’t be. Why the heck would he do this after she told him to stay away?

She didn’t want to owe him. She sighed and lifted her head. “I’ll pay him back,” she said in a determined voice. “Every cent.”

* * *

As she drove into Blackstone, Penny realized she didn’t even know where to find him. Did he have an office in town? Heather mentioned he was head of some mining operation, but she didn’t know the first place to start looking. A quick internet search on Ben Walker and Blackstone turned up very little except the Lennox Corporation’s corporate website, all generic and nothing about the location of any mines.

As she drove down Main Street, an idea popped in her head. Maybe Ben had an office at Lennox Corporation. They must have their headquarters in Blackstone somewhere. She stopped the car and punched in ‘Lennox Corporation’ on her GPS app.

“Bingo!” It wasn’t far from where she was right now. After pressing ‘Go Now,’ she followed the device’s instructions. She still wasn’t very familiar with Blackstone, having never really gone anywhere except Main Street and The Den. It wasn’t a sprawling city by any means, but Blackstone was one of the largest towns in the area, so it was still tricky to navigate for newcomers like her.

She turned right from the main road and saw the signs with Lennox Corporation’s red and black logo. Slowing the car down, she stopped right across the street from the large office building, which was just outside the main part of town.

“Now what?”

Penny supposed she could walk in and ask where Ben’s office was. The thought made her cringe, and she looked down at her worn jeans and sweater. It wasn’t exactly office appropriate. If she went in, the receptionist would probably look down her nose at her. Plus, what would she do if she did see him? She didn’t have any money now to give him. This was a mistake. I should leave. But how else was she going to pay him back?

A tapping on the window made her start. A familiar face looking at her from the outside made her sigh in relief, and she rolled her window down.

“Penny! It is you,” Christina Stavros said in an excited voice, her light blue eyes sparkling.

“Christina! What are you doing here?”

She jerked her thumb at the building. “Sybil just dropped me off. I’m here to see Jason. What are you doing outside Lennox?”

Penny froze. She considered lying to the other woman, but what was she supposed to say? That she got lost? “Uhm, I’m looking for someone.”

“Who are you looking for?”

She mumbled under her breath.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Ben.” She cleared her throat. “Walker. Ben Walker.”

Christina frowned. “Why? I … Oh! I heard about what happened the other night.” Christina leaned down and placed her arms on the window. “Are you hurt? Do you need to pay for medical bills or something? Because you know Matthew will take care of that.”

Penny shook her head. “Oh no. Not at all. Er …,” she took a deep breath, “I just need to talk to him.”

“Well, as far as I know, Ben doesn’t have an office here.” Christina tapped a finger on her chin. “But we could ask Jason or Matthew. C’mon.”

“What?” Before she could protest, Christina unlocked her door, opened it, and tugged her out. “No! I mean, really, it’s fine. I can find him another time.”

But it was no use. Christina dragged her out of her car and across the street toward the imposing building. She tried not to look at the security guards who gave them curious stares, though no one stopped them, not even the stern-looking receptionist who waved them in.

“I’m actually glad I found you,” Christina said as they entered the elevator. She punched the number at the top and the door closed.

“Really? Why?”

“We need to start your self-defense lessons.”

Penny laughed nervously. “Oh, I didn’t think you were serious about that.”

The elevator stopped and Christina led her out. They walked to the end of the hall where there were two doors and two empty desks. “Matthew and Jason don’t have assistants yet,” she explained as they entered the door on the left. “We can talk and wait in here.”

They walked into the plush office, and Christina motioned for her to sit down on the couch. “Coffee or tea?” she asked.

“I’m fine. Maybe some water if you have it?”

“Sure.” Christina strode over to the small refrigerator in the corner and grabbed two bottles of water. She gave one to Penny and sat down next to her. “Now, about those lessons.”

“You don’t really have to do that,” Penny said. “I know you were just being nice.”

“Penny.” Christina put a hand over hers. “I meant what I said about learning how to defend yourself.”

A lump began to form in her throat. “Why are you being so nice to me?” Penny asked.

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Christina said.

“I told you, I’m nobody,” Penny reminded her. “I’m just a waitress. No one important.”

Christina’s nostrils flared. “You have every right to defend yourself against anyone who wants to hurt you. You shouldn’t have to be afraid, especially if someone hurt you in the past.”

Penny felt the blood drain from her face and her chest tightened, like a giant fist wrapped around her torso and squeezed.

Memories flooded back in her mind. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t push them back, not anymore.

The room suddenly felt small, and she was back. Back to where it began. Where it ended. That tiny bathroom in her mother’s trailer. Sitting on the toilet, pushing her hands against the door to keep it closed. Not that it would help. He was much bigger. Much stronger. He would break that door at any moment. She could feel the vibrations on the wood as he pounded with his meaty fists. She remembered the hot tears flowing down her cheeks. But now they weren’t just memories because she could feel the wetness gathering in her eyes.

“Penny. Penny!”

“N-n-no…stop!” But her cries fell on deaf ears. It only egged him on and the door shook violently. “Please!”

Hands grabbed her arms and shook her. “Penny, snap out of it!”

And she remembered where she was. Christina’s light blue eyes were wide as saucers, her mouth open.

“I … I’m sorry.” She stood up and gathered her purse. The heat on her cheeks was so intense, it felt like someone had tossed kerosene on them and lit a match. “I should go.”

Christina grabbed her arm and whipped her around. “Penny, please stay and talk to me. Or you can talk to a professional.”

Penny covered her face with her palms. “No, I’m fine. I swear, I just … I haven’t slept well.”

“If someone hurt you—”

“No!” she shrieked, but quickly shut her mouth. “Please, I have to go.”

Before Christina could protest further, Penny pivoted and scurried away. She yanked the door open and took a step forward but collided into a very large, solid object. No, it wasn’t an object. As if her humiliation wasn’t bad enough, she ran right into Ben Walker.

“Penny? What are you—hey, are you okay?” His large hands gripped her arms as she stopped. Taking a deep breath, she inhaled his aftershave. That and the warmth emanating from his body sent a calming feeling over her, and she closed her eyes. “Penny?”

Her eyes flew open.

“What’s wrong? Are you crying?”

“I—” She looked back and saw Christina staring at her. She knew that look. It was pity. Her head whipped back to Ben. “I’m fine,” she snapped and disentangled herself from him, then walked away.

“Penny, wait!”

She ignored him and picked up her pace. Not that it helped, with his longer strides, he quickly caught up and stepped in front of her. “Penny, what’s the matter? Is the car okay? Because I can have J.D. take a look at it again.”

Right. The car. “It’s fine. I mean … you shouldn’t have done that!”

He frowned. “Shouldn’t have? What was I supposed to do? Let you walk all the way to work?”

She put her hands up in exasperation. “I mean, you shouldn’t have done anything! I told you to leave me alone!”

“I did leave last night.”

“I meant, leave me alone forever!” She side stepped past him and strode away angrily, hoping he would get the message.

Poor Penny. Poor Penny with her good-for-nothing drunk dad and her floozy mom. This was why she hated Colorado and was glad she left to live with Grams in Texas where no one knew her. In Houston no one threw a pity party for poor Penny. No one knew what happened that night when the cops came to their trailer and broke down the door. Or the humiliation she suffered afterward and the hate, not just from neighbors and friends, but her own mother.

She took the elevator down to the lobby and ran out after pushing on the heavy glass doors with all her might. The cool air felt good as it entered her lungs, and she let out a long breath before she dashed to her car.