Page 65 of Harvest Heat

As soon as he did, Marianne skated over to him. “I was afraid you weren’t going to make it.”

“So was I.”

“We need you if we’re going to have any chance of winning tonight.”

Caleb shook his head. “I’m really not that good.”

“You’re big, and you’re strong. That goes a long way in this league.”

“Maybe, but everyone knows you’re the best on the team. If it weren’t for you, we’d lose every game.”

Marianne shrugged. “I try to hold my own out there, but I can’t do it without help.”

She was way too modest. She was a damn good goalie. “I’m here to do my best.”

“So you won’t be too distracted tonight?”

Caleb frowned. “Why would I be?”

“I saw Rhys stopping by Cloud Nine after hours yesterday.”

Caleb didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t pretend Rhys hadn’t been there.

“Don’t worry. I won’t mention it.”

“He was just there to⁠—”

Marianne raised her gloved hands. “Like I said, I won’t mention it. Focus on hockey tonight.”

“You shouldn’t have told me that if you didn’t want me distracted.”

“I saw you let him inside. That’s all. For all I know, he was stopping by to tell you how much he hates pumpkin lattes.”

Caleb rolled his eyes. “Yeah, definitely something like that.”

“Right.”

Their captain called the team for a last talk, and they both skated to the bench.

Caleb did his best to focus and not worry about the fact that Marianne had clocked them easily. He even managed to score a goal in the final minutes of the third period, helping them win by a single point.

They all headed out to get drinks to celebrate their win. As everyone began to wind down for the night, needing to get to bed before work the next day, Marianne came and sat next to Caleb.

“So how are things really?” she asked.

He frowned. “Are you asking for details?”

“About something that’s not happening at all? Of course not.”

“Right.” Caleb knew better than to believe that.

She widened her eyes, attempting to make herself look innocent. “I was just asking how things are going at the shop. It looks like you still have a good crowd there every day.”

“I do. Business has been better than I ever expected.”

“You fit well here, Cloud Nine and you personally. I’m really glad you joined our team, not just because you scored tonight.” She bumped his shoulder, and he bumped hers back.

“Thanks. And I’m damn proud of my goal, whether it affects your opinion or not.”