Free When Bruce Met Cyn by Lori Foster Page B

much about them as I could. That way I’d know what to expect, what to avoid.”
    Bruce was so humbled, so astonished at her resourcefulness, that the urge to hold her nearly overwhelmed him. He needed the contact as much, if not more, than she did.
    But he didn’t want to scare her off, to interrupt what he hoped would be a cathartic retelling of her past.
    He picked up the next book. The Road to Recovery: After Child Abuse. Red-hot rage mixed with drowning compassion. His voice rough with emotion, he said, “You’re pretty amazing, you know that?”
    Sarcasm had her rolling her eyes. “There’s nothing amazing about a homeless ex-hooker with a shady past.” And before he could protest that, she shook her head. “Every ten seconds, a kid gets abused. Every ten seconds, Bruce. You said you would have helped, but even if you did, it wouldn’t be enough.” A shudder of revulsion shook her slender frame, and her voice went hollow and pained. “I always thought I was the only one.”
    Bruce watched her shoulders firm, watched her straighten her spine in iron resolve. How many times had she been forced to do that throughout her young life?
    â€œAfter I found out how many kids are hurt, I wished I was the only one. I get ill thinking of it.”
    She fell silent, then said in a rush, “Did you know most abusers were abused? They grow up and follow some sick pattern.” Her words came in a rush, as if a dam had burst. Her hand curled into a tight fist. “I’d sooner be dead than ever hurt someone, especially a child.”
    Talk of death always alarmed Bruce, but not this time. Cyn was a survivor. He had a feeling she’d been making plans to change her life from the day she left home, whether she realized it or not.
    She’d looked ahead to what she eventually wanted by avoiding some of the pitfalls so many desperate people fell into, like drugs and alcohol. She’d educated herself and taken steps to be a better person than those around her.
    Despite the prostitution issue, which broke his heart, she hadn’t given up, hadn’t accepted her fate or grown comfortable with it. Her anger was over the past, not the present. Her views weren’t despondent, but determined.
    She wanted change, for herself and others, and Bruce had a feeling she’d get it.
    It was odd, how comfortable he felt speaking with her. Unlike the other women he’d counseled, his conversations with Cyn were shared, not sermonized. He wasn’t trying to alter her views—he was learning more about her. And what he learned intrigued him.
    â€œPeople either follow a familiar path, or they forge a new one. You’re aware of the problem and you’ll be able to help others with your understanding.” He visually caressed her face, noting the stubborn chin, the soft lips, the intelligent and compelling gaze. “That’s why you read literature on the subject.”
    She toyed with her hair, a sign he now saw as nervousness. “I know it’s far-fetched, but you’re right. Someday, if I can save enough money, I want to go back to school, maybe even college. I want to work with kids, to help them…” She suddenly shut down, as if embarrassed by what she’d admitted. “I can’t imagine too many people wanting an ex-hooker around their kids, though.”
    â€œI think you’d be a wonderful inspiration to many.”
    She ducked her head. “Yeah, well, it’s mostly just a pipe dream. Besides, I’d probably screw it up somehow.”
    Bruce shook his head. She could grapple with a bulky truck driver without pause, but compliments made her uneasy. Never in his life had he known anyone like her. “Tell me about Palmer. Was he your stepfather?”
    â€œHardly. Marriage is for normal people, Bruce, not my family. No, Palmer was just Mom’s latest shack-up, but he stuck around longer than the others. She