Destiny by Carly Phillips Page A

her cue from him, Kelly moved forward, pausing at the foot of the bed.
    Richard frowned. “You just wait until you’re older. You won’t be making jokes when age catches up with you,” the man grumbled.
    “Dad, behave,” Annie’s said lightly, but her voice trembled. She was obviously more nervous than she wanted to let on in front of her father. She fidgeted with the water cup on the table, then turned her attention to the covers and smoothed them over and over again.
    “You’re going to be fine,” Nash said with steel in his voice, as if willing it so.
    “That’s what my wife tells me.” Richard’s voice spoke of a love that had lasted for years, and Kelly couldn’t help but envy them both the emotions they shared along with the longevity.
    “Well, Mom’s the boss, so that’s that,” Annie agreed.
    “Amen,” Richard added.
    “Where is Mary?” Nash asked.
    “I sent her to get coffee so I could conduct business.” The older man waved toward the door with one hand.
    Now that sounded like the Richard that Kelly knew.
    “Dad, you are not conducting business. You have five minutes to tell them what you need to. No stress, remember?” Annie placed her hand on her father’s shoulder and squeezed.
    He patted the top of her hand indulgently. “I could say the same for you. Now quit your worrying and go check on your mom. I’ll see you before surgery. I promise.”
    Annie didn’t leave immediately, unable to stop staring at her father. The bond between the two was obviously strong, and Kelly couldn’t imagine the fear Annie felt at the thought of losing her father.
    Kelly swallowed hard, the pain of not having what Annie did washing over her. She couldn’t remember her own father all that well and she recalled enough of her mother to miss the parent she’d once been until Kelly had turned sixteen and life had changed forever. Just like Nash’s life had been permanently altered by the accident that killed his parents.
    He couldn’t be having an easy time with Richard’s condition, either, since the man wasn’t just his employer or friend—he’d also once been family.
    Kelly glanced over and the tense set to his jaw proved her right. With everything in her she wanted to reach out and stroke his cheek, ease his pain. His ex-father-in-law in the hospital bed prevented her from acting on impulse.
    “I love you, Dad,” Annie said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” With a lingering glance, Annie walked out of the room.
    “Thanks for coming on such short notice,” Richard said when his daughter was gone.
    “Of course!” Kelly said.
    “What can we do for you?” Nash asked.
    Richard cleared his throat and pushed himself higher up in the bed. “This isn’t something I’d admit in front of Annie or Mary, but today’s operation is serious. Four bypasses isn’t something to sneeze at, even though they tell me they perform this kind of surgery every day.”
    Kelly clenched her fists at her sides.
    “You’ll be fine,” Nash said again.
    Kelly nodded in agreement.
    “Maybe. But if I’m not—”
    “No talking like that,” Nash said.
    Richard frowned. “Come on now. You’re as pragmatic as I am. I need to plan… just in case. So if something happens, I need to know you’ll step in and take over my practice,” he said, meeting Nash’s gaze. “You’re the only lawyer I know and trust. Actually, despite the divorce, you’re like the son I never had, and I still wish you’d have gone into practice with me after you graduated.”
    All of this was interesting news to Kelly. She already knew Richard had stepped in when Nash was a kid and helped him out after his parents died. Now she saw firsthand just how close their relationship really was. Could that be another reason he didn’t want to end his connection to Annie? No matter, it only complicated his ties to the woman and her family.
    Nash smiled indulgently at his ex-father-in-law. They’d had this conversation many times over the