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had revealed that it had been a few days since his last visit and although she’d replaced the chart and got on with her work, all day a niggling concern had bothered her. She’d tried to convince herself that he was a grown man and was more than capable of taking care of himself, but his absence had continued to bug her – so much so that she’d decided to give him one more day and if he hadn’t come in by the end of her next shift, she’d take matters into her own hands.
    When she’d opened the chart yesterday, she hadn’t been sure if she were holding her breath in fear or relief.
    Now, as she drove, she let her mind empty of anything but the music and sang along loudly, then began keeping her eye out for the turnoff to the Taylor property.
    When she reached it, she crept slowly down the long driveway, careful to stay in low gear and take it easy. The once well-tended driveway was peppered with pot holes and the edges had been eroded by heavy rain over the last few years.
    At the bottom of the drive, two kelpies jumped and barked around her car as she opened the door. They weren’t snarling and aggressive, so she ignored them and grabbed the tackle box of equipment she’d packed at work.
    Seb’s father was walking towards her and she summoned a smile. ‘Hello, Mr Taylor.’ When she noticed his puzzled expression, she realised he didn’t recognise her. ‘It’s Rebecca Whiteman. I used to be Seb’s … friend,’ she finished lamely.
    At the mention of her name, his hand paused as it moved to push open the gate in the fence that surrounded the yard. Her breath caught at the flash of emotion that flooded his face. Inside, she gave a tired sigh; it still hurt to have her name associated with so much pain. Since coming home, she’d taken to introducing herself with her married name – resorting only to her maiden name when she met people who apparently knew her face but couldn’t place her surname. It felt less weird to stay anonymous.
    â€˜Rebecca, it’s been a long time,’ Angus finally said, his gaze searching her face, probably trying to find the eighteen-year-old beneath the thirty-six year-old’s face, with its crow’s feet starting around the eyes.
    Rebecca swallowed despite her constricting throat. ‘Yes, it has.’
    â€˜I guess you’re here to visit with Seb?’ he asked. ‘ I certainly don’t get good-looking sheilas coming out to visit me.’ A small twinkle shone in his hazel eyes, so very much like his son’s.
    Rebecca smiled and shook her head. ‘Actually, I’m not here to visit him, I’m here to change his dressings. He hasn’t been coming in to the hospital to get them done lately, so I thought I’d better come out and check up on him.’
    â€˜Ah.’ He nodded wisely, the twinkle only getting brighter. ‘A business visit, then. Who says our hospital system is on the brink of collapse? You do a lot of these special visits as a rule?’
    She gave him a level stare. ‘I take my patients’ welfare seriously. Especially stubborn, mule-headed army jocks who refuse to keep their appointments.’ She smiled.
    Seb’s father chuckled gently. ‘You still seem to have him pretty well worked out.’
    Her smile slipped a little, but she walked through the gate as he held it open for her.
    â€˜Come on in and have a cuppa, he’s down takin’ a look at the pump. He’ll be back soon.’
    The house had become more of a man’s domain than a woman’s. It still had doilies under photos on the china cabinet and pot plants scattered around, but the photos were dusty and the plants limp and neglected. Newspapers and copies of National Geographic were piled around the room, left where Angus had been sitting last. Seb’s mother would never have let it get to this state.
    She watched Angus get two cups down from the