Last Play: Book 1 The Last Play Series (12 page)

R
oman was stunned
to see two men at the door. One man was holding a briefcase with an overcoat and a hat on his head. He knew who it was, and he felt like someone had slammed him in the gut.

The man pushed forward and waved the other man in. “Mr. Young.” He stuck his hand out to shake, completely out of breath. “I am so sorry that it has taken so long to get here. The weather here is so unpredictable, and I couldn’t get a hold of you all day to let you know that I was bringing the new owner with me. Meet Mr. Stone. He’s from back east, but he jumped at the chance to get this Inn.” The man was clearly nervous and talking too fast.

Roman didn’t have a chance to get a word out before Katie had popped up off the couch, her red hair already rising off of her like a fierce tornado getting ready to strike. “What?”

“Katie—”

Roman moved toward her, trying to take her hand, but she yanked it away and was already squaring off in front of the attorney and the other man.

“You’re the new owner?” She accused them and then flung back to Roman. “You never planned to keep it?”

If the look of betrayal on her face at that moment could have been bottled and used against an army, Roman was sure one bottle of it alone could have stopped the Crusades.

“Wait, just listen!”

But she was already pulling on her snow clothes and pushing her pom pom hat down onto her head. “Don’t.” Her voice had that severe edge to it. The same edge she’d used the first time he’d met her.

“Katie, just stop and listen, please.”

Mr. Burcher didn’t take a hint, instead he began rambling, “Well, I do have it right, Mr. Young? You did want the new owner here as quick as you could—didn’t you? I know you have to get back for the owner’s meeting tomorrow, your agent called me pretty insistent that we get this deal done.”

Katie pushed past them, then stopped and turned back, her beautiful eyes sad and hurt and vulnerable for a second. She glared at Roman. “Yes, why don’t you get the deal done and then get back to your real life, Mr. Young.”

Before he knew what’d happened, she was off on the snowmobile, flying down the road.

“Mr. Young? Is everything okay?” Mr. Burcher pressed.

It took nearly five minutes to explain the situation to Mr. Burcher and Mr. Stone. Truth be told Roman knew he should feel bad that Mr. Stone had flown all the way out to make the deal happen, but as he put on his snow clothes and took off after Katie, he could only feel one thing…

Remorse.

That he hadn’t told her from the beginning. That he’d selfishly wanted to spend time with her. Then when he’d decided he could keep it, he hadn’t taken the time to call poor Mr. Burcher and let him know the change of plans.

Selfish. Selfish. Selfish. Everything Katie had said about him in the beginning. Yes, that is exactly what he was. He hadn’t given any of them the courtesy of being honest.

He swung around the corner, hoping to catch her before she was too angry, before things got too blown out of proportion.

He would just explain. Yes, he’d been an idiot. Yes, he’d been selfish. Yes, she was right about him.

But—he’d changed. He wanted to change. He wanted to be with her. He had to have that. He didn’t know how, but he would work it out. They could work it out together.

When he pulled up and found her locked in a kiss with Lou took on her front porch, to say that he’d been taken off guard would be like saying that an earthquake leveling a house was a simple inconvenience.

W
hen the lights
from his snowmobile hit the door, Katie jerked back from Lou.

If Roman could have seen the wild, crazed look in her eyes, or the bewildered look on Lou’s face, it might have appeased him.

But he hadn’t been able to see anything other than her kissing Lou.

She blinked into the lights. “Roman?”

But he was already turning the snowmobile to make a circle and head back to the street. Of course the woman that he’d thought he’d fallen in love with was in a lip lock with small- town -ex-husband’s- best -friend. She was right, it couldn’t get any more cliché in this town.

Red was the only thing he could see as he sped off.

“Roman!” she yelled behind him.

If he had been a smart man, he would have called Mr. Burcher and had him come back and sign the papers on the spot.

But what could he say? The only thing Roman did was pack his bags and leave a note for Mrs. K.

He called his agent.

“Hello, Roman, are you ready to come back?”

“Get me a taxi, and book me a flight out of here ASAP!”

6
Months
Later

He’d been offered the position.

As starter.

The great Roman Young would lead his team to another championship game victory.

As he stepped out onto the field for the first pre-season game and took in the crowd, the music, and the energy, none of it felt like it used to.

Her face flashed into his mind.

A reporter shoved a microphone at him. “We’re here with Roman Young, first-string quarterback for the Destroyers. Mr. Young, after the hotly debated rivalry between you and Dumont, would you say that the recent shut in you’ve imposed on yourself, staying out of the media, away from parties or gallery openings, concerts, have you done this to make it easier on the team?”

Roman’s heart pounded. The reporter was right. He’d isolated himself from the media and many of the other players, insisting he needed to focus. He’d essentially cut himself off from the world, choosing to spend the summer at his ranch outside of Dallas. In fact, it was a ranch he had never been to before last summer, but he’d only returned to Dallas in time to start training with the team. He’d taken a commuter plane back and forth, actually taking lessons and learning how to fly. But how could he answer that he didn’t give a darn about making anything easier on anyone, except himself. His motivation for shutting himself off from the media had only been for one purpose, to try to get Katie out of his mind.

She’d tried to call, and he’d deleted all of her messages. He didn’t want to listen to her and think about how much he’d been hurt.

“You know I don’t talk to the press anymore.” He tried not to get heated up. He focused on the field.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Young. I know that’s the rumor, but there’s a new rumor that has just leaked about a Katie Winters.”

This spiked his blood pressure. He flung to face the reporter. “What?” The thought of her being lambasted in the press was not something that he took lightly.

The reporter pushed on. “It was leaked via a twitter picture.” She held up her phone and showed Roman the picture of him and Katie on top of the sledding hill, her pink pom pom hat and his big, stupid grin. “The tweet simply says, ‘Come home, QB.’ Can you explain that, sir?”

Something surged within his breast. Chills rushed through him. He grinned, and unexpectedly he felt the very core of him that had been angry and heartbroken lighten.

“Mr. Young, can you tell us what this means? And who is Katie Winters?”

He had to blink, and the electricity of the stadium pierced him. He felt more ready to play this game than ever before in his entire life.

“Sir? Are you okay?”

He took the microphone and pointed at the camera. “I’m coming, boss. After we win this game, I’ll be there.”

T
his time
there was no cold, icy, and expensive cab ride to Wolfe Creek. He’d rented his own car and took his time up the canyon. After rolling down the windows, he’d basked in the end of summer sunshine, the changing leaves, and the floral scent of the air.

It didn’t surprise him to pull up to the Alaskan Inn and see a fresh coat of paint on the rugged cabin’s sign. The trees that hovered around the walls were trimmed, and there were roses lining the path to the front door.

He waited outside the door, his heart pounding. He had a gift for her in a bag he clutched to his side. He’d made a special stop after the airport to get it for her.

It didn’t feel right to use the doorbell. After all, the place did belong to him. Taking the key out of his pocket, he let himself in, wanting a chance to see it before he went to her.

Even though he’d seen the receipts that had come showing the expenses for updating and maintaining the place, he’d had no idea it would look this good. The whole place had been painted light grey. It had lightened the whole place up, making it feel more welcoming. Even though the rustic feel of the cabin had been kept as part of the décor, there were also new furnishings. A wrap around large, deep brown, leather couch. The fireplace had been redone with a red brick that trailed all the way up to the ceiling. It looked grand. He noted that the civil war rifle was now in a glass case.

His eyes swept across the red accented horseshoes that hung above all the doors. When he saw the new black dining table with a centerpiece of a steel Destroyers emblem in the middle, he closed his eyes as too many emotions hit him at once.

It was perfect. If he were designing a home, a place to have a family and a life, it would have looked exactly like this.

The place was better than he’d imagined it could be.

He walked over and pressed his finger to the cowboy emblem.

Without warning, she came flying through the flip door that separated the kitchen from the main room.

The moment went to a full stop.

Her red hair was down, and soft fluffy curls framed her face. Her green cat eyes instantly filled with moisture, and her lips tugged up. She wore a teal silk tank top and a white skirt with flip-flops. Even though she looked more formal than he’d ever seen her, she still looked fresh, young, and innocent. Just as he’d dreamt of her. But she was the summer version. She let out a breath. “Well.”

The fact that his heart almost exploded didn’t surprise him. What surprised him was that seeing her again made his tongue feel like he couldn’t move it and his palms sweaty.

Staring at her, all he knew was that he never wanted to try to get her out of his head again. Finally, he lifted the bag and grinned. “I guess I should be grateful you don’t have a gun pointed at my head this time.”

Hesitantly, she took a step toward him, taking the bag. “What’s this?” She opened the box inside, pulling out the lemon lotion.

“Just in case you were out,” he said quietly. It had been one of many things that had tortured him about her.

She grinned. “Thank you. I almost was.”

They both paused, and then he pushed back, nodding to the walls. “It looks great.”

She studied him. “Do you think so?”

“It’s perfect.” He tugged out the folded piece of paper in his pocket and handed it to her.

She took the paper. “What is this?”

“An ad I took out to market the place.”

Slowly, the side of her lip lifted and her eyes flashed back to him. “You did?”

“Well, I told you I would.”

She hesitated, then put the lotion on the table. “Why didn’t you sell it, Roman?”

The way all her vulnerability showed in her eyes made his heart speed up. “Because someone told me once that I should keep a rifle just because it belonged to my Uncle Jim.” He shrugged. “Uncle Jim gave me this place, and after some thought, that felt like it should be important to me, too.”

Slowly, she nodded. Then she smiled. “Good game yesterday.”

It had been a good game. He’d felt on fire, like nothing could stop him. After four touchdowns by half time, the other team had pretty much felt the same way. The Destroyers had stomped them, 38-7. His heart felt even fuller, knowing that she’d watched. “Thanks.” He folded his arms. “Why did you tweet that picture?”

One shoulder lifted. “You wouldn’t answer my calls. I felt like if I wanted to compete with the other bachelorettes, I had to pull out all my tricks.”

“Are you competing?” The memory of her and Lou had been burned into his brain.

Red moved up her neck. The blush settled nicely onto her cheeks. “I guess so.”

“Even though you think I should have quit playing football?” He had tortured himself with his decision to sign another contract with the Destroyers.

The center of her brow creased. “If you’re asking if I no longer think the sport is by it’s very essence dangerous…the answer is no. Of course it’s dangerous.” Biting the side of her lip, she shook her head. “But I finally realized that life is dangerous. In one moment you can get in a car wreck. In one moment you can find out you have cancer.” She sucked in a breath. “But you can’t quit living your life. You can’t quit doing what you were born to do.”

“You think I was born to do this?”

She smirked. “Don’t get a big head, QB.”

Watching the way her eyes went into cat-like slits as she teased him, he grinned. “I guess you decided not to marry Lou?”

She scoffed. “You’re being ridiculous.”

He couldn’t stop himself. “I saw you kissing him. Right after …” he hesitated, feeling like a dork, but he said it anyway, “Right after we’d been kissing.” It felt so high school. This is what she could reduce him to.

Shaking her head, she smiled.

He sputtered, “What are you smiling about?”

“You’re jealous. The bachelor is jealous.”

He closed the distance between them, easily linking their fingers together. “Darn right I was jealous,” he whispered, and nervous flutters filled his gut.

“No,” she corrected. “You are jealous.”

He looked up at her. “You have history with him. I can’t compete with that.”

“You were married to a super model.”

He dropped her hand. “I don’t want a super model.”

A slow smile filled her face. She re-laced their fingers. “Good, cause I don’t want Lou.”

His heart kicked up a notch. Unable to stop himself, he looked at her lips. “What do you want, Katie?”

“I wanted to know I could count on you. I wanted to know that you wanted this inn. I thought that you wanted it.”

“I did want it…I do want it.”

She shook her head. “But you were going to sell it.”

He tightened his hand on hers. “I was. And I’m sorry. I decided not to, but I hadn’t let Mr. Burcher in on the new plan.” He put his other hand to his chest. “And I take responsibility for that. It was selfish. I wasted other people’s efforts and time on my behalf.” He felt the raw emotion bubble inside him. “I’m sorry, Katie. I never meant…to hurt you.”

She blinked, and the side of her lip tugged up. “I wanted to quit working for you. I almost did, but do you know what changed my mind?”

Honestly, he’d thought she would quit. He’d been confused when his accountant told him that he’d gotten a bunch of expenses and had asked if he wanted to approve her time card. “What?”

“Mrs. K.”

Nervously, he looked down. “Oh, how is she?”

Releasing his hand, she took his face into her hands. Tears burned in her eyes. “Did you know that some anonymous donor paid for the cancer treatments she needed?”

He couldn’t stop his own eyes from filling, thinking about how relieved he’d been to hear that the experimental treatments had been working for her. “I’m really happy for her.”

She grinned and leaned forward, softly touching her lips to his.

A new kind of energy surged into him, the same kind he’d felt before the big game last night. He drew her closer, pulling his arms around her, deepening the kiss. Her lips had haunted him for months.

“You are a good man, Roman Young.” She whispered against his lips.

Not confirming or denying anything, he softly kissed her again. “Well, that’s debatable.”

Rolling her eyes, she gave him a gentle shove. “If you wouldn’t have been all Neanderthalish and left in a blaze of glory, you could have heard me explain how Lou had slammed his mouth against mine without asking.”

Hearing that made him burn. His whole body tightened.

“Don’t do that.”

“What?”

“Get all territorial.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Yes, you were.”

He released her and stepped back, trying to clear his head. He’d thought … he’d thought that Katie had been playing him … or … but he knew at this moment that she was telling him the truth. Still, he couldn’t stop himself. “I really do love that picture you posted. I haven’t been able to stop looking at it.”

She scoffed and tried to pull away. “Are you getting a big head, cause I’m still going to make you work for it.”

He laughed and pulled her closer, slipping a hand into his pocket. He pulled out a small box. “Believe me, I came ready to work for it.” He held the box out to her.

Tears filled her eyes and she gasped. “Oh my goodness.”

Her reaction made his eyes fill up, too. “I figure we’ve been apart long enough that if we haven’t moved on, maybe we weren’t meant to.”

She laughed and opened the box, pulling out the two-carat diamond ring. “Are you sure?”

He dropped to one knee. “So what do you say, boss, will you take the last rose? Then you can boss me around for the rest of my life?”

She sniffed and laughed again, nodding. “Only if you don’t cry when I beat you in skiing.”

He stood and took the ring, slipping it onto her finger and then lightly kissing her. “Deal.”

“So this is the last play?”

“The play that will eventually lead me to victory, yes.” He dove in for another kiss.

Giggling, she kissed him back. “You to victory?”

He crushed her in a full hug and lifted her up. “This is the one where I’ll take you and run past the goal posts and spike you for the touchdown.”

More giggling. “Oh, let’s wait for Josh. He loves this kind of stuff.”

He put her down. “Okay, how about I just kiss you then.”

“Okay.”

They kissed until both of them had to come up for air.

He laughed. “And just so you know. I love you, Katie Winters.”

Softly, she put her hand to his cheek and peered back into his eyes. “Whether it’s the first play or the last, I love you, too, QB.”