Kane (Arizona Vengeance 8)

The team leaves in the morning for an extended road trip to New York, then Pennsylvania. Somehow, Kane got permission for me to go with the team, so I’ll be tagging along.

I’d been stunned when he’d told me.

“How?” I’d asked.

He just sort of shrugged. “Our owner cares about his team. After I explained what was going on, he said you’re welcome to travel on the plane with us until the situation is handled.”

And there it is. I’ll be headed to the East Coast with the Vengeance. Ella and Lucy have graciously agreed to watch Samson, so I won’t have to board him.

“Be right back,” I say. I open the truck door and climb out, Samson jumps into the front passenger seat and follows behind me.

By the time we make it up to the front door, it’s already opening. Lucy runs out, Ella standing at the threshold with a smile. Lucy drops to her knees and hugs Samson, who wags his tail furiously in exchange. I was told the last time he’d been with Lucy, which was only an overnight visit, they were inseparable and she ran him practically into the ground throwing the ball to him.

“Ready to go play, boy?” Lucy asks. I lean over and give my dog a short hug, but he’s already forgotten me. It seems like once we stopped traveling, he decided to become a dog of the people.

Lucy and Samson run into the house without a backward glance.

“Want to come in?” Ella asks, making a motion with her hand.

I throw my thumb over my shoulder. “Kane’s waiting for me in the truck. And we still have to get packed up.”

Ella leans to the side to see around me. She gives a “cutesie” type of wave to Kane, a smirk on her face. Kane lifts the hand resting on the steering wheel to return the greeting.

“I appreciate your help with Samson,” I say to Ella, and her gaze comes back to me. “I hate to board him. And once this stalker stuff gets resolved, I won’t be going to as many away games.”

“We’re always happy to take him,” Ella assures me warmly. “Lucy is in heaven, and Samson is such a good dog. He’s no trouble at all.”

“I predict this might lead to Lucy asking for a dog of her own,” I say with a laugh.

Ella nods with bright eyes. “Oh, she’s already asking. And I’ll probably give in. She has wanted a dog for years, but Jim’s allergic.”

“They make medication for that,” I point out.

Ella chuckles, but her expression turns a bit sober. “I’m sorry you’re going through all of this.”

I’d told Ella my situation when I had called to see if she’d watch Samson for this trip.

She leans to the side to smile at Kane again. “And for what it’s worth, he’s doing the right thing by insisting you stick by him for now.”

“Yeah, I know,” I reply with a sigh.

“Do you think Kane is being antisocial… or is he just embarrassed to talk to me after the adventure he and Jim had last night?” Ella asks with a good-natured laugh.

I snort, thinking of how ridiculous Jim and Kane must have been last night. I haven’t heard the details because we were more focused on talking about Matthew and a plan to lure him out. Ella doesn’t seem peeved about it, though. “Boys will be boys.”

Ella laughs with a sly look back at the truck. “Well, let’s just say it’s a little ironic Kane is being so protective of you having a stalker when he and my husband stalked me on a date last night.”

“How mad were you?” I ask curiously.

“Not overly. It was actually kind of funny, both thinking they were being so sneaky and me busting them.”

I glance at the truck, seeing the defiance written on Kane’s face as I’m sure he can guess what we’re now discussing. “So, what exactly did Jim say?”

Ella’s gaze dips, and a coy smile plays on her lips. When she raises her head, she admits, “Jim says he wants a shot at me.”

I frown. “A shot at you?”

“He was jealous I was on a date. He said he wanted to compete for me to prove we should be back together, I guess.”

“Oh, wow,” I murmur, my heart squeezing just a bit in a swoon. “And are you going to let him?”

“I’m not sure,” she says with a shrug. “I’ll just have to see what he comes at me with.”

“Are you serious about the man you’re dating?” I ask, now just being full-on nosy.

She shakes her head. “We’ve been on a few dates. Shared some goodnight kisses, but it hasn’t gone beyond that. It’s hard to date as a single mom, and he travels for work. But I do like him. He asked me out again, so we’ll see.”