“Duh! They weren’t sealed. We were just going to peak at one, but they kept getting better and better. I really like the one about your luscious body,” Kathy said.

“Don’t you guys have work to do?” Kinsey snapped, feeling her face flame even more.

“Oh, honey, this is so much better than cathing the old guy in room three again. You have to spill. I swear, with all the excitement of having Joseph Anderson here and all those sinful boys of his roaming the halls, then your new and exciting love life, our hospital has become better than an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. I’ve forgotten all about Dr. McDreamy,” Marsha said with a sigh.

“I don’t have a love life, obviously just a secret admirer,” Kinsey lied, for some reason not wanting to tell them anything about Austin.

“There’s not even the slightest chance we believe that, Kinsey. Who’s the guy? If you don’t tell us, rumors will just spread. Please, please tell me it’s one of those dreamy Anderson men. I know most of them are married, a sad situation indeed, but at least one or two of them have to be single,” Betty said, joining the conversation. She was a paramedic, unfortunately for Kinsey, not on a call at the moment.

“Look, it’s really nothing, not even worth gossiping about. I had a date with a guy, who I’m not even telling you vultures about, and obviously he liked the night. That’s all,” Kinsey said with what she hoped was a believable tone. She knew many staff used on-call rooms for more than sleep, but she never had before Austin.

Working in the hospital could be an incredibly stressful job, and there was nothing like a few minutes of wild passion to calm the nerves. Her body heated even thinking about Austin sinking inside her.

“Code Blue,” a nurse called as alarms started ringing.

All teasing immediately ceased as the staff rushed into action. They may have a great time ribbing one another, but when a life was on the line, they were the first nurses the doctors called. They were the best the hospital had.

By the time they got the patient stable, the roses were forgotten about as the hospital kept them busy. Kinsey knew she was only getting a short reprieve, but she’d take it. When she found the nurses’ station empty of any staff a few hours later, she quickly swooped in and gathered the cards Austin had written her, then took off for a bathroom.

She hid in one of the stalls and read each one at least three times, her heart racing. He wasn’t playing fair. How could she resist him when he said such romantic things? What if he really did want more than just sex? Was she willing to give a relationship with him a try?

She went through the rest of her shift on autopilot, often checking on Joseph, hoping he’d come out of the coma. She knew of patients that never did – that couldn’t be the case with Joseph.

By the time her day was over, she still wasn’t any closer to knowing what she wanted. A good night’s rest would help, she decided. She was already starting to miss Austin, and it had only been a day. She wasn’t going to get anything worked out until she took her time thinking about the matter. With a sigh, she turned off her mind, putting her problems on the back-burner as she made her way home, the smell of his roses invading her car, causing her heart to thump.

◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊

“I brought chocolate, all different kinds, and sparkling cider,” Bree said as she entered the hospital room with an expectant smile on her face.

She bent down and kissed Joseph’s forehead before giving Katherine a hug and then getting comfortable on the couch.

“What’s the occasion?” Katherine asked with a smile.

“I’m ready for the story to continue. I can’t believe you’ve made us wait an entire week. You have me on the edge of my seat. Seriously, I’ve been dreaming about you and Joseph. It’s just so romantic. I never really thought about you and Uncle Joseph meeting,” Bree answered.

“I agree, Mom. I’ve been going crazy having to wait. You have to tell us more. Amy and Jessica are right behind me,” Emily said as she came in with a bag full of her own goodies. She quickly hugged Katherine, then sat down next to Bree.

It didn’t take long for the rest of the family to file into the room. Even the guys were intrigued by the story. Katherine looked around the room at her family, so grateful to have them during this time without her husband.

She didn’t know how she’d go on if Joseph never woke up, but she knew she’d at least have the moral support she needed from her loved ones. It wouldn’t be enough – nothing would be, but it still brought comfort.

“Where’s Kinsey? I thought she was working today,” Austin asked as he came inside.

“She had to assist in another room, but should be back any minute,” Katherine answered. She looked at her husband with a smile. He would be thrilled to have his nephew on pins and needles for the pretty nurse.

“Morning, Katherine,” George said as he walked in with Max. He looked quite grumpy and Katherine had to fight back a knowing smile. She may be at the hospital most of the time, but she was still aware of what was going on around her.

She knew the kids were playing games with George and Esther. She actually agreed with them. It was time those two stopped hiding and finally admitted how in love they were.

As she gazed at her sleeping husband, time took on a whole new meaning. Life was too short to let even a single day pass them by.

“Joseph was going through a lot in those early days. He had an Uncle who was a very bad man. Neilson was out to destroy the corporation Joseph’s father built. Also at that time, there was a lot of misunderstanding between him and George, such trivial stuff, and so many years wasted,” Katherine said with a sad sigh.

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Katherine. If I could take back that time…” George trailed off, his eyes brimming with his own memories.

“It all worked out, George, so don’t you be hard on yourself. I’m just trying to let the kids know why some of the events happened the way they did.”

“I know, but it makes me feel like such a fool.”

“We were all fools then, George. But luckily, we grew up. I can’t imagine how my life would have turned out…” she said, too choked up to continue.

“If this is too hard…” Cassie said.

“No dear, it’s just that it makes me hurt to think of those years we missed out on. But hopefully you can learn from us, learn about how precious time really is, and how the small things in life aren’t worth getting upset over. When you find your true love, you run to them. Don’t walk, don’t hide, you take them in your arms and never let them go.”

She watched as Austin’s eyes glanced toward the door, awaiting Kinsey to walk through the opening. She had a feeling another wedding was in the future. As she looked at George, who was also looking out the door, she modified that. It looked like there may be two weddings.

“As I was saying, Joseph was dealing with a lot of emotions. Let me tell you about how our beautiful home came to be…”

Joseph looked at the spectacular view from the small porch. He’d needed to get away from the city, so he’d jumped on the road and drove until he came to the Washington Floating Bridge. He drove across, remembering his grandfather taking him to Mercer Island when he was young. He’d been fascinated by the fact that such a huge structure was held up by what he thought of as balloons.

Arriving on the island, he felt his muscles relax, and his stress fade. He was instantly in love with the area.

As he watched the sunset wash the Puget Sound in a myriad of colors, he knew he’d found home. He could see himself sitting in the very spot he was standing, fifty years from now. He could also see Katherine by his side.

She’d refused his calls, ignored his requests to meet, and was making it darn near impossible for him to see her – but that was all going to stop, and very soon if he had his way.

“The owners are eager to sell. The husband moved last month and his wife wants to join him, but can’t until the property is taken care of.”

Joseph turned, startled by the woman talking to him. He’d forgotten she was there. He’d spotted the For Sale sign and called. The agent excitedly agreed to meet him right away. Apparently, there hadn’t been a lot of interest in the location.

He didn’t understand why. It was perfect.

Sitting on the sandy beach of Mercer Island, the land was engulfed in trees offering privacy. The home was old and poorly built, but that didn’t matter to him. Only the land did. Sitting on ten acres, it was a true find and he couldn’t believe someone hadn’t snatched it up.

He knew it would be his.

The calm, dark water was lapping against the shore, offering a soothing breeze, drifting through the grass, right to him. The sunset sparkled on the water, creating a dreamlike picture.

Higher up on the land, he could practically see the home he wanted to build.

A castle.

Suited for his queen.

In his quest to forget her, he’d tried unsuccessfully to outrun his life. Each business transaction added to his resume a sense of conquering the world. But all of it had been empty, meaningless. A hollow victory.

He would crawl to her if he thought it would do him any good, but he knew she’d never respect a man on his knees. No, he’d win her, by any means necessary. She’d walked away and nearly destroyed him, but fate had given them another chance.

He wouldn’t let her go again.

Katherine.

It was always about her, from the moment he’d laid eyes on her five years prior.

He was known throughout the world as being heartless. It was rumored that he had ice flowing through his veins instead of blood. He’d heard it all and inwardly smiled. Let them fear him, because they also respected him. He was never refused something he went after. Katherine being the one exception.

That was about to change, though.

“I’ll take it,” he said, causing the woman’s mouth to drop open.

“Well, that’s… um, great,” she said, quickly regaining her composure. He was sure dollar signs were dancing in her head as she hadn’t yet listed the price of the property. He didn’t care, he’d pay whatever they asked.

The woman was underdressed for the cool night air. She was dressed to seduce. Seduce a buyer into purchasing a home by any means necessary. From the short length of her skirt, to the cleavage on display in her tight blouse, all the way to her bright red, kiss-me lips. He felt not even the tiniest stirring of lust.

No one stirred him but Katherine. Not since he’d met her.

“I’ve got the paperwork in my car. Why don’t we drive down to a local restaurant I know and fill this out while we have a bite to eat,” she offered, her manicured fingernail running down his arm.

He was sure her dining choice was in the lobby of a hotel, where she hoped to seal the deal in a room afterward.

He fought to keep the disgusted look off his face. She wasn’t anything unusual. Women threw themselves at him often, some more bold than others, but always the same old story. He had money, power, and looks, it was almost expected from them - he was used to her kind of game. He’d played it years ago but he was grown up now.