That morning when she’d walked into the local news station, she’d felt utterly out of place. A total imposter. All she wanted to do was turn tail and run. Instead, she planted a wide smile on her face and made sure they knew she was willing to work hard. She wasn’t afraid of sweeping floors or cleaning toilets or filing endless piles of papers.

Amazingly, she got the job, and one day when someone on set was sick, they actually let her help out onstage. Even more remarkable, at twenty-four, after six years of giving every spare moment she wasn’t fighting for April to the network, they’d accepted her proposal for a brand-new show.

Her vision of a positive, fun show that highlighted all the West Coast had to offer, from restaurants and shops to local stars, quickly became a hit. And she loved it. Even though sometimes she didn’t feel like smiling or sitting still for two hours while the stylist touched up her highlights and perfected her makeup.

All that mattered was that she was making an excellent living doing exactly what she wanted to do—and that her success had allowed her to pull April out of the foster system. Even better, unlike her mother, she didn’t have to rely on a man to take care of her … and she wouldn’t be left with nothing after he’d gone.

“I shouldn’t have let you go meet April by yourself,” Ellen said, breaking into her thoughts.

Dianna squeezed her friend’s hand, wanting to reassure her. “The accident could have happened anywhere. I shouldn’t have been driving in that storm.”

But Ellen knew too much about Dianna’s difficult relationship with April to think that their meeting in the coffee shop was just a friendly chat between loving sisters.

“It was more than the storm, wasn’t it? What did April say this time to upset you?”

Dianna’s chest tightened as she thought about their conversation in the Vail coffee shop. “She has a new boyfriend. That’s why she’s decided to stay in Colorado.”

In truth, there was much more to the situation, but Dianna wasn’t ready to talk to anyone about what April had told her just yet. Not until she figured out what she was going to do about it.

A pretty middle-aged doctor whom Dianna hadn’t met yet knocked lightly on the door before entering the room.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Kelley. You are a very lucky lady to have survived that crash in such good condition. I’ve never seen anyone moved out of the ICU so quickly. Good for you. From what I can see on your X-rays you’ve got no broken bones and no internal injuries, although I’m sure you still feel pretty banged up.”

The doctor flipped through the chart from the previous night. “How are you feeling today?”

“Pretty good, actually.”

The doctor slipped her chart back into the slot on the side of the bed. “I’m glad to hear it. I’d like you to spend another couple of hours with us so that we can continue to monitor you. But if you feel up to it, and everything looks good, I’m prepared to discharge you tonight.”

After shaking her hand and getting an autograph for her daughter, the doctor exited the room and the nurse stuck her head back inside.

“Ms. Kelley, I wanted to check with you about another visitor who’d like to say hello.”

Quick to protect Dianna against reporters looking to get the first sound bite on the accident, Ellen replied, “She isn’t ready to make a statement yet.”

The nurse shook her head. “Oh no, this man says he’s a firefighter, not a reporter.”

Dianna’s heart practically stopped beating. “A firefighter?”

“Swear to God he’s one of the best-looking guys I’ve ever seen,” the young nurse said innocently.

“What’s his name?” Ellen asked, impatience ringing out in her tone.

“Oh, sorry, his name is Sam MacKenzie.” The woman looked nervous now. “Should I tell him you don’t feel well, Ms. Kelley?”

Dianna’s heart and mind rebelled at the thought of seeing him exactly at the same time that she realized how badly she wanted to see him.

How badly she needed to see him.

Having the nurse tell him to go away would be the easiest thing to do. The smartest thing to do.

It didn’t take a genius to know that a reunion with Sam wasn’t a good idea. He’d been the reason for her greatest heartache, and regardless of the lies she’d told herself, the truth was, it had taken her years to get over him.

But Sam had obviously come all this way to see her and she knew Ellen wouldn’t let up until she explained.

Most important, though, she refused to act like a coward.

“I’d be happy to see him,” she lied to the nurse, a false smile from her arsenal of pretend smiles plastered on her face.

“Send him in.”

CHAPTER FIVE

THANK GOD, Sam thought as he stood in the doorway, she’s alive.

Relief at seeing her sitting up in bed flooded through him a millisecond before his next thought caught him unaware.

She’s even more beautiful than the day I met her.

Even with a bruise on her cheekbone, even ten years older, she was still the most stunning woman he’d ever seen. In a matter of seconds, he took in the details of her face, her bright green eyes, her soft red lips, her high cheekbones, and her long, graceful neck.

The beautiful girl he’d been in love with had been transformed into a hell of a woman.

In the time they’d been apart, he’d never allowed himself to give in to the ridiculously powerful urge to watch her show, but there had been times he’d been unable to avoid seeing West Coast Update when he was waiting in the airport or sitting in a bar drinking a beer with the guys.

Six years after she’d left Tahoe, he still remembered the day he saw her interviewing a pop star. Her smile had been so big, so wide, her eyes so shiny and bright, he felt like he’d been shot straight through the heart.

All along, he’d assumed that she’d been torn to pieces by losing the baby, because that’s how he’d felt. As the camera zoomed in on her thousand-watt smile, he suddenly realized a baby would have held her back from the flashy life she’d really wanted.

Staring at her now on the hospital bed, he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised to see her look so glossy, so polished, but he’d always assumed she looked that way because of the cameras, or the lights, or that maybe the TV screen was distorting the truth.