by Karin Baine
All she could do was try and keep whatever emotional detachment she could from Hunter and Hunter junior and let them make that connection without becoming a part of it.
* * *
It was a long night waiting for news on Colton. Not to mention uncomfortable. Hunter had stretched his legs, making several trips to the vending machine for something calling itself coffee, and Charlotte had made several attempts to garner some information, to no avail. In the end the only way they were able to make themselves in any way comfortable was to lean their bodies against each other.
On a personal level they had taken baby steps forward but it would be inappropriate to take advantage of that when they were technically still on the clock and waiting for an update on their friend. That didn’t mean it wasn’t killing him, having her resting her head on his shoulder and not be able to pull her closer.
His cell buzzed in his pocket and he had to read the text from Gray twice before the contents sank in. He gave Charlotte a gentle shake.
‘Hmm?’ The sleepy response and the nuzzling further into his neck made a direct call to the side of him that had a tendency to forget the need for discretion.
‘I’ve had a message from Gray. Look. We won.’
‘What?’ She blinked at the screen.
‘They finished the match. We’re in the finals.’ He couldn’t quite believe it himself. The pride in the men who’d played out the game and won despite the awful circumstances swelled so deeply inside him he was fit to bust.
Charlotte stared at him then back at the screen and suddenly launched herself at him. Her arms wound around his neck in a tight hug.
‘We’re in the finals,’ she said, and he couldn’t help but laugh with sheer relief. It was the best news they’d heard all night.
‘Dr Michaels? Sorry to keep you waiting but I just wanted to let you know Mr Colton is out of Theatre. The surgery went as well as we hoped for. We had to open up the thigh in order to operate so there is a significant wound that will be at risk of infection but he’s out of immediate danger. We’ll be keeping a close eye on him over the next forty-eight hours.’ The surgeon who’d met them on admittance delivered another helping of good news with that same relieved grin he was sure they were all sporting.
‘Can we see him?’ Charlotte was wide awake now, on her feet, and would probably be in the room, checking on him, if she knew which ward he was on.
‘He’s sleeping now. I don’t want to disturb him and it might be best if you change before you do see him.’ There was a nod towards their crumpled attire and Hunter saw Charlotte tense next to him but it wasn’t something she should take offence at.
‘Of course. It wouldn’t do much to aid his recovery to see us covered in his blood. Would it, Charlotte?’
He saw the penny drop as she gazed first at his crimson-stained shirt then her own. They’d scrubbed their hands clean since their arrival in the building but the evidence of the evening’s battle for Colton’s survival was in the very fabric of their clothes.
‘No. It wouldn’t be very nice to be reminded. We’ll come back in the morning to see how he is. Thank you for everything you’ve done tonight.’ She shook hands with the man in green scrubs first and Hunter did the same.
‘I think you two played a huge part here too. Now go get some rest.’
Hunter waited until the surgeon was out of sight before he took Charlotte’s hand and marched her out of the building.
‘What are you doing? Where are we going?’ She was digging her heels in as they rounded the corner but they both needed to blow off some steam after the night they’d had.
‘We need to celebrate. Do you really think the rest of the team aren’t out partying now they know Colton’s okay and they’ve bagged a place in the finals? We’ll be lucky if they’ve recovered from their hangovers in time for the trip to Nottingham.’
‘Look at the state of us.’
‘It’s getting dark. No one will see.’ It was that time just before complete darkness moved in when everything was a muted shade of grey. The perfect camouflage for them to venture out in public without someone thinking they were two criminals escaping the scene of a brutal crime.
‘Yeah, outdoors.’ She didn’t sound convinced but she followed him nonetheless.
That small sign of trust was a bigger prize to him than tonight’s win over the Cobras. Now he was under pressure to produce something to deserve it. In the middle of nowhere. The gas station he’d set his sights on at the end of the road might not appear to be the ideal venue for first-class entertaining but he was determined to make this night memorable for the right reasons. He wanted to do something for her after she’d been there for him tonight, listening and advising on how to connect with his son.
‘Wait here. I’ll only be a few minutes.’
‘What are you up to, Hunter?’
‘Shopping,’ he said vaguely, before leaving her on the other side of the automatic door. In truth he had no idea himself what he was doing but he’d improvise. They deserved some down time and a little fun following the stresses of the day. He for one wasn’t ready to go home alone and attempt sleep when he knew his mind would be running over the alternative outcomes of their medical intervention and what could have happened out there on the ice.
Distraction filled two carrier bags and he hoped there was enough there to persuade his companion to remain in his company for a while longer.
‘We all need to go through those silly teenage rites of passage and although there’s no back row for us to mess around in, I’m sure I saw a forest park somewhere nearby.’ He began his march again, thankful that the spring weather was being kind for once. It was mild enough for them to sit outdoors without hypothermia claiming them and that was unusual for this place. He’d been here when the first daffodils had been poking their heads through a layer of snow at this time of year. It was positively balmy here in comparison.
‘Surely you’re not being serious?’ Her laugh rang through the darkness like musical wind chimes, bringing life to the still night.
He could just about make out the dull edges of the nearby picnic tables against the linear forms of the trees in the background.
‘Always. Which is exactly why we both need a time out from being adults. I thought we could combine dinner, celebrating our win and Colton’s recovery and pretend we’re still teenagers all at the same time,’ he said as he deposited his purchases on the wooden bench.
‘In a picnic? Here? At this time of the night?’ She wasn’t more than a dark smudge now in the fading light but she did take her place at the table, waiting to see what he had planned. He had her engaged in something other than hockey or painful childhood memories at least.
‘Never let it be said Hunter Torrance doesn’t know how to party.’ He unpacked a plaid travel rug he’d picked up at the cash register and laid it out.
‘I don’t think that was ever in doubt, was it?’
‘Well, I’ve never done it sober. This was the closest I could get to alcohol.’ He produced two small bottles of non-alcoholic sparkling white grape juice.
‘I’m sure if I could see it I’d be impressed all the same.’
‘Aha!’ He rummaged in the bottom of the bag for the two glass candle holders and set one at either end of the bench before lighting them with the small box of matches he’d purchased too.
Charlotte sniffed the air. ‘That smells very, uh, sweet.’
‘Vanilla ice-cream, I think it said on the box.’
They flickered to life and cast a small pool of light over the scene. Charlotte’s smiling face was revealed in the glow of the small flames and made all this effort worth it.
‘It’s making me hungry.’
‘Good. Now, I’m afraid they didn’t have a fine dining section because you know I would totally have shopped there. Yo
u’ll just have to make do with chicken salad sandwiches and if you’re good I might even let you have a cookie.’
There were many oohs and aahs as he laid out their makeshift dinner, both pretending this was some kind of grandiose feast. It could have been a three-course gourmet dinner as they wolfed it down with the same gusto.
‘Do you woo all the ladies in your life with moonlit picnics in the park?’ Charlotte surprised him with the question just as he was taking a mouthful of not-champagne fizz. Tears sprang to his eyes as he gulped it down the wrong way.
‘I can honestly say this is another first. There have been no other picnics and very few ladies since Sara.’ He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been this relaxed. These past years he’d been working his backside off, trying to rectify the mistakes he’d made, with no time for frivolity. Cutting loose with Charlotte showed him it didn’t have to have negative connotations. The only thing that would make this perfect would be if Alfie was here too. It was all so easy when he was with Charlotte and he wished his rapport with his son could evolve as naturally too.
‘Well, thank you. You’ve made me feel very special tonight.’ She couldn’t believe he had done this for her and had tried not to get too carried away with the romance if it was simply part of his usual seduction technique.
He’d come halfway across the world, given up his life there to come and be a proper father to Alfie, and she knew his son was his priority. Not that she would expect him to put someone he’d just met above that but they did seem to keep gravitating back towards one another.
‘That’s because you are. Didn’t I say I’d share my cookies with you? I don’t do that with just anyone.’ He grinned and offered her the packet of chocolate-chip heaven.
She snacked on the crumbly biscuit and watched with fascination as he tidied the rubbish into the bin and laid the rug down on a patch of grass with the candles either side. ‘Have I just sold my soul for a cookie? Is this where you sacrifice me to appease the hockey gods?’
‘We could do that or, you know, just chill with some star-gazing.’ He made himself as comfortable as he could, trying to fit his large frame onto half of the small rug, with his knees bent and his hands behind his head.
She had nothing to lose by joining him. Except perhaps all feeling in her backside when she tried to get up off the cold ground again.
‘This is what you did as a teenager? I imagined something more rock and roll.’
‘It might’ve involved a beer or two I’d sneaked out of the house but, yeah, I liked to lie in the quiet and just look at the stars. I used to imagine what was out there in the universe waiting for me, prayed there was more to life than the one I had.’
‘You and me both.’ Although she’d chosen hockey games as her fantasy landscape.
‘Those three bright stars in a row are Orion’s belt and that right there is the Big Dipper.’ He pointed up at the constellation of seven stars.
‘I think we call that The Plough over here but I’ve never taken much interest, to be honest.’ There’d been nothing there to capture her imagination until tonight when Hunter had been so transfixed and the most relaxed she’d seen him to date. He looked just like the naïve kid they’d probably both been before real life had crept in and made them so jaded.
‘I’m a bit of a nerd about it, I guess. I could bore you with the names of all those stars if I had a mind to but we’re supposed to be having fun.’
‘I am having fun. I didn’t know you were into astronomy. I’m finding out so much about you tonight.’ She knew every time she looked up at the sky from now on she’d always think of him and this night together. This gesture to recapture the childhood ripped from her was something she’d never forget.
He turned his head to look at her. ‘Isn’t that what you wanted?’
They were lying so close together she could see the twinkle in his eye. He hadn’t planned this, she was pretty sure, but it had done the job. Hunter had told her everything she needed to know in order for her to let him into her heart. It didn’t make it any less scary about taking that chance on him.
She reached across him so her face was only millimetres from his, her chest brushing against his, and watched his throat bob as he swallowed. As quick as a flash she grabbed the cookie from his hand and stole back to her own side of the blanket.
‘This is what I wanted,’ she said, and took a bite of her ill-gotten gains. It would do him good to be kept on his toes now she’d laid herself bare emotionally.
‘Yeah? Are you sure that’s all you have a craving for?’ He rolled over and pinned her to the ground with one arm either side of her body and began kissing his way along her neck. It was so damn hot the much-sought-after cookie slid from her hand into the grass, now totally forgotten.
‘Uh...maybe not.’ She threaded her fingers through his hair as every blast of hot breath on her skin sent her into raptures. It was true. Ever since that first kiss she’d craved more of this, more of him, and tonight had taught her that life was so fragile you just had to grab the good times where you could.
‘Good,’ he murmured as he closed his mouth around hers and sealed her fate. She was lost to him now, whatever the consequences.
They ignored the first drops of rain as they fell, so wrapped up in each other they didn’t care. Even when the candles fizzled out and Charlotte could feel the dampness on Hunter’s skin she was reluctant to break away from him again. She was content where she was with his body pressed against hers and passion keeping them both warm. Unfortunately it couldn’t keep them dry when the heavens opened and doused the flames.
She let out a shriek as they scrambled to their feet, the rain so heavy it was dripping off the ends of their noses and their clothes were sticking to their skin. It would’ve been romantic if not for the sudden drop in temperature and the very real possibility of pneumonia. They snatched up their waterlogged belongings and headed straight for shelter in the wooden hut where the forest route map was displayed.
‘I’ll phone for a taxi back to the arena so you can get your car.’ Hunter wrapped her in the blanket, which was slightly less sodden than her clothes, and pulled out his phone.
Charlotte chattered her thanks through her teeth. As much as she didn’t want this night to end, she needed a hot shower and a warm pair of pyjamas to get her body temperature back out of the danger zone. Sharing a bed naked with Hunter would undoubtedly have the same effect but sleeping with him wasn’t going to make things any less complicated.
‘I’d say that was a successful first date, wouldn’t you?’ Hunter tucked his phone back in his pocket and huddled in beside her.
‘Is that what it was?’
‘We’re together outside of work commitments... Good food, great company...I’d call that a date.’ He nodded his head, pretending that he’d planned the whole thing all along. If that had been the case he might’ve added an umbrella or a hot-water bottle to his purchases.
‘You’re a smooth operator, Mr Torrance, I’ll give you that.’ It had been her best first date ever.
A car approached from the main road and dazzled them in the headlights. Their ride back to reality.
‘So, my place or yours?’ Hunter leaned in and made her very tempted to carry on the impulsive nature of the evening but she was a woman who didn’t give any part of herself so easily.
‘It’s a first date, isn’t it? I’m afraid I’m just not that kind of girl.’ She dropped a kiss on his cheek and walked nonchalantly towards the taxi, hoping their next dates would live up to the high standard of this one.
CHAPTER SIX
HUNTER WONDERED IF Charlotte might’ve had second thoughts about getting involved with a father and son when there was no sign of her at the rink. Now she’d had time to think about the implications of his tangled personal life there was a possibility she’d back out of
the offer to support him today. They’d had fun in the park together but she hadn’t signed on for a third party. Neither had he.
The strong connection he’d made with Charlotte hadn’t figured in his plans when he’d moved out here but he couldn’t imagine not having her in his life now. He didn’t want anything to affect his relationship with Alfie but she was good for him and surely his happiness would filter through to his son too? A dad who’d found someone he enjoyed spending time with and could really talk with had to be better for him than a man still locked in his own world of guilt and regret.
His day was made with the sight of her walking in and giving him a tentative wave, as if she didn’t really know if this was a good idea either. Hunter waved back, careful not to let go of Alfie as he took his first wobbly steps on the ice. This was an exercise in trust and if he let him fall it would be difficult to get him to have faith in him again.
He’d had to get Sara’s parents to agree to this unsupervised afternoon out with Alfie and it did feel a little as though he was betraying their trust by inviting Charlotte along too. They hadn’t been thrilled about the prospect of their grandson pulling on his first skates and Charlotte had been right about treading softly, not rushing things, when his relationship with the O’Reillys was still fragile, to say the least, but her presence meant a lot to him.
He tried to convince himself that this chance meeting wasn’t deceiving anyone. It was more about having a friendly face around, someone to help fill the long silences with his son when he couldn’t quite find the words himself. After their impromptu picnic in the park he was also happy to see her on a more personal level. He wanted that chance to reconnect and maybe even advance their relationship a little further too.