“I can carry my suitcase now. You really don’t have to,” Winnie says.
I glance over at her and can’t help but smile. She’s completely caked in mud except for her face. How she was able to avoid that, I’ve no clue, but every other bit of her front side is dripping.
“I told you, I can handle it. You have other things to worry about, like staying on your feet.”
She’s slipped two more times on our way back to the cabin. Either she’s incredibly clumsy or this is her first time walking.
“You know, I think it’s my shoes. They’re old, and there isn’t much tread left on them. Can’t avoid slipping when you have no gription.” Gription? Cute.
“These are my shit shoes and I’ve been fine.”
“Well, aren’t you a god of walking?” she says with humor.
“Never been called that before. I think I like it.” The cabin comes into view and so does a large red truck. “Thank fuck, Stephan is here.”
“Stephan? Wait, isn’t he the chef?”
“Yes. Which means he probably has something cooking for breakfast.” I sniff the air. “Yup, I think I smell bacon. Do you smell that?”
“I’m trying not to smell anything right now for fear that I’ll get a whiff of any animal feces that I might have lain in.”
I chuckle. “Smart. Just one more descent. Think you can handle it?”
“Maybe it’s smarter if I treat my body like a sled and this hill as a slide—you know, just glide right on down.”
“Nah, the mud is too sticky at this point.” I grip the suitcase in one hand and then take her hand in my other. “I got you.”
Together we make it down the hill and to the driveway of the cabin. Yup, that’s bacon.
“Might be best if we leave our shoes out here. Taters will freak the fuck out if we get mud all over his floor.”
“Oh God, I forgot about his dislike for me.”
“I’ll take care of him. Don’t worry about it.”
We strip out of our shoes. I open the door and set down her mud-free suitcase and backpack.
The boys are all at the dining room table, enjoying a meal. They turn to look at us.
“Holy shit, what happened?” Hornsby asks, coming out of his chair.
I thumb toward Winnie and say, “This smart one thought we could get her car out of the mud.”
“And we did,” Winnie defends.
“Yes, we did, and then we sent it right into another ditch.”
Posey snorts and brings his napkin up to his nose.
“Winnie fell into the mud, and now here we are. She needs to get cleaned up and then we’re going to call a tow to get the car out of the ditch.”
“Jesus. Okay. Stephan made egg skillets. I can have him make two more.”
“That would be awesome,” I say.
“Uh, I have an allergy to eggs,” Winnie says, wincing. “Don’t worry about me. I can have a protein bar. Just require a shower.” She pops the handle to her suitcase. “Mind if I head back to the guest room? The mud is starting to crust.”
“Go ahead,” I say, and she quickly wheels away. I head into the kitchen, where I give Stephan a fist pump. “Hey, man. Smells amazing.”
“Sorry about last night,” he says. “Didn’t think it would be safe to try to get up here.”
“No worries. Do you have some extra bacon?”
“Yeah, I can whip up a skillet for you. And your girlfriend?”
I choke on my own saliva. “She’s not my girlfriend. Just an, uh, unexpected guest.”
“Ahh, I get it.” He winks at me.
“No, not like that. Literally, she came out of nowhere last night. Her car got stuck and she stumbled upon our cabin.”
“Damn, lucky girl. She want a skillet?”
“She’s allergic to eggs, apparently. Anything else you can whip up?”
“Got her covered.” Stephan gets to work and I take a seat at the kitchen island, letting myself relax into a deep breath. I work out for a living, skate with two-hundred-pound men on a daily basis, but walking up and down those hills in mud . . . shit, my legs are burning. Talk about a new torture device for Coach. Just send us out in the mud, we’ll get all the workout we need. Add some suitcases, a backpack, and a girl who walks like a newborn fawn, and we’re toast.
“So, riding your white steed this morning?” Taters asks, taking a seat next to me after dropping his empty plate in the sink.
“What?” I ask. Hornsby joins us as well. Posey and Holmes remain at the table, talking about the book Holmes is reading.
“You know, knight in shining armor.”
“Fuck off,” I say, passing my hand over my face. “She was going to leave the house without help, in search of her car that she didn’t remember where exactly she left. I couldn’t let her just get lost out there.” Whispering, I say, “If you haven’t noticed, she’s a bit of a hot mess. She can’t stand on her own two feet, she thinks she can just adventure with no plan, and she leaves the keys to her car . . . inside her car. I honestly don’t know how she’s survived this long. Sheer luck, if you ask me.”
Hornsby and Taters are both silent as they stare at me, arms crossed, observing.
“What?” I ask.
“Do you see it?” Taters asks.
“See what?” I ask.
“Oh yeah, I thought I was the only one,” Hornsby says. “But you see it too?”
“Oh yeah,” Taters says with a smirk. “He’s crushing on this girl.”
“What?” I ask in shock. “You two are totally off-base.”
“Denial. Classic,” Hornsby says.
“Never seen a more classic move,” Taters adds.
“It’s almost embarrassing watching him in denial,” Hornsby says.
“Who’s in denial?” Stephan asks.
Taters, or maybe I’ll start calling him Potato now, leans forward. “Lawes. He doesn’t think he’s crushing on the girl, but we all see it.”
With his back to us, Stephan says, “Oh yeah, I could see it the minute he told me about her food allergy.”
“I’m being fucking nice. Want me to be a dick to her? I can act like Taters did last night.”
“Mmm, I wouldn’t say I was being a dick last night, more annoyed.”
“You practically kicked her out in a torrential downpour,” I say. “That’s not annoyed, that’s being a dick.”
“I couldn’t have kicked her out if I tried with you two asshats leaping at her beck and call.”
Leveling with Taters, I say, “Hey, dude, just because your girl was a bitch to you doesn’t mean every girl is a bitch.”
“I choose to be proven wrong,” Taters says, leaning against the counter and crossing his arms.
I roll my eyes and turn to Hornsby, the reasonable one in the group. “Her car is in a ditch; not sure she’s going to be able to get it out anytime soon. Remember when Posey’s car needed to be jumpstarted? The tow truck wouldn’t come up here until the roads were completely dry, right?”
“Yeah, the guy doesn’t risk it.”
“That’s what I thought,” I say. “I’m pretty sure she’s fucked for a bit, especially since the forecast is calling for more rain tonight.”
“Yeah, I thought about that.” Hornsby looks off to the side. “And when the Internet came back on, I checked on a few reasonable places around town, and they’re all booked.”
“Uh, what’s happening here?” Taters asks, cutting in. “What I think is happening, better not be happening.”
“Come on, Taters,” I say. “She’s in a foreign country—”
“It’s Canada. It’s not as if she was dropped off in Dubai without a wallet.”
“It’s still a foreign country. She seems to be on a mission. I don’t know for what, but she doesn’t seem to be smart about it. What are you going to do? Force her into town and hope she finds a place to stay, even though she won’t have a car?”
“She was asking for adventure . . .”
“You’re such an asshole,” Hornsby says. “Jesus, dude, it’s not going to kill you to have her around for a few days.”
“Yes, it will, it’ll kill my vibe.”
“And what vibe is that?” I ask. “Sulking in the corner, pissing people off, and then later on apologizing as you rest a beer on your stomach?”
“As a matter of fact, that’s the exact vibe I was going for.”
“You can still be like that, but with her here.” I didn’t think I was going to have to push Taters on this so much. On the walk back, I considered the idea of asking him if she could stay, not for my benefit—because I’m really not getting anything out of this—but because Winnie doesn’t seem to know what she’s doing. She seems lost . . . alone. I think she needs help, she just doesn’t quite know how to ask for it.
“No, I can’t rock out with my vibe with her here. What if I want to fart? I’m going to have to excuse myself so I can fart in my own house.”
“Seriously?” Hornsby asks. “That’s what you’re worried about? Farting?”
“And other things. What if I bring a girl back here?”
I scoff. “When have you ever brought a girl back to the cabin?”
“Never, but it’s nice to know I have the option.”
“You can still bring a girl back to the cabin. Jesus. She’s on the opposite end of the cabin and since she’s already terrified of you, I’m sure she’s going to do everything possible to stay out of your hair.”
Taters straightens up. “She said that? She’s terrified of me?”
“Yeah, you fuck,” I say. “You made quite the impression on her last night. And it wasn’t a good one.”
You can see the moment his conscience kicks in because the dent between his eyes eases and his shoulders slump. “Fuck, you know I don’t like being known as the bad guy.”
“Then don’t act like one. Extend an olive branch. It seems as if she needs one right now.”
He looks between us and then asks, “You don’t think this is all a little odd? I mean, what woman in her right mind comes to a random house, full of five huge hockey players, stays the night, and acts as if everything is okay?”
I stare down the hallway and say, “I think someone who might be lost, that’s who.”
“Order up, man,” Stephan says, sliding a steaming skillet on a trivet across the kitchen island. He tosses me a fork and I catch it with one hand.
“Maybe it’ll give you some good karma,” I add. “Opening up your home, that shit comes back around. Who knows, maybe you two might hit it off?”
Taters laughs. “Yeah, I’m sure you wouldn’t even let any of us get close enough to her to let that happen.”
I hold up my hands. “I lay no claim.”
“That’s why you were up this morning and out of the house before any of us were allowed to say good morning,” Taters taunts.
“Not true,” I say, scooping up a pile of scrambled eggs mixed with cheese, peppers, and hash browns. “Holmes was up this morning before me. He was probably waiting to make his move.”
Hornsby laughs under his breath. “That would be the fucking day. The man barely talks to us. Pretty sure he’s not going to be talking to a random girl who came crashing into our house late at night.”
“And even if he did, it’s not as if you gave him a chance. Holmes told us he told you to put a shirt on but you refused to.”
“Oh, fuck off, that’s what he told you guys?” I shake my head and take another bite. “I told him I didn’t think she was going to be awake that early. I wasn’t intentionally trying to be bare-chested in front of her.”
“Uh-huh,” Hornsby says, taking off for his room, down the hallway on the opposite side of the house from where Holmes, Winnie, and I are rooming.
“So, are you going to let her stay?” I ask, exhausted over this conversation.
“Is that what you want Daddy to do?” Taters grins.
“Do not call yourself that.”
Stephan laughs from across the island as he whips something in a bowl. “I kind of like the sound of it. I mean, he’s my sugar daddy, giving me the money I need.”
“Daddy pays you well,” Taters says with a wink.
“That he does.”
“This is so fucking disturbing.”
Taters puts his hand on my shoulder and says, “If you want your girlfriend to stay, then Daddy says it’s okay.” He leans in and presses a kiss to the top of my head. “Daddy will do anything for his precious baby.”
I push at his chest. “Fuck off.”
Taters laughs as he takes off toward his room, as well.
“Assholes,” I mutter under my breath.
“Want something to drink?” Stephan asks.
“I can grab some water,” I say, starting to get up.
“I got it, man. When I said Daddy pays me well, he pays me very well.”
I chuckle. “God, he must love that you called him that.”
“I think he was tickled, for sure.” Stephan hands me a glass with ice and water. Then he leans forward and asks, “So . . . do you like her?” He wiggles his brows and I shake my head.
“Jesus, not you too, man.”
“It’ll be just our secret.”
“I haven’t spent enough time with her to even make that kind of assessment. I’m just being a nice guy.” To a hot-as-fuck girl, but I won’t mention that. And I wasn’t kidding when I said I can be shy around girls. I’ve always been protective of my sister, but around her friends, I’ve been . . . standoffish. Besides, Winnie’s probably out of my league.
Just then, Stephan lifts up and looks over my shoulder. “I didn’t catch your name. Seems as though the boys are lacking in manners.”
From behind me, I hear Winnie say, “Ah, what they’re lacking in manners, they make up for in chivalry.” She comes up to the island and takes a seat next to me. The aroma of fresh soap and lavender hits me as I turn to look at her.
And . . . fuck.
She’s wearing a low-cut tank top that leaves little to the imagination. She’s fresh-faced, all dewy from her shower, and her wet hair is pulled up into a tight bun on the top of her head, showing off the stunning angles of her face.
Yup, hot-as-fuck was right.
“My name’s Winnie, and you’re Stephan, from what I’ve heard. The man with the food.”
“That’s right.” Stephan offers his hand and they shake. “Can you believe these idiots traveled up here with no food?”
“Seems pretty unintelligent to me.”
I turn to her. “As unintelligent as driving a Mini Cooper up a dirt road in the Rocky Mountains?”
“That’s just living life. At least I packed food.” She chuckles.
Stephan lifts away from the island and says, “I hope you like pancakes. I made some vegan blueberry pancakes. That okay?”
“Are you serious?” Winnie asks in surprise. “I told you, you didn’t have to make me anything.”
“I’m a chef. It’s my responsibility to make sure everyone is fed.” He places a plate in front of Winnie, and hell, those look good.
“Why the hell did I get scrambled eggs and she gets pancakes?” I ask in a teasing tone.
“Because you little bitches complain about packing on the carbs, even when on vacation.”
Winnie laughs next to me, but it’s true. We do complain about the carbs.
“But we never bitch about the dessert.”
“Which is why you get eggs in the morning, so you can enjoy those desserts later.”
“Oh my gosh, these are delicious,” Winnie moans in appreciation. “Thank you so much, Stephan.”
“You’re welcome.” He winks and then makes the rest of his batch. “I’ll put these in the fridge so you can pull them out and toast some when you want more.”
“Oh, thank you, but I won’t be staying.”
“Not what I hear,” Stephan says in a sing-song voice before going back into the pantry.
Winnie turns toward me. “What did he mean by that?”
I shovel the rest of my skillet in my mouth and then wash it down with some water before addressing Winnie. “The guys and I were talking, and we don’t think you have any other option but to stay with us. Hornsby—”
“Eli?”
“Yes, Eli—was looking at lodgings this morning and everything so far has been booked. And as far as your car, we know the tow man, and he won’t come up here unless the ground is dry. It’s supposed to rain the next couple of days.”
“Oh.” Her shoulders slump. “Well, that doesn’t seem promising for me.”
“Yeah, not so much. But we spoke to Tat—uh, Potato.”
She grins.
“And he said that you’re more than welcome to stay here for as long as you need.”
She gives me a get real look. “He did not say that.”
“Something like that,” I say. “But seriously, this is going to be your best bet. Any lodging that might have occupancy is going to be sketchy or astronomically priced. At least here, you have company, or you can be left alone, you’ll be fed, and we can help you get back down the mountain when it dries out.”
She nibbles on her bottom lip and looks down at her plate. “But it feels as though I’m taking advantage of the situation, and I’m not that kind of person.”
“You’re not taking advantage of the situation if we invited you. Seriously, we have the space, we have the food, and it’s no problem. And, hey, whatever you really are here for, you can focus on it in peace, or we can help you. We’re just hanging out here.”
“I don’t want to be in your way.”
“You won’t be. And if you feel like you are, then just retreat to your room.”
“It doesn’t feel right.” She picks at her pancake. “I didn’t come here for charity.”
“Then make it up to us,” I say. I want her to stay. I want to find out what this adventure is all about. I want to try to figure out how I know this girl. And . . . yeah, maybe I just want to get to know her better. She’s interesting. A little quirky, very stubborn, but incredibly independent. She fascinates me.
Plus, she’s someone else to talk to besides my boys. Don’t get me wrong. I would fight to the death for them, but I’ve also spent an entire season with them. Some female companionship wouldn’t kill me.
“I don’t have a lot of money,” she says, looking embarrassed.
“Good, because we wouldn’t want your money. Make it up to us in different ways.”
She lifts a questioning brow. “Excuse me, sir, but I don’t do that kind of stuff. Well, I do perform those kinds of things, but in a consensual relationship, not as favors . . . if you know what I mean.”
“Jesus, not like that.” I chuckle. “I didn’t even think about how that sounds. I mean, like . . . help us in other ways.”
“And how would that be?” She gestures to Stephan. “It’s not as though I can make you dinner. And for being five men in one house, you’re all really clean.” She looks around the house. “I honestly don’t know what I could do to pay you back.”
“Then don’t. Why don’t you just let us be nice?”
“Because I’m used to doing everything myself,” she answers briskly while looking away. “I—” She lets out a deep breath. “I don’t usually look for help. Coming here last night, staying here, that was hard. Accepting help has never come easily to me, so staying here for longer, I just don’t think I can do it.”
“Well, I hate to break it down like this for you, but you’re in a tough spot.” I force her to look at me by reaching out and placing two fingers on her chin until her eyes meet mine. There they are, those deep blue eyes, a color I’ve never seen in person before. “Your car isn’t getting out of that ditch at least for a few days. There’s no hotel available in town and, unfortunately don’t have any other options. It’s either us or staying in your car in a ditch until help comes, and frankly, that would be insulting to us if you chose your car over this nice cabin.”
She worries her lips and then exhales softly. Her shoulders slump and I see when she capitulates. “Unfortunately, I think you’re right.”
“I know I am.” I stand from my chair and stretch my hands over my head. “Make yourself comfortable, Winnie. Looks as if this is your new home for a few days.”
And then I take off toward my room for a much-needed shower.
I TOWEL off my head just as my phone rings on my nightstand. I quickly throw on a pair of boxer briefs and then jog over to the nightstand where I spot my dad’s name across the screen.
“Hey, Dad,” I answer while taking a seat on the bed. “How are you?”
“Doing pretty good,” Dad says, his gruff voice sounding clear over the phone. Retired now from teaching for over thirty years, he’s spending his days with my mom in Minnesota enjoying a calm, peaceful life. “Are you and the boys in Banff?”
“Yeah, got here yesterday.”
“Your mom and I really need to get up there soon. We enjoyed our trip two years ago, and I’m thinking of a repeat.”
“Just let me know when and I’ll be sure to be here as well. There is room here at the house, we could even put you in a spot here.”
“No, no,” Dad scoffs. “You know I don’t want to bother you boys, especially when you’re trying to unwind. The last thing you need is for a couple of old people cramping your style.”
“Not sure what you think we do here, Dad, but until yesterday, we’ve never had a girl here . . . if that’s what you’re implying.”
“You mean Silas never had his girl up to the cabin?”
“Well, she was different, but we don’t bring girls back to the place.”
“Uh-huh, so then why did that change yesterday? Who brought someone? Wait, let me guess, Horny did.”
I chuckle. “No, surprisingly. The girl is actually someone who dropped by yesterday. Bad storms led to her car getting stuck in the road, which led her to the cabin for help. She stayed the night because there was nowhere to go. Taters is mad about it but we couldn’t turn the girl away.”
“I would hope not. Good on you guys for making sure she was going to be okay.”
“Yeah, you know . . . she looks really familiar. Can’t quite put my finger on it.”
“Maybe you knew her in another life,” Dad says, causing me to roll my eyes.
“You know I don’t believe in that shit.”
He laughs. “That’s why I said it.”
“Was there a point to this phone call?” I ask, teasing him.
“Just checking on my boy, seeing if you’ve heard from anyone.”
“That’s ominous,” I say. “Am I supposed to be hearing from someone?”
“Maybe,” he says.
“Care to elaborate?”
He clears his throat, so I know he’s about to get serious. “I had a call from Josh.”
Huh, wasn’t expecting that.
“He actually called you?”
“Yeah, to say I was caught off guard is an understatement.”
“Was he just checking in?”
Dad pauses and then says, “No, he was actually apologizing.”
“Seriously?” I ask, not quite believing that. “What brought about an apology? I mean long overdue given how he’s treated you and me, but out of the blue he decides to apologize?”
“He did. He said he wanted to apologize to you as well. He needs to explain himself.”
Josh can apologize all he wants, I don’t think that’s going to change shit for me.
Josh is my half-brother. He’s been a dick ever since I’ve known him and has rejected the idea of ever getting to know me. So why the hell do I want to offer him the chance to apologize?
And why now?
“From your silence, I’m guessing you’re not open to a conversation with Josh right now,” Dad says.
“Not quite. He was a dick to you, Dad. You just accepted his apology and everything is fine now?”
“He’s my son.”
“He’s an asshole,” I shoot back.
Dad sighs. “I know this isn’t easy for you to understand, but when he does reach out to you, and he will, please, Pacey, please have an open heart.”
Yeah . . . okay.
“Sure, Dad,” I say to appease him, even though I know damn well there is no way I’ll be answering that phone call.
“Thank you.” Although Dad’s relief does make me feel slightly guilty. “Okay, well I should be going. Your mom made a play date for me on the golf course.”
I chuckle. “She’s a good woman.”
“That she is. I love you, kid.”
“Love you, too, Dad.”
Once I hang up, I toss the phone on the bed. That wasn’t a phone call I was mentally prepared for.
But knowing Josh and his track record, nothing will come of it.
At least, that’s what I hope.
