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were smiling together and neither of them looked particularly worried, which he had to assume meant the doctor hadn’t found any unexpected problems in the impromptu examination.

      “Since I know you’re only going to hound me to tell you after they left,” Eliza said to him, “I’ll save you the trouble. You’ll be relieved to know, everything checks out.”

      He glanced at Dr. Shaw, who nodded. “She is in amazing condition for someone who was hit by an SUV yesterday.”

      “Barely tapped,” Eliza muttered.

      “Thank you for coming out all this way to make sure,” he said, ignoring that. He still broke into cold chills whenever he thought of it. “I appreciate your dedication. I asked your sister if you would like to stay for dinner. She declined but I will repeat the invitation. We would love to have you.”

      The two sisters exchanged an unspoken communication. “We can’t,” Dr. Shaw said reluctantly. “I have a few other patients I wanted to check in on during the storm. Thank you, though. And thank you, Sue, for the coffee and delicious treats.”

      “I enjoyed the visit,” Sue said. She came over carrying a white paper bag. “I wrapped up some of the nibbles for you to take with you.”

      “Wow! Thanks!” McKenzie Shaw exclaimed, looking far too fresh-faced to be on the brink of assuming the town’s mayoral position.

      “You’re welcome. You two be careful out there.”

      “We will. Can I use your ladies’ room before we hit the road?” McKenzie asked.

      “Certainly. I’ll show you where it is,” Eliza said. She led her toward the front of the house to the guest powder room.

      “Mr. Caine, could I speak with you for a moment?” Dr. Shaw said when the other two women were out of earshot.

      Was he about to get another lecture on his responsibilities to the town? He sighed but didn’t know how to avoid it. “Certainly.”

      She glanced over to the kitchen where Sue was pouring Maddie a glass of juice. “Somewhere private?”

      He raised an eyebrow. “Of course.”

      He led the way through the house to his office. “Actually, I’m glad for the chance to speak with you, Dr. Shaw. I know Eliza said she was fine but do you still have any areas of concern about her physical condition we should know about?”

      “You know I can’t tell you anything more, Mr. Caine. Confidentiality laws and all. If it sets your mind at ease, I can let you know I told her I see no reason to schedule a follow-up.”

      He felt as if a weight the size of one of his horses had just been lifted from his shoulders. “That helps. Thank you.”

      “I asked to speak to you because I wanted to ask how you are.”

      He picked a pen up from the desk and idly twirled it through his fingers. “Fine. I was completely unhurt. Shaken up, maybe, but physically fine.”

      “I’m not talking about the accident,” she said, her voice quiet.

      His fingers tightened on the pen. “I don’t know what you mean,” he lied.

      “Don’t you?” Though she spoke the words quietly, he saw firm knowledge in her eyes. “I saw the incision at the hospital yesterday when you ran your fingers through your hair. It’s quite well hidden by your hair but not completely concealed. Tumor?”

      He could bluff here and lie to her. It would be the safest route because of the secrecy that had been so carefully maintained for the last three months. What would be the point? She wasn’t a stupid woman.

      “Before I say anything else, I must demand absolute discretion from you. You cannot mention this conversation to anyone. By some miracle, we have managed to keep it a secret from the media and I intend to keep it that way.”

      “I would lose my medical license if I casually chatted about my patients’ medical history, Mr. Caine. And before you tell me you’re not my patient, you live in my town now. That makes you mine, whether you ever come into my office or not.”

      In her way, she was as committed to Haven Point as her sister, the mayor, he realized. “I appreciate that. I’m sure you understand that I cannot be too careful in my circumstance.”

      “I do. So was it a tumor?”

      He had kept this a secret for so long, he found it difficult even to form the words. “Yes. Benign meningioma.”

      “Ah. Benign. That must have been a relief.”

      He thought of those two weeks of hell when he hadn’t been sure. The entire time as they waited for tests, he hadn’t been able to shake the dark memories of his mother’s lingering, horrible cancer death. He just figured he would buy a one-way-ticket to Africa, wander into a veldt somewhere and let the lions have at him.

      In those two weeks, everything in his life had come into sharp, raw focus and he had come to the stark realization that though he had achieved incredible material and professional success, he still had hollows and spaces inside him he didn’t know how to fill.

      “A relief. Yes. It started growing quickly and affecting function, which is how it was discovered in the first place, so the decision was made to remove it in September.”

      “What sort of residual side effects have you seen in the last three months? Headaches?”

      “Sometimes.” He considered headache a relative term for those moments when he wanted to rip his scalp right off his skull.

      “Blackouts? Seizures?”

      “You mean did I pass out when I was driving yesterday and endanger innocent pedestrians?” He didn’t bother to keep the testiness from his voice.

      “I didn’t say that.”

      He knew that hadn’t happened. He remembered each instant of the accident with vivid clarity, something he wouldn’t have been able to do if he had passed out.

      “Since the surgery, I haven’t had any. Beforehand, yeah. The tumor was kind of a tangled mess. It made life...complicated.”

      “I can imagine.”

      She was quiet, green eyes filled with compassion. With that calm, trust-inducing bedside manner, she must be an extraordinarily good physician, he thought. He feared she would be one of those doctors who burned out quickly from caring too much for her patients.

      “I’ve been cleared to drive again for the last six weeks.”

      “I’m sorry I pressed you about it but I’m very glad you confided in me. I assure you, I will keep what you have shared with me confidential. I’m sure you have a strong support system around you and probably amazing physicians back in California but I understand how isolating a serious medical condition can be.” She handed him a card. “This is my cell number and my email. Please know you can contact me at any time if you have any concerns or questions while you’re in the Lake Haven area.”

      “Thank you.”

      He opened the office door for her and after a pause, she walked out and rejoined her sister and Eliza, who stood admiring the Christmas tree in the great room.

      “Everything okay?” McKenzie asked with a curious look at her sister.

      The physician gave her a casual smile. “Yes. I was just telling Mr. Caine here about the Lights on the Lake Festival and urging him to take his family while they’re here.”

      “The Lights on the Lake Festival?” Eliza asked.

      “Yes. It’s a week from today,” McKenzie said. “It’s great fun. You’ll love it! It’s a huge celebration in town where all the boat owners in Haven Point and Shelter Springs decorate their watercraft with Christmas lights and sail in a big parade from their marina to ours, three miles. There’s a

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