by Barbara Gee
She walked toward him, dressed as usual in fitted capri yoga pants and a tank-top. This morning the pants were gray and the top was lavender with a white and silver firework pattern. Her long-legged gait was smooth and graceful, and his mouth went dry at her approach. The girl was flat out the sexiest woman he’d ever known, and she didn’t even try.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, her dark eyes showing concern.
He raised a brow. “It will be, as long as you don’t foist me off on one of your assistants again this morning. I need my Jo fix.”
Her beautiful lips curved into a slow smile. “Is that why you’re waiting out here? To make sure I’m not going to neglect you?”
“Yep,” he admitted readily. “If the only time I’m going to get to see you is at my PT sessions, at least give me that.”
She looked down, scuffing the toe of her shoe against the pavement. “That’s not how I want it to be. I’d like to see you more than that.”
“So why did you avoid me all day yesterday?” he asked softly.
She raised her face and met his gaze. “I was having a rotten day, and I really wanted to talk to you about it. But I resisted, because once again I felt I needed to prove that I don’t need you.”
“So wanting to vent to a friend is an unacceptable thing?”
She toyed with the strap of her purse. “I have other friends I could’ve vented to, but it was you I wanted. You or no one. That was kind of scary.”
“I do love your honesty, Jolene.” He put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently, his thumbs rubbing lightly over her collarbone. “I really don’t want a repeat of yesterday, but I don’t want to make you miserable, either. If you’re better off not spending time with me right now, I understand. It’s not what I want, but I do understand.”
“You aren’t making me miserable, I’m making myself that way.” She gave him a shaky smile. “During my run this morning, I made a decision. I’m not a coward, and I’m tired of acting like one. I’m not going to avoid you. I’m the one who practically forced you to confide in me, and I’m not going to abandon you now. I want to be a good friend to you.”
“You are a good one,” he said gruffly. “But I don’t want to take advantage of your big heart.”
“You won’t,” she said. “I get as much as I give in this friendship. So—” she raised her brows hopefully, “meet me in the dining hall for lunch?”
He gave her a relieved smile. “And suddenly my day got a whole lot better.” He opened the gym door and held it for her. “Now if you’ll just protect me from Izzy this morning, it’ll be close to perfect.”
Jolene grinned enigmatically and walked down the hall. She pushed through the door into the PT room, leaving him to follow. Izzy was busy setting up the jump boxes they had been using for him the past few mornings.
“Morning, Izzy,” Jolene said pleasantly. “You’re here bright and early.”
“Yep. I thought I could take Boone through his paces again this morning. Help you out a little.”
“Thanks, but one of his team trainers emailed me last night with a specific list of exercises they want me to do with him today.” Jolene pulled some papers from the folder she carried. “I need to fill these out with times, intensity levels, starting and ending BP, pulse rate and some other stuff. He’ll have to wear an oxygen monitor, too. I’d better handle it myself, since I’m the one they’ve approved to work with him.”
Izzy came just short of pouting, no doubt wishing she’d gone for the extra hour of sleep now that her plans to spend time with Boone had been thwarted. “Oh, okay, well holler if you need anything. I’ll be at my desk.”
“Will do.”
When the other girl left, Boone reached out and plucked the papers from Jolene’s hand. He squinted at them, then looked at her, surprised.
“You weren’t bluffing.”
She laughed. “What? You thought I concocted all that just to save you from Izzy’s attentions?”
“Actually I did, and I was impressed with your quick thinking. But you were telling the truth.”
“Of course I was. Now let’s get moving. This is quite a list we have to get through.”
Ninety minutes later, Boone was sweating and his legs felt like noodles. Monitoring him closely, Jolene had pushed him harder than she had yet. His muscles burned, but it was a good feeling. He’d missed the hard work, the point where workouts moved past the point of maintenance to actual strengthening. He hoped the information Jolene sent to the team trainers would get him cleared to do it on a more regular basis.
“You did well, Boone. Really well.” She smiled across her desk at him as she completed the last page of the paperwork. “I told you this ranch is a healing place. Your head felt better the minute you stepped foot on it, and from what I saw this morning, your conditioning hasn’t suffered, either.”
“I don’t know if the ranch can take the credit. I mean, it’s a peaceful, inspiring place to be, no doubt about that. But personally I think my healing started when those talented hands of yours touched me. Remember that impromptu massage in my cabin the very first night? My head has felt better ever since.”
“Hmm, that’s probably coincidence. Although these hands do know what they’re doing.”
He rolled his shoulders. “A distant memory, I’m afraid.” Sitting forward, he rested his elbows on his knees. “You’ve deprived me of those hands.”
She nodded. “With good reason. But I’m feeling generous and strong this morning, and you just worked your butt off so I could send a near perfect report back to your team.” She smiled and nodded toward the door. “Go take a shower, then come back here. Thirty minutes and I’ll have the soreness worked right out.”
Boone didn’t give her a chance to change her mind. He showered quickly, then returned to her office, wearing clean shorts and carrying a fresh shirt. Jolene’s eyes flickered over his bare chest but her expression stayed neutral. She had set up a massage table in the corner, and she patted it with her palm.
“Face down, big guy. I have another session in thirty minutes, so let’s get started.”
He eased himself onto the table, placing his face in the little padded donut thing and trying not to tense up as he awaited her touch. He heard her rubbing her palms together, smelled the eucalyptus and mint scent of the oil she used. When her warm hands settled on his shoulders, he exhaled and closed his eyes.
For the next thirty minutes he enjoyed the feel of her hands on him, soothing the muscles he’d worked, and also soothing his tortured mind. With this girl’s support, he was starting to believe he could get through the trials he faced, and somehow come out of it okay.
“I’ve gotta go, Boone,” she said softly, slowly sliding her fingers through his hair. “Grab a bottle of water on your way out and drink all of it. You need to hydrate.”
He raised himself up on his elbows, blinking in the bright light that had been hidden by the donut.
“Hey, Jo?”
She stopped, looking back over her shoulder.
“This might be a crazy question, but if the team would somehow be able to make it into the play-offs, given that it’s a few weeks away, do you think there’s any chance the doc might let me play after all?”
Jolene turned back to him and folded her arms, her expression thoughtful. “I didn’t realize you’d been holding out hope of playing again this season.”
“I wasn’t. Not until the last few days. But I’ve been feeling so much better, and that makes it kind of hard not to think about getting back out there. I know I went back too soon last time, but if things keep going as well as they have been, in another few weeks I feel like I could be ready.”
She nodded slowly. “Let’s give it another week, then we’ll reevaluate.”
He raised his brows in surprise. “You’re not going to rule it out?”
“Not entirely. But try not to get your hopes up, okay?”
“Yeah,” he said, unable to stop his smile. “I’ll
try. Thanks for the massage. I guess I’ll see you at lunch.”
“Twelve-fifteen,” she said. “And you’re welcome. Don’t get used to it, though. My hands are still burning from touching all that hotness.”
He chuckled as she left. His day had started off great, now all he needed was to hear from Doug. He pulled on his shirt and checked his phone. Still nothing. He sent off his third text of the morning, telling Doug to call him right away to let him know he was okay.
He pocketed his phone and headed for the rink. It wasn’t like Doug to ignore his texts and calls. Boone didn’t want to overreact, but he wondered if he should consider contacting the police department down in Ashland to ask them to check in on the PI. Doug was staying at an extended stay hotel in the area, Boone didn’t know which one, but there couldn’t be many. The cops should easily be able to locate him—the problem was, they’d most likely have a lot of questions as to why they needed to.
If Doug was merely too busy to call, he wouldn’t be happy about having to deal with curious cops, and he’d be ticked at Boone for panicking. Still, if something was wrong, Boone was the only one who could call in help.
He decided to give it until lunchtime. If he hadn’t heard back from Doug by then, he’d run it by Jolene and see what she thought he should do.
CHAPTER 20
Jolene entered the cafeteria from a side door and looked around. The place was busy, but it wasn’t hard to spot Boone. He was standing near the main doors, surrounded by a group of people who had probably flocked to him the moment he entered.
She watched him for a few minutes, hoping he wasn’t getting tired of the almost constant attention he received. His smile seemed genuine and he was talking animatedly with a couple of the guys, so it seemed like he was okay with it for the moment. Jolene suspected he enjoyed interacting with the veterans more than he did with most people.
Making her way over to him, she caught his eye, then waited patiently for him to extricate himself from the group.
“Sorry about that,” he said when he joined her. “Those were some of my players for Friday’s tournament. They wanted to talk strategy.”
“I hear you and Donovan are going to be the coaches.”
“Yep. We drew names from a hat, and I think it’s actually going to end up pretty even. He might have an advantage in player ability, but I think we can outfox him. Should be a good time.”
“I’m looking forward to it. You’re doing a great job here, Boone. Everyone is pleased.”
He gave her a sideways look. “That’s good, considering I’m here under false pretenses and all. At least I’ve managed to contribute.”
They picked up trays and went through the line. Boone took three times as much food as Jolene, and his tray was so full he had to put his dessert on hers.
“Carrying my pie is the least you can do,” he declared. “It’s your insane workout that made me so hungry.”
“That workout came from your own trainers, remember. I was just following orders.”
They settled at a small table in the back corner. Jolene was thankful that neither Izzy nor any of the rest of her team were around. She didn’t need them speculating about why she was having a private lunch with Boone.
“So, any updates from your PI?” she asked, taking a bite of her salad.
“Not yet,” Boone said. “I’m getting worried about him.” He filled Jolene in on Doug’s cryptic messages, and his subsequent silence. “It’s not like I haven’t gone days without hearing from him before, and he did tell me he was going to lay low for a while, but he also said he’d call when he could. I’ve made it clear I’m worried, and yet he still isn’t responding.”
“I definitely think you should call the police down there,” Jolene declared. “I know he’s probably a tough guy and has handled a lot of these kinds of situations, but unless he lost his phone and hasn’t been able to replace it, I don’t think he’d ignore your requests for him to check in.”
Boone nodded. “He is a tough guy. He’s wily and smart, too, and he’s worked on cases a lot more dangerous than this one. I don’t want to slow his progress with a lot of curious cops, but you’re probably right. It’s better to be cautious.”
“Call now. Get the ball rolling, just in case.”
“I guess the worst that can happen is he yells at me for interfering and I have to pay him for more time because of the setback.” He took out his phone. “I looked up the number for the Ashland police department earlier. I’ll be right back.”
He walked into one of the empty meeting rooms off the cafeteria to make the call. Jolene hoped they were overreacting and Doug was just fine. She had a bad feeling, though, and she waited anxiously for Boone to come back.
Ten minutes later he returned to the table, his frustration evident. “I’m not sure that call is going to help much. It’s a real small department, and there was only one cop at the station. I told him I have a private investigator down there looking into a family issue, and he’s gone silent. The cop all but laughed at me. I don’t know if he thought I was trying to get photos of an unfaithful spouse, or what. So I told him there’s blackmail involved, and Doug is trying to find out who’s behind it. Of course the cop wanted more details, but I said at this point all I need is for someone to find out where Doug is staying and go there to make sure he’s okay. That shouldn’t take more than an hour of their time. If Doug is at the hotel and can assure them he’s fine, that’s the end of it. If they can’t find him, I’ll give more details so they can do a more extensive search.”
“Did he agree to that?”
“Reluctantly,” Boone said, digging into his food. “But they said it’s not high priority because being out of contact for a day doesn’t indicate an emergency.”
Jolene gave him a wry smile. “I take it the cop you talked to wasn’t a die-hard hockey fan?”
“Probably a safe bet. He didn’t react when I gave him my name, which is actually fine with me. I’d much rather this not get out. Not until I can do some damage control, at least.”
Jolene’s eyes narrowed. “You know, I’ve never even considered the media’s reaction,” she admitted. “I guess this whole thing could get pretty sensational if you decide to report it.”
“Yeah. I can see the headlines now. NHL player sends his father to jail for baby swapping.”
Jolene shuddered. “I can’t even imagine. I’m so sorry, Boone. I wish I could steal you away and hide you until it all blows over.”
“Sounds good to me,” he replied, his eyes warm. “As long as you stay hidden with me.”
She smiled at that very appealing idea, but then her phone buzzed, ruining the daydream before it started. She checked the screen, grimacing as she read the text.
“More bad news?” he wondered.
She handed him her phone so he could read the text himself. It was from Libby, asking whether it would suit Jolene to have dinner at the ranch house that evening. Tuck and Maddy could make it, and if she could as well then Boone was next on the list, as Virgil and Kay were anxious to meet him.
“We can put it off if you want,” Jolene offered. “I can tell them tonight doesn’t suit and buy you a little more time.”
He pushed his tray to the side and leaned his elbows on the table, his shoulders hunched toward her. “Maybe we should just do it. With the police searching for Doug, this thing could blow up pretty quickly. Maybe it would be best if I met Virgil and Kay at least once before everything goes to heck. Try to get a sense of who they are before they know anything.”
“It’s totally up to you,” Jolene said. “I’ll do whatever you want.”
He gave her a wistful smile. “Then let’s disappear and do that hiding thing.”
She sat back in her chair and returned his smile. “I’ll admit, that has a certain appeal.”
“How about Alaska?” he suggested. “I’ve always wanted to go. Plenty of room to hide there.”
“As long as we don’t have to go completely of
f the grid. I’m not good at hunting, fishing, or growing vegetables.”
He chuckled. “Neither am I. So…..I guess we’re having dinner with the Desmonds tonight.”
She picked up her phone, then slowly put it down again and met his gaze, her dark eyes troubled. “I want you to meet them, Boone, so much. But it does feel a little deceitful on my part, because I know them so well and I have such a huge secret.”
He nodded. “You’re caught in the middle.” He stood up. “Wait here a minute.” He took their trays to the dirty dish conveyor, then returned to the table. “Let’s go find somewhere a little more quiet.”
They went outside, where the sun was shining and the sky was blue. Jolene lifted her face to the bright warmth, closing her eyes and breathing deep. It was nice to get away from the noisy cafeteria.
“Over here,” she said, leading him around the side of the building, where there was a secluded green space with a grouping of benches in the shade of some trees. No one else was there at the moment, which is what she’d hoped for. They sat side by side on a bench and Boone put an arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him, glad for the contact.
“I shouldn’t have involved you,” he said. “I knew it would put you in a tough spot.”
Jolene closed her eyes and let her head fall against his shoulder. Being close to him felt so good and so right. She wasn’t sure why that was, considering the turmoil he’d introduced into her nice, quiet, predictable existence.
“You warned me over and over, Boone, and I still pushed you to tell me.”
“Hindsight,” he said simply.
She snuggled a little closer and his arm tightened. “Even in hindsight I’m not sorry. You needed someone to talk to, and it ended up being me. I can live with that. I’ve been praying so hard, for you and everyone else this affects. I believe with God’s help you’ll know what to do, and you’ll also be able to live with the fallout. Whatever it might be.”
“You’ve made a big difference, Jo. Without your input, I’d still be going in circles.”
Jolene stilled at his words. “Wait, does that mean you’ve decided what you’re going to do? Because I thought you were still in the circle stage.”
