Page 3 of Worth the Risk
“See you tomorrow, Rhett.” She sighs. “I can’t wait to have all my kids together again, it’s been too long.” I know she’s thrilled to have us all in town again. She’s been on Knox and Alder lately about settling down and needing more grandkids to spoil…I know it will be my turn next.
“Looking forward to it, mom. Love you.”
“Love you, son.”
I slip my phone in my pocket, look down the empty sidewalk and head in the direction I’ve been drawn to since I arrived in town this afternoon.
When I accepted the coaching job for the High School, I knew it was the right decision. I like to think I’m a simple man. There are only a few things I want in life and being back in Silverthorne for good is one of them. After being away for the last eight years on and off, traveling with my team, the Seattle Hornets, I’ve only been able to visit for certain holidays and important milestones. I’ve tried to be there for as much as I can, but an NHL players schedule is pretty packed.
I take in the sleepy mountain town. Silverthorne is exactly the same. The mountains are comforting as ever and with fall on its way and hockey season around the corner I’m feeling at peace with being here. I love this place and always have. Not only does this place have one of the best views but it also has some of the best people.
Now I get to be close to my family. I was the only one left of the four of us that didn’t live in town. I’m excited to see more of my siblings. My older brothers, my perfect little niece, my baby sister, and of course my parents. It would be near to impossible to find better people than Tom and Mary Holloway. My best friend since high school is here, running his own rafting business. Living here will mean spending my weekends fishing, hiking, and rafting again. Outdoor sports played a huge role in my upbringing and my love for them has only grown. Camping trips are few and far between when you’re traveling all over the country two or three times a week, seven months out of the year. Then there’s practices and training camps. Don’t get me wrong, I loved every minute of it. The adrenaline of being out on the ice, the high that comes from a big win, it’s like nothing else…but I’m ready to slow down a bit and even if I wasn’t, my sore knee is.
I round the corner and see my destination still has the lights on. That’s a good sign. I make my way inside and see a young girl behind the counter looking down at her phone.
“Hey there, you all still open?” I do my best to announce myself because I’m not sure if the bell chime was enough. She briefly looks up, registers my presence, snaps her head in my direction, then stuffs her phone into the front pocket of her apron. She puts on a bashful smile.
“Um, hi,” she squeaks out. “I’ll have to check with Winnie. She’s the owner.” Just then I hear a shout from the back telling the girl, Anna, that they’re supposed to be closed. She blushes so I fill the silence.
“Sounds like I’m out of luck tonight, I’ll just have to come back in the morning I suppose.” I say with a wink. Anna blushes further.
“Oh, yeah…that’s a good idea. We um, we’re open from 5am till noon on Saturdays...” She trails off and I give her another smile.
“I’ll come by tomorrow then.”
“That’s probably a good idea if you want a cinnamon roll. They sell out fast in the mornings.”
“I’ll make sure I’m here at open then.” I wink and she giggles. I’m getting ready to turn around and regretfully make my way back to the hotel when I hear footsteps heading our way. I look up in time to see honey eyes that I’ve on more-than-one occasion wanted to melt into. Yeah, playing in the NHL was a dream come true but another dream of mine, the one I barely even admit to myself, she just got smacked in the face with a swinging door.
“Shit!” we say in unison. I make my way around the counter and over to her side. Winslow Parker is holding the right side of her face and muttering curses under her breath.Damn. She’s more beautiful than the last time I saw her. Her dark unruly hair is haphazardly trapped on top of her head with a pencil sticking through and she’s wearing a black apron, smattered with flour, with her Thistle and Sage logo on the front.
“Jeezes, Winnie. Are you alright?” She smiles or at least attempts to. It’s a cross between a smile and a grimace.
“Why would you think I wasn’t?” She says breezily, but I can tell it’s painful. A smile tugs at my lips. I have really missed her. “Oh this?” She uses her free hand to gesture to the one covering her face. “This is nothing. Happens all the time and this isn’t even the worst.” She does this. Always has. Minimizes pain. Feelings...especially her own.
“Okay, tough guy, let me see.” I put my hands on her narrow shoulders and direct her over to one of the tables. I slide two chairs together and nudge her to sit down on one while I sit on the other. My left hand goes to her elbow and the other gently tries to tip her head up so I can get a good look at the side of her face that was just hit. She waves a hand in the air as she tries to brush off the incident and the pain she is probably in.
“I’m fine, really. As I’m sure you know, it's not the first time I’ve run into a door and I’m sure it won’t be the last.” I’m not buying it. They had to have heard the impact of the hit outside.
“Come on Winnie, just let me take a look.” She relents and lets me gently pull her hand away from her heart shaped face. I look at her high cheekbone, it’s red and already a little swollen. Her full bottom lip looks slightly more full, but it’s not split.
“How bad is it? Am I gonna make it?” She asks with just the slightest bit of snark. I chuckle.
“Hey Anna?” I look at the girl behind the counter. “Do you think you could find an ice pack and a towel for Winnie?” She’s already walking through the offending door when she calls back to me.
“On it!”
When I look back and meet Winnie’s topaz gaze, I’m momentarily stunned.
Winslow Parker with a dazed expression from across the bakery was stunning, but having her close, touching her injured,splotchy, but still beautiful face, she’sdevastating.I shake my head to clear it of thoughts that I need to get a handle on.
“Hi, Rhett.” Her smirk has softened to one of her sweet smiles and I don’t know if I’ve felt this warm since the last time I was this close to her.
She does that, too. Emits warmth.
“Hi, Winnie.” I’m holding her cheek against my palm when Anna comes back, holding up a piping bag of ice and a hand towel.
“Will this work? It’s all I could find back there.” She takes in my hand resting gently against Winnie’s face and a suggestive smile curves her lips. “If you don’t need me for anything else I can head out.” She raises her eyebrows at Winnie and gives her a pointed look.
