by Kat Mizera
“Sure it will.” Ryder gave a half-hearted chuckle. “But I’ve got noise-cancelling headphones, so I’m good.”
“Who was the hookup? Anyone special?”
Ryder shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s hot but I’m not lookin’ for serious. I’m busy and there are a lot of female fish in the sea.”
Logan smiled. “I hear that.”
“It’s nice to stick with one for a bit, though.” He met Logan’s eyes. “Isn’t it?”
Logan scratched his chin, trying to play it cool. Because it was nice. A lot nicer than he’d thought it would be. “I like the comfort of being at home.” Boy, he sounded like an ass, but he wasn’t in a position to talk about this kind of thing to one of his teammates. Besides, he had a reputation to keep up.
“Well, I’m buying Cindy dinner tonight, so if you and Cass want to get wild, have at it. Chances are, I’ll stay at her place again.”
“What about Coco?”
“I’ll go home after practice to let her out and play with her for a while, and then I’m going over to Cindy’s around four to hang out before dinner.”
“Cass has school until two, I think, but we didn’t talk about tonight. I don’t know if she’s working. She doesn’t usually work Monday nights.”
“Okay, well, I’ll see you out there.” Ryder went off toward the locker room and Logan followed more slowly. Maybe there was something to this whole thing about being with one woman for longer than one night. He hadn’t done it since high school, and most of the women he met weren’t interested in anything more, except the handful looking for rich husbands, but he wasn’t down for that, either.
Cassie didn’t fit into any category, which intrigued him. She needed him in the sense that the current living situation would allow her to go to school and save money, but she wasn’t after anything. If that had been the case, she could have come on to him at any given time. Hell, she’d been uncomfortable letting him tip her at the club, so she wasn’t that kind of woman. She was also sweet, smart, independent, and driven, all things he admired about her.
He was still thinking about her after practice when he went to the post office, the drug store, and the bank. He’d recently opened a new account and they’d somehow misplaced his signature card, so though he usually did his banking online, this had to be taken care of today. It took longer than he’d been expecting it to, and by the time he was done, he was contemplating food and Cassie. In fact, with Ryder taking last night’s hookup to dinner, it occurred to him he could take Cassie out to eat too. Dinner somewhere, lively conversation, and then home to bed. It sounded like the perfect way to spend the evening and he was just about to call her when Vik’s name flashed on the screen of his phone.
“Hey, man, what’s up?”
“I need favor. Truck won’t start.”
“Did you call Triple A?”
“I have none.”
“Oh.” Logan was surprised. Most of the guys on the team had some sort of roadside assistance program for stuff like this since they could all afford it, but with Vik being Russian, and only having been in the U.S. about two years, maybe he didn’t know. “Where are you?” he asked him.
Vik told Logan where he was, and he headed in that direction. Logan wasn’t sure what he could do since he didn’t know shit about engines, but he’d help him sort it out. Vik was a strange dude. Strong, talented, and friendly, but quirky as fuck. He liked to drink but only the night before a day off. He put on his equipment in a specific order, exactly the same way, every single time, and a handful of other odd little habits that made the guys laugh. But he was good people and had fit into Logan’s inner circle almost immediately.
It took a few hours to get Vik’s truck towed to a repair shop and then to take him home, so Logan had just left Vik’s place when he saw Cassie’s name on his phone.
“Hey! I was just going to—”
“Where are you? I can’t reach Ryder and Coco’s hurt.” She sounded out of breath and frantic, which wasn’t like her.
“I’m less than ten minutes away.”
“We’re outside because she’s bleeding, and I can’t carry her without hurting her.”
“Hang on, I’m coming.”
He disconnected and hit the gas. He didn’t know why Ryder wasn’t answering but it was probably because he and Cindy were naked.
Logan pulled up to the house exactly seven minutes later and grimaced when he saw the red-stained snow in the yard. Cassie had apparently gotten Coco to the front porch and had a towel or something pressed against her leg, but he couldn’t tell from here.
“I called Sara,” Cassie called to him. “Can you carry her to your truck? I’ll get a trash bag so she doesn’t stain the interior.”
“Yeah, I got her.”
Cassie ran into the house and Logan knelt beside Coco, gently petting her head. “What did you get into, girl? Huh?”
Coco whimpered, though she licked his hand, and he kept talking to her in a soft voice until Cassie came out with the garbage bag. She put it on the back seat and Logan lifted the dog and towel, carrying her to his SUV. She weighed a ton, no wonder Cassie hadn’t been able to lift her, and he was glad he’d been nearby. Cassie scooted in next to her.
“I’ll ride back here with her,” she said.
“You know where we’re going?” He got into the driver’s seat and put the SUV in gear.
“Yeah, Sara told me to take him to the practice where she works.” She told him the address and he headed in that direction.
“So what happened?” he asked.
“She was antsy when I got home and I wasn’t sure if Ryder had taken her out, so I thought we’d go for a walk before I showered. She was rolling around in the snow, having fun, and all of a sudden, she yelped and started limping and whimpering. Looks like some asshole shattered a bottle or something and the broken glass was covered by the snow. I can’t tell exactly what’s going on because there’s so much blood, but I think I saw bone.” Her voice broke.
“It’ll be okay,” Logan said, meeting her gaze in the rearview mirror. “The vet will take care of her.”
“I was so scared, and Ryder didn’t pick up and…” She blinked, swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be there in a few minutes, and they’ll fix her up.”
He wanted that to be true, but based on the amount of blood and how quiet Coco was, he was a little worried. If there was bone sticking out somewhere, that couldn’t be good. Would she need surgery? He considered a ton of different possibilities but didn’t dare say them aloud because Cassie was already freaked out.
Sara was waiting outside when they got there and she rushed forward as they pulled up.
“Thank you for coming after hours,” Cassie told her. “I was so scared.”
“It’ll be okay. Let’s get her inside.” Sara was six-months pregnant but in great shape, and she moved quickly.
Logan carried Coco and they went right into the back, where he put her on a table.
“Let me take a look,” Sara said. “Dr. Harjo already left for the day when you called, so I told him I’d see if it’s serious or not. If so, he only lives ten minutes away and he’ll come back.”
“Thank you,” Cassie whispered. Her hand slid into Logan’s and he threaded his fingers through hers, pulling her against his side.
“Oh, wow, this sliced all the way to the bone.” Sara had pulled off the towel. “I could probably stitch it, but I want the doc to take a look. Let me call him and then I’ll give her something for pain. She’s being a good girl, because this probably hurts like a bitch.”
“I’m so sorry, baby.” Cassie leaned over Coco, stroking her fur. “We’re going to make it better, okay?”
Coco looked up with soulful brown eyes, licking her once before dropping her head back down on the table.
“She won’t die, will she?” Cassie asked Sara, her eyes filled with tears.
“No. She’s going to be fine. She�
�ll be uncomfortable for a few days, but she’ll be okay. That’s why I’m calling Dr. Harjo and asking him to come in, to make sure I don’t miss something since I’m only a vet tech, not a full-on veterinarian.”
Cassie bit her lip, nodding.
“I’m going to try to reach Ryder,” Logan said, digging out his phone. He stepped into the hallway and called his friend. The first time it went to voice mail and he hung up. The second time he left a message. He tried once more just because he was annoyed, and Ryder answered on the first ring.
“What?!”
“Dude, you need to get down here. Coco’s hurt.”
“Down where? Hurt? How hurt?!”
“We’re at the clinic on Gaston Road, where Sara works.”
“Is she okay? What happened? I’m getting dressed.”
“We’re waiting for the vet, but Sara’s with her. Just get down here.” He gave him the address and disconnected.
Dr. Harjo and Ryder arrived within thirty seconds of each other and everyone was talking at once as they came inside.
“Okay, everyone out,” Dr. Harjo said, lifting a hand. “Let me examine the patient and then I’ll come out and explain everything.”
Sara shooed everyone into the waiting room and then she disappeared into the back. Logan, Cassie, and Ryder sank down in chairs. Ryder looked frazzled, his hair sticking up and his T-shirt on inside out. He looked down when Logan pointed it out to him and pulled it off, turning it the right way and putting it back on.
“I was in the middle of something,” he muttered.
“No doubt about that.” Logan tried not to laugh but then Cassie bit her lip and Ryder arched a brow. “Oh, like you two are ones to talk.”
“No, but you gotta answer your phone. Cassie called you over an hour ago. You could’ve taken a break to listen to her message since, you know, she dog-sits for you.”
“I…” Ryder made a face. “Yeah, I guess I should have. I really wasn’t thinking about an emergency. What happened?”
“I took her for a walk and someone left a shattered bottle or something under a snowbank. Coco was rolling around in the snow and the next thing I know, she’s crying and whimpering and there was blood… I’m so sorry, but it never occurred to me there might be something dangerous in a two-foot pile of snow on our street.”
Ryder shook his head. “Not your fault. Fucking people, man. Why would you leave something like that on the street? Not just animals, but kids play on our street.”
They were quiet for a while and finally Dr. Harjo came out. He was smiling, thank god.
“Coco’s going to need stitches but she’ll be okay. I’m going to give her something for the pain, and antibiotics. If you’d like to leave her overnight, we have two other animals staying tonight so we can make sure she doesn’t get into anything. You can come get her in the morning.” He went into detail about the deep gash in her back, right hock, but Cassie seemed to wilt with relief.
Her head fell onto Logan’s shoulder and he reached for her hand again, holding it tightly as Dr. Harjo continued to talk about what he was going to do and what they’d need to do to take care of her going forward. Logan was only half-listening, though. For the first time as an adult, a woman who wasn’t family needed his support, and he’d enjoyed being there for her. Later, when this crisis was over, he might have to think about what that meant.
21
The next few days were pretty quiet. Cassie, Ryder, and Logan all spent as much time as possible at home, working out their schedules so Coco was never alone. Cassie skipped one class and neither of the guys went out at night, making sure Coco didn’t rip her stitches and took the meds Dr. Harjo had prescribed. Ryder had gone over to the neighbor’s house where the glass had been and though Cassie hadn’t been there, Ryder wasn’t pleased with the way the conversation had gone. He and Logan actually discussed moving, finding another house to rent, because they didn’t like the neighborhood anymore.
Luckily, Coco was doing okay after a few days and already anxious to get into mischief again. Ryder wasn’t at all upset with Cassie that Coco had been injured on her watch, and the three of them played cards and watched movies, as their schedules allowed. They continued to keep some of those habits, even one night when Ryder went to see Cindy, since Coco was starting to feel better. Cassie and Logan eventually wound up in bed and instead of their usual ferociousness, their lovemaking had been gentle, tender almost, a reflection of their growing intimacy.
Cassie tried not to read into it, but it felt good to have this kind of relationship with someone. It wasn’t a relationship, in the sense of dating, but was definitely more than friendship. She focused on enjoying it, instead of thinking about what it might mean, because that would only lead to disaster. She firmly believed she had the worst taste in men, so there was no reason to let herself fall for him, but there was also very little she could do to stop it. The feelings beginning to seep into her subconscious were a little scary, because she didn’t want to get into another bad relationship, but Logan was special.
“So what’s the plan today?” Ryder asked one morning at breakfast. “Who’s going where? We have a morning skate at ten, and then the game tonight at five.”
“I have class until one and then I’m working the dinner shift,” Cassie said. “So Coco’s going to be on her own unless Sara comes over, and she said she would because we knew there would be a night when none of us could be home.”
Ryder frowned. “I hate to ask her, but maybe just this one time? It’s been a week since the accident, Coco’s on the mend, and I think it’s five days before we’re all out again for any long stretch of time.”
“I’ll call her,” Cassie said. “She won’t mind.”
“Cool.” Ryder started to get up but Cassie stopped him.
“So…I need a favor, you guys.” She bit her lip. “You’ve already been so good to me, but this is different.”
“If it doesn’t impact hockey, you know we’ll do anything we can for you,” Logan said, frowning slightly.
“My mom wants to bring her new boyfriend over for dinner. She’s brought it up at least twenty times and I just want to get it over with. She wants to meet you, and I think, though she hasn’t said it, he’s a big Blizzard fan, so she’s using me to impress him. She’s a pain in my ass, but she’s my mom, and they recently moved in together, which means she’s pulling out all the stops to impress him during this honeymoon stage of the relationship.”
“Dinner’s no big deal,” Logan shrugged. “It’ll be fine. I’m in.”
“Only restriction is our schedules, but I’m assuming you’ve already checked the calendar?” Ryder asked.
She nodded. “Next Thursday night. I’m supposed to work, but I’ll switch my schedule since it’s a night when you’re both home, and according to Mom, Frank is off that day too.”
“Then set it up,” Logan said.
“Are you sure? Like I’ve told you before, my mom drinks a lot and tends to have a really big mouth.”
“If Frank is a big Blizzard fan, we’ll keep him talking hockey the whole time,” Logan said. “She won’t have a chance.”
“I really appreciate it. I love her, she’s just kind of a mess.”
“What if I invited Cindy?” Ryder asked slowly. “That way, it’ll be a nice even number and there will be someone else there to distract Mom?”
“That’s fine with me,” Cassie said.
“You sure you like this one enough to show her where we live?” Logan asked in surprise.
“I’m going to see how things go, but we’ve gone out twice and she’s nice. This will be a good test, to see how she gets along with my roommates, family, stuff like that. Since it’s not my family.”
They all laughed. “Nice. Make my mom the guinea pig.” Cassie shook her head but was truly grateful and relieved. Though Ryder bringing a date meant it would wind up being three couples, even if she and Logan weren’t officially a couple. She wanted to say something, to get an idea
whether or not he was feeling all the same things she was, but she didn’t have the nerve. If he said no, it would hurt, and the sex was too good for her to screw it up by overthinking—and overtalking—things.
“Okay, so it’s on my calendar,” Ryder said. “I’m assuming you’re cooking?”
Cassie nodded. “Yup. I don’t know what yet, but probably something simple like meatloaf, smashed potatoes, and a nice salad.”
“I’ll buy wine,” Ryder said. “A couple of bottles of red?”
“That’s lovely, thank you.”
“I’ll take care of dessert,” Logan offered. “What’s your mom’s favorite?”
Cassie smiled. “Pecan pie.”
“That bakery near the arena might have them,” Logan said. “I’ll make a few calls.”
“You guys really are the best.”
“She likes us because we’re going to let her cook for us,” Ryder stage-whispered, shaking his head.
“Right?” Beneath the table, Logan squeezed her hand and Cassie couldn’t help but smile.
She liked him for a hell of a lot more than that, and she had a feeling he knew it.
Cassie changed three times the night of the dinner. She’d started with jeans, then put on a skirt, and finally settled on black leggings and a long, ruby-colored tunic that covered her ass but had a low-cut V-neck that would show a little cleavage. She put her hair up and then let it down, sighing into the mirror. She wanted to like Frank, and for him to like her, just in case it wound up being serious for her mom. As crazy as she made her, Cassie just wanted her mother to be happy. They’d both had it rough since her father had left them.
“You look beautiful.”
She started at Logan’s voice and turned to see him lounging in the doorway, his broad shoulders taking up most of the space.
“Thank you. I don’t know why I’m nervous.”
“Your mom has set this up to be important, so it’s screwing with your head, but it’s going to be okay. I’ll have your back, and if your mom starts drinking too much, or doing whatever it is that upsets you, Ryder and I already have a plan to intervene.”
