Breakaway Hearts
Kelly
Brothers Series #2
Crista McHugh
Releasing February 3rd, 2014
Blurb
Hockey star
Ben Kelly has retreated to his mountain cabin in the ski town of Cascade, BC,
to recuperate from a season-ending knee injury and contemplate his future in
the NHL. He never expects to run into the one woman who got away. Nine years
may have passed, but nothing has dulled the explosive chemistry between them.
Now he wants more than just one night.
Hailey Eriksson had Olympic-sized dreams until an accidental pregnancy from a
one-night stand halted her ambitions. Her life was shattered when her son died.
Nothing will keep her from fulfilling her promise to him to make the Olympic
team, especially not the charming Ben Kelly. Unfortunately, he's out of sweep
her off her feet this time, and she finds him harder and harder to resist with
each passionate kiss. But when he learns about the child he never knew, will
their rekindled romance be on thin ice?
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Excerpt:
The ice
called to him.
After he’d
torn up his knee, Ben had sworn he’d never go near a hockey rink again.
And yet
there he stood in the shadows, holding on to his cane with white knuckles while
he watched some teenagers scrimmage, wishing he could go out there and join
them.
“Come on,
guys,” the coach barked. “Erikson’s tearing you to shreds out there.”
He followed
the coach’s finger to the player with puck. The kid was tall and thin, probably
a junior member of the team judging by his lack of muscle mass. But what he
lacked in size, he made up for with speed and skill. He handled the puck as
well as any player Ben had faced in the NHL, shifting left and then right,
throwing his opponent off guard with a deke and slipping past him into the
breakaway. One slap shot later, the puck was in the net.
A groan
came up from the team as Erikson raised his hands in the air and skated a small
victory lap around the rink.
The coach
mumbled something under his breath and stared at his clipboard before
scribbling a note on it. “That’s six, guys. You’re embarrassing me.”
It wasn’t
until Erikson came closer that Ben knew the reason why.
Erikson was
girl.
The helmet
had concealed her hair, but there was no mistaking the feminine curve of her
lips or the thick fringe of her lashes. A pair of matching dimples cut into her
cheeks as she gave one of the guys a playful hip check, and an odd feeling of
déjà vu washed over him. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t remember why.
His
curiosity propelled him from the shadows and down the stairs toward the coach,
his knee no longer protesting each step. He waited until the coach finished
calling the next play before he asked, “Local team?”
The coach
jumped, then gave him a narrow-eyed once over. “I haven’t seen you before.”
Ben
smothered a laugh. After years of being recognized everywhere he went, the
anonymity was nice for a change. Amazing what losing a playoff beard and
getting a haircut could do. He hadn’t worn his hair this short since before he
was drafted. “I’m new in town.”
The coach
peered closer, and for a second, Ben feared his secret was out. “I know I’ve
seen you before. Ever play hockey?”
Ben
grinned. “Yeah, just a bit.”
“I thought
so. You’re built like a power forward.”
He wasn’t
the first coach who’d said that. At six-four and two hundred and forty pounds,
he’d always been one of the biggest players on the team, but he lacked the
aggressive nature to play that position. Instead, he’d made a successful career
of playing goalie. All-Pro teams, Olympic medals, even trips to the Stanley Cup
finals.
Until one
bad collision twelve weeks ago had ended all that.
He’d
retreated to the resort town of Cascade, British Columbia, to lick his wounds,
but after a week stuck in his home, the solitude became unbearable. He came
down the mountain and drove through the small town where most of the locals
lived, winding up at the only thing he knew.
The ice
rink.
He stood
quietly by the coach and observed the next play. Erikson was on the defensive
now. She bit her blades into the ice, catching up to the player with the puck
and passing him. With a quick half turn, she was in front, skating backward,
and she snatched the puck away as the player stumbled and skidded into the
boards. She took it coast to coast, and the puck soared through the biggest
five-hole he’d ever seen on a goalie.
The coach
threw his clipboard on the bench. “Aw, come on, Watson! You can’t leave a hole
like that, especially with her. You want to make amateur league or not?”
Erikson
plowed to a stop and helped the goalie up. “Give him a break, Gus. I caught him
off guard.”
“You caught
him sleeping in his skates.” He paced back and forth, running his fingers
through his sparse hair. “All right, that’s enough. Hit the showers.”
“You’re
letting them off lightly,” Ben murmured. “My old coach would have had us
skating sprints after practice.”
“Yeah, but
my boys just took on Erikson, so they’ve been punished enough.”
Ben watched
her joke with the boys and give them a few words of encouragement as they
skated toward the bench. But when her gaze zeroed in on him, her smile faded,
and her blue eyes turned frigid.
His heart
thudded from the palpable tension in the air. He racked his mind, trying to
remember where he knew her, but drew a blank. Frustration knotted his gut. The
docs had warned him that the number of concussions he’d sustained over the
years could affect his memory, and this was proof of it.
She turned
away. “I’m going to make sure the back door is locked, Gus.”
She skated
to the other side of the rink like she was chasing after a free puck.
Gus
narrowed his eyes at Ben again. “You two know each other?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“She looks
familiar, but you know how hockey players’ minds can be.” Ben tapped his skull
and nodded in the direction Erikson had gone. “She’s good.”
“No
kidding.” Gus lifted a bucket of pucks with a grunt. “If she’d been a boy,
she’d be playing in the NHL right now.”
“The next
Sid Crosby?”
“Ha! More
like the next Gordie Howe, complete with the fisticuffs. The girl’s got a
temper on her, and if I were you, I’d steer clear of her. She’s not someone you
want to dance with.”
“What makes
you think I’d be in trouble?”
“I saw that
look she gave you.” Gus stepped out onto the ice with the bucket and headed
toward the Zamboni. “I’ve known her since she was yay big, and I’ve seen the
crap she’s been through. If you’re here to cause her any trouble, then she’s
not the only person you need to worry about. We look out for our own.”
Ben stopped
short of the ice, staring at it like it was an old nemesis. He wasn’t about to
follow Gus. “I’m not here to do that. I can barely remember if I’ve met her
before or not.”
“Well,
you’re sure asking a lot of questions.” Gus set the bucket down behind the wall
with another grunt and climbed up on the Zamboni. “What are you doing here
anyway?”
He sighed
and stared at his reflection in the ice, barely recognizing himself. “I’m not
quite sure.”
“Yeah,
well, you need to get going now. I’ve got to do a few laps with this before
locking up, and I don’t want to have to worry about you spending the night
here.”
“No
worries. Just one question—do you know where I can find her?”
“Can’t take
hint, can you?” The Zamboni roared to life, and Gus drove it out onto the ice.
“If you’re looking for trouble, then you’ll find her at the Sin Bin downtown.
Just make sure you’re wearing a cup before engaging her.”
“Will do,
and thanks.” Ben turned around and climbed the stairs one by one, leaning on
his cane all the way up. He wouldn’t know any peace until he figured out how he
knew her.
Next stop:
the Sin Bin.
***
Hailey
gripped the steering wheel and took a deep breath, but that didn’t steady her
rattled nerves like it normally did.
Who’d have
thought coming face-to-face with Ben Kelly after nine years would affect her
like this? Worse, she had no idea why he was here. It wasn’t like he’d wanted
anything to do with her when she’d actually needed him. And now when she was
finally getting her life back together, he’d shown up her in her small town.
“Probably
schmoozing up at the ski resort,” she muttered and started her beat-up Ford
Bronco. After all, that’s where celebrities like him hung out, not down here in
the actual town. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t have a little harem of
puck bunnies to tend to him while he recovers.”
She’d seen
the collision that had taken him out for the rest of the season. Most of Canada
had, since the game had been broadcast nationally. The opposing team’s grinder
had charged at him, hooking his skates with his stick, and had knocked Ben to
the ice. Despite their history, she’d held her breath as he lay there, not
moving, his leg bent at a sickening angle. Once he’d finally come around, he’d
skated off the ice with assistance, but that was it for him.
The news
the next morning listed all the injuries he’d sustained. Concussion. Torn ACL,
PCL, and MCL. Tibial fracture. Then the bets had started rolling in on whether
or not the starting goalie for the Vancouver Whales would be returning to the
team next season, if at all.
Hopefully
Gus had given him a get-lost speech and that would be the end of it. Ski season
was almost over, and summers in Cascade were usually quiet without the influx
of outsiders. He’d probably leave in a couple of weeks, and that would be the
last she ever saw of him.
But a
squirm deep inside her stomach reminded her she wanted to see him again, if
only to give him a piece of her mind after all the shit he’d put her through.
Don’t let
him distract you from your goal. Remember your promise to Zach.
She pulled
into the parking lot of her dad’s bar and took another cleansing breath in
through her nose. This time, it worked. All her anger, her hatred, her
frustration flowed out with the air from her lungs. She’d wasted too much time
and too many tears over Ben Kelly, and now was not the time to lose focus.
Erikson’s
Sin Bin sat right in the heart of town, on the main drag. Complete with a half
dozen plasma screen TVs showing the latest games, it was the favorite watering
hole for the locals. The Stanley Cup playoffs were in full swing, so the place
would be packed tonight. The Whales were also playing, which meant the crowd
would be that much more invested in the game. And if the Whales won, then her
tips would be up.
She went in through the kitchen and grabbed
her apron from under the bar. “Hey, Pop, you ready for tonight?”
“Got seven
cases of Labatt.” Her father leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek. She
was built like him, tall and lean, with the same bright blue eyes and blond
hair. “How was practice today?”
Besides the
fact the man who’d refused to acknowledge my existence two years ago had showed
up?
“I roughed
them up a bit,” she said after a moment’s pause. No need to tell him about Ben.
Her dad would probably roll up his sleeves and beat the crap out of him if he
knew.
“How bad?”
“Six to
nothing.”
“That’s my
girl. You keep playing like that, and the Canadian team’s bound to offer you a
place.”
“First I’ve
got to convince them to give me a tryout.” At twenty-seven, she was a bit older
than the average player, but she was still in fantastic shape and could outplay
anyone she knew. “Gus forgot his camera today, but he’ll record the next
scrimmage.”
“And don’t
forget Monday’s league game, either.” He ruffled her hair, pulling some of it
free from her ponytail, before crossing the bar to see to a customer.
“Hailey,
darlin’,” her stepmother, Cindy, called from the kitchen in her thick Texas
drawl,
“do you mind getting the drink order for the man at table twelve? I’m
trying to get fourteen’s order out.”
One quick
peek into the kitchen revealed the petite woman was carefully trying to balance
four platters of wings and potato skins. “Can I help you with those?”
“Nope, I
got ‘em. Just get twelve started, and I’ll be by in a few minutes to see if he
wants anything to eat.”
The Sin Bin
was a true family-run business. Her father had opened it shortly after her
older brother was born, and the whole family pitched in to keep it running. Her
brother had moved away ten years ago to work in Toronto, but that was just
about the time Cindy had showed up in town to take over his shifts. On busy
nights like tonight, they were all there. Her dad stayed behind the bar while
she and Cindy split the tables.
Twelve was
a small corner booth, usually occupied by someone not entirely into the game
since it had the worst view of the TVs. A lone man sat there, his back to the
rest of the bar while he bent over his iPad. He was big, powerfully built with
short black hair, and wore a fine-gauge sweater that hugged his broad
shoulders. Definitely not one of the locals.
She
approached the table and pulled her pen and notepad from her apron pocket. “Can
I get you started on anything to drink?”
He looked
up, and her heart kicked into overdrive as soon as she saw his slate-blue eyes.
Ben Kelly.
Her throat
tightened, which was a small blessing. It was the only thing that kept her from
calling him a dozen four-letter words.
He held up
the display card on the end of the table. “You’re truly serving Labatt for a
loonie?”
She
swallowed, pushing the lump of anger out of her throat and into her stomach,
where it burned with more fire than Cindy’s extra-spicy Buffalo wings. Two
could play this nonchalant game of I don’t know who the hell you are. “Yep, but
only when the Whales are playing.”
A cheer
rose from the other side of the bar as the TV showed the the team skating out
onto the ice.
“It looks
like the game’s about to start,” he said.
She
squeezed her pen until it started to bend in the middle. “So do you want one or
not?”
He set the
card down, his eyes never leaving hers. “Sure, why not?”
“Fine.
Cindy will be over in a few minutes to get the rest of your order.” She shoved
her pad and pen into her apron and spun around on her heel. He had a lot of
nerve showing up here, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing
how much he got under her skin.
She grabbed
a bottle out of the cooler and popped the lid off, leaving it on the bar.
“Here’s twelve’s order.”
“Aren’t you
going to take it to him?” her dad asked.
“No.” As far as she was concerned, he could rot in hell.
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Author Info
Crista
McHugh is a multiple award-winning author of fantasy romance and paranormal
romance with heroines who are smart, sexy, and anything but ordinary. She
currently lives in the Audi-filled suburbs of Seattle with her husband and two
children, maintaining her alter ego of mild-mannered physician by day while she
continues to pursue writing on nights and weekends.
Author Links
Twitter: http://twitter.com/crista_mchugh
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CristaMcHugh
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3035791.Crista_McHugh
Website: http://www.cristamchugh.com
Series website: http://www.thekellybrothers.cristamchugh.com
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