Denying the Devil Read online

  It took some arguing on his part, some threats from Joel, and a whole lot of traded IOUs before a solution more in Ivy’s favor was suggested and agreed on.

  Nate and his brothers had been approved as emergency foster parents for teenage boys two years ago when one of their after-school hands had run into some family trouble. Edward had stayed with them for a full year before he’d graduated and left for college. The brothers’ licensing was still current. With a few modifications and negotiations, it was agreed that Ivy would be coming home with Nate.

  To Levi and Pan’s official custody.

  Nate winced. He should probably have at least mentioned it to the two first.

  But his younger brother and sister-in-law would just have to make do.

  He wasn’t about to let that little girl—the little girl he had delivered—disappear into a world that would destroy her.

  When he made it back to the exam room, it was to find Perci holding the little girl tightly, while the mother paced around the room, demanding answers about when she could take her daughter home. Never once did the mother move to touch her frightened daughter. Her entire focus was on Perci—her current enemy.

  The words that woman was spewing at Perci were the kind no child should ever have to hear.

  Perci was silent, for once. But when she looked up and her Tyler blue eyes met his, he saw the relief. “Mrs. North, Ivy will be going to an approved foster home when she’s discharged.”

  He braced himself for the barrage that the child’s mother threw at him.

  It didn’t end until Joel arrived and took the woman away in handcuffs. On assault charges. And charges of child abuse—her husband had left her two months earlier and died in a car accident in Montana a week after that. He’d plowed his truck into a semi-trailer after a night of excessive partying. At the time, his blood alcohol limit had been more than twice the legal amount.

  It had been the mother who had hurt little Ivy this time.

  No more. Nate was prepared to call in every favor he could to see that this little one stayed safe from now on.

  PERCI WAITED UNTIL her brother-in-law led Mrs. North away from the exam room in cuffs before finally letting go of Ivy. The little girl had become nearly hysterical the instant her mother had raised her voice. Perci probably had child-sized claw marks in her shoulders. Ivy hadn’t wanted to let Perci go.

  And the mother had come at them both. With claws extended.

  All Perci had been able to do was wrap her arms around the little girl and twist away from the much larger woman. She’d protected as much as she had been able to.

  Nate had been there. Nate and Joel. They’d jumped in front of her and Ivy without hesitation. Protecting her. And the child who had had no one else.

  She looked up at Nate, gaze landing on the red scratch on his cheek. She tucked a blanket around the little girl, then grabbed a package of gauze off the counter. And antiseptic. Human nails held a variety of bacteria. He couldn’t afford for it to get infected.

  The red mark on Nate’s cheek ticked her off more than she ever would have thought possible.

  She pressed the gauze against his cheek gently. “What happens now?”

  His face tightened even more. “Get her things together.”

  Perci looked at the child. She was so alone. Perci had always had her family to count on. Little Ivy didn’t even have that. “Where is she going, though?”

  “With me.”

  “What?”

  “Levi and I are licensed by the state. For teenagers. It was the best anyone could do with the floods—and the shortage of foster parents in this part of the state. The other option was a group home.”

  Perci shook her head immediately. The very idea horrified her. “No. She can’t...she’ll be alone.”

  “So she’s coming home with me. Well, to your sister, anyway. Pan will be the primary caregiver during the days.”

  “Pan’s not there. Neither is Levi. Pan called. Rowland needed her in Hollywood to reshoot a half-dozen scenes. She and Levi flew out four hours ago. I spoke with her on my break.”

  “Then I guess Ivy’s coming home with me.” He winced, whether from the antiseptic on his cheek or the idea of what was happening to Ivy. “I’m not sure how she’ll handle that.”

  The little girl was so frightened of men in general—it would be literal hell for Ivy to wake up with only a strange man around. Especially one who had just argued with her mother. Afraid, hurting, alone. The little girl would just not understand.

  But Ivy knew Perci. She’d been the nurse on duty the last three times the little girl had been brought in. And she had stayed with the little girl all three times. Perci wasn’t her mother or her family, but it would be better for Ivy. “I’ll come with you. She’ll...need me.”

  That little girl needed her, and Perci wasn’t going to abandon her now. Not with Ivy already being so alone.

  9.

  ONE OF THE OTHER NURSES on shift provided a car seat. Everyone knew of little Ivy North—it had been a matter of time until Social Services acted on the child’s behalf. They had all just been waiting. Before Perci and Nate left for the evening, another nurse ran to her own home three blocks over and grabbed a bag of clothing her twin daughter and son had outgrown. Some of the clothing would be boys’, but she doubted Ivy would mind.

  Everything else, either Nate would already have in his own home, or would be available at Perci’s. Ivy would be set for a few days, anyway.

  Until more permanent arrangements could be made.

  Perci removed the hospital gown and quickly dressed Ivy in clean, dry clothes, and a small rain jacket. She brushed the girl’s blond curls while she waited for Nate to text that he had his truck ready. Ivy just sat and stared. Her eyes would dart to the door, as if waiting for her mother to reappear. But she never asked where her mother was.

  Perci’s heart broke over and over with each look of anxiety, of fear, of worry, that crossed the little face.

  No two-year-old should ever live in such utter terror.

  No matter what happened, Perci was going to do her best to ensure that Ivy had a good future. One with people who loved her.

  Like Perci had been loved.

  Her family hadn’t had much monetarily, but they had had love. Her parents had never struck her or her siblings. Not even once. It had gotten tight on them so many times, food had even been scarce a time or two, but they had protected one another. Loved one another.

  Nate texted.

  Perci scooped Ivy up and grabbed her own bag. “Let’s go find Dr. Nate, sweetie. He’ll take us...home.”

  It wasn’t their home. Either of them. But she was going to make it the best place for Ivy that she could. Ivy fought getting in the car with Nate. Perci ended up in the backseat, doing her best to soothe. Until the girl fell asleep.

  When they pulled into Nate’s front drive, the rains had doubled, lightning flashed everywhere, and thunder was so loud she could barely think.

  Ivy slept on.

  Nate lifted the child from the car, and Perci covered her with a blanket quickly. Then it was a mad dash to the front door for all of them.

  He settled Ivy in the center of the queen bed in the guest room and pulled another quilt over her. “The pain medicine should keep her sedated for the rest of the night.”

  “Poor kid. What’s going to happen to her? After all of this? Her mother will eventually get out of jail. Does she just go right back to her?”

  “No. I don’t think she’s going back to her mother. Not anytime soon.” Nate slipped his fingers around her elbow and guided her out of the guest room, like she was helpless or something. Perci would have protested—at any other time. But this time she didn’t.

  The entire situation was making her feel beyond vulnerable.

  Like it or not, she and Nate were in this together.

  Them and a little girl who had no one else.

  10.

  NATE WAS UP FIRST. He immediately made breakfast f
or the two females still sleeping in his guest room. He didn’t know what else to do. It was his—and Perci’s—day off from the hospital. He could focus on finding a better solution somehow. He wasn’t equipped to care for a toddler long term, and his early morning phone call to his brother Levi had made it clear that that was exactly what it was going to be. Levi expected to be in Hollywood for at least two weeks.

  There was no way he could shift his life around to account for a traumatized child for that long, not while running an entire damned hospital.

  At least...not without help.

  That left him two options—ask his mother for help. Or convince Perci that she wanted to stay right where she was and help him care for Ivy.

  He could get his sister-in-law Phoebe to care for Ivy while he and Perci worked. But at night, when it was just him and Ivy rattling around in the ranch house, he wanted Perci there.

  They’d had brought Ivy here together; they would help Ivy here together. Period.

  Perci wandered into the kitchen, wearing sweats he’d seen on Pan a dozen times now, and carrying Ivy on her hip. The child’s eyes were red. The bruises on her arm stood out. She clung to Perci like the woman was the only safety she had in the world.

  He’d always had a soft spot for kids. “Hey, Ivy-bear. Are you hungry?” He’d made her oatmeal, with a touch of brown sugar. It had always been Levi’s favorite as a kid. Oatmeal and fruit had been Joel’s. Nate had sliced her some strawberries to go with the oatmeal.

  Perci chattered at Ivy, doing what she could to calm the child down. It wasn’t easy. Finally, Perci had her in the chair on a thick cushion, while Perci spoon fed her the oatmeal.

  Ivy continued to eye him like he was the monster under her bed.

  But finally, after only the strawberries remained, Ivy smiled.

  Nate’s own lips stretched into a smile.

  The child’s smile was almost as powerful as the woman’s next to her. And he was a total goner.

  IT WAS HARD TO DESPISE a man who went to so much trouble to make a frightened child smile. Perci couldn’t keep her guard up between them like this. He just looked so much better than perfect, wiping Ivy’s cheeks gently.

  She had no idea what she was going to do with him.

  He hadn’t only made breakfast for Ivy—he’d made a bowl for himself and Perci, as well. They sat together, eating and saying very little, while Ivy babbled at her. The little girl still shot nervous looks at Nate, but she was calming toward him slightly.

  It would take a little more time before she was completely comfortable with him.

  Of course, Ivy wasn’t her responsibility. She was Nate’s. Completely.

  Perci should be heading out, doing her own things. She didn’t want to. She wanted to stay right where she was.

  Perci didn’t think it was only because of Ivy. Something had changed.

  She didn’t know what it was. It might have been the way he’d been so willing to fight for the child that had mattered most. He hadn’t been going to give in until Ivy had been safe.

  When it had looked iffy, Perci had instinctively looked to him instead of Joel to make everything all right. To just fix everything. Long after she’d crawled into the bed in the room next to the sleeping little girl’s, she’d thought about exactly that.

  Thought about what it meant. She still didn’t have a clue what to do about him.

  “Stay.”

  Perci stared at him over the table. “Excuse me?”

  “Stay. Here. Help me with her. Make sure I don’t screw this up.”

  “I can’t do that.” She wanted to. She didn’t want to leave Ivy, for one thing. For another, it felt right exactly where she was. “I have...things to do.”

  A lame excuse and they both knew it. “Persephone...”

  “Don’t.” She held up her free hand. “I can’t stay here. The two of us will argue. Right in front of her. And terrify her all over again. For another...I just can’t. I have my own life at the ranch and the hospital. I just can’t abandon that to hang around Masterson-ville.”

  He stood, looking long and tall and so damned strong her breath caught. Then he was at her side of the table, squatting down next to her and Ivy. “Stay. Help me. Levi will be back within two weeks. Then Pan can help. She’s already said she would. Just...stay. We’ll take her to Phoebe while we work. But I think she needs you right now. Far more than she needs me. She needs to see that not all women are like her mother.”

  “Then I’ll take her with me.” But that wouldn’t work. He had to be the primary caregiver until Levi returned. She had an idea how it was all working out. In order for Levi to have become a foster parent, everyone in his house had had to be vetted. Checked out and approved. That meant Nate.

  Not her.

  Ivy shoved another strawberry into her mouth. Perci watched her for a moment. Ivy was so vulnerable.

  Perci knew what it was like to be at the mercy of someone else. She couldn’t do it—she could not leave the little girl, even though she knew without a doubt that Nate would never do anything to hurt Ivy.

  “Fine. But I need to run to the grocery store for the kids and my dad, and to get some of my things.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll do today. And we can get her some more kid-friendly food. Pan usually does the shopping, but since she’s gone, I’m not sure what we have that Ivy will eat.”

  “Kids eat the same thing that adults eat. Mostly. You’ll need easier snack foods and quicker lunches. Healthy ones.” Perci’s mind was already running over the types of meals they prepared for their younger brothers. And a mental list of everything else Ivy might need. “Can we make it to town? Are the floods bad, you think?”

  “I spoke with Joel. Roads between here and your dad’s place and town are all clear.” He scooped Ivy up. The little girl squeaked, but didn’t cry this time. It was an improvement. Ivy looked so small against Nate’s muscled chest. “Let’s get going. We’ll get your things first, talk to Phoebe, and then get to the market before the rains start up again.”

  Perci had no choice but to nod. It seemed like there was nothing she could do to resist. He was luring her in. Trapping her in his world. Just like she’d always known he would the instant she became vulnerable again.

  And just like her namesake, she felt helpless to resist.

  11.

  PHOEBE GREETED HER with a wide-eyed expression that asked its own questions. Perci just shook her head. She and her older sister would talk—later. When she didn’t have Nate and Ivy hanging on her every word. The car ride hadn’t started out too well, but Perci had made a point of reassuring Ivy that she could sit in the backseat without Perci right next to her.

  Perci gave Phoebe a scaled-down version of events and told her older sister where she’d be staying until Pan returned and could take official custody of Ivy.

  Phoebe’s eyes held a knowing smirk that irritated her beyond measure. But Perci said nothing in return. Phoebe agreed to watch Ivy when Nate and Perci returned to work—Phoebe would have the three boys around to help entertain Ivy. They still had two days to get through.

  With her and Nate playing Mommy and Daddy.

  What she had agreed to do was completely crazy, but when Ivy wrapped little arms around her neck and refused to go to her sister, Perci understood exactly why she had agreed to do it.

  For Ivy. And maybe for herself, too. She needed to help Ivy, needed to make a difference again.

  Nate waited on the porch, speaking quietly with Perci’s father.

  Her dad had always liked and respected all of the Masterson brothers—even with the trouble that had existed between Nate and Perci. Nate stepped back inside, to talk to Phoebe about details, leaving her alone with her father. Her father patted Ivy on the back lightly, then kissed Perci’s forehead. “You call me, baby girl, if you need me.”

  “I will, Daddy.”

  “Good. We’ll be here...when you come home.” There was a look in his eyes that had her pausing. Wondering.r />
  “Daddy?”

  “Yes?” He cupped her cheek gently and just stared.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He smiled. “Not a damned thing. I’m just thinking of how absolutely proud I am of you. What you’ve accomplished in just a few years—any father would be proud to have you as his daughter. Your mother’s probably smiling down on you now.”

  “I miss her.” Perci would never forget the terror from the night her mother had been hurt, the pain that had consumed her after her mother had died three days later. The way no one had believed her when she’d said it hadn’t been her brother’s fault, but the fault of the other driver.

  The fear and harassment and anxiety that had been her constant companion ever since.

  Now that was coming to light. Joel coming into their lives had changed everything.

  But it was a little too late. The damage had long been done.

  “I know. Some days it’s far worse than others.” Her mother would have known exactly what to do with the little girl now napping on her shoulder. And would have fought to do it, if need be. Perci always remembered her mother when it was time to fight. There wasn’t anything her mother wouldn’t have done for one of her children. “My arm’s going numb.”

  “You look good with a child, sweetie. Natural. More than your sisters, you have a way with the little ones. Maybe someday it’ll be you giving me a grandchild like your sister.”

  “I get it. Pip is going to be the favorite for a while.” All of her sisters would be having children of their own soon. Moving on to the next stage in their lives.

  Perci wouldn’t. Not yet.

  She hadn’t yet found the man she trusted enough to even want to think about doing something so life-changing with. When she finally decided to be in love with someone, trust would come first. A long time before anything else.