Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

BECCA

Live life on the wild side and take a chance, Becca – it’s free tickets .

Those words stuck in her mind as she made her way gingerly down the steep stairs into the arena, trying to keep up with her friend from work. Winning a pair of front row tickets to an event was a miracle in her books, so who was she to complain if it happened to be hockey?

“Maddie, hang on…”

Becca was struggling to keep up with her coworker as the two women weaved into the crowds at the arena. The steep incline of the steps was tougher than any set of high school bleachers and dangerously narrow. It was like they were trying to pack as many people as possible in the seats for whatever event was happening at the time.

Would a music concert, rodeo, or festival tickets have been better? Yes – a thousand times ‘yes’ because at the farm where she grew up, she listened to music all day long. Pop, R perhaps she wasn’t the ‘type’ that normally came to a hockey game, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t have a good time. No, this was just expanding her ‘tree of knowledge’ into something more.

Getting to the front row, she saw the two seats blocked off behind the clear plexiglass and hesitated. They really meant ‘front row’… because their tickets nearly put them on the ice.

“Dang, is it cold in here, or is it just me?”

“You need a jersey or a jacket, girl,” Maddie laughed easily, pointing. “Why do you think I’m in a Toronto Canadiens jersey? I’m here to cheer on ma’ boys!”

“Well, my goose bumps are mountains and, I don’t think I can feel my fingertips anymore…” Becca muttered under her breath, cursing her short-sleeved T-shirt, grumbling as the lights dimmed and the music started. Beams of light began to illuminate as a fog machine filled the rink and everything sounded like a garbled mess on the speakers, jarring her teeth as a slow-moving vehicle was creeping across the ice.

“Is that the macaroni?” Becca asked excitedly, only to hear several people behind them begin laughing uproariously, as Maddie rolled her eyes.

“Zamboni,” she corrected, making Becca feel like a fool. “They are starting the three-minute warmup, and… here we go!”

The National Hockey league, in accordance with governmental rules and regulations, has embraced a Zero Tolerance policy for fan behavior at all games. Anyone using foul language, throwing things, and…

Becca looked at Maddie in shock.

“Do people really do that?”

“You better believe it… Hockey games can get really wild – really fast.”

Staring at the ice, she saw several men gilding around the ice, some taking shots with a hockey stick while others were skating quickly, coming to a stop, then practically running across the ice once again in sprints before gliding. Shocked, she saw the goalies were on the ice, their legs spread like what she would imagine a frog could do, and nearly grinding themselves indecently before everyone. Her mouth dropped open as the goalies were thrusting, lifting, then thrusting down again, nearly emulating things that happened in the bedroom while doing their stretches.

“Is that not the hottest thing you’ve ever seen…?” Maddie hollered over the loud rush of announcements that hadn’t stopped yet. “Just gimme twenty-four hours alone with Dustin Lafrenière, and I’ll pull every muscle that he’s currently stretching before crying for mercy!”

“Oh my gosh… Maddie! For heaven’s sake, dial it back a notch.” Becca laughed loudly as her friend pointed at the goalie, made a few suggestive hand signals, and then blew him a kiss – which he ignored. “Maddie, I don’t think your guy is interested. ”

“Darn it,” Maddie grumbled – and then elbowed her quickly several times on her side, causing her to look at the woman. The elbowing and nudging were still continuing, but there was a furious rush of words that came almost in pattern with the excited hits. “But you definitely caught someone’s attention.”

“Eh?”

“Yes! Just like that – say ‘Eh’ a lot, and one of the players will just gobble you up, if you ditch that stupid Transformers T-shirt. We are nearly in our thirties and do not watch cartoons anymore. Oh my gosh, Bec… he’s looking at you again!”

“Who? Who are you talking about?”

“Number eighty, Travis Giroux of the North Texas Coyotes. Seriously, girlfriend, we have got to get you more involved with things other than anime, cartoons, pop culture, and cows.”

Before Becca could say anything, Maddie started frantically slapping her arm in earnest with a rapid-fire movement like someone was slapping at a video game buttons, causing her to wince at the pain. She quickly looked up wondering if the speakers mounted above them were about to fall down onto their heads.

“OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHHHHMYGOSH…”

“What? What! Ow?! Can you stop with the slapping?!” she yelped and heard a hollow thud nearby that caused her to jump at the sound.

“Hey!” A voice said, causing Becca to look forward only to see a dark green and gray-colored jersey before her as a guy with shaggy brown hair and a bright smile looking directly at her. “Starscream, huh?”

“Excuse me?”

“Prowl and Hot Rod are much better characters,” he chuckled, grinning at her, pointing at her shirt.

“I’ve got a thing for guys with whiny voices, and you know it’s all about that crown. Can’t really blame a girl, even if it was just for a split second before he was vaporized. Chicks dig crowns.”

“Maybe you just like bad guys? ”

“Are you one?”

“Depends on your answer, doesn’t it? I might be if that’s your type?” he laughed openly as someone blew a whistle loudly nearby. “Here,” he called out, throwing a jersey over the plexiglass. “You should be in fan gear so I can tell what side you are cheering for.”

“Thanks!” she beamed, catching the bundle of fabric. “Hot Rod is pretty cool, too.”

“Yeah, he is,” the player winked and gave her a slow smile. “Enjoy the game!” he called out over his shoulder, skating away quickly as he pulled his helmet on his head, fastening it under his chin.

“Holy cow… there is hope for the nerds of the world. Father Above, I have seen the glory with thine own eyes,” Maddie gasped mockingly, crossing herself as she stared at Becca like she’d sprouted horns. “Travis Giroux gave you a jersey – and talked to you?”

“I guess so,” Becca said shyly, yanking the big sweatshirt over her head gratefully as a horn sounded. Looking out across the ice, she saw him smile at her from where he stood as the National Anthem began to play. Laying her hand over her chest, she sang and tried to avoid looking across the way once more – and couldn’t resist one more glimpse.

Sure enough, as her head turned and she saw him turning her way, too, before both smiled.

“I rest my case, nerd love. Who knew?” Maddie interjected as the skaters took the ice – including number eighty, the number she was now wearing across her chest.

Hockey was brutal and she knew her brother was a huge fan, but Becca had no idea it would be like this. Football they tackled, soccer they ran, basketball they nudged each other and bounced a big ball down the court, but hockey?

Hockey was in a league of its own.

The men shoved each other against the plexiglass loudly, sometimes, they would trip each other, bump into each other, and hit each other with the hockey sticks, but sometimes, well, sometimes things got a little squirrely.

The players would fling off their gloves like they were throwing gauntlets onto the ice, diving for each other, clutching the front of the jerseys while punching at each other frantically. At times, it was one hit before they were separated and put in the penalty box, and other moments, they were pummeling each other so violently that it was like watching someone take a mallet to a steak in order to tenderize it.

Blood would spray across the ice from broken noses, the men spitting or bloody knuckles, before saying something to each other and then skating to their own sides like it was an everyday occurrence.

She had never seen anything like this before… and was fascinated.