Tending Tara (Alaska Blizzard #7) - Kat Mizera Page 0,24

prove himself to Coach Saunders, and even when Aaron came back, they could potentially share the starting position.

Aaron was so damn good, though. He was one of the elite goalies in the league, despite playing for a team like the Blizzard, who’d struggled since their inception. It would be a massive hill to climb if Donovan wanted to be Aaron’s equal, which was why he’d figured it was time to get traded instead. Not that he wasn’t good enough, but it took time to find yourself as a goalie, and most guys didn’t hit their stride until their late twenties. At twenty-seven, he was almost there, but he needed to play. If he was going to get to that next level, going from professional athlete to superstar athlete, he needed to be out on the ice more than just during practices.

He stripped down to his boxers, packed his things for morning, and then slid into bed. He was still tired, even after sleeping well last night. He didn’t mind travel, but he missed his bed. Hotel beds just weren’t the same. And he’d always hated sleeping alone.

Impulsively, he pulled out his phone and texted Tara.

DONOVAN: Hey.

TARA: Hi. Congratulations on another win. You looked great out there. I would never have known you were skinny dipping just forty-eight hours ago.

DONOVAN: You’re hilarious.

TARA: Sometimes.

DONOVAN: So how was your visit with the team? Did you meet the coach?

TARA: I did. Can I call you? It’s a lot to write.

DONOVAN: Sure.

Oh, yeah. Hearing her voice would be much better than texting.

11

“Hi.” He answered on the first ring, and Tara smiled to herself.

“Hi yourself.”

“Tell me everything,” he said.

“Well, I went up there around three o’clock and watched them practice. They’re really good, Donovan. It’s not a big school or a well-known team, but these women are strong, fast, and talented. They’re a bit rough around the edges and need discipline, but I saw so much potential on the ice, it was fantastic.”

“That’s awesome.”

“I spoke with Coach Azure when they were done. We went into his office and he admitted that it’s hard to find coaches because no one wants to work for what they can pay. Which is admittedly a very small amount, but as we got to talking, he also said that if I was interested in working in the English lab—which is specifically for those for whom English is a second language—he could potentially get me more money.”

“Holy shit, Tara, that’s perfect for you,” he said enthusiastically. “Are you pumped?”

“Absolutely. Even when I told him that I’d only coached one season, for a team of ten-year-olds, he said it didn’t matter—coaching was coaching. And growing up both playing the game and having a brother who’d gone pro, I probably had a much better handle on coaching than even some players. He seemed really excited to help me learn the formal ins and outs of being a coach.”

“So why aren’t you bouncing off the walls?”

“Because he would have hired me today if I had a visa or green card, but even if we get married as soon as you get back, it’s still going to take a while for the paperwork to go through so I can legally work.”

“Oh, shit, I forgot about that, but honestly, the visa stuff aside, this is great news. It sounds like the perfect job for you.”

“Yes. In fact, Coach Azure invited me to come watch practice again later this week and take some notes. He wants to talk again next week and see if there’s any word. He said there are no other applicants, so hopefully that won’t change until we figure out the visa situation.”

“That’s fantastic!”

“I don’t have the job yet, Donovan. Or the visa.”

“Well, we’re going to take care of that as soon as I get back, okay?”

“Donovan, I’ve been thinking…if we do this, we can’t tell anyone.” She kept her voice low.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, if we tell everyone we’re married, people are going to ask a lot of questions, expect parties and honeymoons and all kinds of stuff. Our families—oh my god, I’ve never met your parents and you’ve only met mine in passing. I think it will make everything crazy. Gage and Miikka will have to know, because they know what’s been going on, but no one else. I feel strongly about this.”

“Okay, but how are we going to explain living together? And you’ll have to move in, because immigration might show up. I don’t know for sure how it works, but