Milly opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish as Jake slowly and deliberately followed Josephine’s instructions. A smile spread across Jake’s face as Milly began to drink the milk, her eyes rolling in her head in pleasure as she grew sleepy. “She’s drinking it.”
“She is. You are a natural.” Josephine poured the coffees and placed them down on the table before she sat down opposite Jake. “They don’t come with an operating handbook, and no child is the same. A lot of what you need to learn is hands-on experience, an open mind and copious amounts of patience and love, usually in equal measure.”
“Why did you start fostering?” Jake asked as he watched Milly empty the contents of the bottle into her tummy.
“My parents never wanted me, I was lucky, I was raised by my grandmother. But when she died, I was lost.” She picked up her coffee and took a sip even though it was too hot.
“And?” Jake asked.
“And I ended up in an abusive relationship with a man who...hurt me.” Her heart raced in her chest; she still hadn’t figured out how to handle the emotions that raged in her body whenever she thought about the two years of her life she lost to Vincent.
Two years. It was more than that. She’d spent two years in hell and over twenty years reliving it every night when she went to bed. Despite therapy, which had helped her a great deal, she’d never mastered the art of going to sleep without her thoughts drifting back to those dark days. She gasped, her brain locked onto the moment when Vincent’s hands pressed down on her shoulders and submerged her under the bath water.
She jumped, her coffee sloshing down her dress, and she jumped out of her seat and grabbed a dishcloth to wipe it away before it stained.
“Josephine.” Jake’s calm voice brought her back to her kitchen in her nondescript house.
“It was bad.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“But you got away.” Jake watched her closely. “You said you went to the authorities and reported him.”
“Yes.” Her mouth was so dry, like the time he locked her in the basement and didn’t give her food or water until she was delirious.
“Did he go to prison?” Jake asked soothingly as Milly finished her bottle.
“You have to sit her up and rub her back. She needs to burp, or she’ll get colic.” Josephine acted on autopilot as she showed Jake what to do.
“Did he go to prison?” Jake repeated and she nodded in reply as Milly gave a loud burp.
“Good girl, sweetheart.” Josephine sat back down as Milly’s eyes closed and she fell asleep in Jake’s arms. She stared at the sweet baby’s face before she nodded and said, “Yes, he went to prison.”
“But?”
“But he got out a couple of weeks ago.” Josephine watched Jake’s reaction. There was none. “You already knew?”
“It was an educated guess. The way you walked into the house, on edge. If your abuser was still in jail, you would have been more relaxed.” He studied her for a moment. “Are you in danger? Do you think he’ll come after you?” Jake’s arms tightened around Milly and she saw in him the reaction she dreaded seeing in Max.
“I don’t know. If he found me, possibly.” She raked a hand through her hair and paced the kitchen as she fought the growing panic that threatened to suffocate her. “I should leave. Once you have adopted Milly, I should leave.”
“No!” Sharp, like a whip crack, Jake’s tone made Milly jump in his arms. She opened her eyes in panic, but he rocked her back to sleep.
“You’re a natural with her.”
“Josephine. I promised to keep your secrets, but you need to tell Max everything you’ve told me, and more. You also have to promise me you won’t just leave. Max will never get over it and I can’t lose a brother in the same way I lost my father.” His voice raw with emotion broke her heart and she nodded.
“I don’t want to leave, I like it here, it feels like home. But I don’t want to put any of you in danger.” Josephine was torn. There was no obvious right answer.
“I’ll hire someone to track him down. I’ll keep tabs on him for the rest of his life if I have to.” Jake’s savage tone frightened her.
“But no more.” She placed her hands down on the table and leaned forward, staring right into his eyes. “Max doesn’t need to lose a brother over this, too.”
He held her gaze as he nodded. “Are you okay?”
She sat down heavily in the wooden chair, her energy drained as she put her face in her hands and nodded. “Thank you.”
“A problem shared is a problem halved.” He reached out and took hold of her hand, pulling it toward him. “You are part of the family now, Josephine. Anyone who tried to hurt you will find himself facing all three Harrison brothers.”
She looked up at Jake through her tears. “You truly are a good man, Jake.”
And she would defend him against anyone who said otherwise.
Chapter Thirteen – Max
“Morning.” Max walked into the kitchen wishing he’d brushed his teeth and combed his hair before he came downstairs. He’d still been groggy with sleep and hadn’t sensed his mate until he was halfway down the staircase. At this point, he figured it would be rude to turn around and run back to the bathroom since even without shifter senses, Josephine would know he was coming.
“Morning. We thought we would come over and check if you were okay and ask how the rescue went.” Josephine bounced Milly on her knee while holding onto her arms. Milly giggled, her eyes bright with laughter as she drooled down her chin. Yet even with the drool, Max found the small child adorably irresistible. She was theirs to love and protect, just like their mate.
“It went well. We got the climber safely down off the mountain. We had to stretcher him all the way since he’d broken his ankle, but we’re well-trained and it all went smoothly.”
“That’s great news.” Josephine drained her coffee cup.
Coffee. Max went to the coffee pot and poured a large mug of strong coffee. “Do you want a refill?” Sleep still fogged his brain but a good shot of caffeine should wake him up.
At least you remembered to put pants on, his bear remarked.
“No, I’m fine, thanks. Tad let me in and gave me coffee before he headed out the door. He said he was going into town and Jake has gone to work.” She watched him as he sat down across the table from her. There was something different about her. A change that he couldn’t put his finger on.
“Jake took you home last night.” It was a statement, not a question.
Color crept across Josephine’s cheeks. “He did.” She nodded absently as she nursed her cup of coffee in two hands. “Has he spoken to you?”
“No. Only a text message last night to say you were home safely.” He sighed. “Did he say something to upset you?”
“No,” she insisted a little too quickly. “No, nothing like that.” Her eyes were fixed firmly on her coffee cup as she added, “But we did talk.”
“I see.” Had Jake managed to find out what was bothering Josephine? Did she trust his smooth-talking brother more than she trusted Max?
“He’s good at wringing information out of people.” Her eyes lifted briefly to lock with Max’s. “I know I should have spoken to you first, but I wasn’t sure how you would react.” She gave a short laugh. “I didn’t know if you would all be better off if I just disappeared.”
“No!” Max said quickly and raised the same reaction from Milly as Jake had the night before.
“He made me promise never to do that. He’s a good man, a good brother, he still looks out for you and Tad, doesn’t he?” Josephine relaxed her shoulders, but the tension was still there in her face.
“He does. We look out for each other.” He slid his hand across the table, his fingertips inching their way over the familiar scrubbed wood. She let go of her coffee cup with one hand and curled her fingers around his, hanging on as if her life depended on it. “Talk to me. Talk to me about what is bothering you, not about Jake.”
She no
dded and took a deep breath. Whatever she had to say, she was scared he wouldn’t like it. But it was time to share her problems with him, after all, she’d found the courage to share them with Jake. His hand tightened around his coffee cup as he tried to control his jealousy. He was grateful Jake had taken Josephine home and happy that she trusted his older brother enough to confide in him. But the jealousy was there all the same.
“My parents never wanted me when I was born, and I was raised by my grandmother who died when I was eighteen. I suppose I was looking for a parental figure when I met a man...Vincent Branston. He was charming, had a good job, talked to me as if I was smart and clever, as if he could see the real me inside and could draw that person out, if only I gave myself over to him utterly and completely.” She swallowed hard and focused her gaze on their fingers which were still locked together.
Max rubbed his thumb over her fingers, wanting to take away her pain. “It’s tough being alone at that age. I was lucky that I had Tad and Jake, but it wasn’t the same as having my parents here to pass on their wisdom and help me navigate my future.”
Josephine rubbed the back of her hand over her cheek and then smiled at Milly who squealed in delight as she pulled the teething ring from her mouth and waved it around. Josephine dropped a kiss on her head before turning back to continue her story.
“I struggled to make friends at school. I had one good friend, Mona, the shifter I told you about.” Josephine waited for Max to nod. “Around the time I met Vincent, she went off to discover herself, or to discover what it really meant to be a shifter. She went backpacking around the world, visiting all these exotic places. Long story short, she met her mate and settled down.”
“Leaving you isolated.” Max ground his teeth together, bracing himself for what Josephine was about to tell him.
“I had no one around to talk to. It sounds stupid and naive, but Vincent was my world, he made me laugh, he built me up. With hindsight, I can see so clearly what he was doing, but at the time I didn’t. I guess when you are so close to a flame, you don’t see how easy it is to get burned. And he burned me. He branded my soul with his wicked ways. And my body.” She inched her sleeve up and showed Max where Vincent had burned her skin, leaving a ring of scars. Faded now, he could only imagine how red and angry they were when inflicted.
“I’m so sorry.” He forced himself to relax as his fingers tightened around hers. He wanted to squeeze the life out of the man who did this to his mate. No one had the right to hurt another human being in this way.
“It’s not your fault.” She pulled the fabric back down over her arm. “He isolated me, he overpowered me, he hurt me in ways that leave me cold with dread even today.”
“What happened?” Max asked quietly.
“One day he nearly killed me. He put his hands on my shoulders while I was in the bathtub and he held me down under the water.” Her hand shook as she covered her mouth. “I can still remember the life slipping from me. Still recall the moment he performed CPR and brought me back to life. I coughed, water streaming from my mouth as I lay there naked and wet on the bathroom floor.”
Max’s eyes flashed amber and he curled the fingers of his free hand around the edge of the table, his nails digging into the wood until the whites of his knuckles showed. “He drowned you. He actually killed you.”
“Yes.” She nodded and shuffled in her seat. “I think he figured that was proof that he had ultimate power over me. But what he didn’t see was his actions that day triggered something inside of me. As I fought against his hands as he held me under the water, I decided in a moment of pure clarity that if I lived, then I would live. I would no longer belong to someone else. I would no longer rationalize the way he treated me.”
“That was the catalyst you needed to end the relationship.” Max nodded. “You are incredibly brave.”
“No, I’m not. An incredibly brave person would have walked away the first time he stubbed a cigarette out on my skin.” Josephine shook her hair back from her face. “There are some parts about my story I can’t change, but I am proud of myself for finding the courage to finally walk away. That night when he was asleep, I got my ass out of his apartment and went down to the local police station and made a statement.”
“They arrested him?” Max asked hopefully.
“They did. And as the case went to trial, five other women came forward to testify against him.” Her expression faltered. “He went to prison. But he managed to persuade the parole board he’s a changed man. He got out two weeks ago.”
“Do you think he’ll come after you?” Max asked. His bear roared in his head and adrenaline pumped around his body as the fight mechanism inside him triggered. He would kill for his mate, rip this man apart limb from limb if he ever tried to hurt Josephine again.
“I don’t know.” She fiddled with the ring on her finger as she admitted, “Josephine is not my real name. I’ve changed my name several times in an attempt to hide from him. I’ve moved at the same time so there was no way to link the new me to the old me. I think I’m safe here.”
“You are safe, Josephine. We’re here to protect you.” Max wanted to tear the world apart until he found this man and made sure he never came near Josephine again. But he also knew that if he acted rashly and Vincent got hurt, Josephine would once more be alone again.
Tad and Jake will always be here for her, his bear reminded him.
But that would not be the same as Max being by her side. He planned to marry her and raise Milly with Josephine by his side, along with Tad and Jake. Vincent had ruined enough lives; he was not going to ruin anymore if Max had anything to do with it.
“He might not even care about me,” she reasoned. “After so long in jail he might have changed. Or he might be so desperate to find another woman to control, he just moves on.”
“Maybe. Do you know where he is?” Max asked. If they could track him down, they would have some idea of his plans.
“No. I know where he was released from prison, but I don’t know where he went from there.” She gave him a sidelong glance. “Jake offered to have him tracked so we know where he is.”
Max’s shoulders sagged forward. “Good old Jake, he always comes through for us.”
“You’re okay with me telling Jake?” She tightened her grip on his fingers. “I’ve never told anyone except for my therapist. I had no idea how you would take it, so Jake seemed like the easy option.”
Max gave a short laugh. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone call Jake an easy option.”
“He’s not so emotionally involved. I was frightened that when I told you, you might do something stupid.” She reached out and placed her hand on his cheek. “I don’t want Vincent to ruin this for me. I don’t want to ruin your life, or Milly’s, or Tad’s and Jake’s. He’s done enough.”
“But you agreed to allow Jake to track him down?” Max asked. He didn’t want to go behind Josephine’s back on this, but he wanted to know where Vincent was. If for no other reason than to know that the man who hurt Josephine was a good distance from Bear Creek.
“I did. I also made him promise that he wouldn’t do anything that might end up with his ass in jail, or worse. I want you to promise me the same thing.” Josephine locked eyes with Max. “I need you to promise. If not, I’ll walk away from this family as soon as Milly is adopted, just to keep you all safe.”
“I promise,” Max agreed quickly. “At least, I promise not to hunt him down, but if he comes here and threatens you or anyone else, I will do everything in my power to protect you.”
“That’s all I can ask. Although, if he comes here and causes trouble, you might have to get in line. I owe that bastard.” She covered her mouth and glanced sideways at Milly who was still happily playing with her teething ring while chattering away in her baby babble.
“If her first words are swear words, I promise not to say she learned them from you.” Max grinned, trying to lighten the mood, even though he and his bear felt anything
but light.
But we will keep our word to our mate, his bear said.
Of course, we made a promise. But part of him wished he could tear the man who hurt his mate apart. Until then he would have to learn to live with the anger and rage burning inside him at the thought that he’d nearly lost his mate forever at the hands of another man.
Chapter Fourteen – Josephine
“I think that went well. Don’t you?” Josephine asked Milly as they left the Harrison house and drove along the back roads that threaded their way along the side of the mountain. They had an appointment with Fiona who had invited Josephine and Milly to lunch so they could discuss the adoption.
Milly looked at Josephine and kicked her feet.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Josephine turned the steering wheel and drove the car along a narrow road that led higher into the mountains. This was where Fiona lived with her family. From the information Josephine had learned about Fiona, who appeared to be a very private person, she lived here with her husband, two adopted daughters plus a young child of her own.
Josephine was looking forward to getting to know Fiona more. So far, she hadn’t had a chance to strike up any new friendships with any other women in Bear Creek. Perhaps Fiona might suggest a few places Josephine could visit to meet up with people her own age. The problem with being a foster mom to young babies is the people she met tended to be younger than Josephine with different needs when it came to a social life. Josephine had hung up her hot pants and dancing shoes a few years ago. These days she preferred hot baths and watching Dancing with the Stars.
“Morning,” Fiona called from the porch as Josephine parked her car and got out.
“Morning. Just.” Josephine grinned; it was a couple of minutes to midday. “It’s a beautiful day.” She waved her hand at the pristine blue sky.
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