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      “It’s a big waste of money. That’s what it is.”

      “It’s my money. If I want to waste it giving my family a happy Christmas, that’s my prerogative, isn’t it? I’m excited for everyone to be here. We haven’t spent a Christmas together in years. It’s too bad Jamie can’t make it.”

      “Yes.” He could tell his father was still fretting about the expense.

      “Just relax and let me worry about the details, okay? The flight is already arranged. It’s too late to back out now so you might as well just sit back and enjoy it.”

      “I don’t see that you’ve given us a choice, if you’ve already paid for it.”

      He would have smiled at Pop’s reluctance if he wasn’t parked outside a hospital, about to go in and check on the woman he had injured.

      “I’ve got to go, Pop. I’m sorry.”

      “I know. You’re a busy man.”

      “I’ll see you in a few weeks, though, and we’ll have plenty of time to catch up.”

      “You know I love you, son.”

      “I love you, too, Pop.”

      He had said those words whenever he spoke with his father since September. Each time, they seemed to carry a new weight, to ring with resonant depth.

      He loved his family, each crazy one of them. His father had set a fine example of the way a man should live, with dignity, compassion and Dermot’s inherent goodness. As a result, his brothers were all men of honor and strength and he admired each one of them for different reasons—and the women they had chosen.

      He only had one sister, the sweet and kind Charlotte, who impressed the hell out of him for the determination and courage she had directed toward turning her life around the past few years.

      Aidan had neglected them all. For years, he had been immersed with single-minded focus on building Caine Tech into the powerhouse it was today. Something else had to slide along the way and his personal life had, by default, dwindled to nothing. As a result, he had missed countless birthdays, holidays and special occasions over the years.

      This year, he wanted everything to be different. Life had taken an unexpected, disconcerting turn for him in the fall but he had emerged from it with a new determination to tighten and strengthen those ties binding him to his family.

      He wanted this Christmas at Snow Angel Cove to be perfect for all of them, his way of making up for all those years of neglect.

      First, he had to make sure the woman he had injured would be able to enjoy a merry Christmas of her own.

      * * *

      OH, HOW SHE hated this.

      From the drafty hospital gown, to the smell of sickness and disinfectant, to the frustrating and unsettling sense of being completely out of control of her circumstances, Eliza heartily disliked hospitals.

      She had a great respect for medical professionals and understood that certain instances required their services but she would rather be standing out in the middle of that storm out there in bare feet than be tucked here under warmed blankets in the emergency department of the Haven Point medical center.

      Okay, she seriously loved the warmed blankets. They made her feel sleepy and cozy and safe. She probably should be ashamed at her fierce desire to just curl up on the uncomfortable exam bed and sleep for a few days.

      All the more reason she had to get out of here. She didn’t have the luxury of dawdling under blankets, warmed or otherwise, when she and her daughter were now basically homeless.

      “I’m fine, I promise,” Eliza insisted for at least the twentieth time. “Can’t I just go?”

      The lovely red-haired young woman frowning at her appeared far too young to have earned that stethoscope and the name tag on her lab coat that read Dr. Devin Shaw.

      “You were hit by a car, Ms. Hayward. The head CT showed a concussion.”

      “And you said yourself, you saw no evidence of bleeding or swelling.”

      The doctor made a dismissive gesture. “Yet. Sometimes those things can develop hours or even days after the initial injury. With all that’s been in the news lately about professional athletes and concussions, you surely understand that any head injury is potentially serious.”

      “I know. I will be very careful, I promise.”

      The doctor jotted a note on her chart. “I would still like to X-ray that wrist and possibly your shoulder where the vehicle struck you.”

      All of which would take time and money, both of which she had in very short supply right now. “That’s hardly necessary. The SUV barely tapped me. Nothing is broken.”

      “You sound very certain of that.”

      “I’m sure I would know if I had any broken bones. Besides the concussion, I’ve got some scrapes and bruises and possibly a sprained wrist. That’s all. I don’t need to waste any more of your time.”

      “You’re not wasting anything. It’s my responsibility to make sure we don’t let you leave the hospital until we’re absolutely certain it’s safe for you to do so.”

      She shifted in the flimsy gown, wanting rather desperately to be done here. It was growing dark and a storm was poised to deliver a hard uppercut to this little corner of western Idaho. She didn’t have time to lie here being coddled and fretted over, not when she needed to find somewhere safe and warm for her daughter to stay.

      “Look, I appreciate what you’ve done so far but, really, I’m fine. Please.”

      She couldn’t stay here. The hospital was nice enough. Over the past five years with Maddie, she had seen the inside of more than her share of medical facilities and as far as she could tell, the Lake Haven Hospital was small but modern and seemed to have all the necessary diagnostic equipment.

      The doctor might seem young but she also projected a calm, comforting bedside manner that Eliza appreciated.

      That didn’t make her any more eager to stay a moment longer than necessary.

      She craned her neck to see Maddie curled up in the visitor’s chair, watching one of her favorite Disney movies on Eliza’s tablet while she colored a picture with crayons and paper provided by the hospital staff.

      Maddie had plenty of experience with hospital rooms and didn’t seem at all distressed to be in a new one. In fact, she had spent the past hour chatting up all the doctors and nurses in her usual friendly fashion.

      Every time Maddie touched a surface, Eliza wanted to cringe and grab the spray disinfectant. Having a child with a serious health condition had given Eliza a severe case of germaphobia, at least when it came to hospitals.

      No matter how good the hospital’s housekeeping department might be, most emergency departments were a breeding ground for viruses and bacteria by the very nature of the cases they treated.

      She had to get out of here.

      “Look, I appreciate your concern and I understand you’re just doing your job, but what do I have to do to convince you I’m fine so you’ll let me go? As I said, the SUV barely touched me. I don’t need X-rays or stitches and I don’t want any pain medication.”

      “You might be singing a different tune in the morning. You’re probably going to hurt everywhere.”

      She already hurt everywhere but she wasn’t about to tell this earnest, concerned young doctor that. “I promise, I’ll pick up a bottle of ibuprofen and take them faithfully.”

      The doctor still didn’t look convinced so Eliza decided to appeal to her sympathy, if nothing else. “I appreciate your concern. Everyone here has been really great. I can highly recommend the hospital and will be happy to post good reviews on Angie’s

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