Hank waited until almost dark before he decided it was time. He woke Millie with a gentle brush of her chestnut hair and a whisper. “Wake up. You’ve got a date tonight.”

She opened her blue eyes that spoke of so much more than she’d ever express in words. He’d seen the pain she’d never complain of. The relief when he’d said he would take her home. He hadn’t missed the stubborn look that told him there was no use arguing.

But in the twilight tonight he saw fear as he swooped down to pick her up. For a blink Hank could have sworn he saw the panic of a child. As if the monster she feared had appeared and she had no way to run.

“Millie, it’s all right. You’re safe. I’m here with you.” He set her back on the bed. “We don’t have to do this. If you’d like to go back to sleep, that’s fine. I just thought it would be fun.”

“No, let’s watch a movie. You just startled me, that’s all.” The truth lay unsaid between them.

He lifted her again and set her on the little couch, then covered her legs with a throw. “I’ll get the popcorn.”

Before he left, he flipped on the news with the volume down low. The windows were open and a cool breeze drifted on the night. All was calm in her little house now. All but her. The librarian held herself stiff.

As the popcorn cooked in the microwave, he thought of how she’d reacted. He’d seen mistreated horses react the same way. And whatever had happened to her, he’d bet it happened at night. Maybe she’d been startled awake. Someone had hurt her, not just frightened her.

The memory of the wreck came to mind. She hadn’t cried out when hurt. Not when she was hit. Not when she was lying in the road, staring at him. Not when the nurses and doctors poked on her. Through it all she hadn’t made a sound.

The pieces began to slide together in his mind. Someone had hurt her, probably repeatedly, and she hadn’t been allowed to react.

He was sure it had been a man, which would explain her not dating, too.

Hank hoped he was wrong, but sometimes it seemed all the people in the world were broken somehow. Everyone held a story they would never voice.

When he returned with the popcorn, he sat down next to her and handed her the control. “I set you up on cable. I’ll show you how it works after the movie?”

“All right.” She was almost touching him. “What are we watching?”

“Harry Potter. I’ve never seen it, have you?”

“No, but I read the books.”