Scoring at Love: Men of the Ice, #4

Scoring at Love

Table of Contents

Title Page

Scoring at Love (Men of the Ice, #4)

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Epilogue

Author’s Note and Acknowledgements

Michele Shriver

SMC Publishing

Scoring at Love: A Men of the Ice Novella

By Michele Shriver

Copyright 2016 Michele Shriver

Published by SMC Publishing

All Rights Reserved

This is a work of fiction. All characters, locales and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

There is no position in sport as noble as goaltending. ~ Vladislav Tretiak

Chapter One

The temperature outside topped the century mark, typical of Texas in June, but the inside of the Alamo Ice Rink was a cool, temperature-controlled fifty-seven degrees. Becker Lawson watched the people filing into the rink and wondered if they were all truly interested in the opening day of the Young Generals hockey camp, or if some of them merely wanted to find a way to beat the San Antonio heat by spending the day in a cool environment. Either way, it appeared that the camp would be well-attended.

There were forty children signed up for the camp, which would allow them to hone their hockey skills with a handful of San Antonio Generals players serving as their coaches. The enrollment numbers for this inaugural camp exceeded everyone’s expectation. Hopefully a few would be budding goaltenders who could benefit from Becker’s tutelage. He knew one of the kids already, a young boy named Bryson Crawford, who was the son of the host family that Becker’s Russian teammate, Nikolai Brantov, had stayed with this season. Bryson had attended a few team practices, so Beck was already familiar with his passion for the sport, and particularly the goalie position.

Beck waited as Meryl Johnson, the director of the camp and the daughter of the Generals’ owner, introduced the coaches and gave them each a chance to tell the kids a little about themselves and the position they played. Finally, after Nik, team captain and star center, Colton Tremblay, right wingers Trevor Collison and Ryder Carrigan, and defenseman Noah Mann had spoken, it was Beck’s turn. Yeah, typical to save the goalie until the very end. It wasn’t the position of glory and glamour. After all, goalies didn’t score, or at least not very often, and too many times they were the goat, shouldering the blame for giving up the goal that might cost their team the game.

Becker first started playing goalie at the age of ten, and never looked back. He couldn’t imagine playing any other position, and he looked forward to teaching his skills to these boys and girls. Hi there, he said, taking the microphone from Meryl after she’d introduced him. I’m Becker Lawson, and I’m the starting goaltender for the Generals. To me, goalie is the most important position on a hockey team. It combines physical skills, mental skills, and emotional skills. He went on to explain about the importance of each before asking, How many of you here have played goalie before, or think you might be interested in playing goalie?

Six hands went up, including Bryson, as expected, and one girl, which pleased Beck. The NWHL had opened up professional hockey to women, and he wanted the sport, and the position, to be inclusive to everyone. Great. Anyone else?

There was a boy in the front that caught Beck’s eye. He raised his hand a little ways, then pulled it down, as if he couldn’t make up his mind.

Beck moved closer to him. What’s your name?

Tristan, the boy said. Tristan Myers.

Hi, Tristan. You seem a little uncertain, like maybe you’re not sure who want to be a goalie. Do you have any questions for me, maybe help you decide?

Oh, no. My mind’s made up, Tristan said. I already know I want to play goalie. It’s just my mom... His voice trailed off as he looked down at the ice.

Your mom doesn’t want you to? Beck asked.

Yeah. She says it’s too dangerous for me.

A common concern, but not an accurate one. Is your mom here? Maybe I can talk with her for a minute, change her mind.

Could you? Tristan smiled, revealing a missing front tooth. That’d be great. He turned around and pointed. That’s her over there. First row. Blue sweater.

Beck’s eyes followed Tristan’s finger to a stunning woman with auburn hair that cascaded to her shoulders in soft waves. She wore jeans, the blue sweater Tristan mentioned, and a black leather jacket. She was, quite simply, one of the most beautiful women Beck had ever seen. She also quite likely married, and thus completely off limits. He could still talk a little hockey with her, though, just nothing else. Great. Let me go see what I can do, buddy.

***

Kendall was glad she’d worn a coat. It might be hotter than Hades outside, but it was plenty chilly inside the rink. Her close friend and fellow hockey mom hadn’t been as smart, and now Lori rubbed her arms as she complained about the cold temperature.

Hopefully watching all these hot guys in action will warm me up quickly, she declared.

Kendall raised an eyebrow. Excuse me? Aren’t you married?

Yes, Lori said. Married, not dead. I’m still allowed to appreciate a good-looking man, and this hockey team is full of them. Seriously, they ought to make a calendar. I don’t know why they haven’t.

Whatever. Kendall did her best to sound as if she hadn’t even noticed. The last thing she wanted was her friend to get any ideas that one of the players might be a good match for Kendall.

Yeah, ‘whatever,’ yourself, Lori chided. It’s time for you to get back in the game.

Can we quit with the sports references, please? Oh, and the divorce has only been final for three weeks. Kendall wanted a chance to enjoy being single, which sounded good in theory. The reality was all she’d done so far was feel sorry for herself. Even the day the decree was approved by the judge, when Lori showed up at the house with several bottles of high-priced sparkling wine in an attempt to celebrate Kendall’s newfound singlehood, she’d ended up a blubbering mess.

Yes, but the marriage was over long before that, her friend said, before softening her tone. "Look, Kendall, I know it stings. Carter was an ass. Actually, Carter is still an ass. But it doesn’t mean all men are. There are plenty of good ones in the world."

Kendall was about to offer another ‘whatever,’ which had become her new favorite word, when Lori said, Oh my. Hello. Hottie alert. And he’s coming this way.

Sure enough, Kendall turned her head and spotted one of the Generals players, whom she recognized as the starting goalie, heading toward them. Lori wasn’t exaggerating. He was definitely hot, with dark hair and piercing brown eyes.

He approached the railings that separated the spectator seating from the ice rink. Excuse me, are you Mrs. Myers?

It sounded weird to be addressed that way. She was no longer Carter Myers’ wife, and for that she was glad, but she wanted to have the same last name as her children, so she’d kept the Myers name, even after her attorney had advised her she could take her maiden name back. Yes.

I’m Becker Lawson, Generals goaltender. He smiled, revealing perfectly straight, white teeth, and Kendall wondered if they were real. Hadn’t most hockey players lost their teeth?

Yes, I know who you are. After all, her son had his poster on his bedroom wall.

Great, he said. I’m going to be coaching the goalies in camp, and your boy, Tristan, tells me it’s the position he most wants to play, but you won’t let him.

Wonderful. Now I sound like the mean, horrible mother. Kendall wondered if Carter had been putting ideas in their son’s head, or talking bad about her. She wouldn’t put it past him. I never said I wouldn’t let him, Kendall corrected. Just that it scares me because it’s so dangerous.

Becker nodded. A common enough misconception, but goalie is actually probably the safest position in hockey.

How so? Kendall had a hard-time believing it.

Well, most serious jockey injuries are the result of collisions with other players, or along the boards, he explained. "The kinds of things that occur more often when you’re skating out, not playing back in goal. The most serious injury I’ve had in my career is a groin strain. Otherwise, it’s just been a bunch of bruises, and I think of those as a badge of honor. It takes someone brave to play goalie. You should