Intercepted by Love: Part One: A Football Romance (Playing the Field Book 1) (7 page)

S
unday morning dawned
sunny but not that cold. Andie checked the weather forecast. Twenty-one degrees and five degrees wind chill. Just right for a nice day at Watkin’s Peak, the local ski area half an hour from the college.

“You’re up early,” her mother said, yawning as she switched on the coffee machine.

“How’s Dad? Do you need help bathing him?” Guilt crept over her as she realized her mother hadn’t had a day off since her father returned from the hospital.

“Sure, he’s awake and didn’t sleep well.”

“Should I stay home so you can go to church? I forgot to ask.” Andie had been so caught up with analyzing every word and gesture of Cade, replaying all the events and conversations they had, that she’d plumb forgotten her mother’s single request to have Sunday morning free.

“It’s okay, you’re going out with Cade?” Her mother poured herself a mug of coffee and filled a cup for Andie. “He seems like a really nice guy. Very concerned about Gollie. Did you ask him over for dinner?”

“Not yet. Mom, he’s just a friend, okay?” Andie stirred cream and sugar into her coffee. “He’s a traveling dog breeder and he’s wintering here, this year only.”

“Oh? Wintering in our freezing cold neck of the woods? That’s strange.” Mom sipped her coffee. “Where’s he from?”

“He didn’t say. He probably goes wherever there are dogs needing stud services. Stays a few days then keeps moving.”

“You be sure to ask him over. I’ll find out everything there is to know. No one can resist my chocolate mousse with raspberry coulis.” She set the cup on the table and winked. “When you’re ready, come help me turn him.”

“I should stay. We don’t have to go today.”

Mom squeezed her shoulder. “You never know if he’s the one or not. Don’t miss out. If I hadn’t skipped school that day to go to the Carnival parade, I wouldn’t have met your father. He’s truly the best thing that ever happened to me, and I’ve enjoyed every moment, all the moving around, the digs, the local children, even the dust and the bugs out in the field.”

“I know, Mom, but if Cade’s the one, he’d understand why I should care for you and Dad.”

“I’m sure he will, eventually, but don’t kill the fun right off the bat. Your father and I cut a few more classes that week.”

“You never told me this.”

“You never met anyone I thought you should take a chance with. Cade’s the real deal. I’ve got a sixth sense, and I’ve never been wrong.”

“I wish I knew for sure. He doesn’t want to be anything more than friends.” Andie finished her coffee and followed her mother to the linen closet.

“Nothing’s ever for sure.” She handed Andie a pile of towels. “That’s what makes it more exciting and fun.
Carpe diem
. Seize the day. That’s my motto.”

C
ade pulled
his SUV to the parking circle outside the library. Andie must have insisted he pick her up here to avoid her parents. Of course, her father being an invalid had to be difficult.

She was already there, wearing dark glasses against the glare of the snow. Her red hair waved like a matador’s cape as she jogged toward his truck.

Red let out an eager bark from the backseat. Gotta hand it to him. He definitely appreciated female beauty.

Cade was out of the driver’s side to get the door for Andie, but she surprised him by holding her arms out for a friendly hug.

Every muscle in his body sprang to attention as he clasped her tightly. She smelled so fresh, and her body was all warmth, softness, and sweet curves.

He closed his eyes and let out the breath he’d been holding. “You seem happy today.”

“I am. I feel like I’m cutting school and nothing’s going to make me sad. I know Gollie’s still missing, but I’m praying everything’s going to be okay.”

“That’s good.” He couldn’t help slanting his head and leaning in to kiss her.

The moment their lips touched, Cade felt like he was floating. It wasn’t a grabby kiss, or a possessive kiss, but more of a hopeful kiss. Cade took her lips gently, but kept his tongue to himself. She needed to know that he valued her for more than a quick lay, that she was different, and most precious. And even though it wasn’t very manly of him to be so tender and considerate, he couldn’t bear to treat her the way he treated women who knew the score: one night of no holds bar sex and be gone, girl the next morning.

“Mmm …” she mumbled, disengaging first. “We’re going to have a wonderful day.”

From the back seat, Red barked and wagged his tail. “Hope you don’t mind him tagging along. I looked it up, and they said dogs were allowed on the trails.”

“He can chase us down the mountain. It’s going to be fun.” She gave him one last squeeze before handing him her backpack and hopping into the passenger seat.

She had a printed sheet of directions, even though Cade had an onboard navigational system. However, he turned it off, since he’d rather hear the directions from her.

After she got him onto the highway, she sat back, obviously relaxed that she didn’t have to be looking at the road signs for the next twenty miles.

Cade could barely keep his eyes off Andie, taking peeks every so often. It was freaky how every time he peeked, she’d catch him. Or maybe she was the one glancing at him and he was only responding with that sixth sense of being aware of another person’s gaze.

After they caught each other again, Cade broke out in a chuckle. “Either you’re staring at me or there’s a magnetic pull that keeps ripping my eyes from the road.”

“I’m just thinking how you’re going to eat my snow when I whoop you on the fat bike. You have no clue what you’re in for.”

“I know how to ride a bike.”

“Down black diamond runs?”

The ski runs made no sense to Cade, since he’d not been allowed to ski by any of his coaches. Breaking a bone and ending his career had never been an option. Football had been his ticket out of the foster homes.

“I’m sure I can handle anything you can. I’m fearless,” he bragged.

“We’ll see. Hey, keep your eyes on the road.” She tipped his chin back toward the windshield.

“Wish I had a car that drives itself. You know they have those in California?”

“Is that where you’re from?”

Crap. She was a smart one. He’d better be careful, although truth to tell, what was the point of hiding from her?

Oh, right. He’d already given her a fake name. If he told her now, it would ruin the day, not to mention the rest of the six weeks. He wasn’t quite ready for the paparazzi to disturb his winter getaway.

“Yeah, lots of Irish setter breeders there requiring Red’s services.”

“Which means if I want a puppy, I could contact them? Could you give me a reference?”

Shizzz. She sounded so innocent and matter of fact. But she was being nosy, which was his fault. No choice but to play along. Eventually he’d tell her, once he was sure she wouldn’t play him, that she wasn’t after his bank account or nailing him with a lawsuit claiming he owed her something.

Speaking of which, he technically owed her damages for losing her dog.

“Sorry about Gollie.” He went for deflection. “If you decide, I can arrange to have a puppy shipped to you, or we can visit a few breeders nearby and see if they have any available.”

“I’m not interested in replacing Gollie.”

For the next several miles, no one said anything. Cade could kick himself. Why had he brought the conversation back to the dogs?

Fortunately, the exit appeared shortly, and Andie opened her mouth again to direct him to the parking area of Watkin’s Peak.

After paying the fee, he found a spot near the edge of a field and shut off the ignition.

“Sorry about bringing up Gollie.” He reached over and touched her shoulder. “I was hoping we can have fun today.”

“Me too.” She glanced warily at him. “I just wish you’d tell me more about yourself. It’s like you don’t trust me, or maybe you
are
an axe murderer.”

“I’m not an axe murderer. I prefer shotguns.”

“Oh, ha, ha. But seriously, who are you?”

“If I tell you, promise you won’t tell anyone else in town? Like your boss, Margo?”

“Of course not.” Her eyes sparkled with interest and she sat up straighter, all attention turned to him.

“I’m a celebrity, like your rock star King David. I’m on vacation and I’d rather not have anyone bothering me.”

“You? A celebrity? Are you a movie star?”

“Maybe.” He arched an eyebrow at her. “Do you like movie stars?”

Her lips pursed and she shook her head. “You don’t happen to know Declan Reed, do you?”

“Might have run into him a time or two.” He wrinkled his nose. “Why, you know him?”

“Let’s not ruin the day by talking about him.” Andie zipped up her jacket. “If you know him, then you’d know what an ass he is.”

“So you do have a past. Was he an ex?”

Andie turned her gaze down and sighed. “I’m over him now, so don’t worry.”

The way she sounded, still hurt or affected, made him want to strangle this Declan Reed, whoever he was.

He took her hand and rubbed it. “I don’t know who he is. I bet he’s not really that famous.”

“No, he’s not. I suppose, but in this small town he was a star. The only guy from Itasca to make it in Hollywood. He used to be nice.”

“You cared a lot about him?”

Andie closed her eyes and bit her lip, as if she were composing herself. Dammit. She did care, and the clown had hurt her badly.

“What happened?” he asked. “Tell me.”

“After he got his first movie deal, he started seeing other women. It’s the same old story, really. Boy meets girl. Boy makes it big. Boy meets lots and lots of girls. I didn’t want to be a number.”

“I’m sorry.” He kissed the side of her head. “Is that why you haven’t had sex for a long time?”

“Pretty much. I can’t believe I was ready to give it to you, not knowing anything about you. But you seem nothing like that type of guy.”

How wrong she was. He was worse. He had more than one at the same time. Try the three he had the night of the Super Bowl.

“You shouldn’t trust me either.” He tipped her chin to face him. “I already told you I’m here on a getaway. Let’s have fun while we can and leave the ghosts behind.”

“Sure, that’s what I also want.” Andie gritted her teeth into a semblance of a smile. “I enjoy spending time with you. I can be your tour guide, so you can remember our neck of the woods once you’re back to your real life.”

“I appreciate that. Tour guide it is. Maybe we can go somewhere every weekend. I’d like to try all the other things you mentioned.”

“Cool beans.” She opened the car door. “Today we’re fat biking. Last one down the hill’s a rotten egg.”

“
T
his is awesome
!” Cade shouted at Andie as they swished and slid over big fat tires down the winding trail. They’d caught a snowmobile which took them to the summit of Watkin’s Peak. From there it was all downhill.

Red, his long fur streaked with snow, bounded behind them, barking as he chased their tires.

“Watch out!” Andie leaned into a sharp curve, dragging her foot around the turn, before letting downward momentum carry her faster.

Cade’s weight made him sink into the snow more, so he was always pedaling to try and catch her, whereas she seemed to fly over the powdered snow.

The tires were deflated below anything he expected, probably to give them better grip and control, much like a deflated football was easier to handle.

Andie zoomed ahead of him and jumped over a ramp.

“Woohoo!” she yelled as she landed, her hair flying in the air behind her.

“No fear!” Cade shouted as he drove over the ramp, going airborne.

The rush of adrenaline and the cool breeze had him high. He held the handlebars steady and swoosh, he landed without even a wobble.

This was fun and so easy, like mountain biking on clouds. Red raced around them, barking and yipping happily.

Ahead of him, Andie pedaled to pick up speed and headed down a trail marked with a black diamond.

Cade swung wide in the turn, almost careening off the edge. He pumped hard on the slight rise to catch Andie, before realizing he was on the cusp of a huge bowl-shaped slope downwards.

“Yahhh!” He gained speed while dodging trees and boulders, wondering if he could stop at the bottom, wherever it was. Did the brakes even work on a bike that could keep sliding?

His handle bars wobbled, and the entire frame of the bike shook as the wind chill across his face burned and numbed him. Ahead of him, Andie was a tiny dot. How did that chick go so fast?

He turned to look for Red. The dog had been behind him when he’d gone over the edge of the bowl. Where was he?

His bike took a dip, and he was airborne, headed straight down the vertical face of the mountain. Cade’s heart just about popped from his mouth. This was suicide.

A shockwave ripped the handlebars from his grip, and he was tumbling, doing cartwheels as he lost the bike in a blur of snow.

Everything was white and swirling, and he was falling, hitting branches and stumps. How far down would he go before he stopped? Pain shot through his body, his arms and legs flailing before he face-planted into a wall of snow.

Woof, woof. He could hear his dog but not see him. He had to get the snow from his eyes. His ski goggles were gone, and he wasn’t sure which way was up or down. Had he fallen into a snow cave?

The sound of panting and digging oriented him, and he pawed at the snow, clearing it toward the light. Red was above him, barking.

Andie had been so far ahead, there was no way she’d even know he’d wiped out. He had to get himself out of this hole and quick. He’d never been this cold his entire life. His breath formed icicles on his growing beard and his fingers and face were numb.

Red whined, and a black nose burrowed into his face, followed by licks from a hot tongue.

Cade moved aside enough snow to climb up and out. Every bone and muscle ached, but he was in one piece, thankfully.

“Thanks, boy for sticking with me.” He hugged Red and gingerly stood to his feet. “Guess the only way down is down. Let’s go.”

A
ndie swung
her bike sideways to skid to a stop at the bottom of the bowl. Woohoo! That was great.

She looked back. Cade was nowhere in sight. What a slowpoke. He was probably braking the entire way down or zigzagging sideways like a skier trying to slow himself down.

She propped the bike against a tree and waited. He couldn’t have been that far back, could he? And what about Red? Had they both gotten lost?

It was a long way back up. She shielded her eyes against the sun and studied the mountain top. Clumps of trees dotted the bowl, and a few areas were bumpy with giant moguls. Of course she’d known to stay to the left where they’d groomed the snow for the skiers.

What if Cade had veered off course?

Fear gripped her heart and brought her to her knees. He could be hurt or worse. She shouldn’t have left him behind. He’d never done this before. Heck, he probably didn’t even know how to handle snow.

Andie started walking back up. A few skiers whizzed by, and one guy stopped, spraying her with powder.

“What’s happened? Did you lose something?”

“I don’t know. My friend. Did you see him? He was on a fat bike with his dog, an Irish setter.”

“No, miss. I didn’t see anything.”

“He was behind me, but I’m afraid he veered off path or something.”

“Let me get down to the lift and call the ski patrol for you.”

“Sure, thanks. Please do.”

The man skied off, and Andie continued to walk up hill. She hadn’t been exercising, so she was soon winded. Her thighs ached, and her breath tore through her throat, but even worse, worry gripped her heart. For the first time in her life, she wished she had a cell phone.

She cupped her hand and yelled. “Cade, where are you?”

The roaring of a snowmobile approached her. Oh good, the ski patrol.

“Miss, hop on,” the driver said.

She took his hand and jumped on behind him. The snowmobile raced uphill, covering greater distances than she could on foot.

“Where do you think he went?” the man yelled.

“Probably off the trail. Do you have a cell phone?”

“Not sure if we can get a signal, but I’ll try.” The man slowed the snowmobile. “Do you have his number?”

Andie was grateful that her non-use of cellphones allowed her to still remember phone numbers. She dictated it to him, and he keyed it in.

She held her breath while they waited for Cade to answer.
Please, please, be okay.

“Hello? Cade? This is the ski patrol. Your girlfriend’s looking for you, and we’re wondering if you need a lift.”

The man nodded and scanned the hillside. “Any landmarks? Are you on foot? Lost your bike?”

He listened a bit more and then passed the phone to Andie. “He wants to speak to you.”

“Cade?” Andie’s teeth chattered. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll live. I crashed into a snow cave of some sort. It looked like a wall. I think I went off the trail. There was an edge and then a bowl like depression.”

“Did you stick to the left or were you on the right?”

“I saw you go left, but I was looking for Red and when I looked back, I must have gone off course. Lost the bike.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m on a snowmobile. We’ll find you.”

“You better, tour guide, or I’ll want a refund.” He chuckled. “You owe me, babe.”

“Is Red with you?”

“Man’s best friend. He dug me out.”

“Just be okay. Don’t fall asleep or anything. Keep moving. I, I like you, Cade. I do.”

“I’m kind of fond of myself, too. You won’t get rid of me this easily. I love you, babe.”

He said that? Andie palmed the side of her head. He had to be getting confused, suffering from hypothermia delirium or thinking she was someone else.

“Hold on, Cade. We’re on our way. Hold onto Red to stay warm.” Andie handed the phone to the snow mobile driver. “He went off trail toward the right and crashed into a snow cave.”

“I think I know where that is. Hope he’s not injured. If he’s where I think he is, we have to go around because I can’t take this snowmobile down the cliff he fell from. We better get to him fast before he gets hypothermia.”

He fell off a cliff? Maybe he was putting on a brave face saying he was okay.

The driver made a sharp turn and zoomed in an different direction. Andie could only hold on and pray. She’d never forgive herself if anything happened to Cade.

She didn’t care if he were a celebrity or not. He’d already embedded himself deep into her heart, and she was in for some major pain once he left. Yet, he was worth the risk, even if she could only have him for his winter escape. Maybe he’d come back every year, and he’d be her very own well kept secret.

If he survived.