Maverick: A Small Town Romance (North Ridge Book 2)

by Karina Halle

That’s the thing about search and rescue. We go out there and we find those who are hurt, who are lost. But if you’re lost yourself, you won’t be able to find anyone. You can’t help anyone. You’re the one who needs rescuing.

You can have peace and pain at once. The heart can weather any storm.

“The one thing we can’t buy, can’t find, can’t…rescue, is time.

We have to use every second we have. Life is too fucking short to feel guilty. We all feel it, and sometimes we deserve it, but acknowledge it and move on. Don’t let it hold you back. Don’t sacrifice the time you have left. It’s a gift that so many don’t have. Believe me. It’s all going to be over before you know it.”

“It’s going to hurt for a while. But I don’t want to hurt alone. I don’t want to do anything without you.

“You little minx,” I tell her. But I’m laughing. Because life, for all its peaks and valleys, just got very, very good.

With him, I feel everything, good and bad. The peace, the chaos. I relish it all.

“Unreal,” he says back to me, smiling against my mouth. “But you’re real, aren’t you? And you’re mine.” “Always,” I tell him, holding him tight.

“And here’s to these lovebirds, these heartbreakers, North Ridge’s finest, and only, search and rescue team. If you’re ever lost, may you be found by them.”