So her face broke into a wide smile when she saw the second figure in her brother’s old car.

Joe got out and called out a hello as he came up the steps to the huge front porch on their farmhouse, "Hi Iola!"

Chet just shook his head and grinned as he followed. Iola had gotten that love-sick puppy look on her face that he recognized all too well. Poor Joe, he had no idea just how bad Iola had it for him!

They had a nice chat with Iola’s parents about school and stuff before Iola told her Dad that she wanted to show Joe the new saddle she had gotten for her horse. Her parents didn’t look convinced as they gave each other a knowing smile…their daughter wanted to spend some time with Joe.

"Okay honey but why doesn’t Chet go with you?" Mrs. Morton put in causing Iola to give a small groan as Chet rolled his eyes, not really surprised to be volunteered to chaperone but not really impressed either.

"Mom…" Iola started to protest but one stern look from her mother made her realize that her parents did not think it would appropriate for her and Joe to be alone in the barn together. It was with Chet or not at all.

Joe’s mind was already working to try and figure out some way to ditch Chet but the brother-sister duo had it already worked out.

"Chester", Iola said sweetly once they got to the barn and he pulled the huge door shut behind him, "Didn’t Daddy need you to do something? Like in the cow barn?"

Dairy farmers, the Morton’s had two large barns that housed livestock. The one the teens were currently in where they kept a couple horses, goats, chicken and other smaller animals, and the large state-of-the-art cow barn where the dairy cows were housed.

Chet was already heading towards the door on the back of the smaller barn that would take him out the back way, "I can take a hint. I’ll give you kiddies…" he glanced down at his wristwatch, "until 8:45. There’s no way I’m missing the pizza! I do have some stuff to do. I’ll be around if you need me." And then casting one more look, he grinned and left the barn.

He had no concerns that they would do anything stupid but he just hoped being alone with Iola wouldn’t shake Joe up too badly. She could be a bit overwhelming at times and the younger Hardy was always very nervous and unsure around her.

It was quite ‘cute’ to watch and wasn’t helped by the tormenting of their friends over it. Joe was so old fashioned…!

* * *

Will checked his time and quickly deciding he didn’t have much time to waste, he grabbed Iola’s hand and led her towards one of the empty stalls.

Iola grabbed a piece of straw and chewed on it as she twirled away from him and then stopped with her back pressed up against the stall’s back wall, "Well howdy cowboy…" she said teasingly, "fancy meeting you here…"

Joe smiled longingly as he pressed in close to her, "You’re so beautiful…you have a mouth that screams ‘kiss me.’" And then before she could say anything he pressed his face in close to hers to do just that.

Iola obligingly wrapped her arms around his neck, her heart beating almost out of her chest. She couldn’t believe this was happening!

Wait until I tell Callie! She thought as she closed her eyes and responded to Joe’s gentle kiss. Callie was always so quick to tell the younger girl about her time spent with Frank…now Iola would have something to say herself.

* * *

Joe couldn’t believe how good she smelled as he nestled his head into her glossy raven black hair and kissed her neck. Iola actually shivered and gave a little moan as his lips gently caressed her skin.

Encouraged by her response, and driven by both his own growing desire and the time limit Chet had imposed, Joe began kissing her lips again….this time more forceful and hungered.

And then when he bit her lip, Iola’s alarm bells went off.

* * *

Chet finished in the dairy barn even more quickly then he anticipated. He thought about going back and harassing his sister and Joe but then decided. Ah what the heck, they deserved some alone time.

So veering away from the back door, Chet decided to go down to the small pond just behind the barns and check out the beaver dam his Dad was complaining about.

* * *

"Joe…Joe.." Iola tried to pull away from him but Joe wasn’t having none of it and he just pressed her back against the wall even more. Gently but firmly, Iola tried to push him away from her in growing alarm, "Joe…NO!"

This time she gave him a harder push and he stopped kissing her and looked at her with a confused look on his face, "What’s wrong Iola? This is what you wanted…isn’t it?"

"No", Iola said starting to shake at something she saw in Joe’s eyes…something terrifying, "this is not what I want!"

Joe watched her as she continued but made no move to let her go, "Joe I think we better go back to the house…Chet’ll blow if he catches us!" She was trying to get him to back off but Joe didn’t.

"No Iola…we have plenty of time, "he purposefully glanced down at his watch, "plenty of time in fact." And then he roughly grabbed her away from the wall and threw her to the straw covered stall floor. She started to scream but a quick backhand cut off the sound before it could even come.

With a dangerous look on his face, Joe placed one hand over his mouth and whispered, "if you make any noise Iola…I will kill you."

Shaking the girl nodded that she understood.

"Good", said Joe and then he started to kiss her again as his hands roughly pinned her beneath him.

* * *

In the closet in Biff’s room, Joe Hardy stirred. He had fallen into a fitful sleep but something woke him.

Fearfully he listened for the sound again but it never came.

Letting out a shuddering breath, he closed his eyes and waited for William to come back and let him out. He was pretty sure that William would have to do that. No matter how mad Frank was at him, he wouldn’t ignore it if Joe just didn’t come home. And Con was coming over later.

Not really comforted by this though, Joe just continued to sit there and wondered why in the world he thought he had heard someone crying…

A someone that sounded like Iola.

* * *

Fear washed over the girl as she struggled beneath her attacker. She realized what he had planned and became desperate.

Her cheek burned from where he had slapped her but she knew that was the least of her problems as his hands moved over her sweater and then…

With one final burst of hysterical strength, she managed to bring her knee up and then he was rolling off her groaning at the unexpected "unique" pain that he felt as he gasped, "B**ch!"

Iola wasted no time and she was running!

* * *

Tony was running ahead of schedule. As he pulled up in front of the Morton farm he hoped they didn’t mind too much. It was a standing delivery…every Saturday at 9:00 pm. It was 8:30….but he had two others in the area and didn’t want to have to come back out here if he didn’t have to. It was very busy tonight.

* * *

Struggling to his feet, Joe started to chase after the girl but slowed down when he saw the yellow Mr. Pizza Toyota pickup truck pull into the long gravel driveway.

Iola raced past the truck, up the stairs, into the house and straight to her room, hot tears of betrayal and shame burned her face.

"Iola?" Mrs. Morton called after her daughter in concern even as she heard Tony slamming the door on the pickup, "Are you okay?"

"Leave me alone!" she yelled at her mother and slammed the door to her room before throwing herself down on the bed, sobbing. How could Joe have done this to her? How could he?

* * *

"Hey Tony", Joe called out the Italian boy, "can I get a lift with you home?"

"Sure", Tony said as he waited for the Morton’s to pay for the pizza. Mrs. Morton had gone upstairs to try and talk to her daughter while John Morton gave Tony a twenty and told him to keep the change…as usual.

"What’s wrong with Iola?" Mr. Morton asked Joe who was waiting at the bottom of the steps to go with Tony.

Joe shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as he said, "Girls…who can figure them out?" And then headed towards the truck and got into the passenger seat.

He didn’t notice the frowns that followed him as both Mr. Morton and Tony watched him. That was very much unlike him.

* * *

The ride back to town was very quiet as Tony wondered why Joe was acting odd. If Iola was upset it wasn’t in Joe to just brush her off like that…

And Joe stared out the window at the dark landscape. He was very angry and frustrated. This was not what he had planned…not at all.

When they got closer to the Hardy house, Joe turned to Tony and smiled, "Can you drop me off at Biff’s? I need to take Sherlock out."

"Sure", said Tony. Biff’s was closer to Mr. Pizza’s anyway.

And a few minutes later, he was pulling up outside the Hooper house and then pulled away from the curb as Joe gave him a wave and headed towards the front door.

* * *

Opening the door, William knew that he wouldn’t be leaving this house disappointed.

He started towards the stairs to go to Biff’s room when he heard Sherlock barking and growling at him from his kennel in the back room. Veering away from the stairs, he came towards the kennel and glared at the dog.

"You are really getting on my nerves", he came up to the wire door and pressed his face in against it, feeling the dog’s hot breath on his face as his snarled and snapped at him.

"Hmmm", he said looking around the room, "a bit testy are we? Well I know the cure for testy…"

Getting up, he headed back towards Biff’s room. He needed to get Joe.

Heaven forbid his brother miss out on all the fun…

* * *

Chet was just coming up to the barn when he saw Tony’s truck pulling away from the house. Seeing Joe’s blond head in the passenger seat, he figured they had gone back to the house early so he didn’t bother to go to the barn.

His suspicions were confirmed when he went into the house and his mother, who had been unable to get Iola to talk to her, demanded, "Exactly what happened while you guys were in the barn? Iola is so upset she won’t talk to me!"

Chet paled. He really had no idea but covering quickly he headed towards the stairs, "Let me talk to her Mom…it’s nothing." Deep down, he prayed he was right.

* * *

Iola heard a knock on her door and raised her head from her pillow long enough to yell, "GO AWAY!"

"Iola its me…let me in…please, "Chet pleaded needing to talk to her. He had left them alone and was kicking himself over and over about that. He felt some relief when he heard her moving around in the room and then a second later, the lock clicked on the door. Taking that as an invitation, the older boy slowly pushed open the door and stepped into the room.

Standing across from him with her hands wrapped tightly around her slender frame was his sister and his heart broke when he saw the look of utter despair on her face. Quickly he crossed the room and grabbed her in a tight hug.

She clung to him, burying her face in his shirt and sobbed, each one wrenching Chet to the soul as he tried so hard to console her, "Oh Iola…sis…what’ wrong…sshh…you’re okay now…shhh."

As he held her he had no idea what had happened but fire burned on his normally jovial face. Whatever it was…Joe had done it to her.

And then when Iola raised her tear stained cheeks to him and asked, "Why Chet…why? Why would he try…try to…hurt me?"

Chet actually shook.