Chapter 1 #2
Intrusive thoughts were a real bitch as a mother, and I refused to become a bloody popsicle during a secret skating session after hours for the maintenance crew to find in the morning.
That was a headline I was not interested in being part of.
After two laps, I forced myself to try bending my legs, folding at the waist to get some momentum up as I skated. It felt awkward and worse than dancing with two left feet, but I pushed on.
“You’re going to pull something in your back skating like that.” A deep voice called out from behind me, and I screamed in surprise, whipping my head around to see who had snuck in.
Of course, the momentum of turning around competed with my momentum forward, and my two left feet went in opposite directions, and my tailbone was the next thing to hit the ice.
“Fuck.” I groaned, rolling onto my stomach and holding my ass as I pushed my forehead into the ice, begging the surface to melt and swallow me whole. “Ow, ow, ow.”
“I’m sorry.” The gruff voice called, getting closer, and I looked up as Travis ran across the ice effortlessly, wearing his tan work boots instead of skates and still made it look like it was the easiest thing ever. “Shit, stay still.”
“Ow.” I hissed for dramatic effect before trying to get up onto my knees to get off the wet surface. My clothes stuck to me from the short time star-fishing across the ice, and my palms burned where I braced them.
“Hey,” Travis came to a sliding stop, getting on his knees in front of me. “Hang on.”
“I’m fine.” I bit out, gritting my teeth as my cheeks turned red, making everything else far worse. “It’s okay.”
I tried to stand up, stupidly I might add, since I wasn’t holding onto the wall, and my feet flailed out from under me, almost like I was—on ice.
My embarrassment bloomed so bright my stomach cramped from it before Travis reached out and put both of his massive hands on my upper arms, stabilizing and then lifting me by them like it was once again, fucking effortless.
Men with natural-born muscles and abilities pissed me off.
Especially when I was sexually attracted to them and it made me even more uncomfortable and awkward.
“You got it?” He asked, keeping his hands next to my arms but not actually touching me as I got my bearings.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I already said that.” I blew my bangs out of my face and breathed through the pain radiating up my ass crack to my teeth.
“What are you doing out here?” Travis asked, dropping his hands and crossing them over his wide chest. “Because I know you’re not planning to try out for the Net Crashers.”
“God, no,” I grunted and shook off the idea like it was repulsive. “And it’s also none of your business.”
His eyes widened slightly with the raise of his dark, brutal eyebrows and then relaxed. The stupidly attractive ball cap he always wore just made the darkness of his stare, shrouded in shadows, that much hotter. “Fine. Keep it to yourself, just like everything else.”
Travis turned away from me and walked back towards the boards, and my shoulders sank for being so mean to him. He didn’t deserve that, not really.
I didn’t remember Travis from when I was growing up; he was a few years older than me and didn’t hang around with younger kids. But when I moved back, he was always around somehow. Living his mostly silent, and to himself life, yet at the same time he was part of everything in town.
His construction company was one of the best-known names in town, his men were on site at every project going on. And the homes he built, God. Talk about dreamy.
His parents still owned the truck dealership on the edge of town, and everyone local bought their vehicles there. Some even traveled back to Cedar Bluff for them, bypassing anyone else for the honest Hayes Family Dealership. And then there was the rink I worked at.
He worked on the Zamboni and other miscellaneous machines, keeping the place afloat, he played for the Net Crashers, and he coached various hockey clinics in his free time.
Travis Hayes was like a steady and strong fixture in the community. And one of the most loyal people I’d ever met, even if I avoided him because of my stupid little crush.
“I’m trying to learn how to skate.” I called out, surprising myself and grimacing when he turned to look at me over his shoulder. “For Emmie.”
Turning to face me again, he slowly started walking back. “For her hockey team?”
For some reason, the fact that he knew my daughter was on a hockey team made my stomach flutter.
With my cheeks ablaze, I nodded and tucked my hands in my flannel sleeves.
I really needed to remember gloves the next time.
“Parents are supposed to go out on the ice with them at practice, to help, but I can’t.
And I’m failing her because I can’t help her.
None of the coaches will help her. They just ignore her the whole time. ”
His jaw tightened slightly as he came to a stop. “What about her dad?”
I barely refrained from rolling my eyes because the truth was, I didn’t want to talk about Danny with Travis. He wouldn’t understand.
“Not around.” I shrug, “It’s just me.”
He took a deep breath and looked out around the empty ice. “How long have you been doing this?” He glared at me again, “Using the ice alone at night, when no one else is around to help you if you get hurt?”
Rolling my eyes, I turned away from him as I tried to skate confidently. “A few weeks.”
“And that’s the best you’ve got?”
I glared at him as I circled him, and his face twitched a little, almost as if he wanted to smile, but stopped himself. “Not helpful.”
“Get off the ice.” He said curtly, walking away from me without another glance, and I stopped pushing, gliding to a stop.
“Excuse me?”
“Get off the ice.” He repeated, “It’s too damn late, I’m too tired to stick around and babysit you and I’m not willing to leave you alone here, bound to crack your head open and become a bloody popsicle.”
I brushed off the common thought we both had about my abilities and bristled at his tone instead. “No, thanks.”
Damn, that felt bratty.
And good.
“Frankie.” He snapped, glaring at me. “Get off the ice.”
“No.” I pushed off away from him, annoyed.
“Damnit.”
“Go home, Travis.” I argued, “I’m fine!”
“You’re not fine!” He said gruffly, closer to me than I expected him to be, and I shrieked when I sensed him right behind me a second before his body was in my path and then I was falling over his dropped shoulder.
“Damnit, Travis.” I screeched as he stood up, carrying me over his shoulder off the ice. “You’re a Neanderthal.”
“And you’re terrible at accepting help.”
“Help?” I cried, slamming my hand against his back and cursing as he adjusted me on his shoulder again, putting his hand on my upper thigh, precariously close to my no-no zone. “You’re not helping me! You’re bossing me around.”
“So I can help you!” He argued, tightening his hold on my thigh and making my body go haywire.
Why did I have to wear my skinny jeans? I could feel the heat of his hand right below my ass, and my mouth watered at the dominance in it.
“I can’t stay and help you tonight, but I can help you next week.
” He flipped me over his shoulder, and I landed on my feet with a huff.
“You—?” I stammer in confusion.
“Next week, after practice. I’ll help you.” Travis put his hands on his hips and stared at me. Even with my skates on, I barely came up to his chest.
“Why?” I squinted my eyes at him, waiting to figure out what his motive was. “Why would you do that?”
With a shrug, he backed up a step. “Because your daughter deserves to have someone out there on the ice with her.” He said, my shoulders deflated. Whether he meant it or not, that one sentence made me feel even guiltier.
“Gee, thanks.” I whispered as he walked away as if nothing had happened at all.