Hunter (Stud Ranch 2)

He watched her for any sign that she was hearing him.

But she continued lying still like she was frozen under some supernatural spell. Beautiful and perfect and young but forever out of reach.

Hunter looked around and, not seeing anyone, got up from his chair. He leaned over Isobel. He rolled his eyes at himself for being a fucking idiot, but still. He kissed her. He squeezed his eyes shut as he pressed his lips against hers.

Please, Isobel. I’m here. Can’t you feel me here? Come back to me. Fight for us.

Her lips were soft as always, but unresponsive.

He pulled away, eyes searching her face for long moments.

Still nothing.

He huffed out a laugh at himself, then ran both his hands through his hair. Jesus, he was losing it. Like a kiss was going to just magically make her wake up.

He scrubbed his hands down his face.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep beep beep, beep-beep-beep-beep—

Hunter looked up in alarm to see the machines monitoring Isobel start to go crazy.

Isobel began convulsing.

“Isobel!” He reached for the nurse call button and punched it. “Help, we need help in room 301.”

Jesus! Hunter reached out for her but didn’t know where to hold her that wouldn’t make things worse. “Fuck! Fuck!” He ran for the door. “Doctor!” he yelled.

But a team of doctors and nurses were already headed toward the room. Hunter pulled back to make way. “Her heartrate started going crazy and then she started shaking like—”

“We’ll take it from here,” said a male nurse, trying to usher Hunter out of the room while the others went to Isobel’s side.

“She’s going to be okay, right?” Hunter asked, shoving the man aside so he could see what they were doing to Isobel.

“Sir, if you’ll just—”

Suddenly the beep-beep-beep of her heartbeat became a loud flat line.

Hunter screamed, “Isobel!”

Chapter 27

ISOBEL

Isobel woke up in a white room. White walls. White bedsheets. White floor tiles.

She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, immediately lifting her hand to her forehead. Whoa. She felt dizzy.

“Hello?”

Where the hell was she?

The room was empty except for a man standing beside a window lit up by bright sunlight. The man was dressed in—of course—all white. They looked like comfortable white scrubs, or maybe a t-shirt and sweatpants.

“Hello?” she said again, standing up. She was struck by another wave of dizziness and had to hold onto the wall beside the bed to steady herself.

Her body felt weird. Oddly… light.

She shook off the feeling. There was something familiar about the man by the window. She took several more steps forward to investigate.