Harlequin Love Inspired March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Patrice Lewis (best large ereader .txt) 📕

Mad. He’ll get them out and everything will be just fine.”

Whimpering softly, Madison nodded.

“Keep your wrist from touching anything, so they won’t get mashed in deeper, and I’ll carry you.” Ross scooped the child up into his arms, then caught Stacia’s gaze. “Just get Mason into my truck.”

As Madison curled into his chest, amazingly, Stacia didn’t argue. She climbed in the back between the two car seats, then helped Mason buckle his as Ross gently sat Madison in hers. Except he didn’t know where her doctor’s office was. “Where am I going?”

“Bandera.”

The longest fifteen-minute drive of his life, with constant moans and whimpers coming from the back seat. Mason was the quietest Ross had ever seen him.

Ross caught his eye in the rearview mirror. “She’ll be okay, bud. I stepped on a prickly pear when I was a kid. It hurt like crazy, but the doctor got them all out, and I was good as new.” He spared the digging around with tweezers one at a time process Madison would have to endure.

Finally, he followed Stacia’s directions and pulled into the lot of the Bandera Medical Clinic and parked, then flung his door open. By the time he opened Madison’s door, Stacia had her unbuckled. He picked Madison up and she wrapped her good arm around his neck.

“It’s okay, sweet pea. You’ll feel better soon.”

Stacia scurried ahead, opened the door for him, then signed Madison in while he settled in a chair. The child clung to him with her good arm as her tears dripped onto his neck. If the doctor didn’t get them in soon, he’d be crying too.

Only a few other patients dotted the room. Maybe it wouldn’t be long. Stacia sat down beside him and Mason clambered into her lap. She leaned her head against Madison’s with her shoulder against his and murmured comforting words.

The door to the exam rooms opened and a nurse scanned the waiting room. “Madison Keyes.”

Keyes. Her name should be Lyles. He jumped to his feet and hurried toward the nurse.

“Room 2.” She pointed the way.

“I don’t want to go,” Mason said.

Ross turned to check on Stacia. Both were still in the waiting room with Mason shaking his head.

“Maybe Dad can get her settled, then stay with the boy and Mom can go in with Madison.” The nurse smiled.

“We’re not married,” his voice blended with Stacia’s.

Great, now the nurse thought they were shacked up, having kids together.

“We share a niece and nephew.” He turned to Stacia. “Mason, just come back with us long enough to get Madison settled, then I’ll bring you back to the waiting room and stay with you.”

Mason’s chin trembled, but he complied.

“You can set Miss Madison on the exam table.” The nurse gestured to the room. “And we’ll take real good care of her. Let me see that arm, Madison.”

The little girl bravely stuck her wrist out.

“I had a fight with a prickly pear when I was about your age,” the nurse said. “It’s like a rite of passage for Texans.”

“What’s a rite of passage?” Madison asked.

At least the nurse had her mind off her pain.

A small hand wiggled into his, gave a slight tug. He didn’t want to leave, but Mason was obviously holding him to his word.

“We’ll be right outside. Text me. Keep me posted.”

“I will.” Stacia nodded as the nurse tried to explain rite of passage to a kindergartener. “Will you let Daddy know what’s going on?”

“Sure.” Holding Mason’s hand, Ross trudged back to the waiting room. As soon as he sat down, Mason crawled into his lap and pressed his cheek into Ross’s chest. And even deeper into his heart.

“Hey bud, it’s okay. She’s gonna be fine.” He texted Maverick a quick message.

“I pushed her.” Mason’s voice was thick with unshed tears. “That’s why she fell into the pricklers.”

“Oh bud, you didn’t mean to hurt her, did you?”

“No. But we’d seen the pricklers. I knew they were there.”

“Why did you push her?”

“Because she’s faster than me. And it makes me mad. But I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

“Of course you didn’t. And Madison doesn’t mean to be faster than you. It’s just the way God made her.” Ross stroked the child’s hair stirring up the scent of shampoo, sweat and dirt—all boy. “But as you get older, you might get faster than her. My brother was faster than me when we were your age, but in high school, I got to where I could outrun him.”

“You mean our dad?”

“The only brother I’ve got.” He hadn’t meant to go there. “Just remember this, the next time you get mad at Madison and you want to push her, she could get hurt and then you’d feel bad like you do now.”

“Okay.”

Maybe he’d managed to derail the conversation about Ron. If only Ron knew what he was missing.

“Wanna see the new game I put on my phone?” Ross pressed a kiss on top of Mason’s head.

A message icon popped up at the top of the screen and he opened it.

They’re out.

“See. Madison will be just fine now.” He breathed a sigh of relief and opened the game.

* * *

Holding Madison’s good hand, Stacia opened the door into the waiting room. Mason was sitting in Ross’s lap, enthralled with something on his phone. Ross looked up and smiled at Madison.

“She was so brave.”

“I’m sure she was.” The lines across Ross’s forehead faded away.

“Did they get ’em all out?” Mason clambered off his uncle’s lap.

Ross stood and met them midway.

“We think so.” Stacia headed for the exit. “But the doctor gave us a prescription for antibiotics and ointment just in case. That way if there are any left, they won’t cause an infection. So we need to stop by the pharmacy on the way home.” Her least favorite place in the world. Where some of her worst memories and nightmares had begun.

“How’d they get ’em?” Mason looked his sister’s wrist over as they strolled toward the truck.

“They used a big sticky glove thingy. Just brushed it over my arm and