Page 1 of Over the Moon (Rosewood River #3)

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. . .

Clark

It had been one week since we won the Stanley Cup, and my days had been filled with interviews, celebrations, and doctor appointments. More celebrations than anything else, and I’d consumed more champagne than any one human should. But there was a time and a place for everything.

Work hard. Play hard.

To say that I was happy to be back in Rosewood River was an understatement. I’d be able to train at home for the next few months while I recovered from my MCL injury and get myself in game shape before the new season.

Home had always grounded me. It was the place where I focused best.

Surrounded by family, running trails, and the river. Less distractions, good support, and I had a killer home gym that made it very convenient.

Bottom line, this is where I did my best training.

I made my way to the kitchen and finished putting away a few groceries that I’d brought back with me from the city.

I was still limping a little bit, though I tried hard to will it away.

And now that all the excitement of winning the cup was settling down, the reality was hitting me that this injury was real and wouldn’t be going away on its own.

I bent down and adjusted my knee brace, stretching my leg a bit from side to side.

The pain was definitely still there, and I grabbed an icepack and took a seat at the kitchen island, resting the ice on my knee as I propped my leg up.

I glanced down when my phone vibrated, and Ryan Weston’s name flashed across the screen.

He was my teammate and one of my best friends.

We just clicked from the first day we met at the start of last season.

He was more like a brother; we just got one another.

Weston played right wing, and I played center, so he and I liked to give one another shit about who could score more goals in a game.

We worked well together, and it showed when we were on the ice.

“What’s up, brother?” I said, reaching for my water bottle and taking a sip.

“Just seeing if you made it back home all right.”

“Yep. Got in a little while ago, just getting unpacked and settled,” I said, setting my water down on the island. “How are you feeling?”

He barked out a laugh. We’ve been going hard for the last few days as the Lions fans in San Francisco had come out to celebrate us and our win in full force. Last night, there was been a big celebration downtown, and we enjoyed every minute.

“I’ve been chugging water all day. No more booze for me. I start training next week. How’s the knee feeling?”

“It’ll be fine,” I said, blowing out a breath.

I was frustrated. I was coming off the best season of my life, playing for the team I’ve dreamed about playing for since I was a kid.

And now I was fucking injured, at a time when I needed to push even harder.

All eyes would be on me when the new season started.

Hockey was my priority, and everything I’ve ever wanted was right here in my grasp.

I just needed my knee to heal and then push harder than ever over the next few months.

“It’s not something I haven’t dealt with before. ”

“Yeah, you’ve got this, dude. No doubt about it. And Coach has a full-time physical therapist coming to work with you,” he said as he barked out a laugh. “And from what I just overheard, she’s not all that happy about it.”

Coach’s daughter, Eloise Gable, had just been hired by the Lions as our full-time physical therapist, and Coach wanted me to work with her to get my knee healthy before the season started again in a few months.

I groaned. “Well, she’s clearly not a fan of mine.

She’s snapped at me the two times I’ve actually spoken to her, and she glared at me last night when I poured that bottle of champagne over Coach Gable’s head, along with everyone else on the team, but she seems specifically annoyed with me. What did you hear?”

“I went over to the training center this morning because I left my gym bag there, and she came storming out of Coach’s office, then snapped something about seeing him in three months seeing as he banished her to Rosewood River.

” He howled in laughter. “I’m sorry to tell you, but I think we found the first woman who wants nothing to do with you, even if everyone else thinks you’re the NHL’s golden boy. ”

I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see me. “She’s acting like he sent her to the North fucking Pole. It’s Rosewood River. Everyone loves it here. It’s offensive that she’s that worked up about it, and I sure as shit didn’t request for her to come here.”

“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger.” He chuckled. “You know I love Rosewood River. But good luck winning Eloise Gable over. I think you’re already enemy number one.”

I ran a hand down my face. “You seem to be enjoying this.”

“Nah, you know I’ve got your back. I’m just not used to seeing a woman start out hating you like this. It might be kind of fun to watch.” The sound of him clapping his hands together loudly had me pulling the phone away from my ear. “You’ve got your work cut out for you, brother.”

“Listen, I’m just focused on getting this knee back on track and then pushing hard over the next three months.

We’re going to be on everyone’s radar this coming season.

Eloise Gable is the least of my worries.

I’m not going to let her annoyance about being here be a distraction.

I didn’t demand she come here; Coach did.

I’m happy to rehab my knee myself. I’ve done it before.

If she doesn’t want to be here, then so be it. I’m doing my thing.”

“Dude, this might be more challenging than you think. I know she’s Coach’s daughter, but damn, she’s smoking hot.” He whistled. “So good luck with all of that.”

“Please. I’m a professional athlete. I’ve handled worse. I’m not worried at all.”

“All right, brother. You do have a one-track mind when it comes to hockey. And keeping your distance from Coach’s daughter is probably not a bad idea,” he said, his voice laced with humor. “And don’t you have your big hometown Chadwick celebratory parade tomorrow?”

I chuckled, taking the icepack off my knee and making my way to the freezer before placing it inside the door. “Something like that. When you grow up in a small town, they celebrate everything.”

“We won the fucking Stanley Cup, dude!” he shouted. “You go own that shit tomorrow.”

“I plan on it,” I said. “And you’re giving me a hard time when you’ve got some big party planned for you back home this weekend, don’t you?”

“Yep. I’m leaving to head out in a little bit.” He lived two hours outside the city in Brenswick, California, a town that was twice the size of Rosewood River. “I’m fairly certain I’m the first professional athlete to ever come out of Brenswick. So winning the cup is a big deal back home.”

“As it should be.” I smiled, still reveling in the fact that we actually pulled it off. “All right, drive safe. Text me later. We can commiserate when we start training on Monday.”

“Count on it,” he said. “We fucking did it, Chadwick. Let’s enjoy this before we start the grind again.”

“Yeah, we did, buddy. And I say we do it again next season.”

He barked out a laugh. “Hell, yeah! Tell your fam I said hello, and we’ll talk soon.”

I told him to do the same before I ended the call.

A text came through as soon as I set my phone down on the counter.

Unknown Number

Hello, Clark. It’s Eloise Gable. I’ll be in Rosewood River Sunday evening, and we’ll start physical therapy and training on Monday. Just wanted to make sure you were aware of the situation.

Hey, Eloise. I heard you’re thrilled about relocating for the next few months.

I chuckled, knowing that was going to irritate her, and for whatever reason, I enjoyed it.

I updated her contact info as I waited for her to respond.

Eloise

I’m fine. It’s my job. So, we’re good to start working together Monday morning?

If you come early, you could attend the parade they're throwing for me downtown tomorrow. I’m sure you’d love that.

Reaching for my water bottle, I barked out a laugh because I knew that would be the last thing she’d want to do.

Eloise

Well, Clark, I just found out I’m relocating for three months, and as much as I’d love to see you dance around on a float once again… I’ll be packing for my move.

I detect sarcasm.

Eloise

Nope, but I would appreciate it if you’d be careful moving around on that leg. I’m coming to help you heal, and it would be easier if you would get on board with that.

It’s called taking a minute to celebrate the biggest win of our lives.

Eloise

Well, I’m taking three months to get you ready for the season.

This should be fun.

Eloise

It’s not about fun for me. This is my job. Text me the address to the gym, please.

I let out a breath before sending her my home address, unsure if she knew the gym we’d be training in was my own personal gym. But she’d figure that out quickly. She wasn’t happy about coming here, and honestly, I wasn’t thrilled about it either.

Hockey was my job, too. I took it very seriously. But we were allowed to celebrate for a few days before we got back to work.

The woman appeared to be very uptight and easily annoyed.

I saw the three little dots move across the screen before they disappeared.

She was done with the chitchat, and I wasn’t surprised.

The pounding on my front door had me moving off the bar stool and heading that way.

“Open up, dickhead!” a familiar voice shouted from the other side of the door.

I tugged open the door to find my oldest brother, Bridger, standing there.

“What are you doing here?” I asked. “I thought we were meeting up tomorrow.”

My entire family had been at every single playoff game, and it had been a battle, so there’d been seven games in total.

It meant a lot to me that they’d all been there.

Even my brother, Rafe, and his girlfriend, Lulu, who currently lived in Paris, had been there.

“I came to check on you,” he said, moving past me as he held up a large bag of food from the Honey Biscuit Café. The smell of tangy barbecue had my stomach rumbling.

“Damn. I guess I am hungry.”

“You look like shit. How’s the knee?” Bridger asked.

“Thanks,” I rolled my eyes at him as he pulled open the back door and set the food on the table there. “I haven’t slept much this past week. It’s been nonstop. Happy to be home.”

The sun was just starting to go down, and my yard sat right on the river. Water splashed against the rocks, and the smell of pine and lavender flooded my senses.

We dropped to sit at the big wooden table on my patio, and he handed me my food and utensils. “You’ve been going hard through the playoffs and then celebrating just as hard. I assumed you’d be hungry, and I was just picking up dinner there.”

“Thanks. This is great.”

He studied me before taking the lid off his plate. “You worried about the knee?”

Bridger was a complete hardass by nature, but the dude had a soft side for his family, even if he tried hard to hide it.

“No. I’ve dealt with this before. I’ve got a full-time physical therapist moving here for three months to help me rehab it back to health, all while getting in shape for the new season.

” I scrubbed a hand down my face, knowing this was going to be a lot of work.

I was up for it, but it wouldn’t be easy.

“Good. I’m glad they’re sending someone. And I’m glad you can do it from home.” He picked up a giant beef rib and took a bite.

“Yeah, me too. But from what I’ve heard, she isn’t happy about having to relocate here for the next few months.”

“Well, you scored the winning goal at the Stanley Cup, I’m guessing you can call in a few favors.”

It wasn’t like that, though. I wasn’t being an asshole about being here. I really was just a dude who liked being home.

“Nah, it’s not like that. There are fewer distractions here, and I can get myself in shape and do what I need to do. There are no photographers trying to catch you doing something wrong. Fewer bars. Fewer distractions,” I chuckled.

“I get that. So, you’ll do your thing; it’s what you do best.” He shrugged. “And I’m sure you’ll win your physical therapist over in no time.”

I barked out a laugh. “That might be tougher than winning the cup.”

He smirked. “You’re Clark fucking Chadwick. You’ve got this.”

I stretched my leg out on the bench seating and nodded.

I had my work cut out for me, and I doubted Eloise Gable was going to make it easy for me.

But he was right. I was up for the challenge.