The Slot: A Rochester Riot Sports Romance Page 17

  ***

  It hadn’t been difficult to get her number. Being famous sometimes had a few perks. Thoughts of her had consumed him the entire night in the hospital. That and a compelling need to understand why she’d been sleeping in his hospital room.

  Texting her with the pathetic excuse that he had no one to pick him up and take him to the salvage yard had worked like a charm. Julia Wales was nice. Too nice for the likes of him.

  “Need a lift?” Julia called out the window with a smile as she pulled into the pick-up zone of the hospital. Damn the fact that her first sight of him today was in a wheelchair. Like an invalid. Not the mental image he wanted her to have of him. He wanted to be the star of her fantasies. The ones she had at night alone in her bed. Or maybe she wasn’t alone? Shit. He hadn’t even thought about a boyfriend or husband.

  As she came around her Escape to help with the clear plastic drawstring bag with his bloodstained clothes, he glanced at her left hand. Empty. There was hope.

  “Nice scrubs,” she commented with a laugh. “Couldn’t Heather or Mark bring you a change of clothes for the ride home?”

  “I’m alone,” he replied as he clutched the plastic bag in his blue cotton clad lap. “There is no Heather. No Mark.”

  She glanced over, her face a mask of confused concern. “Want to talk about it?”

  “No.”

  He instantly regretted the surly tone. This woman was going out of her way to help him. And her mere presence … well, it lit up this shitty day like the December sun on a fresh snow.

  It was a beautiful Friday afternoon without a cloud in the sky. Chilly but not too bad. He needed to steer the conversation in a safe direction and also let her know he wasn’t a complete asshole.

  “I’ve been hearing great things about you from the locals,” he commented. “They say what you did with the Miller barn conversion is nothing short of miraculous. Tilly Miller said it’s booked solid for weddings every Saturday for the entire year. I’m going to have to go over there and check it out.”

  Julia’s face lit up at the compliment. Adam could tell she was passionate about her business. Judging by the photos he’d seen on her website and the ravings of the people in town, she had every right to be proud. She’d accomplished a lot in twenty-five years and she was just getting started.

  “So, where to?” she asked as she eased away from the curb.

  “The salvage yard,” he offered. “I need to get some things out of my truck. Then the farm.”

  “Is there another vehicle there for you to drive?” She giggled and he found the sound intoxicating. “Besides the combine?”

  “There is,” he smiled back and found he appreciated the easy banter. “But wouldn’t it be much more fun to pull up in front of Nan’s in the old John Deere as opposed to my ’62 Corvette convertible?”

  “I’d like it.”

  “Just the kind of stunt I might have pulled back in high school,” he said. “With your brother.”

  “Yeah.” She nodded. “Blake’s got that same sense of humor. My dad says most of his grey hairs are courtesy of Blake. Brock, he was the milder and more mature older brother.”

  They went back and forth with escalating stories of Blake’s antics as he directed her to the local salvage yard where the tow had taken his totaled out Dodge. The drive only took about five minutes and he almost wished the salvage yard had been farther away. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed a conversation with a woman. Sharing laughs and a comfortable camaraderie.

  The small SUV bounced over the potholes on the gravel road leading to the chain link fence and Adam appreciated the view as her body jiggled in all the right places. He shook his head. Jesus.

  I’m being a complete reprobate. Twenty-four hours ago, I was engaged.

  Julia pulled up to the office and switched the engine off as he got out. She waited patiently, deciding to stay put, and said she needed to answer some client e-mails. She was really excited about a farmhouse renovation she was starting next week. The old home needed some serious love and she was just the woman for that arduous task. It seemed that the more ramshackle the project, the more she loved the transformation. Adam found he could listen to her all day when she talked about her work. Her life.

  He walked with the owner of the yard to his crunched up truck and sighed. He’d really loved it and now he’d have to replace it and deal with the annoying insurance companies as well as some bogus lawsuit. He could handle the hit to his wallet but maybe not the one to his ego. As he ran a hand through his thick hair and sighed, he grabbed his Caribou duffle bag out of the extended cab and slammed the door. It immediately fell off the hinges and straight onto the dirt below.

  “You’re lucky to be alive, dude,” the older man commented as he watched the fallout. “If you hadn’t been in a newer vehicle with all the safety features, this would have been much worse.”

  “No doubt.” He didn’t need to have people keep telling him what a dipshit he was. Shit. He’d never driven drunk, even in high school and college. Damn Heather. And Mark.

  He glanced up and found Julia bent over her iPhone, her cloud of silky, auburn hair floating around her torso. She looked like an angel. His angel.

  She jumped when the car door opened and slipped her phone into the center console. “Okay, I’ll need help navigating to your house,” she said as he slipped beside her and closed the door. “I have a general idea, but I’ve never been to your place.”

  “It’s super easy,” he replied as she turned the ignition.

  Julia pulled back onto the highway and toward a rural area as Adam directed her. She slowed when they passed the scene of the accident. The roadway littered with glass and metal. The jackknifed semi had been removed, but a large tree, minus its branches, lay in the ditch.

  Adam gave out a low whistle. “I guess I am lucky to still be here. That doesn’t look good. Thank God no one was hurt.”

  “Yeah, you’re really lucky,” Julia commented as she started up the long, gravel driveway. Then she turned her face toward him and he took that opportunity to get lost in the depths of her eyes.

  “So, how did you manage to get my personal cell number?”

  “I have my ways,” he admitted with a waggle of his eyebrows. “Sometimes, it’s good to be a local hero. Everyone steps forward to help you.”

  “That’s not fair,” she admonished. “You’re supposed to use your celebrity for good and not evil.”

  “I did use it for good,” he said softly. “Julia, I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad you agreed to pick me up from the hospital. For some strange reason, I feel safe when I’m with you. Like you’re not going to sell me out. Or hate me. I haven’t put my best foot forward lately.”

  She blushed that delicious shade of pink again. The same one that looked like she’d been fucked senseless and had just come all over him, screaming his name.

  Stop it, Spencer.

  “I was happy to help out an old … friend.”

  “I hope your boyfriend didn’t mind,” he said, his eyes searching hers.

  “I don’t have one right now,” she announced without pausing. Then quickly recovered. “I work really long days. It wouldn’t be fair to pull another person into that.”

  Was that her way of issuing a subtle warning to back off?

  “I’m glad someone isn’t going to show up here with a baseball bat or a twelve gauge,” he joked. “Besides, I figured you’d be the best choice since you’ve already seen me in my stylish hospital wear.”

  “Excuse me,” she snorted. “You’re the one who stopped me from leaving. And I think you looked kind of cute in that ensemble. In fact, I think we should check with SueAnn and see if she could carry something similar in the boutique. It would literally fly off the racks.”

  He loved how they’d already settled into the comfortable back and forth teasing pattern. And playfulness. Nothing serious.

  “SueAnn, now that’s a blast from the past,” he said as he rub
bed his chin. “Her boutique is doing well? Hopefully better than that time in Mr. Shelton’s biology lab when she accidentally put potassium in the beaker with water and caused a minor explosion?”

  “You know, for someone who is supposed to be shy, you sure do talk a lot of smack,” she stated as she pulled the vehicle to a stop in front of his porch. “Like my equally annoying brother.”

  “He is kind of a pain,” Adam laughed. “But I miss him.”

  “Wow...this is so homey. Like an old painting,” she exclaimed softly as she stepped out and closed the car door. “I didn’t expect a small town hero like yourself would stay here. Not when you can afford a mansion on the hill.”

  “Why?” he asked, liking the look of appreciation on her face as she inspected his home. “You think an old farm kid like me should move off to the city just because I made it to the NHL?”

  “Isn’t that what most athletes do?”

  “Yeah, I guess they do,” he chuckled, thinking about stereotypes. He’d never bought in. “I don’t know, I really never fit into the whole city life. This … well, it feels like home. It is home.”

  They made their way up the porch and through the cedar plank door with a stained glass insert. There was even an old-fashioned, brass dinner bell hanging from the porch roof. If Julia had noticed Heather’s shit littered all over his lawn and trees, she’d had the grace not to mention it. Or stare.

  He glanced around his house like he was seeing it for the first time. Through her eyes. His mom’s face stared back everywhere he looked. Her touches were everywhere. He’d never sell this place. Never leave. The oak floor planks that his grandpa had laid himself, each ding and scrape in the boards had a story to tell. The story of his family.

  “This house is stunning, Adam,” she exclaimed. “I can feel the love here, even though you’re the only one living here now.”

  “It reminds me of them,” he replied. He walked over to the exposed brick fireplace and ran his fingers along the oak mantle. “I miss them. Every moment of every day.”

  Julia walked toward him. Closer. Until he could feel the heat radiating off her skin and feel her feminine energy. It felt like an electric shock when she reached out and wrapped her fingers around his forearm. The simple gesture was one of support, but to him, it felt intimate. And hot. Like he’d been branded. Adam put his hand over hers, then laced their fingers together.

  “Come with me,” he said as he tugged her behind him. “There’s something I want to show you.”

  He led the way out of the back of the house to the old, red, two-story barn, his hand never releasing hers. It felt so good to touch her. So damn right. He’d never felt that way touching Heather. She’d roused his passion, but never his protective side.

  Heather had liked being in control of their relationship. Calling the shots and protecting her image as Duluth’s old money. Her family traced their lineage back to the glory days of iron ore shipping. Come to think of it, he’d always felt like a backwards hick every single time he’d set foot in her family’s mansion on first street.

  Julia didn’t come from Heather’s world. She and her family were strictly middle class and hard working. Like his own had been.

  Adam lifted the wooden bar and swung the double doors wide as he stepped aside for Julia to precede him. Inside, hanging from the upper rafters was a tractor tire on sturdy rope. It could hold three kids or two adults comfortably. Back in grade school, he and Mark had taken bets over how many kids they could fit in it and still swing. The record still held at ten.

  Julia gasped and clapped her hands together as another one of those knee-weakening smiles turned her lush lips upward. Somehow, he’d already known she’d love it. Maybe it was her reaction to the outdoors on the ice rink so long ago. Maybe it was her caring enough to see if he’d made it through the accident. He didn’t care. All Adam knew was that he wanted to swing again. With Julia. Like if he could fly through the air, he’d forget everything that happened. Forget yesterday.

  She placed her knee in the hole and pushed with her foot holding the rope with her hands. Adam came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He knew it was inappropriate to hold her those extra seconds, but he just couldn’t help himself. Then, once she was settled, he pushed her as high as his battered, pain filled body would allow.

  He smiled as her girlish giggles wafted on the air. Sunlight danced across her face from the slats in the roof that needed repair. This was one time he was glad he still had that on his to-do list. God, she looked beautiful on the swing. Stunning really.

  He’d tried to get Heather in the swing with him multiple times, but she’d always turned her pert nose up in disdain and mumbled something about the dirt ruining her outfit.

  “Mind if I join you?” he asked.

  “Won’t it hurt?” she asked with concern. “You’re walking like you’re still in quite a bit of pain.”

  “I can take it, Julia.” He winked. “I’m tough.”

  Adam swung his leg over and couldn’t help the wince of pain that flitted across his face as his limbs protested. So much for impressing her with his grit. Once he got comfortable across from her, he walked his legs through the hole backwards about twenty feet, until the rope was taut.

  Then, he let go.

  The smile on her face was a beautiful thing as they swung back and forth like that for minutes, grinning like a couple of grade school kids on the playground with crushes on each other. If she’d have had her hair in pigtails, he would have pulled one and then ran away. She’d be passing notes to him during class.

  He hadn’t felt this good, this free and easy since forever. Not since before he’d torn his ACL. Once the tire slowed to a wobble, he glanced up into her eyes. Her lush mouth was open on a pout and she looked like a woman who wanted to be kissed. Needed to be kissed. He wanted that too. More than anything. It would have to wait because the timing wasn’t right and he didn’t want to rush things. Didn’t want to push her. She coughed and broke the spell as she looked down at her gold watch.

  “I have a client meeting in a half-hour,” she said as she swung her legs back onto solid ground. “I appreciate the ride in your tire. It was the most non-work fun I’ve had in a long time.”

  “I think I’ll stay here if you’re okay to get back to your Ford?” When she nodded, he continued. “For some reason, I’m feeling better out here. Outside in this barn.”

  “It’s a beautiful old barn,” she said as she looked around. “Perfect really. So much character. Kind of like the man who owns it.”

  She winked at him and then he got another spectacular view of her backside as she walked through the open doors.

  Adam didn’t know when he’d see her again. But one thing he did know for sure. Julia Wales would be his. And he’d be hers.

  Somehow.

  Chapter 5

  “Oh my God! Mark Spencer, what happened to you?” SueAnn had Mark by the chin as she moved his bruised and swollen face from side to side. The poor man had wandered into the boutique to get a gift, and SueAnn had been going on like a mother hen ever since.

  “I got into a little scuffle,” he replied as he pulled the bill of his ball cap lower over his features.

  Julia turned away to examine a top she’d spotted the last time she was here but listened closely. She wondered if his ‘scuffle’ had anything to do with why his brother seemed to dislike him so much.

  “Did you say the wrong thing to the wrong person?” she asked as she pulled a silk scarf in hues of blue out of the display case. “You always did have a smart mouth.”

  SueAnn and Mark had dated back in high school. It hadn’t ended well. Mark had cheated on her at the senior prom with Beth Hamilton. Caught red-handed with his pants down in the hotel suite.

  Julia thought that was probably why Mark was still prostrating to the temple of SueAnn begging for forgiveness. He wasn’t a bad guy, but he certainly wasn’t as smart as his talented brother. Or as hot.

  “Something
like that,” he mumbled as he let the delicate fabric slide through his fingers. “This is perfect, Sue. Can you wrap it for me in something really pretty?”

  As he handed over his American Express, SueAnn nodded and pulled out a gold embossed gift box and tissue. Sue prided herself on special touches and customer service. That was why her small boutique was thriving in the midst of major retailers. If you wanted the perfect gift or a unique outfit, SueAnn’s was the place.

  They’d just gotten back from lunch at Sue’s favorite restaurant when Mark had come in. Julia still had her favorite dessert stowed in her oversized handbag. First, though, time to ratchet up the dramatics with some teasing. She loved to get SueAnn riled up.

  Sue stared at Mark’s retreating back and as soon as the jingle of the shop’s door indicated he’d gone through, she turned to Julia with a hand on one sassy hip.

  “What do you think actually happened to him?” she asked.

  Julia wasn’t a huge fan of Mark Spencer’s but he was harmless. But today, there was just something about him. Something that was off. Like he was all of a sudden starting to hide things.

  “I don’t have any idea,” she replied. “Probably cheated with the wrong woman.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she brought her hand up to cover it. “Oh, Sue, I’m so sorry. That was insensitive of me to say.”

  “Seriously, Julia?” Sue rolled her eyes. “That’s ancient history. I’m long over it. In fact, I could do so much better and I can see it plainly now that I’m an adult. Mark Spencer’s immature. And a tool.”

  Julia’s eyes narrowed as a thought hit her. Hard.

  Sue stared at her. “What are you thinking? You have that same look on your face when you’re plotting a renovation. Even if the poor owner has no idea they’re going to be renovated.”

  “That scarf.”

  “It’s Hermes,” Sue bragged. “What about it? Mark’s fool purchase is going to pay my rent this month.”

  “Yeah, expensive. Like he’s trying to impress someone. And exactly the color of Heather’s eyes.”