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CHAPTER ONE

AS THE TAXI rolled up the rise Cass Bellow looked out theat the snow-blanketed Heatherglen Castle Clinic in northern Scotland Why had she been sent here?

More than once she’d questioned her doctor’s wisdo her to this private clinic for physical therapy Weren’t there plenty of other places in warmer climates? Particularly in her native US Or, better yet, couldn’t she have just gone ho on her own? But, no, her doctor insisted she should be at Heatherglen Had stated that he sent all his patients with extensive orthopedic injuries there He declared the place was her best hope for a full recovery Finally, at her argun off on her release she len

As the car came to a stop at the front door she studied the Nor with its se, and breathtaking There were more chi like what she’d expected Though it was early Novereenery and red bows already hung on the outside of the lower floor s They further darkened her mood

When she had been given the search and rescue assign the military after an explosion in Eastern Europe, she had never dreamed she’d end up in traction in an ar had finally ain co, snowy place to do just that All she really wanted was to be left alone

She opened the cab door and wind blasted her Despite the heat co car, she shuddered As Cass stepped out, one of the large wooden castle doors, decked with a huge Christmas wreath full of red berries, opened A tall man, perhaps in his mid-thirties, with the wide shoulders of an athlete stepped out With rust-colored hair and wearing a heavy tan cable sweater and dark brown pants, he looked like the epitoht a Scottish man should be As he came down the few steps toward her, he smiled

“Hello, you must be Ms Cassandra Bellow I’len You may call me Lyle”

His thick Scottish brogue confirhts Yet she was surprised by the way the sunny cheerfulness of his voice curled around her na at her icy emotions Irritated, she pushed that odd notion away This doctor was far too happy and personable for her taste Her goal was to do what must be done with as little interaction with others as possible She planned on nursing her wounds in private

“Yes, that’s htness of his set to her roo froht on her right leg

“Flora McNeith, the physiotherapist whose care you’ll be under, couldn’t be here to greet you and asked that I get you settled in” Concern filled his face “Do you need a wheelchair? Crutches?”

“No, I can walk on ” She pulled at her jacket to stop the biting flow of air down her neck

A light chuckle rolled

out of his throat and over her nerve endings “I understand Then let’s get inside out of this weather” He looked up at the sky A snowflake landed on the dark red five o’clock shadow covering his cheek

Cass averted her eyes and gave the cobblestone drive, cleared of snow, a searching look It was farther than she wanted to walk, yet she wouldn’t let on The three steps up to the door looked even

All she needed was fortitude to make the walk and climb those steps She had plenty of that Soft snowflakes continued to drift down as she took a deep breath and steeled herself to put one foot in front of the other With another silent inhalation, she started toward the entrance Dr Sinclair walked beside her

She ed the first two steps with no e of the last one Grabbing at air, Cass finally found the fabric covering Dr Sinclair’s arht-handed, she’d instinctively flailed out that arh it, but not as sharp as it had been weeks earlier She gritted her teeth, thrusting out her other arm to ease the fall

Instead of tuainst a hard wall of human torso The doctor’s arm circled her waist and held her steady Her face smashed into thick yarn A hint of pine and s

“Steady on, I’ve got you” His deep burr was near her ear

Cass quickly straightened, getting her feet under her even though pain rocked her She refused to show it, having already ehtened “I’m fine Thank you”

Glancing at hiot the weirdest i to do with her physical injuries, as if he was able to see her true pain That was a crazy idea She shook that odd thought off and focused on where she was

Taking a third fortifying breath, Cass stepped into the massive foyer

No as she going to let hih much worse She’d always been self-sufficient Weakness wasn’t in her vocabulary As a young girl she had learned the power of being e

Still, that brief human contact had been nice

There were two enormous cement urns filled with pine and berries on either side of the doors Cass looked further to see the stone arched bearand staircase On the floor beside it lay a pile of pine wood Here she was in this strange place for the holidays when all she wished for was hoain as fast as she could, then return to Arieve her loss in private

“Are you sure you’re okay?” The doctor stood too close as if he was afraid she ain

“I’m fine” The words sounded sharp and overly loud in the cavernous entrance hall If she could just get to her roo in her ar by then as well

“On our way to your roos are This is Admissions” He waved a hand to indicate a room off the hall “Louise, my administrative assistant, and I have our offices there She’s out this afternoon as well You two can sort out the paperwork in theI’m sure you’re tired”

Cass was beyond tired The effort it had taken her to travel from Germany to Fort William then the drive north had worn her out She hadn’t recovered anywhere near as much as she wanted to believe

“Over here is the dining room” He walked across the hall and stood in a wide doorway

Cass joined him Despite her physical distress, she loved his accent It was soothing, for some reason

The roo and ith a dark barrel ceiling sculpted out of wood froe, black iron chandeliers A fireplace Cass could stand up in filled the wall on the far end with flags arranged overhead The walls were partially covered in wainscoting Above that were a few e table, surrounded by i at least twenty people, stood in the center of the roo in blue and red lay beneath it The only thing out of place was a pile of greenery on the floor in one corner and a few boxes stacked beside it

He aze “Pardon thefor Christmas”