* * *
“Keep your hands away from your body…that’s it. You don’t want to be looking down at the puck, or you won’t have it for long,” Jackson said as he skated backward, watching Taylor move across the ice toward the net with the puck.
Tryouts were the following week, and he wanted to make sure his niece would be ready. Darryl’s warning about the other dads still troubled him, but what had him off his game was his brief—yet far too long—glimpse of Abby Jansen earlier that day.
She was going to be teaching at the school. Fan-freaking-tastic.
He shook his head, banishing the image of her in her expensive suit, looking more beautiful than ever. He didn’t need any new memories of her competing with the old ones.
He moved closer to his niece to steal the puck, but she moved her body between him and the biscuit the way he’d taught her. He smiled. The kid was a natural. “That’s good. Where did you learn that?”
“From Uncle Ben,” she teased.
“Ha! I taught both of your uncles everything they know.” Ironically, that was true. He’d been the first of the three of them to develop an interest in the sport at age four. His older brother, Ben, and his younger brother, Asher, hadn’t started playing until several years later.
But, as it turned out, they were both better than he was. That’s why they were playing on major league hockey teams and he was still coaching in Glenwood Falls.
Taylor skated faster and shot the puck. It hit the right post.
“You released it too soon,” he said, skating up to her and patting her helmet. “Just hold on to it a little longer. You’re overeager to score without an assist—maybe you have been learning a thing or two from your Uncle Ben.” Ben played for the Colorado Avalanche. He was the top scorer for the team for the last three years, but he didn’t know how to share the puck.
Jackson skated by it and scooped it up. Checking his watch, he saw it was after five. They’d been practicing for almost two hours. “Come on, let’s go get something to eat.”
“Can we go to Slope and Hatch?”
“Craving a Big Valley Mac?” he asked as they sat on the bench to remove their skates.
She took off her helmet and shook her short dark hair. “Is there any other hot dog worth eating?”
He laughed. “You make a good point, kid. Go grab your stuff.” As she rushed off toward the locker rooms, he stood, staring out at the ice. Above the blue line hung the local team’s championship flags and across from him on the wall was the banner that read WELCOME TO THE HOME OF THE WESTMORE BROTHERS!
Ben and Asher—the source of community pride.
They were the stars of Glenwood Falls—he was just everyone’s favorite coach.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my agent, Stephany Evans, for her continued guidance and ability to talk me down from a ledge when needed. I’m forever grateful to my editor, Madeleine Colavita, for her patience in this process and her feedback, which always makes the book stronger. I couldn’t have finished this book without the support of my husband, Reagan, and son, Jacob, who give me the time I need to work. And thank you to my friends—Nikki Lynn Barrett, Kate James, Cheryl Pitre-Cable, Keifer Annesley, and Cliff Sample—just because you are all so awesome.
About the Author
Jennifer Snow lives in Edmonton, Alberta, with her husband and son. She writes sweet and sexy contemporary romance stories set everywhere from small towns to big cities. After stating in her high school yearbook bio that she wanted to be an author, she set off on the winding, twisting road to make her dream a reality. She is a member of RWA, the Writers’ Guild of Alberta, the Canadian Authors Association, and the Film and Visual Arts Association in Edmonton. She has published over ten novels and novellas with many more on the way.
You can learn more at:
JenniferSnowAuthor.com
Twitter @jennifersnow18
Facebook.com/JenniferSnowBooks
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 by Jennifer Snow
Preview of Maybe This Time copyright © 2016 by Jennifer Snow
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ISBN 978-1-4555-9667-6
E3-20160927-DA-NF
Maybe This Kiss Page 14
