Can this nurse and her daughter...

...mend his broken heart?

Brooding surgeon Zeke Bruen never got over the death of his daughter and has vowed to protect his heart ever since. But when he meets nurse Lindy Franklin and her gorgeous little girl, Daisy, his resistance begins to crumble. Soon they’re sharing a passionate kiss, and Zeke begins to believe that they might have a future. But can he let go of the past and find his forever family?

Three-times Golden Heart® finalist TINA BECKETT learned to pack her suitcases almost before she learned to read. Born to a military family, she has lived in the United States, Puerto Rico, Portugal and Brazil. In addition to travelling, Tina loves to cuddle with her pug, Alex, spend time with her family, and hit the trails on her horse. Learn more about Tina from her website, or ‘friend’ her on Facebook.

Also by Tina Beckett

The Doctors’ Baby Miracle

Tempted by Dr Patera

The Billionaire’s Christmas Wish

One Night to Change Their Lives

The Surgeon’s Surprise Baby

Hot Brazilian Docs! miniseries

To Play with Fire

The Dangers of Dating Dr Carvalho

The Doctor’s Forbidden Temptation

From Passion to Pregnancy

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

A Family to Heal His Heart

Tina Beckett

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09010-0

A FAMILY TO HEAL HIS HEART

© 2019 Tina Beckett

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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Version: 2020-03-02

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To my children,

who put up with my crazy schedule

and who love me in spite of it.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

LINDY FRANKLIN’S PULSE HAMMERED, and she swiped at the alarm clock to silence it, just as she had every morning for the last two years, before falling back onto the bed in relief. Six o’clock. Just like always. Only now there was no reason to leap up and try to rush to Daisy before she woke up and started to cry. No reason to make omelets and toast for her husband. But she still needed to get up, or her mom would arrive, and she’d be late for her new job.

An actual paying job this time.

Moving back to Savannah had been the right thing to do. Even if admitting she’d been wrong was one of the hardest things she’d ever done. So had realizing that most of her old friends had moved on with their lives. And who could blame them?

Climbing out of bed and sliding her feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers, she went into the bathroom, where the words taped to her mirror caught her eye.

“New beginnings, Lindy. New beginnings.” She recited the phrase just as she had every morning. Ever since the judge had told her she was free to leave Fresno—and her old life—behind.

Today really was a new beginning for her. For the first time since the move to California she’d be able to practice medicine again. Her marriage had closed the door to a lot of things. Her release from it was slowly opening them back up again.

Mouthing her mantra one more time, she hurriedly showered and got dressed and fixed Daisy’s breakfast.

The doorbell rang, and she froze for a pained second. Then she laughed. It was just her mom coming to pick up Daisy.

She swung it open and there stood Rachel Anderson, as tall and elegant as ever.

“You’re early. I was just about to get her up.”

“I know. I wanted to make sure I was here in plenty of time.”

“You always are.” She grinned and drew her mom into the house. “I don’t think you’ve been late a day in your life.”

Unlike Lindy, who tended to run just a few minutes behind no matter how hard she pushed herself. It had been one of those “failings” that had been used as a hammer.

New beginnings.

“I’m not sure that’s true, sweetheart.”

She was pretty sure it was. But her mom’s sweet southern drawl spelled home the way nothing else ever had. She wrapped her in a tight hug.

“What was that for?”

“Just for being you.”

Her mother had been a huge help in making sure she got back on her feet, first by watching Daisy while Lindy had volunteered at the women’s crisis center. And now by insisting she apply for the nursing position at Mid Savannah Medical Center.

Lindy drew a deep breath. “I’ll get Daisy. And I’ve just put breakfast on the table. Do you want something?”

“No, and I told you I could fix Daisy breakfast at the house.”

“I know you did. But I want to try to keep things as normal as possible for her, since I’ll be away from home a lot longer than I was before.”

Normal. What a beautiful word. She’d only recently realized just how beautiful it was.

“And you will.” Rachel peered into her daughter’s face. “How are you holding up?”

“Good, Mom. Good. It’s just been crazy, trying to get settled in the new house. I didn’t expect to get an answer on the job so soon.”

Her husband had left her one good thing: a life insurance policy that had helped her coast along. It had made her squirm to take the money, but that money had also paid for therapy and sundry other things.

Mid Savannah Medical Center had asked about the three-year lapse since her last position in Georgia, but she’d covered by saying she’d taken some time off to be home with her daughter. Not exactly a lie. She’d gotten a surprise phone call the next day telling her she had her dream job as a surgical nurse in the pediatric ward. Her parents had cosigned for the loan on her little starter home—since she hadn’t had a job at the time. She’d vowed to herself that she’d make them proud.

“I told you it wouldn’t take long. Maybe you should have waited a little while longer before getting back out there. I’m sorry if I rushed you into applying.”

She gave her mom’s hand a squeeze. “You didn’t. I needed to do something, and this was the perfect opportunity.”

Her mom was a music professor at one of the local colleges. She’d been alarmed when Lindy had told her she wasn’t going back to work after getting married. She’d been right to be concerned, because Luke had wanted to pack up and move to Fresno almost immediately, effectively isolating her from everyone and everything she’d known.

But that was all water under the bridge. She was back, and she intended to stay back. Nothing or no one would ever change that again.

“Why don’t you let me get Daisy ready? I promise I’ll lock the doors behind me when I leave.”

She hesitated. Locking the doors herself had become her own personal ritual. One she wasn’t sure she was ready to give up. But she’d have to sometime. And the last thing she wanted was to give her mom more cause to worry. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“No. It’ll give me and my granddaughter some time to bond before heading out.”

Lindy’s chest ached. Living on the other side of the country meant that her mom hadn’t seen Daisy until she’d moved back home. Not for lack of trying. Luke had thought of every reason under the sun why her parents couldn’t come to see them, though: the house was too small; the trip would be too hard on them; he couldn’t spare the time away from work.

Those days were behind her now. And her parents had already spent the last two years getting to know Daisy. And Daisy—maybe because of how young she was—had adapted to her new life quickly. Her daughter hadn’t asked once about her father, for which Lindy was truly grateful.

“I think you bonded the moment she saw you and Daddy. But thank you.” She glanced at her phone. She still had twenty-five minutes to get to work, but Savannah traffic could be unpredictable. “Maybe I can be on time for once in my life. Hopefully they’ll like me.”

“Just be yourself, honey. They’re all going to love you. How could they not?”

And with those words ringing in her ears, she scooped up her keys, gave her mom a kiss on the cheek and hurried out the door.

* * *

Zeke Bruen was not loving the new surgical nurse. She’d done nothing wrong and was on top of every request almost before he asked, but he’d seen her eyes repeatedly stray toward the big clock on the wall. Counting down the hours until she was with her husband? Boyfriend?

Gritting his teeth, he ignored those thoughts. Some people did have a life outside the hospital. He certainly didn’t expect everyone on his team to be like he was. But when they were here, he expected them to be present. Especially when it was a certain person’s first day on the job.

Things had been so rushed getting into the surgical suite that he hadn’t had a chance to introduce himself, although he’d been told the new nurse’s name as he’d scrubbed in: Lindolynn Franklin. So maybe someone had told her his as well. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to have a little chat with her after they were done here.

And do what, Zeke? Confront her about looking at the clock?

He looked too, but it was to keep track of whether things were going as expected.

Maybe Nurse Franklin was doing the same thing. Somehow he didn’t think so. Those glances had seemed furtive and once, when she’d caught his eye afterward, color had flooded into the portion of her face visible above her surgical mask. The sight had turned his stomach inside out. That certainly hadn’t helped.

Returning his attention to his patient with an irritated shrug, he busied himself with reconnecting the pulmonary artery, making sure each tiny stitch he placed was secure. The last thing he needed was to close this little girl’s chest and have the repair leak.

A half-hour later he was done, giving a nod to each of his team with murmured thanks. Then he left the room and stripped off his gloves, relief washing through him. He’d done this particular surgery dozens of times, but each time he cracked open a child’s chest, a moment of doubt threatened to paralyze him. He’d always gotten over it, his muscle memory taking over until he could get his mind back in the game. Maybe that’s what had happened with the new nurse. The only thing to do was feel her out.

He propped a shoulder against the wall outside the double doors as the surgical team slowly filed out, many of them congratulating him. That wasn’t what he was waiting for, however. He was searching for an unfamiliar face.

There. Her eyes connected with his for an instant before she attempted to veer off in the other direction. Good try. He fell into step beside her. “Sorry. I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself before we got started.”

He held out a hand. “Ezekiel Bruen.”

“Oh, um, I’m Lindy Franklin. I’m new here.”

Lindy. That fit. As did the rest of her face, now that her mask was gone. Delicate bones and the subtle curve of her cheeks gave her a breakable air that made him uneasy, and he had no idea why.

“So I’ve heard.” He thought for a second she was going to ignore his outstretched hand, but then she stopped walking and placed hers in it, the light squeeze reaffirming his musings and making him hesitate. Maybe he shouldn’t say anything.

And if it had been another member of his team?

He stiffened his resolve, determined to keep things professional. “I noticed you were in a rush to get out of surgery. Not happy with where the administration placed you?”

“What? Oh...no. I mean yes.” That vibrant color he’d seen in the operating room reappeared, only this time he was actually able to watch as it flowed up her cheeks before receding like an ocean wave. “Why would you think I was in a hurry to get out of there?”

He ignored the quick tightening of his gut. “You were watching that clock pretty closely.”

The pink returned, darker this time, and white teeth sank into a full lower lip. “I was just...” She paused as if trying to figure out how to explain herself. “I didn’t realize I was. And I’m perfectly happy with where I’ve been placed.”

So she wasn’t going to let him in on whatever had kept her mind so occupied.

Well, if that’s the way she wanted to play it... “As long as you’re up to the demands of working with the surgical staff.”

Her back stiffened, and her chin angled up. Light brown eyes rimmed with dark lashes met his head on. “I am quite up to the demands. Thank you for your concern, though.”

That show of strength made him smile.

It wasn’t a true thank you, and they both knew it. But he’d gotten his message across. Time to revert to his normal, friendly self. If it even existed anymore.

“Have you been in town long?”

“I was born and raised here in Savannah.” The slightest flicker of her eyelids said there was something more to that story.

“So was I.” He studied her for a second. “Did you transfer here from one of the other hospitals?”

“No.”

So much for being friendly. He guessed it was none of his business where she’d come from. She could have just graduated from nursing school for all he knew. But the way she’d handled those instruments said she knew her way around an operating room. That kind of self-assurance only came with experience. But if she hadn’t transferred from one of the local hospitals, where had she gained that experience? Unless she actually did have something to hide. Some kind of mistake that hadn’t shown up on her résumé? He didn’t want to go digging through her past or call her previous place of employment, but maybe he should. Just so he’d be aware of any issues before they cropped up and became a problem here. Or maybe he should just ask her outright.

“Where did you practice before this, then?” He could have asked Human Resources, but he wanted to see if she would balk about answering.

She named a place in the heart of Savannah.

“I thought you said you didn’t transfer.”

“I didn’t.” She gave a quick shrug. “I took a few years off and then decided I couldn’t live without nursing.”

She’d taken a few years off...

It hit him all of a sudden. His glance went to her ring finger. It was empty, but he was pretty sure there was an indentation there where a ring had once been. So she’d been married, but wasn’t any longer? She could have taken some time off during that relationship, but he had a feeling he knew what had caused her inordinate interest in that clock. “I take it you have a child.”

Her mouth popped open and then closed again, the color that had seeped into her face disappearing completely. “How did you know?”

“Just a hunch. The clock-watching had to be for a reason. And you took ‘a few years off.’ I wasn’t trying to pry.”

“It’s okay. She’s three. It’s my first time leaving her with anyone for this length of time.”

Including the child’s father? Something about that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up, although it was ridiculous. Maybe the man had traveled so much that there’d never been time to leave her with him or with anyone else. Or maybe the mark on her finger was a figment of his imagination.

It was also none of his business.

She gave a quick shake of her head as if reading his thoughts before meeting his gaze again. “Well, it was nice working with you, Dr. Bruen—”

“Call me Zeke. Everyone does.”

“Okay...” She drew the word out like it made her uncomfortable. Did she think he was hitting on her? Damn. Nothing could be further from the truth, despite that quick jerk to his senses after seeing her without her surgical mask for the first time. He hadn’t felt that since... Well, in quite a while.

Time to put her mind at ease, if that were the case.

“We’re pretty informal here at Mid Savannah.”

“I guess I’m not used to that. You can call me Lindy, then.”

“What’s your daughter’s name?” He had no idea why he asked that, and the last thing he should be doing was talking about baby girls with anyone. He never encouraged his colleagues to talk about their children, and most of the old-timers knew why. Maybe it was because of how reticent she’d been to talk to him. About anything.

“Her name is Daisy.”

Daisy. He liked that. His own daughter’s name had been Marina.

A shaft of pain arced through him and then was gone.

“Nice name.”

“Thank you.”

His glance went past her to see Nancy, one of the OR nurses, coming up the corridor, heading for them. She touched Lindy on the shoulder, only to have her give a squeak and nearly jump out of her skin. She whirled to the side, face white, eyes wide. She seemed to go slack when she saw who it was.

Her fellow nurse frowned. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She held up a phone. “Is this yours? It was left on the desk.”

“Oh! Yes, it is. Thank you.” She suddenly grinned, her nose crinkling on either side. That smile made her face light up in a way that made his gut jerk even harder. He kicked the sensation away, irritated with himself.

“And you didn’t scare me.”

He wasn’t sure he believed her, but he’d already shown far too much interest in her life—and her—than he should have. The last thing he needed was to have the new nurse get any wrong ideas.

Because there weren’t any to have.

And if he was going to get out of here, now was the time to do it without feeling like he’d abandoned her. “Well, I have a few other patients to see, so if you two will excuse me.”

“Of course.” Nancy sent him a smile, while Lindy seemed to take her time looking at him, her phone now in her hand, her expression wary once again.

“I’ll try to do a little less clock watching the next time we work together.” As if she couldn’t help herself, her lips soon turned up at the edges and those tiny lines beside her nose reappeared.

He swallowed. “Not a problem. If you have any questions about the hospital or how we do things, I’m sure Nancy, myself or any of the other staff members can steer you in the right direction.”

“I appreciate that.”

With that he gave the pair a quick wave, before turning around and heading in the opposite direction. Part of him wanted to solve the mystery of the newest staff member and part of him wanted nothing to do with those kinds of guessing games. Especially if it involved someone who’d recently broken up with their spouse or significant other.

Or who had a young daughter.

Better just to do his job and pretend not to notice what Lindy Franklin did or didn’t do. As long as she did her job, he had no complaints.

And even if he did, he was going to keep them to himself.

For his own good. And maybe for hers too.

CHAPTER TWO

LINDY WASN’T TOO sure about bringing her mom and Daisy to the hospital for lunch. Especially not after what had happened with Dr....Zeke. Would he think she was distracted again?

She was off duty, so it was really none of his business.

Besides, she hadn’t been distracted per se. She’d been well aware of what she was doing and what she was supposed to be doing. And none of that involved the hunky surgeon.

Hunky? Really, Lindy? She gave an internal roll of her eyes.

Besides, her mom wanted to see the hospital, and she could think of no good reason to tell her no. And Daisy had seemed excited about eating somewhere other than at her or Mimi’s house.

“It’s hospital food, so don’t get your hopes up.”

Her mom laughed. “I don’t have to cook, so I’m sure it’ll be great.”

“Poor Dad. Is he fending for himself today?”

“No. He’s headed to the lodge to see his buddies. Which leaves me with time to spend with my favorite daughter.”

“I’m your only daughter, Mom.” She flashed a quick smile. “But I’ll take whatever time with you I can get.”

Especially since she hadn’t seen her parents for the duration of her marriage, something that should have sent up a red flag. Luke had supposedly landed a fabulous job across the country almost as soon as the ceremony was over. But, looking back, she wondered if quitting his job in Savannah had been the plan all along. There’d actually been quite a few flags that she’d missed along the way. All because she’d “fallen in love” and hadn’t taken precautions. Then, when she’d realized she was pregnant, she’d been too quick to say yes when he’d asked her to marry him.

But no more. If she ever found herself in a relationship again, she was going to make sure she let her mind do most of the work, rather than putting her heart in charge.

She had no desire to jump into that particular lake again. Maybe she’d wait until Daisy was grown up before dating. When she thought about what could have happened the last night she and Luke had been together...

She swallowed, her hand going to her throat as a phantom ache threatened to interfere with her breathing.

Stop it, Lindy. Daisy is fine. You’re fine.

Leading the way through the door to the cafeteria, she frowned when she spied the doctor she’d thought of as “hunky” just a few minutes ago. Great. Just what she needed.

She hadn’t had to work with him for the last several days, thank God. But she hadn’t really expected to see him here either.

Why not? The man had to eat, just like everyone else.

Just as she was ready to shepherd her mom and daughter back the way they’d come with a manufactured excuse, Zeke’s eyes met hers, narrowing slightly before moving from her to her mom and then to Daisy.

Then he frowned, deep furrows giving his face an ominous look that made her shiver.

Her chin went up. She wasn’t cowering ever again. She had as much of a right to be in here as anyone. She changed her mind about leaving and ushered her mom and Daisy over to the line and got behind them, swinging Daisy up into her arms. “What do you want to eat, honey?”

“Sheeshburger.”

“A cheeseburger? How many of those have you had recently?”

Her mom shook her head. “Hey, don’t look at me. We had plenty of fruits and vegetables to go with yesterday’s burger.”

Lindy’s dad loved to cook out on the grill, and his meals were always delicious. “I was teasing.”

Against her volition, her gaze slid back to Zeke, who she found was still watching her from the coffee bar. The frown was gone, and in its place... Another shiver went through her, this time for a completely different reason. When he snapped the lid onto whatever he’d just poured in his cup, he didn’t move away from them like she’d hoped. Instead, he headed their way.

The shivery awareness died a quick death. She had no desire for her daughter to meet any of her male colleagues. Especially not Zeke.

She wanted her daughter to have a good long stretch of stability to hopefully counteract anything she might have seen sensed or heard during her mother’s disastrous marriage.

Then Zeke was in line with them. “Hi. You must be off today.”

This time it was her brows that came together, until she realized she wasn’t dressed in scrubs. Although there were people who did bring their street clothes to work and changed into them after their shift. “I am. I thought I’d show my mom and Daisy around.”

“Good idea.”

There was an awkward pause, which her mom was quick to fill. “I’m Rachel Anderson. I take it you and my daughter know each other?” She shot Lindy a glance filled with curiosity.

Oh, no, Mom. Not you too.

“He’s one of the pediatric surgeons here at the hospital.” The words came out a little gruffer than she’d meant for them to.

Zeke held out his hand and introduced himself, making her realize that she should have at least told her mom his name. But the momentary awareness she’d felt a few minutes ago had left her flustered, and Lindy didn’t like it. She’d been flustered by Luke as well and look how that had turned out.

“Why don’t you join us?” her mom said as Lindy just stood there, staring at him. Damn. Soon Zeke was going to think he’d been right when he’d said she seemed distracted. She was. And this time it wasn’t by thoughts of her daughter.

It was by the surgeon himself.

“That’s up to Lindy.”

What? Why was it up to her? She did not want to cast the deciding vote. “It’s fine with me.” She shifted Daisy a little higher on her hip, keeping her close. But thankfully Zeke hadn’t shown much interest in her daughter. And Lindy would rather keep it that way.

They somehow made it through the line, although she no longer felt like eating. And it wasn’t due to the quality of the food on offer in front of them. She tried to take one of the two trays her mom was wrestling with, only to have Zeke take it instead. “I’m not eating much, so I’ll put mine on your tray, if that’s okay.”

Great. She guessed it didn’t matter since she’d already said he could join them. “It’s fine. No surgeries this afternoon?”

“I had one in the middle of the night and ended up staying. As soon as I eat, I’m heading home to crash.”

A surgery in the middle of the night was never a good thing. “Was it bad?”

He nodded, a muscle in his jaw tight. “Very bad. A teenager hung herself.”

“Oh, God.” Her mom was thankfully ahead of them, since her lungs had suddenly seized as remembered sensations washed over her. The cramping of muscles starved of oxygen. The blackening of her vision. The realization that if she passed out, it was all over.

Somehow she got hold of herself and swallowed several times to rid herself of the memories. She cleared her throat, somehow needing to ask the question. “Did she make it?”

“Yes. Her trachea suffered a partial separation, and we had to do a tracheotomy and then go in and repair the damage. But she’ll be fine physically. And hopefully she’ll get the emotional help for whatever caused her to do this.”

“How terrible.” Lindy had been fortunate that there’d been no permanent damage to her throat. Nothing to repair. Except her heart. And she was still dealing with some of the fallout from that. Like when Nancy had tapped her on the shoulder. Even after two years of freedom, she was sometimes easily startled. And she tended to walk on eggshells around people, afraid of making someone angry, even though she knew that fear was irrational. But, like her therapist had said, it would take time.

Lindy picked out an egg salad sandwich and a small cup of fruit, while her mom put Daisy’s picks on her own tray. And, yes, there was a cheeseburger. That made her smile.

She still had her daughter. There’d been no custody battles. No lengthy court cases. There’d been no need for anything, other than a coffin, in the end. Daisy would never know her father. But she couldn’t help but think that was for the best.

A minute or two later they were seated at one of the small tables. Zeke yawned and downed a healthy portion of his coffee.

“Sorry. I’ll try not to fall asleep on you.”

A pang of compassion went through her. Anyone who saw medicine as a glamorous profession hadn’t seen the toll it took on those in the field. Zeke had probably been uprooted from his bed to come in and do the surgery. And then he’d probably gone on rounds this morning and dealt with his own caseload of patients. “Were you scheduled for today?”

“Yes. But I wasn’t slated to come in until seven.”

“And your surgery was when?”

“Two.”

“You have to be exhausted. Are you off tomorrow?” She wasn’t sure why she cared. Plenty of healthcare professionals went through the same thing on a daily basis. But she could see the tired lines bracketing his mouth and eyes. Maybe that’s what had made his earlier frown seem so fierce.

“Yes.”

Her mom laid Daisy’s food out on a napkin and put a straw in her cup of juice. “I remember the days when you pulled those kinds of hours before you got...” Her voice faded away.

Thankful her mother had caught herself. Lindy nodded and forced herself to smile. “I’m sure you pulled your share of all-nighters when I was a kid.”

“Of course. But that’s different from what you and Dr. Bruen do. And you were a pretty healthy child.”

As was Daisy, thank goodness.

“Call me Zeke, please.”

Lindy’s brows went up. So it wasn’t just the staff who were allowed to call him by his given name. That privilege evidently extended to their immediate relatives.

He took another gulp of his coffee, bloodshot eyes glancing at her for a second before moving over to Daisy. Then they closed, and he pinched the bridge of his nose as if suddenly sporting a massive headache.

“You don’t have to stay here and keep us company. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep?” This time her smile wasn’t as difficult to find. “Besides, if you drink too much of that stuff you won’t be able to do anything but stare at the ceiling.”

“Said as if you’ve done exactly that.”

“I have. And it wasn’t fun.” It also wasn’t for the reasons he thought. It had been when her marriage had been at its lowest point, and she’d been worrying about Daisy’s future and the hard decision ahead of her. That choice had been taken out of her hands a day later.

At least Daisy would never have to decide whether or not she wanted to see her father in the future.

Zeke pushed his cup away. “I’ll take your word for it. And sleep sounds like heaven right now.” He stood. “I think I’ll try to do just that. Thanks for letting me join you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Daisy lifted her cheeseburger and waved it at him. “Bye-bye.”

He looked like he wasn’t sure what to do for a second, then he gave a half-smile. “Goodbye to you too. And nice meeting you, Mrs. Anderson.”

“Call me Rachel, since I’m calling you Zeke.”

“Okay. It was nice meeting you... Rachel.”

“You as well.”

Once he was gone, her mother looked at her. “The doctors here are a lot cuter than at your last hospital.”

“Mom!” It wasn’t like she hadn’t noticed how good looking Zeke was. The word hunk—of all things—wasn’t something she threw around every day. But the last thing she needed was to fantasize about the man.

Oh, Lord, no. You are not having fantasies. About anyone!

“Don’t you ‘Mom’ me. You can’t let one bad experience turn you off love forever.”

“It was a little more than a bad experience, don’t you think?” She worded it carefully. Even though Daisy didn’t know exactly what had happened, she might be able to understand more than Lindy thought.

“I know, but not all men are like Luke. Take your father, for example.”

“I know, but I’m not ready to date. I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever want to again.” Even Mr. Hunk himself would have a hard time moving her off that mark. Even if he wanted to. Which he didn’t.

Her mom reached over to squeeze her hand. “I understand. Really, I do. When the time is right, you’ll change your mind.”

This time Lindy let it go. There was no use arguing over her decisions about dating. And as much as her mom said she understood, how could she possibly know what it had been like to live with someone like Luke? A good chunk of his life insurance policy had gone to pay off credit cards he had taken out in her name. Her discovery of those cards had been what had set him off that last time. It was no wonder she was now leery of relationships. And Daisy had to come first at this point in her life.

“If I change my mind, you’ll be one of the first to know.”

Rachel gave her daughter’s hand one last squeeze and then withdrew. “That’s my cue to change the subject. Are you getting used to living on your own?”

Lindy’s quaint little cottage wasn’t all that far from the hospital. It was within walking distance, which was nice. And it overlooked a nearby park, which was even nicer. She and Daisy had strolled through it on more than one occasion already. “I am. Thank you so much for helping me find the house. We’re making it a home, little by little, aren’t we, Daisy? She loves the princess stickers you got for her wall. We’ve already put them up.”

“Princess!” Daisy said the word in a loud voice.

“I saw them. She is my little princess, aren’t you?” Her mom tweaked Daisy’s nose.

The tyke repeated the word like a battle cry, stretching her arms out as if showing her grandmother just how much of a princess she was.

They laughed and suddenly Lindy was fiercely glad she’d decided to return to Savannah when she had. She was back among familiar landmarks and people she loved. It made the odd little pangs in her chest bearable.

She couldn’t change the past, but she could make the future something her daughter could look forward to without fear. And if she’d never met Luke, Daisy might not be here at all. Didn’t that make it worth it?

Worth it? Lindy hadn’t deserved what she’d gotten, but she did love her daughter more than life itself. And, yes, she was glad that at least something good had come out of their marriage.

“I guess I know what she might want to be for Halloween.”

Lindy’s chest swelled with love. Her mom hadn’t showered her with recriminations or accusations. She’d been truly glad that her daughter had come back. If she’d known how the marriage would turn out, she’d kept that declaration to herself. Both of her parents had. They loved Daisy like she did, unconditionally, insisting that they be the ones to provide childcare rather than Lindy finding a daycare center. And Daisy was thriving. Finally. She hadn’t noticed the pale fear in her baby’s eyes while she’d been in the situation, but now that they were out? Oh, yes, she could see nuances she’d never known were there. It made the guilt that much worse. She’d thought she’d protected Daisy from the worst parts of her marriage, and she had. But, even as an infant, had she been able to pick up on the subtle emotions Lindy thought she’d hidden?

She’d probably never know.

New beginnings.

No more staring in the rearview mirror. There was nothing back there she needed to see. She was supposed to be looking to the future.

And if her glance strayed to places it shouldn’t?

Like Zeke Bruen?

Yes. She could acknowledge that he’d caught her eye. But if she was smart, Lindy would make sure that was all he caught: her glance. Because a glance was temporary. A gaze, however...well, that carried a lot more permanence. And that was going to be reserved for Daisy and Daisy only.

No matter how difficult that might prove to be.

* * *

Zeke could see Lindy standing by the nurses’ station, staring at the patient board.

Lunch the other day had been a blur of exhaustion and depleted emotions. Suicide attempts were always difficult, but this was one life they’d saved.

For how long, though?

The kicker was that these teens thought they wanted to die. Zeke’s daughter, on the other hand, had wanted to live. Only she hadn’t gotten to choose.

He glanced at the board. Two of those up there were his patients. Lindy would be one of the surgical nurses. He’d asked for her and wasn’t sure why. He suspected some of it had to do with seeing the object of her clock-watching up close and personal. Small and full of smiles, Lindy’s daughter was a miniature version of her. Only Lindy’s smile seemed much more elusive than her child’s. And something Rachel had said stayed with him over the last couple of days. And he couldn’t even remember exactly what it had been. It was more her tone of voice.

He should turn around and walk away before he found himself caught up in something he wanted no part of. But to do so might make her think it was because of her. And she’d be right.

Better that he go over and talk to her as if she were any other member of the team. “Off to an early start?”

She whirled around, a hand pressed to her chest, face draining of all color. When she focused on him, she gave a nervous laugh and leaned back against the counter. “Oh, God, sorry. You startled me.”

Startled? That was the second time he’d seen her react like that.

“I didn’t mean to. Did you think I was the hospital administrator or something?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I was just lost in thought. Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to sneak up on people?”

“They did. I just wasn’t aware that I was sneaking.”

“No, of course you weren’t.” She sucked down a deep breath and blew it out. “Sorry. Anyway, did you catch up on your sleep?”

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d scared someone like that, and he was pretty sure that time it had been on purpose. But her explanation was reasonable.

“I did, thanks. Just checking in about the surgeries I have scheduled. You’ll be scrubbing in on both of them?” Since he’d put her name in as someone he wanted on those cases, the question was more rhetorical than anything.

Her glance went back to the board. “Ledbetter and Brewster? Yes. Anything I should know?”

“Ledbetter has had a reaction to anesthesia before, so they’re tweaking the ratios. Just wanted you to be aware in case we have to make a sudden shift in care.”

“Okay, got it. And Brewster?”

“We’re doing her first. Pneumothorax. Routine.”

Lindy gave a visible swallow and looked back up at the board. “She’s only five? Since when is a collapsed lung in a child that age considered routine?”

“When that child has been kicked by her father. And I worded that badly. It’s never routine.” Just saying the words made a jet of anger spurt through Zeke’s chest. What kind of monster hurt his own child? Or any child?

“That’s horrible.” Her voice came out as a whisper.

The boards listed names and ages and team members, but nothing more.

“I know. I thought maybe you’d looked at the charts.”

She reached behind her and gripped the edge of the desk. “I just got here. I was going to look at them once I figured out which cases I’d be working on.”

The hospital had code numbers for staffing the surgical suites, with the surgeons sometimes handpicking their crews, and other times it was the luck of the draw, depending on scheduling.

Zeke had asked for her, telling himself he wanted to see her in action now that he knew a little more about her. There were a few surgical nurses that he preferred not to work with, either because they were difficult or because they were slow to hand over instruments. Every surgeon had their own style and not everyone meshed with his. He knew he could sometimes be demanding.

Like confronting Lindy about being distracted that first time working together?

It had nothing to do with idle interest and everything to do with watching her work. She definitely had compassion, judging from her reaction to the patient with the collapsed lung.

“These kinds of cases are always difficult.”

“Yes. Yes, they are.”

The thread of resignation in her voice gave him pause. Maybe her other hospital saw more cases involving domestic violence than Mid Savannah did, although even one case was too many.

“We’ll get her patched up, and hopefully the system will do what it’s supposed to do and keep her out of that home. I think the dad is in jail right now.”

“As well he should be. And her mother?”

“She said she was at work when the incident happened.”

“The incident. That’s one way to put it.” Her tight voice spoke volumes. Then she sighed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. The wheels of justice just never seem to turn fast enough.”

“I didn’t think you were, and you’re right, they don’t. But those wheels can’t move on their own. There has to be that initial push.”

First she’d jumped when he’d come up behind her, now this. Was she just out of sorts today or was something else going on?

“Those situations are just so hard. I actually volunteered at a center helping victims of domestic violence, so it’s just straying a bit too close to home.”

“That’s interesting. I sat in on a meeting of department heads a couple of weeks ago. The hospital has discussed putting together a center for victims of domestic violence or abuse. They already have a grant from a private donor, but they need someone to jump start things. So far no one has stepped up to volunteer.”

Lindy’s head came up. “Really? I would love to be involved.”

“Are you still volunteering somewhere?”

“Not at the moment. I took a leave of absence so I could focus on this job. I thought once I got established I could go back at some point.”

An alarm sounded in one of the rooms and a light flashed in the panel of monitors behind her. She glanced back.

“Go,” he said. “I’ll see you in surgery as soon as our patient is prepped. If you’re serious about helping out with the center, let the administrator know. I’m sure they could use someone who already knows the ropes.”

“Thanks. I might just do that.” With that, she walked away, headed for the nearby room, leaving Zeke with more questions than answers. He was usually pretty adept at figuring people out after talking with them a time or two. But she was proving to be an enigma.

There was part of him, though, that wondered if he wasn’t missing something obvious.

Like what?

He had no idea. And he was definitely not going to start asking her a bunch of questions. He barely knew her. Maybe he should drop in on the hospital administrator himself and let the cat out of the bag about her experience. Not everyone could stomach what went on behind closed doors. The fact that she could...

How did one decide to volunteer for something like that? Especially if you had no first-hand knowledge?

Something kicked up in the back of his head. Lindy had never mentioned a husband.

So? That meant nothing.

Or did it?

Back at the cafeteria it had been Daisy and her mother with no mention of anyone else being involved in her life.

Again, it might not be significant.

And if it was?

Then helping with the program might be the best thing that Lindy could do. Not only for the hospital’s sake. But if the weird feelings he had going on were true, then it might do Lindy some good as well.

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