Champion (Heartland Heroes #4)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

G irl, he’s never going to ask you out. You need to ask him first. My brother is way too hardheaded for his own good. I know you’ve seen that by now.” Beth pauses, wiping her mouth with her napkin.

“I don’t know, Beth. He only sees me as his employee.” I sigh and shake my head. “It seemed like a good plan, but I haven’t seen even a flicker of interest.” I can’t hide my disappointment. Beth and Shelly assured me that being around Champ would get him to notice me. “I’m not sure this matchmaking is working.”

“Give it time, Opal,” Beth advises. “I know how you feel about him. Lord knows what you see in that stubborn brother of mine, but if you see it, it’s worth fighting for.”

I smile and nod. Champ isn’t like any man I’ve dated in the past. My friends are all crashing through life and enjoying dating strings of men, but that’s not what I want. I want a man who’s stable and kind. Champ may be a little older than me, but he draws me to him like the strongest magnet on earth—I just want to be with him.

Champ has his life together, but it’s more than that. Every time I see him, he radiates goodness. There’s no denying he’s intense and can be a complete grump, but even that is sexy. He makes me feel safe. It’s not that I’ve had an unstable life, but he protects those he loves and is a rock of reliability.

“You should ask him out,” Beth says, interrupting my thoughts. “He’s dense enough to miss what’s right in front of his face. And don’t let him feed you some bull line about him not dating. He may act like a monk, but I know he’s not happy. That’s why your sister and I got this idea. You’re crushing on him, and he needs a woman. His needing a second bookkeeper for the new gym was the icing on the cake, giving you a way to spend time together and get to know each other.”

“Then what do you suggest I do? I can’t just ask him to dinner and a movie.” I motion to the waitress to bring our check. I’d love to spend the afternoon with her, but this lunch is all we have time for. She has to get back to the bank and I’m due back at the gym here in Raytown.

“Yeah, you’re right that you can’t be that direct. Invite him to something else. Oh! I have it!” Beth lifts a napkin and wipes her mouth. “Invite him to the chili cook-off this weekend.”

“I thought we were going to that?” I tilt my head. We’ve been planning to go for weeks because my friend, Rebecca, has entered the competition, and we want to support her.

“No. I’ll tell a fib and say I can’t go. Then you can invite him because you’ll have an extra ticket. It’s perfect! He already supports Warrior Cares, so the cook-off benefit will be a draw for him. ”

I consider Beth’s suggestion. She has a point. Champ is a vet and big on community. A flicker of hope rises in me. “That may work.” I push my doubts aside and smile.

“But we should stage it,” Beth adds quickly. “I’ll call you Friday afternoon, so it’ll seem like a last-minute cancellation from me. I’ll say I’m not feeling up to it or something.”

“Won’t he get worried if you say you’re not feeling well?”

“I doubt it. If he asks, I’ll say I’m having bad cramps or whatever. Dirk doesn’t have a fight coming up, so he can pamper me.” Beth’s smile is filled with confidence in her plan.

A thread of optimism pulls at me. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

I stand in the doorway of my office, scanning the gym for Champ. Finally spotting him, I wave him over to the office. “I need to talk to you!” I have a printout of this week's bank transactions, which he needs to explain.

“Yeah, Opal. What do you need?” Champ drapes a towel around his neck.

I have to focus on not staring at the popping muscles in his arms. “Champ, what are these cash withdrawals? I need to know so I can reconcile them properly.”

He stares at me blankly. I sigh and hand him a printout of the bank statement. “You’ve taken out nearly four-thousand dollars. I need to know what you’re using it for.”

“They're expenses,” he barks as if that explains everything. Champ crosses his muscular arms over his chest, his body tense .

“That doesn't help. What are you using this money for ?”

Champ stares at me, but his dark brown eyes reveal nothing. “Stuff.”

“What stuff?” I ask, exasperated. It shouldn’t be that hard to say what this money is for.

“None of your business.”

Champ turns and walks away, leaving me stunned as I watch him get back in the ring with Dirk. He’s gruff, but he’s always been open and honest with me. Why doesn’t he understand that it is my business if he expects me to be his bookkeeper?

By the time Friday rolls around, I’m convinced this matchmaking thing is a terrible idea, and nothing will ever happen. Ever since I asked Champ about the cash withdrawals, he's been avoiding me. I'm too tired to keep playing a game like this. Between school and work, and the days I have to come here from Jefferson, I'm exhausted. Moving to Jefferson to be closer to school was supposed to reduce my commute time.

Beth keeps telling me I need to take the initiative with Champ, but he's holding back, not to mention he’s my boss. I don't get any encouragement or warmth to suggest he may be interested.

“You're probably overthinking things,” I tell myself. But it's hard not to. I'm attracted to Champ in a way I've never been attracted to any other man. I love being around him, even if we’re not talking .

But I also know that if a man's not going to pay attention to me, then it's a fool's game to keep pining after him. I figure that once Shelly has everything set up at the new gym, I'll transfer over there, and then I won't have to see Champ very often. This job is good for my resume, and I'm getting college credit for it. But I remind myself this is a job, first and foremost, regardless of Beth and Shelly trying to set me up with Champ.

My phone buzzes with a text message, and I know what I’m going to see when I pick it up.

Sorry, I can't make it tonight. Beth writes.My stomach hasn't been feeling great, so I'm going to have a quiet night in. I hope Rebecca wins the chili cook-off!

That's a bummer. I hope you feel better soon! I text back.

I put my phone face down on my desk, and butterflies fill my stomach when I see Champ watching me from across the gym.Every time I convince myself I need to ignore how I feel around Champ, it all goes out the window when he looks at me.

Calm down, Opal . I tell myself.

I return my focus to the pile of invoices next to me and make sure they’re taken care of before my shift ends. Champ always says I can head out when I’m finished instead of sitting around when there’s nothing to do. If nothing else, tonight is Friday, and I’d rather go and hang out with Rebecca than stay here at the gym.

“Hey, Opal. You doing okay in here? You've been quiet.” I startle as Champ fills the doorway.

“Oh, I'm okay. Beth was supposed to go with me to the chili cook-off tonight. You know, the one to benefit Warrior Cares? She said she wasn't feeling well.”

“Is she okay?” he asks, concern filling his face.

“Oh, um, lady stuff.”I glance away, suddenly awkward. I don’t like lying and hadn’t considered that I would be the one sharing Beth’s white lie.

Champ nods but doesn’t leave the office. “Look. I’m sorry I was short with you the other day. I didn’t mean to be rude about the cash withdrawals. Can you just put it under something personal?”

“Like personal expenses? I still need receipts.”

Champ frowns. “I’ll see what I can do.”

I look at him for a long moment, a surge of bravery filling me. “Hey. You don’t have to say yes, but with Beth staying home tonight, I now have an extra ticket for the chili cook-off. Would you like to join me?”

Champ blinks and looks at me in surprise. “Opal, that’s a kind offer, but I think I’ll pass.”

“Are you sure?” I ask, pressing on. “My friend, Rebecca, is competing with her grandfather’s secret recipe. It’s delicious.” I smile, hoping Champ will change his mind.

He gives me a long look, but his face doesn’t reveal his thoughts.”I may consider it,” he finally says.

His expression softens as he looks at me, but I don’t know if it’s my kindness in offering him a ticket or if he’s letting his guard down and maybe I have a chance with him.

“Okay, well, I'm going to leave the ticket here on the desk, so if you change your mind, come and find me.”

Champ nods and watches me prop the ticket against the base of the new computer monitor before returning to the gym floor.

It always seems like I watch him walk away from me.

I chide myself for being dramatic, but I can’t help how I react to Champ. While it’s great to be close to him when I’m filling in for Shelly, it’s also torture when he has such high walls around him. At first, I thought working in the Jefferson gym when it opens would be worse, but now I think it’ll be a blessing. Who wants to be around someone who resists them?

Get it together, Opal.

My brother would kill me if he knew how I felt about Champ, but it’s none of his business. Champ would have kittens if he knew who my brother was. It’s something I plan on keeping secret for as long as possible.