Page 127 of Bagging the Blueliner
Letting it ring a few times, words rushed the second I heard the call connect. “Nat, I need a favor.”
Chapter 32
Cal
Sweat rolled down myback, soaking my T-shirt until it became plastered to my torso. Lost in my own world, I moved bales of hay from the inside of the barn to the outside, readying them to be loaded onto a trailer later in the day. We had more than we needed on the ranch, and the extra was sold to other ranches and farms throughout the province.
My now skin-tight shirt restricted my movements, so I reached behind my back, tearing it over my head. I wasn’t wearing sunscreen, but a burn was the least of my worries. I hurt everywhere anyway, so what was a little more pain?
As soon as the obligatory celebrations were done with, I’d beaten it out of Hartford on the first flight headed for Calgary. My parents’ ranch was only forty minutes from my mountain cabin, so I spent most days there helping out since my return home.
My career was over. I went out on top, seemingly on my own terms.
I had nothing but time. Too much time. Time spent thinking about Hannah and the life we could’ve had up here after my playing days were done.
Would she have wanted to remain in Hartford close to family? Or would she have wanted to spend the cold Canadian winters isolated in the mountains for months on end? Maybe we would have brokered a deal for a hybrid of the two—Hartford in the winter and Canadian Rockies in the summer.
The world would never know.
Like a lovesick fool, my time doing backbreaking labor on the ranch was spent wearing earbuds and playing Hannah’s demo track on a loop.
How could I move on if I couldn’t let her go?
I didn’t want to let her go.
A gentle hand on my shoulder while Hannah’s voice sang full blast in my ears startled me, causing me to drop the hay bale in my hands.
Heart racing, I spun around to find Zoe jumping back. Pulling out an earbud, I placed a hand on my chest. “Jesus, Zoe. What the hell do you think you’re doing, sneaking up on me like that?”
Initially startled by my reaction, she quickly recovered, folding her arms over her chest. “Oh, good. I was worried your bad mood had left us. False alarm.”
Rolling my eyes, I turned my back to her, grabbing the bale of hay I’d dropped and hauling it outside the barn doors. Placing it with the others ready for pickup, I found Zoe hot on my heels.
“What do you want?” I sighed. “I’m trying to work here.”
Gesturing to the stack of rectangularly packaged hay, she asked, “Is this what retirement looks like? Screwing up everything on the ranch?”
I didn’t have the patience for her games. Didn’t she know I was busy wallowing?
“What are you talking about? I’mhelpingon the ranch. In case you haven’t noticed.”
Zoe got that twinkle in her blue eyes that told me she was about to tell me to sit the fuck down. “Helping. Right. So that’s why you’re preparing a shipment of hay that’s being picked uptomorrow. My mistake.”
Tomorrow. Fuck. These bales couldn’t sit outside all night; the morning dew would ruin them. Accepting defeat, I grabbed the one I’d just set down and carried it back inside.
As I dropped it on the barn floor, I felt the loss of an earbud. Glancing to the ground to see where it fell, I caught Zoe out of the corner of my eye, holding it up. “What have we got here? Never knew you to be such a connoisseur of music.”
Holding a hand out, my voice was deadly. “Give it back.”
Tilting her head, she eyed the tiny white device. “Hmm. Don’t think I will. Seems important.” Popping it into one ear, she held a hand over the other, listening. A look of surprise crossed her face, and she stared at me. “Who is this?”
“Not important,” I grunted, heading outside to grab more hay.
“This isn’t . . . This can’t bethegirl. Can it?”
“Drop it, Zoe. I’m serious.”
“She’s got a beautiful voice. Tell me, little brother, did you fall in love with her before or after you heard her sing? This is a siren’s call if I’ve ever heard one.” All traces of teasing were gone from her voice; she spoke almost reverently about Hannah’s talented vocals.
