Melting the Ice

  He and Trick were in sync tonight, their passes were on the mark, and when Drew scored the first goal, he was pumped, every part of him feeling as if they could turn this around.

  At least until New Jersey scored three minutes after his goal.

  Shit.

  But they battled back, Trick forcing the puck on a breakaway. Sweat pouring down his back, Drew skated like his life depended on it, the defender right on his skates as he made his way to the New Jersey goal. He got the puck, passed it to Trick, who shot it between the goalie's legs.

  Another goal, and Drew felt the momentum building. No one was going to take it away from them tonight. They were going to win this game.

  At the end of the second period, they were tied. The coach told them they looked outstanding, and they were better than New Jersey. There was no reason they couldn't take the win.

  Drew felt the same way. Avery's thigh had mostly healed and despite having two goals scored against him tonight, his reflexes were better than they'd been in weeks. His save percentage was off the charts tonight, especially with New Jersey being so aggressive at the net. The defenders were fierce, and the Travelers offense was determined. They were meshing like never before. This was their night.

  When Drew and Trick came off the ice for a breather, Sayers and Litman came on, skating like they were on fire. They shot a goal right into the net between two defenders and the whole team lit up.

  Drew and Trick did the same when they came back onto the ice, and suddenly they were up two goals with a minute and a half left. All they had to do was avoid penalties and keep the defense strong. There was no way they could lose this game.

  Now Drew tuned into the Travelers fans who'd made the trip. Despite being in the minority at the stadium, they were pumped. And loud. He tuned into that noise and he and Trick went on the attack, double-teaming a defender. They fought against the boards for the puck, Trick coming up with it and heading toward the goal. Drew stayed in position while Trick, surrounded by defenders, sailed the puck across the ice to him.

  Drew took the shot but the goalie deflected it. New Jersey's defender took it and handed it off, which meant, with the clock ticking down, they had to rely on their defense.

  New Jersey took a couple shots on goal, but missed.

  The buzzer sounded.

  And goddamn if the Travelers hadn't won a road game.

  The team took center ice and celebrated as if they'd won the championship. But it was a big win, and one they'd worked hard for. A giant monkey off their back, and Drew hoped now they could move past it and play every game--at home or away--like he knew they could.

  There was a lot of chatter in the locker room, as well as the inevitable media, who had to give them shit about winning their first road game of the season and what it all meant. Drew, as well as the rest of the players, downplayed it, saying it was just another win. But all the guys knew what a big deal this had been, and what it had meant for the team. It was a huge confidence booster, and Drew was convinced this win was going to turn things around.

  "Hogan," one of the assistants hollered from across the locker room. "You have a visitor."

  Drew frowned. "Who is it?"

  "Some hot-looking chick. Carolina, she said her name was."

  Lots of ooohs and whistles. Drew rolled his eyes.

  Carolina was here? In New Jersey? "I'll be right out."

  "Carolina came to your road game?" Trick asked. "It must be serious."

  Drew looked down at Trick, who was getting ready to take a shower. "It is serious. I'm in love with her."

  Trick just stared up at him, then grinned. "Well fuck me. Congratulations, buddy."

  "Thanks."

  He got dressed and went outside the locker room. Carolina was wearing tight jeans, knee-skimming boots, and a long red coat. He'd never seen a more beautiful sight.

  He dragged her into his arms and planted a big kiss on her, much to the happiness of the lingering media, who took pictures. He didn't care.

  She smiled up at him. "Great game tonight."

  Moving them away from the photographers and video crews, he led her down a side hallway. "I can't believe you're here. In New Jersey."

  "A relationship goes both ways, Drew. It can't just be you being there for me. It also means I'll be there for you whenever I can. I told you I believed in you, and, win or lose, I was going to be in the stands cheering for you tonight."

  An ache formed in the pit of his stomach, an even bigger one swelling his heart. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."

  "You were there for me when I needed you. And even if I'm not physically here, I'll always be your biggest cheerleader."

  He brushed his lips across hers. "I love you, Carolina."

  "I love you, too. Now when do you get back to the city?"

  "Bus leaves in about thirty."

  "Good. So when you get back, unless you're planning to go out and celebrate with the team, I know this great cheeseburger place."

  He cocked a brow. "You hate cheeseburgers. And eggs, as I recall."

  "I do. They also have chicken. But you like burgers, and that's the sacrifice a girlfriend makes when her guy has just had a great game."

  "Sounds good to me."

  A couple hours later they were seated together in a cozy, understated burger joint. Drew was wolfing down a cheeseburger while Carolina had a chicken sandwich.

  "So this is what it's going to be like, huh?" he asked.

  "What what's going to be like?"

  "A relationship. You making sacrifices."

  She laughed. "Hey, I didn't say I was going to eat a cheeseburger or anything. But yes. We'll both make sacrifices."

  He reached out and grasped her hand. "And we'll both probably make mistakes."

  "Likely."

  "But I'll never hurt you. And you know, you can say whatever's on your mind, even if you think it's uncomfortable."

  She frowned. "What do you mean?"

  "Last night. When I made a comment about being there every day to wash your hair. You looked uncomfortable."

  "Oh. That. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, or jump the gun on what was a very new thing for both of us. We'd just said we loved each other. I didn't want to invite you to move in or anything."

  He wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "I get that. You want us to get to know each other better."

  She laughed. "Okay, this does seem stupid, doesn't it? We've known each other for what seems like forever. It's not like we need to . . . date or anything."

  "But maybe you want to take things slow."

  She paused, like she was thinking, then looked up at him. "I miss you when you're not with me. I think about you all the time. I want to sleep with you next to me at night, wake up with you snuggled up against me in the morning."

  "That sounds good to me, too."

  "We both have such busy careers and it'll be hard enough to see each other as it is. If you moved in with me . . . not that you have to or anything. I mean, if you want your own space, I'd totally understand."

  He pushed back his chair and stood, then came over and hauled her up and kissed her until she was out of breath.

  "I want you in my life. When I told you I loved you, I didn't mean, 'Hey, baby, let's go out a few times a month.' It meant commitment to me."

  Carolina blinked as Drew wrapped his arms around her. "That's what it means to me, too."

  "Then I'll move in with you. And we'll cohabitate. My toothbrush next to yours. And you'll learn to take some downtime, so when I'm in the off-season, I can take you to my place in Oklahoma."

  "What is this downtime thing you speak of?"

  He laughed. "It's that thing where you aren't working seven days a week."

  "Oh, that." She leaned into him. "Yes. It'll be hard for me because I'm such a workaholic. But I do love you, and lately, being with you is the most important thing to me."

  "I like hearing that. I don't want you to feel any pressure, Lina. We'll figure
it all out together and we'll make it work. Because we love each other."

  Drew had always turned her world upside down. From the time she was a teenager and hopelessly infatuated with him, to the one night of passion that had made her a woman, to him walking back into her life several months ago, he was her one and only constant passion. He had melted the ice around her cold, cold heart, and she wanted to share the warmth with him forever.

  "Yes, we do love each other. So let's make a home together, and figure out this living together thing."

  He gave her that lopsided grin that never failed to make her heart turn over. "I like the way you think, Miss Preston."

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed Melting the Ice. The next book in the Play-by-Play series is Straddling the Line, Trevor and Haven's story, coming out in July 2014.

  We've all lost people we love in our lives, people we relied on, those we thought would be with us longer. For Haven Briscoe, losing her father has left a deep hole in her heart. Her father was her rock, the man she went to for guidance and advice. Now, her career seems empty, and she isn't sure her job as a sports reporter has the thrill and excitement it once held.

  But when she's assigned to do an expose on her college-crush-turned-pro-athlete, Trevor Shay, it brings them close again. Trevor knows Haven is grieving over her father, and he's determined to do whatever it takes to help her while still competing in professional baseball and football.

  Trevor and Haven's story is deeply emotional, but also fun, exciting, and sexy. Please keep reading for a sneak peak at the first chapter.

  In addition, I'm also including the first chapter of Hope Ignites, book two of the Hope Novels, my contemporary romance series, releasing in April 2014. This series focuses on the people who inhabit a small town in Oklahoma.

  Logan McCormack is a busy rancher and doesn't have time for frivolous pursuits. He agrees to let a movie crew film on his land because the money is too good to pass up. However, when he meets Desiree Jenkins, the actress starring in the movie, he doesn't know what to make of the fiery, outspoken young woman. Nearly ten years younger than him, Logan thinks Des is off-limits. But Des is attracted to Logan and isn't afraid to state her intentions. She's in love with the wide-open spaces of the ranch, so different from where she lives in Los Angeles. She's also taken with Logan's quiet strength and work ethic, and the two of them embark on a very unusual romance.

  But is theirs a forever type of romance, or a movie-set fling?

  I hope you enjoy the first chapter of Hope Ignites, and fall in love with the town of Hope and all its characters, just as I have.

  Happy reading!

  Jaci

  STRADDLING THE LINE

  "HAVEN'S IN TROUBLE."

  Those were words Trevor Shay never wanted to hear, especially not less than a year after the death of Haven's dad, Bill.

  Bill Briscoe had been more than just a dorm parent back in Trevor's college days. He and his wife, Ginger, had been like substitute parents, especially to Trevor, who'd needed guidance more than the rest.

  And now he sat in Ginger's living room, in a house he'd once thought of as his second home.

  Trevor had always counted on Ginger's confidence, that smile and optimism that had assured him everything was going to be all right.

  Now she just looked worried.

  He picked up her hand. "What's wrong?"

  "She hasn't been herself since Bill died. You know Haven. She's always been upbeat, and we thought she'd come to grips with the eventuality of Bill's death." Ginger took a deep breath. "As we all did."

  Trevor squeezed her hand.

  "It wasn't like we didn't know it was comin'. Bill prepared us all for it, made sure we were ready. Never thinking of himself."

  He saw the tears welling in her eyes and wished he could take them away.

  "I know, Miss Ginger. I know. I miss him, too."

  She grabbed a tissue. "He'd kick my butt if he saw me crying over him. But Haven, she has a great life and an amazing future. She got a job with the network as a sports journalist."

  Trevor smiled. "I heard about that."

  "It's a great opportunity for her. One she should be seizing. I told her that her father would be so proud of her."

  "He would."

  "Instead, what is she doing? She's thinking about quitting the job and coming back here to live with me."

  Trevor leaned back and frowned. "Coming back here? Why?"

  "I don't know. She said something about getting a job at the local TV station instead."

  "Is that what she really wants?"

  "I don't think so." Ginger leaned forward. "Trevor, I don't know what to do. She hasn't even given this new job a shot. I think she's scared, and without her dad, she feels alone for the first time in her life."

  "She's not alone, Miss Ginger. She has you."

  "I know that. And believe me, I don't feel slighted in the least. I know Haven loves me. I also know she's worried about me being here all alone. I don't want her to make a mistake and screw up the best job she might ever have because of me, and because of her fear."

  She paused, took a breath. "I was hoping you could offer me some advice, tell me what I could say to her to make her stay in her job."

  Trevor thought about it a minute. "Let me see what I can do about that."

  "Thank you. I know you're big in the sports world, and I don't know if there really is anything you can do for her, but gosh, I'd sure appreciate anything. Anything at all."

  An idea formed in his head. He had the pull. He could get this done. And he'd do anything for Ginger, and to honor Bill's memory. Haven needed help, and he sure as hell was in a position to help her.

  Hours later, as he sat on the plane on his way back to St. Louis, Trevor had the plan formulated. The media were constantly hounding him for an expose on his life and career. After all, there weren't many athletes who played multiple sports. At least not many who played them well. He'd been closed off to the idea of it for a lot of reasons.

  He leaned back in his seat and smiled.

  Now, it was Haven's turn to shine. And he was just the person to make it happen.

  *

  HAVEN TRIED TO MUSTER UP ENOUGH SALIVA TO SWALLOW as she pressed the button to return the phone call she'd missed from her boss.

  She knew what was on the other end of that phone call.

  Her ass was going to be fired, less than six weeks after she'd gotten the job of a lifetime.

  It would have been better if she could have resigned. It would have looked better on her resume, but then again, what did she care? Her career in journalism was over anyway, right?

  Never quit. Whatever you do, Haven, never give up on anything until you're sure you've given it everything you have.

  Her father's words rang in her ears, guilt squeezing her stomach until nausea caused her fingers to pause on the call button of her phone.

  It was too late to beg to keep her job. She'd already passed up multiple travel assignments, content to do the local ones, then sit in her apartment in New York, dwelling on how much she missed home, her mom.

  Her dad.

  This wasn't the right career for her. She'd made a mistake accepting this job. She wasn't cut out for the rigors of sports news--the travel, the insane schedule, the arrogant athletes.

  What was she thinking? Her father hadn't even been gone a year yet.

  She couldn't do it.

  Be brave, Haven. You can do anything, be anything you want to be. Just be happy.

  Tears pricked her eyes and she swiped them away as she replayed every conversation they'd had those last few weeks over and over in her head.

  Be happy.

  She didn't know how to be happy without hearing her father's laugh, seeing his smiling face, being able to pick up the phone and talk to him every day.

  Who was she going to go to when she needed advice?

  She loved her mother, and in the ways of relationships and men and things like that,
she had always gone to her mom.

  But her dad--he'd been her buddy. She'd learned about sports from her father, had sat next to him and watched football, baseball, hockey, and every other sport imaginable. He'd taught her balls and strikes in baseball and the difference between a post pattern and a shovel pass in football. They'd driven up to St. Louis together and taken in hockey games, and she'd never been more thrilled than to see the players blasting that puck across the ice.

  She'd learned to love sports because of her dad.

  She'd gone after this job because of him.

  And now she was going to be fired because after his death she hadn't had the energy to do this job she'd wanted for years. For that, she had only herself to blame.

  "I'm sorry, Dad," she said, then pushed the call button on her phone.

  "Haven. I've been waiting for you to call."

  She cringed as the loud and very no-nonsense voice of her boss, Chandler Adams, came on the line.

  "Hi, Chandler. Sorry. I got tied up."

  "Well, untie yourself. I have a job for you."

  "A . . . job?" He wasn't firing her?

  "Yeah. You know Trevor Shay, right?"

  "Trevor . . . yes, I know him."

  "Great. We're going to do his bio. A whole feature on the life of Trevor Shay. Personal and professional. We've been after him for years to do this, and he's finally agreed. And he's asked for you."

  "For me?"

  "Yeah. Says you two go way back, to college."

  "Uh . . . yes. I knew him in college."

  "Then it's a damn good thing we hired you, Haven. Pack a bag. You'll meet him at his place in St. Louis to get everything set up. Narrative and background first, then we'll get camera work involved later."

  Was she in some alternate universe? She hadn't been fired. In fact, she'd just been assigned a profile of one of the biggest stars in the sports world right now.

  "Okay. Sure. Thanks, Chandler."

  "No problem. I'll email you the specs on what we're looking for from you on this, Haven. This assignment's going to take awhile, so clear your calendar."

  "Consider it done."

  When she hung up, she sat back and stared out the window of her very tiny apartment, stunned that she hadn't been kicked out the door. She stared at the boxes in her apartment, already half packed. She'd been mentally prepared, set in her mind that she was going to head back to Oklahoma to be near her mother, her roots.