Rowdy Hearts (Devils Hockey #1)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

R owdy

“Listen up, ST-Double-Ds! Season starts tomorrow so what are we gonna do?”

“We’re gonna kick some ass!”

“And whose ass are we going to kick?”

“Deer Run Stags ass!”

The cheer went up from the other twenty-two members of the St. David Devils, loud enough to be heard over the blaring jukebox, the old-fashioned kind that played actual vinyl records.

Right now, it blasted Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train,” which had been the Double-Ds theme song since the first Devil skated onto the ice fifteen years ago.

“You bet your asses we are!” I shouted over Ozzy’s maniacal laughter and the deep bass pumping out of the speakers mounted in all four corners of the Tea Room, which did serve tea but sold a hell of a lot more beer on any given day. Especially the night before the Devils opening game of the season .

Like almost everything in St. David, first impressions were usually deceiving. Or just flat-out wrong.

Raising my glass over my head, I saluted my teammates then downed the rest of my soda, having reached my one-beer limit an hour ago. Around me, a motley crew of players, fans, and support staff filled the bar with raucous laughter and enough f-bombs to get us thrown out of our own game. Tonight was the night to let it all hang out and blow off some steam.

Tomorrow, the show started, and the real work began.

“Hey, old man. We keeping you up past your bedtime?”

Rebel smacked me on the shoulder hard enough to make my muscles groan. Not that I would ever admit it, especially not to my younger brother.

“Watch your back tomorrow night, Jedi.” My brother’s team nickname was both an insult and a compliment. “I’m just saying, it might not be the other team running you into the boards.”

Rebel laughed so hard I thought he might shoot beer out of his nose. “You know you can’t do that. Mama still knows how to use her wooden spoon.”

I couldn’t argue that, so I smacked my younger brother on the back of the head, just hard enough to sting. Rebel was just the slightest bit taller than me, which meant I could hit him just a little harder than I should. Because that was the unwritten rule of brothers.

In retaliation, Rebel elbowed me in the side, taking care not to hit me anywhere that could do damage. Fucking hell, I wasn’t that old.

“Boys. Save it for the game tomorrow.”

Colonel Reston Lawrence didn’t need to raise his voice to be heard over the jukebox. The old man’s normal speaking voice was just below a bellow. My spine snapped straight, an automatic response to my pop’s voice, which I immediately countered by shoving my hands in my pockets and slouching forward. Goddammit, I was thirty-fucking-years old, and he wasn’t my commanding officer. Or anyone’s commanding officer, since he’d retired nearly twenty years ago.

Rebel smirked at me before he grinned down at our dad.

“He started it, Pop.”

Pop and I exchanged a look before he put an arm around our shoulders and bear-hugged us. And damn, the man was still strong enough at seventy-two to make my bones creak.

“Save it for your mom, boys. She buys all your bullshit. I know better.”

Since it was true, I shrugged as he released us, watching with a grin as our dad purposely messed Rebel’s dark hair.

“There,” Pop said, “Now you look like a real hockey player.”

Rebel rolled his eyes, running his fingers through his perfectly cut hair, which annoyingly fell right back into place. The guy looked like he’d just stepped off a photo shoot for some fancy magazine. Hell, even tonight, at a bar in the middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania, he stood out in black slacks and a perfect white button down amid a sea of henleys and flannel shirts and cargo pants.

“I’m going for Lundquist, not Burns, Pop. Rowdy’s got that one covered.”

Couldn’t argue with that. My own brown hair brushed my shoulders and looked like it hadn’t been cut in months. Which it had. I just didn’t like it short. I hated having to get it cut every couple of weeks. Besides, women loved to run their fingers through it.

Yeah, and when was the last time that had happened?

Ignoring that smartass inner voice, I watched Rebel grab a bottle of the family’s whiskey off the bar, lift it over his head and turn to the rest of the team.

“I think we’re gonna have a good year, Pop.” I shouted over the cry of “Shots! Shots! Shots!” as Rebel took the bottle to the nearest table and started pouring.

“I think so, too, son.” Pop nodded, his gaze skimming over the crowd. “Good group of boys. If we can keep them together.” Then his voice dropped until I could barely hear him. “Be a nice way to go out.”

I’d heard my dad talk about retiring before, but I didn’t believe the old man would ever do it. He loved the game too much. Hell, my entire family loved hockey, even more than we loved the multi-million-dollar whiskey business that enabled us to play hockey.

Decades ago, my granddad had created a craft distillery in central Pennsylvania and, through hard work, determination and a shit-ton of luck, had created a multimillion-dollar business. And when dad had resigned from the Marines and married my mom, he’d made that distillery work for him, until he’d been able to create a hockey league from the ground. The league that kept me, Rebel and our sister Rain gainfully employed.

While Rebel and the team downed their shots, I leaned closer to my dad.

“Fuck that, Pop. You can’t leave. What would we do without you?”

My dad’s laugh held an edge. “The same thing you’ve been doing. This is what we’ve been working toward, son. We’ve got good people where we need them. And you and Rebel and Rain know what needs to be done. You’ll all be fine when I decide to step back.”

Guilt slammed into my gut, the phone call I’d gotten a couple days ago weighing on my mind. I hadn’t said anything to anyone about that call. Hell, I knew I wasn’t going to take the offer, but I still hadn’t called my old friend back to turn it down.

My future was here. In St. David. With the Devils. That had always been the plan. For as long as I could remember. I’d play until I couldn’t or didn’t want to. Then I’d take over so Pop could retire. Maybe I’d coach. Maybe I’d be the general manager.

Maybe you don’t want that anymore?

“Shots! Shots! Shots! ”

Bullshit. Of course, I wanted it. Just not yet.

I leaned closer to my dad. “Your team needs you, Pop.”

My dad glanced at me, shaking his head with a smirk. “They certainly don’t need me to give them an excuse to drink.”

No, this crew definitely did not need an excuse to drink. Or party. Or raise hell.

That’s what we were paid to do. To raise hell on the ice. To give our fans the show they’d come to expect. But some of these guys were here because they owed the Colonel their lives. Literally. And they showed him their appreciation in the only way they knew how.

“Shots! Shots! Shots!”

The Colonel gave a wide grin to his team and reached for the nearest shot glass.

“Alright, you mangy lot.” Then he turned and bowed to the women of the dance squad, gathered in a group at the end of the bar. “And lovely ladies. Here’s to a successful year.”

Everyone raised their glasses of whatever they were drinking and called out “Hear, hear." Or “Fuck yeah,” depending on who was saying it.

I raised my glass along with everyone else, though mine was empty.

Kinda sad commentary on your life lately.

Goddammit, I needed to shut my brain off and just enjoy the night.

“Rowdy, honey, you look like someone kicked your puppy. What’s wrong, babe?”

I turned with a smile for the gorgeous blonde behind me. Sunny Yeakley’s smile could light an entire sports arena, and her body gave men of all ages the will to live another day.

“Hey, Sunshine.” I curved an arm around her waist and drew her close enough to lay one on her hair. Didn’t want to be a dick and muss up her perfect makeup. “Just my resting grump face. Everything’s fine. ”

Her perfectly arched brows rose. “Yeah, not buying that. You can fool a lot of people, but I know you better than most.”

Couldn’t argue that one. We’d been high school sweethearts. Prom Queen and King. She’d been voted Most Likely to Succeed, and she definitely had. We’d broken up before going to different colleges, but we’d remained friends. Even after she’d married John Yeakley, who ran the distillery for my dad. Smart guy all around and a good friend.

“It’s nothing. Just season-opening nerves.”

“You don’t do nerves.” Now she frowned. “What’s going on with you?”

Since I couldn’t tell her, at least not until I’d turned down that offer, I gave her a grin most women couldn’t ignore. Sunny wasn’t most women. Her frown deepened.

“You did not just try to use the heart-breaker smile on me. You know that hasn’t worked for years.”

Yeah, I did. “Honestly, Sunny, there’s nothing wrong, Just pre-season jitters.”

For a second, I thought she wasn’t going to let me off the hook. But there was a reason Sunny had put up with me longer than any other woman. She knew how to handle me.

“Uh huh. I’ve never known you to have jitters before, but I guess it could be your age. It does creep up on you.”

Her grin made heat pool in my gut, but it was a phantom sensation, a ghost of what we’d been to each other years ago.

“That’s a low blow, but I know you mean it with love.”

Sunny’s laughter caught the attention of a couple of the new guys, who looked at her with naked lust. I couldn’t blame them, but I pitied them. She adored her nerdy husband and would never give anyone else a second look.

“Absolutely.” Then she lowered her voice and leaned in a little closer. “You know if you need anything, I’m here.”

“I know, and I appreciate it. But…I’m fine. ”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the front door open. Since the regulars all used the side door to enter, curiosity got the better of me. But someone shifted in front of me just as the door swung inward so all I saw was a flash of bright hair before it disappeared again.

Something made me say, “Hey, be right back,” to Sunny as I headed for the door.

With everyone else’s attention focused on the team chanting for my dad to do another shot, I was the only one who saw the woman as she stumbled inside, clutching a pile of blankets. I weaved through the crowd but was still only halfway to her before my brain registered the strange way she was moving. Jerky, like there was something wrong with her legs.

I reached her just as she stumbled forward, my arms outstretched to catch her. She cried out hoarsely as she fell, her arms clutching the blankets tighter and her body twisting as if those blankets were precious cargo, and she didn’t want to fall on them.

I realized why the second she collided with me.

“Whoa. Hey, I got you,” I said as I caught the child she was carrying with one arm and the woman in the other.

A split second later, the woman blinked up at me with big blue eyes, took a deep breath and said, “Oh, thank god,” before sagging into my arms in complete exhaustion.

Stunned, my brain went blank for a second before it kicked into high gear. Apart from the show I gave the crowd, I was a damn good hockey player. Though not a great one, as evidenced by my lack of an NHL contract. But I could think fast on my feet, and I was good with my hands.

I swept up the woman and the kid and carried them to the nearest booth. Maneuvering the woman onto the bench, I unwrapped the blanket from the kid in my arms. Dark curly hair, dusky skin and wide green eyes stared back at me.

“Hey there, darling. How are you doing?” I smiled at her, but she just stared back at me with unblinking eyes. “Wow. Tough crowd.”

Then the cold of the blanket seeped into my arms. Fuck, I’d forgotten how low the temperature had dropped tonight. They had to be freezing.

“Hang on, sweetheart. Gonna get you warmed up in a sec. Just let me check your momma.”

Her gaze slid to the woman slumped over the table with her eyes closed and her chest heaving. I couldn’t see her face, but I realized now her blonde hair was swept up in some kind of complicated style on top of her head and studded with diamonds. At least they looked like diamonds. She also wore what looked like diamonds around her neck and a long blue dress with a slit up the side and sequined like she was going to the Oscars.

“What the hell happened to you?”

I didn’t really expect her to hear me, so I was shocked when she answered.

“A wr-wrong turn and a fl-flat tire. And my general b-bad l-luck.”

Her hoarse voice reminded me she and the girl were freezing.

“Damn, let me get some help.”

Finally, she lifted her head, and I blinked. Holy shit. She was fucking gorgeous. A goddess with sapphire-blue eyes, cheekbones high and sharp, and full lips painted a bright pink.

“I would appreciate that.” The woman’s voice held a hint of an accent I couldn’t place. “Here, I’ll take her.”

Leaning down, I intended to put the girl next to her mom on the bench, but thin little arms wound around my neck and clung.

I let out an amused huff as my arms tightened. “Guess I’ll just take her with me.”

“Rowdy, what the— Well, hell. What happened to you, honey?”

Bar owner Mitzi Naugle elbowed me out of the way so she could get to the woman in the booth. And since you didn’t get between Mitzi and, well, anything, I moved aside, realizing I’d been replaced by the person who would get shit done.

The blonde opened her mouth to speak, but a shiver wracked her body, and Mitzi switched into mother mode. She’d had a hell of a lot of practice at it, having birthed six of her own kids and mothered most of the town’s population of teenagers at one time or another.

“Rowdy, tell the girls to get blankets out of the back room. Then get the doc to come over here. Last I saw, he was striking out with Bets. Again. What’s your name, hon?”

I waited until I heard her answer.

“Tressy. Tressy Meyers. My daughter?—”

“Is perfectly safe with Rowdy. He’s just going to find the doctor to give you a look.” Mitzi threw a glance over her shoulder at me, and I got my ass in gear because Mitzi didn’t say things twice.

“Okay, pretty girl.” I smiled at the kid. “Let’s go find that doctor to take a look at you and your mom.”

“I’m not just pretty. I’m smart, too.”

The girl’s voice took me by surprise, and I looked to find her scowling up at me. I started to grin at that absolutely adorable face, surrounded by a mass of dark curls, then pulled it back when I realized she was deadly serious.

“I bet you are. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“I’m not supposed to tell strangers, and you’re a stranger.”

“Sounds fair. Hold that thought. Hey, Doc. I need you.”

I’d made my way to the team doctor, who was talking to a few members of the team. Four large men turned to face me, and the little girl huddled closer, turning her face into my chest.

“Dude, I didn’t know you had a kid.”

That was from the newest member of the Devils, rookie Reid Wellar, a nineteen-year-old from a farm in northern Ontario. He wasn’t the brightest bulb in the string, but the kid could skate. He’d had some trouble in the OHL, and his former coach had thought he’d be a good fit for the Devils since no other professional team would touch him.

Of course, the Colonel had said yes.

“Dude. It’s not my kid.” I rolled my eyes at Dr. Nelson Morelli, who just sighed and shook his head. “Doc. We need you over here.”

Sonny Morelli knew in a glance he’d never seen the kid before. Our town was small enough that he was the only general practitioner in a fifty-mile radius. You had to know where you were going to get to St. David. Or you had to be really fucking lost.

I was guessing on the latter for the woman and kid.

When I nodded toward the door, Sonny tilted his head and looked over my shoulder, zeroing in on the woman in the booth. His eyes widened and, without another word, he walked away. Sonny was a man of few words at the best of times, which was fine because Iro had enough for both of them. Usually.

Good thing they were friends.

“Well, hello, sweetheart. What’s your name? Rowdy, where did you steal this child?”

With a sigh and gritted teeth, I turned to address my annoyingly perfect younger sister, Rain.

“He didn’t steal me,” the kid said, sounding offended. “My mom said I could go with him.”

Rain’s pretty face lit up with a smile. “Well, that’s good to know. You should always listen to your mom.”

“Says the woman who never listens to hers.”

Rain glared at me with a smile sharp enough to slice off my face. So I stuck my tongue out at her. Her expression softened into an actual grin, even as she rolled her eyes. She never could stay mad at me. I was still her hero. At least, I liked to think so.

“Just ignore old grumpface,” My sister waived a hand in my direction. “I’m Rain.”

“I’m Krista. ”

“Well, Krista,” Rain smiled. “Welcome to St. David. We’re happy to have you here.”

Krista looked around the room, bright green eyes taking in everything before looking back at Rain.

“Do all these people live here?”

“Not here in this building, no, but we all live in town.”

The little girl’s head turned to the side, like she was trying to figure something out. “What’s town?”

Rain’s smile deepened. “The place where we live. Where do you live?”

“In the city.”

She said that as if there was no other place in the world. And maybe to a five- or six-year-old there wasn’t.

“How old are you, Krista?” Rain asked.

“A lady never reveals her age.”

This little baby said it with so much prim old-maid energy, I had to choke back a laugh. Rain’s smile widened until her eyes nearly closed.

“Well, however old you are, you seem pretty smart for your age.”

A yawn interrupted Krista’s smile, reminding me that she and her mom had been through an ordeal tonight. And didn’t need a cross examination.

“My mommy says I’m too smart for my own good.”

She said it with so much pride, I could tell she’d heard it more than a few times.

Rain leaned closer, as if to share a secret. “My mom tells me that too. And it’s a good thing. Never let anyone tell you you’re not. If they do, they’re just jealous. Or stupid.”

“I like you.”

Rain nodded. “I like you too. Now, this big hairy guy is Rowdy.”

Her little face screwed up in a frown as she looked up at me. “Why do you have so much hair? ”

“Because he’s too lazy to cut it.”

“Hey, not true.” I leaned in close to Krista’s ear, making her giggle when my hair brushed her cheek. “She’s just jealous because she doesn’t have curls like ours.”

Rain’s hair was stick straight, like our dad’s. My brothers and I took after our mom, with her wavy brown hair, courtesy of her Italian parents.

“Your curls are gorgeous, Krista. Rowdy’s are just messy.” Before I could get another word in, Rain continued. “I bet you’re cold, aren’t you? Why don’t we get you a blanket? Would you like that?”

Damn, I’d forgotten the second part of Mitzi’s marching orders.

“Mitzi told me to get the girls to round up blankets.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. They already know.”

I looked over my shoulder and saw the St. David Angels already doing what they did best. Working as a team.

They’d surrounded Krista’s mom, an Angel wrapping a blanket around her shoulders while another set a plate full of food in front of her on the table. Still another Angel placed a steaming mug next to the plate and another was rummaging through the depths of the suitcase she called a purse. After a few seconds, Emme let out a whoop and pulled a packet out of the depths.

“Rowdy, bring that baby over here so we can warm her up.”

The Angel’s captain Caity Lopez, a redhead with the personality to match, waved me over to the table.

I got there just in time to hear Krista’s mom say, “…cheerleaders?”

“Technically, we’re a dance squad. We’ve won more championships than any other squad in our class. In fact?—”

“Don’t you dare finish that thought, Caity. Because I swear you will regret it.”

The look Caity gave me was laced with enough sass to fuel a teenage drama queen as she draped a blanket around Krista, who snuggled even deeper into me.

“Can’t say it’s not true, now can you, Rowdy?”

No, I couldn’t. But I didn’t have to like it.

So, instead of letting Caity have the last word, I turned to the bedraggled blonde in the booth. “I think I heard you say you got a flat. You wanna tell me where your car is? Me and a few of the guys can go get it for you.”

Once again, the woman trained her gaze on me. And once again, I was struck dumb by the intense blue of her eyes. They were so damn striking, I felt like I’d seen them before. I just didn’t have a clue where.

“Have we met before?”

Without hesitation, she shook her head. “No, we’ve never been here before.”

Not exactly what I’d asked, but she was clearly exhausted, so I let it go.

“Rowdy,” Mitzi barked. “You and a few of the boys go out and get Tressy’s car. And give me that baby. You’ve been hogging her long enough.”

Without waiting for an answer, Mitzi held out her hands to Krista, who jumped ship like I’d suddenly grown another head. Then again, when Mitzi said do something, you didn’t argue.

Mitzi turned her attention to the little girl, cutting off anything I would’ve said by addressing Krista.

“Okay, little miss, what would you like to eat?”

Krista and Mitzi disappeared into the mass of perfectly perfumed women surrounding the booth, leaving me standing there trying to get a glimpse of the most gorgeous woman I’d ever met.

“Hey man, you look like someone stole your beer money.”

Rebel elbowed me hard enough to make me wince. I returned the favor, enjoying Rebel’s muted “oof” in response.

“Come on, I need a ride. ”

“Where’re we going?”

“To pick up the lady’s car.”

Just then the sea of beautiful women parted and there she was. Damn, she was even prettier than I’d first thought. I was pretty sure my mouth dropped open and my libido chose that second to remind me that it’d been several months since I’d gotten laid.

“That lady, huh? Now I see why you look like you’ve been smacked on the ass.”

Snapping my mouth closed, I shot Rebel a look. “Let’s go, dickwad. Shit to do.”

“Rowdy, mouth!” Mitzi yelled. “Children.”

I lowered my voice to a whisper. “I swear that woman can hear a pin drop from a mile away.”

“And she has eyes in the back of her head.”

“Boys! Car!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

We didn’t exactly fall over each other to get to the door, but we didn’t waste any more time. And we grabbed reinforcement on the way out.

“Kane! Let’s go.”

Kane “The Fed” Ness’s head snapped up, away from the two women he’d been sweet talking for the past half hour. The town was small enough that I knew the women, knew their families and the year they graduated from high school. Which was probably many more years ago than Kane probably knew. Or cared. Kane loved women. All ages, shapes, sizes and personalities.

“Uh…Huh?”

But he definitely did not have a way with words. How the hell the guy got laid as much as he did was a mystery. Then again, Kane was six feet of sleek muscle, a panty-stealing grin and a face that shouldn’t draw women like flies. But did.

Which is how he’d landed with the Devils .

“Ladies, he’ll be back in half an hour.” I slapped Kane on the back and steered him toward the door. “Well before last call.”

The women shared a look that didn’t bode well for Kane’s chances, but I didn’t care. I’d brought Rebel because we might need the muscle. But Kane was the only one of the guys who hadn’t been drinking at all.

Kane waited until we were outside to smack me on the head.

“Jesus, Rowdy. I’ve been trying to convince Bethann and Crystal to give me a go for two fucking years, man. Why you gotta cock-block me?”

A solid two-hundred-ten pounds, Kane had some serious strength. Luckily, he’d pulled his punch, or I’d be on the floor.

“Fuck me, Kane. We open tomorrow night. You wanna give me a concussion already?”

“Aw, that was just a love tap, you wimp. But seriously, what the hell? I was about to get laid.”

“Only in your dreams.”

I rolled my eyes at Reb’s snarky comment. He never did know when to keep his mouth shut.

“Reb, when, exactly, was the last time you got laid, huh?” Kane shot back. “All the women around here know you can’t give them a good time.”

Rebel had smartly taken himself out of reach. But he couldn’t let Kane have the last word.

“Because I’ve already given them a great time, and now they’re left with you.”

“Jesus. Children.” I shook my head. “Stop your fucking bickering. Thank god we don’t have to be in the car for long. Tressy said her car’s only a mile away.”

That got their attention.

“Who the hell’s Tressy?” Kane said. “And why do we need to get her car?”

“Christ, Kane. How can you be so damn oblivious? Didn’t you see the woman stumble into the bar, like, twenty minutes ago? ”

“Huh?”

I couldn’t roll my eyes hard enough. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Just get in the goddamn car. How the fuck are you two my best options?”

“Just lucky.” Rebel said. “You’re the one who wants to be the knight in shining armor. We’re just the red shirts along for the ride.”