“Good game,” Mike said, only the bottom of his smile visible beneath the shadow of his cowboy hat.

  “Thanks.” Gabe let his eyes flick toward Lucky. She possessed a delicate face and a curvy body, but he’d already known that his half sister was uncommonly pretty. He also knew how much Mike loved her, how happy his friend was in his marriage.

  Maybe it would be possible to accept her for that alone….

  I like her. I think you would, too, if only you’d give her a chance, Reenie had said.

  “I’ll bet you’re proud of Kenny,” she said.

  It was rare that Lucky ever spoke directly to him. Gabe could tell by the hesitant smile on her face and the way her hand tightened on Mike’s arm that she wasn’t sure she’d get a response, but he couldn’t ignore her. As much as he didn’t want to have a half sister, his father hadn’t given him a choice. And as his mother said, Lucky wasn’t to blame.

  “I am,” he said.

  She glanced at Mike, as though getting that much out of him was some sort of victory, and the strain in her face eased slightly.

  “You think he’s gonna be okay?” Mike asked.

  “We’ll know soon enough. Hannah took him over to Hatcher’s.”

  “I hope nothing’s broken.”

  “Me, too.” Gabe was worried about Kenny, but he was also sure that the kid would never have forgiven him if Gabe had taken him out.

  “Blaine was doing exactly what I thought he was doing, wasn’t he?” Mike asked.

  Gabe nodded.

  “What are you going to do about it?”

  “Make sure he’s permanently removed from coaching.” Gabe had no choice. Especially now that he was leaving. He wouldn’t turn the team, his team, over to anyone as long as Blaine was involved.

  “Blaine’s demise has been too long in coming,” Mike said. “He should have been fired after what he did to you twenty years ago.”

  “Fortunately, getting rid of him shouldn’t be too hard,” Gabe said. “Moose is willing to talk.”

  “Really? Blaine’s nephew?”

  “He doesn’t like what his uncle did, and he wants to tell the truth.”

  “Good for him! Did Kenny say anything about Blaine?”

  “I didn’t get a chance to talk to him after the game.”

  Mike adjusted his hat. “It certainly didn’t look as though he was involved.”

  “He wasn’t,” Gabe said. He wanted to keep the whole mess as far away from Kenny as possible, but he suspected the situation hadn’t been quite as simple as he’d just stated. There was a reason Kenny and Sly had gotten into a fight. And there was a reason Kenny had played like the devil was after him.

  “Will you be glad to have Blaine gone?” It was Lucky again. Gabe sensed her eagerness to befriend him and felt his resistance slip a little.

  “In a way,” he said, but even that wasn’t as straightforward as it should have been. Blaine deserved what he was going to get, but Gabe couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. He knew what it was like to lose a cherished career. The fact that Blaine had no one to blame but himself made the loss even worse.

  “Do you like coaching?” she asked.

  “I do,” he said, realizing just how much.

  “Not enough to stick around and finish the job, though, huh?” Mike cocked an eyebrow at him, and Gabe realized that his friend knew about New York. Gabe had told himself numerous times that he needed to call Mike and explain. But the same kind of reluctance that had made it difficult to tell Hannah had kept him from actually picking up the phone.

  “Who told you?”

  “Hannah sat with us for the last part of the game.”

  Gabe pinched the back of his neck. “I’m just checking it out. It’s not a sure thing. And the team will be fine. ESPN has sent a guy out to replace me. He’s a good coach.”

  “He won’t be any better than you.”

  Brent tugged on Gabe’s sleeve. “Is it time to go home yet?”

  “Almost.

  “Baby-sitting tonight, huh?” Mike said.

  Gabe remembered Mike telling him to invite Hannah out and grinned. “Just trying to be a good coach.”

  Mike chuckled. “I didn’t buy that before, and I’m not buying it now.”

  “Gabe?” Brent interrupted. It was the first time Brent had used his first name. Obviously, Hannah’s boy was getting impatient. “Can we go? Please?”

  “Why are you in such a hurry?” Gabe asked.

  “I want to play with Lazarus.”

  So that was it. “But we’re not going to my house, we’re going to yours.”

  “Can’t we pick him up first?”

  Gabe opened his mouth to explain about the long drive, then changed his mind. They had a wait ahead of them. They could easily make the trip to the cabin. And Brent’s eagerness gave him an idea. He smiled at the little boy. “Hey, Brent. You know, I have to go out of town for a few days. Do you think you can watch Lazarus for me?”

  Brent’s eyes rounded. “You’re going to let him stay with me?”

  Gabe had planned on taking the dog. But leaving something of himself behind with Hannah seemed…comforting. “If it’s okay with your mom.”

  “She won’t care. I’ll just beg her if she says no.”

  “Let me ask her first, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Gabe?” Mike said.

  Gabe turned back to his friend. “Yeah?”

  “Whether you come back or not, I want you to know that I appreciate the fact that you were willing to take over for my father. I know he would have been proud tonight.”

  More emotions ripped into Gabe. With everything that had been going on lately, he felt as though he’d just been taken out of a freezer, that every nerve in his body was burning as the feeling returned all at once. “Your dad was a good man, Mike.”

  Mike nodded. “I’ll be watching the Countdown on Sunday. Knock ’em dead,” he said with a grin, then put his arm around his wife and walked away.

  “Can I push you?” Brent asked, breaking the silence.

  Gabe dragged his eyes away from his half sister and his best friend. He almost said the usual, that he’d rather manage on his own. But when he looked into Brent’s hopeful young face, he changed his mind. “Sure.”

  “Cool! You’re the only one I know with one of these,” he said.

  Brent managed to move Gabe only as far as the pavement before his strength gave out. “I’m tired,” he complained. “Can I can ride in front with you?”

  Gabe shifted in surprise. “Aren’t you getting too big to be sitting in someone’s lap?”

  “I’m only seven,” he said.

  It’d been a long time since Gabe had held a child. Suddenly he missed his niece and two nephews, wondered how he could have let so much time pass without visiting them.

  “I can fit,” Brent added encouragingly.

  Seeing a strong resemblance to Hannah, Gabe smiled at the boy again. “Okay, come on.”

  The scent of good old-fashioned dirt lifted to his nostrils as Brent climbed into his lap and, for the first time since the accident, Gabe wondered what it would be like to have a son.

  The stadium lights snapped off as they reached the truck. Normally, Gabe knew he’d still be thinking about the game. It had been amazing, and promised great things for the rest of the season, especially with Blaine gone. But something—maybe the protective feeling he had for the young boy in his lap—seemed to beckon him toward a new challenge.

  Maybe football wasn’t the only thing in the world, after all….

  * * *

  KENNY DIDN’T THINK he’d ever been so tired in his life. The game had taken everything he had. But they’d won. He still couldn’t believe it. Even with a broken arm, he’d thrown two touchdown passes.

  “You’re quiet tonight,” Hannah said as they drove home from Dr. Hatcher’s office. “Is the pain getting worse?”

  Kenny gazed down at his new cast. Because the bones in his arm hadn’t shifted, the doctor didn’t need to set them, but the X-ray and casting process had taken nearly two hours. Now that it was close to midnight, there weren’t many cars on the road, and all the businesses they passed, except the Honky Tonk and the gas station, looked eerily abandoned. “No, the pills helped.”

  “You tired?”

  “Beat.” He wished his brain would shut down along with his body, but he couldn’t stop thinking. About the pride on Tuck’s face as the team carried him off the field. About Tiffany, who’d rushed over as soon as they let him down to make sure he was all right. He could still feel her hand gripping his good arm as if she didn’t care that he was all sweaty, the crazy way his heart had thumped when he gazed down into her blue eyes. “Call me tomorrow,” she’d said.

  Call her…He was going to call Tiffany Wheeler….

  Then there was Blaine, who’d glared at Kenny with so much hatred as they passed on the way to the locker room. If Blaine managed to hang on to his job, Kenny would never play for the Spartans again. He knew that, but somehow it didn’t seem to matter so much anymore. Tonight was what had mattered—and he’d passed the test.

  “Where do you think Dad went?” he asked above the Avril Lavigne song playing on the radio. After the game ended, Russ had checked to make sure he was okay, then stalked off. They’d called from the doctor’s office to tell him Kenny’s arm was broken, but he hadn’t answered.

  His mother glanced over at him. “Who knows? He’s mad at me again, and when he gets mad at me, you know he makes himself scarce. I’m sure he’ll call you first thing in the morning,” she added. “He has to be incredibly proud of the way you played tonight.”

  Russ wasn’t be proud; Russ was disappointed that Kenny had gone against his wishes. But his father had only been hoping to hurt Coach Holbrook, which seemed stupid to Kenny. Why should the Spartans have to lose just because his father didn’t like the new coach? “Why’s he mad at you?” he asked.

  His mother seemed to search for the right words. “Well, because…”

  “Could you just tell it to me straight this time, Mom?” he asked softly. “I’m not a little kid anymore.”

  “No, you’re not.” She blew out a sigh, then smiled briefly. “He’s not happy that I’ve been seeing Gabe.”

  “How does he know?”

  Her eyebrows went up. “Do you think it’s possible to keep a secret in this town?”

  Kenny thought of Blaine knowing about Tiffany and decided it wasn’t. “Dad had his chance and he blew it,” he said. “He doesn’t have the right to get mad at you over another guy.”

  “Emotions don’t always make sense, Kenny. Just rest assured he’s not mad at you.”

  Kenny knew the game was at least part of the reason his dad was upset, but he didn’t correct his mom. He’d done what he’d done. His dad would have to accept it. Kenny had certainly been forced to accept enough things where his father was concerned. In any case, Kenny was more interested in taking the conversation in a different direction. “So, how do you think Coach Holbrook feels about you?”

  Hannah pulled into their drive and cut the engine. “I think he likes me okay,” she said. “But we probably won’t be seeing much of each other in the future.”

  Kenny paused with his hand on the door latch. Gabe’s truck was parked at the curb. “Why not?”

  “Because he’s been offered a job in New York.” Her voice ended on an up note, but Kenny could tell she wasn’t happy. “He’s going to host NFL Countdown.”

  “Really?” Kenny couldn’t help being impressed. ESPN was ESPN.

  “It’s a great opportunity,” she said, but the smile curving her lips was definitely a fake one. He could tell she didn’t want Gabe to go.

  “What about the team?” Kenny asked, suddenly realizing the full impact of this news.

  “Buzz Smith is going to take over.”

  Great. Another coach. Holbrook was letting them both down.

  Kenny got out and walked to the house, pausing on the front porch as his mother came up from behind with the key. When she opened the door, it was dark inside, but the television was still on. In the dim, flickering light, he could see the outline of Gabe Holbrook lying on the couch. It was the first time there’d ever been a man other than his father resting comfortably on his mother’s couch.

  Gabe appeared to be sleeping. But when they walked inside, he lifted his head.

  “How’d it go?” he asked.

  “Got a cast,” Kenny said, lifting his arm.

  “But the break is a clean one,” Hannah told him. “He should have the cast off in three to four weeks. The doctor said it would protect his arm well enough that he could probably play soon if he wanted to.”

  Gabe sat up and moved his feet to the ground with his hands. “That’s great.”

  “My mom says you’ve had some good news, too,” Kenny said.

  Gabe hesitated. “What news is that?”

  “Aren’t you going to New York to be part of NFL Countdown?”

  “Oh, yeah,” he said as if it wasn’t any big thing.

  “That’s cool,” Kenny said, but he couldn’t inject any real enthusiasm into his voice. Because what he really wanted to say was, “Don’t go. My mom and I need you right here.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  HANNAH PERCHED on the arm of the couch and stared down at Gabe. She could hear Kenny’s footsteps fading down the hall, knew he’d be asleep within minutes. She was tired herself, too tired to face the fact that Gabe would be flying out in the morning.

  Suddenly, she heard movement behind her and turned to see Lazarus. “Hi Lazarus,” she said, giving him a pat. “Where’d you come from?”

  “Brent wanted to play with him,” Gabe explained.

  “So you drove out to get him?”

  He nodded.

  “That was nice of you.”

  “Actually, I had an ulterior motive.”

  “Sounds like a man,” she teased. “What is it?”

  “I was hoping he could stay here with you while I’m gone.”

  Gabe was going to let her keep his dog? “You don’t want to take him to New York?”

  “I don’t think he’d enjoy the trip. He’d have to be in one of those dog carriers, and it’s a long flight. He’s not used to being so confined.”

  Lazarus wasn’t used to being without Gabe, either. But she wasn’t going to point that out. If Gabe’s dog was staying, Gabe had to come back at some point, didn’t he? “Of course he can stay here.”

  “Thanks.”

  “What time does your flight leave?”

  “Seven.”

  “You’re kidding,” she said. “With the drive to Boise, you’ll have to start out at four-thirty. That’s in just a few hours.”

  “I know. I packed when Brent and I went to pick up Lazarus.” He nodded toward a suitcase in the corner of the room, sitting so deep in shadow Hannah hadn’t noticed until he pointed it out to her.

  So, he was spending the night? She wanted to smile but opted for a scowl. “You shouldn’t have volunteered to baby-sit for me. You’re not going to get enough sleep.”

  “I wanted to see you before I left, and to make sure Kenny was okay.”

  “I think he’s going to be fine. At the doctor’s office, he kept saying, ‘Did you see that pass, Mom? Did you see it?’” She fought back a yawn. “Do you want me to take you to the airport?”

  “No. It’s too early, and it’s too far of a drive. I’ll leave my truck in long-term parking.”

  Long-term parking. She didn’t like the sound of long-term anything when it meant Gabe would be gone. But she certainly didn’t want to stand in his way. He was moving on after the accident, just as she’d wanted. She should be glad, right?

  His eyes drifted over her, and she could tell exactly when his thoughts shifted to other things. “Are you going to sit over there all night?” he asked.

  She twisted to look down the hall. “The boys could get up,” she said hesitantly.

  “So?” he responded. “They won’t be surprised to find you lying on the couch with me. They already know you love me.”

  Hannah’s jaw dropped. “What?”

  “At least Brent does,” he amended. “He told me all about it tonight.”

  “Brent doesn’t know a thing,” she said.

  Gabe recovered something he’d stuffed under his head as a pillow. When he shook it out, Hannah saw that it was the Hawaii T-shirt she’d brought home with her. “He showed me this,” he said, his grin turning slightly devilish. “And he told me you sleep with it at night.”

  Embarrassment prickled the back of Hannah’s neck. “There’s no privacy in this town,” she grumbled.

  He chuckled. “It’s okay. I already knew things weren’t casual between us.”

  “How?” she challenged, folding her arms.

  “Are you kidding?” he said. “I can feel it.”

  * * *

  HANNAH DIDN’T WANT to waste the next few hours with sleep. She knew this might be the last time she’d ever have Gabe’s arms around her. Once he left for New York, he could easily get caught up in the success, the money, the fame. There was a lot out there waiting for him. His withdrawal from the public’s view for the past three years would only make his reappearance that much more sensational. In the midst of all the attention, it would be easy to forget the woman back home.

  But tomorrow would have to take care of itself. She’d deal with the future when it was no longer the future. Tonight she had her cheek pressed to his chest, where she could hear the steady beat of his heart. She felt safely cocooned in the warmth of his body.

  They already know you love me. She hadn’t argued too loudly when he’d said that. There wasn’t any point. He was right. She was so far gone that she melted every time she looked at him. How could she hide an emotion so all-consuming?

  Maybe she would’ve been able to salvage some of her pride if she could’ve concealed her feelings a little better. But she didn’t care too much about pride. Let Patti and anyone else who wanted to say “I told you so,” do it. After struggling for so long to fall in love with Russ, Hannah was just glad to know she was capable of loving a man as completely and passionately as she did Gabe. Every woman should experience that once in her lifetime, she decided. Even one who lived in a small town, had a lousy ex and not a lot of hope for a future relationship.