Zambonis and Mistletoe - A Holiday Romance (The Renegades Series Book 4)

by Melody Heck Gatto

  She hated when patients flirted with her, so this must really be annoying to him, especially since she undoubtedly looked like a lawsuit waiting to happen. He probably hoped that since her best friend was dating Tyler, he could make this go away. But Rylee didn’t want special treatment; she just wanted to go home. She could get this checked out at the hospital when she went to work.

  Still, she couldn’t help watching his dark eyes. They were mesmerizing. It had been too long since she’d been in a relationship, and also the pain was making her loopy, which she was sure was why she saw stars. Normally she wouldn’t flirt either. Nick was very attractive, so attractive in fact, that she knew there was no way a man like him would give her a second look.

  “Okay then, Rylee. I was talking to our team doctor, and it seems you have a pretty nasty sprained ankle. I feel really bad about it,” Nick said. He reached for her hand again, holding it this time.

  “It was my dumb ass fault…” Rylee started. “I shouldn’t have been anywhere near the ice—”

  “No.” Nick waved his hand. “This is my team and my arena. I take full responsibility. Anything you need, let me know. And if you incur any additional medical bills, please forward them to me. We will take care of it all.” He smiled at her, and as he looked down at her shoe on the ground, then to her swollen foot, his eyes stopped on her pink toenails and the stars tattooed on her foot. “That’s pretty swollen. Are you going to be able to get that shoe back on?”

  She didn’t think that the high shoe looked like it was going to fit over her swollen ankle.

  “No, she’s not,” the team doctor said. “I’m going to wrap her ankle, and give her crutches to take home; they will help her stay off of the sprain. I would like her to get another x-ray tomorrow after some of the swelling goes down.” He turned to Rylee. “I’ll make an appointment for you to get the x-ray done, okay? In the meantime, stay off it.” The doctor grabbed an elastic bandage and started to wrap her foot and ankle.

  “Okay. But I don’t need you to do all that. I work at a hospital and I would just rather go there.”

  “No can do, Miss. You need to see one of our doctors.”

  Rylee laid her head back down onto the table and let out a heavy sigh. It wasn’t worth the fight right now. “Whatever. Just tell me who I need to see and when.” This whole ordeal has been humiliating and I just want to get home.

  The music seemed to become lower again, and a new song was on. Seriously, maybe she was hearing things? She looked over at Tyler and Paige. “So I guess you two will be showing up for unannounced visits more often now, huh?” Knowing Paige, she would be making sure she was resting. Rylee hated to sit still, so this was going to be almost impossible. But she had to admit she didn’t hate the idea of company in that quiet house.

  Nick looked at Tyler. “Oh, you live close by?”

  “Well, we don’t live far from her. Close enough for us to drop in, so, yes Rylee, we will check in on you, don’t worry,” Tyler said. “Anything you need, you just let us know.”

  Nick nodded and looked at his watch. “I really need to go. My apologies for rushing out of here. Rylee, please call me if you need anything.” He reached into his wallet and pulled out his business card, then grabbed a pen off of the counter and scribbled something on the back. “Here’s my number, please, I hope you don’t hesitate to call.” He looked back at Rylee, flashed a soft smile, nodded at Tyler and the staff, then hurried out of the room.

  CHAPTER 3

  Rylee figured the pain must be getting to her, because she actually thought Nick Talon was kind of cute. Downright handsome. She wasn’t blind of course, and it never hurt to look, but she rarely had thoughts like that, and certainly hadn’t felt ready for a serious relationship with anyone since Scott.

  She was only sixteen years old when he died. He’d been her whole world, and that was a pain a teenager should never have to feel. The hurt lasted a long time and she never wanted to feel that way again. Scott had been troubled, and she knew the drugs had started taking over his life, but she was too young and too naïve to think they would kill him. It had been seven years since his death. In all that time, she’d pushed away any guy who came too close, and had kept busy being a caregiver and all around good granddaughter to Gram and Pap. It was the only way she knew to keep the pain at bay.

  Her mind wandered to tall, dark and handsome Mr. Nick Talon… She shook her head, trying to rattle some sense back into it. Yep, definitely had to be the pain.

  “Alright. Ready Rylee?” Tyler asked before helping her slide off the exam table. Paige took hold of her other arm and they helped her out to their car. Tyler had her crutches taken out to his SUV, along with his equipment.

  “Guys, you don’t need to baby me, okay? I’m a grown woman and can take care of myself. Not to mention I’m a nurse!”

  “Okay, grown woman, how are you going to get up and down the steps to your bedroom?” Paige asked sarcastically.

  Rylee rolled her eyes. “I’ll be fine. Please don’t worry about me; I’ll set up camp in the living room in front of the television.” There was a bathroom off the living room, and the kitchen was right there so she could manage a few days. She knew her friends would still worry, but maybe she could convince them she didn’t need round the clock babysitters. “All I might need is a ride to get that x-ray tomorrow.”

  Tyler nodded. “I’ll find out when it’s scheduled for and plan to pick you up, sound good?” he asked, not taking his eyes off of the road.

  “Yes sir, Mr. Kidd.” Rylee joked as she sat back and tried to relax. Too bad she couldn’t get her mind off Nick Talon.

  ***

  “Gram, it’s not funny!” Rylee whined as she told her the whole embarrassing story over the phone. Gram laughed and laughed. The thought of Rylee’s feet flying out from underneath her as she stepped on the ice was apparently too much for her to handle.

  “Sorry dear,” she said, as she stifled more laughter. “Are you okay there alone? I could come over and stay, or maybe Paige could? That’s a big house for you to be in alone when you aren’t supposed to be walking around.”

  “No Gram, I’m fine.” She looked around the room at the things Paige and Tyler had set up for her. They’d made a little table with non-perishable snacks within arm’s reach of the couch, she had blankets and pillows, and even a cooler with some water. Other things she actually had to get up and hop over to, like a few changes of clothes they had piled on one of the chairs. But at least for the next day or two she was self-sufficient in the living room.

  Not that she wouldn’t crawl upstairs if she needed something—she was just that bull-headed—but they’d done everything they could think of to keep that from happening.

  “I didn’t sleep so well last night; I think it’s just this couch. Or the fact that my ankle was throbbing. So instead I caught up on all the shows I was behind on. Maybe tonight will be better.” Her ankle was still swollen and really bothered her.

  When Gram lived here they always used the door in the kitchen, but since she moved out, Rylee had grown accustomed to using the front door. She’d re-arranged the living room and even updated some of the furniture.

  “Did you eat today? I can bring you over something,” Gram asked.

  “No Gram, I ate. I got tired of sitting, so I hopped into the kitchen and made some eggs. No big deal. But thanks, I’ll be sure to call you if I need anything. And I promise I won’t overdo it. Love you, Gram.”

  As a nurse she didn’t like people fussing over her; she was the one who usually was doing the fussing. It’s just a sprained ankle, rest it, put some ice on it, bandage and elevate it. Not a big deal.

  “I love you too Rylee. Bye now.”

  Rylee looked at the clock on her cell phone; it was almost time for Tyler to pick her up and take her to get the x-ray the doctor ordered. Where was he? Before she could finish her thought, the doorbell rang.

  “Hang on Ty, I’ll be there in a second!” she called, assuming it was h
im. She hopped around her living room in one pink Chuck Taylor, gray yoga pants and a pink top. Even though it was December in Pittsburgh, it wasn’t as cold as it should be; they hadn’t even seen any snow yet.

  She pulled her gray hooded sweatshirt off of the chair, zipping it almost all the way up, then turned around to grab her purse off the chair. Opening the door without looking, she finally turned back towards the front porch. “Hey Ty, ready—"

  The person standing on her porch stopped her dead in her tracks. It wasn’t Tyler at the door. It wasn’t even Paige.

  She swore the radio was on and playing that same song about jolly Saint Nick as she opened the door to tall, dark and handsome Nick Talon. Where is that sound of jingle bells coming from?

  “Hello Rylee.” His dangerous smile lingered on his lips before reaching his dark eyes. He held a white container in his hands. “I brought you soup.”

  Why is he at my door? Why is he holding soup?

  “Thanks. Um, I’m sorry, I would normally invite you and your soup in, but I’m waiting for Tyler.” She rambled, still confused by what he was doing at her door.

  “Actually, Tyler isn’t taking you for your x-rays. I am.” He didn’t even flinch at the obviously confused look on her face, and continued. “Morning skate ran longer than he planned, so I offered to make sure you got to your doctor’s appointment. We wouldn’t want you to miss it.” He held up the soup container. “And I wanted to bring you some soup.” He simply stood in her doorway smiling. Is this for real? “It’s the least I could do.”

  Not being able to help herself, she just stood and stared, taking in his muscular build, which was more obvious in his street clothes, rather than hidden under the business suit he had on yesterday. His black hooded sweatshirt was zipped up halfway, with a dark blue tee peeking out, and tight fitting faded blue jeans. As her eyes took in every inch of him, she realized she’d left him standing on the porch! Crap. “I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head. Did hurting my ankle affect my brain as well? What the hell? She moved to the side to let him through. “Come in, please. You can set the soup anywhere.”

  “Okay, how about I put it in the kitchen?” he asked, and without waiting for an answer he walked through her living room.

  The kitchen, duh. Why did I say put it anywhere? “Yeah, in the kitchen, thanks.”

  Nick reappeared within moments. “Okay,” he said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. “Ready?”

  Do I have any choice? “Sure.”

  He took her arm and helped her out of the house. His touch was strong and gentle, and being this close to him made her heart beat faster. What was this hold he had on her? But then, a guy as good looking as Nick probably made all the ladies feel like this.

  The wind was brisk, and probably too cool for only a sweatshirt. It was harder than she thought it would be to use the crutches and carry her purse. It kept falling off of her shoulder, and she fumbled with it just in the few steps that she took. Investing in a fanny pack for the time being sounded like a good idea.

  “Here,” Nick said, as he took her purse from her, “let me carry that. Better?”

  The brisk air chilled her and caused a shiver to run through her. She only had on a t-shirt under the sweatshirt, and she could tell that her nipples were hard at attention. Damn cold.

  As she hobbled down the sidewalk, she could feel him watching her every step. His attention made her a little self-conscious; after all he was the General Manager of the team, and she was just the dumb redhead girl who fell on the ice when she shouldn’t have been there to begin with.

  He probably heard that I live by myself and is taking pity on me. Or maybe he still thinks I’ll sue the team. Like I would ever do that. I’d be happy as punch to just heal in peace.

  But it was just her ankle, and it shouldn’t need more than a few days of rest before she would be fine and back to work as normal. Then all the extra attention would cease.

  Nick jogged ahead of her to his Range Rover and opened the passenger side door. He held her crutches while helping her slide into the vehicle, careful of her ankle. Then he loaded her crutches into the back seat. She wished she had known he was picking her up; she might’ve taken more care with her appearance instead of the simple pony tail and had no make-up she’d gone with.

  She hadn’t planned on trying to impress anyone, but she still pulled the visor down and opened the mirror. She messed with the front of her hair, bringing down a few strands to frame her face, then rummaged through her purse for some make-up. Anything at all, she silently willed. Luckily she found an eye shadow pencil and shiny lip gloss. Rylee sighed. It would have to do. It would at least help her to look less zombie-like.

  Nick slid into his seat and his eyes were on her as she applied the honey colored eye shadow, and then swiped the shiny lip gloss across her lips. She didn’t normally have an audience while she put on make-up, and his attention made her stomach flip.

  She pressed her lips together, smoothing out her lip gloss. Turning to him to ask if he normally stared at ladies when they applied make-up, she was startled to find herself looking right into his dark eyes.

  Nick turned a light shade of red, his embarrassment obvious when he cleared his throat and he immediately looked away. With her hair up and her sloppy sweats, she couldn’t have possibly looked cute, so why was he staring? She hadn’t gotten this kind of attention from anyone in a long time and honestly she wasn’t sure how to act.

  Breaking the glance, she studied her hands for a moment. Her heart fluttered and she couldn’t help but check to see if he was still watching her. Warmth filled her cheeks, because he was.

  CHAPTER 4

  Nick had never met a girl that piqued his interest as much as Ms. Rylee Davis. Maybe it was that fiery red hair, maybe it was those intense blue eyes. Maybe it was just her. And why did he hear sleigh bells every time he saw her?

  This Christmas season was already getting to him.

  He couldn’t understand it; she was sitting there in a sweatshirt and barely any makeup, and she still had every ounce of his attention. She was effortlessly beautiful, and he struggled to not stare at her sexy curves and creamy skin. He wasn’t normally so easily distracted by women. But his mind insisted on thinking up scenarios where he could touch Rylee, run his hands through her tumble of hair, down to her narrow little waist and the over flare of her hips, and—

  He forced out a long breath. He needed to get a grip.

  At the hospital she had everyone’s attention. Every nurse fawned over her, making sure she was comfortable and well taken care of. Surely the fact that he was the Renegades general manager had something to do with it.

  He wasn’t immune to the attention either. There was a constant stream of nurses at his side asking if they could help with anything. He didn’t want special treatment though; he just wanted Rylee taken care of.

  Nick bought a cup of hot coffee and took a seat in the empty waiting room while she was having her x-ray.

  “Aren’t you Nick Talon?” A shapely girl with dark hair asked, batting her dark eyelashes and laying her hand on his shoulder.

  She was pretty, but not his type. He preferred classy over obvious. Her top was so snug he thought the buttons were going to pop off. She ran her fingers along his shoulder and down to his bicep.

  I’m so not into this. Saying hello is one thing, but keep your hands to yourself. Fangirls annoyed him. He knew plenty of players who ate up the attention of girls who came onto them simply because of their names. But that wasn’t something he enjoyed. He gently grabbed her hand, brushing it off him. Looking up at her, he answered flatly but politely, “Yes, I am.”

  “Oh Nick!” she cooed. “I love the Renegades.” Not taking the hint, she put her hand on his arm again, running her fingers slowly along his bicep.

  “Always happy to meet a fan, but I’m actually here with a friend, so…” He brushed her hand away again. As he turned to tell her to bug-off, Rylee caught his eye. Quickly he stoo
d up, almost knocking the brunette out of the way, and he stumbled. “Rylee.” Damn, now he looked guilty. He didn’t know why, but it was important that Rylee think the best of him.

  “That’s me. So, who’s your friend?” She leaned on her crutch and looked the girl up and down. Some of her hair had fallen into her face, and she didn’t try to move it.

  “Hi, I’m Dee. And you are?”

  “My friend,” Nick interrupted, wanting to get away as quickly as possible, “and we need to go. Nice to meet you.” He tossed his coffee cup and laced his arm around Rylee’s waist, assisting her as they walked down the hallway.

  “She seemed nice,” Rylee said softly.

  “I don’t even know who she was. She came up to me while I was sitting there waiting for you. She kept grabbing my arm.”

  “And her shirt, what was going on there?” Rylee looked up at him with her eyebrow cocked.

  “I don’t even know, I swear. Fangirls.” He didn’t know why he cared what Rylee thought, but he did. He didn’t want her to think he was flirting with that girl, or that he knew her and they were involved. He was not the groupie type.

  “Whatever you say, Nick.”

  Why did her tone bother him so much?

  CHAPTER 5

  The ride home was quiet besides the Christmas music playing on the radio. Rylee always liked Christmas carols and had to keep herself from singing along. Nick didn’t need to be exposed to her lack of a singing voice. Even as she hummed to the music her mind wandered to that girl at the hospital, the one with the big breasts. I mean, how could she miss them, they were practically out in the open? Why did it even bother her who she was? She only met Nick yesterday and it wasn’t as if she was interested in him. Right?

  Her ankle ached from how the radiology tech had had to move it for the x-rays. They contorted it in ways she didn’t think it moved. Now she knew a little of what she put her patients through. She winced a bit as she re-adjusted herself in her seat. She had to remember that a gentle touch never hurt.