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    The Final Slapshot
    The Final Slapshot
    The Final Slapshot
    Ebook97 pages1 hour

    The Final Slapshot

    By Jean C. Joachim

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    Harry "Deke" Edwards is a Hartford Husky defenseman known to be tricky, fast, and unbreakable. An amazing defensive lunge in a playoff game ends in a life-threatening injury. But Harry'd bounce back. He always did, didn't he?

    Kitty, his wife, runs a successful art gallery in Washington, D.C. Over the last three years, the couple agreed to live in different cities and be together whenever they can. Harry swears they make it work.

    Unwilling to face the truth about the damage he suffered, Harry hides his secret. Hoping for a Christmas miracle, but confronted with the inevitable, he makes a decision that breaks his heart. Is this the end of the road for him with the Huskies and Kitty, too?

    Previously published in the Hockey Holiday Anthology. 

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMoonlight Books
    Release dateDec 1, 2018
    ISBN9781732760356
    Author

    Jean C. Joachim

    ¬¬¬ Jean Joachim is a best-selling romance fiction author, with books hitting the Amazon Top 100 list since 2012. She writes mostly contemporary romance, which includes sports romance and romantic suspense. Dangerous Love Lost & Found, First Place winner in the 2015 Oklahoma Romance Writers of America, International Digital Award contest. The Renovated Heart won Best Novel of the Year from Love Romances Café. Lovers & Liars was a RomCon finalist in 2013. And The Marriage List tied for third place as Best Contemporary Romance from the Gulf Coast RWA. To Love or Not to Love tied for second place in the 2014 New England Chapter of Romance Writers of America Reader’s Choice contest. She was chosen Author of the Year in 2012 by the New York City chapter of RWA. Married and the mother of two sons, Jean lives in New York City. Early in the morning, you’ll find her at her computer, writing, with a cup of tea, her rescued pug, Homer, by her side and a secret stash of black licorice. Jean has 30+ books, novellas and short stories published. Find them here: http://www.jeanjoachimbooks.com. Sign up for her newsletter, on her website, and be eligible for her private paperback sales. here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jean-Joachim-Author/221092234568929?sk=app_100265896690345

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      Book preview

      The Final Slapshot - Jean C. Joachim

      Moonlight Books

      Dedication

      To hockey fans everywhere.

      Special Dedication

      To Trent McCleary, who inspired this story.

      Acknowledgment

      A huge thank you to V. L. Locey, who kept the hockey part of this story accurate. Thank you, also, to Jami Davenport, who invited me into the hockey holiday anthology, where this story was first published. Without her generous invitation, this novella would never have been written. Thank you to my editor, Sherri Good, and my proofreader, Renee Waring.

      ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.

      WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

      The Final Slapshot

      Copyright © 2018 Jean C. Joachim

      Edited by Sherri Good

      Proofread by Renee Waring

      ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

      PUBLISHER

      Moonlight Books

      Chapter One

      Harry Deke Edwards , defenseman for the Hartford Huskies pro hockey team, walked into Jasper’s Jewelry on Park Street.

      Can I help you, sir? the man behind the counter asked.

      Yeah. Diamonds. A bracelet?

      A tennis bracelet?

      Naw. Hockey. I play hockey.

      No, I meant the style of bracelet. May I show you?

      Sure, sure.

      Embarrassed and feeling like an idiot, Deke wandered around the store, peering into the cases. He spotted a pair of diamond earrings. He’d get both the bracelet and the earrings. Hell, it was Christmas, wasn’t it? Maybe their last one as husband and wife. A heaviness surrounded his heart.

      Here you go, sir, the clerk said.

      Deke held up the bracelet, fit it around his thick wrist. Of course, it was too small for him. It should fit his wife, Kitty, just right.

      I’ll take it. And those earrings over there, too.

      Yes, sir. The clerk bustled over to the case to extract the baubles. Shall I wrap them separately?

      Please.

      As a gift?

      Christmas gift.

      I’ll be right back.

      As he looked out the window, Deke shook his head. Was he nuts? Who buys expensive jewelry for his wife right before he meets with his lawyer to discuss divorce? The clerk returned and handed him the presents.

      With a tiny, elegant shopping bag in his massive paw, Deke headed for the parking lot. He maneuvered his car down the highway to Monroe. He pulled up in front of a two-story office building. The icy wind penetrated his thin jacket during the short walk from the car.

      Deke and Kitty had been living together only part-time for three years. She ran an art gallery in Washington, D.C. while he played for the Huskies in Connecticut. Was it fair to keep her tied to him when she had a life elsewhere? Inheriting the gallery from her aunt three years ago had been their undoing. She wanted to run it, and he wanted to play hockey. They agreed to live apart during the season. Off-season, he trotted down to D.C. to bunk in with her.

      He’d found it uncomfortable being Mr. Kitty to the folks in her circle. She was too good for him, and he’d always known it. Smart, and sophisticated, she understood all kinds of crap about art. He couldn’t distinguish between modern art and a finger painting. Kitty was sweet, hot, gorgeous—and she laughed at his dumb jokes. How could he not fall for her?

      By year two, they had patched together a disjointed schedule of meet-ups. Often, during the week, Kitty joined him in hotels on the road, especially when they were in towns close to D.C., like Baltimore and Philly. Their separation made times together intense and hot. Frequently, it was sack time first and catching up second.

      When he was in Hartford, the loneliness ate at him. Although they’d speak often, almost every night, he hated going to bed and waking up alone. Distance grew between them. Calling ceased to be regular. Some nights he’d fall asleep before touching base with her and regret it in the morning.

      Puck bunnies in faraway towns tempted him, but he resisted. Sex on the road would have been easy—just fuck and leave. He simply refused to jeopardize his eight-year marriage for a roll in the hay. Besides, no easy lay could compare with making love to Kitty.

      He opened the door of his lawyer’s office and sat down in the waiting area.

      Mr. Cohen will see you now, the receptionist said.

      Deke ambled into the tasteful, mahogany-paneled room. He occupied a chair opposite the mammoth wood desk. Herb Cohen talked on the phone. He swiveled to face Deke and gave him a smile. When he

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