Saving Sara (Alaska Blizzard Book 5)

by Kat Mizera

  Aaron had texted to tell her he would be home tonight, so she got Niko settled for the night and then packed up her things and headed back to his apartment. Dani had said she could keep the car since she and Sergei shared his truck when they went to work and such, which would be a lot more convenient going forward.

  After spending a few minutes with Merlin, she realized she was tired and her leg hurt so she sat on the couch and wondered if she could get through the night without getting her stuff out of the car. She’d spent the day with Dr. Harjo at a farm and had spent a lot of time squatting, so her leg was throbbing now. She took a couple of Tylenol and sat back down on the couch.

  The next thing she knew, Aaron was gently rousing her, his hand on her shoulder.

  “You should go to bed,” he said quietly.

  “I need to get my things out of the car,” she murmured. “I guess I fell asleep.”

  “I’ll get them. Where are the keys?”

  “In my purse. Thank you.” She watched him go and sighed. He was such a good guy. Why was he so damn stubborn?

  He was back five minutes later with her bag and sat beside her on the couch, unbuttoning the top of his dress shirt. “You ready for bed?”

  “Yeah.” She leaned against him, even though she probably shouldn’t have.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah. I just…missed you.” She hadn’t meant to say that, but it came out before she could stop it. “It was so quiet.”

  “I missed you too,” he replied. “The trip was rough.”

  “You lost five out of seven.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m sorry. You looked good out there, but the defense mostly hung you out to dry. Even Sergei seemed off his game.”

  “We all were. Anyway, let’s get some rest and catch up in the morning.”

  “You have practice?”

  “Yeah, at ten. We have a new assistant coach.”

  “You do?”

  “Drake Riser.”

  “From the Sidewinders?”

  “Yup. I’ll tell you all about it in the morning, but I’m beat.”

  “Deal.” She held out her hands and he helped her up. It was all she could do not to throw herself into his arms.

  Aaron wasn’t sure what to expect at the first practice with a new assistant coach, but there was excitement in the air, as if the new guy was going to single-handedly get them back on track. Maybe he would. He was a big guy, six-feet-five and probably close to two hundred and fifty pounds. He had a presence, the same one he’d had as a defenseman when he’d played, and many of the younger guys looked up to him. Hopefully, he’d bring a spark of excitement back to the team because they needed it.

  Coach Cade didn’t look that excited, but he didn’t seem to get excited about much of anything these days. Rumor had it his wife’s cancer treatments weren’t going well, but she wanted him to work because there was nothing he could do for her by staying home. Aaron wasn’t sure he agreed with that, but it wasn’t his wife so his opinion probably didn’t mean much. It just seemed that if his wife had cancer, he’d want to spend as much time with her as possible, no matter how miserable or sick she was. Wasn’t that what marriage was about?

  Hell, he and Sara were just friends and he’d wanted to make sure she was as comfortable as possible while her leg healed. It wasn’t the same as cancer, of course, but no matter how strong and independent she was, she’d needed help and he’d wanted to do what he could. He probably wouldn’t have been able to concentrate on hockey if he’d been worried about Sara’s well-being, and she wasn’t even his wife.

  Drake skated out onto the ice and fist-bumped a couple of the guys that he obviously knew, stopping to talk to Sergei and Jake and then introducing himself to each of the other guys on the team individually. It took a while, but the only way to bond with the players would be to spend time with them and this was the first step. Coach Cade spent the whole time on his phone anyway, which wasn’t like him, and Aaron wondered if he was leaving again.

  “I have an announcement,” Coach Cade called out. “As hard as it is for me to do this, I’m going to take some time off. I hate to abandon you guys, but my wife isn’t responding to treatment and…it might not be long. I need to, uh, spend as much time with her as I can. We’ve brought in Drake Riser to be an assistant coach and Coach Saunders will take over as head coach until she gives birth. After that, either Coach Riser or myself will take that spot. We have another coach flying in from our affiliate in Juneau as another assistant coach, and I want to apologize for not being able to commit. Both to you and to the team. This was never my intention. Carol—my wife—said I was driving her crazy, hovering around the house. But the cancer is back, so I have to be with her, and you boys deserve someone focused. I hope and pray I’ll be back sooner rather than later, but I just don’t know, boys. I don’t know.”

  They spent a little while wishing him well, though it was hard to know what to say. Then Laurel stood up, shaking her head, a faint smile on her face. “So, twice now I’ve become your temporary head coach and twice I’ve had to take on the position for longer than we intended. I’m here for you. You know that. But this…” She motioned to her stomach. “I can’t control when he or she comes—and no, Gage doesn’t want to find out the sex so I’m referring to it as ‘it’ until he comes to his senses—” She paused as everyone laughed.

  “In the meantime, I can do the mental work, but physically, Coach Riser is going to be out on the ice with you. I’m already slowing down, and it’s pissing me off, but as much as I love you guys and the team, I have to make the baby a priority, which means I have to be healthy. Once again, we’re in unchartered waters and the truth is…no one wants to come to Alaska.”

  “That’s some bullshit, Coach,” someone yelled out.

  “I agree.” She smiled. “And you guys are paying for it. Which brings us full circle. Are you in? Are you willing to put in the extra time and effort it’s going to take for us to win with a pregnant head coach and two temporary assistant coaches? I know what you guys are capable of, but it seems like I’m the only one you listen to.”

  “Well, yeah,” Kane called out. “We have to listen. We’re afraid if we piss you off, you’ll make us write essays.”

  The guys cracked up, and Laurel shook her head. “It was either that or I was going to kick him in the balls,” she protested. A former player had been verbally abusive to her and in a moment of frustration, she’d benched him until he wrote an essay for her. He was no longer on the team, but the guys still teased her about it.

  “What do you say, boys? Are we going to get out there and kick some hockey ass?” Coach Riser asked, coming to stand next to Laurel. “We can do this, but you’re going to have to pull together.”

  “Yeah!” A cheer went up and everyone was high-fiving everyone else.

  Aaron had never experienced anything like this since coming to the pros, but the idea that the team couldn’t find a head coach willing to relocate to Anchorage was kind of crazy. He loved it here. It was a little far from the rest of the U.S., but they had everything they needed and the league bent over backwards to accommodate them on road trips as far as scheduling went. He didn’t understand the reluctance to come here, but apparently there was yet another change in coaching and he hoped like hell they could make it work this time.

  19

  Dani and Sergei’s house repairs were finished the week before Thanksgiving and Sara couldn’t describe her reluctance to move back home. She needed to, for a dozen different reasons, but she wished she didn’t have to. Merlin seemed confused about the situation too, and though he seemed to get along with Sergei, Dani and Niko, he was incredibly subdued. He hadn’t cursed at all the day she moved him into his new home in Sergei and Dani’s kitchen, which was out of character for him.

  “You okay, buddy?” she asked as she filled his water dish. Merlin climbed on top of the cage and just looked at her.

  “Tweet, tweet.”


  “I know. I miss him too,” she said softly, scratching his head. She’d warned Sergei and Dani about how much he cursed and they’d spoken to Niko about it, telling him his old owner had taught him bad words but that Niko still couldn’t repeat them.

  “Hey.” Dani came in smiling, bags of groceries in her hands. “Sergei took your things up to your room. Do you need anything else?”

  “No, I’m good. Just trying to figure out why Merlin is so moody.”

  “Is he okay?” Dani came to stand next to her, gently running her hand over the bird’s back.

  “I think he’s probably been through a lot. First his owner died, so he had to move to the clinic. Then the earthquake was pretty traumatic and he got moved again. Now we’ve moved him a third time and there’s a little kid in the house, and he’s never been around kids before. So far he’s been good with Niko, but make sure you always lock him up if I’m not here or you’re not watching him.”

  “We’ll figure all that out,” Dani said softly. “I think he’s sad because you are.”

  “Me? I’m fine.” Sara looked at her in surprise.

  “Hellooo…” Dani was chuckling. “This is me, your best friend. I know you better than you know yourself and you’re sad. You didn’t want to move out of Aaron’s place. You’re in love with him and that was as close as you’re going to get to being with him. I get it. I wish there was a way for you to stay there longer, but we need you here.”

  “I know.” Sara nodded briskly. “And I’m glad to be home. Really. I miss Aaron, but it’s better for us to be apart because being together just makes me realize how good it could be if he would let it. You know?”

  “I know.”

  “Mommy, what’s for dinner? Hi, Auntie Sara.” Niko came into the room with a grin.

  “We’re going to make steaks,” Dani told him. “How does that sound?”

  “Yummy.”

  “Now go play for a little while and we’ll eat in about an hour.”

  “An hour?” Sergei came into the kitchen. “I’m starving.”

  “You’re always starving,” Dani said to him. “But go warm up the grill and I’ll put the sweet potatoes in the microwave.”

  “What can I do?” Sara asked.

  “Relax.” Dani smiled. “We got this.”

  “Okay.” Sara pulled out her phone and sent Aaron a text.

  SARA: There’s stew and clam chowder in the freezer. I don’t know what you’re doing for dinner, but there are a couple of meals in there.

  AARON: Thanks. I was just thinking about that.

  SARA: You want to come eat with us? I’m sure there’s plenty.

  AARON: Nah, it’s all good. I’m going out with the guys tonight.

  SARA: Where are you going?

  AARON: Not sure yet. They’re on the prowl… Anyway, talk to you later.

  She closed her phone and sighed. He was going out with the guys. She had a feeling what that meant and it broke her heart.

  Sara was up early on Sunday, leaving before the others were awake, and heading out to Dr. Harjo’s house. He’d asked for her help in getting ready for the fundraiser tonight and she was going to go on his rounds with him so he would get done sooner. He’d been taking care of a lot of horses lately, as well as a handful of exotic animals like birds and even a monkey, but it took time and he needed to be done early today.

  The Blizzard game was at one o’clock, which meant they’d be done around four, and the fundraiser would start at six. She wanted to be at the arena for the game and would head down afterward to the concourse where the event would be held. There would be a buffet with food, a cash bar serving beer and wine, and fun activities for both kids and adults. There was a fee to get in, but then there would be raffles, photo opportunities with the players, and of course, the animals. Dr. Harjo was bringing his pet miniature pig, Whiskey, Mama and her puppies, and a few dozen dogs and cats that were up for adoption. Gage said he had a few surprises up his sleeve and Sara hoped they would raise enough money to reopen the clinic because she needed something to look forward to.

  Yesterday afternoon she’d gotten a rejection letter from the university in Minneapolis. She hadn’t told anyone, not even Dani, refusing to let anyone see how much it hurt her. She was as embarrassed as she was upset, insecurity creeping in, reminding her she’d failed yet again. Today was too important to Dr. Harjo, so she’d bottled up her emotions and would get through the night. Tomorrow morning she’d take Niko to school and then she’d have the house to herself, and she could break down in private.

  “Hey, where have you been?” Hailey asked when she got to her seat at the game that afternoon.

  “Had to help Dr. Harjo,” she said, sliding in next to her.

  “You’re not wearing your jersey?” Hailey asked her.

  “Oh.” She looked down. She’d forgotten all about it. “No, I was in a fog this morning and I guess I forgot to grab it.”

  “You forgot your jersey?” Hailey gave her a weird look. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Why?”

  “Because you forgot your jersey on a game day, something you’ve never done before.”

  “I’m just a little out of sorts, moving back with Dani and Sergei, trying to get back into my old routine. It’s been a wild couple of months, you know?”

  “Yeah.” Hailey looked like she was going to say something else but the national anthem came on and everyone stood up.

  “Hey, guys.” Whitney joined them once the anthem was done, sliding in next to Hailey.

  “Hey, girl.”

  Hailey had gotten a sitter for the day so Amy could come enjoy the festivities too, and she was sitting in the row in front of them. Sara knew most of the other wives and girlfriends and they all fell into their usual pattern at games, catching up on everything going on in everyone’s life.

  “So any word about vet school?” Whitney asked, looking at her.

  “N-no.” Sara quickly shook her head. “Not yet.”

  “Bummer. Well, that just means we get to keep you a little longer.” Whitney squeezed Sara’s knee affectionately, and Sara nearly burst into tears.

  She didn’t want to leave her life here, but the fact that she hadn’t gotten in for the second year in a row hurt. A lot. And she couldn’t tell anyone. Not yet. She wouldn’t be ready for that kind of sympathy until she’d had the opportunity to process it privately.

  “You sure you’re okay?” Hailey asked her as the puck dropped.

  “I’m good. Really.” Sara focused on the game, grateful when Kane scored three minutes into the first period because everyone forgot about her. As happy as she was to help raise money for Dr. Harjo, she couldn’t wait for tonight to be over. She was aching inside, so sad and disappointed and frustrated, and she couldn’t talk about it. If she did, it would probably release a torrent of emotion she wasn’t ready to handle. Not until after the fundraiser.

  She went through the motions, forgetting her misery for a little while during the game, and getting into the excitement since they won. Then she was swept up with the wives and girlfriends, going down to the family lounge where everyone was buzzing with excitement. All the guys who had kids had them there so they could see the animals and probably play with puppies, and the room was full of loud chatter and laughter.

  “Hey.” Aaron’s voice behind her made her jump and she turned.

  “Oh, hey. Great game.”

  “Thanks.” He eyed her. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine. Why does everyone keep asking me that?” She stalked away in a huff, hoping to mask her sadness with anger since she was on the verge of exploding anyway.

  Just a few more hours, she told herself as she poured herself a glass of wine.

  The animals had been set up in individual pens that had been put together specifically for this event. They’d wanted to keep most of them separated, in little cubicles, so kids and adults alike could spend some one-on-one time with the ones they were interested in adopting. Sara and Dr.
Harjo would be monitoring everything carefully to make sure the animals were happy and safe, but she had a feeling they would all be adopted tonight. They’d sold over five hundred tickets to the event and all the Blizzard players were here with their families as well.

  She escaped to the ladies’ room and took a few minutes to touch up her mascara and lipstick. She looked okay, if not a little pale, but hopefully no one would be able to tell how heartbroken she was. The puppies would cheer her up, though, so she hurried out to the concourse where the first people had just begun to arrive. Dr. Harjo was holding Whiskey, and one of his sons Peter had a monkey she’d never seen before. She spotted Mama, though, and veered in that direction.

  “Hey, pretty girl,” she said, squatting down carefully. Her leg was still sore so she was careful not to put too much weight on it yet. “Did you miss me?”

  The sweet dog wagged her tail happily and Sara sighed when she spotted the puppies with her. They were still too young to be away from their mother, but at three weeks old, she figured it would give the kids a chance to see how small and delicate they were, not to mention fall in love with them. One of Dr. Harjo’s other sons Patrick would be stationed in the pen with the puppies to make sure no one was too rough with them or dropped them. He would also make sure Mama was comfortable with strangers touching her babies. So far, she’d been the most laid-back, easygoing dog she’d ever encountered, and Sara was considering adopting her. If Dani and Sergei didn’t want a dog in the house, maybe it was time to get her own place and keep Niko with her when the team was on the road. Obviously, her veterinary dreams were changing and she had to change the rest of her plans too.