Five Hundred Miles in a Different Direction (eBook)

Kellye Hefner (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024 | 1. Auflage
364 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-8112-4 (ISBN)

Infos

'Five Hundred Miles in a Different Direction' is a heartfelt, emotional romance about healing, love, and the courage to confront the past.

Kellye Hefner is a creative at heart, starting her journey as an art major in college with dreams of becoming an art teacher. Firmly convinced that artists didn't need algebra to inspire young minds, life took her in a different direction, leading to a fulfilling career as an escrow officer in real estate. She humorously admits that handling other people's money has given her enough wild tales to fill volumes. Her true passion as a hopeless romantic has always been writing love stories. Kellye's dedication to storytelling blossomed with the completion of her first two romance novels, which are currently awaiting publication. Her inspiration comes from her husband Mike, whom she met in high school, and their family. Since their first road trip together, Kellye and Mike have been on a mission to visit all 400+ national parks, blending their love of travel and photography, and sharing their adventures on their blog, www.oneforthemoneytwofortheroad.com. When she's not immersed in writing, Kellye enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and planning the next adventure.

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Brandon Kirk, a soon-to-be veterinary student, is ready for a fresh start when he moves to Fort Collins, Colorado. While searching for an apartment, he meets Kenzie Barker, the stunning and compassionate apartment manager. Their connection is instant, but it's Kenzie's three-year-old son, Brody, who first captures Brandon's heart. As their relationship blossoms, Brandon reveals a deeply personal struggle-he has intermittent explosive disorder, a condition that causes sudden bouts of rage. Though he hasn't experienced an episode in years and continues therapy, his vulnerability resonates with Kenzie, who holds a degree in psychology and plans to pursue a career in counseling. In turn, Kenzie opens up about her own challenges, including her estranged relationship with her father-a bond she secretly longs to rebuild since her mother's passing a decade ago. As Brandon and Kenzie navigate the complexities of their new relationship, the shadows of their pasts begin to surface. Their deep commitment to one another offers a steady foundation, but will their love be strong enough to help them overcome these personal challenges? Will the weight of their histories ultimately pull them apart?

Textauszug

Prologue

Brandon

My phone vibrates with a call, but I don’t recognize the number. Who do I know that has a 325 area code? Nobody I can think of, but I answer anyway, assuming my best friend, Jake Wolcott, is calling from some landline in San Angelo.

“Hello.”

“Is this Brandon?” the male voice asks.

“Yeah. Who’s this?”

“It’s Dean Lisenbee.”

Dean Lisenbee? Why in the hell would he be calling me? Except … oh shit. “Are you calling about Leanne? Has something happened?” Leanne is my ex-girlfriend, the girl I’ll love for the rest of my life, and she’s engaged to him. Fearing something terrible has happened to her, my blood rushes, swishing loudly in my ears.

“No,” he answers. “She’s at school taking her last final. She graduates next Saturday.”

Relieved to know she’s okay, I release the breath that had been stuck in my throat. “That’s good.” I can hardly believe she’s graduating. It seems like we just started at Texas A&M, but it’s been almost five years.

There are a few seconds of awkward silence, then Dean says, “This is probably going to sound strange to you, but something happened to me recently, and I wonder if I could talk to you about it.”

What am I supposed to say? “Okay.” The word leaves my mouth with a sigh, but I’m not that fired up about talking to the guy who is marrying the love of my life. Although it is my own fault. I’m the one who gave her up after an accident I had at the Lisenbees’ ranch four and a half years ago. We were hunting when Jake accidentally shot me in the leg, and I crashed an ATV on some rocks in the Llano River. I hit my head, causing a brain bleed, and ended up in a coma for twelve days. When I came out of the coma, I was diagnosed with IED, intermittent explosive disorder. I managed to finish the semester at A&M, but I couldn’t control my sudden fits of rage or my depression. When I agreed to go to a residential treatment center in Arizona, I broke up with Leanne. Going to Arizona turned out to be the best and the worst decision of my life.

Dean nervously clears his throat. “Well, I was in a car wreck last week, and, well … uh, I don’t know if you know this or not, but my parents were killed in a plane crash a few years ago.”

“I did know. I’m sorry that happened … for your and Mark’s loss.” Mark, his younger brother, was Jake’s college roommate at Angelo State. I like Mark; he’s a good guy.

“Thanks.” Dean hesitates, then continues. “Anyway, when I had the wreck, I saw my dad. He was sitting next to me in the car, and, uh … he told me I was going to be okay.”

“That’s awesome!” I exclaim, my excitement immediately turning to resentment when I realize that Leanne had told him something personal about me. “So, I guess Leanne told you I saw my brother, Blake, when I had my accident at your ranch?”

“Yeah, she said Blake is a happy, laughing angel, and she’s a firm believer in angels because of your experience. She calls them actual angels.” He chuckles, then quietly sighs when I don’t chuckle along with him. “I’ve always tried to visualize my parents as angels,” he goes on to say. “It’s a long story, but that image of them has gotten me through some tough times over the years. I guess people do what they have to do to get through it, right? You know what it’s like to lose someone.”

Yeah, in more ways than one. And I’m not sure one way hurts any less than the other. “Yep, and I also know what it’s like to die and come back to tell about it, but I’ve only told four people. Now you know.” The last part comes out sounding rude, but I can’t say it bothers me that much. Dean Lisenbee isn’t someone I consider a friend. “Look Dean, this isn’t something I talk about. Ever. I don’t want people to think I’m crazy.” Damn, I wish Leanne hadn’t told him. Now I wonder how many other people she told.

“That’s exactly where I am right now. I think I’m crazy,” he replies insistently. “I know I saw my dad, and I know I talked to him, but it’s really hard for me to wrap my head around it. Stuff like this doesn’t make sense to me. It’s just not logical.”

“Things happen all the time that defy logic,” I argue as the image of a platypus, a mammal that lays eggs, suddenly appears in my mind. “I’ve never doubted what happened to me, and I think there are a lot of people who’ve had the same experiences; they just don’t talk about them.”

“Leanne told me you didn’t want to come back, that you wanted to stay with Blake.” His obvious attempt to sound sympathetic comes out sounding condescending. The last thing I want is that asshole feeling sorry for me.

“There must’ve been a reason for being sent back, a reason I probably won’t ever know,” I tell him in my own arrogant tone. I had hoped that the reason was to spend the rest of my life with Leanne, but that theory was shot to hell when I left her, and then Dean stepped right up to the plate. I guess God is sending me five hundred miles from home for reasons only He knows.

Dean takes a drink of something and swallows. Then he says, “I appreciate you talking to me about what happened to you.” This time he sounds almost sincere.

“I’d like to keep it just between us, if you don’t mind, and I’d appreciate you asking Leanne to do the same,” I tell him.

He laughs. “Believe me. I won’t tell anybody, and I don’t think she will, either.” Then he exhales loudly. “Can I tell you something else weird about the night of the wreck?”

“Sure.” If you have to. My eyes roll toward the ceiling. I’m ready to end this call.

“At almost the exact same time I saw my dad, a voice told Leanne I was going to be okay.”

My ears perk up. Now I give a little more than half a damn about what he’s saying. “Was she with you?”

“No. She was sitting in her car in a church parking lot in Georgetown waiting on hold for the 9-1-1 operator to tell her what was going on with me.”

“Was the wreck in Georgetown?”

“No, it was fifteen miles away in Liberty Hill. I was on my way to get Leanne in Georgetown. A guy was trying to blackmail us. He’d made some serious threats, and he was following me, said he was going to get to Leanne before I did. We were both driving too fast when he crashed into my car. I went through a fence and hit a tree. He rolled the stolen truck he was in, killing his passenger.”

“Damn, that’s bad,” I mutter, mostly to myself.

“It could’ve been worse, but he’s in jail and probably will be for a long time.”

“Did you know who the guy was?”

“He was my best friend when we were growing up.” He sighs. “I’ve known him all my life.”

“Wow.” I get up and pace around the room. I can’t stand to think about Leanne being in that kind of danger. I’m just glad she wasn’t in the car with him when he crashed. “Did you get hurt?”

“Aw, mainly cuts and bruises,” he answers. “I’ll be fine in a couple of weeks.”

Just in time for your wedding. Jake had told me it was on May 23rd when he turned down my invitation for him and his wife, Rachel, to meet me at my family’s lake house on the same weekend. Rachel is Leanne’s best friend, so she’s in the wedding.

“Still going to Colorado to vet school?” he asks, as if he knew what I was thinking and abruptly changed the subject.

“Yeah, Colorado State in Fort Collins. I’m more than ready to get there and get started.” I wander over to the window and stare out at our animals grazing in the pasture.

“Colorado is one of our favorite places.” I grind my teeth together, hating that Leanne is getting to live her dream life with him. “Talk about an awesome place to go to school. I bet you’ll do great there,” he adds.

I’m pretty sure I’ll do just fine, I think to myself as I bite my tongue. I graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State with a 3.9 grade point average and a degree in biology. That was in addition to going to therapy twice a week, interning at the Phoenix Zoo, and working weekends at an animal hospital for minimum wage. Not that I would ever tell him or anybody else about my achievements. I’m not one to brag about myself, and it’s none of his business, anyway. “Dean, did you believe Leanne when she told you about the voice?”

“Absolutely,” he insists. “I don’t have any reason to doubt her; she knows what she heard.”

“And you said you knew for sure you saw your dad and talked to him, so why can’t you believe yourself?” I’ve got the psychoanalysis bullshit down, thanks to excellent counseling and hundreds of hours of therapy.

There’s a long silence on his end, then he finally says, “I think you’ve just convinced me that I can.” He sounds like he’s smiling. At least one of us is. “Well, I’ve...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 18.11.2024
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-8112-4 / 9798350981124