The Penalty Box: A College Sports Romance Where Time Out Leads to Second Chances

The bruise on my left knee had faded, but the wound between us never healed.

Eighteen months ago, Maddy Cole lost everything on the ice—her hockey career, her future, and the only boy she ever loved. Caleb Farrow, the star defenseman who blamed himself for the collision that shattered her leg, watched her walk away and couldn't stop her. Now Maddy is back at Middleton University as the team's new athletic trainer. She's supposed to be healing, but every time she sees Caleb on the ice, the old pain resurfaces.

Caleb has spent eighteen months in his own penalty box, punishing himself for the accident and for letting her go. He's not the same captain who used to laugh easily—now he's quiet, intense, and determined to prove he's worthy of a second chance. But when a dangerous hit leaves him injured in her training room, Maddy is forced to confront the truth: the ice isn't the only thing she's afraid of. She's terrified of loving him again.