Two years after a horrible accident, Kinsley's determined to make it through vet school, but she didn't expect to meet country boy Noel McLean who's just as mysterious as he is charming.
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Kinsley Hastings suffers from PTSD. After surviving a fata...
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Noel
Kinsley is late.
We were supposed to leave for the ranch twenty minutes ago. While I'm waiting, I send a quick text to Gramps. He'll go ballistic if he isn't aware of us being late.
Without a knock, the door bursts open. Kinsley comes flying in. A duffel bag is slung over her shoulder. As is a purse. Her phone is in one hand. The other holds a tote bag.
"I'm so sorry," she says. "I couldn't find my notebook. It got mixed up with some of Tristan's belongings."
"It's okay," I shrug. "We're not in a hurry."
She apologizes again. I shrug again, watching as she sits down on Cole's bed. There aren't many bags with her, which surprises me. Not because she's a woman, but because most first-year university students over pack. I sure as hell did. Cole almost throttled me when we had to unpack fifteen boxes of my shit.
I gesture to her belongings. "That's all you have? We're good to go?"
"I'm a minimalist," she replies. Her voice is rough with defence. "I only bring belongings I know I'll need."
Raising my hands in a surrender motion, I climb to my feet. "Hey. I was just making sure."
"Where's Cole?" she asks.
Her abrupt change of subject catches me off-guard, allowing for jealousy to rise into the back of my throat. I shove the jealousy away. It aggravates me. Being interested in a woman who hates me is unfair. It's the world's version of a cruel joke. But I refuse to push Kinsley. Her heart and mind decide what she wants. Not me. If she wants Cole, I'll support that.
"He went to visit his family."
"In England?" she asks.
I shake my head. "His parents and little brother live in Calgary."
"Oh," she says. Disappointment saturates her tone. "I was hoping to see him before leaving."
Leaning over, I grab her duffle bag and sling it over my shoulder. Despite the jealousy, I flash her my best encouraging smile. "You'll see him soon. He'll be joining us in about a week."
"You don't need to carry my bags,"
I wave it off. "Not a big deal. I'm parked halfway across campus. Last night's show went later than expected. I think it's fair I carry the bags."
Kinsley reaches for the strap of her bag. Her knuckles brush the skin of my shoulder. Today was the wrong day to wear a muscle shirt.
"You're already giving me a place to stay for the summer. You don't need to do anything else for me."
I turn away from Kinsley. Damn, she's stubborn. She makes it so difficult for someone to express care or concern. "Why do you have such a problem with people being kind? Sometimes, they do it out of the goodness of their hearts. They expect nothing back."
