Read Online Body Check by Deirdre Martin - Free Book Online Page A

guys about this!” He was halfway out the room to call his friends when he halted, rounding on Janna again. “Can I bring my skates? Can I skate on the same ice as them after they’re done?”
    â€œI’ll check with my boss,” she said carefully. “But I don’t think it will be a problem.”
    Whooping with delight, he tore out into the hallway and down the stairs. Alone now, Janna rose, turning back to the image of Ty above the bed. God, he was handsome, even with sweat dripping from his brow and his body bent forward in an attack position, ready to blast a puck down the ice. But so what? It wasn’t his looks she cared about right now. It was his heart. She hoped that beneath his surly exterior, he could find it within himself to be nice to a kid, even if that kid did happen to be her brother. Because if he wasn’t . . .
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    Doing PR had perks, and here was the proof: sitting rinkside, she was watching her baby brother watch the Blades practice. Wills’s eyes never left Ty; everything he did was pronounced the best, the greatest, the most amazing. That’s what you think, Janna thought, knowing she’d have to go into the locker room after practice and try, once again, to talk Captain Stubborn into putting in some face time for a good cause. But when Ty glided past them and flipped a puck over the Plexiglas to Wills, Janna’s stance softened ever so slightly. He might not want to deal with her, but he clearly cared about making a young fan happy. The least she could do was give him credit for that.
    Watching him, Janna tried to see Ty through the eyes of her brother, the fans, and his teammates. To her brother, he was a sports God whose courage and determination had helped him carve out a spot in athletic history. Fans loved him because he was larger than life, a legendary player and proven winner who had delivered the Stanley Cup to New York and seemed poised to do so again. His teammates loved him for the same reason and more: he was their leader, but he was also their friend, someone who genuinely cared about them individually. Lou had told her a story about a rookie who’d come to the Blades midseason and was being put up in a hotel. Gallagher invited the young player to stay with him instead, and even helped him find an apartment. Janna’s jaw had hit the floor when she heard that; she had a hard time reconciling the egotistical jock she’d been dealing with to this softie who supposedly had a heart. Who was this guy?
    Practice over, Wills began lacing up his skates, eager for the chance to tell his friends that the blades of his Bauers had actually touched the same ice as those of Ty Gallagher. Janna’s plan was to let him skate a few laps to get it out of his system, then bring him into the locker room with her and introduce him to the players. Usually, Gallagher was one of the first off the ice and into the shower. Today, however, he was the last, and was in fact skating at an easy pace toward Janna and Wills, prompting Wills’s eyes to nearly double in size and Janna’s gut to shrivel into a tight, defensive knot.
    â€œHi,” he said through the Plexiglas to Wills. “I’m Ty.”
    â€œI—” Wills halted, too dumbfounded to speak. He turned to his sister. Is this really happening? his gaze asked.
    â€œIt’s okay,” Janna cooed under her breath, gently redirecting his gaze back to Ty, who seemed unfazed by her brother’s sudden dumbness. If anything he looked vaguely sympathetic.
    â€œYou must be Janna’s brother,” Ty continued smoothly, his expression amiable as he took both of them in. “I can see a resemblance.”
    Wills just swallowed.
    â€œThis is Wills,” Janna said warmly, putting her arm around her brother and giving his shoulder a quick, reassuring squeeze. “He turned twelve yesterday.”
    â€œHappy Birthday,” said Ty.
    â€œThank you,”