Offside (The Barker Triplets 1)

She glanced up. Kendall McKallister waved from across the lobby. The teenager lived two doors down from the Barkers and was an avid hockey player. At the moment she was surrounded by her teammates. They all wore their hockey jerseys, the bold maroon and gold was pretty hard to miss. They must have a game on the second ice pad.

She smiled, waved back and thought that maybe she’d catch the rest of their game when she was done. That sounded more her speed than hanging with ‘Angry Pirates’ at The Grill. Besides, it’s not likely Logan Forest would stay to watch a bunch of teenage girls play hockey, and Billie was more than okay with that. The further she stayed away from the man the better. Her brain tended to malfunction when he was around and she couldn’t afford anymore lapses.

One kiss was enough.

“Have a good one,” Kendall shouted. “Give them hell.”

Surprised, Billie smiled. “You too.”

She disappeared below and quickly found her room designation, hoping there wouldn’t be a surprise waiting on the other side. Gingerly, she pushed the door open and heaved a sigh of relief when she found it empty.

Ten minutes later she was lacing up her skates when a knock sounded.

“Billie, you decent?”

“Yeah,” her heart sped up and then slowed down when she realized it was Shane, not Logan.

Gallagher pushed the door open and peeked inside. “Hey, Cronkwright is filling in for The Whalers goalie. Duggen’s wife went into labor.”

Billie grabbed her bright yellow jersey and pulled it over her head, tossing a long, thick braid behind her back. She reached for her helmet and arched a brow.

“And I care because…”

Shane grinned and for a moment she saw the young man he used to be. Wow, he kinda took her breath away. He was still dangerous—still had that edge that made men take a step back while their women plowed forward—but there was something soft there too. She totally saw the man her sister had fallen in love with.

What the hell had happened between them?

“Look, I know you held back last week. Christ, we could have won by twenty goals instead of eight. I also know Ed hated every single one you put behind his ass and in the net.”

[i]Good.[i]

Billie grabbed her stick and mouth guard. “This going anywhere?”

“Ed made you walk home from the shop, asshole that he is.”

Her natural hockey high was slowly diminishing as the realities of her life filtered through. She frowned.

“Shane…a point to your rambling would be good right about now.”

Shane tapped his stick on the edge of his skate. “He also fucked with me a few years back.”

That got her attention. “Really. You gonna share the details?”

“Nope,” he replied softly, and something in his eyes made Billie pause. It was that edge…that dark edge.

“I think it’s time we taught that bastard a lesson. His ex-wife is remarried to Bart Strombley.”

“Bart? My winger?” Bart Strombley was a quiet, gentle giant and though he’d not said a word to her either way the Friday before, he’d played a solid hour of hockey with not one cheap shot thrown her way.

Shane nodded. “Yep, and she’s here to watch the game. It would be a shame for Ed if he lost, especially since I saw his new girlfriend here too.” His grin widened even more. “Seth Longwood is their hotshot center man.”

Billie grabbed her spare stick from its resting place on the bench, a tingle of excitement making her nerve endings shiver and her gut tighten. The other team was filing out behind Shane and she heard some of the insults hurtled her way.

She settled her gaze on him. “You want me to blow them out of the water.”

Shane stood back and gave her room to walk by. “Yeah, I do.”

As the fresh air from the rink hit her in the face, Billie grinned, feeling light and invincible for the first time in a long time. Logan was already on the ice with the rest of her team warming up. She saw his tall body glide by, his strokes even and sure. She glanced back at Shane and secured the strap beneath her helmet.