Dirty Proof (Novak Springs) Read online

  "Yes it does. Do you have the contract?”

  “Yes. Here it is.”

  Vitoria looked it over and made sure it all appeared to be in order. She didn’t go to law school to get taken in by a real estate lease. Everything looked good so she signed it and wrote a check out for the rental fee and deposit.

  “Do you have the keys or do I need to come back and pick them up?”

  “I can give them to you when we return to the office.”

  “Thank you.”

  They left the building and went back to the real estate office. Tori was relieved to have at least one thing settled. It would be a lot better once she knew where she was going to live. In the meantime she could just live out of a hotel room.

  Sensual Games 1

  Emmaline Novak took a deep breath and entered the kitchen of her family home. Her older brother, Dallas, and his wife, Ginnifer, were already seated at the table. Both had cups in their hands, but her sister-in-law was giving hers a dirty look. No doubt because it was decaffeinated, and she hadn’t acclimated to it well. Ginnifer loved her coffee, and having to downgrade it—her words—happened to be pure torture.

  Ginnifer took a sip of her coffee and grimaced. “Damn this stuff is awful.”

  Dallas patted her hands, cajoling. “I know, just think of how much healthier it is for the baby.”

  Ginnifer glared at him. If possible, she’d have shot ice out of her eyes and froze him in place, her stare was that glacial. “Don’t patronize me.”

  Emma muffled a chuckle with her hand. Ginnifer was pregnant with their first child. She was due in a little over a month. Emma couldn’t wait to meet her new niece or nephew.

  “Hello.” Emma strolled into the kitchen and grabbed a mug out of the cupboard. “How are you two doing this fine morning?” She lifted the coffee pot, filled her mug, and took a sip of the hot beverage.

  “The jury’s still out on whether it is indeed fine,” Ginnifer muttered. “You’re pretty chipper this morning.”

  Emma grinned. “And you’re still a grump, but I love you anyway.”

  Dallas studied her and tilted his head. “No, Gin’s right. You’re in a good mood. What happened?” He paused and held up his hands. “Not that it’s a bad thing, but generally you can match Gin for most irritated on a good day.”

  Emma bit her lip. This was the hard part. She needed to tell Dallas her plans changed—again. She graduated over a year ago with a degree to work as a sports physical therapist. It was her dream job. One she abandoned when Colt Lewis broke her heart. She’d been offered a job at the Seattle Seahawks before she graduated. Colt played on their team—a second-string quarterback. She couldn’t work with them knowing she’d have to see him every day she went into work. It would have killed her and broke what remained of her battered heart. So she’d come home and begged her brother to let her start the Cowgirl Yoga program. It had been so successful they’d sold out in their opening run, as well as their second season. But Emma’s heart just wasn’t in it. So she hoped she could talk Ginnifer into taking it over for the next year, and every year after that.

  “I have news,” she began, pausing to stare at both of them. “I found a job.”

  “A job? I thought Cowgirl Yoga was your job,” Dallas stated.

  “Well, yes, that’s something I want to talk to you about. It’s—well there’s no easy way to say this. I’m bored with it. It was never something I wanted to do fulltime.”

  “So what, you’re going to just abandon it now?”

  “No, well, I was hoping I could talk Ginnifer into taking it over.” She turned toward her sister-in-law. “The Cowgirl Yoga program only runs for six weeks a year. You work from home for the most part with your freelance writing. This past season you did almost as much as I did to keep it running.”

  “Yes, that’s true, but next year I’ll have the baby too.”

  “I can come back and help out. I just don’t want to be in charge.” Emma pleaded with her eyes, hoping Ginnifer could see how much she needed to escape. “I want to work in the field I trained for. I didn’t think I’d be able to, but when Henry Ellwood called begging me to reconsider working with them, I found I couldn’t refuse. Please say you’ll do it. I’d hate to see the Cowgirl Yoga program fall into oblivion.”

  Henry Ellwood was the head physician employed by the Seattle Seahawks. His expertise in sports medicine was part of the reason she chose to be a sports physical therapist. He’d been one of her instructors and guided her in her academic choices. She’d hating turning him down before. If not for him she’d never have known how much she loved working in physical therapy. At the time it seemed like a dream. One so perfect too—she’d work behind the scenes caring for the players, and Colt would be their new star player. It had all come crumbling down when her relationship fell apart.

  Ginnifer tapped the side of her cup and pursed her lips. It didn’t look good, but even if she said no, Emma wasn’t going to change her mind. She wanted to work as a physical therapist, and she wasn’t going to let go of it now that she had the opportunity again.

  Ginnifer got up and dumped the contents of her cup in the sink and set it on the counter. She turned to look at Emma again and sighed. “Fine, I’ll take it over.”

  Emma squealed and ran over to wrap her arms around her in a tight hug. “You won’t regret it. I promise. I’m very organized and if you have any questions about anything I will be here to answer them.” She took a step back and bit her lip. “Well as much as my new job will allow anyway.”

  “Yeah, about that,” Dallas interjected. “What exactly is this new job?”

  “I’m going to be the new fulltime physical therapist for the Seahawks.” Emma glanced down at her coffee mug and picked it up. She took a sip and waited for Dallas to blow up. She knew he’d have a few choice words about her decision to work for the same team her ex-boyfriend played for. Maybe she’d get lucky and they’d trade him. No—it would be stupid of them to do it. They were grooming him to take over when their current number one quarterback retired or was no longer able to play.

  She looked up and saw Dallas’s mouth hanging open in shock. He closed his mouth and opened it several times. His cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red, and he pursed his lips into a grim line. He got up and began to pace the kitchen. Ginnifer and Emma watched him, just waiting for him to get a hold of his emotions. Dallas tried his best to rein in his temper now that he had a family to consider.

  He stopped and held his finger up in the air. “Why would you do something so foolish as to take a job at the one place guaranteed to put you in direct contact with the man who broke your heart?”

  “Because Henry called and begged me to take the job.” Emma set her coffee down and crossed her arms across her chest. She stared Dallas in the eyes. “I know you are not aware of this, but he offered me the job before I graduated. I turned him down once because of Colt. I’m not going to do it again. This is what I want to do and I’m not going to let some man get in the way of me achieving my goals.”

  Dallas scrubbed his hands over his face, his anger deflated. “No, I didn’t know. You wouldn’t talk about what happened. How are we to know anything when you won’t tell us?”

  Her brother did have a point. She did close them out when she came home. It had hurt too much to talk about what happened. They didn’t know the full story, probably never would. Colt didn’t even know some of it. Yes, she’d been hurt, but it went deeper than that. She’d lost more than Colt when he cheated on her with Missy. She heard he wasn’t the father of Missy’s baby, but he’d still messed up by getting involved with her to begin with. If he’d been truer to their relationship, he’d never have been in a position to be the possible father of her daughter. Emma would never be able to forgive him for what he’d done to her and their future together. He’d trashed their relationship to party with his new teammates. Emma hoped it’d been worth it for him. She’d always feel the loss deep inside her soul.

  “I d
idn’t feel like talking about it. Don’t now either.” Emma sighed. “Just don’t argue, Dallas. This is what I want.”

  “Fine, I don’t have to be happy about it. When do you start working?”

  “That’s the thing. Henry wants me to come right away. I already started packing. I’m leaving today.”

  “What?” Ginnifer gasped. “Why so soon? Where are you going to stay?”

  “I talked to Tori before I came in here. She said I could stay in her guest bedroom until I found my own place.”

  Vitoria Miene was her other brother’s girlfriend. Wes stayed with her in Seattle more than he’d been at Novak Springs over the past several months. Emma kept waiting for them to announce they were getting married, but they seemed content with the way their relationship currently stood. It was good to see them both so happy when at one time they’d hated each other and argued all the time.

  “Tori knew about this before I did? Well looks like I’m going to have to talk with my best friend. She’s been holding out on me.”

  “Be nice, Ginny. Tori just found out an hour ago.”

  “Hmmph. Fine, I won’t yell at her—much.”

  Dallas shook his head and threw his hands up in the air. “I give up.”

  Emma walked over and hugged him. “Don’t give up. What would I do without you?”

  “Whatever the hell you want. Never stopped you before,” he grumbled. “Does Wes know about this job?”

  Emma stood and turned her back to Dallas. “No, not yet. When I talked to Tori, she said he’d left to come out here. He should be showing up in an hour or so.”

  Dallas laughed. “Good. I can’t wait to see how he reacts to your news. You think I reacted badly, Wes is going to go ballistic.”

  “I’m sure he will, but I’ll be gone before he arrives. I just need to pack my things in the car, and I’ll be heading to Seattle. Please tell him I’ll see him tonight at Tori’s condo.”

  Dallas ran his fingers through his chestnut hair, leaving the strands sticking out in a bunch of different directions. “Now you’re just being mean. Leaving me to tell Wes your dirty little secret. He’s going to be even more pissed you didn’t tell him yourself.”

  “Then don’t tell him. Let me tell him tonight. Just let him think I’m going to visit him and Tori in Seattle for a while. I don’t mind letting him know I took a job as a physical trainer.” Emma shrugged her shoulder. “I just don’t have time to wait for him and tell him sooner. I told Henry I’d be at his office early for our meeting. I have some contracts to sign and stuff.”

  “Call me when you get to Tori’s and are settled in.” Dallas frowned. “You know how I worry.”

  “As long as you realize I’m not actually arriving at Tori’s until later on this evening. I’m driving straight to the Seahawks offices to meet with Henry.”

  “Fine, call me when you get to the offices then.” Dallas paused. “And when you get to Tori’s later. I want to know how it all went and if you’re okay.”

  Emma smiled. “Did anyone ever tell you that you worry too much?”

  “No, but you give me good reason to.”

  “I know.” Emma pursed her lips into a pout. “But you love me anyway.”

  Dallas’ eyes softened as his lips tilted into a grin. “You’re an evil imp.”

  Ginnifer shook her head at both of them. “God help us if this baby is a girl. I’d hate to see Dallas with a daughter.”

  Emma laughed and walked over to the sink and set her cup next to Ginnifer’s. She needed to put her suitcases in the car and get on the road. “Don’t worry, Ginny. I’m sure you’ll be able to keep both of them in line.”

  “God, I hope so.”

  “Now you two behave. You’ll practically have the house to yourself now with Wes perpetually gone and me moving out. What will you two do with yourselves?”

  “Finally have peace and quiet.” Dallas grinned.

  “At least until we have the screams of an infant to deal with,” Ginnifer reminded him.

  “It’ll be fun.” He leaned down and kissed her lips.

  Ginnifer glared at him. “You have a strange definition of fun.”

  Emma laughed and shook her head. “I’ll leave you two to discuss that. I’m sure there are some things I just shouldn’t know.”

  Emma hugged them both and left the kitchen. It had gone better than she’d expected. Now she needed to start on the new path she set for herself. She frowned for a minute and remembered the bad part about her new path—Colt. No worries, she’d just deal with him when she had no choice. For now she’d just be happy to be back on track for her original goals.

  Sensual Games 2

  The office building was located in a prime neighborhood with every view of Seattle anyone would wish to see. The Space Needle could be seen in the distance along with the stadium the Seahawks played in. Emma entered the offices and walked up to the receptionist.

  “Hi, I’m Emma Novak. I have an appointment with Henry Ellwood.”

  The girl bobbed her head causing her bright blonde ponytail to swish across her shoulders. “Yes, he’s expecting you. If you go down the hall and make a left at the first junction, his office is the first one on the right-hand side.”

  “Thank you.” Emma nodded and strolled away.

  The hallway was decorated with past years’ teams dating back to 1976 when they joined the NFL as an expansion team. They had one of the current best records in the league, and Emma hoped to help them maintain it. The health of everyone on the team was key to helping them achieve their long-term goals. Emma stopped at the office of Dr. Henry Ellwood and knocked on the frame. The door was ajar, and she could hear voices inside.

  The door opened, and a man with sandy-brown hair and eyes that switched from olive-green to light brown stood there holding the side of the door. “Can I help you?”

  “Yes, I have an appointment with Dr. Ellwood.”

  “I’m assuming you mean my father.” He waved his hand, gesturing for her to enter. “Come in. He’s on the phone with someone. I’m Dr. Ian Ellwood.”

  Emma followed him inside the office. They stopped on the far left side, away from Dr. Ellwood so they wouldn’t disturb his phone conversation.

  Emma raised her eyebrows. “Really? Are you following in his footsteps?”

  “Not exactly. I’m going into cardiothoracic surgery. I’m about to start my residency at the University of Washington medical center.”

  “Wow a heart doctor. I’m impressed.” She winked at him. “How good are you at fixing broken hearts?”

  Emma couldn’t seem to stop herself from flirting with him. He was handsome, and she’d abstained from dating for over a year. It was time to let go of her heartbreak and give another guy a chance. Not all men were woven from the same cloth, so to speak. Just because one jerk cheated on her didn’t mean the next man would.

  “Oh, absolutely,” he drawled and patted his hand over his chest. “I’m one of the best around. I guarantee I can fix any broken heart you bring my way.”

  “In that case I might know someone in need of your particular brand of expertise.” Emma smiled up at him.

  “Excuse me, Dr. Ellwood—”

  Emma turned and saw Colt Lewis walk into the office. Damn him for interrupting. She watched him as she acted as nonchalant as possible. His long mahogany tresses were tied back, a few strands coming loose around his forehead—ice-blue eyes stared at her in shock as they scanned over her entire body. He wore some dark blue sweats riding low on his hips and a form fitting matching blue shirt, outlining every one of his muscles. Emma gulped back a lump forming in her throat. Why did he have to look so good? All she wanted to do was walk over to him and run her hands all over him, remind herself how good it could be to be held in his arms. No, she had to be strong. Colt Lewis was to be avoided, not lusted after.

  “Emma? What are you doing here?”

  “She’s the new head physical therapist. Get used to seeing her around here,” Henry Ellwood
interjected as he placed the phone down. “What can I do for you, Colt?”

  “Coach asked me to come and get you. It looks like Bryant might have overdone his workout and pulled a muscle.” Colt looked over at Emma. “Perhaps our new physical therapist can take a look.”

  “It wouldn’t hurt to have Emma take a look, but let me assess him first. Emma has some paperwork to fill out right now before she can officially start working with any of the players.” Henry turned to Emma and gestured to a manila folder. “Everything you need is in here. Read it over, fill in, and sign where necessary.” Turning to his son he said, “I’m going to go look at Bryant and see what’s going on. Can you keep Emma company? I want to talk to you before you leave. There’s something I need to go over with you.”

  Colt folded his arms over his chest and glared at Emma and Ian. What did he have to be irritated about? She could talk to anyone she wanted to. He lost the right to have a say over a year ago. Emma turned her back to him and walked over to the desk.

  “Are you coming, Colt?” Dr. Ellwood asked.

  “Yeah,” he said, anger evident in his voice. “I’m right behind you.”

  Emma sat in one of the plush chairs in front of Henry’s desk and opened the folder. She began to read over the paperwork. Everything was standard, so she began to fill out the forms and signed her name where needed. She left the contract for last so she could give it a full read through before signing it.

  “So, you’re going to work with a bunch of men who decided never to grow up?”

  Emma laughed. “That’s one way of looking at it. I enjoy working in physical therapy. Your father offered me the job and I found I couldn’t refuse a second time.”

  “Second time? Wow, now it’s my turn to be impressed.”

  “How so?”