by Jennie Marts
“Get back? What do you mean?”
“I was planning to come back and fix your front door after I dropped you off at school and hit the hardware store.”
“But you don’t have to…”
He cut her off with a kiss. “I want to,” he said against her mouth, then left her in the kitchen as he headed for the shower.
Twenty minutes later, he dropped her off in front the school. They’d seen Tina through the window next door, and she’d waved them off, mouthing that she’d take the kids to school that morning.
Chloe passed him a single gold key on a ring. “This is my spare house key. It fits the front and the back doors. And I’ll pay you back for the door and any other supplies you have to buy.”
“Don’t worry about that now. We’ll figure it out later. I’ll pick you up at four.”
* * *
He didn’t pick her up at four as he’d planned. In fact, nothing had gone as he’d planned that day. He’d stopped by the hardware store, and they didn’t have the right size door and couldn’t get it in until tomorrow. The dog must have gotten into the cat’s food too because he’d hurled all over the bed of Colt’s pickup when he’d stopped for gas, and Mason had called and said he needed his help on the ranch that afternoon.
He’d texted Chloe to fill her in about the door and tell her he was stuck at the ranch. He’d said his mom was coming to town to pick up Max and would be happy to drop her at her house, but she’d replied with a perfectly polite response that it was no problem and she’d find a ride with another teacher.
Vivi had told him she’d tried to find Chloe after school, but she hadn’t been in her room. He had no idea if she was upset with him, or simply fine with grabbing another ride home. Sometimes he felt like he could tell exactly what she was thinking, and other times he didn’t have a clue. Although it didn’t take a genius to figure out she didn’t like to be a burden or a bother to anyone, and she’d flat-out said he didn’t have to pick her up every day.
But he liked picking her up, liked seeing her and getting a chance to hear about her day. He’d figured they could catch up on the way to practice until she’d texted him to say she’d grab a ride to the ice arena with Tina and Maddie. He couldn’t win for losing today.
At least I’ll see her here, he thought later that night as he sat on the bleachers at the ice arena and finished lacing up his skates. He yanked the laces so tight, he stripped the cap off the end of one and it cracked off in his hand. Great.
There was no reason for him to be so jumpy about seeing her. He’d just been with her that very morning, for cripes’ sake. But something about her behavior that morning, the meticulously organized charts and the barest tightening of her shoulders as he’d leaned in to kiss her, had his nerves on edge, and he’d been fidgety and uneasy for the better part of the day.
He figured it probably had something to do with the day before. He knew it was too soon to thrust her into the folds of his family. They were a lot to handle, and they’d been in rare form the day before. He’d watched Chloe shrink into herself as the noise level in the room rose. He’d tried to assure her with light touches, but it took some restraint. He’d wanted to wrap his arm around her, hold her up for display, shout out to his whole family that he really liked this girl, that she was something special. But he’d figured she had enough being thrown at her, so he didn’t want to come on too strong. And holding her up like a prize calf was definitely coming on too strong.
He was sure the time spent with his nutty family was why she’d wanted to come home the night before. The craziness must have got to her. Hell, it got to him sometimes too. No wonder she had a headache. And he’d tried to give her space, to leave her alone and sleep in the truck. But dammit, when she’d crawled into the cab wearing only a jersey with his name on it and a tiny pair of panties, he couldn’t help himself. He had to have her.
That must be what was going on. Why she was retreating into her charts and organized schedules. He and his family must be too much for her. He should back off. Give her some room to breathe.
“Hiya, Coach,” Maddie called, racing toward him. Tina sauntered along behind her, and he craned his neck around her shoulder to try to catch sight of Chloe. But she wasn’t with them.
“Don’t worry. She’s here,” Tina said, giving him a knowing smile. “She just stopped to talk to one of the parents.”
He shrugged. “I wasn’t worried.” But he knew he wasn’t fooling her. She’d known him the better part of his life, and he hadn’t fooled her when he was nine and tried to sneak a snake into his room, so he was sure he wasn’t getting anything past his former babysitter.
“I’m sure you weren’t,” Tina answered with a smirk. “Just like I’m sure she didn’t blush and try to hold back a smile every time your name came up in the car on the way over here.” She nudged him on the shoulder, then her face turned serious. “Chloe is a great person. She’s really helped me out the past few years. She deserves a good guy.”
His shoulders slumped. Chloe did deserve a good guy. He only wished he considered himself one.
“Let’s get your skates on,” he told Maddie as she climbed onto the bleachers next to him. She was already decked out in her pads and a faded red practice jersey that looked two sizes too big but was probably the only one available at the local thrift store. He knew her brothers hadn’t played, so that was his best guess as to where the jersey came from. He’d have to see if he could find her an extra one.
She didn’t seem to mind as she kicked off her shoes and pulled on her new skates. He had to admire her enthusiasm. He’d brought an extra lace puller to give to Tina and showed her how to hook the metal tool in the laces and use it to pull them as tight as possible.
When he’d finished, he stood and nonchalantly peered over the heads of a group of parents, looking for a certain petite woman. He finally spotted her. She was standing by the door talking to the goalie’s parents. Her body was relaxed, her face open and pleasant as she listened intently to whatever Gordy’s mom was telling her. She lifted her hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Then she turned her head, almost as if she felt his gaze—like an invisible thread ran between them—and drew her chin toward him until she met his eyes, and her face lit with a smile. A smile just for him. And it felt like the force of a flying hockey puck hit him squarely in the chest.
It was just a smile, for frick’s sake. But it lit something in his gut and squeezed at his heart the same as the vise grip he’d used to mend a gate that afternoon. This woman was tearing him up inside, and all she’d done was grin. But that one simple grin made his entire night.
Damn. He had it bad. And he hadn’t realized just how anxious he’d been about seeing her tonight until that very moment—the moment she’d smiled and he’d felt like a half-ton weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He hadn’t known what to expect. She’d seemed so standoffish earlier in the day. But that grin told him all he needed to know.
He stood where he was, not sure if he should go to her or let her finish her conversation. Stuffing his hands in his front pockets, he waited, trying to keep the dopey grin he felt from taking over his face.
She finally excused herself from Gordy’s folks and walked toward him, the grin turning bashful as she drew closer. “Hi,” she said when she got close enough.
“Hey, cupcake.” He leaned down and lowered his voice so only she could hear.
Her lips curved higher, and she stood a little taller, her shoulders drawing back just the barest degree. “That’s Coach Cupcake to you.”
He chuckled, his hands itching to touch her, to stroke his palm down her back or tangle his fingers in her hair. Heck, he wanted to do more than stroke her back. He wanted to kiss her, good and thoroughly, until neither of them could catch their breath and they forgot where they were. But he didn’t.
There were too many peo
ple around, and Creedence was too small a town for that kind of public display of affection. The last thing he wanted was for people to make assumptions about them or to start the rumor mill circulating about her. She didn’t deserve that, and he didn’t imagine she would appreciate it either. His truck had already been parked in front of her house all night, and he planned to park it there again tonight. He was sure that little kernel of information had spread through the gossip wire before he’d even finished his first cup of coffee that morning.
He’d been dying to see her, couldn’t wait for her to come over to him, and now he couldn’t thing of a dang thing to say. The woman seriously messed with his brain. “Sorry about not getting your door fixed today.”
“It’s fine, really. I appreciate the time you took to go down and get a new one ordered.”
“It was nothing. I was happy to do it.” Her smile set off something in his chest, and all he wanted to do was keep it there. And know he was the one responsible for putting it there in the first place. He gestured toward the bleachers where he’d left his things. “I’ve got something for you.”
Her eyes widened. “For me?”
“Yeah, come on.” He reached for her hand but touched her arm instead. She followed him to the bleachers where he presented her with a square box with the Bauer logo printed on the side. “I thought the assistant coach deserved a pair of her own skates.” He’d known her size from the rental skates she’d been wearing.
She lifted the lid and peered in at the new white-and-black ice skates. “Gosh, they’re gorgeous,” she gushed. Her brow furrowed, and she tilted her head at him. “Are these from Rock? Like as part of the team budget?”
He’d let his brother have all the credit for outfitting the team, but he wasn’t letting Rock get the credit for these. “Nope. These babies are just from me. And don’t worry, I did my research, and these are good, solid skates. They should be comfortable and still provide great support for your ankles. And I already got them sharpened, so you’ll be good to go as soon as you lace them up.”
She closed the lid and pushed the box back toward him. “They’re beautiful. And a really thoughtful gift. But I can’t accept them. They’re too much.”
He held up his hands, refusing to take the box back. “Chloe, come on now. I know we haven’t had the most conventional start to our relationship, but if it hadn’t been for a homicidal maniac threatening you, I would have already bought you flowers and taken you out for a nice dinner and a movie, which probably would’ve run me about the same cost as the skates. So how about you consider taking them in lieu of our first date. They can be your first-date skates.” He’d been so intent on convincing her that he hadn’t realized he’d used the words “our relationship” until it was too late. But he couldn’t take them back now. And he wasn’t sure he wanted to.
He put his hand on the box next to hers and let his fingers graze the side of her wrist. “And if you haven’t figured it out yet—I like you. And I’d like to do something nice for you. Please let me. Just accept the skates.”
She peered into the box again, chewing on her bottom lip as she appeared to mull it over. Finally, she raised her eyes to meet his. “In lieu of our first date, huh? Okay, I’ll accept them.” An impish grin tugged at the corner of her lips, and she pulled back her shoulders and raised her chin. “But only on the condition that you’ll let me treat for our second date.”
He grinned, not just for the fact she was accepting the skates and her easy condition, but at the idea that she’d just suggested going out on a date with him at all. Another date. It seemed like a promising turn. “It’s a deal.”
“Good. Now go round up our team while I get these on, and let’s get practice started. I’ve got a schedule to keep.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Fifteen minutes later, they had the kids assembled and out on the ice. Logan had something else going on and couldn’t make practice, but he’d promised to make it to the game on Wednesday. So for tonight, it was just Colt and Chloe. And she’d worked so hard on the schedule and drills for that night’s practice, he let her take the lead.
She might not know a lot about hockey, but she knew a lot about kids. She was amazing with them, getting them set up in lines and running drills like she’d been doing it for years. Her skating was improving too. Having a good pair of skates instead of the stock rental pair had to help.
For the second part of the practice, they split the kids up. Chloe worked with the offensive lines, running them through passing and shooting drills, while Colt took the defense. Some of the kids had some obvious skills, while a few were still learning the basics. He put the red-haired twins, a.k.a. Fred and George, in charge of the drill while he took the three least experienced kids and spent some extra time working with them on their skating and building their confidence with stickhandling.
“Skate side to side,” he told them, leading them around the ice. “Shift your weight, feel the edges of your skates on the ice.” He tossed down pucks and had them pass to each other. “Cradle the puck. Don’t send it—sail it.” He nudged one of the smaller kids on the shoulder after he’d sent a beautiful pass. “That’s it. Great job. You’re totally getting the hang of this.”
The kids finished their drill, and Colt lined them up and showed them how to shoot one-timers toward the net. He skated up to the puck and fired it toward the goal. The puck went wide and pinged off the side of the post.
Gordy ducked and turned an angry scowl to Colt. “Hey! You almost hit me with that.”
Colt chuckled. “It’s supposed to hit you. You’re the goalie.”
“I don’t know if I want to be the goalie if everyone’s gonna be trying to hit me all the time.”
“Too late. We already bought the pads to fit you.” He wasn’t letting the kid get out of his responsibility that easily. He waved over all the kids and tapped a spot on the ice about fifteen feet in front of where Gordy stood in front of the net. “Hey, come over here, everybody.”
He had the kids line up in a long row, all facing the goalie. Then he grabbed a bag of pucks and dumped a couple on the ice in front of each kid. “I want everybody to fire a shot at Gordy as hard as you can,” he told them.
“Wait, what?” Gordy said, crouching back into the net.
“Go,” he called, and the whole row of kids started whacking pucks toward the goal.
“Ah,” Gordy yelled, blocking the pucks with his arm. “Cut it out.” But his yelps turned to laughter as he realized the thick pads deflected the impact of the pucks. “Hey, that doesn’t even hurt.”
“I told you,” Colt said, rounding up the pucks and sending them back to the kids. “Fire them again.”
Now that Gordy’s fear was gone, he twisted and turned, deflecting pucks and blocking shots as they flew toward him. Colt tapped him on the top of the helmet with his glove. “You’re doing a great job, Gordy. You’re gonna be an awesome goalie.”
The boy’s shoulders pushed back, and he stood taller in the goal. Colt looked up and caught Chloe smiling at him, and he felt like he’d already led them to their first championship game.
“Can I give you a ride home?” he asked her after practice as they were taking off their skates.
“Sure,” she answered and looked like she might be going to say something else, but instead glanced up as Rock and a guy wearing jeans and a burgundy Colorado Summit jacket approached. “Hi, Rock. Max did a great job out there tonight.”
“So did the two of you. You guys are quite the coaching pair. It’s almost like you’re made for each other,” Rock said, giving his little brother a sly grin.
Nice, Bro. Real subtle.
Rock turned to the man next to him. “This is Joe Forsberg, he’s the head defensive coach for the Summit. We had some business to discuss, so we met for dinner, then I dragged him to my kid’s practice.”
“Nice to meet you,
” Colt said, shaking the coach’s hand, but thinking about how cool it was that his brother was adopting Max and already considered him his kid.
“Good to meet you too. I was watching you with the kids out there. You were doing a great job with them.”
“Thanks. I consider that high praise coming from a coach of your status. And I didn’t do much. Sometimes a kid just needs some extra attention and a little confidence-building to reassure them they play an important role on the team.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
They spent the next ten minutes making small talk while Rock helped Max take his skates off and get ready to go. It was cool talking to one of the coaches from his brother’s NHL team, but Colt’s mind kept wandering to the woman standing next to him and thinking about how soon they could get out of there and he could get her naked and into his arms.
So much for backing off.
* * *
The next afternoon, Chloe blew out a breath as she dropped her pen for the third time that day. The kids had gone home, thankfully, and she was finishing up a few things before Colt picked her up.
She’d been frazzled and out of sorts and hadn’t quite been able to get it together all day. Every time she thought about Colt standing in her kitchen in his underwear, or wearing only a towel in her bathroom as he shaved, or lying naked in her bed, her brain turned to mush.
That morning, she’d come out of her bedroom to find him in the kitchen drinking coffee wearing only briefs and his cowboy boots. Her mouth went dry thinking of his muscled chest and the way he’d scooped her up and set her on the kitchen counter to kiss her good morning. A kiss that turned into him tugging off her panties and having his way with her on the counter as she wrapped her legs around his waist.
She was going to have to bleach that countertop. And come to think of it, she never did get a chance to ask him why he had on his boots.
Chloe wasn’t sure why she was so unnerved today, but little things with the kids and with her work space had unsettled her. It should have been an easy enough deduction—she’d had a hunky guy sleep over two nights in a row now, and it was disrupting her precise grip on her tidily controlled world. Which seemed ridiculous. Who in their right mind would choose tidily controlled over steaming-hot fantasy-level sex with a ridiculously handsome cowboy?
