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Reluctantly she slid out of bed and dressed, pulling a pair of slacks and a light sweater from her suitcase.

She found a note on the kitchen table explaining that both Valerie and Norah were at the hospital. They were going to leave her arrival a surprise, so she could come anytime she was ready. No need to rush. Not anymore.

Selecting a banana from the fruit bowl on the kitchen counter, she ate that while reheating a cup of coffee in the microwave. As the timer was counting down the seconds, she walked into her father’s den and reached for the newspaper, intending to take it with her to the hospital.

She would read it, Steffie decided, to catch up on the local news. But even as she formed this thought, she knew she was lying to herself.

There was only one reason she was taking the local newspaper with her. Only one reason she’d even picked it up. Charles Tomaselli. She turned to the front page. The Orchard Valley Clarion. She allowed her eyes to skim the headlines for a moment.

Emotion came at her in waves. First apprehension. She’d give anything to avoid seeing Charles again. Then anger. He’d humiliated her. Laughed at her. She’d never forgive him for that. Never. The agony of his humiliation smoldered even now, years later. Yet, much as she wanted to hate Charles, she couldn’t. She didn’t love him anymore. That was over, finished. He’d cured her of love in the most effective way possible. No, she reassured herself, she didn’t love him—but she couldn’t make herself hate him, either.

She could handle this. She had to. Besides, he was probably as eager to avoid any encounters between them as she was.

She gulped down half the steaming coffee. Then she tucked the paper under her arm and grabbed the car keys Norah had thoughtfully left on the kitchen table and headed out the door.

When she got to Orchard Valley General, Steffie paused, taken aback by a sudden rush of grief. The last time she’d gone through those doors had been the day her mother died. Steffie’s heart stilled at the nearly overwhelming sadness she felt. She hadn’t expected that. It took her a couple of minutes to compose herself. Then she continued toward the elevator.

When she arrived at the waiting room, she found Norah speaking to one of the nurses, while Valerie sat reading. It was so unusual to see her older sister doing anything sedentary that Stephanie nearly did a double take.

“Steffie!” Norah said, her face lighting when she saw her sister. “Did you get enough sleep?”

“I’m fine.” That was true, although it would take more than one night’s rest to recuperate from the past week.

“Did you fix yourself some breakfast?”

“Yes, little mother, I did. Can I see Dad now or is there anything else you’d like to ask me?” She slipped an arm around her sister’s trim waist, feeling elated. It was wonderful to be home, wonderful to be with her family.

“You’re here,” Valerie said, joining them. “Dad asked me earlier when we’d last heard from you. I told him this morning.”

“He’s going to be moved out of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit tomorrow,” Norah said happily. “Then we’ll all be able to see him at once. As it is now, only one of us can visit at a time.”

“Norah, would you like me to take your sister in to see your father?” Another nurse had bustled up to them.

“Please,” Steffie answered eagerly before Norah could speak. The nurse led her through a hallway with glass-walled cubicles. Every imaginable sort of medical equipment seemed to be in use here, but Steffie barely noticed. She was far too excited about seeing her father. The nurse stopped at one of the cubicles and gestured Stephanie inside.

He was sitting up in bed. He smiled and held out his arms to her. “Steffie,” he said faintly, “come here, Princess.” She saw that he was connected to several monitoring devices.

She walked into his hold, careful to stay clear of the wires and tubes, astonished at his weak embrace after the bone-crushing hugs she was accustomed to receiving. Her sisters had said the spark was back in his eyes. They’d talked about how well he looked.

Stephanie disagreed.

She was shocked by his paleness, by the gauntness of his appearance. If he was so much better now, she hated to think what he must have looked like a week ago.

“It’s so good to see you,” her father said, his voice cracking with emotion. “I’ve missed you, Princess.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” Steffie said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye as she straightened.

“You’re home to stay?”

Steffie wasn’t sure how to answer. Home represented so much to her, much more than she’d realized, but she loved Italy, too. Still, just gazing out on the orchards this morning had reminded her how much she’d missed her life in Orchard Valley.

She’d left bruised and vulnerable; she’d returned strong and sure of herself. Being in Italy had helped her heal. But there was no longer any reason to stay away. She was ready to come home.

She’d been trying to decide what to do next when she’d received word of her father’s heart attack. Her courses were completed, but remaining in Italy had a strong appeal. She could travel for a while, continue her studies, perhaps do some teaching herself. She could move to some place like Boston or New York. Or she could return to Orchard Valley. Steffie hadn’t known what she wanted.

“I’m home for as long as you need me.”

“You’ll stay,” her father insisted with unshakable confidence.