The thought made him smile. She’d have no chance. Not this time.
When he finally did make his move, Olivia Bradshaw would pay for what she’d done to him...with her life.
Chapter 1
Olivia parked her HondaCivic in the gravel driveway. She turned off the ignition and, with an exaggerated sigh, let her head fall back against the headrest.
Closing her eyes, she allowed herself a moment of peace before re-opening one eye to look down at her watch.
Seven forty-five a.m. She grimaced before getting out of her car, not wanting to stay out in the open alone for too long. Just in case.
Yawning, Olivia put her hand over her mouth. She barely noticed the slight chill in the air as she walked up the small sidewalk, wishing she hadn’t covered the night shift. Again.
She’d been doing that a lot the past few weeks...covering for nurses who couldn’t make it in for one reason or another.
Olivia was pretty sure everyone thought she was just trying to prove herself since having come ‘back from the dead’. The truth was, she needed to stay busy.
The hospital here wasn’t as non-stop as Dallas Regional—where she used to work—but the minor injuries and illnesses seen in the ER here were enough to provide the distraction she desperately needed.
So, for the past month and a half, Olivia had signed up for every available shift she could. It helped...or, at least it used to.
She’d moved to Northern Falls six weeks ago. It was a small city located half an hour northwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Its population of nearly 6,000 made it a tiny spec compared to DFW’s three million. It was exactly what Olivia had been looking for.
Northern Falls was quiet. Peaceful. After the chaos that had become her life, Olivia felt she had no choice but to leave the city for somewhere smaller and more secluded.
Now, that same seclusion she craved just a few short weeks ago was becoming yet another source of heightened anxiety.
As she made her way to the quaint porch, Olivia studied the small house she’d rented. It was the only one around for miles.
Before, she thought she’d never want to leave the city. After barely surviving what Olivia now referred to as “The Volunteer Mission from Hell”, that changed.
Everythingchanged...after.
Her life was like that now, clearly divided into two halves—Before and After. God, how she longed to go back to Before.
