Talk Hockey to Me (Bears Hockey #3) - Kelly Jamieson Page 0,9

nice.”

I gazed around. Snow drifted down from the pearly gray sky, piling onto black tree branches, sparkling beneath the streetlights. The world was hushed and white and twinkling…almost magical. And I wouldn’t have even noticed if he hadn’t stopped us.

I smiled at him. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah.”

We start walking again. “Thanks for inviting me,” I said, my hands in my jacket pockets. “That was just what I needed.”

“Things get pretty intense sometimes.”

“Yeah.” I cast him a sidelong look. “You never seem bothered by it. Or wait…maybe it’s more that you’re always intense.”

He grunted.

“You’re a really good hockey player,” I said. “You could play pro.” I slant him another look. “How come you’re not?”

“I didn’t enter the draft.”

“Um, yeah. Obviously. What about this year? There are scouts here all the time.”

“I’m not interested in playing pro hockey,” he muttered.

“Why not?”

He didn’t answer for a moment and I got the feeling I was being nosy. But I was so intensely curious about him. I had been since the day I first saw him. Then he says, “I can’t do it.”

This time I didn’t ask. I just waited.

“Did you hear about the Swift Current Warriors bush crash a couple of years ago?”

“Yes.” My mind worked, trying to connect dots. I knew Hunter was Canadian, from Calgary. Did he…?

“I was on that bus.”

I stopped walking and turned to stare at him.

“I played for the Warriors.”

“Oh my God.” I pressed my mittened hands over my mouth, my gaze fastened on his face. “Oh, Hunter.”

He closed his eyes and his mouth firmed into a grim line. “I walked away without a scratch. I have no idea how. But…it messed up my head.”

I nodded slowly, lowering my hands. My insides quivered. I could see how hard it was for him to tell me this. If he hadn’t had a lot of beer, he probably wouldn’t have. And I felt…honored…that he did so. “I can understand that.”

“Yeah?”

I blinked. “Yeah.” I waited for him to say more, if he wanted. I knew a lot of people were killed in that accident, and some seriously injured.

“I still don’t understand why nothing happened to me.” He inhaled a long breath through his nose. “I was supposed to enter the draft. Me and one of my best buddies were pegged to go first round. He did. But I just couldn’t do it.”

Pain shot through my heart. I was an athlete too. I knew what a big deal it was to be drafted into the NHL. I knew how guys prepared for years for that, especially guys who were being scouted and ranked and considered to be first round picks. For him to have missed out on that…I had no words. It was tragic. Heartbreaking.

He started walking again and I fell into step beside him, our arms brushing against each other. “After all the funerals, I took off and holed up in a cabin in Tofino. British Columbia,” he added. “I didn’t want to play hockey. I didn’t want to see people. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I was fucked up.”

I nodded.

“I stayed there for months. My parents were worried about me. Finally, they got me to start seeing a counselor.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

“I didn’t want to do it. But I also didn’t want to live the rest of my life like that. I spent nearly a year going for counseling, and then I decided I did want to play hockey again. Just not pro hockey. And I got in here at Bayard.”

My eyes stung and my chest ached. “Oh, Hunter.” I slid my hand into his gloved hand and squeezed.

“I can’t believe I’m telling you this.”

We were all alone on a quiet street, no traffic, snow falling silently around us.

I couldn’t believe it either. This private, reclusive guy was telling me about what happened to him. I hated that it happened to him, and I was touched that he told me this. “I’m glad you are. I…does anyone else know about this?”

“Nah. And don’t say anything. I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. Don’t you feel sorry for me.” His voice roughened.

“I…” I didn’t even know what to say. Of course I felt sorry for him. He went through an unspeakable tragedy. But I didn’t pity him.

“I don’t like talking about it. People don’t know what to say. It gets all weird and awkward.”

I didn’t want things to be weird and awkward between us. This made me see him in a different light. Thinking back to when I’d first met him