Page 4 of From Ice to Home (The Heart of a Ranger #1)
“Um, Hannah?” she murmurs, her voice a mix of amusement and something else. “You’ll never guess who’s here.”
Before I can turn, a warm presence comes up behind me, close enough for me to sense a faint trace of cologne—clean and woodsy. A hand reaches over my shoulder, smoothly lifting the red cocktail away and setting down a glass of bubbly pink champagne in its place.
“I think this will suit you much better,” says a low voice. It sounds somewhat familiar, although I can’t be sure. What I do know is that each word is sending a thrill down my spine.
I spin around in my seat, heart pounding, and come face-to-face with a smile that’s changed only slightly since I last saw it.
The face looking down at me is both familiar and so different.
A trimmed dark beard now accentuates his strong jawline, adding a ruggedness to his chiseled features that catches the warm glow of the fireplace. He’s still as handsome as ever.
Perhaps even more so.
“Lucas…” I manage, my voice barely above a whisper.
Somehow he’s even taller, exuding confidence in his crisp dress shirt, rolled up over his forearms. The sparkle in his dark eyes are more prominent as he takes me in. His dark hair is tousled, the smile on his face dipped in mischief, making my heart race.
He seems to embody the boy I used to know, but now with an undeniable maturity that sets my pulse racing.
He pulls me up out of my seat before encircling me with his arms, holding me tight as he twirls me around. A laugh spills out before I can help it, breathless and unsteady.
“Hannah Sanders,” he says, his voice rough in my ear. “The girl who left me spinning.”
“Lucas Walker,” I say, trying to catch my breath. “What on earth are you doing here?”
My voice sounds too small, swallowed by his broad frame. The woodsy scent of him surrounds me, the mere presence of him overwhelming all of my senses.
“I could ask you the same thing,” he says, his dark gaze not leaving me for a second.
He’s just as tall as I remember, but his shoulders are broader, his chest harder—a solid reminder of all those hours on the ice.
“I’m here with the team. Coach thought we deserved a few days off before round three, and most of the guys voted for Vegas. We needed a break from the madness.”
“Escape the madness? In Vegas?” I ask, still not able to fully catch my breath at the sight of him. He’s always had the ability to knock me off my feet. Leaving him behind in Georgetown five years ago wasn’t an easy decision, but it was one I had to make. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Sure it does,” he says, leaning closer. The familiar scent of him hits me like a ton of bricks. “No one would ever think to look for the New York Rangers in Las Vegas during the playoffs.”
“That’s kind of perfect.” I take a step back, his proximity making it extremely hard to think straight. “So, I guess you have to get back, or—“
He steps away from me, giving me a second to catch my breath before I realize I failed to notice the two other guys that are with him.
“Or?” Lucas asks, and I can’t help but hear the hope in voice. “We could join you?”
He looks over my shoulder, his mouth settling into a victorious grin. “It looks like your friend is definitely not coming back over here, so you have the room.”
Following his gaze, I look over to where Mona is still flirting with the guy who bought her a drink. Her second glass is already ready and waiting as she ever so subtly touches his arm every chance she gets.
“I’d say that’s a very accurate observation.
” I sigh, turning away from him. He holds my chair out for me, before sitting down next to me.
I can’t believe that the guy I fell in love with in High School, the same guy who went off to play for the NHL, is sitting next to me.
We haven’t spoken since the day I told him we shouldn’t be together anymore, but I’d be lying if I said I never kept tabs on him.
Or at least as much as my heart allowed.
I don’t think I’ve ever watched one of his games all the way through. The emotions it stirred up were always too much to handle. On one hand I could watch him all day, seeing him in his element, living his dream on the ice. On the other hand, I couldn’t bear the thought of him moving on without me.
Somehow it feels like he left me behind, even though it was the other way around.
At least in theory.
“I’m Lucas,” he says, holding his hand out to Liz with that confident grin of his. “I guess Sanders here is still trying to find her bearings.”
“I’m so sorry—“ I start to apologize, my mind swirling at his use of my old nickname.
“It’s fine,” Liz cuts in, her smile widening as Lucas’s teammates pull up another chair and make themselves at home at our table. “Besides, right now I’m thanking Mona for not waiting two minutes longer before accepting that awful drink.”
I take a deep breath, trying to settle the giant butterflies that have taken flight inside my stomach.
“Thanks for the champagne, Luke.” I can’t believe he remembered that it’s the only thing I ever wanted to drink when we were younger.
“It’s a pleasure,” he says, his smile lighting up my insides in a way that’s almost unbearable. “Besides, didn’t you always say it’s not a celebration without bubbly?”
“I did say that.” I can’t bring myself to stop looking at him.
He’s so different and still he’s the boy I fell in love with in the tutor centre.
When he walked into my life that afternoon, I didn’t know he would bury himself so deeply in my very being that even now, after all these years, I won’t ever be able to get him out.
My gaze slips to his forearms, the light scars he has and the new tattoo on the inside of his arm. A cross with twisting vines around it, at the bottom there’s a verse: Proverbs 3:5
‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.’
His gaze follows mine. Reaching out, I trace his tattoo with my fingers.
My breath hitches, his skin warm and real beneath my touch, confirming that I’m not imagining any of this.
My heart races, reading the verse again and knowing that Lucas is still very much the boy I knew if he is still relying on God in all his ways.
“I’m sorry I never called.” It feels too small and too little considering everything. The way we left things…it wasn’t easy. But I knew it was the right thing at the time.
“It’s fine, Sanders.” His voice is calm, but his eyes hold something so much more, something I’m not sure I’m ready to face. “I’m glad I found you here.”
I draw back my hand, my breath catching as I try to steady myself. He smiles at me, and for a moment it feels like no time has passed at all.
“Me too, Luke. Me too.”