“Perfect.” He turned back to the rink to watch as Josh again took the puck down the ice, heading for the goal. “C’mon, Josh!”
The kid slapped it into the net, just past the outstretched glove of the goalie.
“Yes!” Cole pumped his fist.
Next to him, Darek laughed. Cole glanced at him. The man was shaking his head.
“What?”
“Nothing. Just…are you sure you’re not staying?”
He was going to see her spying on him, Megan just knew it.
But what did he expect? Somehow, the man had the power to enter a space and command all attention to himself. At least, her attention. Just by standing there. Looking good in his hiking boots and jeans, a heavy navy jacket, the collar snugged up around his neck and a blue beanie on his head. And from her vantage point in the warming house, she could see Josh skate past him and give him a little wave.
Oh boy.
He looked so serious standing at the edge of the ice. What was he talking to Darek about?
“Um, hello?” Ivy nudged her.
“What?”
“You didn’t hear anything I just said, did you?”
“I, uh…”
“Yeah.” Ivy leaned forward and looked out the window. “I see where you’re looking. Is that him with Darek?”
Megan swallowed, turned back to the game. “Who?”
“Nice try, Megs. Nice try. You’ve watched more of their conversation than the scrimmage. So, that’s Cole Barrett, Army Ranger and all-around hottie?” Her green eyes sparkled.
Megan’s flush warmed her face. “Stop that. And, I have not. I’ve been listening to you and watching the game.”
Ivy folded her arms and gave her a look. “Repeat one thing I said to you over the last two minutes.”
Megan wrinkled her nose. “Okay. Fine. I have no idea what you just said.”
“I can see why you’re preoccupied.” Ivy shot her a sly smile.
“Stop. There’s nothing happening.” Nope. Not at all.
“How did the crazy wedding schedule go on Monday? Did he pan out as your new assistant?”
Megan took another look at him at the end of the stands. He was still deep in conversation with Darek. “He did great, actually. He really came through for me—in fact, because of him, I made an extra thousand dollars.” The team gathered on the center of the ice and she zipped up her coat. “He was a bit of a superhero.”
“That’s fantastic!” Ivy turned to her daughter, Joy, who sat at the back of the room. “Time to start packing up your books.” She faced Megan again. “Has he changed much? Since you were kids?”
“Yes and no.”
“Taller, darker, more handsome?” Ivy waggled her brows.
“Stop.”
“I saw him cheering for Josh a little bit ago. And did you see Josh’s face?”
She had. The smile had both lifted her heart and torn it a little. “Yeah. Josh seems to be getting a little attached to him.” Too fast.
“So, would you ever consider it?” Ivy gave a nod toward Cole. “Could you fall in love again?”
“The last thing I need is to fall for him. He’s made it clear he’s selling the house and getting out of town. Really, we’re just in the way. And I don’t want Josh too involved either. I won’t risk him getting hurt.”
“You’re in the business of happy endings.”
“This is the best ending I’m going to get. And that’s okay. I’m all right with it.”
Ivy glanced at Joy and lowered her voice. “What about Josh?”
“I don’t know how to protect him. How to keep him from getting hurt. I keep reminding him that Cole isn’t staying and he says he knows, but then, it seems like he doesn’t. I know how hard it is to impress Josh. He’s been hurt so many times.” She wrung her hands together. “But I can tell—I can see it on his face. He already looks up to Cole like he’s a hero.”
“He kind of is.”
Joy tugged a bag of apple slices out of the tote bag. “I’m going to go outside.”
Ivy nodded to Joy. “Okay, Dad’s still out there.” Joy exited the warming house and Ivy placed a hand on Megan’s knee. “You want to protect him from hurt. I get that.” She paused. “But you also don’t want to raise him up to be a man afraid to love because he’s afraid it will hurt too much.”
Right. Because then she’d have exactly what was in front of her. Cole. A man on the move. On a mission.
Although admittedly, a part of her would like to know about this woman who had stepped out on him. Her heart had certainly broken a little for Cole, wanting to find his ex and tell her exactly how she’d messed up.
Maybe. But then he might have never come home.
Oops. Not home. Back to Deep Haven.
“So,” Megan said, “it’s better for Josh to get a broken heart now? To learn he can survive it?”
“Who says it has to end with a broken heart? What if it could be something special? What if it’s God’s plan?”
Megan swallowed. She’d botched God’s plan in college.
Ivy picked up her buzzing phone to read a text. “Awesome! They just did the final counting for the fundraising efforts. The team’s raised enough money to go to Minneapolis for the tournament.”
“That’s great news! Josh has had his heart set on it.”
Outside, Coach Williams blew the whistle and the team began clearing the ice.
“Tiger’s really enjoying being a junior coach.”
“By the way, Josh raved about their snowmobile ride.” She still wasn’t thrilled with that little adventure, but he’d been just fine. Tiger knew the trails well.
“They had a great time. Tiger adores being a big brother to Joy, but he likes time with the boys too.”
The players piled off the ice.
“We’d better make room for the boys.” Ivy pulled her hat on over her red hair before she handed Megan her own.
“Thanks.” Megan held the door for the team and then followed Ivy out, the snow crunching beneath them as they walked along the length of the rink toward the parking lot.
“Hey, I almost forgot!” Ivy grabbed Megan’s arm. “Grace’s husband, Max, used to play with the Blue Ox, and one of their friends—a current player—has had a bit of a wedding plan catastrophe. They’re hoping you might be able to help.”
“What happened?”
“There was a mix-up with their wedding venue when the company changed scheduling systems and they ended up double-booking them. They’re in a pinch to relocate because their families have already bought their plane tickets to Duluth. Because it was their coordinator’s own lodge, she’s now dealing with all the fallout, so they’re needing to completely shift gears. They need a coordinator, a venue, a caterer—everything. The only thing they do have is the date.”
“When it is?”
“The second Saturday in February.”
Megan pulled her phone from her pocket and scrolled through her phone calendar. “Bummer. There’s no way. I already have a wedding that day. Hannah Swanson and Erik Klein—they’re my older couple.”
“Older couple?”
“Yes, marrying their high school sweetheart after all these decades. High school! And they’re both retired. Can you imagine?”
“That is amazing.” Ivy clasped her hands together. “But, if you could do it, Cameron said they’ll make sure you get listed with the North Woods Premier Wedding Planners.”
“What?”
“I know! Can you imagine, Megan? That would be a coup! They want an über-private, upscale venue for about sixty guests. Are you sure you can’t figure it out?”
Having to say no made her feel a little sick. She’d dreamed of being listed with Premier Wedding Planners, but only the most sought out and elite ever made it.
Darek and Cole came around the end of the rink toward them.
“Hi,” Cole said. “Sorry to bother you. I need to get the garage key to access the fuse box.”
“Hi,�
�� Megan answered. “Sure. Everything okay?”
Before he could answer, Josh came running up, his cheeks flushed. “Hey, Cole, did you see my snap shot?” He rubbed a towel across his face and shoved it into his gear bag.
“I did, Blades. That was pretty awesome.” Cole held up his hand and Josh slapped it with a high five.
Blades?
“I taught him that,” Tiger said, joining the group.
“I believe it.” Darek held out a fist bump to Tiger. “You’ve always had the knack to get it in just the right spot.” He turned to Ivy. “Ready to go?”
“Almost,” Ivy said to Darek and turned back to Megan. “So, you’re sure you can’t do that wedding? I’ll need to let Cameron know.”
Aw, she hated turning down an opportunity. “I’m really sorry. I can’t make both weddings work that day.”
“What wedding?” Cole asked. In his jeans, work boots, and jacket, he looked like a local. Except none of the other locals made her heart do that annoying skip thing.
“One of the Blue Ox players has to switch up his wedding plans last minute and they were hoping Megan could do it. Their star center, Cameron Crawford, and his fiancée, Mariah Lee. Everyone else is booked. But it could land Megan on the Premier Wedding Planners list.”
“Cameron Crawford?” His eyes held admiration and surprise. He turned to her. “Why can’t you take it?”
“I’m already booked that day too.”
“What if I help again?”
She stared at him. “Are you my new assistant?”
He smiled, something slow and devastating. “Yes, ma’am. You need the money, right?”
She lowered her voice. “I can’t pay you.”
“I did thoroughly enjoy the fresh scones you left this morning. And you have to admit, I did rock the Berg-Thomas wedding.”
Ivy leaned in, clearly listening. “You did say he rocked it. Actually, you said he was a superhe—”
“Stop.” Megan held up her hand to Ivy and gave her the don’t-say-another-word look.
A sly grin curved the corners of Cole’s lips as he turned to Ivy. “She’ll do it.”
“Hey! You can’t just show up here and make commitments for me.”
“It’s Cameron Crawford. Are you kidding me? Mae, you seem to struggle with what to say yes to and what to say no to. I’m here to help. This is a definite yes.”
She turned to him, exasperation threading her words. “Where would we even hold this wedding? A private, indoor venue, big enough for over sixty people? There’s nothing like that available.”
Darek leaned against the rink fence. “When Ivy mentioned it this morning, I checked with Jensen Atwood. Guests could stay at Evergreen and you could hold the ceremony at Jensen’s Pine Acres Resort. Claire and Jensen aren’t living there right now.”
“That’s a great idea,” Ivy said. “That would be beautiful.” She turned to Megan. “It has enormous floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto Evergreen Lake. And the guest list isn’t massive. They want it to be a private, intimate setting. Pine Acres would be perfect.”
“And it’s already available?”
“Yes. And Claire said she can do the flowers,” Ivy added.
“Is there anything left for a coordinator to do? Or do I just need to show up, point them down the aisle, and collect the check?”
“There’s plenty more to do. I mean, this is a celebrity wedding. You’ve heard about how celebrities always have those eccentric ideas. But you’ll do it?” Ivy raised a brow.
“I really don’t know—”
“Yes. We’ll do it,” Cole answered.
“Wait.” Megan held out a hand. “You can’t say I’ll do it.”
He turned to her, and now his voice softened. “You can do this, Megan.” And if the way he used those blue eyes against her wasn’t bad enough, he added, “We can do this.”
“Excellent.” Ivy crossed her arms like she’d rested a case she knew was a win.
Megan may have just doomed her business, agreeing to a wedding without even having an adequate venue set up. What if Pine Acres wouldn’t work for what they wanted?
“You said you need access to the fuse box?” Megan turned back to Cole.
“Yes, ma’am. My basement is flooded.”
“That’s terrible!” She started pulling her garage key from the ring and turned to Ivy. “Can we get going? Apparently, I have a new wedding to work on.”
“Sure.” Ivy looked to Darek as Tiger slung his gear bag over his shoulder. “Are you guys ready?”
“I need to run down and make sure Coach Williams doesn’t need any help getting things put away, then I’ll meet you at the car and we can drop Megan and Josh off,” Darek said.
“You didn’t drive?” Cole asked Megan.
“No, we rode with Ivy. I had to drop my car off for an oil change.”
“You can ride with me.”
“You’re sure it isn’t any trouble?”
Cole stared at her. “Is it any trouble to drive back to my own house with two extra passengers?” He smiled. Something friendly and kind and maybe even a little sweet. “No, ma’am. No trouble.”
Trouble. He was the trouble. Because, just like when they were kids, his smile had the power to make her knees go a little soft. Cloud her judgment. But it was far worse now because she was a grown woman who knew better.
She climbed into his Jeep while Josh threw his gear in back, then climbed in behind Cole.
It felt way too much like a family headed home from a game. And it had to stop.
When they arrived home, she handed Josh the keys. “I’ll be in soon.”
Josh bailed from the car and headed inside with his gear.
Cole raised a brow. “Is this where you yell at me for accepting the job on your behalf so you can pay for that bed and breakfast you’ve got your heart set on?”
“I’m not going to yell at you.” She took a deep breath, bolstered herself. “Every summer, I always looked forward to you coming. And then, when you moved here—under the worst of circumstances, I know—but that year, your friendship…” She swallowed. “You saved me from so many things that year. It was so hard at home with Lillian, but I had your company to look forward to. And then…you left.” She blinked back stupid tears, cleared her throat. “It took me a long time to get over your leaving. I sent you letters and you’d promised you’d write. Promised you’d come back. And you didn’t. I don’t want to count on you and then go through that again.”
He stared at her, quiet, his expression a little stripped. Maybe that was way too much. Maybe she’d read into this and—
“I’m sorry, Megan,” he said quietly. “I couldn’t face you. Didn’t know what to write. I was embarrassed and confused.” He turned away, his hands on the steering wheel, looking at his grandfather’s house. “And I didn’t understand all the ramifications of going into foster care. How fast and how far they’d move me. And maybe I couldn’t quite shake the feeling that I was to blame.” He got out of the Jeep.
Megan slid from her seat. “How could you possibly be to blame?” She followed him into the lower level of the garage and pointed to the far wall where the utility panel was just barely visible behind storage. He began moving the boxes that blocked it.
He lifted a box and carried it to the other side of the open bay, set it on the floor. “The day my parents died, I should have been with them. Instead, I stayed in bed. Tired from being out with friends the night before.” His friends had begged him to join them for the last football game of the season. “I didn’t even say goodbye when they left for church. My mom—” He shook his head, lifted another box, and Megan took it from his hands. “My mom called up to me that they’d be home later. And I—” He swallowed. “I rolled over and went back to sleep.”
He put his head down and kept moving boxes.
Megan set the box down and grabbed another one. “That doesn’t make it your fault, Cole.” She put down her box and placed a hand on his arm
. “You were a child. What could you have done?”
“I could have been with them.” He looked away, kept working. Box after box. “Who knows? Maybe I could have seen the oncoming car. Or pulled them out before the fire—” He ran his hands through his hair, closed his eyes for a moment before continuing. “I even ignored the knocks on the door at first. They persisted, so I threw on a T-shirt, went downstairs, irritated. Two police officers, their faces grim. And I knew. I knew something was terribly wrong.”
His words scooped her out, left her hollow, aching. She swiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, covered her mouth with her hand to stop the cries of her heart.
“And then, when I arrived here, I knew Grandpa would make it okay, somehow.” He shook his head. “I longed for something familiar. The man who’d take me fishing and tell me about honor and duty. Sacrifice.” He shook his head. “I needed him more than ever, but something had changed.”
“Was he already drinking?”
“I think so. But it wasn’t obvious at first. You know, a slow fade. I know he’d turned to drinking after Vietnam. It was the reason my dad never drank. But Grandpa hadn’t touched alcohol in decades. Not in my lifetime, up to that point.” He shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe he started again after Grandma died.” He tossed a bag of potting soil across the garage. “The more he drank, the worse it got.”
“He hit you.” Megan closed her eyes, the words nearly strangling her.
Cole nodded. “The first time, I wouldn’t admit it to myself. A shove, into the hutch cabinet.” He picked up a shovel from the mass of tools lined against the wall behind the boxes they’d cleared. Tossed it onto the pile of debris. “An accident, right? The second time, when his palm smacked me across the face, I convinced myself I must have deserved it. I mean, why would the man I looked up to hurt me?” He picked up a rake. “But, the third time, when he punched me—”
Cole hurled the rake across the garage. It landed with a crash, knocking over several boxes from the stack and sending debris flying. “That’s when I knew the man I loved was gone. I was all alone.” He turned, the look in his eyes brutally raw. “Except for you.” His words sliced through her. “I didn’t have my grandpa the year my parents died, but I had you.”
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