Page 21 of Ruff and Tumble

Something in Hailey’s chest lurched and clamped. Theywouldfind someone to love. She’d make sure of that.

“Send Mr. Bennett my thanks but also my regrets,” she said with genuine feeling. “I’m more than happy to accept his help with the Puppy Cup, but I have plans this weekend.”

Garrett’s brow went up, but his expression remained otherwise neutral. “Plans? During a Lumberjacks playoff game?”

The heat that had been starting to dissipate flushed up to her cheeks again. Clearly, Cole had prepped his teammate about her slight fixation. No one with an original Lumberjacks football on display would miss a game this close to the Kickoff Cup.

“It’s a party,” she lied, thinking fast. “A bunch of people are coming over to watch with me. I can’t just abandon them.”

“That would complicate things,” Garrett agreed. “Hang on.”

Hailey had no idea what she was supposed to hang on to, so she made a valiant attempt at holding on to her sanity. It was difficult when Garrett pulled out her office chair and seated himself in it as though that were an everyday occurrence.

“Mind if I use your phone?” he asked.

Hailey shook her head and watched as he picked up the receiver and punched a series of numbers. It was like flipping through the pages of a trashy magazine.They’re just like us!Making phone calls from stranger’s desks.They’re just like us!Swiveling around in circles because a bolt is loose.

“Hey, Cole. It’s me.”

“Wait… You’re callingCole?” Hailey dived for the phone, but there was a reason Garrett was one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the American Football Club. His reflexes were like lightning.

“Yeah, I’m here. Yeah, I found her.” Garrett ducked and weaved, making it impossible for Hailey to reach the button that would end the call. “But she doesn’t like me nearly as much as you said she would. She’s trying to wrestle the phone from my hands.”

Hailey bit back a moan. This was it. This was the end. She was going to go down as the only woman in the world to literally die of mortification.

“Well, obviously not. She barely comes up to my shoulders. I think I can handle her.” Before she could fully absorb this remark, Garrett held the phone out to her. “He wants to talk to you.”

“I can’t,” Hailey said.

“You’ll hurt his feelings.”

“He’ll get over it.”

Garrett paused and held the phone against his chest. Like Cole, he sported the same classic, dressed-down style that professional football players made look so easy, but Hailey noticed that his shirt wasn’tnearlyas tight as Cole’s. “You’d better talk to him and get it over with. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he can be a bit of a drama queen when he doesn’t get his way.”

Hailey pulled her lower lip between her teeth, something perilously like a giggle threatening to escape.

Seeing it, Garrett pushed harder. “You’d be doing me a real favor if you just played along. Please? Seattle is counting on you.”

With a shaking hand, Hailey accepted the phone. She was being manipulated, obviously, and by a pair of men who only had to smile and flex to have the world falling at their feet, but what else could she do?Think of the puppies.

She spoke without preamble. “I can’t believe you told Garrett what I said about him.”

“Hailey! What a delightful surprise.”

“You know what? Icanbelieve it.” A man who could fake that much excitement at the sound of her voice was obviously capable of anything. “What’s next? Is the mayor going to come pick me up for lunch? Are you buying the production office and taking over operations from here on out?”

“That’s not a bad idea, actually. Is it for sale?”

Aware that Garrett was watching her much more closely than she liked, Hailey turned her back to him and leaned against the desk. Not for the first time in her life, she wished she was better at hiding her emotions—not just because it was embarrassing for her every feeling to flit across her face, but because it rarely ended well for her. As a young kid living in group homes, her tendency to blush had been painfully and relentlessly used against her. Those who fared best in the system were the ones who learned to embrace stoicism early on, who didn’t cry every time someone hurt their feelings. They may have felt the same loneliness and despair that she had, but by God, nothing would have prevailed upon them to let it show.

Hailey had let it show. She’d shown it every moment of her life. And until the day she’d been placed with the man who would eventually become her father, she’d paid a heavy price for it.

“It wasn’t necessary to send reinforcements,” she said, determined to do this part right. “The Puppy Cup team is delighted to accept your offer of assistance.”

“TheentirePuppy Cup team?” Cole tsked. “It’s not polite to lie.”

She swallowed and forced herself to keep going. “And thank you for the invitation to your sister’s, but I already have plans to watch the game at my house. Send her my apologies.”