“You’ve been a captain forever, right?”
I shrugged and said, “Yeah, it wasn’t always my choice, but somehow it was tossed in my lap.”
“This is pretty much the only thing he’s never done in his career. Being responsible for an entire team takes courage. Not only requiring it from yourself, but having to draw it out of your teammates. You’re a natural, G. The way your girls talk about you—shit, they’d go to war for you. Any day of the week.”
“They already do,” I said, feeling a burning behind my eyes and in my throat.
“Because you do it every fucking day for them, sweetheart,” he said, his voice so smooth it almost made me believe him.
“I do my part, Trey. They all do theirs. It works.”
He stepped closer. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to make a move or what was going on. “Your guy doesn’t understand how to do it. He needs to figure it out. That’s why I’ve been pushing him. I want this team to succeed, not fail.”
“Okay,” I said, still suspicious of him because of what I’d heard him say to Beau on the ice.
“And I’m sorry I used you to egg him on. I shouldn’t have done that. You’re a good kid, G. I would never try to come between you and Beau.”
The look in his eyes was so sincere. Gosh, I really wanted to trust him. “I like you, Trey. But you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t quite believe you. I mean—not that I think I’m a particularly good catch or anything. But you really ticked off my boyfriend.”
“Trust me, G, you’re an amazing catch,” he said, his eyes roaming my face in a lazy fashion. “If I were a few years younger—and you were a few years older—”
I pushed his shoulder as he laughed. His face was soft, his expression easy. “I’m not going to blow smoke up your ass. You’re fucking gorgeous and you know it. What I was trying to get through to you was that I don’t go after other guys’ girls. You’re obviously taken. But I like you, like spending time with you. The only thing I have to admit is, I’m in love—with your puppies.”
“I love those goofy dogs. Please don’t take them away from me?” His face fell and his eyes held mine. Trey definitely knew how to give the puppy dog face to girls. His bottom lip even pushed out the required amount.
“Fine, but only because they are so much work. Who knew two tiny things could take almost constant attention?” I asked, and it was totally true. I loved those puppies to my very core. However, they exhausted me.
Trey bent to pick up the boy puppy. “You’ve never had animals?” he asked, holding the dog to his chest and patting him.
“Horses, older dogs and cats. Never had a puppy before.”
His eyes narrowed on me. “You grew up on a ranch?”
I nodded, noticing not for the first time how good he was with our babies. “Yeah, it wasn’t ours. Mom rented it from an older couple. They had the big house and we had the tiny one. Then they sold the property.”
“Then you had to move?”
I smiled at Trey. “No, then my mom married the new owner.”
“Ahh, I see. Your mom look anything like you?” he asked, his eyebrow quirking up.
“People sometimes think we’re twins.”
“Have mercy. There’s two of you?” He chuckled, making me crack up as well.
“Where’d you grow up?”
He scooped up the girl puppy and answered me, “On a farm. Just like Beau said.”
Trey was going to continue, but we were interrupted by my phone ringing. “Take that. I bet we know who it is,” he said, smiling wryly at me. “Can I take these two for an hour?”
I nodded, knowing he probably needed some puppy time right now. As I answered my phone, Trey grabbed their leashes and quickly hustled out.
“Hey,” I said into the phone, already having seen it was Beau. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” His voice sounded hollow and strange.
“Where are you?”