After The Rain (One Pass Away #1)

by Mary J. Williams

  “I’ll deny that.” Harry ran a hand through what little hair he had left. “But that’s it in a nutshell. Gerald Preston hates that female reporters are allowed in the locker room. He refuses to have one in there that works for him.”

  “Egged on by Wally Compton.”

  Harry shrugged. It was no secret that the Knights owner and head trainer were old drinking buddies. What one wanted was usually reflected by the other.

  “You didn’t put up an argument?”

  “I’m sorry, Logan.” Harry’s eyes were sad but resigned. “I have to pick my battles.”

  “That’s it?” Logan asked after Harry was gone.

  “I’ll go to bat for her, Logan. Coleman’s quarterback is not happy and I’m going to make sure he knows it.”

  “It won’t do any good, will it?”

  “No.” Gaige put himself between Logan and the house. “Smashing your hand against the wall will only make things worse. Claire will still be without a job. So will you.”

  “Gaige is right.”

  Logan whipped his head around.

  “Claire.”

  Logan didn’t have to ask how much she heard. She looked… devastated. He moved to take her in his arms, his only thought to comfort her. Claire stepped back, shaking her head.

  “I don’t want to cry, Logan. If you touch me, I’m afraid I’ll break into a million pieces.”

  “Break.” Logan managed to keep his hands from reaching out. Barely. “I’ll help you put the pieces back together.”

  “You can’t. Not right now.”

  “I’m going to give you some time alone.” Heeding Claire’s wishes, Logan kept his distance. Like Logan, Gaige wanted to comfort her. However, a few hugs and some pat phrases were all he had to offer. It wasn’t nearly enough.

  “You know I’m here if you need anything.”

  “Thanks for not telling me you’re sorry.”

  Gaige gave her a half-hearted smile.

  “I let you down.”

  “Don’t be an idiot.” Claire felt a brief, welcome wave of heat. It wasn’t enough to seep into the cold around her heart, but the burst of anger felt good. “You’ve been my champion. If you try to say different, I’ll kick your ass.”

  “And you’re just the woman to do it.”

  “What can I do?”

  Claire shrugged. “Be the best damn running back in the game. Play your ass off. Win the Super Bowl.”

  “Okay.”

  It was such a simple response. Claire almost laughed.

  “If I’d known you would be so agreeable, I would have asked you to top that off with the moon and the stars.”

  “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.” Logan took a deep breath. “I love you, Claire.”

  “Logan…”

  “Lousy timing.”

  “No.” Claire walked to the edge of the deck, her hands gripping the rail. “I love you, too.”

  Logan stood next to her. His hand was close to hers, not quite touching. “I pictured this moment differently. Flowers. Champagne. Me down on one knee.”

  “I pictured myself saying yes.”

  “That part doesn’t have to change.” Taking a chance, Logan brushed the side of her finger with his. When she didn’t pull back, he curled his little finger around hers. “There are no guarantees, Claire.”

  “You got that right,” Claire said under her breath. She hated that she couldn’t control the tinge of bitterness.

  “I was going to wait until I played that first game. My big, triumphant return.” Logan had pictured in his mind a thousand times. This time, he saw a different ending. “I could get injured again.”

  “Yes.”

  Logan loved that Claire didn’t sugarcoat it. Every time an athlete stepped onto a field, they were one hit away from the end of their career. Logan wasn’t being handed immunity. He was lucky to be back in the game. That luck could turn in a heartbeat.

  “I thought my life was over because I couldn’t play football. It was everything. There was nothing I cared about after I was injured.” Throwing caution to the wind, Logan pulled her into his arms. He tipped her chin so he could look into the deep blue eyes he loved.

  They were sad, but he could see the love shining back.

  “You showed me that there is more to life than football, Claire. I want to play. It’s in my blood. But if something happens this time? I won’t slink back to Denville. I won’t hide behind a beard and long hair, and a bar.”

  “You’re strong.” Claire cupped his face with her hands. She kissed him with love – and regret. “Stronger than I am.”

  “Then, this time, let me be strong for both of us.”

  “You need to call your dad.” Claire slipped from Logan’s arm, backing toward the door. “Tell him your good news.”

  Logan felt a surge of panic as Claire slowly got farther and farther away. A few feet felt like miles. “Where are you going?”

  “I need to be alone. To think about what I’m going to do.” She paused, one hand on the doorframe. “I’m not leaving you.”

  “Promise?”

  “What did I say the last time we had this conversation?”

  “That I was stuck with you.”

  “Remember that.”

  “Claire.” Logan called out. He thought she was gone. Then, just before he heard the front door close, she called out.

  “Call your dad.”

  CLAIRE PUT THE key in the ignition of her beat-up Ford Focus. It was a hand-me-down of a hand-me-down. The best thing that could be said about the dull brown vehicle was that it had been dirt-cheap and it got her where she needed to go.

  Now, she had no idea where that was.

  Pinning all her dreams on one job hadn’t been practical. It had always been a longshot. That didn’t stop Claire from believing with all her heart that she would buck the odds. She had done it before. What was the chance a young woman from nowhere, with a few hundred dollars and one change of clothing, could come as far as she had?

  Where was she now?

  Then she heard the tiny voice. The same one that had guided her from Iowa to Seattle. The one that told her to believe in herself. It said, trust Gaige. Open your heart to Logan.

  The message this time?

  Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You have an education. Experience. Friends. And Logan. Never forget Logan.

  Claire felt the weight lift from her shoulders. The ice around her heart cracked and then fell away. What was wrong with her? So she hadn’t gotten the job with the Knights. There were other teams. Other opportunities. There wasn’t another man like Logan Price.

  She reached to turn off the ignition when the passenger door opened and the man himself slid in next to her.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey.” If there were any cold left in her body, the heat from Logan’s smile would have melted it in an instant.

  Claire grinned back.

  “I love you.” What else could she say? What else was there?

  Logan wrapped her in his strong arms, his mouth covering hers. The kiss was classic. Long. Sexy. Oh, so satisfying.

  “Where are we going?” Logan gave her one quick kiss on the end of her nose before buckling his seatbelt.

  It seemed Claire had been asking herself that question all her life. Where am I going? Now, with Logan, it wasn’t I, it was we. And she finally knew the answer.

  “I don’t care.” Claire turned off the car. “As long as we go together.”

  EPILOGUE

  LOGAN. LOGAN. LOGAN.

  Logan closed his eyes, remembering every moment.

  The chant from the crowd hadn’t come at the beginning of the game, but at the end. Seconds left. On the two-yard line. The Knights down by four. Gaige handed him the ball. This time, he took it all the way for the score and the win.

  “Still thinking about it?”

  Claire snuggled closer. It was Thursday afternoon. Four days after the Knights season-opening home victory. The hoopla had fade
d. The team had Dallas to get ready for on Sunday. Logan was all business on the practice field and in the locker room. It was only game one. With fifteen more, they couldn’t afford to look back – only forward.

  “I think about it, too,” she told him.

  “Do you?”

  “Only ten or twelve times a day. Aren’t I allowed? The man I’m going to marry scored the winning touchdown. Don’t I have the right to crow a little?”

  “Damn straight.” Logan tucked a long strand of her blond hair behind her ear, giving him access to his favorite spot. His teeth nipped at her neck. He was rewarded with Claire’s moan of pleasure.

  “Don’t you want to know who I’ve been singing your praises to?” Claire arched her neck. She loved the feel of his lips. And his teeth. And his tongue.

  “My father?”

  “Mmm.” Claire sighed. “Plus Rhonda and Pug. Between emails and texts, I think we’ve heard from half of Denville.”

  They were seated on the balcony of the newly rented downtown apartment. The plan was to find a house, but that could wait. They had all the time in the world.

  “Tell me how many job offers you received today.”

  “Only five.”

  Logan chuckled. By his count, that made almost thirty. It was only right. The Knights had screwed Claire out of her dream job. Logan and Gaige decided they would do everything in their power to make the team sorry they let her slip away.

  During the post-game press conference, questions flew at Logan. How did it feel to be back? Did he like the team’s chances to take the division? How about the Super Bowl?

  Logan gave the expected stock answers. He thanked the Knights for bringing him back. He gave all the credit to the coaching staff – his teammates. However, when he was asked what the secret was to his comeback, Logan didn’t hold back. He made it clear he was there because of one person. Claire Thornton. By the time he left the podium, the entire country knew her name.

  After Gaige spent a huge chunk of time extolling to the press the miraculous rehabilitation program Claire put Logan through, her phone started ringing off the hook.

  Teams from every sport. Athletes. Hospitals. They all wanted to hire Claire.

  Recognizing publicity gold, even Gerald Preston, the owner of Knights, had the nerve to offer Claire a job. Not as an assistant trainer. He wanted her pretty face in front of the camera extolling the virtues of her balms and creams. Products that Preston Enterprises would sell under the banner of the Knights.

  Logan was so incensed he wanted to do the man physical harm after Claire showed him the text. She let him rant and threaten for several minutes. Then she reasoned that her best revenge was to ignore the man altogether. She planned to market her products, but Gerald Preston wouldn’t see a dime from her years of hard work.

  “You know I’ll support whatever you choose to do. If you want to work for another team, I say go for it.”

  “It would mean me living in a different city for most of the year.”

  “We’re strong enough to survive the separation. As long as you’re happy, so am I.”

  “I love you.” Claire kissed his cheek. “What I wouldn’t love is waking up every morning without you next to me. A few days while the team is out of town, I can take. I’m not going to take a job in another city, Logan. But thank you for being so supportive.”

  “I won’t lie,” Logan said. “I’m glad you’re staying in Seattle.”

  “I won’t lie, either. I’m glad you’re glad.”

  Claire knew what she wanted to do. She planned to do freelance work with individuals. Mostly athletes, since sports was her first love. However, if the right offer came along, she would be open to helping anyone who would benefit from her services.

  “Some of those offers are pretty impressive. My contract with the Knights is basic. Will you mind making more money than your husband?”

  “No.” Most importantly, she knew Logan didn’t mind. They were a team. That was all that mattered.

  “Give it time. Next year, the Knights will have to pay through the nose to re-sign you.”

  Logan wasn’t looking that far ahead. This was his time. Right now. Right here. Next year would take care of itself. The only thing on his mind was next week’s game.

  And Claire. Always, Claire.

  COMING SOON

  APRIL

  AFTER ALL THESE YEARS (ONE PASS AWAY-BOOK TWO)

  JUNE

  AFTER THE FIRE (ONE PASS AWAY BOOK THREE)

  HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

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