by Hart, Taylor
Jake let out what could only be compared to a Star Trek Klingon war cry. “Do I need to send a helicopter to this podunk … I don’t know. Where are you? C’mon, the owners keep saying they’re ready to announce who’s going to lead the pack next year. I think it’s you. I feel it in my bones.”
Roman didn’t answer, only paced the freezing porch. “What if I got out? What would that mean?”
“Out? You’re at the top of your game.”
He looked down at his knee. “What if it’s more than a knee next time?”
“What are you talking about? Is this about your uncle? About death and dying? C’mon, man, you’re not going to die! Look at you, you’re in the best shape of your life.”
Roman listened to his agent continue giving the speech. The one all players and agents gave. The one about being ten feet tall and superman. Nothing would happen. There were things in the contract in case it did happen. But it wouldn’t.
It was strange. For the first time since reading his uncle’s letter and thinking about what more to life than football looked like, he could actually see a vision of what that could be. And that vision involved Katie Winters and the Alaskan Inn.
Chapter 13
The next morning he got up early. When he checked his watch, it was 6:30. He hopped out of bed. He needed to run, to do something physical. He got on his snow clothes and went to the barn, the big one with the radio. He started stacking that huge dumped pile of wood where Katie had mentioned it needed stacking.
Of course, once he thought of her, he couldn’t quit thinking of her. Katie. Strong, like a marathon runner with lean muscles. Very feminine. Her eyes sparkled, but they were also sometimes sad, especially when she didn’t know he was looking at her.
He thought of her husband’s grave and the picture of them on the mantel. Their family. He sighed, feeling somewhat sad himself. He would never be that man to her. Then he was immensely irritated. Why was he even thinking about that?
All the thoughts that had passed through his mind last night were ridiculous. Why would he willingly give up a chance to finish out his career? Well, he wouldn’t. He was here to sell this place. When the stupid attorney got through the snow, he would sign the papers. His uncle’s wishes would be satisfied—he’d come, he’d seen, he’d go. Back to his life.
The pictures from her mantle crept back into his mind. Frustrated, he went through the Carhartt pockets, pulled out his phone, and streamed some rock music, but thoughts of her came back. She hadn’t looked as thin in her pictures as she looked now. She was too thin in his mind. Not that he didn’t understand a woman’s drive to be thin. Sheena had been obsessed with it. That’s part of the reason she never cooked, claiming she didn’t want to get fat. But not Katie. No, all he could say after the meal last night was that girl could cook. His stomach grumbled as he thought of the homemade bread.
He thought of sledding with her. They’d had fun yesterday. He paused and wiped the sweat off his forehead. That was more fun than he’d had in as long as he could remember. A nervous stir went through him as he thought about Lou. He hefted a large piece of wood across the barn and then immediately laughed at his Neanderthal behavior. He was jealous of a man that he hardly knew anything about.
A tap on his shoulder sent him jumping, dumping wood all over the place.
“What’s up, QB?” High-pitched laughter sounded through the air.
Katie. She stood there, smiling like a kid on Christmas.
Glaring at her, he threw his hands up. “Is that how you get your kicks?”
She laughed harder. She jumped up and down and wiped tears from the edges of her eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so funny.”
“Oh yeah.” He would think she would feel bad about him being scared to death and dumping half the load he’d stacked, but she was so happy. And, for some dumb reason, that made the center of his chest happy.
She peeled off her snow clothes and he saw she was dressed like normal—yoga pants, but this time she wore a faded Destroyers t-shirt. “So I guess we’re working on stacking this woodpile today?”
He picked up more wood. “Nice shirt.”
Throwing a piece of wood on the stack, she lifted a shoulder. “Thought I’d give it a shot.”
Warmth filled him. He watched her; not even trying to stop the grin that he was sure filled his whole face. “So how was Lou last night?” He was trying to bring it up in a very casual way, but it already felt awkward.
Scrunching up her nose, she nodded to the scattered wood. “Can we just work for a bit?”
Silently conceding, he picked up a piece of wood and threw it toward the stack. They both worked side by side for about twenty minutes. She worked hard, which made him work all the harder just to prove that he wouldn’t be outdone.
“Thanks again for last night.” He paused and wiped his forehead in between chucking things.
She threw another piece of wood. “I’m glad you came. Josh had a good time.”
Of course he noticed that she’d said Josh, not her. Lou’s face flashed into his mind. “Josh is a good kid.” It was true. He liked him.
At talk of Josh, she smiled. “He is.”
“You’ve done a good job.” He threw another piece of wood on the stack.
Taking care to go around his path where he was throwing all the wood, she moved toward him. “Thank you for being interested in him. He can’t wait to show all the kids his ball—signed by the great Roman Young.”
He paused. “It’s in the inn on the table.” He hadn’t wanted to forget to give it to her.
She nodded, reaching for a water bottle and then taking a long sip. “Honestly, Josh has done exceptionally well. I think possibly because I was such a wreck after his dad …” she trailed off.
Today. The day he’d died. He sobered. “What happened?”
She hesitated. “I told you how your uncle started paying me before I started working.”
He nodded.
“Well, I don’t know what I would have done without that money. I … was lost, you know. For a few months I just went through the motions—taking Josh to school, clean the house, get dinner, then get in bed and set my alarm for when school would be out. If I hadn’t had Josh …. I don’t know what I would have done.” Tears budded in her eyes then she shook her head. “Anyway …”
He scoffed, “Then you maniacally threw yourself into the inn.” He was getting it now. Why this place was so important to her.
She stared at him and then laughed. “I guess so.” She wagged her finger. “That’s what I like about you.”
Not taking the compliment well, he knew he was blushing. “Thanks, but I don’t say it like it is all the time.”
She laughed again. “You’re pretty honest for a football player.”
Instantly, he thought about the fact he’d been lying to her, at least not telling the whole truth, he reasoned. “Not really.”
“No, seriously, it’s been really great to have you here the past few days. I think the anticipation of something is always harder then the actual thing, don’t you?” She continued. “If I can get through today, then I’ll be good.” She blinked away more moisture in her eyes.
Before he could stop himself, he pulled her into a hug. “You will. You’ll be just fine, Katie Winters.”
Staying against him for a few seconds, he could feel her taking deep breaths.
Then she pulled away. “You know I’ve seen the media stuff on you, and I think that all gets blown out of proportion.”
Now he knew he was getting red. Regret coursed through him. “It wasn’t all a lie. I have done things I’m definitely not proud of.”
She frowned. “My advice is to go easier on yourself. That’s what I learned from my therapist. Let yourself off the hook sometimes. Guilt, anger, and regret can eat you alive. Just put your head down and work hard, that seems to help more than anything.”
Guilt tugged at his conscience. She thought he was a good man. He should
tell her he was planning on selling the inn, but, selfishly, he wanted to spend one last day with her before she knew. “Let’s go get lunch.”
She glanced down at her sport’s watch. “It’s not even ten.”
“Exactly, I haven’t eaten today, and you’re too skinny.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
Chapter 14
Lunch was at a pizza place. One that was attached to the ski resort. It was far more posh then The Lizard Café or the Wolfe’s Haven. This place was all stainless steel tables and chairs. Black, sleek, leather couches around gas lit fireplaces. Framed, watercolor art lined the walls. Roman thought about how Sheena loved to bid on stuff like this. His house was filled with meaningless shapes and colors. He hated it.
Katie had turned to him on the way inside and shrugged. “This place doesn’t feel homey at all, but it has the best pizza in town.”
A couple of skiers were sitting around, drinking coffee, still wearing their boots on their feet. Most of them were just taking breaks between runs.
They went to an open table next to a huge window that overlooked the side of the mountain. A waitress took their order and Roman couldn’t help feeling disappointed when the news guy on the large flat screen above them announced the roads up to Wolfe Creek would be cleared by the end of the day and available to skiers.
She faced him, taking off her coat. “You’re probably glad about the roads.”
He took a sip of water and flashed her a grin. “Why would you say that?”
“So you can get back. This town has probably felt … small.”
The way the sun hit her hair and her green eyes looked so open and happy to be just sitting here with him made him wish he could lean over and take her hand. She was beautiful. No make-up. No glamour. Everything about her was beautiful. She wore her hair back in a braid down the back of her neck. Sitting here in her Destroyers t-shirt, she looked younger than last night. His heartbeat picked up speed. “Actually, I’ve really enjoyed being here. You look good today, by the way.”
Immediately, she frowned and then looked out the large glass windows to the side of them that gave a nice view of the ski resort. “You’ve got your big meeting with the owners tomorrow, right?”
This took him by surprise. It shouldn’t have. Granted, the media was covering it pretty intensely. “Hmm. Yeah.” He hesitated. “But you do look good,” he insisted.
She still didn’t look at him. “Roman, I don’t think you should be complimenting me like that. I mean … especially since today and everything.”
How could he be so stupid? “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. He was hitting on her on the anniversary of her husband’s death.
It was only awkward for a couple of minutes. Then she looked back at him. “So, do you think the owners will put you back as a starter?”
“I thought you thought I shouldn’t even play.”
“I don’t.” She grinned. “But I may or may not have checked Google last night.”
Happiness filled him. “Really?”
“Don’t get a big head, QB,” she scoffed.
Typical of what he’d come to expect between them, they simply stared into each other’s eyes for a few seconds. It felt completely strange to him how normal things felt with her. Almost like destiny. Like they were meant to meet. “You still haven’t told me what happened with Lou.”
“Do you like it there? In Dallas?”
He knew she was avoiding the question, but he let her. Leaning back in his chair, he stretched out his legs and held his water glass. “I love Dallas.” That was the honest answer. Sizing her up, he took a sip. “Would you ever leave?”
“Wolfe Creek?” She jerked to attention.
He grinned. “Or shall we say—Mecca, the homeland?”
She let out a breath. “My parents want me to. They keep asking why I’m still here.” She shrugged. “You know, the whole over qualified to be an ‘inn keeper.’”
At this point, and for some unknown reason, her response meant a lot to him. His heart raced, and he felt like he was on the sidelines waiting to go back in the game. “So would you leave?” he repeated.
The moment went slow, and their eyes locked. Something passed between them. Some kind of energy that took his breath away. She looked vulnerable and like the only thing that she might want … could be him. Then she looked down. “No.”
No. No? “No?”
Their eyes met again, and she set her jaw. “This is Josh’s home. I don’t have a husband to make decisions with anymore. To be anchored to, but I have this place. I want to give Josh that stability. So I’ll stay here.”
Nervous jitters went through him. Somewhere—deep down, he’d known this. “I can understand that. Is it because of Lou?”
Their food was set on the table. They each pulled off a hot pepperoncini bite. “So good,” Roman commented.
“Right,” she agreed, eating heartily.
“Well …?” He wasn’t going to give up hearing what had happened with Lou. It felt silly but he did want a chance to know.
She took another bite. “He … he likes me. He wanted to make his intentions ‘officially’ known last night.” She air quoted.
This mystified Roman. “Wow, that’s—”
“Gentlemanly,” she filled in for him and lifted her chin.
A small breath puffed out of him. “That’s exactly what I was going to say.”
She laughed.
“So he hasn’t made a move on you before?” he probed, taking a bite of pizza and wondering why he felt like he was competing for her.
She hesitated and then let out a long breath. “He’s made a move before, but honestly, I was completely uninterested then. So we decided to wait a year. As he mentioned, he was my husband’s best friend. It kind of felt natural for him to be around after everything. He helped me out a lot. Then he started coming over sometimes.”
“On movie night,” Roman filled in for her.
She rolled her eyes. “I should have thought he’d be coming over, sorry.”
Waving his hand in the air to dismiss her worry, he took another bite of pizza.
“A couple of months ago I asked him to lay off on the ‘dating me’ bit. I guess he looked at last night as a chance to start dating again. Officially.”
“Oh.” Roman tried not to ask too many questions. Like, why she had to ask him to lay off if she was ready to pursue other relationships now. His heart kept pounding at an unsteady rate. Dang, he felt like a teenager. “Hmm.” He tried to sound casual, disinterested. He wasn’t interested. He was going back to Dallas and she was … here.
A mischievous glint came into her eyes. “What?”
He sniffed and wiped his face with a napkin. “Nothing.”
“You’re not saying something.”
“Nothing,” he answered quickly.
Cocking an eyebrow, she nodded. “So you’re just asking … as a boss.”
He pointed at her. “Exactly. I just want to know if he can fix things.”
The look she gave him told him she wasn’t completely convinced. “So are you keeping me on?”
He stared at her, not comprehending for a second. “What?”
“As the manager?”
Her eyes looked bright and hopeful. Instantly he decided he would only sell it to someone who agreed to keep her on as the manager. He would make sure that was in there. “Of course.”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
Looking for another subject, he pointed to the ski lift. “You ski?”
She scoffed, “I could put you to shame, QB.”
Grateful that she’d picked up on his discomfort, he fell back into the playful banter. “You talk big, boss.”
She winked at him. “I’m pretty sure I can take a Texas boy.” She looked thoughtful. “But I don’t have skies…or a pass.”
He frowned, wondering at the difference between her and the other women he’d dated. They’d always just assumed he w
ould pay. Always assumed he would not only pay, but also buy them things. “C’mon, let’s go get outfitted. I’ll tell you what. I’ll pay if you make me a bet.”
She laughed. “I don’t think I have much you want.”
This was just the thing he wanted. “If you win, I’ll cook dinner for you and Josh. If you win, you cook.”
Eyeing him, she shoved the pizza away. “I would say you just want to get out of work … if you didn’t own the place.”
He grinned. “What do you say?”
She frowned. “I can’t tonight.”
Lou’s face flashed through his mind. “Oh, I see.”
Her face went blank. “It’s not that. Lou, I mean.”
“What?” There was no way he was blushing. No way. “It’s fine.”
She looked thoughtful. Then she exhaled. “Josh’s grandparents have asked for him to come stay for the night.”
“Oh.” His mind whirled. “Well, I guess it could just be you and me.”
Then he saw her blush. “I just need to be alone tonight.”
Disappointment surged within him. “Oh.” He tried to recover and stood. “I understand.”
She stood. “I’m sorry.”
He pulled a couple bills from his wallet and left them on the table, trying to cover the let down. “It’s fine.” All he could think about was the fact he was leaving tomorrow. “No big deal.” He would just enjoy this moment. With his friend.
Katie grinned and stood. “C’mon, QB, I can school you and still get a few hours of work in.”
Warmth surged inside of him. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 15
Roman sat in the hot tub on his uncle’s deck. How he needed the hot tub. They’d spent the afternoon on the slopes. She’d taken it easy on him on the bunny hill. Then she’d blown him away on the real slopes. Good thing she hadn’t taken him up on the bet. He didn’t know how he would have cooked tonight.
At least, that was the lie he was telling himself. The snow had completely stopped, but the view off his uncle’s deck took his breath away. With the weather clear, he could see the mountain and the ski resort. He could see little people skiing down the mountain. The sun was setting, and it was breathtaking. Still. Quiet.