Soldier's Rescue by Betina Krahn

Author:Betina Krahn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2017-10-18T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

KATE LEFT WORK the next morning with a story about needing a dental cleaning and only being able to schedule on a Saturday. Jess scowled, clearly suspicious, but in the end agreed to see Kate’s last few patients to allow her to leave in time for the “appointment.”

She arrived at an athletic complex she had driven by a thousand times and found herself in a maze of fields, bleachers, and rows of folding chairs, coolers and strollers. It took a while to find where Ben was playing—it would have to be the field farthest from the parking lot.

Sarah Stanton spotted her as she arrived, waving and gesturing to an empty folding chair beside her. As Kate sat down, a cheer burst from the crowd and Sarah explained that Ben’s team had just scored. Moments later Nick was at her side, crouching on one knee as he watched the boys on the field and tutored Kate in all things soccer. When he slipped his hand over hers on the arm of the chair, she melted inside.

During halftime, as the boys were fed oranges and Gatorade, Nick introduced Kate to several other parents, who were surprised to learn she was one of the vets at the new Lakeview Animal Clinic. As they talked, she caught some of the moms eyeing Nick’s impressive physique and smiled. She thought he was pretty darned spectacular, too. But when Ben threw his arms around her, she hugged him back and didn’t bother to check the moms’ reactions. Nick’s broad smile at seeing it was all that mattered.

Ben’s happiness had evaporated by the time the game was over. They had lost by one goal. On the walk back to the SUV he kicked at gravel with his cleats and growled, “I stunk. I’m a crummy player. We all stunk—except Koshi.” Koshi was the kid who scored both of their goals. Nick grabbed Ben’s hand to slow him and talked in solemn tones about “playing classy.”

“Every player has good games and tough games—times that you play like a champ and times you stumble around on the field like a chump. That’s all part of learning and training your growing body. But the important thing is that you do your best. You play hard and then you learn to accept the outcome—win or lose—with good sportsmanship. That’s why you line up and shake hands at the end of the game...learning to be a good sport.”

It was a hard lesson for an eight-year-old to understand, and the loss seemed to matter more to Ben because Kate had been there to see it.

Knowing he was looking to her for a reaction, she nodded firmly to underscore Nick’s words about winning and losing. It sounded like well-worn “guy-speak” to her, but it was probably also a rite of passage for boys Ben’s age. Learning to take your lumps on a sports field taught self-control but just as importantly, it taught hope. There would be another try, a next game, a second chance.

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