Her Hockey Superstar Fake Fiancé: A Strong Family Romance Companion Novel Read online

  Clutching the steering wheel tightly, she forced her gaze away and forced her concentration to the road leading away from the resort and past town. She had to head out of the valley and to Vail for practice, and she was late. Yet her mind couldn’t even comprehend that worry. She was too focused on the man she’d just seen, the man who had held her as if no time and heartache had passed. Jag Parros. He’d come home after ten long, lonely years. Why? The more important question was: How would her heart survive?

  Jag ignored Sheryl Boden’s flapping jaw as he watched Faith leave. Her long dark hair streamed behind her as she ran to her car, slipped inside, and then drove away. He’d held heaven in his arms for a few short seconds, and then she’d ditched him again. He’d thought he was over her. He’d paid a lot of good money for therapists to root her from his mind. But apparently one encounter could make him revert to his seventeen-year-old self, desperately in love and idealistically thinking they’d end up together again, no matter how long or hard the road was to get there. He was stupid around Faith Summers. Irrational and stupid.

  He could still feel her lean form in his arms, see her dark eyes staring up at him and those perfectly full lips all soft and ready to meet his. Dang Sheryl for interrupting. She was doing her level best to ruin his career, but that was less upsetting than this interrupted kiss. Almost ten years without Faith’s lips meeting his, and Sheryl had ruined it. Big surprise—Sheryl ruined everything she touched.

  He forced himself to look at her. He’d made the mistake of dating her last year, taken in by the smart, beautiful redhead. As always, he’d tried to find a woman who could push Faith’s memory out of his brain, but it never worked. Now he knew dating Sheryl was the biggest mistake of his life, next to not leaving school and coming after Faith after she’d coldly written him off the first month and never responded to any of his letters after that.

  “What do you really want, Sheryl?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest. It was chilly in Lonepeak Valley, but he was used to that, living on the ice. People strode past them. The Angel Falls Retreat and the attached ski resort was run by his friend Nick’s family, the Strongs. It was busy this holiday weekend. When his mom had asked if he could get away for Christmas for a few days, he’d suggested they come here. There had definitely been an underlying hope that he’d see Faith, but he hadn’t dreamed it would be this incredible and powerful.

  “You.” Sheryl gave him what was probably an alluring smile to some, but it made him sick to his stomach. “And the story, as always.”

  “You’re trying to set me up,” he said in a low voice. He wanted to discreetly get his phone out and record her answer, but he doubted she’d reveal the truth.

  She laughed, and he wondered how she wasn’t freezing in that tight-fitting, thigh-high suit with her chest spilling out. “We both know there’s more to the story, that you would never have thrown that game.” She tapped him playfully on the chest, and he stepped back out of her reach. Her smile dimmed, but she didn’t give up. Sheryl Boden didn’t know the meaning of the words give up. “I just want to get to the bottom of the story, clear your name, make you look good …” Her voice lowered and she stepped in closer again. “And resurrect the love we once had.”

  Jag was thinking quickly. He needed a way out of this.

  When he’d taken this five-day break for Christmas to get away from Boston, his agent had agreed and told him, if possible, to find a way to get some good publicity. He’d almost collapsed at the game a few days ago. They’d determined that his weakness was due to the flu, but after several tests, the doctors had revealed a worse diagnosis: he had multiple sclerosis. It had blindsided and terrified him. The only good news was that the disease could take years to manifest. He could keep playing if he could keep himself strong and keep the coaches, the team owner, and the press from knowing the truth, especially the snarky woman in front of him. What she would do with the info, he didn’t want to imagine. Either she’d gain more interest for her career, or she’d blackmail him. He’d bet on the latter.

  There was a lot of speculation that he’d thrown the game against the Islanders when his strength had given out and he’d had to finally pull himself from the game. What a crock. A self-respecting Bruins player would never let the Islanders win. More worryingly, his five-year contract was up for renewal this year. Five years was the average length of an NHL career, but he knew he had a lot more years in him. He hated hiding his disease from his coaches, but he couldn’t give them any reason to not re-sign him. Hockey was his life, especially since Faith had ditched him.

  Sheryl was watching him expectantly.

  “You’re going to have a boring Christmas,” he muttered. “You’ve got nothing on me.”

  “The speculation on you throwing that game is through the roof. Did someone bribe you?”

  Jag rolled his eyes. He had plenty of money and would never succumb to a bribe.

  “I know you’re here for your parents’ anniversary and Christmas. Reunion with the whole family back in the valley you were raised in. So sweet.”

  Jag had to hand it to her: she had her sources and she was good at digging out the truth, or her version of the truth. He wanted to get away from her and chase after Faith. How was it possible that Faith was even more beautiful than he’d remembered? Anger shot through him as he thought of the years of missing her, wondering why she’d turned from him, and then finding out that she’d fallen in love with his old friend, Blaine. The two had married a couple of years ago, after Blaine finished his law degree and returned to Vail, settling in Lonepeak Valley to be close to Faith. Blaine had died last year, a year before tomorrow, actually. Jag still felt guilt that he hadn’t come to the funeral, but he’d had a game that day and he honestly didn’t know if he could stand seeing her or staring at Blaine in a coffin. He didn’t hate the guy, just felt insanely jealous that Blaine had what Jag had always wanted: Faith.

  “Who’s the woman?” Sheryl asked, a bite to her voice.

  Jag smiled, and an almost giddy feeling washed over him as he thought of Faith. “My fiancée,” he said. As soon as the unplanned words slipped out, he felt even happier—there was a rush of heat at the mere suggestion of being married to Faith, and he longed that the words could be true. When he’d seen her again and held her, it had been like no time had passed. They’d been kids, seventeen years old, when it had all fallen apart. He wanted to pry the story out of her, why she wrote him off, why she married Blaine, and what she’d been up to the past ten years. Some part of him felt like they still had the same connection, like she’d just been here waiting for him.

  Sheryl’s mouth went wide, and then fire traced through her green eyes as her mouth tightened. “That’s a lie,” she hissed.

  “No, it’s not,” he insisted, his gut scrambling. He and Faith had been basically engaged at one point, but now it was a lie. Sheryl could ferret out a story wherever she went, but maybe this little unplanned slip could get Sheryl off his back, make her realize they’d never get back together, and she’d bug somebody else this holiday season. He had to get to Faith now and beg her to pretend to be his fiancée, until he could hopefully talk her into it for real.

  He beamed at the idea of Faith being his fiancée, and this would make his agent happy, too. An engagement to a beautiful sweetheart like Faith would definitely look good. Stable, religious, kind, fun, beautiful … he could list good qualities about Faith all day long. An engagement story could also distract from the rumors of him throwing that game or being washed up.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I want to go see my fiancée. You should go find a juicier story this Christmas.” He waved sarcastically at her, then turned and ran for his rented Audi. He wouldn’t put it past Sheryl to follow him, but he had a head start and he knew where he was going. He had to somehow talk Faith into the fake fiancée idea before Sheryl caught up to him.

  His parents weren’t expecting him for dinner until seven. With any more luck, he’d be bringing Faith back for
dinner with them. His mom and sister would be ecstatic.

  Chapter Two

  Faith stewed about how she was going to deal with Jag being back in town. Even though she drove ten miles over the speed limit, she made it to practice fifteen minutes late. She apologized, and some of the older students, the preteens, razzed her about swimming extra laps like she’d make them do. She shook off the worry and excitement of Jag and promised them that tomorrow she’d get in the water with them and swim those extra laps. She loved being in the water and joined them often, but most of the time it was easier to coach from the pool deck.

  Half an hour into practice, a man strode through the exterior door and into the waiting area. He was a tall, well-built man with dark hair that curled slightly at the ends, bright blue eyes, and her heart in his hand. Dang him all to heck.

  She couldn’t peel her eyes away from the glass separating them from the reception area. He spoke with the receptionist briefly, and then he was striding through the door and catching her eye. His own eyes lit up, and he grinned. She noticed a scar next to his lip that hadn’t been there in high school. She’d been too distracted and surprised to notice earlier today. She wanted to find out how he got that scar, right after she kissed it. No! She had to be strong.

  Forcing her eyes away, she watched Jasmine slide through the water doing the breaststroke. She could shave some seconds off her time by getting a little more strength to her kick. Faith would recommend some weight-lifting moves Jasmine could do on their non-water practice day.

  Faith studiously avoided looking at Jag, but she could sense him approaching, as if they’d never been apart and she was still as attuned to him as ever. Then he was standing by her side, attracting stares from some of the kids who were taking breaks or were out of the water. She heard Tyler, one of the older boys, breathe, “That’s Jag Parros. Holy crap!”

  “The hockey player?”

  “Yeah, man.”

  “Tyler.” Faith’s voice was more of a bark than she’d ever heard it. “Get moving.”

  “Yeah, Coach.” Tyler cast one more look at Jag, then dove under and started across the pool, doing freestyle.

  Faith didn’t look at Jag. She didn’t know if she was strong enough to look at him and not throw herself into his arms again. Without a coat on like earlier to block some of the sensation, she’d be in major trouble. He eased in closer to her, and his musky smell mingled with the strong chlorine scent from the pool. She’d been raised in the water and was addicted to Jag’s scent, so she found herself leaning toward him also.

  He leaned so close his mouth tickled her ear and sent darts of desire through her. “That’s Faith Summers. Holy crap,” he murmured.

  Faith laughed. She couldn’t help it. She loved him teasing her and loved that he still called her by her maiden name. When Jag’s deep chuckle joined hers, she let herself look at him. He grinned down at her, that easygoing grin that she’d thought was the highest reward any woman could ever hope for in life. He was tough on the ice, but he’d always been funny and soft for her.

  “You look amazing, Faith,” he said, brushing some hair away from her face and making her jaw tingle from his soft touch.

  “You look amazing-er,” she admitted.

  His grin just kept getting bigger. He lowered his voice and said, “We need to talk.”

  All the tingly good feelings disappeared. She focused back on her team and called out some commands and instructions. The last thing she wanted to do was “talk” with him. He was the one who’d written her that letter dismissing her and their relationship. The letter hadn’t been harsh, just truthful: he was going places and couldn’t tug her along. It had still ripped her apart. She’d loved him with all her seventeen-year-old heart. She’d never recovered.

  Eight years later, she’d finally let Blaine talk her into getting married. He’d been very kind to her and very patient, but she’d never fallen in love with him like she’d hoped she would. Then, a year later, Blaine had died of a brain tumor. One day he was healthy, and the next day he had intense headaches and was rushed into the emergency room and diagnosed. Three weeks later, he was gone. Tomorrow was the one-year anniversary of his death. He’d written a letter the day he was diagnosed with the brain tumor and asked her to read it at the cemetery on his one-year death day. It had been sitting on her dresser, taunting her, for a year. She was curious but a little leery of what it would say. Did he know she’d never loved him like she did Jag?

  Anguish and guilt rushed through her. She’d married Blaine knowing she still loved Jag. She’d wasted her life and her marriage, unable to get over the man standing next to her. Now he had the gall to show up after leaving her for almost ten years and want to talk? No way.

  “I’ve got nothing to say to you,” she muttered. “Go, go, go!” She raised her voice to yell at Nancy. “Great job!” she called as Nancy finished the sprint lap.

  “Well, I’ve got enough to say for the both of us.”

  She glanced up at him. It was a mistake. He was so stinking appealing. She wanted to either throw her arms around his neck and kiss him, or shove him into the pool.

  “I need your help.” His voice was urgent. “There’s this reporter that’s after me.”

  “The lady in the tight suit?” she asked, arching an eyebrow. So he’d only come after Faith for some help? That stung. Was that lady the kind of women he dated? “Enjoy it.” She forced a fake smile.

  “No. Honestly. There’s nothing enjoyable about this. I need to stay far away from her, and I need to look good for the media.” He lowered his voice and said, “So I lied and told her you and I were engaged.”

  “You what?” Faith yelped.

  The pool fell silent, except for the splashing of those swimming who didn’t hear their coach’s outburst.

  “Sorry,” Faith said somewhat calmly to her team. “Sorry. You’re all looking great. Keep … swimming.” She turned back to Jag. “Why would you say that?” she hissed through her teeth.

  He smiled easily. “Because I’ve always wished it was true.”

  “Excuse me?” Her heart was thumping out of control. Emotions warred within her: anger that he would dare say something like that, and an out-of-place desire since she also had always wished it could be true. She’d wanted him for so long, and now he had the guts to show up and try to use her to look good for the media. Before he had a chance to say more that would either anger her or make her want him, she shook her head. “No way. I’m not pretending to be engaged to you.”

  “Please, Faith. I need your help, and you owe me.”

  “I owe you?” Her voice was pitching up again. “How dare you?”

  He splayed his hands, looking for all the world as if she had misused him. “I’d think after breaking my heart ten years ago, you’d want to make it up to me.”

  “I broke your heart?” Each word was louder than the last. Faith couldn’t stop herself: she shoved him into the water.

  Jag yelped in surprise, flailing his arms and trying to grasp for something, but he only reached for air. He hit the water with a loud splash.

  The members of her team were either staring at her in shock, laughing, or talking rapidly to each other. Nobody was swimming. Jag surfaced, his expression vacillating between shock and amusement. He looked even more incredible with his dark hair dripping water into his face and his clothes now plastered to his muscular body.

  “Practice is over!” Faith yelled. “See you after the break.” She turned and speed-walked toward the entry. They had a two-week moratorium starting tomorrow. Maybe it would be long enough for the kids to forget how their coach was acting right now. She doubted it.

  “Faith!” Jag hollered.

  Faith ignored him and broke into a run, grabbing her purse and coat from the bench and ignoring all the chattering of her team behind her.

  She figured she’d made her point with Jag. No reason to stand around and discuss it further. She scrambled through the icy parking lot and into her car, s
tarted the engine, and peeled out of there. As she glanced at the rearview, she saw Jag sprinting out of the front doors. His clothes were dripping, and she could see he was yelling for her to stop. Faith laughed at the famous, ultra-handsome man standing there soaking wet. Her laughter faded quickly. Maybe she’d won this round, but Jag wasn’t one to quit easily. The only thing he’d ever quit was their relationship.

  Tears pricked at her eyelids. She brushed them angrily away and stepped on the gas. She was just upset because it was the anniversary of Blaine’s death tomorrow. Jag’s presence had nothing to do with it. The lies she told herself didn’t help at all. Jag was the most excitement she’d had since he’d left, and knowing he was only going to leave her again was far worse pain than losing her husband. That was a horrible thing to even think. She wished she could push it away, but truth wasn’t easily dismissed when you were lonely and hadn’t felt true love for almost a decade.

  Jag watched Faith’s crappy car speed away, screaming her name, but she didn’t stop. He wanted to run after her, but he’d already made enough of a spectacle of himself. He wrung water from the bottom of his shirt, pushed a hand through his wet hair, and then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. This phone was supposed to be waterproof. He hoped so.

  He stomped to his car, half ticked and half amused. She’d pushed him in the water, which he could laugh about, but how could she feel justified in acting all ticked that he’d said she hurt him? She’d about broken him in two with her rejection letter, asking him to not contact her again. He’d written her a dozen letters that were never answered. At seventeen he’d been prideful and hurt, and that pride had festered. He’d also been in a private school where they didn’t allow cell phones, so he hadn’t had much choice to go after her, but now he was a full-grown adult in charge of his own life, and he knew what he wanted—that beautiful lady who’d just shoved him in the pool and run away.