Page 1 of North

CHAPTER 1

Farren

The bus ridefrom Calgary to Pittsburgh was as miserable as I expected—sticky seats, crying babies, and the pungent scent of despair mixed with stale coffee. I should have flown, but my budget is limited and the bus was the more frugal option. None of that matters, though, because Calgary is far behind me and new adventure awaits.

The moment I stepped off the bus and inhaled the crisp December air, I knew I’d made the right decision. I need a fresh start, and where better than in Pittsburgh, with Rafferty, who will have to love me no matter what?

My two suitcases and carry-on are unwieldy as I drag them down the hall to Rafferty’s door. His condo building is sleek and modern, all polished steel and glass—so much like my big brother. He’s always been the one with his act together, while I’ve been the firecracker, lighting up and fizzling out just as fast.

I’d like to say things might be different with this fresh start, but it’s highly unlikely. New city and bigadventure—still the same old Farren, and the bigger portion of me is just fine with that. I don’t need anything new… just different.

I press the buzzer and wait, bouncing on my heels with nervous energy. When the door finally swings open, Rafferty’s eyes widen in shock before narrowing suspiciously. His broad frame fills the doorway, reminding me just how much space my brother can take up, both physically and with his protective presence. Rafferty isn’t just my brother—he’s a defenseman for the Pittsburgh Titans, having joined the team back in September from the Edmonton Grizzlies. He’s been making waves ever since, known for his bone-crunching hits and no-nonsense style of play.

At six six with a broad chest and shoulders that span almost the entire doorway, Rafferty is imposing even without his gear on. But it’s his face that my eyes roam over as I take him in. High cheekbones and full lips that match my own, our biggest difference being that he’s clearly had his nose broken before and I haven’t. I’m almost twenty-four and he’s three years older, but we’re often asked if we’re twins, we look so much alike. His radiant blue eyes study me critically and though I’ve teased him endlessly about his perpetually serious expression, those eyes have always held love and loyalty when staring back at me.

A faint scar above his eyebrow and another on hischin add to his ruggedness, a reminder of the physical toll hockey takes, but they only make him more striking. He’s the picture of a protective sibling and a professional athlete rolled into one, and right now, he’s looking at me like I’ve shown up to crash his well-ordered life.

“Surprise,” I chirp, throwing my arms wide.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he growls, even as he jerks me into an all-encompassing embrace before lifting me up and twirling me around. His tone is gruff, but the squeeze he gives me says everything—he’s happy to see me, even if he’s about to give me hell. “No, seriously… what in the fuck are you doing here?”

I grin up at him. “Does a little sister need a reason to visit her most awesome big brother?”

He arches a skeptical brow as I slide past him, thumbing back at my luggage. “Grab my bags.”

“How long are you planning on staying? An eternity?” He places my suitcases at the edge of the short hallway that leads to the guest rooms.

“Maybe.” I strut into his kitchen like I own the place, grabbing a beer and cracking it open. I’ve been here twice before and know that the garbage can slides out from a cabinet drawer to the left of his sink where I toss the bottle cap.

“Did you fly in?” he asks. “I could’ve sent a car to pick you up if you’d told me you were coming.”

I settle down on an island stool, one foot planted onthe floor and the other casually swinging. “Took the bus. It was a last-minute decision. I just… needed a change of scenery.”

My gaze drops down to the bottle, hoping I sound breezy enough to satisfy him and hoping he doesn’t get overly nosy. I take a sip of beer, looking around the kitchen to avoid his gaze.

“What’s going on?” he asks, and there’s no hiding the suspicion in his voice.

I meet his gaze and hold it. “Nothing’s going on.”

“You left Calgary? Just like that? What about your job?”

Crap. He’s getting nosy and I lighten my voice, radiating a confident smile. “Oh, that.” I wave my hand. “I quit. Things with Derek got messy, and I couldn’t stand being around him anymore.”

It’s vague and nowhere near the truth. I broke up with Derek this summer and never bothered to tell my parents or my brother because I didn’t want to get another lecture on my impulsivity and unwillingness to stick with something. It was just easier letting them believe things were fine in my life.

I brace for him to press me on details, but he merely says, “Farren, you can’t just run away every time you get a wild hair up your butt.”

“I don’t do that.” The denial is swift because he’s so very wrong. I don’t run when I get a wild hair up mybutt, I merely run when things start to get serious and overly complicated.

Rafferty’s eyes twinkle, one eyebrow cocked. “What about that time you jumped on a flight to Vegas because you were bored with your job?”

Nope. Not a wild hair up my butt. That’s when I was dating a beautifully tattooed drummer when I was twenty and he told me he loved me one night. It freaked me out and Vegas seemed like the place to go to escape it all.

“Or when you sold your car on a whim,” he says with a smirk, “to fund that music festival road trip with people you barely knew?”

Okay, there may have been a tiny wild hair waving in the wind, but that trip came on the heels of a very hot, in a nerdy type of way, engineering student I was dating, who started talking about our long-term future together. He actually asked me how many kids I wanted and well… I sort of had a tiny freakout then, as well. It just so happens that came on the heels of me meeting some cool people going on a festival road trip, and yeah… that’s how that relationship ended.

I start to say something, but Rafferty isn’t done. “And let’s not forget how you moved into that luxury apartment last year—way out of your budget—just because it had a view of the river. You lasted what, two months, before you broke the lease?”

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