Scent of Lilacs

the long version

The sweet fragrance evoked the possibilities of love... When Lexy Tate dreamed of practicing medicine, she hadn't imagined setting up her practice in an abandoned brothel, or delivering a calf in a ramshackle barn. But as one of the first woman doctors in America, Lexy couldn't afford to be fussy, especially with a young daughter to consider. Little Krista needed the warmth of the California sun for her health, and Lexy was determined to make a home for the two of them on the California frontier. Lexy was prepared for the hardship and difficult working conditions, but she wasn't ready to meet Jake Westfield again. Four years earlier, Jake had shown how little he cared for Lexy when he left her without giving her a chance to tell him she was bearing his child. Now, faced with the man she'd loved since she was a young girl, Lexy knew that this time she could not afford to give in to the passion that still bound them. This time, she had to make the right decision, not just for herself but for her precious daughter.