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how pretty she is. Of course, I don't worry about Wyatt. He's a gentleman. It's Brady I'm worried about."
    Nicole could have told her differently, could have told Maria all about how much of a gentleman Wyatt was when it came to his dealings with women. But she was too tired and too many years had passed. Maria probably wouldn't believe her anyway. She seemed to have placed Wyatt Clayton on a pedestal. And he was her father’s new best pal.
    She swallowed hard, willing the tea not to churn in her stomach.
    So things were different here than she’d expected. Everyone had moved on, forgotten the past, and that’s exactly what she needed to do. So she remained silent. She didn't tell Maria that Wyatt Clayton was far more dangerous than his blonde-haired cousin Brady could ever be.
     

CHAPTER THREE
    Early the next morning, Nicole was back at the hospital. She'd already seen her father once, but he'd slept through her visit and she hadn't disturbed his rest. She sat in a CICU waiting room, flipping pages of a magazine with complete disinterest and keeping an eye on the clock. The next visit would be allowed in another fifteen minutes.
    "You're Doctor Ross, aren't you? Josh's daughter?"
    Nicole stood immediately as a man entered the room. He was probably her age, with light brown hair and warm eyes. He smiled as he reached out to shake her hand.
    "I'm Doctor Kendall. I've been taking care of your father. I heard you got in last night. I'm sorry I wasn't able to speak to you then."
    "Is he going to be all right?"
    "He’ll be fine."
    Nicole breathed deeply and closed her eyes, not even listening as the doctor continued. Dad would be all right. That was enough for now.
    "Nicole...."
    She opened her eyes instantly as Wyatt entered.
    "I was just telling Dr. Ross that I believe her father will pull through this just fine. This was not a major heart attack, more a warning than anything else, but still needs to be taken seriously. We’ve inserted a stent to handle the biggest blockage, and I think right now he just needs to rest and make a few lifestyle changes. We'll keep him in the CICU another day or two until we can tell for sure, then move him to a private room for a few days beyond that."
    Nicole nodded, feeling a tremendous amount of relief that the doctor seemed confident of her father's recovery. She glanced at her watch. "It's almost time for him to be allowed another visit."
    "Dr. Ross, perhaps you could set your father's mind at ease while you’re with him," the doctor said before she could leave the room.
    "What do you mean?"
    "Well, he's a very stubborn man, though I imagine you already know that," the doctor said with a wry shrug. "He has been very worried about his practice. He seems to think he is indispensable in this county."
    "He practically is," Wyatt muttered.
    Nicole glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then turned her attention back to the doctor.
    "If you could, just assure him that you'll make sure someone takes over for him temporarily.”
    Nodding, Nicole said, "Of course. I'll take care of his practice myself until he gets well enough to go back to work. And he will, won't he? Be able to go back to work, I mean?"
    "He will, but he needs to cut back. As I said, this was a warning sign, he needs to slow down. That might be the toughest part, convincing him to take it easy."
    “Tell me something I don’t know,” she murmured with a smile, looking forward to the return of her slightly stubborn, healthy father.
    Excusing himself, the doctor left, leaving Nicole alone with Wyatt. He looked better than he had the previous night, rested and relaxed. The frown was still there, though.
    "Did you get any sleep last night?" he asked.
    "Not really. I had a lot on my mind. Plus my old canopy bed isn't quite as comfortable now as it was the last time I slept in it."
    Nicole had been very surprised to find her old room just the way she'd left it years before. Her pretty white wicker furniture was in exactly