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over-encouraged her to be outspoken as well.” They were seated in the large cafeteria when she spoke. “She’s my biggest champion. I love her with all my heart.”
    Royce laughed. “She does love you too.”
    They ate for a few minutes before Leah looked up at the man again. “I’m dying. Soon, as a matter of fact. I have an inoperable brain tumor that is slowing killing me. Or quickly, I suppose. I have less than six weeks left on the year they gave me. I don’t think it’s…I won’t live to see her married or happy with a family of her own.”
    He looked embarrassed then he looked her in the face. “My secretary told me about your illness. Bobbie, I think she knows your brother Jay. She said you’d been ill for a while before they found it.”
    “Yes. Kasey blames herself for that, but I can’t convince her that it’s not her fault. She seems to think if she’d not gone away to school and had been home to see what was happening, I might have been able to get it taken care of. But she couldn’t have. It was too big before anyone found it. I’m just lucky that I’ve had the past few years to prepare and be with her.” Leah looked away, her heart suddenly too full to think.
    “I’m sorry, Miss Y—”
    She smiled back at him when he started to apologize to her. “I didn’t tell you for your sympathy, Mr. Hunter. I told you because I wanted you to know about my daughter. She’s not as bad as she seems…well, not near as bad. She just hates hospitals. I do, as well. When I was first diagnosed she spent nearly all the time with me. Six months, as a matter of fact. And the hospital hadn’t been…they weren’t kind to me as they are with her right now. The administration frowns on people without insurance coming to take up their bed space when others with money can be there. Kasey works too hard to pay the bills I incurred. And she refuses to let me help her when I can work. She seems to think it’s her duty to take care of me.”
    “She is owed some money from my firm. A great deal of money. If I give it to her, what will she do with it?”
    Leah smiled at his question. She thought the man knew what her daughter would do with the money, but she answered anyway. “She’ll pay what she can on my bills. If there is any left over, she’ll insist on paying this one as well. Kasey hates to owe anyone anything.”
    Royce straightened up, clearly offended. Leah wondered if the two of them realized just how much they were alike. Both had a pride that rolled off them in rivers.
    “She was hurt on the job and I take care of my employees, Miss York. She will have to learn to live with disappointment if she thinks I’m going to let her pay on my bills. And if she tells you any differently, you let me know. I’ll set her straight.”
    Leah threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, Mr. Hunter, you are in for a big surprise if you think anything I say to her will make a difference when she has something set in her mind. Kasey is the most stubborn woman I know and she will tell you that all on her own.” Leah laughed again. “I love my daughter, Mr. Hunter, very much. I love her more than a mother loves her daughter. Without her…without her, I’d have died a long time ago. But she said I can’t. And for whatever reason, I haven’t.”
    He nodded with a soft smile. “Call me Royce. And for as much as I hate to admit it, I admire her stubbornness, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let her get by with it.”
    “Call me Leah, and you have my fondest hopes that you can try and get through to her. As I have said, she is extremely stubborn.” To herself, Leah thought, and my biggest hope is that I get to see you two come together.
    They went back up to her room twenty minutes later. Kasey was alone in the room when they entered and glared at Royce when he came into the room with her. Leah hid her smile and sat in the chair next to the bed without commenting on her looks at Royce.
    “Do you feel better,