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I loved the way she saw the world, always finding joy and beauty in the simplest things. I loved her fierce determination; she never backed down from a challenge. I loved how she made me feel alive, like I could conquer anything if she was by my side.
Regret washed over me as I thought of all the times I had pushed her away, too afraid to let her in. I had wasted so much time, so many opportunities to tell her how I felt. And now, as the ambulance raced towards the hospital, I prayed that I would have the chance to make it right, to hold her in my arms and never let go.
Chapter 13
Tin Man - Miranda Lambert
Wyatt
The steady beep of the heart monitor nearly drowned out the hushed voices somewhere behind me. I leaned forward in the hard plastic chair, elbows digging into my thighs as I stared at Kinsley’s unconscious form.
She looked so fragile and small lying there, blankets pulled up to her chin. Dark smudges of exhaustion clung to the delicate skin under her eyes.
Seeing her like this, stripped of her radiant, almost blinding vitality, made something twist deep in my gut. My fingers twitched with the urge to reach out, to grasp that motionless hand and will some of my own strength into her still body. But I couldn’t bring myself to close that distance, not yet.
A nurse’s hushed voice carried over from the hallway, all business, as she updated Kinsley’s parents on her condition over the phone. They were already on their way but kept calling.
Head trauma. Concussion symptoms. Possible fractures.
My chest constricted hearing those clinical terms applied to her. All because of that damn horse.
My jaw clenched hard enough to grind molars as the memory played out again. The way Gambler’s shoulder dipped at the last second, pitching Kinsley straight into that unforgiving steel barrel. The sickening thud when her head struck the metal, reverberating through the stunned silence of the arena. And me, helpless to do anything but watch it happen in horror, muscles locked and lungs forgetting how to draw air. Even now, the memory made my throat burn with the bitter taste of failure. I’d failed to protect her.
I dragged a hand down my face, fingertips catching on the coarse stubble shading my jaw. I’d warned her about that horse, tried to make her realize how dangerous he was, but she’d just waved off my concerns, like always, too bullheaded and stubborn to listen to reason.
A harsh snort escaped my nose because God knew that was the quintessential Kinsley Jackson—beautifully, recklessly, and almost infuriatingly self-assured. No amount of pleading or logic could ever deter her from a path once she set her mind to it.
Maybe that was why I’d always found her so damn irresistible. That fearless, unbreakable spirit shone as bright as the sun itself, daring me to try to rein her in even as I got burned at every turn. Kinsley was wild, passionate, and thrillingly unpredictable in a way that should’ve terrified any sane man. Yet I kept circling back, craving the warmth and chaos she brought into my life with every blazing smile and silken caress. Even knowing the inevitable scorch that awaited, I was powerless to resist the pull of her light.
Please wake up, darlin’. Please, just open those baby blues for me.
The words formed on my tongue, but I choked them back. Begging whoever might be listening wouldn’t do a damn bit of good. All I could do was wait, holding vigil at her bedside like a prisoner awaiting his sentence.
I wasn’t sure how long I sat there losing myself in the steady rhythm of her shallow breaths and that damn beeping monitor, but it’d been long enough for the daylight filtering through the blinds to fade, casting the room in eery shadows.
Then, so slight I almost missed it, a subtle twitch of her fingers against the sheets and a faint flutter of those dark lashes. My whole body went rigid, frozen in place as I watched her thick throat work to swallow.
“Kins?” The name slipped past my lips in a hoarse rasp.
Those beautiful eyes finally blinked open, pupils blown wide in confusion and pain as they darted around the dimly lit room. When they landed on me, some of the wild panic seemed to recede. Her rigid body unwound slightly.
I sat up straight, hands clenched in tight fists to keep from reaching out towards her. God, how I ached to gather her up and never let go. But for now, just seeing that spark of life flicker back into her gaze was enough to loosen the crushing weight on my chest.
“Hey there, darlin’.” The old endearment rolled off my tongue before I could stop it. “You really know how to make an entrance, huh?”
Her brow furrowed slightly at the sound of my voice, those full lips parting like she wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words. Then her eyes squeezed shut, a tear slipping from the corner to streak down her pale cheek.
Something inside me shattered at the sight. Before I could think better of it, I reached out, fingers ghosting along her cheekbone to catch that solitary tear. I felt her go utterly still under my touch, breath hitching sharply.
“Don’t you worry now,” I murmured, throat so thick I could barely force the words out. “I’ve got you, Kins. You’re going to be just fine.”
Those impossibly blue eyes fluttered open again, shining with a vulnerability I wasn’t used to seeing from her. Just like that, the fight went out of me. Every scrap of anger, resentment, and bitter hurt burned away until there was nothing left but the naked relief of having her back.
I shifted closer until our faces were just inches apart. I was close enough that I could see the faint smattering of freckles dancing across the bridge of her nose, the soft curve of those parted lips that had haunted my dreams for far too long, and the rapid flutter of her pulse thrumming in her throat, almost in sync with the jackhammer beating of my heart.
“You had me scared half to death, you know that?” My voice came out gruffer than I’d intended, cracking under the weight of the emotions welling up. “Don’t you ever pull a stunt like that again, you hear?”
She held my stare, eyes shining and lips trembling. Whatever she saw in my gaze seemed to reach her because some of the fear melted from her features. A slight nod was her only response, but it was enough to unravel the knot of dread inside me.
