The Strong Family Romance Collection

by Cami Checketts

  “Hey, beautiful.” A man grabbed her arm suddenly and wrenched her to a stop.

  Kate shook her arm free and backed away. “Leave me alone,” she commanded. It wasn’t Michael, but cold sweat still pinpricked on her neck and back.

  The guy had dark hair and wasn’t much taller than her, but he was thick and strong-looking. She peered at him through the light of a lamppost. She was only a few hundred yards from home. Could she make it if she sprinted?

  “Aw, don’t be like that. Just wanted to introduce myself. Chas.” He grinned toothily. “What do you say you and I get to know each other?” He stepped closer.

  “No, thank you.” Her gaze darted around as she prayed that somebody, anybody would approach. She cautiously slid her pepper spray out of her pocket.

  “You got a boyfriend or something?”

  “Yes, I do.” She nodded vigorously, still backing up as he tracked her motions like a cheetah stalking a gazelle.

  “Really? I ain’t never seen you with nobody.”

  Her blood ran cold. “You’ve been watching me?”

  He licked his lips. “For a while.”

  She wanted to keep backing up, but she stopped and stood to her full five-ten. “You’d better back off. Austin Strong is my boyfriend, and he won’t like you bothering me.”

  The guy halted and stared at her. “The hockey star?”

  “Yes.” She nodded resolutely, cocking an eyebrow and trying to act confident when she wanted to run screaming. Her dad had protected her from his slimy friends, but she’d never forgotten the way they looked at her, and sometimes they’d gotten in a touch. She would never allow that now she was an adult. She hoped so, at least.

  “You’re lying.” The guy started smiling and advancing again.

  Kate lifted her hand to shoot him with the pepper spray. His arm came up and he knocked the small canister from her hand. She watched in horror as her pepper spray tumbled into the grass.

  There was nothing for it. Kate had to run. She turned and sprinted down the sidewalk. Her heart raced out of control. Please help, please help, she prayed. She still hadn’t seen much evidence of a higher power, but she’d take help from anybody about now. The campus police had been more diligent after they were informed of the letter to her mom threatening Kate, but nothing had happened and they’d eventually backed off. She wished they hadn’t.

  The man’s loud footsteps pounded after her. He was gaining on her. She could feel him almost nipping at her heels, hear his labored breathing. He tackled her from behind. Her face and upper body hit the grass hard while her lower body took the impact of the unforgiving sidewalk. She screamed out in pain and horror.

  The man clamped one hand around her mouth and one around her neck, both tightening like a vice grip. Kate tried to thrash and buck her body, but his weight on top of her restricted much movement. She couldn’t get enough oxygen. He would either kill her or make her pass out. Then who knew what he’d do with her? For years, she’d been afraid that Michael would find her, and now her life would end like this.

  Please, she begged. Somebody, please.

  Darkness was encroaching on her vision when she heard a roar of, “Kate!”

  Suddenly, the man was ripped off of her, and she heard his body slam against the sidewalk. He cried out in surprise and pain.

  Kate pulled in a deep lungful of air as she heard the battle raging behind her. Her vision cleared, and she rolled over and sat up. “Austin,” she breathed.

  He looked incredible, so strong and vibrant. He’d pinned down the man who’d attacked her and was pummeling him. The guy was moaning and begging for him to stop.

  Austin did stop, and he looked over at her. “Kate?”

  She let out a noise that combined a whimper and a sob. “Austin … thank you for coming.”

  “I’ll always come for you,” he said, very seriously.

  Kate gave him a tremulous smile.

  “Can you call 911, please?”

  Kate managed a nod. She got to her feet, still trembling, and found her bag not too far away. It must’ve been knocked off her shoulder when the man had tackled her. Pulling out her phone, she dialed 911 and answered their questions. Austin hauled the guy to his feet as she talked, pinning his arms behind him.

  Finally, the operator told her to hold but please stay on the line. Kate clung to the phone, studying Austin in the dim light. Her breath was coming faster again, but it was for a different reason. Austin had come for her. How had he known she needed him? She always needed him, but never so desperately as she had minutes before.

  “How did you know to come?” she asked.

  He looked a little sheepish, which didn’t fit with his ultra-handsome face, tough body, and confident manner. “I’ve been watching you like a stealthy spy. I make sure you get home safe every night since hockey season ended and I could be here.”

  Her eyes widened and her heart thumped. She should tease him about stalking, or maybe be offended that he didn’t think she could handle himself. All she felt was gratitude and an insatiable desire to have him hold her close.

  “Police!” a man yelled, and pounding footsteps announced two men’s presence.

  Kate recognized them as the campus police. She ended her phone call and dropped it back in the pocket of her bag, setting the bag on the ground.

  “Are you the one who called?” one officer asked her, while the other was speaking to Austin and the man who’d attacked her.

  “Yes, sir. Thank you for coming.”

  “Of course. Kate Joy, right?” He started asking her questions and she tried to answer, but she was distracted by Austin, who was also sneaking glances at her. He watched over her. How incredibly sweet was that? Especially when she’d be the one to put them on hold. It was for his protection but he didn’t know that. If she told him that she knew he’d disregard his own safety, and maybe even his hockey dreams, to be with and protect her. Oh, how she loved him.

  Why did her life have to be such a hard path? Why couldn’t she just fall into Austin’s arms and let him love her? Yet her mom’s words of warning played in her mind. Michael Callan could easily find her if she was with a superstar like Austin. She would endanger him, endanger his perfect parents, ruin his perfect life. Cold fear washed over her, similar to what she’d felt when that man had her pinned down. She couldn’t let anyone hurt Austin. If staying away from him could protect him, she’d deal with the ache for him that grew each day.

  Austin tried to patiently answer the policemen’s questions as they took the three of them to the campus police building and waited for the Amherst police to come apprehend the man who’d hurt Kate. His hands trembled as he thought about seeing the man tackle Kate and put her in a chokehold. He followed Kate home and to work most nights, wishing every moment that he could break his promise to wait and just talk to her, hold her, offer her a ride. He was grateful that he’d been there tonight.

  Did she think he was a stalker? He hoped not, and he had no clue what he was going to do in two weeks when they both graduated and went their separate ways. He’d lose touch with her, wouldn’t be able to see her or protect her. He hated this.

  Finally, the campus police drove them back to the parking lot near Kate’s dorm. They each shook his hand. “Such a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Strong,” the younger of the two said. “I never missed a home game. I’m going to get Bruins tickets next year to watch you.”

  Austin smiled. “Text me your name and address and I’ll send you some tickets.”

  The guy’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened. “Serious?”

  “Sure.” He glimpsed Kate out of the corner of his eye, trying to edge away. “Please wait,” he said, hoping it sounded confident and not like begging.

  She stopped, but she looked nervous, fidgety.

  “What’s your number?” the policeman asked.

  The older guy waited patiently as Austin rattled off his number. Kate was nowhere near as patient; she looked unsettled and afraid. Dang it.
Had he set them further back by admitting that he watched out for her? How much further back could you get than waiting years for the woman you loved?

  “Thanks,” he told the officers again. Then he asked Kate, “Can I walk you to your dorm?”

  She nodded and strode off. Austin resisted the urge to put his hand on her back. He ached to simply touch her, to hear her voice, to have her smile at him. He didn’t dare let himself think about how he longed to kiss her, or he’d fall into a downward spiral he might never crawl out of.

  They walked silently toward her dorm. “How’ve you been?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “Busy.” She cast a glance at him. “But I guess you know that. How often do you follow me?”

  Austin blew out a breath and pushed a hand through his hair. “Whenever I can. Most nights.”

  They climbed the steps to her dorm. Kate stopped outside the door and bit at her lower lip.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, though he wasn’t. “I have to know you’re safe. This whole shebang—” He gestured between them. “—has about gutted me.”

  She looked up at him, blinking quickly. Then she shocked him clear through when she threw herself against his chest and wrapped her arms tightly around his back.

  Austin’s breath came out in a relieved rush, and he wasted no time wrapping her up tight and returning the hug. Her body against his, her soft, sweet smell, her choice to hug him … it all culminated in an ecstatic happiness he hadn’t felt since the last time she’d been in his arms. No, not the last time; that time he’d known she was leaving him. It would have to have been earlier that night, when she’d kissed him willingly.

  He lost track of time as they simply held each other. When she pulled back, he stared down at her. He should exercise some restraint, but he’d missed her too much. He bent and kissed her. He kissed so thoroughly and desperately savoring each second of the connection and happiness she brought to him. They were both gasping for air when they came up for breath.

  “I’ve missed you,” she admitted.

  “Aw, Kate.” He shook his head. “I love you so much. Can we please … revamp the plan? You know your man has no patience,” he tried to tease, but his voice grew husky. “I can’t wait years to hold you again.”

  Her blue eyes brightened with unshed tears. “I’m so sorry. Nothing has changed.” She pulled free of his arms and studied him for a few seconds. “Thank you for rescuing me. I love you too. I’ll see you … sometime.”

  Austin’s mouth fell open to protest, but she kissed her fingers and pressed them against his lips, then hurried to open her door and rush through. He stood there staring at the closed door for a long, long time. Years of torture. Who knew how many? When he’d told her he’d wait at the restaurant a few months ago, he thought he was being brave, and selfless. He’d known it would be hard, but had no clue how hard it would truly be, how desperately he’d miss her. Now that he knew, he wanted to throw himself to the ground and beg her to reconsider. But he’d promised to wait. If that’s what his Kate needed from him … He would wait.

  Bolstering himself with his respect and love for her, he managed to square his shoulders and walk away from her yet again.

  Chapter Seven

  Four and a half years later

  Austin skated out onto the ice for warm-ups. He lifted a gloved hand to the fans who were screaming his name. He was where he’d always dreamed of being as a kid. A hockey star. Loved by his fans. Making more money than he could spend in this lifetime. Playing the game he loved as a profession. Everybody loved the happy-go-lucky Austin Strong. He killed it in the games, and he was everybody’s friend on and off the ice.

  Yet tonight he felt melancholy and unsettled. It was the opening game of the season. October third. His family couldn’t make it tonight. Annie had a dance competition and his twin brothers had a high school football game, so his parents were splitting time as it was. He understood. With eighty-two games in the regular season, they couldn’t make it to all of them.

  Truth be told, he was missing Kate more than ever tonight. She’d said maybe five years. It had been four and a half. He’d be the first to admit. He hadn’t dealt well with being ditched so abruptly. No real explanation. No contact except for the pendants that came to him through Fanzz every Christmas. They each said one word: Kate … Joy … Loves … Austin. He’d put them on his necklace and never took them off. He kept thinking that when the next pendant came, it would say “Strong” and then she’d come for him, but he had no promise of that.

  He pretended to be happy. He loved his family, his friends, his teammates. He thanked the good Lord for his blessings. Inside, he was struggling.

  His friends and family, and expressly the women who chased him, hadn’t understood when he stopped dating completely and focused on school and hockey, and after he graduated college, just on hockey and his family. He tried to explain that there was no woman for him but Kate, but they all told him that he might need to give up on that dream. Everyone except his mom. He smiled briefly. The hopeless romantic had sided with him.

  “Hey, Strong!” his goalie, Charlie Twitchell, yelled at him. “You’re smiling. Never seen that before.”

  Austin laughed easily and razzed him back, “Hey, Twitch, I’m smiling because I’m going to score so many goals you won’t even have to prove you’re the best goalie on the planet tonight.”

  “Don’t you know it!” Charlie yelled. “And the world loves me!” He pounded his fists on his chest and howled.

  The crowd responded with more cheers and a chant of, “Twitch, Twitch, Twitch!”

  “But they love you more, bro. Go score so many goals the Kings will be begging like paupers.” Charlie punched his fist in the air.

  “Always.” Austin saluted his friend. Yeah, everybody loved him. Only his immediate family could tell that his smiles and bravery was mostly a show. They claimed he’d changed. How could he not? He’d found the love of his life at twenty-two. And she’d told him goodbye two days later.

  Would Kate really come for him someday? How long could he live without her? If she didn’t come, he might have to hire a licensed therapist to even have a hope of surviving emotionally. Austin had always been the happy guy. How much longer could he keep up the façade? All that mattered to him were Kate, his family, and hockey—in that order, sadly. Even though he hadn’t seen her since the night she’d been attacked.

  They lined up for the national anthem. He saluted his country respectfully, but his mind was wandering. Kate. Her blue eyes. Her strawberry-blond hair. Her sweet smile.

  Almost two months ago, there’d been a huge uproar in the media as Kate’s mother, Marla Siles, was released from prison, wrongfully accused of murder twelve years ago. He’d been shocked to finally see pictures of Kate online, taken by the media after the trial. He wondered why her mom had a different name and where her dad was. Her mom was hardened and haggard-looking, but they still looked so much alike.

  Austin hoped and prayed that the release was the event Kate had put him off for. It made sense. She’d been able to free her mother, and now she would come for him. Yet nothing changed. He wanted to chase her down, but he’d promised. He might not be the old, happy Austin, but he wouldn’t go back on a promise.

  The anthem ended. Before he put his gloves back on, he pulled out the pendants Kate had given him and kissed them each. Then he reverently tucked the necklace back under his jersey and put on his helmet and gloves. It was time to play some hockey.

  The game flew by as he skated like a warlock across the ice, conquering all and taking no prisoners. He was Austin Strong, and the only person in the world who had ever stopped him was Kate Joy. Dang, he missed her.

  He scored three goals, and his team scored two more. Twitch kept the Kings to one. It was a great night.

  As he skated a loop around the ice with his team, waving to fans and grinning at little boys wearing his jersey, a flash of blondish-red hair caught his eye. He skidded in an attempt to slow himself, a
nd rammed into the glass. The woman stepped back slightly, as if shocked that he would come right up to her. He’d watched for her over the years, praying that she was safe, praying for a glimpse of her, a sign that she was coming for him. Now her blue eyes were staring at him. She looked almost surprised, like she wasn’t quite ready to be found. He didn’t care.

  “Kate!” he yelled, his breath coming in faster pants than it had during the entire hard-played game.

  She gave him a brief smile and a longing look. He was afraid she’d run, but she drew closer to the glass, drinking him in with her gaze.

  “Strong?” Marcus questioned from behind him.

  Austin pointed at her. “Don’t move,” he commanded, hoping she could read his lips.

  Kate arched her eyebrows and pointed to herself. “Me?” she mouthed.

  “Yes, you,” he growled. “Don’t you dare move.” He exaggerated his lip motions.

  She grinned and nodded.

  Austin’s heart thumped against his chest. Kate! She was here. He pushed past questioning teammates and the assistant coach telling him to head for the locker room. They could fine him, suspend him; he didn’t care. All that mattered was getting to Kate.

  He dropped his helmet and stick, threw down his gloves as if he were heading for a fight, raced through the penalty box and out the other side, and then pushed through a surge of fans. He could see her red hair over the crowd’s heads, as he was much taller than everyone else with his skates on. “Kate!” he yelled.