Ryan, the lovable goalie. Of course. “Don’t know why I didn’t think of that. Thanks Buzz.”
“And Leon. That damned Irishman will go anywhere for a free meal. You know what he’s like. Feed him and he’s yours.”
And didn’t they all know it? Where there was fine food, Leon would be in his element.
“Any idea when you’re coming back, Adam?”
“Don’t tell me you miss my ugly face, Buzz.” Funny enough, Adam missed his teammates but not the game. That alone was a revelation to him. Perhaps it was his subconscious preparing him for the worst. He brushed off the doom and gloom.
“Yeah, I do. Place ain’t the same without you hanging around. Was thinking of coming out to visit this hometown of yours. City is kind of wearing thin. I’m feeling closed in, antsy like. Getting kind of jaded, know what I mean?”
Oh did he know alright. “Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I’m wondering if now would be a good time to retire. Please don’t say anything yet to anyone. I haven’t quite made up my mind but with my dad’s health being what it is.”
“I get that, man. You gotta look after number one and that’s you. You’ve been in this game for long enough. Might be time to lead a normal life.” A tinge of wistfulness colored Buzz’s voice. “You’ve got enough money tucked away, wise investments. Give your body a rest and join the real world.” Buzz was nothing if not down-to-earth.
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It is. Nothing complicated about it. Make a decision and stick to it.” A soft chuckle broke the tension-filled conversation. “Bet your old coach would love to see you back. You’ve got a lot to give, Adam. Those kids would be lucky to have you hanging around.”
“Thanks. Talking to you, well, I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to retire. And I’m going to make it up to those kids.”
“Sorry I can’t help you out. You know I would if I could.”
“I know. And if you do make it to Cherry Lake, you can stay with me. I’d love to show you around the town.”
“Do I hear the sound of romance in the air, Adam? About time you got a down-to-earth hometown girl.” Buzz chuckled again. “Maybe I will have to talk to Mama about changing her plans. This is something I have to see.”
Adam decided to leave the phone calls to the other team members until the next day. He was drained and it was getting late. Another rejection from the guys would make it impossible for him to sleep, guilt would chew at his insides. The night hadn’t gone well and he could only blame himself.
He tossed his cell phone on the floor and pummeled his pillow, then turned off the light.
Chapter Eleven
Dakota put down the wire cutters, the copper thread and got up from the table, happy to have a moment of distraction to stretch her aching muscles. Her hand had started to cramp up because she had been working for hours without a break. She bent at the waist, touched her toes with one hand and then reached for the ceiling, her gaze going to the designs she’d pinned on the wall before she started work this morning. Beside it sat the candid shot she loved of her with her three sisters last Christmas just after her accident. Thank goodness she’d had them backing her up. They were all close and she missed Bella and April. She must remember to call them, fill them in on how she’d settled in and maybe, just maybe, tell them about Adam.
Dakota walked out into the kitchen and opened the back door. Tiny ran out and rolled on her back in the grass. Dakota poured herself a glass of water, followed and stood in the patch of winter sunshine. Being locked inside didn’t give her much of a chance to catch up on her vitamin D allocation and she’d take any spare minute she could. Besides the fresh air was so much nicer than the smoldering fumes from the copper wires she was using to hold her angels together.
So far things were going well with her decorations. Orders were coming in on her website and she’d had to limit the number she would release otherwise there wouldn’t be enough time for her to work on the ones she needed for the tree. Dakota desperately wanted to win the competition one day and the next she didn’t care so long as she got to show off her designs.
Tiny wandered through the bushes. “Tiny, come back here.” The little black dog came back, her head down. “You can’t keep wandering off like that. Let’s go back to work.”
Head down, Dakota got back into soldering her angels together. Tiny lay by the doorway as if sitting there would make her owner notice how desperately she wished to be somewhere else.
*
“I’ll owe you if you do this for me.”
“I know exactly how you can repay me too if there’s any way you can make it happen.” Ryan went on to explain what he wanted in return for ditching his wife and children for a weekend to help Adam out.
Adam leaned back in his chair and stared at the passing traffic outside the office. “I’ll do the best I can but please, I beg of you, don’t tell anyone else I’ve done it. Dakota is under the pump trying to get her own inventory done for the gala night. I hate to put more pressure on her than I have to.”
“Totally understandable but I know how much the wife loves her stuff. She was so upset when Glitterz went quiet. If she knew what you’ve just told me about her starting up again, she’d be over the moon.” Ryan chuckled. “Look, do your best but don’t worry if you can’t. We can work it out somehow. Maybe later when Dakota has had time to catch up she might have time to make the wife something special. I hate to put pressure on anyone.”
“So that means you’ll come then?” Things were working out better than he hoped.
“Sure. The kids will survive if I opt out of one organized campout. Who knows, I might like Cherry Lake so much I can bring them there for a holiday? I’ll tell them I’m doing a discovery tour for next off season.”
“Appreciate it, Ryan. It’s going to be such a great day with you there. I can feel it.” Adam hung up the phone and ticked the goalie off his list. Now if he could only get at least one more player to promise to join them, it would be a fantastic day.
By the time he’d spoken to all of his teammates and caught up on news, Adam felt as though he’d talked himself hoarse. It’d only been a few weeks since he’d come home but it seemed like so much had happened with the other members of his team. They all wanted to hear how his father was doing and couldn’t wait for him to return.
He rocked back and forward in his chair, thinking about what he’d said to Buzz last night about retiring. After his years of being in the limelight, would it be enough for him to only work part time reporting on the sport rather than playing it? He was a far different person now to the boy who first started playing professional soccer.
Somehow he’d imagined doing something with the media that involved sports after retirement. Plenty of elite sports people did. But would that give him the thrill that discovering new talent would? Was it possible to do both? He wondered if he should have kept his idea to himself and thought over the idea of retiring once he’d seen the doctors. Nothing like jumping the gun with his career and his love life but it felt right at the time.
Chapter Twelve
Dakota soldered the wings on another glass angel, put down her stinking hot iron and leaned back, heels of her hands pressed into her eye sockets. Her eyes were dry and gritty, painful to keep open for much longer. She’d been at this for hours without a break but the schedule she’d drawn up for herself had to be heavy if she wanted to have any chance of making this tree a winner.
“I need a coffee, a huge slice of cake and some fresh air before I fall asleep.” She slid off her stool and plodded out to the kitchen, blinking rapidly in a vain attempt to get moisture back into her eyes. Once she had coffee in one hand, cake in the other, Dakota walked out the front door with Tiny at her heels and padded over the road to the lake’s shoreline.
She stood with her feet in the sand, eyes closed and breathed in the fresh air. Dakota had taken on a lot by putting her name in the ballot for the tree when she was busy trying to rebuild her
business but she couldn’t help herself. She was desperate to belong, to fit into the town.
“Hey.” Cory came running up to her and skidded to a halt on the sandy shore, dropping to his knees. Tiny pranced up to him, her tail wagging. “Hello cute thing.” He cuddled the poodle letting her jump up and lick his chin, much to her obvious delight.
“Hi, Cory. Finished school already?” Dakota hadn’t even glanced at her watch today.
“Yeah. No homework either ’cause the holidays are almost here so it’s a good day.” He picked up a twig and shredded the bark off of it then tossed it toward the water’s edge for Tiny to retrieve.
Dakota could see he was warming up to say something so she kept silent and waited.
“Can I ask you a favor?” He glanced up at her with pleading eyes.
“Sure.” Dakota crouched down on the ground, then eased her butt back onto the sand so they were at eye level. “What can I do to help?”
“I want you to try and talk Adam into keeping his promise.” He picked up another small piece of branch, repeated the bark stripping process and dragged the twig in a pattern in the sand.
“I’m not sure I can do more than I’ve already done, Cory. We did have a conversation about it the other night and he said he was going to fix it. Has Coach heard anything?”
“If he has, he hasn’t told us.” He sighed and Dakota wanted to put her arm around his shoulders, hug him tight but being a teenager he might not appreciate it. Instead she reached out and patted his knee.
“Don’t give up yet, Cory. Adam is busy and with his father being sick and all, things might take just a little bit longer. I’m sure he won’t let you down. In fact, I have great faith in him and I know he’ll do the right thing when he can.”
They both looked up as a car came down the lane. Adam parked by Dakota’s gate, got out, walked down the edge of the road and onto the beach. “Hello. I was hoping I’d find you here, Cory.” He smiled at Dakota and she melted just a little. “I wanted to have a talk with you about the coaching clinic and my teammates.”
“It doesn’t matter.” The slump of Cory’s shoulders proved that it did. “I get that you have other more important things to do.”
“No. I made you a promise and I’m going to come good on that. I’d hate for you to think you don’t matter, because you do.” Adam crouched down beside Cory, placed a hand on his back. “But first I want to apologize. My father often mentioned it would be a good idea to come back to Cherry Lake and spend some time with the kids here and I agree, it was a great idea. I was always too busy and didn’t bother to change my schedule to fit in, which is something I should have done. It wasn’t very nice of me considering all the help that Coach Miller gave me.”
Cory screwed up his lips but didn’t say anything.
“I’m hoping you’ll give me a chance to rectify that. I’ll understand if you won’t, of course. But I wanted you to know I feel terrible about the way I’ve handled it and I want to make amends.” He gave Dakota a lightning quick smile. “I’m sorry, Cory. Really sorry I let you down like this.”
Wonder came into Cory’s eyes. He had the power to bring an adult down, make them feel as rejected as he’d been. Dakota could see his mind tossing over the options. “What if I don’t?”
Adam kept a straight face and glanced at Dakota again. She wasn’t so good at hiding her thoughts and turned away lest the smile on her lips got noticed and ruined his chance at redemption.
“Well, I guess I have to keep feeling like a heel for letting you down. I could live with it eventually if I have to but I think that maybe sooner rather than later, I’m going to get sick of not being a good guy. Let’s face it, nobody wants to be thought badly of and I do have some other interesting news.”
Cory continued to stroke Tiny’s ears as he thought over the proposition. Finally, he couldn’t hold in his interest any longer. “What news?”
“I spoke to Buzz Wallace last night.”
Cory bolted upright. “Buzz Wallace, the striker? That Buzz Wallace?” His mouth hung open.
“Yep, that one. He wanted to come and visit but his family has something on and he can’t get away. He doesn’t want to let his mom down after all she’s done. Said he’d sign some shirts for the team if you’ll let him take a raincheck on it. You see, he really wants to come to Cherry Lake and watch you guys training one day.”
Dakota’s heart pattered wildly. Adam was going all out to try and make it up to Cory and for that she was giving him top marks.
“Are you kidding me?” Cory knelt up and stared at Adam.
“No. Dead serious. Scout’s honor.”
Cory waved his arms, the words sticking in his throat. “Oh my goodness. The guys will go nuts when I tell them.” He paused, eyed off Adam. “I can tell them, right?”
“Sure. But there’s more.” Adam now sported a grin from ear to ear. Such a difference to the man who was crying about his future just the other day.
“Our goalie, Ryan, said he can come for a day’s clinic if, and only if, you and I can call it even.” He smiled at Dakota and her heart melted even more. “You have no idea what it’s cost me to talk him into doing this. I’m going to be owing him favors for years but I have the feeling it’ll be worth it.”
“Deal! You’re the best soccer player in the world.” He looked ready to burst into tears and threw himself into Adam’s arms, knocking him back on the sand. “Thank you so much.” His words were muffled but they both heard him regardless.
Dakota had to swallow to keep the emotion in check but her eyes filled no matter how hard she tried to fight it.
Cory pulled away, composed himself and straightened his shirt. “Can I go and tell Dad?”
Adam lifted himself up from the sand, rested on his elbows. “Sure you can and tell Coach Miller too. Tell him I’ll call him and confirm the date later today but it will be before Christmas breakup.”
Cory waved and scurried down the road, doing a launch into the air with a fist pump and a roar of triumph on the way. They watched in silence until he turned into his grandfather’s house. The door slammed and Cory’s muffled voice reached their ears.
“That was very sweet of you, Adam.” She wrapped her arms around her waist and turned her head to look out over Flathead Lake. Her hair blew into her face and when she turned back she pulled it back, tucked it behind her ears.
“You told me to go and make it right. I think I’ve done that.” He moved closer to her, his eyes on her face.
“Yeah, I’d say so. What did it actually cost you?” For an instant, Dakota wished she hadn’t asked.
“That’s one thing I need your help with and I’m going to say sorry up front because I know what this is going to do to your already busy schedule.” His earlier smile had now turned sheepish and she waited for the bomb to drop. It couldn’t be good after that comment. “I know Ryan likes your work. He’s bought pieces for his wife and I might have told him about the decorations you gave me.” Adam bit his bottom lip and watched her.
“And?”
“He asked if I could get you to make him some icicles for their tree. His wife would be over the moon if you could. And,” he winced, “so would I because it would mean I could give the kids exactly what they want.”
Her jaw muscles clenched her teeth together involuntary, almost biting her tongue. It took a moment or two to relax enough to talk. “Do you have any idea how much work I have going on right now trying to do my own decorations for my own tree? To say nothing of the orders from my website or the amount of pieces Rachel has asked for.”
He grinned at her with a boyish exuberance. “Yeah, I know.”
“And the things I have to help my sister with for the gala night. How will I manage that?”
“I can help you there. The office isn’t that busy right now this close to Christmas and I kind of like the idea of looking after you.”
“But it won’t be any good if you’re going to wander off doing other things and leave me
hanging.” This was all too much. Just managing her own list of must haves was going to be stretching every waking moment.
“I only have to go to see the team doctor. In and out in one day, two tops. We can work around that.” He reached for her hand. “Come on, friend. Help a guy out here, please. We can’t have the kids thinking badly of me. I don’t want to be dubbed the Christmas Grinch and I’m doing my best here just like you suggested.” He smiled at her. “But I need help from a friend.”
Dakota warred with herself mentally but she knew she was doomed as soon as the smile deepened and she saw his dimples for the first time. It occurred to her that she’d never seen Adam so content before either. How very unusual for a man possibly facing ill health and the end of his career. He must have come to terms with his lot in life and for that she was grateful. She knew how hard it was to drag yourself out of the dumps when life stacked so many obstacles in the way.
“You make it very hard to say no. But,” she wagged her finger at him, “I’m not letting you get away quite so easily. It takes hours to make each piece and you adding to it isn’t really viable right now. To make up for the extra hours, I’m going to have to cut back on other things, like sleeping and eating.”
“I can’t help with the sleeping, but I can help with the eating if you’d let me arrange something.”
“You can cook?” Obviously the man had many talents.
“Of course I can.” His frown told her how offended he was at her words of doubt. “I pride myself on my kitchen skills. You can ask my mother if you like, she taught me most of what I know.”
“Really? If you like you can arrange a couple of meals to be delivered, I won’t expect you to slave over my stove. And I’ll take anything so long as I don’t have to cook it. I have far too many angels to make to be fussy over what I eat.”
“Leave it with me. You go create your masterpieces and I’ll take care of kitchen duties for the next couple of nights and we can see how we go from there. If you need me to cook until gala night, I will. Deal?”
The Moore Sisters of Montana: The Complete Series Box Set: Books 1-4 Page 9