Love Me Again (Pinecone Valley Book 1)

by Cindy Stark

  LOVE ME AGAIN

  (Pinecone Valley Book One)

  By Cindy Stark

  PUBLISHED BY

  C. Nielsen

  www.cindystark.com

  Love Me Again © 2014 C. Nielsen

  All rights reserved

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. The ebook contained herein constitutes a copyrighted work and may not be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, or stored in or introduced into an information storage and retrieval system in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the copyright owner, except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This ebook is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  ALSO BY CINDY STARK

  Blackwater Canyon Ranch

  Caleb

  Oliver

  Aspen Series

  Wounded

  Relentless

  Lawless

  Cowboys and Angels

  Come Back To Me

  Surrender

  Reckless

  Tempted

  Crazy One More Time

  I’m With You

  Pinecone Valley Series

  Love Me Again

  Whispers (An Argent Springs Novel)

  Retribution Novels

  Branded

  Hunted

  Banished

  Hijacked

  Moonlight and Margaritas

  Sweet Vengeance

  Which Witch is Which?

  Which Witch is Wicked?

  CHAPTER ONE

  Satisfaction touched with a twinge of melancholy filled Krystal Collier as she exited her car and approached the small town medical center. She belonged here. Maybe not ultimately in this particular hospital in her hometown of Pinecone Valley, Utah, but definitely in the medical profession.

  Warm lights from the two-story building illuminated the brisk March evening, beckoning her to enter the familiar, comfortable atmosphere. Smaller farming communities in the surrounding area considered Pinecone large in comparison, but it was tiny when measured against bustling Las Vegas where she’d recently finished her preceptorship in nursing.

  She’d committed herself a long time ago to doing what she needed to realize her dreams. She only wished it hadn’t come at such a high cost, a cost she hadn’t anticipated when she’d first made her decision to put her career before love. Coming back to Pinecone hadn’t been her original plan, but sometimes plans change.

  She stepped into the Uintah Medical Center for the fourth day in a row, prepared for another twelve-hour shift. The scent of disinfectant and waxed floors greeted her, making her feel at home. She smiled and confidently walked a different hallway this evening, headed for the emergency room. She’d oriented for a couple of days on the second floor, but today was her first big day in the E.R. She couldn’t wait to begin.

  A sandy-haired doctor heading in the opposite direction met her gaze and held it long enough to set her pulse racing. “Evening.”

  “Hello,” she replied as she passed. She resisted the urge to turn to see if he still watched her. She’d spotted Doctor Rob Matthews, the hottest thing in the hospital, her first day. The other nurses had warned her of his reputation and rightly so. No guy should be that cute or that smart.

  Still, her heart wasn’t in danger. There had only been one man who might have derailed her from her dreams, her need for self-sufficiency, but she’d been a fool and had pushed him away.

  Despite that one mistake, she did have her education, and she couldn’t regret that part. She’d made her choices, and now, she’d make the best of what she did have in her life.

  She turned the corner that led to the E.R. and inhaled an excited breath. She was no longer a trainee, but a full-fledged, working nurse. She buried her smile as she approached the nurses’ station.

  “You must be Krystal.” A woman near her age with rich, mahogany-colored hair twisted into a messy bun greeted her with an interested gaze. Moss-green eyes assured she missed nothing. “Looks like my friends on the second floor didn’t manage to scare you off, yet.”

  Krystal smiled, liking the woman immediately. “No, and I doubt you will, either. I’m exactly where I want to be.”

  The nurse extended her hand. “Giselle Lambert. We’ll be working the E.R. together most shifts.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Can I ask why you picked the E.R.?” Giselle studied her, making her feel like a specimen under a microscope. Nothing like a direct question to create tension. But the second floor nurses had warned her Giselle had high standards, and that she would do her best to test her capabilities before she would fully trust Krystal.

  Bring it on, she thought as she met her blunt gaze. “I’m a sucker for the action part of medicine. Not so much the daily care.” She enjoyed the erratic, exciting pulse of life-threatening situations as opposed to the calm, steady heartbeat of the rest of the hospital.

  A hint of a smile played on Giselle’s lips for a brief moment, and then her all-business attitude returned. “Just remember to keep your head about you. Most people who come in here are under duress, and you can’t lose your cool. They’re counting on you to be a rock of knowledge. Understand?”

  “Absolutely.” Krystal had never embraced creating drama like some women did. Never lost her cool when faced with the most difficult tests in school. She liked to think her ability to perform under pressure was a gift she could share with her patients. “I’ve learned a lot in the past three months, and I’m ready.”

  “Great. I’ll review patient reports with you in a minute. First, we have a motor vehicle accident victim en route.” Giselle lifted her head and looked toward the entrance doors. “A fifty-seven-year-old female involved in a head on. Possible internal injuries. The E.R. doc should be here shortly.”

  Krystal widened her gaze, a thrill of excitement buzzing through her. She hadn’t been here a minute, and already she’d see action. She’d experienced similar situations in Vegas, but she’d been learning, a novice. This was her actual job, and the responsibility of her actions belonged completely to her, not her preceptor.

  “They should be here in less than five.” Giselle checked her watch. “I want you to hang back and observe for the first while until you get the hang of things. If I ask for something, don’t question. Just do it. Understand?”

  “Of course.” Anticipation pumped through her like a potent drug.

  “The room is prepped and...” she paused as the sound of sirens filled the air. “Let’s go.”

  Giselle left her station, and Krystal followed as the ambulance pulled in front of the doors. They both waited inside, watching through the double doors as two men dressed in brown khakis and heavy jackets unloaded a patient from the back of the vehicle. Overhead lights casted an orange glow on the area outside the doors. She and Giselle stood ready to take over the care.

  Doc Matthews arrived and focused solely on the activity happening outside.

  Krystal narrowed her gaze, trying to get a good loo
k at the patient, to anticipate what they might be dealing with. She ached to use her skills, to increase them. Helping others gave her a high like no other.

  As the two EMTs and gurney drew closer, disbelief and anxiety swallowed her anticipation, and her brain stuttered. The E.R. doors slid open, and the two men rushed forward with their patient, bringing a gust of cold air with them. One of them skimmed over her with the briefest of glances before he doubled back and locked his too familiar eyes onto hers causing her to lose all focus.

  Josh Vansant, looking strong, capable and downright sexy in his khakis, held her gaze for what seemed like forever as he rattled off vitals and the accident details to the emergency team. Krystal swallowed and tried to breathe. She knew she’d likely run into him if he still lived in Pinecone, but here?

  Giselle gripped her arm and tugged her forward down the hall, pulling her from her daze. “Did you hear me?”

  Krystal jerked her gaze toward the seasoned nurse. “I’m sorry. What?”

  “Are we going to have a problem here?” she asked in a loud whisper, and Krystal knew she questioned her ability to work in a high-pressure situation.

  She sharpened her attention. “No. I’m good.” She forced the thoughts and memories of Josh from her and concentrated on her job.

  “Good,” Giselle said as they pushed the gurney into an exam room.

  “Going to need a mainline, Krystal,” Giselle said as the EMTs helped her transfer the bloodied car accident victim. The woman struggled to grasp a regular breath as she tried to lift a bandaged hand to the gash on her head.

  Giselle took her hand and gently placed it at her side. “Try to relax, Mrs. Clements. We’ll take good care of you.”

  “How are you feeling, Mrs. Clements?” Doc Matthews placed a stethoscope on her chest. He didn’t wait for her to answer before he spoke to Giselle in a lowered voice. “I need labs with a CBC and a CT.”

  Krystal followed Giselle’s directions, relieved that the immediacy of the moment allowed her to tune out the sight and sound of Josh. When she finally had a moment to glance toward the room’s entrance, he was gone.

  Thank God.

  * * *

  Hours later, Giselle wheeled the lucky Mrs. Clements out of the emergency room, headed for the second floor while Krystal added information to the computer. Their patient’s vitals were stable, her forehead and hand stitched, and she was breathing without assistance despite a collapsed lung.

  Krystal couldn’t help but be proud of their success even though she’d only played a minor part.

  “Good work in there.”

  She looked up to find the flirtatious Doctor Matthews approaching the nurses’ station. She couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you. I should say the same to you. It was a pleasure watching you work.” The ability to save a life or even a finger had always fascinated her.

  He grinned, giving her a cocky smile. “Thanks.” He extended his hand. “We haven’t been introduced. I’m Doctor Rob Matthews.”

  “Nice to formally meet you, Doctor Matthews. I’m Krystal Collier.”

  “Nice to meet you, Nurse Collier,” he said with a smile that creased his cheeks. “I’m headed to the second floor to check on our patient in case you need to page me.”

  Sexy, she thought as she watched him walk away, but off-limits. She wasn’t about to do anything that might mess with her career.

  She sighed and turned her focus back to the patient file.

  “Krystal.”

  The sound of her name transported her back several years to a younger, more carefree time in her life. Josh’s voice had always reminded her of smooth whiskey, dark with the power to swirl her senses and steal her rationality. With apprehension, she lifted her gaze.

  Sweet sugar, he looked good. She raked her thirsty gaze over his short, dark hair, trailing across his broad shoulders, and faltering on midnight eyes that set her smoldering with one look. He was rougher around the edges than Rob Matthews, but damn if she didn’t like her men rugged.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Josh.” Krystal’s heart tightened. What did she say to the man whose heart she’d broken? “It’s good to see you.” Such every day, mundane words for someone who’d meant so much to her.

  “What are you doing here?” Tension sharpened his words. “I thought you’d be in Salt Lake or Denver by now.”

  She shrugged, trying to keep her own tentative emotions at bay. After they’d separated, she’d avoided the singles’ scene and most community events, choosing to focus on school and hoping to miss exactly what she faced now. For his sake and hers.

  “I graduated last December and didn’t intend to stay in Pinecone, but this job came open, and it seemed like a good springboard to my career.” It would be pointless to tell him about her mom’s problems, the reason she’d returned home. The part where she and Josh had shared their lives with each other was over.

  He stared at her, and she yearned to find warmth in his eyes. “I thought maybe you’d decided our little town was big enough for you after all.”

  Familiar disappointment and heartbreak washed over her. “I had a right to my dreams, Josh.”

  “I never said you didn’t. Just never understood why it had to be me or them.”

  She hadn’t been able to explain it then. Wasn’t sure she could now. All she knew was if she’d married him back then, she wouldn’t be where she was now. He’d never understand her fears of ending up like her mother, having nothing to show for her years on earth but her children, her home. Krystal needed so much more.

  “Congratulations, then,” he said before she could come up with a good response. “I guess you were right when you said this was what you needed to be happy. See you around.”

  He turned away, and she lost the chance to ask him how he was, what he’d been doing, how he’d ended up in a similar field. He’d wanted to be a deputy sheriff, but she hadn’t pictured him working as an EMT.

  As she watched him walk away, her heart wrinkled inward. She nearly called after him in an effort to ease the ache. But what would be the point? They both wanted different things in life. He wanted a wife at home with his babies, and she yearned to be more than a cook and a housecleaner. Her soul begged her to do something to make a positive difference in the world. She couldn’t do that over a simmering pot of spaghetti sauce.

  She’d tried to make him understand. He couldn’t.

  All she could do now was follow her heart. At least the part he didn’t own. Although he still held an important piece of her, she’d come to realize some loves were never meant to be, and she held strong to that belief. That knowledge had allowed her dreams to come to fruition. She needed to remember that, too.

  She hoped one day to find her heart whole again so that she might give it to another who understood her. But it seemed that hadn’t happened yet.

  Maybe when she was well and truly away from Pinecone Valley.

  * * *

  Josh Vansant inhaled as he stepped into the frigid evening air and headed toward the ambulance parked in front of the medical center. The cold hit his lungs like fiery ice and he inhaled deeper, wanting it to freeze his insides until they were numb.

  Of all the son-of-a-bitching luck, Krystal had to end up in his part of the world. Why? Pinecone hadn’t been big enough for her four years ago. She’d been so damn eager to get out and make a life for herself, so why hadn’t she? He hadn’t crossed her path in years, and he’d been certain she’d left town. The few times he’d run into her friends or family he’d refused to ask about her, couldn’t stand to hear about her new life, the life she’d refused to share with him.

  Now, she’d landed squarely in his face again. He couldn’t imagine the torture he’d endure from here on out every time he stepped inside UMC. It was bad enough knowing she was out there somewhere, carting his heart around with her like a piece of forgotten baggage. But to see her up close, to catch a whiff of the familiar scent that still haunted him, to know the flecks of black in her deep g
reen eyes were real and not his imagination increased her allure more than ever. Hell. The pain was worse than Levi’s horse kicking him in the thigh when he was twelve, and it would only grow more difficult.

  No. This was not okay with him.

  He’d be damned if he’d take it like a baby bunny curled in a corner. There had to be a way to remind her how badly she wanted out of their small town. He’d figure it out and use it for all it was worth.

  He jerked opened the ambulance’s passenger door and climbed in.

  “Something wrong?” Cam glanced over him from head to foot as though that would give him a clue. It wouldn’t. The only damage Krystal had done was internal.

  “Nothing.” He sighed. “Except my ex now works as a nurse in the emergency room.”

  “That gorgeous brunette with the long curls and nice…” He cleared his throat at Josh’s stare. “Eyes?”

  Josh shot him a knowing glare. Cam Wheeler was a boob man through and through.

  Cam started the engine. “I didn’t know you’d been married.”

  “We never married. She called it quits the day I proposed.” All because he’d talked about settling down and starting a family. He hadn’t meant they had to exchange vows right that second, but eventually…

  “Ouch.” His buddy sent him a commiserating look.

  “Yeah.” He slumped in his seat as Cam pulled away from the medical center.

  “You didn’t see it coming?”

  No. Never in a million years would he have thought his sweet Krystal could have hurt him the way she had. “I thought we were in love. Why would I see it coming? She said she loved me.” He’d believed her.

  “There must have been something, man. Unless she’s a total player.”

  “She’s not a player,” he fired back and then silently cursed himself. He didn’t need to defend her.