1. Sawyer

Chapter 1

Sawyer

Ice swishes under my skates and Coach Dunaway’s calls ring in my ears as I barrel around the outer edge of the rink. It’s not often anymore that I feel this alive, this free, but there’s something about being out on the ice that lets me forget everything else. That lets me be something more than just a single father.

After a few laps around the rink to warm up, I line up on the blue line in front of Grant, our goalie, and prepare to help him intercept as many plays from the other guys as possible. Some people think the defense position is boring, but it’s my favorite place on the ice. Other than Grant, I’m the last guy standing between the opposition and the net, and nothing feels better than intercepting a big play and turning things around for the whole team.

I don’t need the glory that comes with scoring goals and being the face of the team that all the fans love. The other guys thrive on that kind of attention—not that there’s anything wrong with it—but it’s not for me.

Reese, our left wing and alternate captain, is first in line to try his luck against me. He lowers his head with a determined look, but he has to know I’m not going to make it easy on him.

“Go!” Dunaway shouts from the box.

Reese springs into action, his stick swishing back and forth in front of him as he hurtles toward me. He’s heading right, so I follow him loosely. He attempts to juke left around me at the last second, but I’m paying attention and it’s a predictable move, so I move with him.

Frustrated, he stops abruptly and spins around, giving himself an opening. I try to rush in front of him, but I’m not fast enough. The puck claps against his stick and soars toward Grant, who thankfully catches it lazily like it was no challenge at all.

“Good footwork, Sutton!” Dunaway calls to Reese, who flashes me a smile and retreats back to the end of the line. Dunaway’s eyes meet mine. “Stay on your toes, Townsend!”

“Yes, Coach,” I mumble as I get back into position. Reese played me, but I’m not going to let the other guys get one over on me too. Unfortunately though, Theo is up next. And if his recent winning-streak performance is any indication, stopping him won’t be easy.

“You ready for me?” Theo asks with a smirk.

“Bring it!”

“Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He flashes a cocky grin as he gets ready to pound down the ice.

After a few seconds, Dunaway blows his whistle, a sharp, piercing shriek, and before I even realize what’s happening, Theo’s already closed half the distance between us. He’s almost superhuman, and I don’t blame the rest of the teams in the league for being afraid of him.

I stay rooted in place, waiting for him to make his move. It’s subtle, but I know his tells, so when he leans left, I lurch in the opposite direction and he almost crashes into me when he tries to feint. He dances away without colliding with me, but I manage to poke the puck away from him and send it skipping across the ice back toward Noah, our team captain and center, who’s beaming at me.

“Now that’s some defense!” he calls, and Dunaway nods in agreement.

“Well done, Townsend!” Dunaway blows his whistle again, signaling the end of practice, and I skate off the ice with the rest of the guys with a shit-eating grin I can’t take off my face. Theo skates up behind me and drapes an arm around my shoulders.

“Good job, man. Guess I need to up my game.”

“If you keep upping your game, we’re all gonna be out of a job,” I joke back, and Theo chuckles at me.

“Alright, enough with the platitudes. You’re gonna make his head swell so big it won’t fit in his helmet anymore,” Noah says, and although Theo laughs at him, he punches Noah in the arm.

“Don’t hate me ’cause you ain’t me.”

“Somehow, I don’t think that’s what he hates about you,” Grant chimes in, and Noah lets out a low whistle, his brows raised.

“Damn, Grant coming in with the fire,” he says through a laugh, and our resident grumpy goalie smirks at him. Grant smiling at all only happens once in a blue moon, much less bantering with the rest of us. He’s always been a quiet, gruff sort of guy—even more serious than I am, which is saying something—and although I’ve never fully understood why, I love him like a brother anyway. Besides, a serious-as-stone man is exactly the type we need for a goalie.

“How about that juke, huh?” Reese nudges me when I sit down next to him on the bench in the locker room to tear off my skates and gear.

“Yeah, yeah. You got lucky, that’s all.”

“Is it luck or skill?”

“As if any of us could tell the difference when it comes to you,” Theo answers, and the whole locker room erupts at the burn.

I don’t know what it is, but my teammates are all in a mood today. I don’t mind though. I’m actually having fun with them. Ever since the Cup playoffs, it seems like we’ve all been playing and getting along better than ever.

“Hey, Reese, do you need me to bring you some aloe when I stop by later?” I ask, and Reese glares at me.

“That joke’s as old as you are, bro,” he fires back. Again, the locker room explodes in laughter, but I chuckle along with everyone else. I am one of the older guys on the team, although I’m nowhere near past my prime as a pro athlete.

“In all seriousness, though, do you mind if I stop by on the way home?” I ask Reese as the banter and chatter continues around us. “I think Jake left his stuffed rabbit over there the other day when we were over for dinner, and he’s been missing it a lot.”

“Oh, yeah, of course.” He nods. “Or I can just bring it to you next practice.”

I grimace. “I don’t think Jake’s going to be okay with that.”

“And you’re sure it’s at my place?”

“Almost positive. Neither of us remember seeing it since we were there. So either he left it at your place, or he dropped it in the parking lot at the grocery store or something. But I think one of us would’ve noticed that. He doesn’t go anywhere without that rabbit.”

“Got it. Well, I’ve got some errands I have to run before I head home, but here.” He drags his gym bag closer and rummages around inside, then pulls out a key and tosses it to me. “I always keep a spare in my bag, just in case. You can let yourself in and take a look, although fair warning, I don’t remember seeing a stuffed rabbit anywhere.”

“Well, it’s worth a shot, anyway.” I grin gratefully at him. “You sure Callie won’t mind me stopping by?”

Reese waves that away. “Nah, she’ll still be at school teaching, so the house should be empty—unless you happen to walk in on a burglary-in-progress,” he adds with a chuckle, and I roll my eyes at him.

“Hilarious. But thanks, I appreciate it. And I’m sure Jake will appreciate it even more. He’s been missing his stuffy ever since he realized he lost it.”

“No problem.” Reese runs a hand through his damp blond hair. “Just drop the key on the counter and make sure you lock up when you leave.”

“Will do,” I promise.

I tuck the key in the front zipper of my gear bag, then peel off the rest of my equipment and take a quick shower before packing everything up and hitting the road. My lips turn down into a frown as I check the time on the clock in my car’s dash. I’ve got less than an hour left with the sitter I hired for Jake today, and Reese’s place is at least twenty minutes away from mine, so I’ve got to make this quick.

I shoot the sitter a quick text to let her know I might be a little late, then pull up navigation going to Reese’s house. He lives closer to the arena than I do, and traffic is light in the middle of the afternoon, so it doesn’t take me long to get there. Just like he said, Callie’s car is gone, so I really will have the house to myself.

In the driveway, I dig the key out of my bag and hurry to the front door to let myself in. I don’t have a clue where Jake might have left the rabbit, assuming it’s even here, so I walk around the living room, retracing my memory of where he hung out while we visited the other day. But as soon as I round the corner of the large L-shaped couch, I spot it sitting neatly in the middle, leaning to one side.

“Thanks, Callie,” I murmur with a smile.

She must have found the rabbit and knew one of us would be looking for it, so she put it in a conspicuous place. I reach for the rabbit—then freeze when I hear a thud from upstairs.

“What the…?” I mutter.

The house is supposed to be empty, and there aren’t any cars in the driveway other than mine, so I have no idea what made that sound.

Reese’s joke repeats in my head. Unless you happen to walk in on a burglary-in-progress .

Suddenly, it’s not so funny. My teammate lives in a nice home in a nice area, so it’s unlikely, but if it’s not an intruder, then who the hell is it?

I tuck the rabbit under one arm and walk to the bottom of the stairs and stop, straining to hear anything else. But nothing reaches my ears. Still, I think about going back to the car to grab my hockey stick, just in case.

You’re imagining things, Townsend. Just drop the key and leave.

As soon I have that thought, I hear something that sounds a lot like music drifting downstairs. I highly doubt a burglar would be blasting their favorite playlist during a break-in, so curiosity gets the better of me, and before I realize it, I’m halfway up the stairs. The music gets louder, and at the top of the stairs I realize it’s someone—a woman—humming.

I follow the sound of the humming to the guest bedroom down the hall where the door hangs wide open. The humming turns to full-on singing as I reach the door and step through it. A naked woman with soaking wet blonde hair stands in front of the full-length mirror, holding a hairbrush to her mouth like a microphone.

A startled sound escapes me, and she yelps and whips around as she realizes she’s not alone, dropping the hairbrush in surprise.

Violet.

I freeze in shock, my eyes widening as I take in the sight of Violet’s willowy curves and pale skin. Her blonde hair looks darker than usual, thanks to the water clinging to the strands, and for a moment, heat curls low in my gut as we stand staring at each other. Her full lips are slightly parted, her hazel eyes framed by long, thick lashes, and there’s a slight flush to her cheeks that only serves to highlight her gorgeous cheekbones.

It hits me in a rush that I’m staring at Reese’s sister , and I wrench my gaze away, clearing my throat.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was here,” I mutter, still a little stunned—and unable to shake the image I just saw from my mind.

Not waiting for a response, I turn and stride back down the hall, making my way quickly downstairs.

Fucking hell. Nice going, Townsend , I admonish myself silently, scrubbing a hand over my forehead as I reach the first floor. I should’ve known it wasn’t a burglar or a squatter or some shit, but I just had to check. Of course it was his sister, although Reese definitely didn’t warn me that she’d be around.

I dig the front door key out of my pocket, tossing it down on the little table next to the couch. I’m debating whether I should go back upstairs and apologize—and risk accidentally seeing Violet naked again —or if I should just head out, but then I hear her footsteps padding down the hall.

I tense up a little when I realize that she’s heading toward the stairs, vaguely aware of warmth creeping up my cheeks. I honestly don’t know why I’m so fucking off-kilter right now. I’m sure she knows it was an accident, so why do I feel so weird about this?

Maybe it’s because, for just a second, I forgot that it was Reese’s sister I was looking at.

For just a second, all I saw was a beautiful woman. One of the most stunning I’ve ever seen.

I shake that intrusive thought from my head as Violet comes down the stairs. She’s wearing a fluffy robe that’s tied loosely around her waist and comes down almost to her knees, but it still leaves way too little to the imagination—especially since my imagination doesn’t need any damn help right now.

“Sorry,” I say quickly as she reaches the bottom step. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just stopped to pick up Jake’s stuffed animal, and I heard noises upstairs. I had no idea it was you.”

Violet laughs, the sound light and airy as it fills the large space of Reese’s living room. She’s only a few years younger than him, but there’s something about her—a bright, happy energy—that makes her seem at least a decade younger than I feel most days. Hell, she might actually be close to a decade younger than me, since I’m nearing my mid-thirties and I know she’s in her twenties.

“It’s fine, really,” she says, waving away my apology with a grin. “That’s what I get for sneaking into town when Reese is at practice and thinking I’d have the house to myself. And at least I was hitting the notes, right?”

A laugh bursts out of me before I can stop it, and I nod, relieved that she doesn’t seem bothered by our accidental encounter.

“Yeah, you sounded great,” I acknowledge, and her grin widens. Then my brows draw together as the first part of what she said finally registers in my mind. “You said you snuck into town? What brings you to Denver? I mean, if I can ask?”

She makes a face and opens her mouth to answer, but the front door opens before she can say anything, interrupting her and startling us both. Reese walks in absently, then glances over at his sister and me and stops mid-stride.

“Violet?” He blinks, looking nearly as surprised to see her as I was. “What are you doing here?”

“That seems to be the question on everyone’s mind.” She laughs, stepping around me to hug Reese. When they separate, she glances back at me. “Since you’re both dying to know, I just got offered a new job in Los Angeles. It’s an amazing opportunity with a great marketing firm, but I won’t start for a few months. And since my lease in Chicago was up, I thought I’d spend the time in between in Denver.”

“That’s great! Congrats!” Reese says, seemingly unfazed by finding his sister standing half-naked in his living room with his teammate. Not that I’m complaining.

“Thanks.” She beams, twisting her still damp hair around her fingers. “And don’t worry, I won’t be in your hair. I’m going to look at some short-term rentals here soon, and I already have an interview lined up at a temp agency this afternoon too.”

Reese frowns, shaking his head. “Don’t be ridiculous. You can stay here with me and Callie. I mean, you’ve clearly already made yourself at home,” he adds with a pointed look at her wet hair and bathrobe, and she snorts.

“No way, big brother. I just wanted to freshen up after the drive, but I’m not going to impose on you for that long. I love Callie to bits, but I don’t imagine she wants a third wheel staying in your house for three months.”

“Are you kidding? She’ll be over the moon when she finds out you’re here for more than just your usual quick visit.” He cocks his head to one side. “But wait a minute, what happened with your old job? I thought you had a good thing going there?”

“Oh, that. It’s a long story for another time.” Violet’s smile doesn’t waver, but something passes through her eyes, and I can’t help but feel like she’s deliberately keeping her answer vague.

Before curiosity can prompt me to comment on that, my phone chimes in my pocket.

“Shit, it’s the sitter. Jake’s school is off today, so I had to call her in last-minute. I’ve got to go,” I tell them both as I check the text message that just came through. I sigh, typing out a quick response as I speak. “I’ve had a hell of a time finding reliable people lately. Poor Jake, I feel like he’s had a revolving door of new people watching him over the past few months.”

Violet shoots me a sympathetic look, her hazel eyes warm. “That sucks, I’m sorry. Jake is a great kid.”

“Hey, wait a second!” Reese perks up suddenly, glancing from me to Violet as if he’s piecing something together in his head. “Maybe you could help him out,” he tells her. “You’re great with kids, and you just said you’ll need a job for a while. Why don’t you skip the temp agency and nanny for Sawyer while you’re in town?”