Run With My Heart (Texas Tornadoes Sports Romance Book 1)

by Lorana Hoopes

  “Shelby.” Tucker grabbed her arms and stilled her pacing. “We can fix this, but I need to shut off the water. Is there a basement area?”

  Basement? She tried to make her brain work, but not only was it still focused on the problem; it was also now reacting to Tucker’s touch. Heat from his hands pulsated through her arms, and she felt mesmerized by his stare. “Basement?” This time she managed to say the word out loud. “Yes, I think there is.”

  “Okay, can you show me?”

  Shelby nodded, blinked, and forced her mind to concentrate. “Yes, yes, of course.” She led the way out of the kitchen and down the narrow hallway that led to the basement area.

  “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

  As Tucker disappeared through the doorway, Shelby knotted her hands together and closed her eyes. She needed the peace that praying brought.

  * * *

  Tucker made his way carefully down the narrow stairs. The last thing he needed was to fall and injure himself before the next game. He shivered as the air grew even colder and wondered if the basement was even insulated. No wonder the pipes had frozen.

  His foot hit the floor and he glanced around the small room. Actually “room” might have been an overstatement. He could touch every wall from where he stood, but thankfully that made it easy to find the water valve. It creaked and groaned under his grip, but he managed to switch it off. Now, they just had to find a way to thaw the pipes without causing them to burst.

  Not being a plumber, he didn’t trust himself to know the best way to thaw them. Thankfully, he knew a plumber who owed him a favor. He made his way carefully back up the steps and found Shelby with her hands tightly clasped and her eyes closed. Her lips moved slightly as if praying.

  He cleared his throat, not wanting to alarm her, but wanting to let her know he was there. Her eyes snapped open.

  “Did you find it?”

  “I did, and I got it turned off. However, I’m no expert at this. If we try to thaw them and do it wrong, we could still cause them to burst. I recommend we call a plumber.”

  Her bottom lip folded under and sadness filled her eyes. Her hands twisted together, and her words tumbled out like an avalanche. “A plumber? But that will cost money. I don’t have any money, and the landlord is on vacation until the end of the month. Plus, what if he can’t come right away? We can’t afford to close the center, but I can’t have kids here if there’s no water.”

  He crossed to her and placed his finger under her chin, lifting her eyes to his to get her attention. “Hey, I know a plumber who owes me a favor. Let me call him and see if he can come out. We’ll figure out what to do from there.”

  She nodded, but his heart still went out to her. She looked so stressed, like anything else might send her screaming for the hills, and he wished he had a way to shoulder her worry. “I’ll be right back, but trust me, it will be okay.”

  Tucker hoped he hadn’t spoken too soon as he stepped away from her and dialed the number of his contact. It rang in his ear, and he clenched his jaw. “Come on, Teddy, pick up. I need you to pick up.” He glanced back over his shoulder to make sure Shelby was still out of hearing range.

  “Perfect Plumbing, this is Teddy. How can I help you?”

  Tucker breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of Teddy’s voice. “Hey, Teddy, it’s Tucker Jackson. You remember that favor you owe me?” Tucker had run into Teddy at a fundraiser this past summer. The man had been desperate for tickets to the season opener for his son’s birthday; and as Tucker had few friends at the time to invite, he had offered up his box seats in exchange for a favor in the future.

  “Tucker Jackson. Of course, I remember. Bummer about the loss the other night, but you guys will pull it out, right?”

  “I sure hope so.” Tucker hated being reminded of the loss, but he knew Teddy meant nothing by it. It was something all fans said at some point as though they could commiserate with how hard the players trained only to still lose. “Anyway, I have a friend over at the community center. The cold weather froze their pipes, and we need to get them thawed so she can open today. You think you could squeeze in a little time to come check it out?”

  “For you, man, I’ll make some time. Let me get dressed and grab my tools. I’ll be there in under an hour.”

  “Thanks, Teddy, you’re a lifesaver.” Tucker punched the end call button and turned back to Shelby.

  “Okay, he said he can be here in an hour.”

  “Thank you.” She looked back toward the entrance. “Do you think we can still open? I don’t want to turn people away, but I’d hate to let them in if we aren’t going to have water.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be able to get the water running again. What else do we need to do to prepare for the kids’ arriving?”

  Her brow furrowed as she thought. “Salt. We need to lay salt on the sidewalk.”

  “Okay, that’s good. Do you have any here?”

  “I think we have some in the supply shed. Let me get the key and we can go check.”

  Tucker followed her back to the reception area and waited while she grabbed the key. He wondered when his view of her had shifted. When he’d first met her, he’d found her so stiff that he’d wondered if a rod had been jammed into her spine. She had looked as if she didn’t know the meaning of the word relax much less how to do it; but over the last two days, he had seen her sense of humor and how much she cared for these kids. Now when he saw her, he didn’t see her as stiff and unapproachable. Instead, he saw a strong woman who would do anything for those she cared about. And he found it attractive and appealing.

  “Okay, I’ve got it,” Shelby said dangling the key in front of her face. “What?”

  “Nothing.” Tucker couldn’t tell her how he felt. Not yet anyway. He needed to know if she felt anything for him first, and he should probably wait until his time here was finished. It would be way too uncomfortable to continue working with her if he shared his feelings and she didn’t reciprocate them, and he still had to fulfill his hours. “Let’s go.”

  Another car had pulled into the parking lot while they were inside, and disappointment flooded Tucker when he realized it was Kenzi. Shelby would probably send Kenzi with him to get the salt instead of going herself now.

  “Hey, everything okay?” Kenzi asked as she stepped out of her car.

  “The pipes are frozen so there’s no water right now, but Tucker called a plumber to come check them out,” Shelby returned. “We were just heading to the shed to see if there’s any salt.”

  “I’ll go with him to get the salt. You should stay out here and let parents know when they arrive,” Kenzi said.

  Tucker bit back his disappointment and shivered in his jacket. He’d rather go with Shelby, but right now, he just wished they could get moving. Already, the cold was seeping in through his jacket, and he needed to do something to warm up. He hoped Teddy arrived soon because he would have to leave for practice a little early with the icy roads, and he’d like to be here to discuss the price arrangement.

  Shelby glanced at her watch and blew out a breath, sending a white vapor cloud into the air. “You’re probably right, although I thought people would be arriving by now. I hope the snow isn’t keeping them away.” Shelby handed the key to Kenzi and then scanned the parking lot. “Can you see if there’s a shovel as well? Maybe if we shovel the parking lot, they will come.”

  Tucker couldn’t help the grin that sprang to his face at her allusion to the old Kevin Costner movie. There was that sense of humor again. Was that part of what was intriguing him now?

  “Come on, Tucker. Let’s see what we can find.” Though she was not dressed for snow in her tight jeans and high heeled boots, Kenzi led the way confidently across the parking lot.

  The supply shed appeared to be in decent shape on the outside, but Tucker wondered what they would find inside. He feared everything would be old and worn out like it was inside the center.

  “Okay, let’s see if there’s salt and a s
hovel in here.” Kenzi inserted the key into the lock on the door of the small shed and turned it. Tucker heard the distinctive click and then Kenzi was pulling the door open. The shed was packed from one end to the other, and Tucker wondered how they found anything when they needed it.

  “Ugh, he could at least keep it a little neater,” Kenzi said as she scanned the contents. Her eyes flicked to the ceiling. “Great, no light either. Well, I guess we’ll just have to be super careful. Why don’t you take that side, and I’ll take this one?”

  Without waiting for him to agree, she moved to the left and began scouring the shed. Tucker shook his head as he moved to the right. Visions of him tripping on something or stepping wrong and twisting his ankle flashed through his head. It would not do to get injured here.

  “Here.” He grabbed the handle of the sole shovel he saw leaning against the wall. It wasn’t even a snow shovel which wasn’t unusual as this area didn’t receive snow that often, but it would make shoveling the snow a long and arduous process. “There’s only one though unless you want to use a broom.”

  “I’m not sure a broom will do much good, but I found the salt. It’s too heavy for me to lift, so if you can grab the salt, I’ll take the shovel.”

  Tucker scanned the rest of the shed to see if there was anything else they could use, but while the shed was filled with all sorts of odds and ends, nothing looked as if it could move snow. He handed Kenzi the shovel, muscled the large bag of salt onto his shoulders, and followed her out of the shed.

  9

  The first car pulled in a few minutes later. With slumped shoulders, Shelby walked out to greet them.

  “Is the center not open today?” the woman asked. Shelby recognized her as one of the more affluent moms who was now using the trampoline park down the street.

  Shelby shook her head. “We will open, but unfortunately, our pipes froze. We’re waiting on a plumber to thaw them, but we can’t open until we have running water.”

  “So you don’t even know if you’ll open for sure?” Agitation filled the woman’s voice as she glanced at her watch.

  “I’m sorry. I know we’ll open, but I don’t have a specific time. I have no idea how long it takes to thaw pipes, but we can’t have the kids here without access to water. I’m sure you understand.” Shelby tried to keep her tone friendly though frustration erupted in her at the woman’s agitation. Here was a woman who barely used them anymore, yet she was angry that she couldn’t drop her son off now when she was being inconvenienced by the snow.

  The woman heaved an enormous sigh. “I do understand, and I guess I’ll call later to see if you’re able to open. Right now, I have to get to work as well.” She turned to her son. “Guess it’s Grandma’s for you today after all.”

  “Aw, Mom, Grandma’s is so boring.”

  “Maybe it will only be for an hour or so. She can bring you back over here if the place opens…”

  Shelby didn’t hear the rest of the conversation as the woman rolled up the window and drove away.

  “It will be okay,” Kenzi said, appearing behind her. She held a spade in her hand that didn’t look as if it would do much good in the snow. “I’m sure the plumber is on his way, and Tucker has already started salting the sidewalk.”

  Shelby followed Kenzi’s pointing hand to see Tucker shaking large salt pellets on the icy sidewalk as he stepped carefully toward the door. “Yeah, that’s great, but will the plumber make it before other people show up and I have to tell them that I have no idea when we’ll open? What happens if they tell the other parents about the closure before we can get it fixed?” She turned as another car entered the parking lot and sighed. “Be right back.”

  “Hey, Shelby, is the center going to be open today?” This mom she recognized — Diana. Her ginger hair made it nearly impossible to not remember her, and Shelby had been surprised when she had pulled her sons out. She’d thought they really enjoyed the center, especially since both of them were planning to play basketball in high school.

  “Morning, Diana.” Shelby flashed her brightest smile, hoping it would ease any concerns Diana might have. “We do plan to open as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the cold weather froze our pipes, so we have no water right now. I’ve got a plumber on the way, and as soon as he thaws the pipes and we have water again, we’ll open the center.”

  Diana’s face tightened, and her smile wavered. Shelby knew that face. She’d seen it with every parent who had pulled their child. They’d flashed the patronizing, non-apologetic expression even as their words had tumbled out. “It’s not you,” they had said, but Shelby knew in a way it was. If she was more exciting, if she had more money, if she only had something to draw them in. . . And then a light went off in her head. She glanced back at Tucker who had evidently finished with the salt, taken the shovel from Kenzi, and now appeared to be attempting to move the snow with the less than ideal tool.

  “I’m sorry, Shelby, I need to know they have a solid place to go this afternoon, and I won’t have time to call and check.”

  Diana was a law clerk at the busiest law firm in the city, so not only was she probably late, but Shelby knew she would have a hard time getting away to bring the boys back. More than once, Shelby had been forced to call the backup number on the boys’ sheet when she’d needed a quick response.

  “Sure, I understand, but it would be a shame for the boys to miss the chance to hang out with Tucker Jackson.” Shelby hoped she was hitting the nonchalant tone she was aiming for.

  Diana’s eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth lifted again. “Tucker Jackson? From the Texas Tornadoes?” Her hand touched her throat as her eyes scoured the area for the star.

  “Yep, he’s come to help out at the center. Hoping to give back to the community and all. Have you seen the flyer about the clinic he’s putting on tomorrow evening?” She bit her lip to keep from sharing any more excitement. She couldn’t believe she had even said that much, especially since she had no idea for sure that the center would even be open tomorrow night. What if the pipes still burst before the plumber arrived?

  The two blond boys in the back leaned forward, stretching against their seatbelts. “Mom, we have to come back and meet him. Please?”

  Indecision crossed Diana’s face, and she turned her slender wrist to check her watch. “Well, I guess I could stay for a little bit to see what the prognosis is. Work will probably make me stay late anyway.”

  “Yes.” The exuberance in the boys’ shout matched the feeling in Shelby’s heart, and she forced herself not to join in with their cheer.

  “Great, why don’t you pull in over there.” She pointed to the front row of spots that Tucker had somehow managed to clear out. “We should be able to get inside soon and then I can get you a flyer.”

  “They’re staying?” Kenzi asked when Shelby returned to her friend’s side.

  “Yep.” Shelby couldn’t tame the smile that graced her lips. “I told them about our local football hero, and they decided to stay to see if the center will get to open. I guess they decided it might be worth the wait to spend the day with him.”

  10

  Tucker glanced up as he felt eyes staring at him. Five cars were now parked in the lot waiting for the center to open. He hoped Teddy arrived soon because he would hate for Shelby to have to send the people away.

  He tossed another trivial amount of snow to the side — he might as well have been using his hands at this rate — and then paused. Why did it feel as if the passengers in those cars were staring at him? Did they recognize him? He wasn’t wearing any official team gear; and his coat, although fitted, was black and not flashy. Underneath, he wore jeans and a loose sweatshirt — definitely not the attire that grabbed attention. Since he couldn’t see inside the car windows, he had to assume they couldn’t see his face well either. None of that eased the feeling though.

  Relief flooded him when the plumbing truck pulled into the lot. Teddy. At last. Now, he could busy himself with helping the guy and
escape the uncomfortable feeling. The truck pulled to a stop in front of him, the noise of the engine oddly loud in the otherwise quiet stillness. The engine idled for a moment as if the occupant did not want to step out of the warm embrace the heater offered, but then it too stilled and the silence returned.

  The driver’s door opened, and Teddy, wearing only a flannel shirt for warmth, stepped out of the cab. He was a large man, but Tucker found it hard to believe he wasn’t freezing.

  “Thanks for coming so quickly, Teddy,” Tucker said, extending a hand.

  “You’re welcome though I have to tell you, I’m not usually up this early and certainly not when it’s this cold outside.”

  “I hear you,” Tucker said with a smile. “If you’ll follow me inside, I’ll show you the issue. I got the water shut off, but I have no idea how to thaw pipes.”

  “You shouldn’t do it yourself anyway,” Teddy said. “I’ve seen too many well-meaning homeowners flood their house trying to thaw pipes. Let me get my tools, and we’ll see what we’ve got.”

  As Teddy returned to the truck, Tucker glanced at the parking lot again. There were now seven cars, and one was close enough that he could see the face of a child pressed against the glass. They were definitely here to see him. Well, he could tune them out. Just like during a game.

  He’d always been able to do that — tune out the taunts along with the cheers. Probably because, after the first few times of looking, he’d realized his father wasn’t in the stands — he was never in the stands — and he’d been the only one who had mattered to Tucker. So, Tucker had just pretended the stands didn’t exist. He’d pretended he was just playing with his friends in the park down the street like he had when he was eight and life was still easy. That had gotten him through high school, and it would help him now.