Breakaway Hearts

The Kelly Brothers, Book 2

by

Crista McHugh

Chapter One

Ben Kelly had been slammed against the boards many times during his hockey career, but never quite like this.

Hailey, the woman he’d met at the Vancouver Whales game hours ago, was giving him a full body check he welcomed. She threaded her fingers through his hair, holding him close while her lips devoured his during the glass elevator ride up to his hotel room.

He made no attempt to push her away. He dug his thumbs into the back pockets of her jeans, his hands cupping her perfectly rounded ass as he bore the brunt of her assault and followed with one of his own. A moan rose from her throat as his tongue delved into her mouth. The subtle strawberry taste of Red Vines still lingered there, only adding to the sweetness of her. She’d been eating them when the Kiss Cam had zeroed in on them during the game, and she’d lured him closer using one, Lady and the Tramp style. When their lips met, what had started out as an odd spark of attraction had exploded into full-blown desire. By the end of the game, he knew he needed to get her to his hotel room, pronto.

She wiggled ever so slightly against his hard-on.

Now it was his turn to moan. Can this damn elevator move any faster?

Finally the ding announcing their floor sounded, and Hailey pulled away, laughter filling her bright blue eyes as she placed one final nip on his bottom lip. A dimple cut into her left cheek as she gave him a playful grin.

Ben dug into his pocket for his room key, his hand brushing against the condom Caleb had blatantly shoved into it when he’d pulled his brother aside after the game and asked if he wouldn’t mind sleeping in another room. Normally it was his younger brother who was picking up the girls and dragging them away for a quick romp, not him. Ben preferred to take things slowly, to observe and act once he’d ruled out other alternatives. Spontaneity was not part of his nature.

Which made tonight so strange.

Well, that, and the woman he was taking back to his hotel room for what had the potential to be the most mind-blowing sex in his life had hair that matched her eyes. Not his usual type. He tended to prefer women who were quiet like him, demure with conservative hair and makeup. When she’d sat down next to him, he’d been all too ready to dismiss her as some alternative puck bunny until she’d started rattling off hockey stats like Don Cherry. The girl knew the game almost as well as he did. The next thing he knew, she had him completely roped into the conversation. By the time they ended up on the JumboTron, he’d completely fallen for the girl with Smurf-colored hair.

Hailey took his free hand and pulled him out of the elevator. “Where’s your room?”

“That way.” He led her down the hall, his heart racing, and waited for warning bells to go off. Instead, his doubts grew smaller with each step he took. He’d never imagined that a one-night stand could feel so right.

His hand shook when he slid the key into the card-reader, but he couldn’t tell if it was from performance anxiety or the fact Hailey had wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and was already unfastening his belt.

“I can’t wait to get you naked,” she whispered in his ear.

The ache in his dick tripled. “The feeling is mutual.”

The door banged open, and it was his turn to pull her along. She kicked it shut behind her and immediately locked lips with him again. The hunger of her kiss stole his breath away. He navigated the narrow hallway blindly, too focused on trying to get her formfitting Vancouver Whales T-shirt over her head. By the time they tumbled onto the nearest double bed, they’d both managed to strip down to their underwear.

By God, she was gorgeous. Tall and slender with lean muscles rippling under her flawless pale skin, she was built like an athlete, with only a hint of feminine curves. Her blue hair spilled out around her head like a pool of water, and that dimple in her left cheek practically dared him to kiss it.

“Are you coming?” Her gaze fell to the bulge in his boxers, and a matching dimple appeared in her other cheek.

All the blood rushed from his head to his groin. If luck was on his side, he’d be coming in a few minutes. He found his jeans on the floor and pulled out the condom, placing it on the nightstand. It was his unspoken question to her. Did she want to continue? Or did she want him to stop?

She picked up the foil packet. “Thank God you have one of these. I’m on the pill, but it never hurts to take extra precautions.”

The last bit of his hesitation vanished. He was going to get laid tonight, and he was free to enjoy every minute of it.

She tossed it back on the nightstand and yanked him down so his body covered hers. The silkiness of her skin reminded him she was all woman. Her long, slim legs wrapped around his hips and pressed him against the heat of her core, feeding the need welling up inside him. Even though she still had her panties on, he could feel how wet and ready she was for him every time she ground against him.

After what felt like an eternity of thirty seconds, he managed to unhook her bra and fling it across the room. Her breasts were small, easily covered by his hands, with the most delicate pink nipples. He ran his thumb over one of them, and she shivered.

Her response intrigued him. He repeated the movement, watching the almost imperceptible tremble flow through her body. In his nineteen years, he’d only been with two other women, and neither of them had responded to his touch like Hailey did.

But then again, neither of them awakened the same level of all-consuming lust in him like she did. He wanted all of her. He couldn’t wait to get inside her, to experience how tight she’d be around him as he slid into her, to hear her scream his name as he made her come. But first he needed to know how she’d react if he took one those pretty pink nipples in his mouth.

She gasped when his tongue grazed it, and she arched her back, pressing her breast further into his mouth. A moment later, a moan followed as his teeth grazed the sensitive peak.

Now it was his turn to shiver. Every sound she made, every miniscule movement, took on an erotic level. The ache from his dick spread into his balls, a warning sign that he was getting close to coming, but he couldn’t tear himself away from her breasts and the seductive murmurs she gave with each nip and flick on his tongue.

Her low moans rose into sharp cries. Her hips bucked under him, grinding even harder against his cock, but still he kept on. He couldn’t get enough of her.

Then, in one swift movement, she flipped him onto his back and straddled his waist. “Enough,” she said in a shaky voice, her breath coming in short bursts. “I need you in me now.”

He grinned while she slipped his boxers off with one swift pull, followed by her own panties. Another first for him. Usually he was the one begging and pleading to get naked, waiting patiently for his partner to give consent. Hailey didn’t ask—she acted.

That dimple reappeared as she stared at his fully erect cock, her eyes widening. “My God, you’re huge.”

His moment of pride faded into pure bliss the second she took him into her mouth. So hot. So wet. He couldn’t fight back the groan that rose from his chest. This was what a blow job should feel like. He dug his fingers into the covers while her tongue swirled along his shaft all the way up to the tip and back down again. The tightness in his balls increased with every bob of her head. A whimper formed in his throat, and he found himself begging, “Stop, please, stop.”

She released him and leveled her gaze with his. A look of worry flashed across her face. “Was I doing something wrong?”

“No, not at all.” His lungs bellowed as quickly as hers had when she’d stopped him earlier. “But if you keep that up, I’ll be coming way too soon for you to enjoy it.”

A laugh of relief brought that dimpled grin back. “We can’t have that, now, can we?” She grabbed the condom from the nightstand. “Ready for this?”

He’d been ready since the moment their lips touched.

He sat up to take it from her, taking a moment to sneak in one more kiss. The taste of her desire was even stronger than before, and yet it tempered his enough to where he wasn’t worried about coming the moment he got inside her. He wanted to last as long as possible, to draw this out as much as he could, and to savor every second with her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair as she deepened the kiss. Gone was the “give me a quick fuck” vibe. Her tongue followed his slower tempo in a sensual dance that spread fire through his veins.

Ben closed his eyes and drew in her clean scent. She smelled like soap and snow, like ice and Red Vines. No heavy flowery or girly, fruity perfumes on her. Just a fragrance that was uniquely hers.

She ended the kiss, gulping for air, her eyes downcast and her bottom lip quivering. “Ben, what do you want from me?”

More than one night.

The thought ambushed him and squeezed his chest tight. He’d just met Hailey. He hardly knew anything about her other than she was Canadian and loved hockey as much as he did. And yet he wanted more. He wanted to hang out with her, to watch more games with her, to sit next her at dinner, and hold her hand while he got to know her better.

But he dared not mention that to her. The last thing he wanted was to scare her away when he was this close to finding his release. Maybe he could bring it up afterward and ask for her number, see where things went. But right now, he needed her as much as she said she needed him.

He opened the wrapper and rolled the condom on with reckless abandon.

She nodded as though she understood what he was thinking and pulled him down to the mattress with her, guiding his cock toward the entrance of her sex.

He eased into her and sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. Being inside her was even better than he’d imagined.

“You feel like heaven,” she said softly.

His voice broke. “So do you.”

“More, Ben.” She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him deeper into her. “I need more.”

And he’d gladly give it to her. He started slowly, intent on drawing out the exquisite friction like he had with their kiss. He pulled out until just the tip was inside her before sliding back in as far as he could. The base of his spine tingled, and sweat beaded along his forehead. Even taking it slow, it was almost too much.

He stilled, trying to focus his mind on anything other than how wonderful she felt so he didn’t come right there.

She gave him an impatient roll of her hips. “Faster, Ben.”

Oh, fuck it!

He gave up on trying to outlast every guy she might have been with before. If he didn’t start moving soon, neither of them would come. He pumped his hips up and down, finding a rhythm they both could enjoy, and was rewarded by a brilliant smile.

“Yes, Ben, there, right there.”

Her praise encouraged him. He picked up the pace, going deeper with each thrust, his pulse quickening with every sigh of pleasure.

Hailey arched her neck back, inviting him to taste its delicate hollows while her body rose to meet him. Her legs tightened around his waist. Her fingers ran up his spine and curled in his hair, her breath sharp and shallow. Her words became incomprehensible, yet they continued to flow from her lips.

The ache at the base of his cock returned with a vengeance that signaled the point of no return. He bit his bottom lip and moved harder, faster, determined to make her come before he did.

She locked her gaze with his. “So close, Ben, I’m so—”

Her words broke off in a strangled cry, and her inner walls clenched around him, squeezing him until he could no longer hold back his orgasm. He plunged into her one more time and cried out her name as he came.

Time seemed to stop. The throbbing of his heart vibrated all the way through his cock, reminding him he was still alive, even as the rest of his body refused to obey his commands. His muscles stiffened, paralyzing him until he was helpless to do anything but stare down at her and enjoy the waves of bliss that rolled though him.

Then his arms gave out on him, and he collapsed on top of her. “That was awesome,” he said, his voice raw and exhausted.

“You took the words right out of my mouth.” She continued to run her hands up and down his spine in a leisurely manner that threatened to lull him to sleep. “You wouldn’t happen to have another condom in your pocket, would you?”

He gave a snort of laughter. The only reason he’d had the first one was because his brother supplied it. He wasn’t the type who kept a condom in his pocket “just in case.” “I’m afraid not.”

She gave him a sigh. “Too bad. I was hoping we could have another go at it once you’d recovered.”

It was tempting. Very tempting. And she’d mentioned she was on the pill, so the risk was low.

He lifted his head and gave her a sleepy smile. “It’s up to you.”

She grinned and brushed his hair back from his face. “You look like you’re ready to pass out on me.”

“You were the one ordering me to go harder and faster.”

She chuckled and looked away. “You know, this is not something I usually do, but I’m glad I came back with you tonight.”

His gut clenched when she lifted her eyes to him and waited for his response. “Yeah, me, too.”

He wanted to say more, to follow up with his plan to ask for her number and suggest they stay in touch, but his tongue felt as floppy and heavy as the rest of his body. He rolled over to the side, taking her with him.

She stretched out alongside him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Get some sleep while you can, Ben.”

He took a deep breath, inhaling her scent, and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he was alone. The alarm clock read 3:34 AM. The rumpled sheets next to him marked where Hailey had been, but they’d long gone cold.

He sat up and called out her name, but no answer came. He stood and searched the room for any sign of her but found nothing. Her clothes were gone. She was gone, and he had nothing left but a memory.

Damn it!

Ben sank back down on the bed and ran his fingers through his hair, cursing his missed opportunity. He should’ve asked for her number when he had the chance. Now, he had no idea how to find her. He didn’t even know her last name.

After moping for a few minutes, he looked down and realized he’d been so exhausted, he hadn’t even disposed of the condom. He picked up the wilted piece of latex, noting the unusually scant amount of cum that remained in it, and went to the bathroom to throw it away.

And there, written on a hotel notepad on the counter, was a note.

Dear Ben,

Thanks for everything. I’ll never forget tonight.

<3,

Hailey

He traced the grooves made by the pen, stopping at the small heart she’d drawn at the bottom, and shivered in the cold. Regret clawed at his insides like a wild bear. He might have missed his chance with her, but he wouldn’t forget tonight, either.

He ripped off the note, folded it into quarters, and shoved it into the back of his wallet

Chapter Two

Nine Years Later

The ice called to him.

After he’d torn up his knee, Ben had sworn he’d never go near a hockey rink again.

And yet there he stood in the shadows, holding on to his cane with white knuckles while he watched some teenagers scrimmage, wishing he could go out there and join them.

“Come on, guys,” the coach barked. “Erikson’s tearing you to shreds out there.”

He followed the coach’s finger to the player with the puck. The kid was tall and thin, probably a junior member of the team judging by his lack of muscle mass. But what he lacked in size, he made up for with speed and skill. He handled the puck as well as any player Ben had faced in the NHL, shifting left and then right, throwing his opponent off guard with a deke and slipping past him into the breakaway. One slap shot later, the puck was in the net.

A groan came up from the team as Erikson raised his hands in the air and skated a small victory lap around the rink.

The coach mumbled something under his breath and stared at his clipboard before scribbling a note on it. “That’s six, guys. You’re embarrassing me.”

It wasn’t until Erikson came closer that Ben knew the reason why.

Erikson was girl.

The helmet had concealed her hair, but there was no mistaking the feminine curve of her lips or the thick fringe of her lashes. A pair of matching dimples cut into her cheeks as she gave one of the guys a playful hip check, and an odd feeling of déjà vu washed over him. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t remember why.

His curiosity propelled him from the shadows and down the stairs toward the coach, his knee no longer protesting each step. He waited until the coach finished calling the next play before he asked, “Local team?”

The coach jumped, then gave him a narrow-eyed once over. “I haven’t seen you before.”

Ben smothered a laugh. After years of being recognized everywhere he went, the anonymity was nice for a change. Amazing what losing a playoff beard and getting a haircut could do. He hadn’t worn his hair this short since before he was drafted. “I’m new in town.”

The coach peered closer, and for a second, Ben feared his secret was out. “I know I’ve seen you before. Ever play hockey?”

Ben grinned. “Yeah, just a bit.”

“I thought so. You’re built like a power forward.”

He wasn’t the first coach who’d said that. At six-four and two hundred and forty pounds, he’d always been one of the biggest players on the team, but he lacked the aggressive nature to play that position. Instead, he’d made a successful career of playing goalie. All-Pro teams, Olympic medals, even trips to the Stanley Cup finals.

Until one bad collision twelve weeks ago had ended all that.

He’d retreated to the resort town of Cascade, British Columbia, to lick his wounds, but after a week stuck in his home, the solitude became unbearable. He came down the mountain and drove through the small town where most of the locals lived, winding up at the only thing he knew.

The ice rink.

He stood quietly by the coach and observed the next play. Erikson was on the defensive now. She bit her blades into the ice, catching up to the player with the puck and passing him. With a quick half turn, she was in front, skating backward, and she snatched the puck away as the player stumbled and skidded into the boards. She took it coast to coast, and the puck soared through the biggest five-hole he’d ever seen on a goalie.

The coach threw his clipboard on the bench. “Aw, come on, Watson! You can’t leave a hole like that, especially with her. You want to make amateur league or not?”

Erikson plowed to a stop and helped the goalie up. “Give him a break, Gus. I caught him off guard.”

“You caught him sleeping in his skates.” He paced back and forth, running his fingers through his sparse hair. “All right, that’s enough. Hit the showers.”

“You’re letting them off lightly,” Ben murmured. “My old coach would have had us skating sprints after practice.”

“Yeah, but my boys just took on Erikson, so they’ve been punished enough.”

Ben watched her joke with the boys and give them a few words of encouragement as they skated toward the bench. But when her gaze zeroed in on him, her smile faded, and her blue eyes turned frigid.

His heart thudded from the palpable tension in the air. He racked his mind, trying to remember where he knew her, but drew a blank. Frustration knotted his gut. The docs had warned him that the number of concussions he’d sustained over the years could affect his memory, and this was proof of it.

She turned away. “I’m going to make sure the back door is locked, Gus.”

She skated to the other side of the rink like she was chasing after a free puck.

Gus narrowed his eyes at Ben again. “You two know each other?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“She looks familiar, but you know how hockey players’ minds can be.” Ben tapped his skull and nodded in the direction Erikson had gone. “She’s good.”

“No kidding.” Gus lifted a bucket of pucks with a grunt. “If she’d been a boy, she’d be playing in the NHL right now.”

“The next Sid Crosby?”

“Ha! More like the next Gordie Howe, complete with the fisticuffs. The girl’s got a temper on her, and if I were you, I’d steer clear of her. She’s not someone you want to dance with.”

“What makes you think I’d be in trouble?”

“I saw that look she gave you.” Gus stepped out onto the ice with the bucket and headed toward the Zamboni. “I’ve known her since she was yay big, and I’ve seen the crap she’s been through. If you’re here to cause her any trouble, then she’s not the only person you need to worry about. We look out for our own.”

Ben stopped short of the ice, staring at it like it was an old nemesis. He wasn’t about to follow Gus. “I’m not here to do that. I can barely remember if I’ve met her before or not.”

“Well, you’re sure asking a lot of questions.” Gus set the bucket down behind the wall with another grunt and climbed up on the Zamboni. “What are you doing here anyway?”

He sighed and stared at his reflection in the ice, barely recognizing himself. “I’m not quite sure.”

“Yeah, well, you need to get going now. I’ve got to do a few laps with this before locking up, and I don’t want to have to worry about you spending the night here.”

“No worries. Just one question—do you know where I can find her?”

“Can’t take hint, can you?” The Zamboni roared to life, and Gus drove it out onto the ice. “If you’re looking for trouble, then you’ll find her at the Sin Bin downtown. Just make sure you’re wearing a cup before engaging her.”

“Will do, and thanks.” Ben turned around and climbed the stairs one by one, leaning on his cane all the way up. He wouldn’t know any peace until he figured out how he knew her.

Next stop: the Sin Bin.

* * *

Hailey gripped the steering wheel and took a deep breath, but that didn’t steady her rattled nerves like it normally did.

Who’d have thought coming face-to-face with Ben Kelly after nine years would affect her like this? Worse, she had no idea why he was here. It wasn’t like he’d wanted anything to do with her when she’d actually needed him. And now when she was finally getting her life back together, he’d shown up in her small town.

“Probably schmoozing up at the ski resort,” she muttered and started her beat-up Jeep Cherokee. After all, that’s where celebrities like him hung out, not down here in the actual town. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t have a little harem of puck bunnies to tend to him while he recovers.”

She’d seen the collision that had taken him out for the rest of the season. Most of Canada had, since the game had been broadcast nationally. The opposing team’s grinder had charged at him, hooking his skates with his stick, and had knocked Ben to the ice. Despite their history, she’d held her breath as he lay there, not moving, his leg bent at a sickening angle. Once he’d finally come around, he’d skated off the ice with assistance, but that was it for him.

The news the next morning listed all the injuries he’d sustained. Concussion. Torn ACL and MCL. Then the bets had started rolling in on whether or not the starting goalie for the Vancouver Whales would be returning to the team next season, if at all.

Hopefully Gus had given him a get-lost speech and that would be the end of it. Ski season was almost over, and summers in Cascade were usually quiet without the influx of outsiders. He’d probably leave in a couple of weeks, and that would be the last she ever saw of him.

But a squirm deep inside her stomach reminded her she wanted to see him again, if only to give him a piece of her mind after all the shit he’d put her through.

Don’t let him distract you from your goal. Remember your promise to Zach.

She pulled into the parking lot of her dad’s bar and took another cleansing breath in through her nose. This time, it worked. All her anger, her hatred, her frustration flowed out with the air from her lungs. She’d wasted too much time and too many tears over Ben Kelly, and now was not the time to lose focus.

Erikson’s Sin Bin sat right in the heart of town, on the main drag. Complete with a half dozen plasma screen TVs showing the latest games, it was the favorite watering hole for the locals. The Stanley Cup playoffs were in full swing, so the place would be packed tonight. The Whales were also playing, which meant the crowd would be that much more invested in the game. And if the Whales won, then her tips would be up.

She went in through the kitchen and grabbed her apron from under the bar. “Hey, Pop, you ready for tonight?”

“Got seven cases of Labatt.” Her father leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek. She was built like him, tall and lean, with the same bright blue eyes and blond hair. “How was practice today?”

Besides the fact the man who’d refused to acknowledge my existence two years ago had showed up?

“I roughed them up a bit,” she said after a moment’s pause. No need to tell him about Ben. Her dad would probably roll up his sleeves and beat the crap out of him if he knew.

“How bad?”

“Six to nothing.”

“That’s my girl. You keep playing like that, and the Canadian team’s bound to offer you a place.”

“First I’ve got to convince them to give me a tryout.” At twenty-seven, she was a bit older than the average player, but she was still in fantastic shape and could outplay anyone she knew. “Gus forgot his camera today, but he’ll record the next scrimmage.”

“And don’t forget Monday’s league game, either.” He ruffled her hair, pulling some of it free from her ponytail, before crossing the bar to see to a customer.

“Hailey, darlin’,” her stepmother, Cindy, called from the kitchen in her thick Texas drawl, “do you mind getting the drink order for the man at table twelve? I’m trying to get fourteen’s order out.”

One quick peek into the kitchen revealed the petite woman was carefully trying to balance four platters of wings and potato skins. “Can I help you with those?”

“Nope, I got ’em. Just get twelve started, and I’ll be by in a few minutes to see if he wants anything to eat.”

The Sin Bin was a true family-run business. Her father had opened it shortly after her older brother was born, and the whole family pitched in to keep it running. Her brother had moved away ten years ago to work in Toronto, but that was just about the time Cindy had showed up in town to take over his shifts. On busy nights like tonight, they were all there. Her dad stayed behind the bar while she and Cindy split the tables.

Twelve was a small corner booth, usually occupied by someone not entirely into the game since it had the worst view of the TVs. A lone man sat there, his back to the rest of the bar while he bent over his iPad. He was big, powerfully built with short black hair, and wore a fine-gauge sweater that hugged his broad shoulders. Definitely not one of the locals.

She approached the table and pulled her pen and notepad from her apron pocket. “Can I get you started on anything to drink?”

He looked up, and her heart kicked into overdrive as soon as she saw his slate-blue eyes.

Ben Kelly.

Her throat tightened, which was a small blessing. It was the only thing that kept her from calling him a dozen four-letter words.

He held up the display card on the end of the table. “You’re truly serving Labatt for a loonie?”

She swallowed, pushing the lump of anger out of her throat and into her stomach, where it burned with more fire than Cindy’s extra-spicy Buffalo wings. Two could play this nonchalant game of I don’t know who the hell you are. “Yep, but only when the Whales are playing.”

A cheer rose from the other side of the bar as the TV showed the team skating out onto the ice.

“It looks like the game’s about to start,” he said.

She squeezed her pen until it started to bend in the middle. “So do you want one or not?”

He set the card down, his eyes never leaving hers. “Sure, why not?”

“Fine. Cindy will be over in a few minutes to get the rest of your order.” She shoved her pad and pen into her apron and spun around on her heel. He had a lot of nerve showing up here, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he got under her skin.

She grabbed a bottle out of the cooler and popped the lid off, leaving it on the bar. “Here’s twelve’s order.”

“Aren’t you going to take it to him?” her dad asked.

“No.” As far as she was concerned, he could rot in hell.

Chapter Three

Ben watched the pretty blond waitress storm off to the bar, the set of her shoulders matching the icy glare she’d given him when he’d looked up. And here he thought Canadians were supposed to be polite and friendly. Not so with her, although he couldn’t understand why. But there was no mistaking it—she was the same pepper pot from the ice rink.

He bent over his iPad and resumed his search through all the photos in his cloud, hoping he’d be able to spot one with her in it and fill in the missing pieces of his memory. The easiest thing to do would be to ask her if they’d met before, but based on her behavior so far, he doubted that would end well. Better to wait until he put two and two together before trying to make amends for whatever wrong he’d done to deserve her treatment.

“Here you go, sugar,” a small woman with bright red hair said as she set an ice-cold bottle of Labatt on the table. “Care to get anything else to go with that?”

In a town this small, she definitely stood out with her sweeter-than-sweet drawl. He grinned. “You don’t sound like you’re from around here.”

“Land sakes, no. I’m from Dallas originally, but I’ve lived here for the last ten years.”

He took a swig of beer and studied her. Small creases appeared around her eyes and mouth when she smiled. She was older than the other girl, her face still attractive, but with hair that color, he had a hard time guessing her age.

“How well do you know the girl who took my drink order?”

“Pretty well since she’s my stepdaughter. What did Hailey do?”

He froze with the bottle hovering in front of his lips. Hailey. Why did that sound so familiar? But once again, his memory contained more gaps than he could fill. “She just acted like she didn’t want me to be here.”

“Sorry about that. Just give her time. The locals here are a bit standoffish at first, but they warm up to you quickly.” She jerked her head across the room where Hailey was laughing with a table full of people over something. “So, back to anything to eat?”

He scanned the single page menu. “A burger sounds good.”

“Coming right up. My name’s Cindy, by the way. If you need anything, just holler.”

As if to prove her point, the next table down called out her name. She flashed them a grin on her way back to the kitchen. “Be there in a second, sugar.”

Ben leaned back in the booth and scratched the stubble along his jaw. Maybe he’d just read her wrong. Maybe her reaction was more an “us-versus-them” thing. That still didn’t explain the nagging questions in the back of his mind.

Or the overwhelming rush of attraction. If she’d shown him the slightest bit of warmth, he’d be half hard and hoping he could get her back to his place. Even under her glare, he’d wanted to touch her, to press her body against his, to kiss away that frown and make her moan.

I must be getting desperate if I’m getting all worked up over her. But he still couldn’t deny his physical response to her when he’d seen her out of her gear.

He went back to searching his photos, ignoring the shouts and cheers around him as the other people in the bar watched his former team play. He didn’t want to be reminded that he would’ve been the goalie tonight if he hadn’t been taken out by a mucker on the warpath. He was more intent on solving the mystery of the first hockey player who’d captured his attention since the collision.

Cindy came by with his dinner and wordlessly dropped off a fresh bottle when his was empty. The cries from the rest of the bar told him the Whales were losing, and by the end of the game, he shared their frustration, but for an entirely different reason. He’d searched through all his photos and hadn’t found a single one with her in it.

“Care for another one before the deal ends, sugar?” Cindy asked as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

He peered across the bar to where Hailey was delivering another round to a table so they could dull the pain of the Whales’ loss. Maybe if he stayed here long enough, he could get some more information from her stepmother. “Yeah, I’ll have one more.”

When Cindy brought the bottle to his table, he put his plan into action. “I got to watch her play earlier tonight.”

Cindy’s eyes widened, and she slid into the booth. “Are you a scout from Hockey Canada?”

He chuckled. “No, not at all, but I do recognize a good player when I see one.”

“Could you please pass that on to the women’s hockey coach?” Cindy took his plate and wiped the table under it. “Poor Hailey’s been training like a madwoman during the last year for a chance to go to Sochi, and we’re all rooting for her.”

“Olympic aspirations?”

“That’s putting it mildly. The girl lives, breathes, and sleeps hockey. And we all figure this is her final shot at a medal.”

“She didn’t try out for the Vancouver games?”

Cindy’s face fell, and he felt like a door was being slammed in his face. “No, she had other things to deal with then.”

Once again he’d run into the townsfolk looking out for their own. Whatever had happened in her past, they all wanted to protect her by keeping him from finding out about it.

She stood up, his plate still in her hand, and asked, “Can I get anything else for you?”

“No, that’ll be all for tonight.” He’d struck out so far, but maybe he’d find the answer after a good night’s sleep.

“I’ll be back with the check.”

Cindy went back into the kitchen, leaving him alone to observe Hailey. It was her smile that fascinated him. A grin carved a dimple into her left cheek while a full-out smile created a matching set. She seemed to know everyone there, waving good-bye to each of them as they left and flashing that charming grin.

He wanted her to turn that grin on him, but when she looked his way, it twisted into a scowl.

“Here you go, sugar.” Cindy dropped off the check and went back to the bar, planting a kiss on the bartender’s cheek before disappearing into the kitchen.

Ben picked up the check and released a quiet laugh. At least there was one highlight of the evening. This was the cheapest meal he’d had in years. He fished out a hundred-dollar bill and left it on the table before easing out of the booth.

Unlike the other patrons, his departure didn’t receive a farewell call from the owners. Just another reminder that he was an outsider in this small town.

He sat in his Land Rover and waited for it to warm up before starting the drive home, the nagging in the back of his mind even louder than before. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the seat. He doubted he’d be able to sleep until he discovered how he knew Hailey.

Time to call in reinforcements.

He dialed the number for his older brother, Adam. “Do you have a minute to talk?”

“Sure,” Adam replied, even though his voice seemed a bit higher than normal.

“Is this a bad time?” He switched the phone to Bluetooth so he could start the drive along the steep, winding road to his cabin.

“No. Lia and I were just talking about our day.”

He snickered. He seriously doubted any words had been exchanged between his brother and his girlfriend. On any other day, he might’ve ribbed his brother, but he had too many questions about a certain hockey player to enjoy some teasing at Adam’s expense. “Do you remember me having anything to do with a blonde with dimples?”

“You usually don’t like blondes—that’s more Caleb’s taste.”

“Exactly, but I saw this woman here in town, and I swear to God I know her, but I can’t remember how.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “That’s why I’m asking you.”

“Doesn’t sound like any of your former girlfriends.”

“She’s a hockey player. I was thinking about scouring my old yearbooks, but I don’t think she went to Shattuck-St. Mary’s.”

“Did she give any indication that she knew you?”

“Adam, I’m one of the most recognizable players on the Whales. Or at least I was before my haircut.” He ran his fingers through his short hair, wondering how long he’d be able to fly under the radar once it started to grow out.

“Yes or no?”

“Yes, and she makes that player who took me out six weeks ago look kind.”

“Bruins fan?”

He laughed. “Nope.”

“Then maybe she’s pissed off because you quit the team, and now they’re about to get eliminated from the playoffs.”

Ben drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. It would be all too easy to dismiss it as something as simple as that, but it didn’t soothe the knots in his gut. “No, it’s not that, and I have no idea what I’ve done to piss her off.”

“I’m drawing a blank, too. Maybe you could snap a picture of her and send it to me. If I saw her face, maybe I could help you out.”

“Good idea. I’ll do it tomorrow.” He was almost home and didn’t want to make another descent in the dark after three beers. “Until then, I’m going to keep searching.”

“Sorry I wasn’t much help.”

“No worries.” He shifted in his seat, wondering if he dared to ask another question. “Mom told me you asked for Grandma’s ring.”

The muffled sound of a door shutting filled the air, followed by a pause. “Yes, I did.”

“That serious already?”

“Yeah,” Adam said softly. “I know it sounds crazy, especially since Lia and I’ve only known each other for a few months, but have you ever met someone where everything feels so right?”

His mind flashed back to a girl with bright blue hair. No woman had ever come close to her. A wave of memories washed over him. The silkiness of her skin. The taste of her pink nipples. The scent of ice that had clung to her. The dimples that cut into her cheeks when she smiled at him.

Shit!

The Range Rover swerved across the center line as it all came flooding back to him. Ben yanked the wheel, jerking the SUV back into his lane. His heart pounded, but it had nothing to do with the fact he’d almost run off the road.

“Ben, are you okay?”

“Fine, fine,” he replied, even though his lungs were working overtime. “I just remembered where I knew her from.”

“Oh?”

His cheeks grew warm, and he debated if he should elaborate. Out of his six brothers, only one knew what had happened that night in Vancouver. “Did Caleb ever tell you about that girl I met when we went to the playoff game nine years ago?”

“The one with the blue hair?”

He bit back a groan and twisted his hands along the steering wheel. “Yeah, that one.”

“Is it her?”

“Ninety-nine percent certain.” She had the same build, the same eyes, the same dimples. The only thing different was the hair color.

Oh, and the fact that she obviously seemed to hate him now.

“So what are you going to do?” Adam asked.

“Find out what’s happened over the last nine years.” And maybe see if the chemistry’s still there.

“Good luck to you.” Adam seemed to be ending the conversation, but a second later he added, “By the way, have you been on the ice yet?”

“No.” Not a subject he wanted to discuss.

“You’re going to have to face your fears sometime. You love the game too much to walk away from it.”

Ben blew a breath out through clenched teeth. Adam was right, but he refused to admit it. “Still waiting for the knee to be a hundred percent,” he lied.

“It’s been three months.”

“Yeah, and an injury like mine can be a career ender.”

A sigh of defeat came through the speakers from the other side of the line. “Fine, do what you want, but I know you won’t be able to stay away for long. Eventually, you’ll feel the need to put your skates on again.”

It was scary how well his older brother knew him. The ice had called to him today, and he’d felt that itch. But it still wasn’t strong enough to make him want to venture out onto it again. “Maybe. In the meantime, I have other things to worry about.”

“Let me know how it turns out.”

“Same here. Hopefully, the next time I talk to you, you’ll be an engaged man.”

Adam chuckled. “Fingers crossed. I just have to work up the nerve to ask her.”

A stab of envy pierced him. His brother had everything. A secure job managing the family’s real estate. A place overlooking the lake. A fabulous woman he was on the verge of marrying. He actually sounded happy.

The stab deepened into an ache of regret. If he’d bothered to have gotten Hailey’s number that night before falling asleep, would he be the one leading the charmed life?

“Talk to you later,” he said and hung up on Adam.

For the rest of the drive, he focused on Hailey and why she’d acted the way she had after nine years. Every time he tried to think of something he might’ve done, he drew a blank. After all, she was the one who left him without a word. Not even a phone number. Just a quick note thanking him and telling him she’d never forget that night.

He pulled into the garage and pulled the note out. Nine years in the back of his wallet had taken their toll on the flimsy piece of paper, but the ink was still visible. He ran his thumb over the little heart she’d drawn.

Sometimes life was about second chances, and now that he’d been given one with her, he wasn’t about to let her slip through his grasp this time.

Chapter Four

Hailey breezed in through the front door of the Sin Bin and stopped short of the bar.

A pair of slate-blue eyes stared back at her from a photo by the register, and a wave of grief rose from her chest and threatened to spill out from her eyes. She snatched the photo off the jar and slapped it facedown on the counter before the tears fell. She hadn’t cried since the day she’d learned about Zach’s diagnosis, and no amount of tears would bring him back now.

Her father looked up from the newspaper. “What did you do that for?”

“Pop, I thought we’d talked about this.”

“And I made it very clear that just because Zach’s gone doesn’t mean we have to give up on other kids like him.”

She stared at the back of the photo that was lying on the counter. Part of her wanted to tear it to shreds just so she wouldn’t have to keep reliving the pain that was still raw, even after a year. But the rest wouldn’t allow her to do it. Pictures were all she had left of her son.

She shoved it under the jar. “Fine, but can we please collect money for the children’s hospital without using his picture?”

She continued on to the kitchen to drop her purse off in the back office. The scent of spicy peppers burned her nose as she passed the oven. That meant only one thing—Cindy’s meatloaf was the special tonight. Maybe she could blame her watering eyes on that.

Her dad followed her into the office. “Is something wrong, Hailey?”

“No.” She swiped the back of her hand across her face. “It’s just still hard, you know?”

And it didn’t help that Zach’s father had just mysteriously appeared in town one year too late.

He pulled her into a hug. “I know, sweetie.”

“I keep hoping that if I just keep my promise to him, it will get easier.”

“It will.” Her father would know. He’d dealt with the loss of a child, an older brother she barely remembered. It was his death that had driven her parents apart. “Just stay focused on the positive.”

“I’ll try.” She pressed her palms to her cheeks and removed any lingering wetness. “So, it’s meatloaf night, eh?”

Her father winced and then nodded. “Yeah, Cindy was wondering why we hadn’t featured it in a while.”

“Maybe you should try being honest with her.”

“I know better than that.” He gave her a playful tweak on the nose. “Do you think we’ll sell any tonight?”

She laughed, shaking off the last of her heavy grief. “I think the whole town knows about Cindy’s meatloaf. It should come with one of those biohazard warnings.”

Now it was her father’s turn to laugh. “I guess Dozer will be feasting tonight.”

“If he’s brave enough to come near it. You know something’s bad when a dog refuses to eat the leftovers.”

They shared another laugh and went back into the bar. It was late afternoon, but the regulars were starting to filter in. The Whales weren’t playing tonight, so Cindy had the night off. It meant that Hailey had to take care of all the tables, which was fine until an hour before closing when he walked in.

Ben stood in the doorway, his gaze locked with hers. Neither of them moved. It was like a showdown between two gunslingers in those old Westerns. Finally, he looked away and went to the same table he’d occupied before, barely leaning on the cane in his hand.

Her dad came alongside her, drying a glass. “Is that the same guy who left Cindy that outrageous tip last night?”

“Yep.”

“Can you kindly drop a hint that she’s happily married to me?”

“Will do.” Along with another hint that he wasn’t welcome here.

She took her time crossing the room from the bar in the center to his little corner booth. “Back again?”

“Couldn’t resist,” Ben said with a grin.

Nine years ago, that same grin had won her over and had her ready to follow him back to his hotel room for best orgasm of her life. But now she knew what he was really like.

That still didn’t ease the twinge between her legs when she remembered how wonderful he’d felt inside her.

“What’ll you have?”

He glanced at the card on the table. “No specials tonight?”

Her lips twitched as an evil thought entered her mind. “It’s Cindy’s meatloaf tonight.”

“Any good?”

Her grin widened. She couldn’t wait to see his face when he took the first bite. “She’s from Texas and came up with most of the recipes here.”

“Then I guess I can give it a try.”

Sucker.

She made a show of writing it down on her pad. “Anything to drink?” Because he sure was going to need something after tasting the special.

“What do you have on tap?”

She gritted her teeth. This conversation couldn’t end fast enough. “What are you in the mood for?”

“Something local.”

She rolled her eyes and rattled off the different microbrews they had on tap. Knowing her luck, he’d probably choose something generic like a Labatt or a Bud Light.

But when she finished, he said, “I’ll go with the Old Yale Pale Ale.”

Hailey jotted that down and returned to the bar to pour his glass. Her revenge on Ben Kelly started tonight, and hopefully, when the night was over, she’d never have to see him again. She dropped the beer off at his table without saying a word and went back to the kitchen to heat up a slice of Cindy’s meatloaf.

At first glance, the slab of meat looked quite good—thick and juicy and perfectly browned, nestled next to a mound of fluffy mashed potatoes and steamed green beans. But it was Cindy’s secret spices that turned plain ground beef into a raging inferno on the tongue. Lumberjacks had wept after tasting it. Ben shouldn’t be any different.

Her father’s eyes widened when she came out of the kitchen carrying the plate. A couple of the locals elbowed each other and snickered. They all knew what was about to happen.

“Here you go.” She set the plate down in front of him and tried to keep a straight face. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

She dashed back to the bar and stood next to her father. Everyone in the bar stared at Ben’s booth, waiting for the moment when he took that first bite.

Oblivious to the spectacle he was becoming, Ben cut off a chunk of the meatloaf, speared it with his fork, and brought it to his mouth. Five seconds later, a hoarse cough filled the room, followed by boisterous laughter. Another person had fallen victim to Cindy’s meatloaf.

Her father stopped long enough to toss her a few packets of saltines. “Give him some of these to ease his pain.”

She approached the table slowly while Ben guzzled dry the pint of beer she’d given him earlier. “Here, try these.”

He took the crackers from her and ripped open the cellophane like a starving man, stuffing the saltines in his mouth. His cheeks were flushed, and the sound of constant sniffling broke up the munching sounds. After he’d eaten the last one, he took a deep breath. “Is there a reason why you don’t seem to like me?”

“Several.”

“And that gives you reason to prank me like this?”

The grin fell from her face. “Everyone in town knows about Cindy’s meatloaf. You were just gullible enough to try it.”

“So this is more of a locals versus outsiders thing?”

“Nope.” She leaned on the table and spoke so only he could hear her. “Listen, even though you’re trying to lay low with this new look, I know who you are.”

He leveled his eyes with hers, refusing to look away. “And?”

Now was her chance to tell him everything, to publicly humiliate him in front of the whole bar. But when he covered her hand with his, a storm of emotions erupted inside her, and her tongue refused to work. She’d never revealed the name of Zach’s father to anyone, not even her dad. At first, it was because she didn’t know more than his first name. Then, when she’d finally realized the starting goalie for the Vancouver Whales was the same man she’d had a wild one-night stand with, she doubted anyone would believe her. And after she’d gotten the letter from the team’s public relations manager stating that Ben had denied ever knowing her, she’d decided it wasn’t worth it.

But now she had him. Now he was at her mercy, and she still couldn’t bring herself to tell him about Zach.

Worse, she couldn’t look away from him. Fire raced up her arm from where he held her hand, warming her blood and reviving the same rush of desire she’d felt nine years ago. And the longer she stared into those steely blue eyes, the stronger the memories of that one night grew.

God help her, she was still attracted to him, even after all the shit he’d put her through.

Hailey jerked her hand back and lowered her eyes. “Listen, just stay the hell away from me, got it?”

She didn’t wait for a reply. Instead, she retreated back to the bar and poured another pale ale. “Pop, can you take this to twelve? I need a minute.”

Her father gave her a questioning look, but took the glass to Ben’s table and dropped it off as she cut through the kitchen and went out the back door. The cool night air soothed her raw nerves and cleared her mind. She gulped it in and wrapped her arms around her midsection. For nine years, she’d imagined hundreds of things she would say if she ever ran into Ben again, and tonight, none of them had come out. But at least she’d made it very clear she didn’t want him around.

When she came back in, he was rising from his table. A stack of bills sat on the edge, no doubt a smaller tip than the one he’d given Cindy. She waited until he slipped out the door before collecting it.

A slip of paper sat on top of the money. It was worn and yellowed, the creases held together by tape in some places. The ink had faded, but she still recognized her own handwriting.

It was the same note she’d left in Ben’s hotel room that night.

She closed her hand around the note and dashed out the front door after him. Most of the local business had closed, and the streets were nearly deserted at this hour. The streetlights cast cones of light on the sidewalks below. She looked to the right, then the left, searching for the man she needed answers from.

Several heartbeats later, she spied a solitary figure climbing into a Land Rover. Hailey ran toward him and grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around. She didn’t care that he had a cane in his hand that could probably leave her battered and bruised if he chose to use it. She held up the note. “What’s the meaning of this?”

He searched her face for a moment as though he were worried he’d made a mistake. Then he pulled her against him and covered her mouth with his own.

At first, she was too shocked to move. She stood there in his arms, paralyzed as he kissed her. When her arms decided to move, they betrayed her. Instead of pushing him away, they wrapped around his neck. Her mouth opened and allowed him to deepen the kiss.

Dear God, he was even better than she remembered. The warmth she’d felt earlier from his touch was a mere candle to the raging inferno that blazed through her now. She pressed her body against the hard planes of his chest, his abs, his shoulders. She followed his tongue in a seductive entreaty that made her forget about the pain of the last nine years. It was as if time had reversed, and they were back in that elevator on their way to his hotel room.

And if she had to do it all over again, she doubted she would say no.

He pulled away, heat simmering in his eyes. “I thought that was you.”

She stumbled back, gasping for air. What the hell had just happened?

“See you around, Hailey.” He climbed into his SUV and drove off, leaving her stunned in the middle of the street.

She had no idea how much time had passed, but when she looked down, she still had the note in her hand and no more answers than what she’d started with.

“Is everything okay?” her dad asked when she returned to the Sin Bin. “He didn’t short us on the bill, did he?”

She shook her head. She had no idea how much he’d left, but it had seemed like more than enough to cover two beers and the special. “Pop, do you think you’ll need me to help close up for the night?”

His face hardened. “There’s something you’re not telling me, isn’t there?”

“Maybe.” She folded the note, taking care with the fragile creases, and tucked it into her pocket. “I just need to go home and check something.”

The corners of his mouth tilted down, but he went back to drying the clean glasses. “Don’t make a habit of this.”

“I won’t.” She grabbed her things from the office and drove to the small trailer on the edge of her dad’s property that served as her home. He’d given it to her when Zach had gotten old enough to need his own room. There wasn’t an inch of it that didn’t remind her of her son, and yet she refused to move.

She went straight for her bedroom and pulled a box out from under her bed. Inside was a scrapbook she’d made, cataloging every event in her son’s brief life. She pulled it out without opening it, looking for the stack of letters she’d received from the Vancouver Whales.

When she’d first realized who Ben was, she tried reaching out to him, saying she wanted to talk. She got no answer. When Zach got sick, she’d tried a more desperate approach, trying to let him know about his son before it was too late. That’s when she had gotten the letter from their PR manager, claiming that Ben denied ever knowing her.

She unfolded the letter Ben had left on the table tonight and laid it on the bed next to the letter that said he didn’t know her. Her gaze went from one to the other, reading each word carefully.

If Ben had told his PR manager he didn’t know her, then why had he kept her letter all these years?

Chapter Five

Ben threw his arm over his eyes to block out the sunlight that streamed through his window. That was the problem with summers in BC—the sun was up at an ungodly hour. It didn’t help that every time he closed his eyes, he dreamed of a woman with sexier-than-sin dimples lying underneath him. Sometimes her hair was blue, sometimes blond. It didn’t matter. All he knew was that he was hornier than a teenage virgin looking to get laid before graduation.

Nine years had passed since he’d first met Hailey, and nothing had doused the heat between them. That kiss last night was proof. It had taken every ounce of self-control not to invite her back to his place and recreate that one night between them. The only thing that had held him back was the change in her demeanor.

She obviously hated him, and he had no idea why.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t discover the reason. He had time to kill here in Cascade, and he’d been given a second chance with the one woman he could never forget. Maybe if he was persistent, he’d get lucky in more than one way.

He sat on the edge of the bed and tested his knee before standing. The doc had cleared him to start skating again, but caution still held him back. It was all mental—he freely admitted that. Even as he stood and put all his weight on it, he only felt the slightest twinge. But the idea of getting back on the ice—of falling to block a puck only to get slammed by another player and have his knee ripped apart again—set his heart thumping faster than a set of speed-skating drills.

He reached for the reassuring comfort of his cane. As long as he carried it, no one pressured him to return to the team.

An hour later, he’d completed the reps of exercises his physical therapist back in Vancouver had given him to do. The muscles still fatigued quickly, but every day, they grew stronger. And every day, he came closer to making a decision he would’ve liked to put off indefinitely.

Would he return to the team next season?

He wiped the sweat from his face and pondered that question, still unable to come up with an answer. All he knew was that the ice still called to him, whether he liked it or not.

Only now he knew the ice would be occupied by one player whose love of the game surpassed his own.

After a shower and breakfast, he found himself back at the ice rink. He came in through the back door and waited in the shadows like before. And just as he’d expected, Hailey was on the ice.

Today, she was alone. No high school kids to beat up. No grumpy Gus yelling at his boys to keep up with her. Just a line of pucks along the blue line and a cardboard cutout of a goalie standing in front of the net.

Hailey launched a slap shot at the goal. It hit the cutout in the crotch, knocking it over.

Ben reflexively covered his own crotch and winced. No man liked watching a nut shot, even if it was on an inanimate object.

It did little to comfort him when he realized the cutout was of him. “Do you really hate me that much?” he asked after she reset it.

She spun around on her skates, her eyes wide. A heartbeat later, her face hardened, and she went back to the line of pucks. “The rink’s closed, Kelly.”

“The back door was unlocked.”

“Not for you.” She snapped her stick back and sent a zinger of a top shelf shot. It blasted past the cutout’s shoulder into the net. The next shot slid through the five-hole, followed by a bar down shot that narrowly missed the cutout’s head.

He let out a low whistle as she fired off shot after shot with deadly accuracy. “You’re quite a sniper, even if you aren’t playing against a real goalie.”

She sprinted toward him, stopping just before she crashed into the wall. “Why don’t you come out here and give me a real challenge?”

“Can’t.” He tapped his cane on his bad leg.

“Bullshit.” She pushed back from the wall, her eyes holding his in a challenge. “You’re just scared to face me.”

He was scared, all right, especially after seeing how she’d abused his likeness.

“I meant what I said last night. Leave me alone.”

“And what if I don’t want to?” He purposely exaggerated his limp as he came down the stairs.

“Damn it, Ben.” She threw her stick on the ice and shed her gloves like she was getting ready to beat the shit out of him. “What do you want from me?”

He refused to be drawn in by her ire. Growing up with six brothers had taught him that the best way to avoid a fight was to stay calm and well out of fist range. He coolly assessed her from several steps up, trying to find a way to disarm her before she blew up. He kept his voice quiet and soothing as he replied, “A second chance.”

Her mouth parted like he’d just kneed her in the gut, followed by a flash of pain in her eyes. She sucked in a shaky breath. “And why should I give you one?”

“I’m having a hard time trying to figure out why you’re so hostile toward me.” He closed the space between them one step at a time. “After all, you were the one who left me without so much as a good-bye.”

“I left you a note.”

“Yes, and I kept it for nine years.” He reached out, his mouth going dry as he took her hand. It was strong and warm, the calluses on the palm speaking of the hours she devoted to the sport. And it felt absolutely perfect in his.

She stared down at their hands, her anger fading just as it had the night before. No matter how much bluster she surrounded herself with, she couldn’t hide the physical connection between them. He’d witnessed it last night when he’d kissed her, and he had proof of it now. It gave him the courage to continue. “I have no intention of wasting this opportunity, Hailey. We had something special that night, and I want to know if there could be more.”

She yanked her hand back, a cold shell encasing her as she drifted backward, her eyes fixed on the ice. “No, I can’t afford any distractions, especially from you.”

“Why?”

Her blue eyes flashed, and the seething hatred reappeared. “Listen, if you’re looking for a quick fuck, I’m sure the great Ben Kelly should have no trouble finding plenty of bimbos up at the resort to satisfy his needs.”

“I never said I wanted a quick fuck.” He fought to keep his voice low and steady, even though he was inwardly panicking. He’d waited years to have a second chance with her, and it was somehow slipping from his grasp. “I was thinking more along the lines of taking things slowly, getting to know you better.”

“Yeah, well your kiss last night suggests otherwise.”

“And if I remember correctly, you were kissing me back.”

Two blotches of red appeared on her cheeks, but he couldn’t tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. She turned around and went back to her line of pucks. “It’s not happening, Kelly,” she said before firing another missile into the net.

He wanted to run out there on the ice and kiss her until she agreed to give him a second chance, but the wall wasn’t the only thing holding him back. “Not even dinner?”

“Nope.”

Time for a new tactic. “What would I have to do to convince you otherwise?”

She paused, her stick suspended in the air, ready to deliver another slap shot. Then she lowered it and slowly skated back to him. Her lips pressed together in a line of defiance, but her eyes flickered over him with a hint of curiosity. “You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”

Hope warmed his blood. He was finally making progress with her. “I’ve waited nine years. What’s a few more days?”

The corner of her mouth rose into the sly grin that carved the dimple into her left cheek. “Very well. I’ll go out to dinner with you after you successfully block a shot from me.”

She held his gaze while she returned to the blue line, her grin widening into that second dimple. Then, as if to prove her point, she took another shot at the cutout. The puck sailed just above the catcher’s mitt.

Ben grimaced and glanced down at the ice as though it were an alligator-infested swamp. He definitely had his work cut out for him if he wanted to accept her offer.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t try to win her over in other ways.

He forced a smile on his face and waved. “See you around, Hailey.”

Chapter Six

Hailey hopped off the Zamboni and grabbed her gear. Her legs wobbled like rubber from running miles of skating drills, but the ache had faded once she got the blood moving again. It had been a good practice session.

Even better, Ben Kelly hadn’t shown up to distract her today. She’d guessed right—he was afraid to step foot on the ice again. His limp had disappeared completely when he’d come down those final stairs to stop her yesterday. He was hiding behind his injury, and she doubted he would overcome his fear to accept her ultimatum. Hopefully, he’d take no for an answer this time and leave town.

A pang of sorrow pierced her chest, though, as she thought of him leaving. He had sounded so earnest, so sincere about wanting a second chance that she’d almost believed him.

Ask him about the letters and find out the truth.

But she was too chicken to do it. To ask him about the letters meant bringing up Zach, and that wound was still too close to the surface.

Besides, she hardly knew anything about Ben other than he was great in bed. And a good hockey player—maybe the best goalie in the NHL. And he really didn’t seem to have a bad rep for fighting or partying. In fact, the only media coverage he got was in highlight reels of his jaw-dropping saves.

In other words, he actually seemed to be a pretty decent guy. Maybe even a little bit romantic, holding on to her letter all these years.

She groaned and banged her head against the back door. Keep thinking like that, and you’ll be back in his bed and knocked up before Sochi.

She fished out her keys to the rink and locked the back door. The summer sun beat down on her back and shoulders, easing the fatigue from them. It was a perfect day to drive up into the hills and enjoy the scenery before going to work.

“How was practice?” a familiar male voice asked from behind her.

Hailey jumped and turned around.

Ben stood a couple of yards away with a bemused smile on his face.

“Don’t you have anything better to do than stalk me?” She marched past him and threw her gear into the back of her truck.

“No, not really. I’m still new in town, after all.” He followed her to the truck. “If I could get someone local to give me a tour and point out some of the things to do, maybe I could find a suitable distraction.”

She braced her outstretched arm on the back of the Jeep. A snort of amusement rose from her chest. “You’re not going to give up, are you?”

“I think you already know the answer to that question.” He was so close, his breath bathed the back of her neck. “Care to show me around?”

She closed her eyes and tried to squelch the reflexive wave of desire that flowed through her veins from being this close to him. The spicy scent of his cologne was both arousing and comforting. It made her want to tuck her head under his chin and press her nose against his neck so she could breathe him in.

He caught her chin on his finger and guided her head around until she faced him. His eyes pleaded with her the same way Zach’s had when he’d wanted something. “Please.”

And just like with her son, she couldn’t say no. “Fine.” She pushed his hand away. “But we’re riding in my car.”

He regarded her beat-up SUV with one squinty eye. “Are you sure that thing is safe?”

“Yes.” She climbed into the driver’s seat and offered a silent prayer he’d back out.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer to take my car?”

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t be comfortable driving a car that costs as much as my home.”

“I could drive, and you just tell me where to go.”

“Like a man would listen to a woman giving directions.”

“I had no problem following your directions before.”

Her cheeks grew warm when she realized he was referring to their one night together. “Listen, Kelly, you wanted a tour, and I’m willing to give it to you, but under my terms. We’re taking my truck because I know it can handle the roads around here. Now get in or let me go.”

She started the engine, and he scrambled around to the passenger side much faster than a man with a bum knee should. Yep, he was definitely hiding behind his injury.

But when he climbed into his seat and took in the worn interior, a new emotion washed through her—embarrassment. She tightened her hold on the steering wheel. “I know it’s not a fancy Land Rover—”

“It’s fine.” He buckled his seatbelt and gave her a half grin. “Like you said, it can handle the roads around here.”

She eased out of the parking lot, the tingle in the base of her spine letting her know she was still very aware of his presence. “You already know where the ice rink is,” she said in her best tour-guide voice as she turned right. “This is the main drag of Cascade. Over there is the grocery store, the hardware store. You already know the Sin Bin. And there’s the medical clinic.”

He nodded as she pointed out all the major businesses along the road. “It’s a pretty small town if you don’t include the resort.”

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. It’s like having an extended family.”

“So everyone keeps telling me. I’ve heard more than once that they take care of their own.” He turned to her. “Especially when it comes to you.”

She shrugged, even though her cheeks grew warm. “They all know I have one shot left at the Olympics, and they want to help me get there. Lou lets me use the ice rink off hours for free as long as I clean up afterward. Gus has been taping me play so I can show the coaches what I have to offer. Pop keeps my hours flexible at the Sin Bin.”

“Yep, just like a big family.” He eased back in his seat. “Making it to Sochi is a pretty big deal to you, isn’t it?”

A twinge of pain formed in her heart, reminding her of her promise to Zach. “More important than anything in my entire life.”

“Why didn’t you try out for the Canadian team earlier?”

Her breath hitched. Did he know? Or was he just fishing for information? She chose her words carefully. “Life got in the way.”

“That’s what Cindy said.”

Time to remind Cindy to keep her mouth closed. “Oh?”

“Yeah, but she refused to elaborate on it. Like I said, they all seem especially protective of you.”

“It could just be because you’re not from around here.” She stopped at the intersection leading up to the resort. “Do I need to give you a tour up there?”

“Not really. I’m already familiar with that side of the mountain.” It was her chance to end the tour right there and be done with him, but then he added, “Care to show me some of your favorite spots?”

Hailey gripped the steering wheel, weighing the risk of spending more time with him against not. But if she took him to the overlook, maybe it would give her an opportunity to bring up Zach. She turned onto the next road, heading away from the resort. “Hang on, then. It’s going to get bumpy.”

The paved part of the road ended a couple of miles from the intersection and turned into a gravel trail leading up the opposite mountain. Ben grabbed the handle over the door and silently held on, his face tense, as she navigated the steep incline she knew by heart. Even with four-wheel drive, it was a slow climb, but after twenty minutes, they came to the flat outcropping along the ridge.

The morning clouds had burned off, revealing miles of jagged peaks as far as the eye could see. Off in the distance, a strip of blue water sparkled like a tiny diamond hidden to all but those who knew to look for it. Cold wind whipped off the surrounding glaciers as she got out of the truck, frosting her breath and invigorating her soul. This place was as much a part of her as the hockey rink.

She turned in time to catch Ben’s openmouthed gasp and chuckled. “Other than the ice, this is my favorite spot in town.”

“I can see why.” He climbed out, leaving his cane inside, and joined her in front of the Jeep. “I didn’t even know this place existed.”

“Most outsiders don’t.” She climbed onto the warm hood of her car and pulled the sleeves of her fleece over her hands. “I dread the day they discover it and try to build another resort on this slope.”

“The town wouldn’t let that happen, would they?”

Her eyes stung as she remembered the time she’d brought Zach up here and he’d asked her the exact same question. She pulled her knees up to her chest and gave Ben the same answer she’d given her son. Her voice cracked. “Not if we can help it.”

He tilted his head to the side, his expression quizzical, and she waited for him to ask her what was wrong. The corners of his mouth turned down, his bottom lip protruding ever so slightly in the process.

Her heart thudded, and her stomach coiled into a knot. Tell him, her mind screamed, but her tongue refused to obey. If she dared to open her mouth, she might start crying. No, she couldn’t afford to show him any weakness.

Thankfully, he didn’t press the issue. “This place is special to you, isn’t it?”

She nodded and pressed her cheek on top of her knees. The last time she’d come up here had been when she scattered Zach’s ashes last summer. He’d loved this place as much as she did. It had seemed only fitting that he became part of it.

Ben moved in front of her and rested his hands on her hips, pulling her closer to him. “Then thank you for sharing it with me.”

It was all too easy to melt into his arms. He tucked her head under his chin, and his scent steadied her, just like she’d imagined. In his chest, his heart drummed with a calm, predictable beat that was nothing like the man in front of her. Ben Kelly was anything but predictable, and being this close to him did little to calm her. Her pulse danced, sloughing off her sorrow in the process. She’d come up here to tell him about the past, but much to her surprise, she began to wonder if she had a future with him.

As if he knew what was going through her mind, he pulled away just enough for his lips to find hers. Unlike the previous kiss, this one was slow and gentle. She pressed her palms against his chest, trying so hard to resist. And yet she fell further under his spell. She curled her fingers around the lapels of his jacket and kissed him back.

Instead of a raging inferno that left her wanting to shed her clothes, this kiss produced a warm glow that started in her chest and spilled over into her veins like a shot of Crown Royal on a frosty night. It drove away the chill, the grief, the void that had filled her since Zach’s death, and gave her something new to cling to.

She’d known from the moment she’d met Ben that he was different from any other man she’d ever known. He made her heart flop and her blood boil. He made her feel things she didn’t want to feel—passion, desire, anger, hatred. But for a moment, she contemplated what giving him that second chance would lead to.

He pulled away, his breath shaking, and cupped her cheeks in his hands. “Hailey,” he said in a raw, whispered moan that tore straight to her core.

It would be all too easy to follow him back to his place and repeat that one night they’d shared.

A wave of panic rose into her throat as the thought entered her mind. If she gave into that temptation, would she suffer the same consequences as before?

This time, she had no trouble pushing him away. She slid off the hood of the truck and mumbled, “I need to get to work.”

The magic of the moment vanished, and they were back to being two strangers on opposite sides of the truck. Ben turned away, his shoulders slumped, and stared off into the distance until she started the engine. When he climbed back into the truck, he moved like a man twice his age.

Hailey kept her eyes fixed on the road on the way down, ignoring her passenger. Bit by bit, Ben was tearing away the image she’d carried of him all these years. The more time she spent with him, the harder it became to despise him. The famous hockey player who’d denied ever knowing her faded away, leaving behind a quiet romantic who’d kept a reminder of a one-night stand in his wallet for nine years.

The silence on the way back to the ice rink widened the space between them. By the time she pulled into the parking lot, she’d managed to restore her barriers. “I hope you enjoyed the tour.”

His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I did. Thank you.” He grabbed his cane and climbed out of the truck. “Any chance you would change your mind about dinner?”

She swallowed hard, drowning the urge to say yes. Her gaze fell to the cane he obviously didn’t need. Maybe if she pushed him to get back into the game, they could heal each other. “Not a chance, Kelly.”

He gave her an exaggerated sigh. “I thought as much. See you around.”

She waited a moment after he slammed the door and watched him return to his Land Rover, trying to sort out her mixed feelings for him. Her heart and her mind warred with each other. When no clear resolution appeared, she drove to the Sin Bin and sat in her truck until she saw Ben drive past her. Then she dashed across the street to the medical clinic.

“Hi, Lisa,” she said as she passed the receptionist. “Is Jen with a patient right now?”

“Nope, she’s on lunch for the next ten minutes.”

“Perfect.” It was plenty of time to use her best friend as a sounding board.

Jen sat in her office, picking at a salad while she surfed the Web for baby gear. The glow in her cheeks complemented the growing bump that strained against her dress. She was due in two months, and the town was already anxious about who would fill her position in the clinic while she was on maternity leave.

Hailey knocked on the door. “Got a minute?”

“Always.” She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder and grinned. “What’s going on?”

Hailey slid into the empty chair beside the desk and rubbed her arms. She’d known Jen for as long as she could remember, but an unfamiliar cloak of awkwardness enveloped her as she tried to find her words. “You know that IUD thing you did a couple of years ago? It’s still good, right?”

Jen arched a brow, her brown eyes full of questions. “It’s good for five years.”

“And it’s as effective as having my tubes tied, right?”

“It is, but if you’re thinking about hooking up with that new guy in town, I’d recommend using a condom for backup.”

“Wait, how did you—” Hailey jumped up from her chair. “Are there any secrets in this town?”

Jen laughed and shook her head. “I was wondering when you’d tell me about him. So, what’s the scoop?”

“Just that he’s the most frustrating and confusing man I’ve ever met.” She paced the cramped length of the office. “I know I should stay far away from him, but—”

“But what? From what I hear, he’s good looking and has a thing for you.” Jen stuffed a forkful of salad in her mouth. “Oh, and he leaves outrageous tips for Cindy.”

“That’s only because he was trying to pump her for information.”

“Even better. It shows he’s really into you. And it’s about time you started dating again.”

“It’s not that simple.” She stopped and combed her fingers though her hair, working up her courage to share her secret with her best friend. “Ben and I have a little bit of history.”

Jen’s jaw dropped in tandem with her fork. “Ben? As in Mr. Oh-My-God-the-Best-Sex-Ever Ben?”

Hailey nodded and stared at the floor.

“But that would make him…” Her friend’s voice drifted off before she could say what they both dared not mention. Jen straightened in her chair. “Does he know about Zach?”

“I’m not sure.”

“What do you mean, you’re not sure? Either you’ve told him, or you haven’t.”

“Damn it, Jen, I tried to tell him when Zach was sick, but I have no idea if he ever got my letters.” She slumped back in the chair and rubbed the back of her neck. “Nine years of nothing, and bam! He shows up in our little town and is asking for a second chance.”

“Was he looking for you?”

“I don’t think so. I mean, it all seems to be one big coincidence.”

“Or fate.” Jen clapped her hands together and gave a little squee of excitement. The woman had obviously been reading too many romance novels. “So what are you going to do about him?”

“What can I do? I mean, if I get mixed up with him again, then I not only run the risk of missing out on my last chance to make the Olympics, I could also get hurt again.”

Jen nodded, urging her to continue.

Hailey gulped. Now came the tough part—exposing that hidden urge she didn’t like admitting she had. “But truthfully, I’m finding it harder and harder to say no. The physical attraction is still there.”

“And what about Zach?”

The question hit her like a punch to the gut and reminded her she was a coward. “I’m scared to bring him up.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m scared he’ll leave me all over again.” She wrapped her arms around her stomach and doubled over in the chair. “If he truly didn’t know about Zach, then how do you think he’ll react when I tell him? Zach’s gone, and there’s nothing I can do to change it.”

“But he deserves to know about his son.”

“Easy for you to say.” Her gaze fell to the hand that rested on her friend’s pregnant belly and the wedding ring Jen wore. “You’re happily married to man who knows his child is on the way.”

Jen pursed her lips together and rocked from side to side in her desk chair. “What’s really at stake here?”

Her fingers went cold, and her mouth went dry. She licked her lips. “I’m scared I’ll fall even harder for him than I did and end up in worse shape than before. I made a promise to Zach, and I intend to keep it. But Ben could distract me so much, I could forget all about it.”

“Oh, sweetie.” Jen reached out and took her hand. “I know the timing sucks, but it is a second chance to make things right. I mean, does he sound like he’s just looking for another one-night stand, or does he seem to want more?”

The memory of their kiss on the ridge filled her mind. No, it wasn’t the kiss of a man looking for a wham-bam good time. It was the kiss of a man who was trying to let her know he was willing to be patient until she came around. “The latter.”

“Then take things slowly and see what happens. But don’t keep a Zach a secret for too long.” She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out one of the safe-sex condoms she handed out to patients. “You might want to keep this within reach, though, in case it’s needed.”

The corner of her mouth rose into a half smile, in spite of her desire not to laugh. She took the condom and stuffed it into her pocket. “I can control myself now, you know. I’m not some horny eighteen-year-old anymore.”

“No, you’re worse. You already know how good he is in bed. It’s like you’ve had your first taste of rich chocolate, and you won’t be satisfied until you can get some more.”

Now she laughed. Ben was like fine chocolate, but there was a definite danger with too much of a good thing. “So when should I tell him?”

“When the moment feels right.”

Hailey sucked in a breath and held it, hoping the answer would come to her. “And what if it never feels right?”

Jen squeezed her hand and gave her a sympathetic smile. “Then you aren’t listening to your heart.”

She leaned over and hugged her best friend. “Thanks, Jen.”

“Anytime.” She pulled back with a wicked grin. “And if you decide to enjoy another night with him, let me know how it turns out.”

“Bored with Nick already?”

Jen shook her head, her grin widening as she rubbed her belly. “Just trying to live vicariously through you.”

Hailey left the medical clinic with her mind a bit more at ease than when she’d entered. Jen had said to take things slowly, and she would. She just hoped everything wouldn’t shatter when she finally told Ben about Zach.

Chapter Seven

Ben picked up his phone without looking to see who was calling. “Hello?”

“Hey, Ben.” The voice of his coach, John McMurty, caught him off guard like a wrist shot to his blind side. “How’s the knee?”

A slew of unspoken four-letter words rushed through his mind as he leaned back in his chair. He was still working up the courage to get out on the ice, and his coach was already pressing for a status report. “Getting better.”

“Good.” A pause followed. “Any chance we’ll be seeing you at the training camp in September?”

Ben stared up at the ceiling and raked his fingers through his hair. “Maybe.”

“Is that all you can give me? A maybe?”

“What do you want me to say, Mac? That my knee is magically better and that I’m back to prime playing condition? It’s only been three months.”

“I know you’re not going to be a hundred percent yet, but the draft is coming up, and I need to know if I’m down a goalie.”

He eyed the pair of skates he’d brought back from Vancouver this morning and broke out in a cold sweat. The flash of light along the blades mocked him. After Hailey had made it very clear yesterday that she wasn’t going to back down on her ultimatum, he’d driven back to his house in West Point Grey still drunk off her kiss and retrieved his gear. Now that he’d had time to analyze his actions, he wondered what he’d been thinking.

At least it gave him something to tell Mac without lying. “I picked up my gear last night and plan on hitting the ice in the next day or two.” Hopefully just long enough to score a dinner date with Hailey. He’d have time to think about his career after that.

“That’s what I like to hear.” He could almost see Mac grinning over the phone. “Keep me posted.”

“Will do.” Ben ended the call and threw his phone onto the couch.

There had to be an easier way.

But when no solution came to him, he crossed the room and picked up one of the skates. The last time he’d worn them was the night he’d been injured. And now he was willing to risk getting hurt again just to impress a girl.

Well, not just any girl. Hailey.

And yet she remained a mystery. For a place that was supposedly one of her favorites, she’d appeared to be on the verge of tears yesterday. Watching her curl up on the hood with her eyes glistening had hit him harder than he’d expected. The overwhelming urge to comfort her had slammed into him with as much force as the mucker who’d torn up his knee. But instead of knocking him off his feet and leaving him stunned, it had propelled him closer to her, had given him the courage to pull her into his arms and ease her pain.

And the kiss that followed… Well, he wasn’t ready to dissect that. All he knew was that it felt as natural as breathing and yet still left him breathless at the end.

He held the skate up in front of his face. “You’d better not be playing me,” he said before dropping it back into his bag.

The sun was starting to set, illuminating the western peaks in gold. What would it look like from the ridge Hailey had taken him to? Even more awe-inspiring than yesterday? He rubbed his jaw and wondered if he could find his way back up there without her while he watched the sun disappear behind the mountains and bathe the valley below in shadows.

He wanted to see her again.

Correction—he needed to see her again, if only to get her out of his mind for a few hours afterward.

He grabbed his keys and drove to the Sin Bin, figuring that would be the most likely place to find her at this time of night. The parking lot was as empty as the bar. Two women sat on the stools, chatting with Cindy, but the place was otherwise deserted.

“Howdy, sugar.” Cindy flashed him a brilliant smile and waved to him from behind the bar. “What brings you in tonight?”

“I was looking for Hailey.”

The two women giggled, forcing Cindy to shush them with a wave of her hand.

Unease crawled up his spine. Was he caught in another one of those locals-versus-outsiders practical jokes like the meatloaf the other night?

“Hailey’s playing tonight, sugar. You can find her down at the rink.”

“Thanks.” As he turned to leave, three pairs of eyes burned holes in his back. He didn’t doubt he’d be the topic of the ladies’ conversation for the next hour.

Unlike the Sin Bin, the parking lot of the barn was overflowing, forcing him to park two blocks away. It was only when he got out that he realized he’d left his cane at home. His knee protested the first few steps, but by the time he reached the rink, the pain had faded.

The entire town seemed to be packed into the bleachers when he went inside. A din of shouts and stomps buzzed in his ears, the locals all cheering one of the two teams playing. As he made his way closer to the ice, he caught a glimpse of the jerseys. Erikson’s Sin Bin was playing McInnis Hardware, but the local game had this small town as excited as any NHL matchup.

It didn’t take him long to find Hailey. She was one of the smaller players on the ice, but her stick handling left the others in the dust. She whizzed past him with the puck, making a sharp cutback to miss one of the other team’s defensemen before circling the net and dumping a little wrap-around wrist shot in on the goalie’s blindside.

The crowd erupted in a mix of cheers and moans, and Ben found himself clapping along with them.

Hailey was good. She deserved to be on the Canadian team. And maybe there was a way he could help her.

He continued to descend the stairs to where Gus stood with a small video camera. “Taping the game?”

“Yeah,” the coach replied, his eyes never leaving the ice. “I’ve got some boys who are hoping to make the junior leagues, and I want to make sure I have plenty of footage of them to give the scouts.”

Ben raised a brow. He doubted any of the players on the ice were young teenagers. “And Hailey?”

That got Gus to turn around. “Yeah, her, too.” He squinted at him. “I still can’t shake the feeling I know you from somewhere.”

A roar from the crowd immediately drew him back to the ice, where one of the Sin Bin players had snatched the puck from the opposing team and passed it to Hailey. A brute of a kid moved in front of her, clearing the way across the ice.

“That’s my boy!” Gus shouted, keeping the camera on Hailey as he pumped his fist in the air. “Way to bruise them up, Moose.”

Moose checked the right blueliner, knocking him out of the way and giving her a straight shot at the net. And just like the other day, she fired a slap shot off the top bar and into the net.

“Oh, she’s killing them,” Gus said with a grin.

Hailey barely had time to celebrate her goal. One of the hardware store players got up in her face and shouted at her. The crowd drowned out his words, but based on the way her jaw tightened, it wasn’t a friendly conversation. The player nudged her with his shoulder, then his hand, still mouthing off at her as the other players gathered around them. She dropped her stick and narrowed her eyes.

“Oh, shit,” Gus whispered just as Hailey’s fist connected with the other player’s face.

The cheer the crowd had made when she’d scored seemed like a polite clap compared to the standing ovation they gave the fisticuffs erupting on the ice below.

His stomach clenched as the other player swung at her, his bare fist narrowly missing her nose. Hailey managed to land one well-placed punch in the guy’s gut before the refs pried them apart and directed each of them to their respective penalty boxes. She plopped down with a huff and chewed on her mouth guard as the ref whistled the game back into action.

Ben tagged along with Gus as he made his way to the sin bin. “Erikson, you’ve got to control that temper. Nobody wants a hothead on their team, especially when it comes to the Olympics.”

“But he started it, Gus.” Her mouth remained open like she wished to say more, but her justification ceased when she saw him. “What are you doing here?”

“Catching a local game.”

She popped her mouth guard back in, but not before he caught a hint of a smile from her.

A tingle raced along his skin. He was finally making some progress with her. Encouraged by her reaction, he leaned closer. “And Gus is wrong. I saw plenty of fighting penalties during the last Olympic games.”

She turned around and held his gaze. Envy flickered across her face before she snapped her head back to the game. “Yeah, well, Gus has a point. I already have enough stacked against me. I don’t need to be labeled a troublemaker.”

The penalty clock ticked down, and Hailey jumped back on the ice as soon as it hit zero, scoring another goal in less than a minute.

“And that’s a hat trick.” Gus grinned, his camera following her. He glanced over to Ben. “Hey, I think I finally know where I’ve seen you before. You’re Ben Kelly, aren’t you?”

So much for hiding out. “Yeah.”

The top of his bald head turned red, and his lips twitched with a nervous grin. “I thought so. Are you going back to the Whales next season? Because they sure as hell need you.”

Before he could reply, Moose checked another player, knocking him to the ice. The ref blew the whistle, and play halted as the downed player struggled to get on his knees. The ice turned red under him as blood dripped from his face.

Cold panic seized Ben as he watched the other players swarm around the injured player. A sharp, stabbing pain flared in his knee, and his heart pounded. Sweat prickled his skin. Memories of the night he was injured flashed through his mind, and his head swam. He forced himself to look away and sank onto the nearest seat before he lost the contents of his stomach.

“Oh, come on, Moose didn’t hit him that hard,” Gus yelled at the ref as he escorted his son to the penalty box. “They’re taking all the fun out of the game.”

Easy for him to say. He’d probably never been on the receiving end of a blow. Ben focused on his breathing, taking one deep gulp of air at a time until his anxiety ebbed.

Gus said a few words to Moose before coming back to Ben. “You’ve sure been showing a lot of interest in Erikson.”

“Maybe it’s personal.”

A scowl twisted the coach’s mouth. “Don’t even think about it. Hailey’s already missed out on one trip to the games because she got mixed up with the wrong sort of guy, and I’m not going to let you ruin her chances this time.”

Ben let that slip of information roll around in his mind a moment before asking, “What did he do to her?”

Gus snatched the camera down and closed the gap between them. Even though he was a good seven inches shorter than Ben, the coach’s temper made up for what he lacked in height. “Listen, I meant what I said. Stay away from our girl.”

“Understood.” Ben raised his hands, palms out, and backed away. Unlike Hailey, he had no desire to engage an irate opponent. “I’m just curious about her.”

“You can be curious about her after Sochi.” He turned the video camera back on and continued recording the game.

Ben lingered, noting that the small screen jutting out from the camera showed only Hailey’s movements. Gus was recording footage of her and no one else. Then he replayed the coach’s threat. He’d referred to her as “our girl,” restating what Hailey had told him about the town being like an extended family. They were all doing what they could to make her Olympic dream come true, including trying to scare him off. But maybe there was something he could do.

“Hey, Gus, how much footage do you have of her?”

“Hours. Why?”

“Are you planning on editing it all?”

“She’s lucky I know how to record her games.”

Eureka! He’d found a way to help her. “I’m pretty good with video editing software. Think you could send me a few of the files so I could put together a highlight reel of her best plays for the Canadian team?”

The camera dropped again, but this time, Gus’s face was slack with disbelief. “You’d be willing to do that for her?”

Ben nodded. “I want her to have a shot at Sochi as much as everyone else here.”

Gus’s beady eyes gave him the once-over. “Let me see what I can get to you.”

“Thanks.”

A horn blasted, signaling the end of the period, and Ben made his way out of the rink. He needed to make sure his computer was up to the task he’d just volunteered to do. Plus, he needed to check with his contacts to see if there was a way for him to get Hailey’s footage into the right hands.

As he drove home, his thoughts kept returning to Gus’s comment about Hailey getting mixed up with the wrong guy. Dozens of scenarios drifted through his mind, none of them good. But it might explain her tears on the ridge yesterday and why she’d changed from the girl he’d met nine years before.

He just hoped that maybe one day, she’d trust him enough to share her story.

* * *

Ben eyed his gear bag like it was rattlesnake poised to strike. He’d thrown it in the Land Rover this morning with the intention of catching Hailey at the rink and making good on his end of the bargain. But after sitting in the parking lot for the last ten minutes, he still wasn’t sure he was ready to don his skates again.

It wasn’t that his knee hurt. Yes, there was the occasional twinge, but nothing like the pain he’d experienced after the accident. He’d played through worse. It was the possibility of pushing too hard, too soon, and never being able to play the game again that held him back. He’d seen that happen to too many great players, and it was that fear that had triggered his panic attack last night when he watched the injured player.

He pulled his attention to the car sitting next to Hailey’s and wondered who was in the rink with her. Curiosity mingled with a trickle of jealousy and finally gave him the momentum he needed to get out of his SUV. On an afterthought, he grabbed his gear and entered the ice rink through the back door.

Hailey was on the ice with Moose, the big kid from last night’s game, doing some sort of puck-control drill. She stood in one of the face-off circles, shooting passes to him as he wove in and out of a zigzagging line of cones. Once he reached the end, they traded places. Unlike her bulky teammate, Hailey was light and swift on her skates, handling the biscuit with razor-sharp precision. When she reached the end, she dumped the puck into the net with a sharp flick of her wrist.

“Impressive,” he said as he came down the stairs.

Moose moved in front of her like a bodyguard, the pimples on his face undermining the sparse beard on his cheeks. Despite his size, the kid couldn’t be much older than fifteen or sixteen, and yet he looked ready to rip Ben to shreds if he got too close.

“It’s okay, Moose.” Hailey skated around him and came closer to Ben. “I know him.”

“Is his name really Moose?” he asked as she stopped in front of the boards.

She grinned and shook her head. “It’s Ryan, but everyone in town calls him Moose.”

“I can see why. He’d make one hell of a checker.”

“That’s what we’re hoping.” She pointed to his gear. “Here to tend the goal for us?”

His insides tightened. “No, not today. But I did want to take a few laps when you’re done.”

She raised her brows but said nothing before she skated back to Moose. After a whispered conversation, they started picking up the cones. “Time to get those skates on, Ben,” she shouted.

He fished them out of his bag and took a deep breath. It wasn’t a game. There wouldn’t be any contact. It would just be a chance to test out his knee and see how it handled on the ice. He gave a bitter laugh as he laced them up. He used to jump at a chance to put his skates on and get on the ice. Now it was almost akin to bungee jumping off a high bridge into a deep ravine.

Moose stopped in front of him as he got off the ice, blankly staring at him in a way that made Ben wonder if he wasn’t called Moose for a reason other than his size. After half a minute, he gave a grunt and sat down to take off his skates.

Ben kept him in the corner of his eye in case the brute decided to charge.

“Ready?” Hailey asked, pulling his attention back to her.

He stood up and checked his balance on the thin blades. So far, so good. “Ready.”

“Then come on out.” She offered her hand to him and waited.

A torrent of emotions warred inside him. Embarrassment and anger at the fact she thought he needed help. Fear that it might be too soon. Bruised pride. And finally, a tiny spark of gratitude that she wanted to help.

He took her hand, telling himself that it was only because he wanted to touch her, to hold her close. Then he gathered up his courage and stepped out onto the ice.

His ankles immediately wobbled, and he grabbed the boards.

A deep laugh came from the bleachers. “Bender,” Moose said with a snort.

Ben’s skin burned as he stiffened and regained his balance. He’d show that little punk.

“Careful,” Hailey whispered in his ear, her words as soothing as her concern. She squeezed his hand. “It’s been a few months since you’ve done this, and it’s going to take time for your body to adjust to being on the ice again. Just take it one step at a time.”

He nodded and let go of the boards, but not her hand. Dear God, it felt like he was three years old all over again, and his dad was teaching him how to skate. He pushed off with his good leg and glided forward. Then he pushed off with his bad leg.

The sting from his knee made him suck in a breath through clenched teeth.

Hailey tightened her grip on him. “You okay?”

He closed his eyes and nodded. “Just got to push past this.”

“If your knee is hurting—”

“It’s fine,” he growled, and kept moving forward. The stiffness lessened with each stride, and by the time he got to the opposite side, the pain was next to nothing. He leaned back against the wall and took some of the weight off his knee. “There.”

Hailey guided his face toward hers. “What are you trying to prove?”

“I don’t know. You’re the one who wants me back in front of the goal.”

Her blue eyes softened, and she ran her finger along his jaw. “Not at the expense of you hurting yourself again.”

He gave a rueful laugh. “So does this mean you’ll go out with me without me having to block one of your shots?”

“Not likely.”

“Then you leave me no choice but to skate.” He let go of her hand and started skating along the corners.

Hailey pulled up beside him, matching his slow pace. “Gus told me about your offer.”

“And I suppose you’re going to tell me not to bother.”

“Actually, I wanted to thank you.”

He skidded to a stop, his pulse jumping. “You mean you’re actually going to be nice to me?”

Her dimple appeared in her left cheek. “Don’t get all excited, Kelly. There’s being nice, and then there’s being polite. We Canadians are masters of both.”

“But you’re not going to be nice enough to go out to dinner with me.”

The other dimple appeared as she shook her head. “I don’t want to make things too easy for you.”

“Good, because I don’t want this to end like it did last time.”

Her smile fell, and he knew he’d trodden upon a sore spot for her. Her voice was a haunted whisper when she replied, “Yeah, neither do I.”

She added some distance between them. “Care to pick up the pace?”

“I’m not ready for speed drills, but I can try to go a little faster.”

He lost count of how many laps they made around the rink. Hailey stayed by his side, her eyes down. Neither of them said a word. Moose had long since departed by the time he looked up in the bleachers and realized they were alone. “You don’t have to stay, you know.”

“Yes, I do.” She pointed to the Zamboni. “I have to clean up the ice before I leave.”

The muscles around his shins and ankles ached, but he wanted to give himself one final push before quitting for the day. “Care to do a sprint with me?”

She cocked one brow. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”

“There’s only one way to find out.” He glided to the back of the rink and stood in front of the goal line like a speed skater waiting for the starting gun. “Let me know when you’re ready.”

Hailey matched his posture on the opposite side of the net. “You’re on. Ready. Set. Go!”

He dug his blades into the ice and bolted forward. The sounds of metal scraping the ice and sharp pants of exertion echoed through the barn. He swung his arms to propel himself forward, his eyes fixed on the opposite goal line. At first, he was neck and neck with Hailey. Then she turned on the gas and passed him with a blur of her blond ponytail.

But it didn’t matter that she won their informal race. A rush of joy pounded through his veins as he put the brakes on to keep from crashing into the boards. He was back on the ice, and that was all that mattered to him.

“Not bad.” Hailey came over to him, her cheeks pink, her eyes sparkling as if she knew exactly how he felt. “Not bad at all.”

The burning in his lungs suggested otherwise, keeping him from saying anything.

“You surprise me, Ben.”

She gave him a playful hip check that threw his weary muscles off balance. She reached out to steady him, but they both toppled onto the ice. He pressed his body against hers, thankful for her lack of pads today, and forgot all about his fatigue. The swell of her breasts pushed into his chest, and his blood rushed straight to his groin. His mouth went dry. He froze, not wanting to move away from her. Time hadn’t dulled his physical reaction to her one bit.

Her pupils widened as she stared up at him, and she licked her lips. Her fingers gathered the front of his shirt into her fist. Instead of pushing him off, she drew him closer with a subtle nod of her head.

The cold sting of the ice evaporated when his lips touched hers. He held back, letting her take the lead this time. At first, she seemed hesitant, like she was scared to take things too far. But with every brush of their lips, every flick of her tongue, the timidity faded. She grew bolder, more passionate, as she opened up to him.

Heat sizzled through his veins. Yes, this was what he remembered. The one woman who made him hard with just a kiss. The one woman who made his heart pump until his fingertips pulsated. The woman who awakened desires he’d never known he had.

A low moan came from one of them, and her legs shifted as though they were already naked under the sheets. His hips rocked, grinding his erection against the junction of her thighs. He wanted her more ever. His hands yearned to slide under her jersey and caress her silky skin, to cup those round breasts and firm ass.

And yet he didn’t take things further. He was content to let her call the shots, to tell him how far she was comfortable taking things. If he pressed too hard for sex, he risked losing her completely. Just like with his skating, he had to take it one step at time.

His cock throbbed, forcing him to end things before he lost control and pushed things too far. “If we’re not careful, we’re going to melt the ice.”

She nodded, her breath ragged. “Yeah, I can’t feel my bottom.”

He grinned. Nothing felt frozen on him. He was alive and burning after that kiss. Maybe he wouldn’t have to accept her challenge to take things to the next level. Who needed dinner when they could go straight to dessert?

He got up and offered her his hand. Now it was her turn to wobble on her skates. Her eyes were dark and wide, as though he’d just awakened her from a dream. The delicious flush in her cheeks told him their kiss had aroused her just as much as it had him. He did a little mental victory dance as he guided her to the boards. “You okay?”

She nodded and lowered her eyes. “You?”

“Fine.” For now. But if she continued to kiss him that way…

Yes, he’d definitely made some progress today.

“Good.” She rubbed her arms and backed away, her gaze still not meeting his. “I need to get the rink ready to open before heading over to Pop’s.”

She was asking him leave. A pinch of defeat tempered his good mood. He’d made progress, but she was still pushing him away. “And I probably need to ice my knee after skating.”

“Definitely.”

His tongue felt twice its normal size as he worked up the nerve to ask, “Can I come back and share the ice with you tomorrow?”

She finally lifted her eyes, the wariness in them dousing the last of his desire. But she nodded before turning around and skating toward the Zamboni.

Ben stepped off the ice and removed his skates, his movements hindered by frustration. He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a slow breath.

Just take it one day at a time.

Chapter Eight

Hailey looked up from the bar just as Ben walked into the Sin Bin. He gave her a brief nod of acknowledgement before heading to his usual booth.

“Should I let you take care of table twelve?” Cindy asked, her eyes dancing with mischief.

“I don’t know—you’re the one who got the eighty-dollar tip from him.”

“Yeah, and I spent the rest of the night trying to convince Sam not to string him up by the gullet.” She tittered like a girl half her age. “I never realized how jealous he could be, especially over nothing.”

“Then perhaps I should take one for the team to keep you and Pop in the land of happily wedded bliss.”

“Don’t play coy with me, sugar. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other.”

The back of Hailey’s neck grew uncomfortably warm. “What are you talking about?”

“As if you don’t know.” Cindy leaned on the bar and grinned. “Seems like someone has a new training buddy at the ice rink.”

“I hate this town sometimes,” she muttered and threw her towel under the bar. Of course someone would notice the Land Rover parked next to her Jeep Cherokee at the barn. Ben had come in every morning for the last two weeks to work on his skating and stick handling with her. And every day, he made progress. But he still hadn’t donned his goaltender’s gear.

He also hadn’t kissed her like he had the first morning. Practice with him had become as neutral as practice with Moose, and she suspected it had something to do with the growing number of gawkers who hid in the seats for a chance to meet the great Ben Kelly. It hadn’t taken the town long to recognize him, even though he’d tried to clean up his appearance.

The heat along her neck turned into an irritating prickle. As much as her head told her that was a good thing, she still craved the taste of his lips, the heaviness of his hard body on top of hers, the warmth of his arms around her. Doubt nagged at her. Had he lost interest in her?”

But when she approached his table, desire simmered in his eyes, and her doubts lifted. No, he definitely hadn’t lost interest in her.

“What brings you in tonight?”

“You.” His sexy grin forced her to lock her knees to keep from melting right there. “And of course, dinner.”

“They have several fancy restaurants in the resort, you know.”

“I know.” He stared at her as though he were starving and she was the only thing on the menu that would satisfy him.

He was laying every ounce of charm he owned on her, and so far, it was working, much to her displeasure. Getting involved with him meant more trouble than she was ready to deal with. She cleared her throat and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “So, what would you like?”

“No meatloaf tonight?”

He was teasing her, damn it. How could he go from cold and businesslike on the ice to warm and seductive here? “I can ask Cindy to whip up a batch.”

He shook his head, his grin widening. “I’ll just settle for a Rueben and a beer.” He dropped his voice and added in a low tone that sent a tingle down her spine, “And perhaps a few minutes of your time when you get a break.”

She nodded, not knowing what to say to that. It wasn’t until she’d retreated behind the bar that she realized she’d forgotten to ask him which beer he wanted. She poured a pint of the last beer he’d ordered and waited for her pulse to drop back to normal.

“You’re not catching a fever, are you, sugar?” Cindy placed a cool hand on Hailey’s cheek. “You’re mighty flushed.”

“I’m fine.” She shook off Cindy’s hand and took the beer to Ben.

He thanked her, his gaze lingering on her until she turned around. When she emerged from the kitchen a couple of minutes later, he was bent over his iPad with a set of headphones over his ears, giving off a very clear “do not disturb” vibe.

“It’s slow tonight,” she said to Cindy, testing to make sure it was safe to spend a few minutes with Ben.

“Well, what do you expect now that the Whales are out of the playoffs? It’s going to be dead in here until they start playing again.”

“We still have some folks here watching the playoffs.” She pointed to the tables, which were three-quarters of the way filled. “But it’s definitely not as boisterous.”

“Agreed.” Cindy flicked her eyes over to Ben’s table. “I don’t mind holding down the fort for a bit if you need a break.”

Her lips twitched at her stepmother’s offer. “If I didn’t know better, I’d assume you were trying to play matchmaker.”

“Who says I need to?”

Hailey waited until Ben’s Rueben was ready before returning to his table. He smiled and took off his earphones as she set the plate on the table. “Do you have a moment now?”

She glanced at Cindy, who gave her a wink and a thumbs-up, and slid into the booth next to him. The warmth from his thigh penetrated her skin and spread throughout her body, driving away any desire to add some space between them. “What did you want?”

“I wanted to show you this.” He placed the headphones over her ears and tapped a couple of things on the iPad before handing it to her.

The screen came alive with her name, followed by one great play after another, all choreographed to a pulsating techno soundtrack. Her hand flew to her mouth, and her eyes burned when the snippets came to the end. “This is fabulous.”

Ben removed the headphones. “I’m only part of the way done, but I wanted to show you what I’ve been working on.”

“No, really, this…” Her words trailed off as she stared into his eyes. The light shining from them told her he had done this for her, and she struggled to find an adequate way to show her appreciation. “This is more than I had hoped for, but why?”

“Besides the fact that you’re good and deserve a shot?” He shifted next to her, stretching his tall frame out and draping an arm along the top of the booth behind her. “Let’s just say I’m trying to make the most of my second chance. I know this is important to you, and while I can’t help much on the ice, I can help in other ways.”

Watch it, girl. You’re coming dangerously close to falling for him. Remember when you needed him the most and he wasn’t there.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat and handed the iPad back to him. Now was a good time to start asking the hard questions. “Why did you keep my note all these years?”

He looked down at her and gave her another of those smiles that made her want to take him straight to bed. “I wanted a little memento of that night.”

“So you kept it with you?”

He nodded. “It stayed in the back of my wallet from that morning until I gave it back to you. Caused me a bit of grief with one of my girlfriends, too.”

“Which one was it—the model, the actress, or the singer?” She relaxed and leaned in closer. It was easy to tease him, and yet she’d felt no jealousy when he mentioned the women he’d been with after her.

“The singer. She even wrote a song about it,” he said with a wry laugh. “All she saw was that I was fixated on a woman in my past. She didn’t even want to hear my real reason for keeping it.”

“So you didn’t keep it because of me?”

“Yes and no.” He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip and focused on her mouth. “I always wanted to remember you and that night, but I also wanted a reminder to act when I felt the urge and not let something special slip through my grasp again.”

A glow filled her chest and spread to her fingers and toes. He hadn’t forgotten about her. But when she replayed his explanation, a chill coursed through her, reminding her that she still needed to tell him about his son. She pulled back and added some space between them. “Ben, I—”

Tell him!

But a tsunami-sized wave of grief rose from her stomach and drowned her words. No, she couldn’t tell him. Not yet. Not when things seemed to be so perfect.

Coward!

But Jen had told her to listen to her heart, and right now, her heart was telling her this wasn’t the right time. She crawled out of the booth and focused her gaze on the floor. “I need to get back to work. Pop took the night off, so it’s just me and Cindy.”

His disappointment squeezed her heart as tightly as her own and slowed her steps as she returned the bar. Until she found the courage to tell him about Zach, there would always be something that would keep her from giving herself completely to Ben.

Cindy frowned when Hailey went back to restocking glasses like a zombie. “Everything okay, sugar?”

“Yeah.”

Her frown deepened. “Did he—”

“No, Cindy, it’s not him—it’s me.” She shoved a glass onto the shelf, jingling the others with a discordant blow. “You know how I am with men.”

“Hailey, honey, you can’t keep pushing away every guy who shows some interest in you. You deserve someone special.”

“Maybe, but right now, the only thing that matters is my promise.” She snatched the empty rack and ducked back into the kitchen before Cindy decided to press the issue further.

* * *

Ben watched Hailey leave and cursed under his breath. He’d almost succeeded in winning her over. He’d seen it in her eyes, her face, her body as it molded next to his. But then, as fast as a lightning strike, she’d done a one-eighty on him and run away. If she’d been any other woman, he would’ve accused her of playing games with him, but he’d gotten a glimpse of something before she ran away.

She was scared.

And if what Gus had told him was true, then she had reason to be. It was a classic case of once bitten, twice shy. He curled his hand into a fist. What he wouldn’t give to find the man who’d hurt her and beat him to a pulp.

The thought made him pause. He was never the type to have violent thoughts. Usually, it was his brother Frank who was dying to beat the crap out of someone, not him. Growing up, he’d always been the pacifist, the peacekeeper amongst all his brothers. Now his thoughts were as red and rage-filled as Frank’s.

He flattened his hand and combed his fingers through his hair as he groaned and stared at the ceiling. What the hell was she doing to him?

“Is something wrong with the food, sugar?”

He looked over to find Cindy standing beside his table. “What makes you think that?”

“You haven’t touched it.”

The Rueben and fries had cooled to the point where they weren’t appetizing. “Can I get a to-go box?”

“Sure thing.” Cindy bustled over to the bar and returned a moment later. “Anything else?”

He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket to pay for the meal. “Care to tell me why Hailey keeps pushing me away?”

“That ain’t none of my business.” But something in her tone told him that if he asked the right questions, she might be willing to share some information with him.

He decided to take a chance. “Gus mentioned that Hailey had missed out on her shot at the Olympics before because she’d gotten mixed up with the wrong type of guy. Is that the reason why she won’t go out with me?”

“You said it, not me.” She emptied his plate into the to-go box.

“What did he do to her?”

Cindy jerked as though he’d Tasered her. She slowly straightened and studied him, her mouth twisting into a grimace. “That all happened shortly after I came to town, so I don’t know all the details.”

“Can you give me a hint?”

She glanced over her shoulder at the kitchen door before leaning closer and whispering, “Let’s just say he left her with more than a broken heart.”

She opened her mouth to say more, but the banging of the kitchen door shut it. She resumed wiping down his table. “Do you need any change?”

“No, I’m good.” Hailey didn’t look his way as he got up from the table. “I guess I’ll have to be patient and wait for her to open up to me.”

Cindy nodded. “I knew you were the good sort of man the moment I laid eyes on you. Yes, just give her some time, and she’ll come around.”

He left the Sin Bin and started his car, his mind still on the little tidbit Cindy had managed to feed him. What else had that asshole done besides break her heart? Once again, those vicious thoughts surfaced, and he gunned the engine up the road to his cabin.

His phone rang as he got to the edge of town. He clicked the answer button for his Bluetooth and prayed it wasn’t Mac checking up on him again. “Hello?”

“Hello, Ben,” his mother crooned on the other end of the line. “Did Adam tell you the good news?”

“No.” But he suspected it had something to do with Lia.

“He came by the house tonight while I had Amelia over for bridge and asked her permission to marry Lia.”

How quaint and responsible of his older brother. It sounded like something Adam would do. “And did her mother say yes?”

“Of course she did. What woman wouldn’t want Adam for her son-in-law?” His mother was too refined to squeal, but the excitement in her voice was barely contained. “He’s going to propose to Lia tonight when she gets home.”

“Here’s to hoping she says yes, too.” A twang of envy coursed through his dry reply.

His mother didn’t miss it. “Is something wrong?”

“No, not really, Mom.”

“Aren’t you happy for your brother?”

“Yes.”

“Then why do you sound like you aren’t?”

He gritted his jaw and exhaled slowly. “Just having my own issues.”

“You’ve met someone?”

Crap. If he told her about Hailey, his mom would probably start planning a double wedding. At the same time, he knew she wouldn’t give him any peace until he told her something. “Yeah, there’s a girl here in town I like, but she won’t go out with me.”

“Why not? You’re handsome, successful, kind—”

“Enough, Mom. You sound like you’re getting ready to take out a billboard personal ad for me. She won’t tell me why, but from what I’ve been able to gather, she’s been hurt badly in the past, and she’s a little wary to enter a relationship.”

“Don’t worry, Ben. If you want her bad enough, she’ll come to her senses.”

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, wondering how long that would take. “Maybe.” Time to change the subject before his mom decided to interfere like she had with Adam and Lia. “In the meantime, I’ve started skating again, trying to see if the knee can handle another season.”

“That’s wonderful news! I knew I shouldn’t have taken your threat of retirement seriously. You love hockey too much to quit.”

And it didn’t hurt that his one chance for having dinner with Hailey involved him coming back to the game, even if it was just for one shot. “Don’t get too excited. I’m still not ready to play. But I’m making progress.”

“I’m so happy to hear that.” His mother’s voice shifted to the tone she used when she wanted to be nosy without being rude. “So, does this girl in town like hockey?”

He chuckled. “‘Like’ would be an understatement.”

“Then it sounds like you already have something in common with her. Does she know who you are?”

“Yes, she does, and it doesn’t matter to her. She was a Whales fan long before I signed with them.” In truth, one of the reasons he’d signed with Vancouver was the faint hope he might see a girl with blue hair and dimples in the crowd one night.

“Okay, just trying to be helpful. I’d love to see all my boys happily settled down with the right girl.”

He rolled his eyes. No, she just wanted grandchildren and wasn’t above playing matchmaker to get some. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Anytime, sweetheart. And if you need anything, don’t hesitate to give me a call.”

“Will do. Night, Mom.”

“Good night, Ben. I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

He clicked the phone off and pulled into the driveway of his empty cabin. For a moment, he tried to imagine what it would be like to have someone waiting for him when he got home, to have a warm body to curl up next to at night, to wake up and look into the face of the woman he loved. But every time he tried to picture it, the same woman appeared.

Hailey.

He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. “This is definitely not good.”

Ben got out of his SUV with his leftover dinner. Once he got inside, he popped it in the microwave, opened a bottle of beer, and took a long swig. Hailey had managed to do more than just get under his skin. If tonight was any indication, she was working her way into his heart. But until he earned her trust, it was a dead-end road.

Chapter Nine

Hailey dumped the pail of pucks out along the blue line, trying to keep her mind on something other than Ben. Her time on the ice was almost over, and he hadn’t shown up this morning.

That’s what you get for running away last night.

She threw the bucket over the boards and smacked the first puck toward the net.

It sailed to the right of the goal.

She muttered a curse and drew her stick back for the next shot. Ben was interfering more with her practice by not being here than he did when he was here. The puck banged off the top bar and over the net.

Damn it!

The back door banged open. She spun around and squinted at the approaching figure. “Ben?”

He dumped his gear onto the first row of bleachers. “Were you expecting someone else?”

“No, but I expected you to be here a few hours ago.”

“I overslept.” He sat down and pulled out his pads. “You going to keep your end of our deal?”

Her heart jumped. In all the times he’d come to practice, he’d barely worn more than his hockey pants and helmet. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

“No, but if it’s the only way you’ll go out with me, then I’m willing to chance it.” He pulled the shoulder pads over his head and fastened them. “Just give me a few minutes to get everything on. I’ve seen how much sauce you put on your shots, and I don’t want to leave here with any new injuries.”

Layer by layer, he added the elements of his goaltender’s uniform. The skates. The goal pads. The blocker and trapper. The goalie mask. By the time he finished, his already impressive bulk had doubled.

He waddled out onto the ice. “Give me a moment to get in front of the net before you start, please.”

She nodded and skated back to the blue line, her pulse throbbing like a jackhammer. Part of her wanted to know if she was good enough to score a goal against one of the best goalies in the NHL. Another part of her wondered what would happen if he did block her and she had to go out to dinner with him.

He made some final adjustments to his gear and crouched in front of the goal line. “Ready.”

She grabbed one of the pucks with her stick and searched for any weak points on him. She’d seen him play enough to know he was quick with his hands. The five-hole would be her best target since he was still recuperating from his knee injury. She doubted he could go down to a full butterfly if she shot there.

His steely blue eyes stared at her from behind his mask as though he was analyzing her, too. No doubt, he’d seen enough footage of her playing to know some of her signature moves. He’d be expecting her to fire a shot between his legs.

She slid the puck from side to side with her stick, trying to decide what to do next. If she missed, she’d have to join him for dinner, and who knew where things might go from there?

“I’m not getting any younger here,” he teased and smacked his pads.

“I’m thinking.”

“You wouldn’t have time to think if this were a real game. Now shoot.”

He was preparing for a slap shot from the blue line, but would he be able to block a screen shot? Hailey grinned and skated toward him, taking the puck with her.

He backed deeper into the crease. “What are you doing?”

“Scoring against the best goalie in the NHL.” She zipped behind the goal before snapping a wrist shot around the opposite pole. She raised her hands in the air as the puck coasted into the net.

He banged his stick on the ice, but laughter echoed in his voice. “Okay, you got one on me, but I’m ready now. Bring it on.”

She grabbed another puck from the blue line and skated around the goal, trying to see if he fell for her deke. He wasn’t fooled, so she carried the puck back and pulled her stick back to fire a shot from long range. She aimed for his five-hole, held her breath, and swung.

The slap of graphite against metal filled the rink. The puck jolted forward like a cannon ball, staying right on target. Ben’s eyes stayed focused on it. He flipped his stick around to cover the space between his legs as he lowered into the butterfly position. The puck skidded past the blade and vanished from sight.

Hailey held her breath and waited.

Then Ben stood and held up his trapper. “Lose this?”

He turned the catching glove over, and the puck dropped onto the ice.

Her breath released with a whoosh. He’d done it, and now she had to keep her end of the bargain.

Ben lifted up his mask, a grin lighting up his face, and skated past her on his way back to the bleachers. “I’ll meet you at seven at the Black Bear Bistro. Wear a dress if you have one.”

Excitement and dread danced a tempestuous tango inside her, each one wrestling for control. Like it or not, she had a date with Ben Kelly.

* * *

Ben turned into the parking lot of the restaurant at seven, half expecting Hailey to back out on him at the last minute. He’d made reservations at the Black Bear this morning before heading down to the barn. It had been a gamble, but this time, it had gone in his favor. He’d blocked Hailey’s shot, and his mood was at an all-time high for more than one reason. He was back in the game, and now he had a chance to finally take things to the next level with her.

He spied her Jeep Cherokee amongst the sea of the luxury vehicles and released the tension that had been gathering in his shoulders since he’d left the ice rink around noon. Hailey hadn’t stood him up. Now he just needed to make sure she had a good time and hope things flowed from there.

His jaw dropped when he saw her standing just inside the door. Her blond hair hung loose, cascading past her shoulders like liquid sunshine. She had donned a dress that hugged her curves and gave him an ample view of both her cleavage and her long, slender legs. A glittery golden eye shadow made her blue eyes pop, and the deep pink color of her lips practically begged him to kiss her. “Wow.”

A shy smile played across her mouth. “You don’t look too bad yourself.” She ran her hand along his jacket lapels to the sweater underneath. “Cashmere?”

He nodded, still in awe over how beautiful she looked.

“Of course.” She looped her arm through his. “Let’s get this going. I’m starving.”

So was he, but for an entirely different reason. He was ready to ask for the check, and they hadn’t even been shown to their table. He managed to mumble his name to the maître d’ when Hailey led him to the stand, and the man led them through the restaurant. Dozens of eyes seemed to follow them along the way, many of them male. He covered her hand with his own as they made their way to the private semicircular booth and placed a possessive hand on her lower back as she sat down.

They’d barely warmed their seats when the wine steward appeared. “May I offer any suggestions, Mr. Kelly?”

He winced at the attention. He’d gotten used to the hassle-free anonymity he enjoyed in the town, but he’d had to drop his name in order to get a table at the nicest restaurant in the area. Thankfully, he’d been able to forward the wine list to his future sister-in-law after he’d called and congratulated Adam on his engagement. He rattled off the name of the French wine Lia had recommended and relaxed when the steward nodded and dashed off.

“Trying to get me tipsy?” Hailey teased.

“It’s a six-course meal. Unless you’re planning on drinking the bottle all at once, I think we’ll be okay.”

She pressed her lips together as though she was trying not to laugh. “Come here enough to memorize the wine list?”

“No, but I wanted to make sure I made a good impression on you.”

The bemused expression remained as the wine steward reappeared with the bottle of wine. After the whole show of opening the bottle and waiting for him to sample the vintage, they were alone again.

Hailey sipped the wine. “I’m usually a beer drinker, but this is actually pretty good.”

Score one for Lia. “I had a little help picking it out.”

“Oh?”

“My brother’s fiancée. She owns a restaurant in Chicago and knows more about this than I do.” He took a longer taste of the wine, savoring the bright fruits and subtle pepper flavors. At the end, he caught just a brief taste of Red Vines and smiled. “I’m glad I consulted her.”

“Any recommendations on the food?”

“Get whatever you want.”

Her brows rose. “And if I order everything on the menu?”

“Then I hope you have room in your stomach for it all.”

She laughed and hid behind the menu. Before he knew it, the waiter had appeared to take their order. Thankfully, she didn’t follow through on her threat, although she did order the filet mignon and lobster tail for her main course. He didn’t mind. He wanted to treat her to an extravagant dinner.

Once they were done ordering, he edged closer to her. “Have I told you how lovely you look?”

A tinge of pink stole into her cheeks. “I had to borrow a dress from my best friend.”

“It looks good on you.” But he would bet she’d look even better out of it. His cock responded by hardening, and he shifted in his seat. “Thank you for dressing up tonight.”

“I doubt they’d let me in here if I wore my blue jeans,” she said with a shrug and played with her fingers. “You mentioned a brother. Do you have any other siblings?”

“I have six brothers.”

Her eyes widened. “Six?”

It wasn’t the first time he’d gotten that reaction when he talked about his family. He didn’t usually have a chance to talk about them, but with Hailey, he wanted to. “Yep. Adam, Caleb, Dan, Ethan, Frank, and Gideon.”

“Do they all play hockey, too?”

Her question surprised him. “For a woman who knows all about my past girlfriends, you don’t know about my brothers?”

She shook her head. “The only reason I know about your dating life is because it ends up on the local news. Otherwise, I prefer not to pry into your personal life.”

How refreshing. His previous girlfriends had all had some sort of connection to his brothers. Gideon had introduced him to the actress, Dan had hooked him up with the model, and he’d met the singer at one of Ethan’s concerts. Of course, he probably had Caleb to thank for encouraging him to go after Hailey the night they’d met. “What do you want to know?”

“I suppose just more about you and what growing up with six brothers was like.”

The conversation flowed easily after that. He started with Adam, and by the time they got to Gideon, they were well into the main course. Unlike his previous dates, she didn’t seem starstruck over his family. She preferred to know more about them before they became famous, about how they were his brothers and not how they were celebrities. When he finished sharing stories of their childhood antics, he said, “Now it’s your turn—tell me about your family.”

Her shoulders stiffened, and she looked away, raising the wall around her once again. “There’s not much to tell.”

He tightened his jaw. He hadn’t come this far just to let her shut him out. “Of course there is. Do you have any siblings?”

“A brother. He lives in Toronto near my mom.”

“Tell me about them.”

Panic flashed across her face, and for a moment, he feared she’d run out of the restaurant. She cleared her throat and said, “There’s not much to tell. I mean, I barely talk to my mom. She and Pop split when I was four.”

“Do you know why?”

She nodded. “I had another brother—Shawn. When he died, my parents just fell apart.”

“What happened?” Perhaps he was pushing too hard, but so far, she was answering his questions. Bit by bit, he was going to get her to open up to him and trust him. Just take it one step at a time.

She licked her lips, and some of the tension eased from her posture. “Before the rink was built, the kids would all play pickup games on Fisher’s Pond in the winter. One day, Shawn fell through the ice.”

A chill coursed through him as though he’d been the one who’d fallen into the frigid water.

“My mom blamed Pop because he was always pushing us to play. You see, he played in the minor leagues for a few years and would’ve gone to the Innsbruck Games if Canada had sent a team. He’d always hoped one of us would love the game as much as he did and play professionally. I remember Mom accusing him of trying to force his dreams on us, and that’s what killed Shawn.”

“Was there any truth to that?”

“No.” She paused, then added, “At least, I don’t think so. Like I said, I was four at the time, and Shawn was six years older than me, so maybe it was the case with him.”

“Is your father the reason why you’re so determined to make the national team for the Olympics?”

The same shadow of grief he’d witnessed on the ridge darkened her eyes. “No,” she whispered.

“Then why?”

“Because I made a promise to someone.” She moved farther away from him, but the gulf between them felt wider than the few inches that separated them in the booth. “Listen, I don’t want to talk about that, Ben. It’s too personal.”

Shit. He’d just run into another wall. He inhaled through his nose and moved on. “What about your other brother? The one who lives in Toronto?”

“Kyle?” The chill faded, and she leaned back toward him. They were back on safe conversational topics. “He’s a professor of mathematics at York.”

He didn’t miss the connection. “And is that how you were planning on getting your highlight reel to the coach of the National Woman’s Team?”

Her mouth parted into a perfect circle. “How did you know that?”

“Because I’ve been doing a little research of my own. I want to make sure my finished video ends up in the right hands, after all.”

“And do you have better access to him?”

Ben speared the last piece of steak on his plate and grinned. “Maybe.”

“Damn it, Ben, this is important.”

“So is dinner.” He took his time chewing. “I’d hate to think you were only being nice to me because I might have a connection to the head coach.”

She crossed her arms and sat back with a huff. Even when she was pouting, he longed to touch her. “You can be completely exasperating sometimes, you know that?”

“So can you.” He pushed his plate away and studied her, wondering if he would hit the same wall if he invited her back to his place. “Any idea what you’d like for dessert?”

The innuendo leaked into his voice before he could catch it, and judging by the way her lips parted, she didn’t miss it. She stared at him, her eyes wide with desire, but then turned away. “I suppose anything with chocolate would be fine.”

For a brief second, he hovered on suggesting they pick up some chocolate syrup in town and take it back to his place for dessert. He could only imagine how wonderful it would be to have her lick it off his skin.

He curled his fingers into his palms, hoping it would take his mind off the ache in his cock. He wanted her so badly he could barely think straight. And yet he knew if he pushed too hard, she’d run. There was something too fragile, too skittish in the way she interacted with him. It was like she was afraid to give in to him. Such a change from the girl who’d dragged him back to the hotel room nine years ago.

“Listen, Hailey, if I’m doing anything that makes you uncomfortable—”

“You’re not,” she said in a rush, cutting him off. She rubbed her arms as though she were standing back on the ridge again. “I mean—oh, shit.”

She lowered her gaze, more focused on a loose thread on her dress than him. He held his breath, preparing for the blow she was about to deal him.

“If you’re expecting me to be the same fearless, live-in-the-moment girl I was before, then I’m sorry, Ben. I can’t be that way anymore.”

He waited for her to explain why, but when she didn’t elaborate, he did the only thing he could think of. He took her hand. “I know that. I’m not the same person, either. And in truth, I like the Hailey I see before me much more than the one I remember.”

She rewarded him with a smile so bright, he wondered if he was staring at the sun. “Do you really mean that?”

He nodded, his confidence returning. He’d never been able to tell a woman what was on his mind before now, but with her, it was as easy as talking to his brothers. Maybe easier, since all he had been able to think about these last few weeks had been Hailey. “You’re stronger, more driven, more confident now, and all that makes you even sexier than before. It’s why I’ve been so persistent, and why I’m willing to be patient.”

She laced her fingers through his and came closer. Her lips were inches from his when she said in a soft voice, “Thank you.”

“You are most welcome.” He closed the gap between them and waited for the spark that ignited in him whenever he kissed her.

Unfortunately, the waiter interrupted them when he was less than a breath away. Hailey took the dessert menu with one hand. The other, she left entwined with his for the rest of the meal. It wasn’t exactly how he’d pictured things would turn out, but he’d take it.

Once dessert was cleared, he looked down at their clasped hands and asked, “Would you like to go back to my cabin?”

She arched one brow, suspicion darkening her eyes.

“Not for that reason,” he replied before she accused him of trying to lure her there just for sex. He wished he could blame his sudden dry mouth on the wine. “I wanted to show you the progress on the highlight film and see what you think.”

That brow didn’t drop, but a dimple appeared in her cheek. “I suppose I could stop by for a few minutes.”

The moment of panic fled. She’d agreed to come, and it was a few more minutes he could spend with her, a few more minutes to convince her that he was here for the long term.

Just take it one step at a time.

Chapter Ten

Hailey followed Ben’s Land Rover up the long, curved driveway to the chalet that overlooked the valley. In the winter, it would be the perfect place to ski in and out of, with easy access to the resort’s skin runs, but here in summer, it was surrounded by fields of multicolored wildflowers that danced in the breeze under the setting sun. She stopped her truck behind him and got out. “This is your cabin?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s twice the size of my home.” She took in the massive structure with oversized windows and exposed log timbers. “I’d hate to see what you call home if you refer to this as a cabin.”

He shook his head like he was indulging a curious child, barely hiding his grin, and took her hand. “Stop gawking and come inside.”

The inside was similar to some of the other vacation homes of the rich and famous who frequented the resort. Gigantic stone fireplace big enough for four adults to stand in. Granite countertops in an oversized kitchen. Floor-to-ceiling windows offering breathtaking views of the mountains. The only things missing were the obligatory elk, moose, and bear elements to the décor. “Not bad, Kelly.”

“Come on out to the deck and watch the sunset with me.”

Of course, the deck also included a steaming hot tub that practically begged her to enter it. She closed her eyes and imagined what would happen if she stripped off her too-tight dress and slipped into the warm water. Ben would probably follow her lead, join her, and the next thing she knew, they would both be naked and entwined with each other. Her sex throbbed at the idea of him touching her there, of him sliding his cock into her and making her moan until she came in his arms.

She shivered from the intensity of her daydreams and opened her eyes to find Ben wrapping a fleece blanket around her shoulders.

“You look cold.” He moved behind to shield her from the breeze.

She was anything but cold. The heat from where his body pressed against hers had driven away any remnant of her chills. She was burning with desire, with lust, with need. She’d known she’d be playing with fire by following him here, but she couldn’t say no.

“Better?” he asked.

She leaned back into his arms, savoring the sensations he awakened in her. Her thoughts moved from the physical awareness of him to something deeper. There was something safe, something comforting with being this close to him. Almost like finding a home with him. “Much better.”

“Good.” He placed a peck on her cheek and released her. “I’ll go get my iPad.”

She missed him the second he was gone and bit back a groan. Somehow, the man she’d sworn to she’d hate until she drew her last breath had managed to come dangerously close to working his way into her heart. But would he want to stay there if he knew the truth about her?

Ben appeared a moment later and started up the video. The same music played as before, but the snippets were more polished, more precise. He’d not only captured her great shots but had also managed to squeeze in scenes with her passing and handling the puck around defenders.

“I wanted to make sure the coach got a good idea of all the things you can do.” The video ended, and he turned off the tablet. “Make sure he knew you were a package deal and not just a cherry picker.”

She chuckled and came closer, hoping he’d wrap his arms around her again. “I really appreciate that.”

“You’re welcome. Consider it my penance for messing up things between us last time.”

A shard of unease pierced her stomach, spreading an icy warning through her veins. “What do you mean?”

A hint of fear drew his features tight, and he moved toward the edge of the balcony.

Hailey held her breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Was this where he told her he knew about Zach? Where he asked for forgiveness for denying that he knew them? And if he did, would she be able to give it to him?

“I only have one regret about our night together, and that was one of the reasons I carried your note with me all these years.” He rubbed his hand over the railing, gripping it until his knuckles blanched. “I made the mistake of letting you slip through my fingers. I should’ve asked for your number, your e-mail, something where I could keep in touch with you because what we shared that night…”

His voice broke off, raw with emotions she dared not name and yet still felt in her own heart.

“If I had just done one of those things that night instead of being a selfish ass and falling asleep, then maybe we wouldn’t have wasted nine years.”

Her throat choked up. All these years, he’d felt guilty for not getting her number to turn a one-night stand into something more. But she was just as much to blame. She moved beside him. “I’m the one who left without giving you any clue as to how to reach me, Ben.”

“Did you ever try to contact me once you realized who I was?”

“Yes, but by then, you were Ben Kelly, NHL superstar. Even if I could’ve gotten through the layers of people who protected you, would you have even remembered me?”

He turned around and cupped her face in his hands. “I never forgot you, Hailey. I let you get away once, but I swear, this time, I’m not going to let you go without a fight.”

It was futile to resist him any longer. Nine years ago, she’d fallen in lust with the hot guy she’d met at a hockey game. Now, she was falling in love with a man who made her feel whole once again. She closed her eyes just as his lips brushed against hers, and she melted into his embrace.

Her breath caught as he deepened the kiss. She tasted his hunger, his passion, his restraint with every movement of his mouth. As much as he wanted her, he wasn’t going to force himself on her. Just like that night years ago, he was waiting for her to dictate how far things went, and right now, he was pleading for her permission.

She reached up and wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him closer. Her body melted against his, and even though the blanket had fallen off her shoulders, she didn’t notice the crisp, cool air. All she knew was Ben—the scent of his cologne, the faint taste of strawberries on his tongue, the low sound of his desire rumbling through his chest as he threw off the last bit of restraint. His hands moved from her face to her bottom, pressing her against the hard ridge of flesh in his pants.

A whimper rose from her throat, and she broke off the kiss, straining to catch her breath. She felt like she’d just been checked hard and knocked off her feet. The world spun around her, and she clung to Ben to keep from sinking to the ground.

He tucked her head under his chin. His heart raced under her hand, and his lungs bellowed as hard as hers did. They might be older and wiser than they were before, but time hadn’t dulled the way his kiss left her weak in the knees and wanting more.

“I didn’t bring you here to sleep with me, Hailey, but if you want to take this to the bedroom, I won’t stop you.”

Once again, it was up to her. She lifted her face and searched his for a sign. Last time she’d given into temptation, she’d ended up alone and pregnant, her Olympic dreams ripped away from her. This time was different. She’d made a promise to Zach, and she couldn’t risk the same thing happening twice.

She released him and stepped back. “I’m sorry, Ben, but I can’t. Not tonight.”

His eyes closed tightly, but not before she caught a glimpse of pain in their slate-blue depths. Her rejection had hurt him, and although part of her wanted to tell him why, she still couldn’t bring herself to tell him about Zach.

Just like she couldn’t bring herself to open her heart up completely to him. The chance of getting hurt was too high.

But instead of pushing her to know why, he simply nodded in defeat and handed her his phone. “Can I at least get your phone number, then?”

“Yes.” That she could do. There was no danger in that. She typed in her cell number and gave it back to him. “I should probably go and get some sleep before practice tomorrow.”

He nodded again, still silent.

“Will I see you there?”

A faint smile played on his lips. “Probably.”

“Good.” Her words sounded hollow, like she was making polite conversation with a stranger instead of the man who was threatening to turn her world upside down all over again.

He went back to staring out over the valley, leaving her to show herself out.

Well, what do you expect? You can only reject him so many times before he gives up.

An ache throbbed in her chest as she went out the front door and climbed in her Jeep. When she’d first seen him in town, she had been certain he’d denied knowing her after she’d pleaded for his help. But when he talked about second chances, about not making the same mistakes twice, she realized he now was the one who was pleading.

She wrung her hands around the steering wheel, her mind and heart torn. Now she was the one cutting him off. Now she was the cold, heartless one who refused to let him in. If she left him now, would there ever be another chance between them?

The onslaught of emotions squeezed her chest, driving the air from her lungs and burning her eyes. Ever since Zach had died, she’d lost herself in the game, in her promise to make the team. In doing so, she’d closed herself off completely. At first, it had helped her deal with the grief of losing her son, but now it held her back from opening up to Ben. And as much as it terrified her, she couldn’t deny that there was something between them. Something more than just sex. He was pounding down her walls, forcing her feel again, and asking her to give him a part of herself that had been locked away for so long.

She put her key in the ignition, trying to convince herself it was better this way, but her heart refused to yield. Jen had told her to listen to her heart, and right now, it was screaming at her for being a prideful coward. Beat by beat, she let the reprimand sink in. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And if she missed this opportunity, would she ever have another one?

She yanked the key out and ran back to the house, banging on the front door. Ben answered, the confusion on his face flashing in front of her before she covered his mouth with hers. She pushed him inside, her arms greedily wrapping around him as she closed the door with her foot.

Ben pulled her hands down and broke away. “Hailey, what—”

“I changed my mind.” Then she kissed him in a way she hoped would answer all his questions about why she was back. But for good measure, she added, “Where’s your bedroom?”

His eyes lit up with barely contained excitement. “This way.”

It was the hotel hallway all over again. Their lips devoured each other while their hands roamed each other’s body. They shed their clothes as they climbed up the stairs to the loft bedroom with cathedral ceilings. It could’ve been the back of his SUV for all she cared. The only thing that mattered to her was being with him.

Her bra had gone the way of her dress, now part of the trail of discarded clothes. Ben covered one of her breasts with his hand and pinched her nipple between his fingers. A jolt zapped straight to her core, leaving her shaky and breathless.

Ben chuckled, his mouth close to her ear. “That’s one of the things I could never forget about you—how responsive you were.” As if to prove his point, he rolled the sensitive nub between his thumb and forefinger, evoking the same reaction from her.

“And I never forgot how good it felt to have you inside me.” She fumbled for his zipper, but he grabbed her hands and pushed her back to the edge of the bed.

“There will be plenty of time for that later. Right now, I’m going to do what I should’ve done last time. I’m going to take my time making you come so you’ll be too sated to move by the time I’m finished.”

He pulled her panties off in one swift movement and dropped to his knees between her legs. With reverence, he stroked her thighs, coming closer and closer to the place that longed for his touch, but his gaze never left her face. “You’re even more beautiful than I remember.”

Another shiver coursed through her, but this time, it had nothing to do with his touch. Everything about the moment aroused her, from the awe in his voice to the intensity of his stare. “Please, Ben.”

“Patience.” He bent her legs and rested them on his shoulders, leaving her most intimate areas exposed. Then he lowered his face between her thighs.

Hailey hissed in a breath when his tongue swirled around her clit. At first, she thought he was teasing her, testing her, getting her ready to accept his girth. But with each languid flick, each nibble and suckle, it became very clear that he wasn’t going to stop until she came. She dug her fingers into the sheets, her grip tightening along with the tension coiling inside her pelvis. She bit her bottom lip, fighting him, holding back, refusing to let go until she no longer could.

And then she shattered.

He braced his hands on her hips, holding her down as she thrashed against him, drawing out her pleasure with his mouth as long as he could. By the time he finished, her limbs hung like Jell-O, weak and powerless. He pulled her up to the pillows with him and removed his boxers. The stiff ridge of his erection pressed into the softness of her belly as he settled his weight on her. Any other lover might have taken that moment to plunge into her and take his satisfaction, but Ben cradled her face in his hands and covered her cheeks with featherlight kisses. “Let me know when you’re ready to continue.”

She had barely come back down to earth, but she still had enough of her wits about her to ask, “Do you have a condom?”

He grinned and opened his nightstand drawer, pulling out a long string of them. “I think we’re good for the night.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Feeling slightly optimistic, eh?”

He nodded and ripped one off. “I bought them as soon as I realized who you were. That way, if I ever had a second chance with you, I’d be prepared.”

“And now your patience is about to pay off.”

“I don’t mind waiting for you, Hailey. You’re worth waiting for.”

The glow from his words spread through her like a wildfire, leaving no inch of her untouched. This was what it felt like to be loved and cherished. This was what she’d always dreamed of but had been too afraid to ask for. And now she was back in Ben’s arms, in his bed, and reawakening the joy she’d once feared dead.

He rolled the condom on and positioned himself at the opening of her sex.

She spread her legs wider and tilted her hips, eager to receive him.

Ben eased into her, allowing her inner walls to accommodate him. As he came to the hilt, he squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw. “Oh, God, Hailey, you feel so good.”

“So do you.” The mild burn of pain from the stretching gave way to a hum of pleasure. He filled her completely, reaching her deepest recesses, and it reminded her just how much she enjoyed having him inside her.

“I meant what I said about taking my time. I want to make love to you slow and easy.”

Her breath caught, but it had nothing to do with the exquisite friction of him moving inside her. This wasn’t just sex to him. He wanted to make love to her, not enjoy another one-night stand. The consequences of the declaration nagged the corners of her mind, but she pushed them away. This wasn’t the time to worry about the past or the future. She’d deal with them in the morning. Right now, all she cared about was the present.

His lips fell over hers, their tongues matching the tempo of their hips as they moved together as one. Every stroke was pure heaven. Every kiss spoke of whispered promises that this wouldn’t be the last time they’d be joined like this. Every caress begged her to let him into her heart.

She fought against falling, but her struggle was in vain. She knew Ben wouldn’t quit until she was his. Everything he did was a plea for her surrender. His kisses grew more demanding. His thrusts became harder and faster. His hands explored her curves, lavishing extra attention on her sensitive breasts. The tightness in her womb returned, only this time, it coiled through her body, bending her will, breaking it, and finally forcing her to surrender completely to him.

His name fell from her lips as the orgasm rushed through her like a pulsating storm. It was wild and savage, ferocious and untamed, unrelenting in its course until it claimed all of her. She should’ve expected nothing less from Ben. He was the only man who’d instinctively known how to please her. This was the reward for her gamble, for trusting him enough to open up to him.

He repeated her name over and over again like a man caught in the throes of a fever, his movements quick and frantic. He plunged into her one final time and stilled, his face contorted in a mix of pleasure and pain. “Hailey,” he said in one long moan before collapsing on top of her.

Minutes passed before she realized they were both shaking. Ben lifted his head and gave her a sleepy, satisfied grin. “Maybe we should crawl under the covers.” He pulled the down duvet over her naked body and cradled her against him. “That was even better than I remembered.”

An hour ago, she wouldn’t have thought it possible for him to outdo his performance from that night, but he’d proven her wrong. She nodded, unable to trust her tongue to form coherent words.

“Just promise me one thing, Hailey?”

“What?”

“Wake me up before you leave this time.”

She smiled and settled into his embrace, not even questioning how well they fit together. “I promise.”

She closed her eyes and drifted off into blissful sleep. As the post-orgasmic hum faded, her dreams took flight. Zach was running in a field of wildflowers like the ones that surrounded Ben’s cabin, laughing without a care in the world. His joy seized her heart, infecting it until she felt as free and happy as her son. Ben stood behind her, holding her in his arms while they watched their son play.

In a perfect world, it would’ve been like this, with her son still alive and his father by her side. Zach stopped and came up to her, taking her hand in his and looking up at her with those steely blue eyes that were so like his father’s. “Don’t forget,” he whispered before letting her go and running back into the fields.

The images faded into blackness, reminding her it was nothing more than a dream. Zach was gone, and she had yet to tell Ben about him. Guilt and grief eroded at her joy, tearing it apart until a sob broke free from her throat.

Chapter Eleven

Ben jerked awake at the sound of a mournful wail.

Hailey was lying with her back to him, curled up in a shaking, sniffling ball.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, reaching for her, but she rolled out of bed and ran into the bathroom. A minute later, the sound of running water drowned out her sobs.

He sat up and ran his hands along his face. What the fuck did I do this time?

He waited for her to reemerge from the bathroom, to explain her behavior, but as the minutes ticked by, his confusion and frustration grew. He’d tried to be patient, tried to give her space when she had retreated from him, but his pride could only take so much, especially when a woman ran away crying after he’d made love to her. It was time to ask the hard questions and not back down until he got answers.

He jumped out of bed, his feet striking the floor with the same determination as his endeavor to uncover the truth. He opened the bathroom door and froze.

Hailey sat in the corner of the shower, her knees drawn up to her chest, her lean body wracked with sobs.

It hit him like a punch to the gut. All this time, he’d only seen the tough hockey player, the confident woman who went after what she wanted. Now, he was witnessing another side to her. This Hailey was fragile and lost, and his arms longed to comfort her.

She snapped her head up and peered at him through the fogged-up glass. Terror gleamed in her eyes before she wiped them with the back of her hand and turned away. She struggled to rise, climbing up the wall for balance. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

“Don’t apologize.” He opened the glass door and stepped into the warm water. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

She tried to push past him, but he grabbed her by the shoulders and blocked her exit. “Tough.”

“Let me go, Ben.”

“Not until you tell me why you’re sitting in my shower, crying.”

“It’s none of your business.” Her upper lip curled into a snarl, and her blue eyes flashed in anger. This was the Hailey he knew, the fighter. Only now, he wished she’d disappear so he could solve the mystery of the side she kept hidden from him.

“And what if I want to make it my business?” He closed the space between them, blocking her deeper into the corner where she couldn’t escape. “I care about you, Hailey. I want to be a part of your life, but I can’t do it if you keep shutting me out.”

She lifted her chin, but the growing tremble in it belied the stubborn gesture. Her shoulders slumped, and the tears started falling again. “Ben, I wish I could—”

He guided her face back to him, his gaze locked with hers. “Tell me, please.”

Her hands curled into fists, and for a second, he worried that she would punch him before telling him why she was crying. Instead, she banged them against the tile wall. A savage cry broke free from her chest, and her body shook from whatever struggle was waging inside her.

“I’m sorry, Ben.” She lowered her head and wrapped her arms around her chest. “I’ve been closed off for so long that now I’m…”

She seemed to be retreating again, so he stepped closer, pulled her body against his, and tucked her head under his chin. “You what?”

“I didn’t want to feel anything. I didn’t want to hurt. So I buried myself in the game, in my ridiculous pursuit of a dream, just so I’d have something else to focus on other than the pain. And for a while, it worked. It got me out of bed every day and kept me going. And then you had to come back into my life and challenge this shell of numbness I’d wrapped myself in.”

She slipped her arms under his and clung to him. “Tonight, you reminded me what it was like to feel again—the good and the bad. I know I can’t have one without the other, but you make it worth the risk. You’ve made me remember what joy feels like. You make me want to toss away my isolation and connect to someone. You make me feel alive, and even though I’m scared to death I’ll get hurt again, I still want you.”

He hugged her close, hoping his strength would aid her. “I don’t want to cause you any pain.”

“And you haven’t.” She lifted her head. Her nose and eyes were red from crying, but he caught a glimpse of hope that he hadn’t seen before her confession. “Everything’s been my fault. But I can’t live in the past and let it dictate my future, Ben. All I can do is accept what I have now and treasure it before it’s gone.”

She took his hands and clasped them together between their chests, covering them with her own. “You talk of second chances, but I’m the one who should be asking for a second chance. Please, Ben, give me another chance and help me feel again.”

It was almost too much for him to handle. If she’d been any other woman, he would’ve run away. But something in her plea called to him, reached inside his chest and gave him the courage to accept her challenge. He leaned forward and brushed his lips over hers, waiting to see if that was what she wanted.

“More,” she whispered and pulled him back. Her kiss sought answers, reassurance, a sign that he was willing to reawaken all those emotions she’d suppressed.

Tonight, he’d made love to her until she’d surrendered to him. Now it was his turn to give himself completely to her. He deepened the kiss, and she responded by wrapping her arms around him and giving a low moan. Desire stirred within his veins, and he realized with a start that her need was as much physical as emotional. She had feared intimacy and yet craved the connection forming between them.

He’d said earlier tonight that he refused to let her slip away from him. Now he was being tested in a way he’d never imagined. The stakes were higher than ever, but giving her what she needed seemed easier than he thought it would be. It didn’t make sense. He ended the kiss. “Hailey, what do you want from me?”

“I just want you.” The fear returned to her eyes, and she shrank back. “That is, if you still want me.”

He ran his thumb across her cheek and soaked in the beautiful, complicated woman in front of him. He’d come to Cascade to lick his wounds and mourn the loss of his career, but she’d forced him to pick up the pieces and move forward. And somewhere along the way, he’d fallen for her all over again. “You make me feel alive again, too.”

“Show me.”

His cock stirred to life at her challenge. “Gladly.”

He kissed her again, guiding her to the edge of the shower without breaking contact with her so that he could grab the condom he’d stowed in the drawer beside the sink. A blast of cold ripped through the steam when he opened the glass door. Her nipples hardened against his chest, and he bent down to warm them with his mouth.

She still responded the same way to his touch—with a delicious shiver that turned into a needful moan. He go could on like this forever, teasing her, making her murmur sexy promises, but the ache in his balls demanded release. He rolled the condom on, lifted her up against the wall, and plunged into her.

Hailey cried out his name and wrapped her legs around his waist. “Yes, this. “

His knee felt stronger than ever as he pounded into her again and again. He’d made love to her slowly before and enjoyed every second of it, but this was different. This was raw, primal, savage. He watched her for any signs that he’d gone too far in the other direction, but only saw the ecstasy in her face.

“More,” she ordered, digging her nails into his back. “Harder. Faster.”

God, he loved this. He loved being with her. He loved the fact she was still willing to give herself so completely to him. He loved the growing tightness of her inner walls, the subtle increase in the friction of each stroke, the sharp breaths that all signaled her impending release.

She came with a scream that ignited his own orgasm. It ripped through him like an explosion, tearing down his defenses and blurring his vision. Red lines pulsated along the edge of his vision in time with the pounding of his heart. He clung to her, holding her tightly against him as the aftershocks drained his remaining energy. By the time he came back to earth, he was on his knees, still buried inside her, and was holding her against the wall with her legs around his waist.

The hot water beat across his shoulders and lulled him even closer to sleep, but he didn’t want to move. For this one blessed moment, Hailey was his, and he refused to do anything that would ruin this perfect moment. He buried his nose in the crook of her neck and breathed in her clean scent.

It was Hailey who moved first. She combed her fingers through his wet hair and pressed her lips against his forehead. “Thank you,” she said in a soft, contented voice that wrapped around his chest and made him forget to breathe.

He lifted his face. The glow radiating from her smile made him forget about everything else. He was falling in love with her, and it no longer terrified him.

“Shall we go back to bed?” she asked.

He nodded and finally released her. His knee throbbed when he rose to his feet, but it was worth it. By the time they dried off and crawled back into bed, the pain was a distant memory.

Hailey curled up next to him, her arm thrown across his chest and her thigh draped over his. He gave a wry chuckle as he tightened his arms around her. This was not a woman who was planning on sneaking out of his bed as soon as he closed his eyes.

But was there enough between them to turn this into forever?

Chapter Twelve

The faint scent of Ben’s cologne was the first thing Hailey noticed as the fog cleared from her mind. It was followed by the warmth of his skin next to hers. She stretched and started to roll over, but a strong arm pulled her back against his chest.

“I thought you were going to wake me up before leaving,” he teased.

“Possessive much?” But she didn’t fight him. After they’d crawled out of the shower and into bed, she had fallen into the most peaceful sleep she’d had in years. A huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders, and her heart was urging her to open up to Ben. She finally felt ready to tell him about Zach, but first she wanted to linger in his arms a bit longer.

“I warned you that I wasn’t going to let you slip away.” He trailed his fingers through her hair and along her spine in a slow, easy manner that threatened to lull her back to sleep.

“I’m glad to hear that.” She snuggled closer to him, listening to the steady beat of his heart while she worked up her courage. “Ben, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”

His hands continued to run up and down her back in the same leisurely pattern, not revealing any signs of fear or hesitation. “What?”

She took a deep breath. This was it. This was her chance. She opened her mouth, but the distant ringing of her phone silenced her. She popped her head up to find it, but her gaze landed on the alarm clock. 10:47. “Shit! I’m late!”

Ben remained in bed as she ran around the room, searching for her clothes. “I’m hoping the lateness has nothing to do with your periods.”

Her gut wrenched, driving the air from her lungs. He was hoping she wasn’t pregnant, even though they’d just slept together. What would he say if the news about her missed period came nine years after the fact? She slid her panties back on and tried to stay calm. “No. I’m late for a class I’m teaching at the barn.”

“A class?”

“Yeah, well, technically, I don’t have time to coach a team, but I give classes from time to time on shooting and passing.” She’d started it when Zach was old enough to start playing hockey and had continued to do it even after he got sick because he’d asked her to.

She grabbed her phone and called back the last number.

Gus tore into her the minute he answered. “Where are you, Erikson?”

“I overslept.” She pulled her dress over her head. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

A pair of hands beat her to the zipper. “You’re going to play hockey in this?” Ben murmured in her other ear.

She fought the urge to tell Gus she wasn’t coming at all so she could drag Ben back to bed.

“Fine, I’ll work with the kids, but get here as fast as you can. They’re getting antsy.” Gus hung up, and Ben drew her back into his arms.

“He sounded pissed,” he said while he continued to plant tiny kisses along her neck.

“He was.” She turned around to give Ben a quick peck before slipping free from him. “He has a rink full of novice players who are waiting for me to run them through their drills.”

“Need a little help?”

For the second time in as many minutes, he’d rendered her speechless. “You’re offering to help?”

He nodded. “I may not be much in front of the goal, but I remember some things from playing days. And if all else fails, I can offer to sign a few autographs.”

“Oh, I forgot, you’re Mr. NHL superstar,” she said with a laugh. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re enjoying the ice again.”

A grimace crossed his face, but he didn’t say anything as he reached for his jeans.

But he was right about her not being able to play in the dress she’d borrowed from Jen for dinner. “I’ll run home, change, and meet you at the rink.”

She ran out the door before he offered to give her a ride. It was one thing to be sleeping with him. It was another thing if the whole town knew about it. Right now, discretion was her friend, especially while she was still working up the courage to tell him about Zach.

When she drove into the rink’s parking lot, he was waiting for her by the back door with just his skates.

“What? No pads today?” she asked as she grabbed her own gear from the back of the Jeep.

He shook his head. “No, I’m still not a hundred percent.”

“You looked great yesterday.”

“I only went out there yesterday because I wanted a date with you. My knee’s not ready to block shots all morning.” The muscles along his jaw tightened as he went into the barn, and her heart sank. He was still hiding behind his injury.

Hailey laced her skates up in record time and got on the ice with the group of eager seven- to nine-year-olds, but as soon as Gus saw Ben behind her, he said, “Hey, kids, look who Hailey brought with her—Ben Kelly!”

The kids erupted in a cheer and swarmed Ben. His eyes widened in sheer terror, and he gripped the boards as though they were all aiming to take him out. A few crashed into the wall around him, but none hit him. Their high-pitched voices fired off questions faster than a blue line of pucks during a shooting drill.

Can you play with us?

Do you know such-and-such?

Can I have your autograph?

Are you coming back next season?

Ben could barely utter a word before he was bombarded by the next question, but when one of the kids asked about his return, his face paled, and he tripped over his words.

Time for her to rescue him. “Okay, players, that’s enough. You can talk to Mr. Kelly after practice.”

Their grins were priceless as they skated back out to the center of the rink. So like Zach’s grin when he’d met Patrick, one of the Whales players. Did Ben have any idea what his mere presence meant to these kids?

She started them on a series of passing drills and went to check on him. “Sorry about Gus.”

He continued to slowly tie his skates. “It was bound to happen. Besides, I offered to come.”

“I hope they didn’t overwhelm you.”

He shook his head, then paused. “Well, maybe a little. Kids scare me. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve always turned down one of my teammate’s invitations to join him at the children’s hospital.”

A sharp pain stabbed her heart, bringing tears to her eyes. What if he’d accepted that invitation, just once? Would he have met Zach? “You don’t have to stay, you know, especially since kids aren’t your thing.”

She started to skate away, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to the boards. “I don’t mean it that way.”

“Then what did you mean when you said kids scare you?”

“They do. They’re so small and hyper and in your face, and I’m scared I’ll stumble over one of them and hurt them.”

“They’re children, not Chihuahuas.”

“Hailey.” He said her name like an apologetic plea and curled her hand up against his chest. “I said something that upset you, didn’t I?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because you look like you’re wavering between slapping me and crying.”

She blinked back her tears. He was beginning to read her too well. But one thing was certain—she couldn’t tell him about Zach right now. He probably would thank his lucky stars that he’d dodged a bullet.

“I have to get back to the lessons, Ben. It’s bad enough I was late. I don’t need to focus all my attention on you when I’m supposed to be here for them.” She unwound her hand from his and went back to the kids, completely ignoring him for the rest of the hour.

But when the lesson ended, Ben was still there. Only instead of hiding in the seats like she’d thought he would, he was out on the ice talking to the three kids who played goalie. He stood behind one of them, saying something quietly as he showed the kid how to use the stick and trapper to block the five-spot. The kid dropped to his knees in a modified butterfly and earned a high five from Ben when he got back up. His grin mirrored the kid’s, and the dark cloud that had hovered over her during practice started to lift.

The other kids skated over to him, but this time, he didn’t panic. He answered their questions with the same reserved manner he gave the press, moving closer to the edge of rink with each response. When he reached the seats, the parents swooped in, some of them supplying Ben with Sharpies to sign autographs. A good fifteen minutes passed before she finally had him alone.

She locked the front door as the last player left. “I guess you won’t be able to hide here much longer.”

“It was bound to happen.” He pulled off a skate and stared at it. “You know, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

“Meaning?” she asked as she started removing her pads.

“Don’t get me wrong—kids still scare me. But in small numbers, they aren’t too bad.”

“Says the man who grew up with six brothers.”

He chuckled and untied the other skate. “I might actually want a kid or two one day. Not anytime soon, but one day.”

And just like that, her mood sank again. What if you found out you already had one?

She stuffed her gear into her bag. “I’ve got to go to work. Playoff games mean the bar will be packed.”

“Wait.” He pulled her into a kiss just as Gus fired up the Zamboni. “Want to come over again tonight?”

Her mind hesitated. As much as she wanted to spend another night in his arms, she still needed to come to terms with telling him about Zach. Everything she’d witnessed this morning told her Ben wasn’t ready for that bomb to be dropped on him. “We’ll see how I feel after my shift.”

“I’ll stay up for you.”

Hailey threw her gear into the back of her Jeep and started the engine, but her mind was still replaying what Ben had said. Not anytime soon, but one day.

Maybe she just needed to give him more time. When she knew he was ready to learn about his son, she’d tell him. But for now, she needed to wait.

* * *

Ben stretched out on the couch with a beer and turned on the TV. Hailey had called ten minutes ago to tell him she was coming over, and he couldn’t wait to see her again, if only to pry into her actions at the ice rink this morning. She was such a contradiction. One minute, he finally felt like he’d broken down her walls, and the next, she was back to wearing that pained expression that threatened to squeeze every drop of joy from his heart.

He wanted her to open up to him. He wanted to know what he’d said or done to hurt her so he wouldn’t do it again. But she refused to tell him. Instead, she ran away, using her job as an excuse.

He’d watched her with the kids today. She was a natural coach, and it was obvious they all adored her. She was the kind of woman who would make a good mother someday. And as much as it surprised him, he wanted to be the man she chose as the father of her children. Once he’d acknowledged that, he’d forced himself to overcome his own fear of kids.

He flipped through the channels until he came to the sports station, where they were recapping the day’s playoff games. The highlights kept zooming in on a Boston player as he went in to block a shot and got hit with a puck. The expression of agony on his face slammed into Ben’s gut and made him forget about Hailey. Over and over again, they showed him getting hit, his eyes squeezing shut in pain, his mouth open in a silent scream.

Ben’s heart hammered as they showed the player skating off the ice, favoring his leg. Then the screen panned back to the reporters behind the desk as they continued to discuss the injury. He caught the words “broken leg,” and the ache in his knee flared to life.

His mind screamed at him to turn the channel as they continued to talk about some of the other significant injuries this season, but he couldn’t turn his eyes away. He stared into his own face on the screen. His breath caught when he realized what they were about to show. Time seemed to slow down as they replayed that night from three months ago. He was standing in front of the goal, bracing for impact as the other player sped toward him. He raised his stick and gloves to try to diffuse some of the impact. The mucker’s stick hooked his skate, yanking it forward. The same look of agony flickered across his own face a split second before the player ran into him.

Ben’s gut curled into knots, and sweat beaded along his forehead. He remembered very little about that night other than what he’d been told. He’d seen a picture of the collision, but never the actual footage. And now, it was like he was living it all over again. His muscles locked. Pain exploded from his knee and ran throughout his entire leg. His vision blurred in a haze of colors. Somewhere in the distance, he heard someone calling his name, but his lips refused to work.

Why me? What could I have done differently? What could I have done to prevent this? Will I ever be able to come back?

Those were the same questions he’d asked over and over again during the days that had followed his injury. And just like before, he had no answers.

A pair of cool hands touched his cheeks, and a shadow moved in front of the screen. “Ben, look at me.”

As his vision came into focus, he found Hailey standing beside him. A shudder rose inside his throat. He clamped his mouth closed to keep it from escaping.

She pried the remote from his hands and turned the TV off before pulling him into her arms and pressing his ear against her chest. Her heart was beating at the same dizzying pace as his own. “Was that the first time you saw what happened?”

All he could do was nod.

“I’m sorry.” She ran her fingers through his hair, each stroke thawing the icy fear that held him prisoner. “I know it came as a shock to you.”

“I can’t,” he finally managed to whisper. “I can’t go out there again.”

“Bullshit.” She lifted his chin and gave him a stern glare that would’ve made Mac proud. “One injury is not going to destroy your career, Ben.”

He pushed her back and stood, his leg screaming from the slightest twinge. “Easy for you to say. You weren’t the one who had your knee destroyed.”

“No, but I know what’s like to have my dreams stolen from me in a matter of seconds. Unlike you, I wasn’t afraid to get back out there and keep trying.”

A new emotion burned through him and replaced his terror—shame. “Damn it, Hailey, don’t compare me to you.”

“I’m not. But I know you’re hiding behind your injury.”

His knee popped and clicked when he put weight on it, halting his steps as he tried to leave the room. “I blew out my knee, Hailey. It’s never going to be like it was before.”

“And yet your knee was just fine when you blocked my shot yesterday and when you fucked me in the shower last night.” She blocked his escape and pointed to his injured leg. “I’ve been watching you since you came back into my life. You only limp when someone challenges you to get back out on the ice. Otherwise, your knee is as good as it was three months ago.”

The room felt like it was closing in on him. Her accusations dogged him, suffocating him until he could no longer fight them off. “What do you want me to say, Hailey? That I’m terrified to go out there again? That I live in fear that next time, they won’t be able to put me back together again?”

“Yes, because once you acknowledge your fear, you can begin to face it.” She took his hands in her own.

A rush of calm peace flowed into him from her touch, and he took his first deep breath since seeing the replay. “And how do I face it?”

“One day at a time.”

His voice cracked under the weight of his uncertainty. Was it really so simple? Would he ever be able to go back out on the ice and not be paralyzed with fear the moment he saw a player careening toward him? “And what if I never get over it?”

“You will,” she said with such certainty that he almost believed her. She pressed her lips to his in a gentle kiss. “You love this game too much not to.”

He pressed his forehead against hers, his defenses weakening. “And if I never go back to playing?”

“Then that will be your decision, but I don’t want you to make it because you’re scared. If you decide to retire, do it only after giving the game one more try.”

A shimmer of hope broke through his doubts and warmed his frozen blood. “If you think I can…”

“I know you can, Ben. And I’ll be here to help you every step of the way.”

She kissed him again, this time luring him out of the darkness of his own mind. He lost himself in the comfort of her arms, in the passion this beautiful woman could inspire in him. He’d been more than just physically broken, and yet she was willing to help heal him in every way that mattered. “I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve you.”

“Let me be the judge of that,” she replied before covering his mouth with her own.

This kiss was more raw and hungry than the prior ones, reviving his desire for her until he could think of nothing else. His cock stiffened, and he steered her to the bedroom. “We can talk about this in the morning.”

“Indeed.” She pulled his shirt over his head and wrapped her arms around him. “Right now, I want to prove to you that I want you, no matter what you decide.”

He grinned and lifted her onto the bed, the ache vanishing from his knee. “Then by all means, please do.”

Chapter Thirteen

A puck sailed through the air, flying toward the space above Ben’s shoulder. He snapped his glove up and snatched it before it hit the net, and a grin formed behind his mask. “That’s eight,” he teased.

Hailey banged her stick against the ice. “If I’d known you’d be this good this quickly, I’d have never made that bet with you.”

He tipped his mask back and skated toward her. Three weeks had passed since he’d first blocked her shot and taken her to dinner, and now she was in his bed almost every night. He looped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer for a kiss. “Why did you make that bet with me?”

“I thought it was obvious. You love the ice, Ben. You love the game. All I had to do was give you that final push to get you back out there.”

“And for that, I thank you.” As his lips covered hers, he thought about how much she’d come to mean to him. She was no longer the girl who’d given him the best night of his life, although the sex was still mind-blowing. She was a woman who calmed him when he was frustrated with his knee, who comforted his aching muscles with massages that usually ended with him lying naked beside her, who challenged him to improve both on and off the ice every day.

And yet every once and a while, he’d sense she was pulling back, just like she was now. She broke off the kiss and skated toward the fallen puck, leaving a chill in her wake. “What’s wrong?”

“Who said anything is wrong?”

He intercepted her. “I think I know you well enough by now to know when you’re keeping something from me.” He rested his hand on her shoulder. “Remember, I want to know what you’re feeling—the good and the bad.”

She shrugged him off and slid the puck back and forth with her stick, her back to him. “You’re almost back to playing condition. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before you go back to Vancouver and leave me here.”

Now she was the one who feared being abandoned. “I meant what I said about not wanting to let you go. When I go back to Vancouver, I want you to come with me.”

Her shoulders tensed, and the puck stilled. “I can’t.”

“Of course you can.” He closed the gap between them and turned her around, but she didn’t raise her eyes to meet his. “Why not?”

“For starters, I need to keep training.”

“Who’s to say you can’t train in Vancouver? I’m sure I can arrange for you to get as much ice time as you need.”

“But who will take my shifts at the Sin Bin? Pop needs me.”

“I’m sure he can hire someone to wait tables.” He lifted her chin so she was forced to look at him, and he saw it in her eyes again—the same mix of grief, guilt, and fear she’d had that night in the shower. “What’s the real reason you won’t come back with me?”

She squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t afford any distractions right now, Ben.”

“And that’s what I am to you? A distraction?”

“No.” But that didn’t stop her from adding some space between them. “But as I’ve been telling you, this is my last shot at the Olympics, and I need to stay focused. I can’t be worried about telling Pop I’m quitting or packing up my stuff to move to Vancouver. Maybe once the National team has been named, we can talk about this, but I just can’t right now.”

His jaw tightened as she skated away. Her points were all valid, but he couldn’t shake the suspicion there was something more that she was hiding from him. “Fine, I can wait.”

But it didn’t mean he had to wait silently. He knew of one way to force his hand, and it was as easy as making a phone call and sending an e-mail.

* * *

Ben stared at the number in his contact list for several long seconds before pressing the “send” button. It rang several times before Mac answered.

“Hey, Ben, how’s the knee?”

His coach never missed a chance to cut right to the chase. “Better. I’ve been taking shots, and it feels good.”

“So that means you’ll be ready to play in September?”

He waited for the rush of panic at the thought of playing in a real game again, but his throat only tightened. No racing heart. No nausea. No cold sweat. Maybe Hailey had been right about pushing him back onto the ice.

“Looks like it.” He cleared his throat and moved to the real reason he was calling. “You’re friends with the coach of the Canadian Women’s National Team if I remember correctly, right?”

“Yeah, Dan and I go way back. Why?”

“There’s a woman here in Cascade I think he should take a look at.” He grabbed his mouse and hit send on the e-mail that contained the highlight reel. “If you get a moment, take a look at the footage I sent you. If you think she’s the real deal, can you please forward it to him?”

“How did you get mixed up in this?” Suspicion laced Mac’s voice, but the pounding techno beat from the soundtrack filled the phone line, telling him the coach had opened the file.

“She’s been helping me get back into the game. This is my way of thanking her.” And hopefully of ending one of the excuses she’d given him this morning.

“Whoa. She’s got some sauce on that slap shot.”

“That’s not all she’s got. She’s good, Mac, and she deserves a shot at the team.”

The line fell silent for a half minute, with the exception of the soundtrack and the occasional incoherent sound of surprise from Mac. “Yeah, she definitely has the stuff here, but I don’t know how well she’ll do with the best.”

“All she needs is a chance.”

“Fine, I’ll forward this to Dan and see what he thinks.”

“Thanks.” Ben clicked the “off” button and ended the call before Mac pressed for any more information.

* * *

Hailey’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and grinned at the text message from Ben. Meet me out back in a couple of minutes.

It wasn’t the first time she’d gotten this message from him. Usually, it equated to a few searing kisses that left her anxious to return to his place after work. Tonight’s message, though, left her more relieved than aroused.

She’d ended practice with Ben on a down note. Part of her was thrilled that he’d asked her to come back to Vancouver with him, but she couldn’t enjoy the moment, nor accept the offer. Not when she hadn’t told him about Zach. The past three weeks had been a blur of bliss, both on the ice and in his bed. And yet, she kept waiting for all of it to shatter the moment she told him about his son. When he’d pressed her for a reason why she’d refused to come with him, she’d almost told him.

You’re nothing but a coward, and now you’re willing to lie to Ben to keep him.

She leaned her face against the door of the walk-in fridge in the kitchen and let the cold metal soothe her burning cheeks. She couldn’t keep putting off telling him the truth, but she could never find the right moment to tell him, either.

“You okay, sugar?” Cindy asked as she balanced several plates on her arms.

“Fine—just need a breath of fresh air.”

“You go ahead and do that.” She winked as she headed out the door to the bar. “Say hi to Ben for me.”

A laugh broke through her guilty fog. As Ben’s hair had started growing out, the town had started whispering about the NHL star in their midst, but they found more enjoyment gossiping about his connection with her. By now, everyone knew they were a couple, even though she’d tried to be discreet about her nightly sleepovers at his place. But this was the first she’d heard about it from her family.

Her stomach knotted. What if her dad knew she was sleeping with Ben?

Maybe moving to Vancouver would be safer than staying here.

She pushed off the fridge door and stepped out back. A pair of well-muscled arms grabbed her and pulled her against a familiar, hard chest. A second later, Ben’s lips covered hers in a searing kiss that made her wish it was already last call.

“Miss me?” he asked with a cocky grin.

“Do I need to show you?” She lowered his head and controlled the next kiss, swirling her tongue around his in time with the sway of her hips against the hardening ridge in his pants. He sucked in a sharp breath and moved his hands down to her bottom, pressing her firmly against him.

His voice was low with desire when she finished. “You keep kissing me like that, and I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

“You started it.” She placed one more kiss on his cheek for good measure and took a step back just in case he decided she’d teased him too much. With the way news traveled through this town, any hanky-panky behind the Sin Bin would make the front page of the newspaper, even if the dumpster somewhat shielded them from view. “So, are you here because it’s meatloaf night?”

He wrinkled his nose. “Ugh, I can’t believe you’re still offering that as a special.” But he rocked her from side to side in his arms with a playful grin. “No, I just came by to give you a bit of news.”

Her heart jumped. “What?”

“I had a little talk with Mac today.”

And just like that, her heart sank into the pit of her stomach. A conversation with his coach only meant one thing—he’d be leaving Cascade soon. “And?”

“Did you know he’s friends with the head coach of the Women’s National Team?”

Forget her heart—her chest squeezed so tightly, she doubted it could beat. “He is?”

Ben nodded, his grin widening. “I showed him your footage, and he thinks you have the goods. He forwarded it to Dan this afternoon.”

Her head swam, and she tightened her hold on Ben to keep from passing out. “He thought I was good enough to make the team?”

“Mac did, but it’s not his call.” He pressed the tip of his nose against hers. “But I do think his endorsement might be enough to get you that tryout.”

“Oh, my God!” She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him in a bear hug of ecstatic joy. “Thank you. Thank you so much!”

He held her like he knew the exact level of joy that raced through her. “You’re welcome.”

“This is—I mean…” When she couldn’t find the words to express her gratitude, she turned to the one thing she knew he’d understand. She kissed him, hard and fast at first, but then it turned into something slow and seductive before she could catch herself. Ben had done this for her, had given her the means to achieve her dream and keep her promise to Zach, and she had no idea how to thank him.

A growl rose from his chest, and he pushed her up against the wall. His hands reached under her shirt and stroked her bare skin, sending little shivers of pleasure through her. He made no attempt to hide how hard she made him, to downplay how much he wanted her. With each flick of his tongue, he grew bolder. He tugged at the low neckline of her shirt, then at her bra until one breast popped free. He cradled it in his hand, his kiss growing even hungrier while his fingers teased the aching peak.

She didn’t try to stop him. The hell with this town and their wagging tongues. By this time tomorrow, the whole town would know she was sleeping with Ben, but there was more to it than that. She’d fallen in love with him, and she no longer wanted to keep any facet of their relationship a secret.

And judging by his actions, he no longer cared if they got caught, either. His lips devoured hers, and once he was finished, started on a downward trail along her cheek, chin and neck, coming closer and closer to the exposed nipple in his hand. He murmured her name like a man dying of thirst just before his lips drew in the taut peak.

A shiver of delight coursed through her, shaking the breath from her lungs. If he didn’t stop soon, she’d be dragging him into the back of his Land Rover and fogging up the windows while they rocked it off its suspension.

Ben gave her breast one final nip before straightening up. “Are you sure you don’t want to come back to my place tonight?”

“It’s tempting,” she said, especially when his lips were gliding up her neck toward the sensitive spot behind her ear, “but I think Pop is on to us. He made a comment this morning about how I never seem to be home lately.”

“Did you tell him you were a grown woman who could do what she wanted?”

“Do you want to tell him what we’ve been doing?”

Ben gave a low chuckle that made her wonder if he wouldn’t mind at all, so long as he got what he wanted.

But when the door banged open beside them, he bolted from her and shielded her from whomever was coming their way.

Hailey managed to tuck her sensitive breast back into her bra before her dad saw, but she doubted she could erase the flush in her cheeks.

Her dad’s icy-blue gaze traveled back and forth between them and narrowed. “Cindy said you’d come out for a breath of fresh air.”

Was that all she’d told him? Hailey ran her fingers through her hair as though she could hide the evidence of their foreplay. “I did, and Ben just happened to be here.”

Pop’s glare settled on Ben and darkened. “Well, break time’s over. The Stanley Cup finals are on, and we’ve got a full house.”

“Be there in a minute, Pop. Just let me say good-bye to Ben.”

Thankfully, her dad got the hint and went back inside.

Hailey bit her bottom lip and gave him a sheepish grin. “I’d better go before Pop returns with a shotgun.”

“Good idea.” He placed a peck on her cheek. “Are you sure about tonight?”

“Yeah, especially after that.” She pointed to the door, where she wouldn’t be surprised if her dad was listening to every word of their conversation from the other side. “But I have tomorrow off.”

“Then we’ll make it date. I’ll even cook dinner.”

“Sounds good.” That is, if they crawled out of bed long enough to eat. “I’ll be there at seven.”

He pulled her back into his arms for one more breath-stealing kiss. “Make it six.”

“Done.”

Her heart flopped as she watched him get back into his SUV and drive away. He didn’t have to woo her with a chance at a tryout, but it only made her love him more.

Hailey opened the back door and ran smack into her dad’s chest. The anger still simmered in his eyes, but this time, it was directed toward her. When she tried to squeeze past him, he blocked her path through the kitchen to the main bar. “Yes, Pop?”

“He’s Zach’s father, isn’t he?”

All the warmth fled from her body, and her gut wrenched so hard she feared she might throw up. She opened her mouth to speak, but her dry tongue refused to come up with an answer. She nodded and looked away.

“Does he know?”

This time, she found enough words to reply honestly. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know? Either you’ve told him or you haven’t.”

She rubbed her arms and stared at the floor.

A curse exploded from her dad as he threw his hands up in disgust. “I raised you better than that, Hailey. If he’s Zach’s father, he deserves to know about him.”

Her spine stiffened. She might have been in the wrong now, but that didn’t mean she was entirely to blame. “I tried to reach him before Zach died—several times, in fact. And the only response I got was a letter from the Whales’ PR guy stating that Ben had denied ever knowing me.”

“And if he did, then why are you acting like none of that happened?”

“Because I don’t think that guy ever asked Ben.” She pressed her palm against her pounding forehead. “Ben recognized me the first night he came in here, even after nine years. I don’t think he’d ever deny knowing me if he’d been asked.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell him about his son right off.”

“It’s complicated.”

“There’s nothing complicated at all about it. You’re just too chickenshit to tell him.”

Her eyes burned from her dad’s accusation, mostly because he was spot on.

And he didn’t let up from there. “Give me one good reason why you’re pretending your son didn’t exist.”

His words stung more than a slap to the face, but nothing compared to the ache brewing inside her chest. “Because I saw what the loss of a child did to you and mom, and I’m so scared he’ll want nothing to do with me if I tell him his son died before he even had a chance to know him.”

The anger drained from his voice, leaving only disappointment in its wake. “Sweetie, if you really think he’ll act that way, then maybe you’d be better off without him.”

Hailey blinked back her tears. Crying wouldn’t solve anything. “I know that’s easy for you to say, Pop, but—”

“No buts about it, Hailey. If you won’t tell him, I will. A man needs to know these things, and if he leaves you because of it, then good riddance.” His face hardened into the same mask he’d worn for years following his divorce. “Now pull yourself together and get back out there. I need to make sure the guys aren’t tearing down the bar.”

She wrapped her arms around her waist and hugged herself, hoping in vain that it would ease the dry heaves rolling through her stomach. Time was running out. She’d carried this secret with her for too long, and she dreaded sharing it with Ben.

Cindy came into the kitchen and wrapped her arm around Hailey’s shoulders. “It’ll be okay, sugar.”

“You know about this?”

She nodded. “Your father and I have always suspected it. I mean, when I first laid eyes on Ben, I saw Zach in him.”

“And will it be okay?”

“Of course. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. The boy’s head over heels.”

Hailey sniffed and rubbed her nose. “And if this shatters everything?”

“Aw, sugar,” Cindy cooed as she hugged her, “don’t you worry about that. If it’s meant to be, you two can overcome this.”

“I don’t even know how to bring this up to him.”

“Just start with telling him you had a son, and then let it go from there. And if you need any help from me, I’ll be glad to give it. Now put a smile on your face and think about how nice it will be to finally be free of your secret.”

She did as her stepmother suggested, and some of the weight of the burden she’d been carrying lifted. She’d tell Ben tomorrow night at dinner. She’d even bring the scrapbook she’d made so Ben could at least know something about his son. And then, once she had fully opened up about her past, she’d wait and see if there was any chance of a future with him.

Chapter Fourteen

Ben scanned the small selection of wines at the local grocery store and frowned. He doubted Lia would recommend any of them. He pushed his cart down the aisle to the beer fridge and instead opted for a six-pack of a local IPA that Hailey seemed to prefer.

He checked the last item off his grocery list for dinner and headed toward one of the two registers, ending up right behind Cindy in line.

“Howdy, sugar,” she said with a bright smile. “Looks like someone’s planning a fancy dinner.”

Hailey might have wanted to keep the details of their relationship hidden from her father, but that didn’t mean he had to keep them from her stepmother. “Hailey’s coming up to my place for dinner.”

“Lucky girl. I might have to beg her for leftovers.” She placed a produce bag full of habaneros on the conveyer belt, followed by a large package of ground beef.

Ben’s mouth burned from the memory of Cindy’s special. “Making meatloaf again?”

She laughed and shook her head. “It’s chili tonight.”

He wondered if the Sin Bin had a secret dispenser for Tums in the bathroom next to the condom dispenser.

While her groceries were being rung up, Cindy kissed her fingers and pressed them against a photo of a young boy wearing a peewee hockey uniform. “Aw, sweet boy. I miss him so much.”

His curiosity raised, Ben craned his neck and glanced at the boy in the picture taped to a donation bin. A chill snaked down his spine, standing his hair on end. There was something vaguely familiar about him. “Who was he?”

“Hailey’s son, Zach.”

His hands grew numb as he studied the boy in the picture more carefully. There was no denying that he was Hailey’s son, what with the pair of matching dimples that framed his grin, but that wasn’t what troubled him. If it wasn’t for that, he would’ve sworn he was looking a picture of himself when he was six. The boy had his eyes, his chin.

Cindy ignored his silence and went on, “We all miss the little devil.”

“That we do,” the woman behind the register added. “It’s been what—a little over a year now, hasn’t it?”

“Last May.”

Ben’s throat constricted from a mix of grief and anger. “What happened to him?”

“He died of a brain tumor.” Cindy pointed to the letters that had blurred into an incomprehensible mess beside that picture. “That’s why we’re still collecting donations for the children’s hospital in Vancouver. They did as much as they could for him, and it’s our way of thanking them.”

Her words sounded like a drunk man’s whispers to his ears. How many times had he passed this picture and never really looked at it? Hell, he’d even thrown some of his spare change into the donation bin. And yet, the longer he stared at Zach, the more convinced he became that the boy was his son.

His hands curled around the cart, squeezing the metal handlebar with the same tightness as the invisible fist that choked his insides. Suddenly, it all made sense. The guilt, the grief, the secret she’d been keeping from him.

But if Zach was his son, why hadn’t Hailey told him?

Suddenly, dinner didn’t seem too appetizing. He backed out of the line.

“Where are you going, sugar?” Cindy asked.

“I’m going to put all this back. I don’t think I’ll be staying in Cascade much longer.”

Ben retraced his footsteps in a half-conscious fog, placing everything from the steaks to the beer back where it belonged. His heart thudded in time with his slow steps, each throb shooting little waves of agony through him. Just when he thought things were damn near perfect with Hailey, he’d learned the ugly truth. He’d had a son he’d known nothing about. His son was gone before he’d even had a chance to know him. And Hailey continued to hide it all from him.

What kind of heartless mother would do that?

He’d stay in town long enough to confront Hailey, and then he was gone. There was no way he could be with a woman who’d deceived him like this.

* * *

Hailey pulled into Ben’s driveway, her nerves completely frazzled. She’d stayed up so late last night making sure everything was perfect in the scrapbook that she’d slept through her alarm. It was the first time she’d missed hockey practice since the day they’d scattered Zach’s ashes. For the last year, she’d been so focused on keeping her promise to her son that she hoped he wouldn’t mind her absence on the ice this morning.

She turned off the engine and glanced down at the scrapbook. She still wasn’t ready to break the news to Ben, but she hoped this would help ease the shock. Pop was right—Ben deserved to know about his son, and this was the only thing she could offer him. Maybe in time, she’d be able to show him their home movies, but she couldn’t even bring herself to watch them yet.

She took a deep breath and drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she blew it out. Ben had asked her for a second chance, and she’d given it to him. Surely, he wouldn’t deny her a second chance after this. Bit by bit, her courage mounted, and she grabbed the scrapbook. Her heart quivered, but not with dread anymore. It was time to tell him about Zach.

She crawled out of her Jeep and knocked on the front door, hugging the scrapbook to her chest while she waited for Ben to answer. A shadowy figure moved back and forth inside, but no one came to greet her. After a minute, she tested the handle and opened the door. “Hello? Ben?”

The slam of hockey gear against the wooden floor answered her.

She ventured deeper into the cabin. A stack of boxes and a couple of suitcases stood in the entryway, and her palms grew sweaty. It looked like Ben was packing up to leave. “Ben?” she called, her voice shaking.

She found him coming down the stairs from the bedroom, his face harder than the steely color of his eyes. He glared at her for a moment before placing the suitcase he carried in his hand beside the others.

A chill surrounded her, making her cling to the scrapbook even harder. “I thought you were going to make dinner.”

He froze, the muscles in his neck straining like overstretched rubber bands that were ready to snap. He curled his hands into his palms and continued to look at her like she was the vilest person on earth. “I know about Zach,” he said in a low, sharp voice.

The blood rushed from her head, and the room spun around her. She moved to the nearest chair and sat down before her legs gave out. “How?”

“It doesn’t matter how.” He snapped his laptop closed and stuffed it into a computer sleeve.

“Ben, I know—”

“Shut up, Hailey. Just shut the hell up.” His chest expanded, and each breath seemed to seethe through his clenched teeth. “I don’t want to hear your excuses.”

Her shock evaporated, and a surge of anger that matched his stiffened her bones. She set the scrapbook on the table and jumped up from the chair. “What do you mean, you don’t want to hear my excuses? You’re the one who denied ever knowing me.”

“What the…?” His brows furrowed in confusion for a few seconds before sliding back into a mask of fury. “Don’t you even try that bullshit on me.”

“It’s not bullshit.”

“Why should I believe anything you say?” He put his laptop and iPad in his briefcase and added it to the growing pile of stuff. “Were you ever going to tell me about him?”

“I was.”

“When? After you’d used me to get on an Olympic team?”

“You. Mother. Fucking. Bastard.” Her rage boiled over, and she crossed the space between them in a red haze. Her fist connected with his cheekbone with a satisfying whack. A sting of pain coursed through her hand, but it was worth it to see his head snap back. She tried to follow it up with another punch, but he blocked her jab with his massive hands and held them prisoner. She wrestled against him, kicking his shins and aiming her knee for his crotch.

“That’s enough.” In a quick move, he twirled her around and pressed her back against his chest. Her arms remained locked in front of her, crossed over her chest like a straightjacket. “Calm down before you injure yourself and miss out on your tryout.”

“Not until you let me get a word in edgewise.” She writhed against him, stomping his feet and ramming her bottom against him. She was just about to bite his hands when he released her. She whirled around and backed away out of his reach. A small twinge of satisfaction bloomed inside her when she saw the bruise forming under his eye. “How dare you accuse me of using you?”

“Why didn’t you tell me I had a son?”

Oh, shit! Her jaw fell lax, and she struggled to breathe.

“Don’t you think I had a right to know about him, preferably before he died?”

A sob rioted inside her, pounding to break free of her defenses. But she couldn’t cry in front of him. She couldn’t let him know how much he’d hurt her, how much he was still hurting her. “I tried to tell you.”

“When? Just now?”

“No, you egotistical asshole. I tried to tell you years ago, once I finally realized who you were. I sent letter after letter to you through the Whales, but you never answered.”

“What are you talking about? I never got any letters from you.”

“I sent them. In fact, I even got a reply to one of them from your PR manager.” She pulled the letter out from the very back of the scrapbook and held it up for him to see.

“You probably made that up to cover your ass.” He waved it away and narrowed his eyes. “Tell me, did Cindy tip you off this afternoon? Was it enough time to come up with a defense strategy?”

“What does Cindy have to do with this?”

“At least she had the balls to tell me about Zach when you didn’t.”

She crumpled the note in her hand, her anger flickering to her stepmother for a brief second before coming back to Ben. She’d deal with Cindy later. Right now, she needed to put Ben in his place. “I came here tonight to tell you about him.”

“Well, it’s too late. I’ve already seen you for the person you really are.” He hoisted his gear bag and carried it out the front door.

She followed him out to his Land Rover. “Why are you acting this way?”

“How did you expect me to act after I learned I had a son I knew nothing about?”

Her heart hammered in her chest as though it were saying I told you so over and over again. She let her arms hang limply at her sides, the fight leaving her as she acknowledged what she’d known all along. “Just like this.”

The sob threatened to take her over once again, but she swallowed it down and stumbled back. “The reason I didn’t tell you when we first started spending time together was because I was still trying to see if you’d known about him before he died. And when I realized you hadn’t, I was too scared you’d leave me when you found out.” She pointed to his half-packed SUV. “And I was right.”

His face remained unreadable, but he didn’t argue with her, didn’t try to refute her claim.

“You talk about wanting a second chance, but you’re not willing to give me one, eh? And you know what? It doesn’t matter.” A rogue tear trickled out of her eye and down her cheek. “Zach’s dead. There isn’t a day that goes by where I wouldn’t give anything to change that fact, but there’s nothing I can do to bring him back. All I have left of him are memories of a child who loved the game as much as we do and a promise I intend to keep, with or without you.”

Each word chipped away at the guilt she’d been carrying for so long, and she didn’t want to stop. “So go ahead. Leave. Go back to your protective bubble in Vancouver and forget about me once again. I’ll go on without you just like I did the last time. But don’t you ever accuse me of trying to hide your son from you while he was still alive.”

She spun around on her heel and jumped into her Jeep, throwing it in reverse, and drove away from Ben like he was a demolition site that was about to explode. Hot tears cascaded down her cheeks as she drove down the mountain. She should’ve known better than to let him back into her life. Nine years ago, he’d left her alone and pregnant. Now, he was leaving her with a huge hole in her chest where her heart once belonged. She’d let herself fall in love with him, and his rejection had devastated her far more than it had before.

When she turned onto her dad’s property, she continued past her trailer and stopped at his house. After dredging up all the painful memories from Zach’s death, she wasn’t ready to go back into the home she’d shared with him. Instead, she curled up on the front porch and cried until her eyes turned gritty. The swing rocked and creaked as Dozer, her dad’s golden retriever, hopped up next to her. She hugged him close and ruffled his silky fur until the last of her grief and frustration had seeped out of her.

She’d finally told Ben the truth, and he’d still left her.

So much for second chances.

Chapter Fifteen

Ben crawled out of bed and raked his fingers through his hair. Dawn was creeping over the mountains to light up the Vancouver skyline, but it was just a reminder of how little he’d slept. Every time he had closed his eyes, he kept seeing the anguish in Hailey’s face when she’d told him to leave. And even though his mind told him she was just playing him, that her tears were all part of her deception, the ache in his chest disagreed.

Now, part of him wanted to take back all the harsh words, even though he knew he couldn’t. He punched his pillow instead. What was said was said, and he doubted even an apology would set things right for either of them.

The reality of it still hadn’t set in. He’d had a son, a child that was his flesh and bone, and he’d never known about him. He’d spent most of the drive back to Vancouver last night replaying that one night they had been together and wondering how she’d gotten pregnant in the first place. She’d said she’d been on the pill, and he’d used a condom. The only thing that stood out as odd was how empty the condom had been afterward. Maybe there had been a leak. It certainly made her claim that he was the father more plausible.

No, there was no denying Zach was his child. Every time he opened that scrapbook she’d left at his cabin and saw a picture of the kid, he knew the boy was his. Then he was forced to shut it before the grief became unbearable. In the span of a few hours, he’d learned he was a father and that his son was dead. Now he was struggling to stay in survival mode.

A hot shower washed away his fatigue, but not the questions that lingered. She’d brought that scrapbook to him for a reason. Maybe Cindy had told her about their conversation in the grocery store. Maybe she hadn’t. But it appeared that Hailey had planned on coming clean last night.

All I have left of him are memories of a child who loved the game as much as we do and a promise I intend to keep, with or without you.

Her words revived the ache inside him with a new fervor, and he banged his fist against the shower wall. He didn’t even have that. And he wanted to know about Zach. He’d wanted to know about his son, to know if he’d loved hockey like they did, to ask if he had ever wondered about his father. But instead of asking the one person who could tell him these things, he’d accused her of using him, of deceiving him. And in doing so, he’d lost the one woman he’d never been able to forget.

Way to go, Kelly. You’re oh-for-two with Hailey.

Did guys like him ever get a third chance?

By the time he’d dried off, he’d formed a new plan of attack. Something about Hailey had always tempted him to act outside his usual demeanor, but now it was more important than ever to remember why he liked to sit back and put everything together before acting. She’d given him a few pieces of a puzzle, and maybe if he could solve it, he’d find a solution to the questions that plagued his conscience.

Step one was finding out the truth behind the letter she’d left crumpled on the floor. At first glance, it looked legit. It was on the Vancouver Whales team letterhead, and it was signed by Larry, the guy in charge of the team’s public relations. Larry was the one who sorted through their mail and filtered out all the threats before passing on all the letters from their adoring fans. But it didn’t explain why Larry would write her back like that when he’d never asked Ben about her in the first place.

Ben picked up the letter and read it one more time. Time to start digging up the truth.

* * *

“Ben,” Larry said with a welcoming smile on his face as Ben stepped into his office. “How good to see you again. Mac tells me you’re planning on returning to the team for another season. You have no idea how happy the fans will be to know you’ll be back.”

“If I can clear my physical, I want to play.” His breath hitched after he realized what he’d just said. Hailey had been right about him all along. He loved the game, but he’d needed her to convince him to get back out on the ice. The ache in his chest deepened. “I was wondering if you can answer a question for me.”

“I’ll do what I can.”

He pulled out the letter and handed it to Larry. “Did you send this letter?”

Larry pulled out his reading glasses and scanned the piece of paper. “Oh, yeah, I remember this lady. A real nut case.”

His gut tightened. “What do you mean?”

“She probably sent about twenty letters asking to speak with you. Some kind of crazy puck bunny, if you ask me.” He handed the letter back and went to the filing cabinet. “I even saved them in case we needed to issue a restraining order.”

His fingers turned icy cold while his mind kept whispering Oh shit, oh shit, over and over again.

“Yeah, here we go.” Larry pulled out a thick file folder. “Hailey Erikson. Seems maybe I was a little conservative in my estimate. There are probably fifty letters in here.”

Fuck!

Larry spread the folder open on his desk for Ben to look through. “Here’s the first letter she sent five years ago, about a month after you’d started with the team.”

The evidence hit him like a punch to the gut, and it took every ounce of his strength not to double over from the intensity of the blow. She’d been telling the truth. He flipped through the letters, checking the dates of each one. Every month, she asked for the same thing—a chance to speak to him. Only the last letter was different. It begged to speak him and tell him about his son who was dying.

“That’s the one that triggered me to finally respond to her. She was trying to play on our sympathies with the whole dying son bit, but I know you, Ben. You’re not the type to knock a girl up and not know about it. So I sent her that letter, and she shut up.”

A ball of fire formed in the pit of his chest. His breathing quickened, and his blood simmered. His fingers bit into his palms. Ben fought to stay calm as he said, “She was telling the truth.”

Larry took a step back and stuttered, “W-w-what? I mean, shit, Ben, I had no idea.”

Ben closed the file folder and shoved it into the PR manager’s hands. “I wish you’d asked me about this before sending that letter. Maybe then, I could’ve met my son before he died.”

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry, Ben. I truly am.”

“Yeah, well, that can’t change what’s been done.” Including what he’d said to Hailey. He left Larry’s office feeling like he was the biggest asshole on the planet, and he doubted a simple apology would be enough to win her back. He’d blown it.

He found no peace when he returned home. The scrapbook on the table kept mocking him, reminding him of what a jerk he’d been. But it also reminded him of a lost opportunity. Hailey had memories. All he had were pictures. He finally sat down and opened the scrapbook. The first page held a birth announcement.

The space for the father’s name was blank, and a knife twisted in his chest. What had Hailey gone through, carrying and delivering Zach by herself? What had she told people when they asked who the father was?

Shame blurred his vision when he realized that the guy who’d done her wrong was him. Not only had he left her with a child to raise on her own, but her pregnancy and single motherhood had ruined her Olympic dreams. No wonder she hadn’t tried out for the Vancouver games. She’d been too busy taking care of a dying child and trying to explain to him why his father was never around.

He reached for his phone and pulled up her number, but he couldn’t bring himself to hit send. He’d fucked up—badly. And until he found a way to ask for her forgiveness, he was stuck wallowing in this personal hell of regret.

He flipped the page and found a picture of a glowing Hailey smiling down at her newborn son. The ache burned through him. He wanted to have been there, to see the happiness in her face as she’d held their child. And he might have missed it with Zach, but there was still time for that.

“Damn,” he whispered and sat back in his chair, rubbing his stubble-lined cheek. He still wanted a future with her, now more than ever.

Somewhere during all this, he’d fallen in love with her.

And he had no clue how to win her back. But he could work on a strategy to do so, starting with learning everything he could about his son.

He continued to flip through the scrapbook’s pages, through his son’s first steps, his first time on the ice, his first day of school, and his first hockey game. Then the pictures took on a darker tone. Zach’s thick black hair disappeared, first shaven with a jagged scar running across his scalp, and then gone altogether from chemo. His face went from bloated to gaunt, and every picture seemed to involve some piece of medical equipment in the frame. An IV, a feeding tube, a series of wires stuck to his bald head.

But one thing remained constant—that bright, dimpled smile never faded, no matter how sick he appeared.

The last few pages of photos all seemed to have been taken from the same hospital room. He recognized the Vancouver skyline in the window, and a curse fell from his lips. His son had been so close, and he’d never known about him. One of the last photos showed Zach posing with his teammate, Patrick, and a spark of hope flared inside him.

Ben snatched the photo from the page and called Patrick. “Hey, are you in town?”

“Sure I am. You finally decided to stop being a recluse?”

“Yeah.” He stared at the picture as he asked, “Can you meet me for dinner at the Grill tonight?”

“No problem, Ben. I’d love to fill you in on everything that’s happened since you’ve been gone. Is eight good?”

“I’m looking forward to it.” And I’m looking forward to hearing what you can tell me about my son.

He hung up and carefully stowed the photograph in the back of his wallet, energized by the start of putting a new plan in motion. Maybe he still had a chance to know his son after all.

* * *

Patrick was leaning against the bar, downing a longneck when Ben arrived. His teammate gave him a warm handshake that turned into a playful check. “No cane. You must be doing better.”

Even though it felt great, Ben grimaced and grabbed his knee.

Patrick’s eyes bugged out. “Oh, damn, I didn’t—”

“Relax—I was just messing with you.” He pointed the nearly empty beer bottle. “I see you got started without me.”

“Just warming up.” He finished the beer and pointed to the bruise that had appeared under Ben’s eye after last night. “What happened to you?”

“Had a run-in with the Gordie Howe wannabe.” There was no way he admitting to his teammate that a woman had decked him.

The hostess came up to them with a stack of menus and led them through the dimly lit restaurant to a table in the back. Loud music competed with the blaring TVs, and as they passed some of the tables, a fan would shout, “Go Whales,” to them. Patrick soaked up the attention, flashing a grin and giving the fans a thumbs-up, but Ben had never been one for the spotlight. It was one of the things that had drawn him to the goalie position. His face was hidden behind a mask for most of the game, and most people had to do a double-take when they caught him off the ice.

The Global Grill was a glorified sports bar in Yaletown, where the beautiful and famous of Vancouver liked to congregate. Groups of women in their sexiest outfits vied for the attention of the actors and athletes who frequented the restaurant, but none of them compared to Hailey. She was real, genuine, and had a passion for everything she did, unlike most of these gold diggers. After watching them size Patrick up, he was glad their table was relatively hidden from the main scene and far away from the throbbing dance music.

A beefy bouncer let them pass into the quiet corner of the restaurant.

“VIP section, eh?” Patrick said with a nudge. “Nice.”

“I wanted to make sure I could hear the updates from you without interruption.” Thankfully, dropping his name here worked just as well as it had in Cascade.

They sat down and ordered a pitcher of beer, the Kobe meatballs, and a couple of the Grill Platters without looking at the menu. Ben listened quietly while Patrick shared the rumors of who was staying, who was leaving, and who had earned a spot on Mac’s shit list. But as he got to the end, the defenseman grinned over his glass. “But you’re not losing me. Someone’s got to look out for you, especially after last season. I feel bad for not stopping that fucking mucker.”

“Don’t be. It’s part of the game.” He caught himself as he soon as the words slipped out. Strange how much his attitude toward his injury had changed over the past few weeks. He’d gone from fearing it was a career-ender to blithely saying it wasn’t a big deal. And he had Hailey to thank for that.

Time to put his plan into action before Patrick either got too drunk or too distracted by the puck bunnies who frequented this place. He pulled out the picture of Zach. “Do you remember this kid?”

Patrick held the picture for a moment, the mirth fading from his eyes. “Yeah, Zach Erikson. Great kid. Loved hockey. Had a cute mom, too. Why?”

“I want to know more about him.”

Patrick’s eyes flickered back and forth between the picture and Ben. Suspicion thinned his lips. “Why?”

“I know his mom, Hailey.”

A muscle rippled across Patrick’s jaw, and his free hand tightened into a fist. “How well?”

The tension between them teetered on the verge of a spontaneous fight. He needed to come clean before he sported a broken nose to complement his black eye. “He was my son, but I never knew about him until just the other day.”

Patrick laid the photo on the table and leaned back in the booth. Seconds ticked by as the defenseman dissected him like a bug under a magnifying glass on a sunny day. Sweat beaded along the back of Ben’s neck before Patrick finally said, “I got to know him pretty well through my volunteer work. If you’d come to the children’s hospital with me, you’d probably have met him, too.”

A punch of shame forced Ben to lower his eyes. How many times had Patrick asked him to join him when he’d made his weekly visits to the wards? How many times had Ben come up with some excuse not to go? “I freely admit I’ve been a selfish asshole, but there’s still a chance for me to make it right, starting with Zach’s mom.”

Patrick shook his head. “Not good enough. You want to know about Zach, you’ve got to promise to be my sidekick for the next year.”

“Sidekick?”

A grin appeared on the defenseman’s face. “Hey, I don’t get much glory out there on the ice, but at BC Children’s, I’m a damn superhero. Those kids love me.”

“Fine, I’ll be your sidekick. Just don’t force me to wear tights, okay?”

“Excellent.” Patrick rubbed his hands together like a mad scientist. “I’ll be looking forward to our visits, Mr. Kelly.”

Ben tapped the photo. “Back to my son.”

It was so strange, calling the boy in the picture his son, but the more he said it, the more natural it felt.

“What do you want to know?”

“What was his favorite food? Favorite color? Favorite hockey team?”

Patrick’s chuckle stopped the deluge of questions that rolled off his tongue. “I know he liked pizza—Hawaiian to be precise—because he used whine about it when he couldn’t eat it.”

“Why not?”

His friend’s face slackened as a haunted shadow rippled across it. “Listen, Ben, I know you don’t know much about children’s hospitals, but where Zach was… well, it’s not all fun and games. These kids go through a lot—the surgeries, the treatments—and yet they still somehow try to find a way to be normal kids.”

“Hailey’s stepmom told me he died of a brain tumor.”

Patrick nodded. “That picture was taken on a good day, when he was coherent and could give you a smile that would make your heart melt. If it was just after a tough round of chemo, anything acidic would burn his mouth—hence, no pineapple—but he still managed to put on a brave face. And if it was a bad day…”

Ben thoughts immediately turned to Hailey. What had she done when Zach had been too sick to even smile? How had she coped with it all?

“He spent almost three months in that hospital room. I know, because I made a point to stop by every week. So many of the kids there get better and go home. When I kept seeing him there week after week, I knew it wasn’t good. When he wasn’t in the mood to talk, I sometimes chatted with his mom, which is why I’m curious about the sudden interest in a kid you denied having.”

“Because I literally didn’t know about him until yesterday.” Ben threw his hands up in the air. “Hailey had tried to contact me, and Larry sent her a letter telling her I denied knowing her, even though he never asked me about the situation. If he had, I would’ve been by Zach’s side in a heartbeat.”

Patrick gave him a lie-detector stare for almost half a minute before nodding. “Let me guess—you were reunited with Hailey while in Cascade?”

“How did you know that?”

“Besides the fact you have this picture? I got to know the family, remember? I knew where they were from. I even got a thank-you note from her after Zach died. If I hadn’t gotten that whole ‘back off’ vibe from her, I would’ve made a move on her.”

“You would hit on the mother of a dying child?”

“I would’ve given her some time to mourn, but let’s face it, Hailey’s not only hot, but she knows the game. Did you know she’d just made the women’s developmental team when she found out she was pregnant?”

“I’m not surprised at all. She’s trying to make the team again.”

“Really? That would be so awesome to have her on my team in Sochi.”

“Your team?”

“Didn’t you hear?” Patrick puffed out his chest. “I’ve been asked to be on Team Canada again. By the way, Zach loved holding my gold medal from the Vancouver games.”

“Yeah, yeah, rub it in.” He’d been the goalie for Team USA and walked away with a silver medal after losing to Canada. “But if she makes the team, you’re not allowed to hit on her.”

“Why? Unless she’s already off the market?”

“If I can get her to forgive me, she will be. Now, back to Zach.”

Ben listened intently as he learned more about his son than the scrapbook could ever show. Zach had loved playing video games, and would sometimes cheat to win. He’d gotten a special Vancouver Whales bead every time he had chemo and had made a necklace from them all. He’d wanted to grow up and play hockey. And he’d never once mentioned his father.

Ben bought another pitcher of beer so he could pump Patrick for as much information as possible, and by the time he left The Global Grill, he finally felt like he knew a little bit about his son.

Now he had to prove to Hailey he was willing to learn more.

Chapter Sixteen

“Adam, I fucked up.”

Not the ideal way to start a conversation with his older brother, but Ben didn’t know how else to put it. After talking with Patrick late into the night, he’d come home with the intention of formulating a plan the next morning to show Hailey how sorry he was and beg for another chance.

It was well past noon, though, and he still had no idea where to start.

Adam cleared his throat. “Not something I’d expect to hear from you. Frank, definitely. Maybe Ethan or Caleb. But not you.”

“Well, I’ve done a helluva job of it.”

“Just tell me what happened so I know whether or not a lawyer’s needed.”

“It’s not like that.” At least, he hoped not. Hailey had never tried to press legal action against him before, but he knew she could’ve if she’d wanted to. “It has to do with that woman in Cascade.”

“The one with the blue hair, right?”

“No—I mean, yes, it’s her, but her hair isn’t blue anymore and…” He collapsed on the couch. “Oh, fuck it. I found out the other day that I had a son.”

Now it was Adam’s turn to release a string of four-letter words. “How the hell did that happen?”

“If I have to explain that to you, then you have no business getting married.”

“Ha ha, very funny.” Adam paused. “Back up a minute. You said had a son.”

“That’s correct. He died a little over a year ago.”

“Shit, Ben.” Adam drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “You haven’t told Mom, have you?”

“Are you kidding? Even if I survived the tongue-lashing for knocking up a girl I wasn’t married to, she’d never forgive me for denying her a chance to know her only grandchild.”

“As far as we know. I still worry that Ethan or Frank might have a couple of love children running around.”

“But to answer your question, no, I haven’t told her. I’m still in the doghouse with Hailey, and I don’t need two women giving me the guilt trip.”

“Why do I have a feeling this conversation is about how to get on her good side again?”

“Because it is.” Ben stretched his legs out and stared at the ceiling. “Once I realized it was her, I wanted to see if we could turn that one night into something more.”

“It sounds like you already did that.”

Ben bolted to his feet. “Damn it, Adam, I came to you for advice.”

“Now we’re even for that little jab earlier. Go on.”

His skin suddenly felt two sizes too small. “I fell hard for her, but I always got the feeling she was hiding something from me.”

“No shit. So, what did you do when she finally told you about your son?”

“I didn’t find out from her—that’s the kicker. I found out from her stepmom. And I just lost it. Accused her of hiding the truth from me, of denying me a chance to know him, of using me for my connections. I said some hurtful things to her right before I left town.”

“And were any of them true?”

“Nope, but unfortunately, I didn’t find any of that out until yesterday, when I started putting two and two together.”

“So this is going to take more than an apology and a piece of jewelry.”

“Much more. You should see the shiner she gave me.”

“You know, maybe we should switch this conversation to FaceTime…”

“Not a chance,” Ben said with a laugh, his conscience finally lightening. “But I do need some idea of how to show her I’m sorry and beg for another chance.”

“You really want to try again? It’s not like you two have the best track record.”

Ben rubbed his chest, noting how empty it felt now that she wasn’t around. And he didn’t even want to try to explain how hard it was to sleep without her beside him. “Yeah, I do. I think I’m in love with her.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Remember what you said last month about meeting someone and feeling that connection? Well, it’s always been that way with Hailey, from the first night I met her. The last month has just gone to show me how well we fit together.”

“With the exception of the whole secret baby thing.”

Ben sighed and recounted the whole mess with the team’s public relations manager. “She tried to tell me, but I never got her messages. And this whole time, she thought I had denied even knowing her. And the worst part about it is that when I blew up at her the other night, she’d actually come to my place with a scrapbook she’d made about Zach.”

“So she was trying to tell you.” Adam grew silent, and the sound of footsteps filled the line. “How far would you go to get her back?”

“I’m not opposed to groveling on national television at this point.”

“Yeah, that’s one good thing about Canada. You can humiliate yourself on television there, and only the equivalent of the population of California would witness it.”

“You’re not helping.”

“I’m thinking.” More pacing. Ben pictured Adam in his office that overlooked Lake Michigan, staring at the window as his mind churned. “Did she ever tell you what she really wanted? What her passion was?”

“It’s hockey, and she really wants to make the Canadian team for the Olympics. But I already helped her with that.”

“I suppose that wouldn’t be the reason why you asked Ethan to compose a piece of music for you, would it?”

“Bingo.”

“Sounds like you really have fallen for this girl.” The footsteps stopped. “So short of buying her a place on the team—”

“She’d never go for that. If she makes the team, she wants to do it because she’s good, not because we greased a few palms.”

“I’m liking her more and more. First the black eye, and now the good work ethic.”

“Maybe you’ll have a chance to meet her if I can make things right.”

“It sounds like you’re sincere, and maybe that’s all it will take. Tell her you’re sorry. Ask for another chance. Let her know you’re truly interested in learning all you can about your son. If she can see that you’re being honest about it, then she should forgive you.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

Adam gave a longer pause this time, one that tied Ben’s gut into knots. “Then maybe she’s not the girl for you.”

He swallowed hard, but nothing could dislodge the growing lump of fear forming in his throat. “I can’t imagine myself with anyone but her.”

“Then let’s hope for the best.” The sincerity of Adam’s words comforted him like a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Just don’t strike out this time.”

“I don’t plan to. And thanks.”

“Anytime, little bro.”

The line clicked dead, but Ben had gotten what he’d needed from the conversation. It was time to start groveling. He flipped through his contact list to Hailey’s number and pressed “send.” The phone rang and rang before finally switching over to voice mail.

Ben froze. A message wasn’t enough. He wanted to apologize to her and hear her reaction, see her face as she either accepted or rejected it. He ended the call and grabbed his keys. Cascade was only a few hours away, and if luck was on his side, he’d have Hailey back in his arms tonight.

* * *

Ben walked into the Sin Bin and immediately shivered from the owner’s icy glare. Not the warmest reception, but what did he expect after the things he’d said to Hailey?

“What are you doing here?” her dad asked.

“I’m looking for Hailey.”

Her dad went back to wiping down the bar. “She’s not here.”

Back to the “us-versus-them” treatment, but Ben refused to be deterred. “Do you know where I can find her?”

“Yes.”

He dug his fingers into his palms to stay calm. Now he knew where Hailey had gotten her stubbornness from. Did Zach have it, too?

The random thought ambushed him out of nowhere and forced him to take a deep breath. This wasn’t about him. He walked up to the bar with slow, determined steps. “Can you please tell me where to find her?”

Her dad threw the rag on the bar, his cheeks becoming florid. “I don’t have to tell you a goddamn thing!”

“Sam!” Cindy said sharply from the doorway leading to the kitchen. She laid her hand over his as if it would restrain her massive husband. “Let’s hear what Ben has to say.”

“This had better be good, then.” Sam Erikson crossed his arms across his chest. “If it’s not, then I’ll let you know exactly how I felt when I came home the other night to find my daughter crying on my front porch.”

Shit. He’d made her cry.

The lump of fear returned, but this time, he managed to push it down into his stomach. “I’m here to apologize to her—for everything.”

Cindy’s face softened, but her father’s remained hard with disbelief. “I think it’s too late for that,” he replied, a hint of a growl still lingering in his voice.

“That’s not for you to decide,” Cindy said in soothing tones. “Can’t you see he’s all torn up about their spat?”

Her dad zeroed in on Ben’s black eye. “Looks like more than a spat to me.”

“You know how hotheaded Hailey can be.” Cindy tugged on his arm until he uncrossed them. “Besides, it’s closing time. Why don’t we all sit down over a couple of beers and sort this out?”

Sure, Cindy. Get the angry brute of her father drunk before I confess that I’m the one who knocked up his daughter. Great idea.

But as Sam reached into the cooler for three bottles of Labatt, Cindy gave him a wink and a small smile. “Let me lock the front door, and we’ll all crowd into that corner booth you like so much, Ben.”

Yeah, so when Hailey’s dad blackens the other eye, there will be no witnesses.

But at this point, he couldn’t think of any better alternative. They knew where Hailey was, and the quicker he could convince them to tell him where he could find her, the quicker he could start making things right. He took his usual seat and waited for Hailey’s parents to slide into the opposite side.

Sam passed him an open bottle. “So you think you can apologize to my baby and make it all good again, eh?”

Cindy rubbed her husband’s arm. “Let the boy speak, Sam.”

Ben inwardly winced at being called a boy, but if getting on their good side brought him one step closer to getting on Hailey’s good side, he’d tolerate it. “I never knew about Zach.”

“Bullshit,” Sam grumbled before taking a long swig of beer.

“No, really, I didn’t. Larry, the team’s PR guy, kept every one of Hailey’s letters from me. I never received a single one. If I had, I would’ve been by Zach’s side in a flash.”

“Well, you’re a little late for that, now, aren’t you?” But beneath her father’s bitter words, Ben caught a flash of grief.

“Yeah, I know that, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try to know about my son. Hailey left a scrapbook at my house, and I spent most of last night with my teammate, Patrick, to learn everything I could about Zach.” Ben’s voice cracked as he added, “He sounded like a great kid.”

Sam leveled his gaze on Ben before taking another long swig. “He was.”

Cindy looped her arm through her husband’s and laid her head on his shoulder. “I still miss that little rascal.”

“And that’s one of the reasons I’m back. I wanted to apologize to Hailey for what I said when I found out. I want to ask her to give me another chance. But most importantly, I want to know more about my son from the one person who knew him best. Even if she doesn’t take me back, I hope she can at least help me learn more about him.”

Cindy’s eyes watered, and she tilted her face up to Sam. “What do you say? Shall we tell him?”

“Fine.” Sam emptied his bottle and stretched his long arms out in front of him, coming within inches of Ben’s chest. “Hailey’s in Calgary.”

His pulse jumped. “Calgary?”

A hint of a grin played on her father’s mouth. “Yesterday morning, she got a call from the head coach of the National Team. Seems he liked that video you put together enough to want to see her in action.”

“She got a tryout?” His heart thumped inside his chest as though he’d been the one offered the chance to make the Olympic team.

“They even offered to fly her over there. She left this morning and is supposed to report to the training facilities first thing in the morning.”

Which meant he might still catch her there if he was able to get on the next flight. “Do you know where she’s staying?”

“Does it matter? That girl would sleep on the ice if we let her,” Cindy said with a laugh. “But her tryout starts at ten.”

Ben jumped out of the booth and pulled out his phone. With any luck, he could charter a flight and be there in a few hours. “Thank you both.”

“Hold on a minute, sugar.” Cindy caught up to him before he reached the door. “I locked up, remember? Don’t want you running into that door and have poor Hailey thinking her daddy gave you a thorough beatin’.”

He bent down to place a kiss on the petite woman’s cheek, not caring if the act would further test Sam’s patience. “Thanks again.”

The phone started ringing as he stepped out onto the street. When the agent answered, he said, “I need to get to Calgary as soon as possible.”

He wasn’t going to miss watching Hailey wow them for the world.

Chapter Seventeen

Hailey tightened her grip on her gear bag and stared at the entrance of the Markin MacPhail Centre. This was it, the home and training facilities for the National Team, and she was going to have her one shot at calling this place home until Sochi. It was the day she’d been looking forward to since she’d made her promise to Zach.

And yet, she was ready to hurl. Her breakfast sloshed in her stomach, and her palms sweated in the humid morning air.

The only reason she was here was because of Ben.

It gnawed on her conscience to admit that, but it was the truth. She’d played in relative obscurity for years in Cascade, hoping for the day when someone outside town would take notice of her skills. But it wasn’t until Ben had made that video and had gotten it into the right hands that she’d received the call.

She rubbed her hand over the outline of her phone in her pocket. He’d called last night, but she hadn’t answered. She’d been too focused on psyching herself up for the tryouts to want to talk to him. Now, she wished she had picked up the phone, if only to tell him where she was.

And maybe even thank him.

She’d driven by his cabin yesterday morning on her way to the airport, but it had been empty. Would he ever return?

“Hailey!”

She rubbed her ear, wondering if she’d imagined hearing Ben call her name. But when she heard it again, she turned around to find him running toward her. His hair stuck out in a dozen different directions, and thick stubble covered his cheeks, but he was there in the flesh.

She dropped her bag as he came closer. “What are you doing here?”

He slowed down, his chest heaving and his words coming out one at a time. “I came to find you.”

Her mouth went dry. “Why?”

“Because, I—” His sentence ended sharply, and he stared at her as though they were lying in his bed again. “Damn it, Hailey, I’m sorry.”

Then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her until she was as breathless as he was.

She made a weak attempt to push him away when the kiss ended. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

“I didn’t want to lose another moment.” He cupped her face in his hands, his slate-blue eyes pleading with her. “I’m sorry, Hailey. I’m sorry I said those things to you the other night. I’m sorry Larry sent you that letter without my knowledge. I’m sorry I never accepted Patrick’s invitations to join him during his visits to the children’s hospital. I’m sorry I never had a chance to know our son. And I’m sorry for all the things I’ve done to cause you pain over the years.”

Her vision blurred when he called Zach “our son,” and a swelling of emotions choked her throat. “Ben, I—”

He shushed her with another kiss. “I’m here to beg you to give me another chance, to tell me about our son, and maybe even consider a future with me.”

“It’s not that simple.” Her heart wavered back and forth. As much as she wanted to take him back, she wasn’t sure she could take the chance this time. The ache inside her chest was rawer than ever. She tried to pry his arms down, but he held firm. “Ben, please.”

“No, not until you either agree to give me another chance or tell me to fuck off.”

She laughed in spite of herself and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder and digging her fingers into his rumpled shirt. “Damn it, Ben, why did you have to do this now?”

“Because it’s like I told you, I’ve already wasted nine years, and I’m not going to let you slip away from me again.” He tightened his arms around her, his heart thumping steadily through his chest. “I love you.”

Her breath caught, and the world seemed to stop moving. She lifted her head. “What was that?”

He ran his thumb along her bottom lip and grinned. “You heard me correctly, Hailey. I love you.”

As much as she wanted to tell him she felt the same way, experience held the words back. “Do you really mean that? Or are you just saying that to get me back in your bed?”

He winced and took a step back. “I didn’t expect that.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a grunt of frustration. “I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that I’ve been burned twice, and I’m not sure I can stand to go through it again.”

“And I wish I could promise that I’d never hurt you again, but I know that this isn’t some fairy tale where everyone is guaranteed a happily ever after. This is real life, and every couple has their ups and downs.” He took her hand in his. “But there’s no one I’d rather ride the ups and downs with than you.”

The last of her resistance crumbled, and she laced her fingers through his. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Zach right away.”

“I understand why you didn’t.”

“And I know you never intended to hurt me.”

“And I hope I never will again.”

It was as close to a promise as he was going to give her, and she was actually glad he didn’t promise never to cause her any more pain. They were both older and wiser now, and they both knew better than to have any unrealistic expectations. But it was enough to melt her heart, draw her back into his arms, and give her the courage to say, “I love you, too.”

This time when he kissed her, it was slow and easy and seemed to draw out every emotion from her heart—good and bad. But as time went by, the good moved to the forefront and drowned out the bad until she longer saw it. Ben loved her and wanted a future with her, and just like him, she couldn’t imagine facing the ups and downs life threw her way with anyone else but him.

A tremble of desire started at the base of her spine and vibrated through her until her lips quivered against his. She ended the kiss. “Sorry, but if we keep this up, I’m going to end up naked next to you and miss my tryout.”

Ben pressed his forehead against hers and grinned. “I won’t allow that. You’ve earned this golden opportunity, and I want you to go out there and prove to them you’re every inch an Olympian.”

“Agreed. I made a promise to our son, and I mean to keep it. But afterward…”

“We can hit the showers, and you can tell me all about your day.”

“That sounds nice, actually.”

“Let’s take it one day at a time.” Ben beamed down at her. “Now go out there and wow them.”

He gave her one final kiss before letting her go and pulling out his phone. “Call me when you’re done.”

“I will.” She turned back to the entrance to the training facility, no longer intimidated by it. Ben had called it her golden opportunity, and she wouldn’t leave until she had that gold medal around her neck. She hoisted her gear bag over her shoulder and strode through the front door like she belonged there.

A man and two women were standing in the lobby, watching something on a tablet. As soon as the man saw her, he came over and held out his hand. “You must be Hailey.”

“I am.” She shook his hand. “Are you Dan?”

“I am. Welcome to the home of Hockey Canada.” He led her to a place where she could see the international-sized rink with the official logo in the center face-off circle. “What do you think?”

She studied the rink and drew in a deep breath, inhaling the smell of fresh ice. “I think the ice is calling to me.”

“Then get your gear on, and let’s see what you’ve got.” He nodded to one of the women, who took her down to the dressing rooms.

The other women on the team were leaving as she arrived. Her heart skipped a beat as she passed players she longed to emulate. Maybe, if she was lucky, she’d be able to call them teammates. She sat down on one of the benches and visualized her tryout once again as she slipped on her pads. She was going to wow them, just like Ben said she would.

And just like Zach had known she would.

She laced up her skates and took one more deep breath before stepping out onto the ice.

Chapter Eighteen

February 7, 2014

Hailey’s heart wanted to burst out of her chest as she stepped into Fisht Olympic Stadium. Her breath froze in front of her mouth in a white cloud, forming a stark contrast to the sea of red jackets around her. This was the day she’d been waiting for her whole life, but after dreaming about it for so long, she needed to pinch herself to make sure it was real.

“Rookies,” Patrick groaned from behind her as he playfully nudged her. “Keep moving, Hailey. You’re holding up the rest of the team.”

A grin erupted on her face, and she stumbled forward, waving her Maple Leaf flag with pride. The parade of nations was well underway by now, Canada having been sorted into the Ks due to the Russian spelling. Her entire body buzzed with excitement. Today, she could finally say she was an Olympian.

She leaned over to Patrick. “I can’t believe I’m really here.”

“I can. Ben showed us that footage of you playing before you made the team, and I know the media has declared you to be their new darling.”

She laughed. Once she’d made the team, she’d blocked out everything but Ben and hockey. It wasn’t until a reporter had finally tracked her down after an exhibition game and asked for an interview that it had finally hit her she was someone they’d noticed. She agreed to the brief interview, choosing to follow Ben’s example of flying under the radar, but when the reporter had learned about her promise to Zach, the story had gone viral.

Now she had letters coming in daily from mothers who’d lost a child to illness, from fans who wished her the best, and from children who’d made her their idol. It was almost overwhelming, but she tried her best to keep up with all the letters and e-mails while still focusing on the game.

By the time they’d settled into their places for the rest of the opening ceremonies, the United States team was getting ready to enter. Hailey strained for a glimpse of Ben in the blur of red, white, and blue, but didn’t see him. He’d initially expressed some doubts about playing for Team USA again, but once she’d challenged him, he rose to the occasion again. “Do you see him?” she asked Patrick.

“Oh, yeah, just let me use my Superman vision for a second. Come on, Hailey. I know you two lovebirds can barely stand to be apart, but I think you can handle the next few hours without him. Besides, didn’t he say he’d call you when the torch came in?”

“He did.” She rubbed her hands together and let that thought warm her from the inside. Ben had promised to come with her to Sochi, but it was even better knowing he was here as an athlete, too.

Once the parade of nations was over and they’d all recited the Olympic Oath, Hailey pulled out the cell phone all the Olympic athletes had been given and waited for Ben’s call. He’d said he wanted to see her face when the cauldron was being lit, and she was more than happy to oblige.

The Olympic torch entered the stadium, and her phone buzzed. Hailey slipped off her mitten to accept the call, and an instant later, Ben’s face appeared on the screen.

“Hey, beautiful. Are you ready for this?”

“I’ve been ready.”

“Good, because it’s coming around to you.”

The athlete carrying the torch raced past her, and her skin tingled. This was real. She was here, and she’d always remember this moment.

Patrick leaned over to get inside her frame. “Hey, Kelly, I may love you during the regular season, but when I have this uniform on, all bets are off. You guys are going down.”

“Bring it,” Ben said with a cocky grin. “I’m looking forward to blocking your pucks.”

Hailey pushed Patrick out of the way. “Boys, I thought the Olympics were supposed to be about international good will and friendly competition.”

“I am being friendly,” Patrick pouted.

“Yeah, you should hear what he says on the ice,” Ben added.

“Shut up, you two. They’re about to light it.”

Hailey held her breath as the torch drew near the cauldron. A second later, what had started as a tiny flame turned into a roaring bonfire. Her chest swelled with pride, and she forgot about the bitter cold of the Russian winter. But she would never forget this moment.

“There aren’t words to describe it, are there?” Ben asked.

She shook her head.

“Well, maybe you can give me an answer to this question. Will you marry me?”

Her jaw dropped, and she stared down at Ben’s face on the screen, wondering if she’d heard him correctly. “What was that?”

“I know this is a little unconventional, but think of the story we can pass down to our children. I even got Patrick in on it.”

She turned her head to the side to find Patrick holding out a small velvet box. “Is that what I think it is?”

Ben nodded. “Are you going to say yes or not?”

“Yeah, the suspense is killing me,” Patrick added with a hint of dry sarcasm, “and I’m not even the one who’s proposing.”

She laughed, shaking loose a few tears from her eyes in the process, and nodded. “Yes, Ben, I will marry you, but only after the games.”

He smiled so brightly she could almost feel his joy. “Fair enough. I hope you like the ring. I had it custom made for you.”

“You did?” She opened the velvet box and gasped. Instead of a diamond solitaire, he’d had it made into a replica of the Olympic rings using different colored gemstones. She slipped it onto her finger and stared at it in awe. “I love it.”

“I thought you would. Enjoy the rest of the ceremonies, Hailey, and I’ll see you when they’re over. I’m sure our families can’t wait to hear the good news.”

The screen faded to black, but it did little to darken her spirits. Patrick was the first to congratulate her, followed by other members of the team. The rest of the night passed in a blur until the moment she was finally able to reunite with Ben. She leaned into him and threw her arms around his neck.

“I think this is a night neither one of us will forget,” he said as he pulled her closer and ran his finger along the single streak of blue she’d dyed in her hair as a reminder of the night they first met.

“Agreed.” Desire sizzled down her spine as he kissed her, and their bodies pressed together. She doubted she’d ever grow tired of being in his arms. “I love you, Ben.”

“And I love you, too, Hailey. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you, and I look forward to spending the rest of forever with you.”

“Then let’s start with now,” she replied before he lowered his lips to hers once again.

Content

Breakaway Hearts
The Kelly Brothers, Book 2
by
Crista McHugh

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen