While her mother’s pain had been visible, her father had kept everything inside.No one had known his drinking had become more frequent.
Looking back, Ivy would have done things differently when it came to her father.She’d put all her attention on finding ways to help her mother, while neglecting the man who’d never failed her.Ivy had thought her father had his emotions under control.She’d mistakenly believed he was the strong one in the family.True strength, it turned out, was knowing when to ask for help and then being brave enough to do so.
It wasn’t until tragedy had struck and the aftermath that followed that she’d truly understood the depths of her father’s pain and how much he’d been covering up.I have to find you, Dad.
She had no intention of letting him down.Not this time.
Frustration nailed her that she was hiding like someone who’d done something wrong when she wanted to be out there searching for her father.
With no phone, getting out of here alive would be tricky.The campsite had been abandoned, so there wouldn’t be a working phone there.
The rustling of leaves made her heart thunder in her chest.Was someone close?Or something?An involuntary shiver rocked her body.This probably wasn’t the right time to remember the time she’d opened her closet door to find a scorpion inside.Or the fact that brown recluse spiders loved to hide in dark, quiet places like the one she was presently in.Dying from a bite might be rare and take time to be a problem, but these were perfect conditions.She was nowhere near a hospital that she knew of.Delayed treatment was one of the biggest causes of death.Even if she didn’t die from a bite, the pain would be excruciating—not to mention potentially debilitating, making it next to impossible to fight off Royce or Clay should they find her.
Was she overreacting?Being silly?
Maybe.
But her skin crawled just thinking about the number of critters inside her hiding spot.Something brushed against her bare ankle.A gasp escaped on reflex before she could suppress it.
More leaves crunched.Her heart hammered so hard she feared it might crack a rib from the inside.Her breath came out in bursts.
Rather than lie still and be manhandled again, she pulled together all her resolve, preparing to fight.
Ivy pushed out a breath and then popped to her feet with a quick prayer that she could surprise whoever was nearby.
“Ivy.”Beau’s voice registered a second too late.She’d already thrown a punch.
He caught her hand.
“It’s me.Beau.”
In a state of shock, she blinked at him as he held onto her fist.Could she believe her eyes, or was he some kind of mirage?A vision she’d conjured up out of nowhere?
“You’re okay,” he said to her, affirming that he was real.His voice was so soothing she almost believed him.
Almost.
Until she caught a glimpse of what was coming at them from over his left shoulder.
“What is it?”Beau couldn’t imagine that this day could get worse.Ivy’s expression after her gaze darted over his shoulder proved him wrong.
She opened her mouth to speak.No words came out.
Beau cranked his neck around to find a black bear heading in their direction.What fresh hell is this?
“Don’t panic,” he said.
“Too late.”At least she’d found her voice.
“Stand next to me and do what I do.”He turned his body around to face the bear.Then, he waved his hands in the air and shouted, “Go away!”
Ivy stepped beside him and copied his movements.
The black bear stopped in its tracks.Was it thinking twice about attacking?One thing he’d learned from the mountain lion back in Saddle Junction was that running only turned you into prey.A predator would follow, stalk.
“Keep at it,” he said to Ivy as he added a stomping noise.
The bear turned and disappeared into the thicket.
