Once again, Sam made a quick scan around the small crowded room, only to discover that he had become the center of attention. That didn’t bother him. Over the years he had found there were times when his six-foot-two-inch frame made him an imposing presence to others. And as luck would have it, it seemed, this was going to be one of those times.

A moment passed. Then another. Eventually, Sam got the feeling that it was more than just his stature that had made him the center of regard. Apparently, he had stepped into a world that didn’t necessarily welcome strangers—particularly, he surmised, male strangers—and for just one fleeting moment, he wished that his two young daughters were with him, although he had no earthly idea what good they would have done him, except that their being female might have somehow helped to improve his image.

And who said it was a man’s world? he asked himself with a smirk.

But in spite of that wry observation, Sam felt a flush rise to his cheeks. As an ex-Navy SEABEE, he thought that he had been trained to handle any situation. But, apparently, not one where a roomful of pregnant women were scrutinizing him so warily. He felt like an alien. Like an invader of the worst kind.

Well, ex-c-u-s-e me, he thought to himself. But wasn’t this a free country?

Damned right, it was.

And, frankly, he had fought more than his share of battles on foreign soil to help keep it that way. He had as much right as anyone to go anywhere he pleased.

Right?

Without a doubt.

So how, then, had he gotten himself into this...this impregnable situation, anyway?

Better yet, how could he get himself out?

Thanks a bunch, Josie, he told himself a moment later, mentally chastising his good friend, Josie Wentworth. If it hadn’t been for the favor she’d asked of him, he would have been at home right this minute, doing chores around his small farm while enjoying the company of his two young children. It was his way of life these days, although sometimes the fact that it was still surprised him.

In truth, he really didn’t mind doing this favor for Josie. He wanted to help the Wentworths all he could. He and Jack Wentworth, Josie’s older brother, had been the best of friends. Now Jack was dead, killed only recently while on an undercover mission for the government. It seemed impossible that it could be true, but it was. And now the Wentworths were looking for a young woman whom they believed was involved with Jack right before his death. But, according to Josie, the woman had literally disappeared. Luckily, Josie had come across a doctor’s statement that suggested the woman might be living in Mason’s Grove. And since he now lived in the small Oklahoma town, Josie had asked him to look into the matter for her.

Clearing his throat, Sam pushed aside the sad thought that his good friend Jack was dead and, like the disciplined soldier he still was, in spite of his retirement, he focused his full attention on accomplishing his mission.

Answers. He wanted answers. For Josie and her family. For Jack. And for himself, too.

Once again, Sam cautiously surveyed the crowded waiting room. From the looks of things he figured he had made a mistake in coming to Amanda Lucas’s medical office without calling for an appointment first. But these days, when it came to matters of business, he was at the mercy of his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Cunningham, who was the only person in Mason’s Grove he had gotten to know well enough to have baby-sit for him. That was, when her back wasn’t giving her trouble. For the most part, he spent his time being a full-time daddy to his girls. His world revolved around them. It was as simple as that.

And as complicated.

The problem was that he had been ill-prepared to assume the responsibility of being a single parent. At the time of his wife’s death, he had known more about disarming a nuclear weapon than he had about the nutritional needs of his kids. He had come a long way in the past months. Suzy Homemaker, he was not. But he was getting there.

Still, despite the fact that he was settling down to a more normal way of life than he had ever dreamed possible for himself, all within a blink of an eye of Josie Wentworth’s phone call, he had felt the same old familiar stirrings of excitement that used to accompany him on every SEABEE mission he had ever gone on. Some things, it seemed, never changed. He was about as far away from that world as he could possibly get, and yet, deep down inside, he really wasn’t that far away at all. Nor would he ever be, he now realized. Once a soldier, always a soldier.

Not that he was expecting this favor he was doing for the Wentworths to be any kind of a challenge. Good grief, he had just come here to ask the good lady-doctor a few questions about one of her patients. Just how difficult could that be?

Squaring his shoulders, Sam started forward, his eyes fixed on the reception area located at the rear of the waiting room. It took him five long strides to reach the counter. In the meantime, he couldn’t help but notice that the decor in the room was leaning toward a very feminine influence. In fact, he was beginning to feel like a bull in a china cabinet. He was almost afraid to move, fearing he would disturb something. Sitting behind the receptionist’s desk was an attractive young brunette. She held a pen in her left hand and was jotting something down on a tablet. Settling back on his heels, Sam took a deep breath and waited for her to finish her task.

Finally, she glanced up and greeted him with a smile. “Hi. Can I help you?”

Sam grinned. It was just as he had hoped. He was going to be in and out of this place in no time at all. Simple. Uncomplicated. Not even a hint of a challenge. In some ways, that was too bad. He had been hoping for a slight adrenaline rush, at least. Oh, well, maybe next time, he told himself. “Yes, as a matter of fact, you most certainly can. I’m here to see the doctor.”

“Doc Lucas?” the receptionist replied, her eyes widening somewhat. “Uh...well...yes...Doc Lucas is in,” she finally stammered. “But she’s with a patient right now. Is this concerning your wife?”

“My wife?” Sam repeated, his eyebrows drawing together. It took him a moment to understand what she meant. Once he did, he deepened his frown. “No—actually, I’m here on business.”

“Oh, I see,” she replied hesitantly. Then she cocked. her head to one side. “You know, don’t you, that Doc Lucas is an OB-GYN physician? All of her patients are women.”

“I’m quite aware of that fact,” Sam replied. “But, like I said, I’m here on business, not for medical advice. Tell me, how long will it be before I can see her?”

“Well, I don’t know. That depends,” the young woman said, glancing down at the appointment book in front of her. She ran her finger down a list of patients who apparently were already scheduled for that day. “Did you call earlier for an appointment, Mar....?”

Sam’s grin dissolved into nothing. “No, I didn’t. But, look, I’ll only take a moment of her time,” he said.

The receptionist began shaking her head slowly. “I’m sorry. But unless it’s an emergency, Doc Lucas sees all her patients by appointment only. Perhaps you could come back on Thursday afternoon. I’ve just had a cancellation.”

“I need to see her today,” Sam argued impatiently.

“I’m sorry,” the receptionist replied. “But unless you have an emergency, Dr. Lucas won’t see you without an appointment. I can write your name down for three o’clock Thursday afternoon. That’s the best I can offer you.”

Already, Sam was shaking his head. “You don’t understand,” he said. “My business with Dr. Lucas is extremely important. I must see her now—today.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “In fact, I’m not leaving here until I do.”

After giving him a thoughtful frown, the young receptionist once again glanced down to study the list of patients she had scheduled for that day. Finally, she gazed up at him and said, “Okay, if it’s that urgent, I’ll see what I can do. What’s your name?”