Everybody loves Katie.
With her bubbly personality, her beauty, her never-ending supply of care and support for her patients and friends, and her huge sense of fun, there's very little to dislike. Yes, she's a bit scatty, she tends not to sweat the small stuff (like an engine light on her dashboard—that is, until her Mini won't start anymore), and she can talk the hind legs off a donkey, but none of that stops most people from thinking she's pretty damn adorable. Well, most people, other than Sam, that is.
Sam is anything but bubbly. His surly demeanor is the complete opposite of Katie's, and over the six years that she's known him, one thing has become very clear: Sam cannot stand her. The fact that he makes her nervous doesn't help. Around Sam, her verbal diarrhea is out of control, the snort that she tries to hold in when she laughs refuses to be suppressed, and her clumsiness assumes clown-like proportions.
If only he weren't quite so intimidating, she might be able to act like a normal human, but his sheer masculine beauty is enough to throw her off before she's even spoken to him. Then there's the way he looks at her—like she's something he's scraped off his shoe. The combination is enough to short-circuit her brain.
Katie may be bubbly and bright, but unfortunately, her past is not, and it's started leaking into her present. She hides her fear from her friends, but when Sam finds out the danger she's in, for some reason, he is furious. Then again, there's a reason Sam is the way he is. He has his own demons to contend with since leaving the Special Forces. The last thing he wants is to spend time with the one woman who cuts through the numbness and actually makes him feel again.
But he simply can't stand by if Katie is in danger; he can't allow her to be hurt. Unfortunately, there are other ways to be hurt, and by getting closer to Katie, Sam may inflict more damage than her past ever could. Because Sam is damaged, and some things are beyond repair.
This is a full-length contemporary romantic comedy with its own HEA and no cliffhanger.