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
When I wake, I'm disoriented. The room smells sterile, like antiseptic. I'm groggy and exhausted. My head hurts, too. It feels as if someone's whacked me over the head with a baseball bat. My senses seem diluted, too, minus smell.
Blinking several times, I clear my vision. As my consciousness awakens, so do my senses. The fabric of my clothes is scratchy and uncomfortable. Whatever the mattress beneath me is made of, it's hard. The assortment of pillows supporting my neck lacks comfort. They're compact and moulded to my body. The soft beeping and humming of machines surrounds me. When I prop myself up, I note each one. A machine is tracking my heart rate. An IV is keeping me hydrated.
I glance at the hospital bracelet around my wrist. Memories come rushing back to me. They knock the wind from my lungs. Kinsley is the survivor of the accident. I had a mental breakdown and someone took me to the hospital. Last time I woke up, I freaked out, and they had to sedate me. Embarrassment floods my cheeks. They had to fucking sedate me.
Shame burns in my chest.
I suppose I deserve everything that's happened. My actions destroyed Kinsley's life. I took everything she ever loved away from her.
Dread fills my bones.
She'll never forgive me. I've filled her life with nothing but heartbreak and pain.
A tear slips down my cheek.
Everything is my fault, and I'm not strong enough to fix it. I caused a fatal accident. That's difficult enough to live with. Meeting the survivor? Falling in love with her?
Life has a cruel sense of humour.
"Mate. You're awake," Cole says.
My first instinct when we make eye contact is to yell at him. Cole and Gramps knew the truth. They kept secrets from me.
I cast my gaze downward to the hospital bracelet. My body is exhausted. Arguing or yelling is too much. Any emotions I once felt, save for the pain, are gone. I feel hollowed out. An empty casket filled with guilt and despair.
Sighing, I rub my tired eyes.
It's a mistake.
I experience the accident. The impact of the collision. My bones cracking. Metal grinding against metal. The explosive pain in my shoulder and the taste of copper in my mouth. All I can picture is the accident. Kinsley. Waking up in the hospital.
My eyes snap open. "Why didn't you tell me?"
He gestures at our surroundings. "This is why. You put yourself through madness and pain, Noel." Sorrow fills Cole's green eyes as he looks at me. "Had we told you about Kinsley, you would've ended up here for a different reason. Her presence would've killed you, and you would've tried too hard. Your actions would've scared her away before any healing could start."
