Page 2 of The Hellion and the Captain
Emmaline turned from the group, found a football, and began dribbling it over the bumps and holes around the field that sat just outside of Harcourt Mill, owned by her best friend Lily’s father, who was the main sponsor of Manchester Central and sat on the club committee. If only he couldprovide her a recommendation – but if he knew who she truly was, it would end any hope she had of playing the game.
So far, she hadn’t told Lily what she was up to. How could she, when Lily’s husband was such an integral part of the team?
“Williams.”
Emmaline bent to pick up her skirts, only to remember that she wasn’t wearing a gown but a pair of her brother’s trousers, held together at the waist with a belt cinched very tightly.
“I can do better, Rhys, I promise,” she said, deepening her voice as much as she could without sounding like a puppeteer.
“You’re young,” he said gruffly, crossing those corded, muscled arms over his chest. His shirtsleeves were pushed back to his elbows, revealing two of the finest forearms she had ever had the pleasure of seeing. “You have work to do, but you have heart and skill, two things that can’t be taught.”
With that, he jogged off the field. Emmaline was so busy watching him, his trousers tight over his honed bottom, that she didn’t notice who else remained.
Colin. Bollocks.
“Emmett Williams, you say?” he said, taking off his cap and running his hands through his hair while Emmaline could only pull her cap down even lower over her eyes.
She nodded, not trusting her voice enough to speak.
“You look familiar,” Colin said, peering closer at her. “Do I know you from somewhere?”
“Doubt it. Not from around here,” Emmaline said in the voice she hoped was disguised well enough.
“Hmm,” Colin said, scratching his head. “Well, anyway, just wanted to tell you that Rhys can be gruff sometimes, but if he’s providing you feedback, it means he believes in you, and he doesn’t believe in just anyone. Don’t lose heart, and keep coming back, you hear me?”
Emmaline nodded before lifting a hand to wave goodbye and continuing past the bench, starting down the road to find a hack home. She wasn’t scared of Rhys Lockwood. He was gruff and surly, but she had met him a time or two as Emmaline, and he had some soft spots.
She’d be back all right.
No matter what she had to do to get there.
“Well, what do you think?” Rhys asked as he sat at a small corner table at The King’s Head. Most of the team had left, but he had asked Colin and Tommy to stay behind. Colin might be new to the team, but he was the top goal scorer, had sound judgment, and had never given Rhys any reason not to trust him.
“We’ll miss Joey. Feel bad for the chap,” Colin said as he sipped the ale before him. Rhys nodded, drinking from his own cup. He never had more than one. Needed to retain his rational thought. A man never knew what he was going to be confronted with.
“I couldn’t let him continue,” Rhys said with a sigh, drumming his fingers on the table. “He’d only hurt himself or someone else again. You could see he wasn’t attacking, that he was favoring his left side.”
“Of course he was,” Tommy said. “I couldn’t imagine coming back after the injury he took. Takes a lot of balls.”
“That you don’t have?” Colin said, raising a brow as Rhys just smirked. Colin and Tommy had grown up together and didn’t mind the odd ribbing. Rhys was slightly jealous of how well they knew one another, and could confide in each other — not that he’d ever let anyone know that.
“I not only have them – I have even better ones than most men could boast,” Tommy said, and Rhys could only roll hiseyes at that, even though he appreciated the humor Tommy brought to the club.
“It’s important we find the right fit,” Rhys said, bringing the discussion back to the moment. “This is our year. I can feel it.” He pounded his fist just once on the table to emphasize his statement.
“We were so close last year,” Colin sighed, looking off into the distance.
“We were. But it will make this year’s victory all the sweeter.”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself, aren’t you?” Tommy said. “I heard there will be over sixteen teams vying for the cup this year.”
“Your point?” Rhys said, raising a brow, and Tommy nodded quickly.
“Right, right. Doesn’t matter. We can beat them all.”
“There you go,” Colin said, giving him a slight punch in the shoulder.
“What do you make of Williams?” Rhys asked. Something about the man was off, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. It was obvious that he wasn’t conditioned, but there was more to it.
