Page 4 of Rowdy Hearts

“I would appreciate that.” The woman’s voice held a hint of an accent I couldn’t place. “Here, I’ll take her.”

Leaning down, I intended to put the girl next to her mom on the bench, but thin little arms wound around my neck and clung.

I let out an amused huff as my arms tightened. “Guess I’ll just take her with me.”

“Rowdy, what the— Well, hell. What happened to you, honey?”

Bar owner Mitzi Naugle elbowed me out of the way so she could get to the woman in the booth. And since you didn’t getbetween Mitzi and, well, anything, I moved aside, realizing I’d been replaced by the person who would get shit done.

The blonde opened her mouth to speak, but a shiver wracked her body, and Mitzi switched into mother mode. She’d had a hell of a lot of practice at it, having birthed six of her own kids and mothered most of the town’s population of teenagers at one time or another.

“Rowdy, tell the girls to get blankets out of the back room. Then get the doc to come over here. Last I saw, he was striking out with Bets. Again. What’s your name, hon?”

I waited until I heard her answer.

“Tressy. Tressy Meyers. My daughter?—”

“Is perfectly safe with Rowdy. He’s just going to find the doctor to give you a look.” Mitzi threw a glance over her shoulder at me, and I got my ass in gear because Mitzi didn’t say things twice.

“Okay, pretty girl.” I smiled at the kid. “Let’s go find that doctor to take a look at you and your mom.”

“I’m not just pretty. I’m smart, too.”

The girl’s voice took me by surprise, and I looked to find her scowling up at me. I started to grin at that absolutely adorable face, surrounded by a mass of dark curls, then pulled it back when I realized she was deadly serious.

“I bet you are. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“I’m not supposed to tell strangers, and you’re a stranger.”

“Sounds fair. Hold that thought. Hey, Doc. I need you.”

I’d made my way to the team doctor, who was talking to a few members of the team. Four large men turned to face me, and the little girl huddled closer, turning her face into my chest.

“Dude, I didn’t know you had a kid.”

That was from the newest member of the Devils, rookie Reid Wellar, a nineteen-year-old from a farm in northern Ontario. He wasn’t the brightest bulb in the string, but the kid could skate. He’d had some trouble in the OHL, and his former coach hadthought he’d be a good fit for the Devils since no other professional team would touch him.

Of course, the Colonel had said yes.

“Dude. It’s not my kid.” I rolled my eyes at Dr. Nelson Morelli, who just sighed and shook his head. “Doc. We need you over here.”

Sonny Morelli knew in a glance he’d never seen the kid before. Our town was small enough that he was the only general practitioner in a fifty-mile radius. You had to know where you were going to get to St. David. Or you had to be really fucking lost.

I was guessing on the latter for the woman and kid.

When I nodded toward the door, Sonny tilted his head and looked over my shoulder, zeroing in on the woman in the booth. His eyes widened and, without another word, he walked away. Sonny was a man of few words at the best of times, which was fine because Iro had enough for both of them. Usually.

Good thing they were friends.

“Well, hello, sweetheart. What’s your name? Rowdy, where did you steal this child?”

With a sigh and gritted teeth, I turned to address my annoyingly perfect younger sister, Rain.

“He didn’t steal me,” the kid said, sounding offended. “My mom said I could go with him.”

Rain’s pretty face lit up with a smile. “Well, that’s good to know. You should always listen to your mom.”

“Says the woman who never listens to hers.”

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