by Kat Mizera
Tending Tara
Kat Mizera
Copyright © 2021 by Kat Mizera
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Editing: Tera Cuskaden
Cover Design: Dar Albert
Cover Photography: Christopher John
Cover Model: Sean Brady
Created with Vellum
Contents
Also by Kat Mizera
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Epilogue
Excerpt from “ZAAN”
Also by Kat Mizera
Las Vegas Sidewinders:
Dominic
Cody’s Christmas Surprise
Drake
Karl
Anatoli
Zakk
Toli & Tessa
Brock
Vladimir
Royce
Nate
Sidewinders: Ever After
Jared
Dmitri’s Christmas Angel
Ian
Sidewinders: Generations:
Zaan
Tore
Anton (2021)
Alaska Blizzard:
Defending Dani
Holding Hailey
Winning Whitney
Losing Laurel
Saving Sara
Chasing Charli
A Very Blizzard Christmas
Tending Tara
Calling Cassie (2021)
The Royal Trilogy:
Nowhere Left to Fall
Nowhere Left to Run
Nowhere Left to Hide
Royal Protectors:
Sandor
Cocky Protector (book 1.5, part of the Cocky Heroes Club series)
Xander
Axel
Dax (A Royal Protectors/Sidewinders crossover novel)
Gunnar (short story, currently unavailable)
Rock Hard:
Play
Pause
Rewind (2021)
Fast Forward (2022)
Inferno:
Salvation’s Inferno
Temptation’s Inferno
Redemption’s Inferno
Tropical Inferno (formerly “Tropical Ice”)
Romancing Europe:
Adonis in Athens
Smitten in Santorini
Lucky in Lugano
Other Books:
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Protecting Bobbi (Susan Stoker’s Special Forces World)
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Protecting Delilah (Susan Stoker’s Special Forces World)
Brotherhood Protectors: Catching Lana (Elle James’s Brotherhood Protectors World)
1
Tara
The arena was frigidly cold, but it was perfect for a hockey game. Picking up her stick, Tara Laasonen skated out onto the ice. These early morning games were a lot of fun, and she was grateful she’d found a group of women to play with. It had been a couple of years since she’d played hockey and hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it until now.
Circling the ice, she got her bearings and looked around for her teammates. Sara Ferrar had played in college, Hailey Hatcher had been an Olympic champion, and Laurel Caldwell had been both an Olympic champion as well as the coach of an Olympic team that won a gold medal. There were some local college and high school hockey players here as well, offering a variety of ages and skill levels, which made it that much more fun.
“Looking good,” Dani Petrov called from the sidelines. She was seven months pregnant and a former Olympic champion who couldn’t play at the moment but had come out to support them anyway.
“Where’s your skates?” Sara called out to her.
Dani held up a pair. “I’ve got them, but I’m way too off-balance to play with this belly of mine!”
“Baby will be here soon enough,” Laurel said, skating over to her and resting a hand on Dani’s protruding stomach. “And you’ll be back on the ice before you know it.”
“I hope so.” Dani laughed and rubbed her belly.
The game started, and Tara’s team took an early lead. She was in the zone today, scoring twice in the first few minutes and losing herself in the game. She’d played her whole life and loved hockey, but after her brother Miikka left for the pros, it wasn’t the same. Now that she was here in Anchorage, surrounded by hockey and hockey players, she’d found her passion again.
“Anna mennä, Tara!” Let’s go! She knew her brother’s voice anywhere, especially since he’d yelled in Finnish, and she turned in surprise, lifting her stick in acknowledgment. He didn’t usually get up this early on his days off, but he was here with his pretty new wife, which was nice.
“One more for the hat trick, Tara!” This was a different voice, with a teasing lilt, and Tara turned in surprise, trying to ascertain who it was.
Then she saw him.
Donovan Legori.
He was one of Miiikka’s teammates and the back-up goalie for the Alaska Blizzard. Not to mention one of the hottest and most talented men she’d ever met. He was also arrogant and standoffish, but there was something compelling about him. They’d hung out socially a few times since she’d arrived in Anchorage, and she found him attractive, but he’d never shown any interest, so she’d kept her distance. Seeing him here today was confusing, but she tried not to glance in his direction while she sat on the bench, waiting for her next shift.
“How come the guys are here today?” Dani asked, leaning over.
“I don’t know,” Tara admitted. “Miikka didn’t tell me he was coming, much less anyone else.”
“There’s Ryder and Logan, too,” Dani said. “Is it a special occasion?”
“I don’t think so,” Laurel said, dropping down next to Tara and glancing around. “Are we having a party?”
“Don’t look at me,” Tara protested with a chuckle. “I’m new in town.”
She got up and swung her legs over the boards, getting back on the ice. Sara passed her the puck, and she took it down the ice. She didn’t have a shot and looked around for someone who did.
“Tara!” Hailey’s voice was off to her right, and she moved on autopilot, sending the puck behind her and right into the blade of Hailey’s stick. Hailey promptly put it in the net, and they high-fived as they skated back to the bench. They tried to let the younger girls get more ice time since they were less experienced, but Tara played a lot more than anyone else. She’d been in Alaska about a month and felt comfortable with her new life but was still getting used to it. Hockey was something familiar, essentially the same here as back home in
Finland, just with different teammates, so it energized her.
Not that she wanted to go home.
She shuddered just thinking about it.
Moving to the U.S. had been all she’d thought about for a year, so the last thing she wanted was to go back. Her life in Finland had been pretty laid back, but she’d been bored. Since moving to Alaska, her life was completely the opposite, and she didn’t have much free time. She made time for hockey, though. It relaxed her and was good exercise, but it was also familiar. One of the only things that was familiar other than her brother.
She’d been so lost in thought she didn’t see the skater coming up on her right side, and when the other woman’s stick came up, she couldn’t turn away fast enough. The butt end caught her in the jaw, and she went down hard, pain shooting through her face.
“Tara!” She heard her brother’s voice but was too busy trying to catch her breath. She didn’t know what was broken or bleeding, but it felt like a bomb had exploded inside her mouth. She’d always thought she was pretty tough, but this wasn’t like anything she’d ever experienced.
“Tara, let me see. Tara!” Miikka was kneeling beside her, trying to pry her hand away from her face, but Tara couldn’t let go, as if she was keeping it from falling apart by hanging on.
“I think it’s dislocated.” Dani was the Blizzard’s assistant trainer, and she was on her knees beside Tara and Miikka.
“What do we do?” Miikka asked.
“Let me call the team dentist,” Dani said, resting a hand on Tara’s shoulder. “Breathe, Tara, okay? I don’t know for sure if it’s dislocated, but they’ll need to put it back in place if it is.”
Tara managed a tiny nod, tears forming from the pain.
“Let’s get you to the locker room,” Dani said softly.
The next few minutes were a blur as Miikka lifted Tara off the ice and carried her back to the locker room even though she wanted to tell him she could walk. The pain wasn’t as bad now, but her face was throbbing, and her mouth felt weird. She’d never imagined dislocating her jaw and felt so stupid for not paying attention. As children, they’d all been taught that distractions on the ice could cause injuries, and now it had happened.
She sank onto the bench and breathed in deeply through her nose. She’d already tried to open her mouth and it hurt like hell, so she wouldn’t be doing that again.
“Dr. Newman is on his way,” Dani said, coming in. “He’ll be here in ten minutes.”
“You okay, Tara?” Laurel sat beside her.
“Hurts,” she muttered.
“Dr. Newman is awesome, don’t worry.” Laurel patted her hand.
“I’m going to go get an ice pack,” Dani said. “It’ll help with pain and swelling until Dr. Newman gets here.” She moved out of the room, and Tara looked up, startled to see Donovan standing there with Miikka and Charli.
“I’m okay,” she whispered, though it sounded a little funny since it was difficult to move her mouth. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. The pain had caused an adrenaline rush that was abating, and she was a little nauseated now. She was hot and sweaty, too, and wished she could have some water, but didn’t dare open her mouth enough to drink it.
Someone pressed an ice pack on the side of her face, and she winced a little from the jolt of pain, but the coldness felt good.
“Hurts like a bitch, huh?” Donovan’s voice was soft, and Tara felt his leg brush against hers as he sat beside her.
She opened her eyes and gave him a little nod.
“I dislocated mine when I was still in the juniors. Same way, too. Butt of a stick. I turned around and beat the shit out of the guy, though. He was screwing my girlfriend at the time and didn’t think I knew it. It was the perfect excuse to take him down. It hurt like a mother—getting in a fistfight with a dislocated jaw—so I don’t recommend it. You won’t be able to eat a double-decker sandwich for a while, but you’ll be okay. Doc’ll put it back in place, and in a few weeks, you won’t remember anything happened.”
She glanced over at him just as Dr. Newman came in.
Without thinking, she reached for Donovan’s hand, as if he might help her stay brave because she wasn’t looking forward to what was to come. She didn’t like dentists in general, and this probably wasn’t going to change her opinion.
To her surprise, Donovan’s warm fingers closed around hers, and he didn’t let go.
“Hello, Tara. I’m Dr. Newman. May I take a look?” Dr. Newman seemed nice, and since she had no choice anyway, she nodded.
He pulled away the ice pack and ran firm but gentle fingers along her jaw.
“I want to take an X-ray to make sure, but this feels dislocated. It’ll only take a second or so for me to pop it back into place, so let’s take that X-ray and get this done. You’ll feel a lot better.”
“Will it hurt, Doctor?” Miikka asked, frowning.
“Somewhat, but it’ll be quick. If we take the time to sedate her, she won’t feel it, but then—”
“No sedation,” Tara murmured, shaking her head. “Just do it.”
She quickly got to her feet, and Donovan got up, too. Miikka gave them a funny look, but Tara just wanted to get this over with. She hated showing weakness, especially in front of people she barely knew, so she didn’t even realize she was still holding Donovan’s hand until they were walking down the hall behind Dr. Newman.
What the hell was wrong with her? She was tougher than this, and she had her brother if she needed to hold someone’s hand. But now she was walking down the hallway holding the hand of a professional hockey player. A sexy-as-fuck professional hockey player who made her wonder if she was ready to start dating again. Or at the very least, finding a hot guy to flirt with.
This probably wasn’t the best time to think about it, though.
She abruptly let go, not daring to look at him.
“Have a seat,” Dr. Newman said. “Let’s get this done.”
“I’ll be right here.” Donovan leaned against the wall.
Tara looked away again, unsure how this had happened. Miikka or Charli should be here with her, not Donovan, with his long-lashed hazel eyes and unruly dark hair. He was proving to be a nice distraction, though, standing against the wall like he didn’t have a care in the world. Of course, he wasn’t the one whose jaw had been knocked out of place.
It didn’t take Dr. Newman long to take the X-ray and explain what he was going to do. Normally, she was okay with medical things, but this didn’t sound like fun at all.
“Last time I got hurt,” Donovan said, coming over to stand next to her, “was during a bench-clearing brawl in Calgary. It was before I got traded to the Blizzard.”
“You were a damn menace,” Dr. Newman agreed. “I saw that game on TV. The whole bunch of you were fucking lunatics.”
“The guys from Seattle had been playing dirty all night,” Donovan protested. “Somebody needed to shut them up.”
“And it had to be you?”
“Apparently.” Donovan reached for Tara’s hand again, squeezing a little.
“Tara, this is probably going to hurt, but I promise it’ll be over before you know it. Close your eyes and breathe.” Dr. Newman briefly met her gaze.
Tara closed her eyes.
“Tell her, Doc—I took that guy down with one punch.”
“That you did. Got yourself an instigating suspension, though.”
Dr. Newman put his hands on either side of Tara’s face, but she was listening to the story.
“It was worth every minute.”
“Coach Saunders will kick your ass if you pull shit like that here in Anchorage.”
Donovan increased the pressure of his hand just as another jolt of pain made Tara gasp.
“I’m not in net often enough to get into trouble here,” Donovan continued as if nothing had happened.
“It’s all done, Tara. You okay?” Dr. Newman was peering down at her.
She managed a shaky breath. �
�Y-yes. Thank you.”
“Then I think my work is done here,” Donovan said, giving her a quick wink as he released her hand. “Bye, Doc. See you around, Tara.”
2
Donovan went home after he left the arena. When he’d headed down there to see the women’s hockey game, they’d all had plans to go to breakfast afterward. He hadn’t expected to be watching Doc Newman putting Tara’s jaw back in place. He definitely hadn’t been expecting to hold her hand. He hadn’t known what else to do when she’d grabbed his, and then he hadn’t wanted to leave her.
She’d been nervous, and he hated seeing her that way. Miikka had given him a weird look when he’d seen their hands clasped, but at that point, there hadn’t been anything to do but keep it casual. Besides, Tara had needed someone to distract her, so he’d started telling stories. She hadn’t said anything, but she’d been listening. Her eyes had met his a few times. Those dark blue eyes of hers. They reminded him of the ocean when it was storming. He’d wanted to get lost in them since the first time he saw her, but she was his teammate’s sister, and he was recently divorced. Not to mention probably on his way out of Anchorage.
He didn’t have time to get involved with anyone. Especially not someone with stormy blue eyes. Who played hockey almost like a guy. And laughed a lot. With a smokin’-hot body.
“Knock it off, Legori,” he muttered before biting into an apple and wondering what the hell he was going to do with the rest of his day, since his plans had been derailed. The team had the day off, so he didn’t have anywhere to be.
