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What Daniel had wanted very much to do was decline the ride and find his way to the nearest rental agency for a modest sedan to drive to the meeting, as planned. But his mother’s voice in the back of his head reminding him to be gracious and respectful of the efforts of others had him climbing into the luxury leather backseat and taking the opportunity to study his new surroundings. It was no surprise that Houston was one of the largest cities in the country. The freeways were massive, intertwining, and crowded despite it not being anywhere near rush hour.
At the arena, a group of men waited for him. Lined up at the door like staff in a turn of the century British historical, this was the largest delegation he’d encountered so far. There was no doubt that Houston wanted the Comets, even if Daniel wasn’t convinced they belonged here. He braced himself for the onslaught of ideas, offers, and even pampering and enticements that would occur.
Immediately, he recognized the former governor standing front and center, and of course his son the senator was another recognizable face in the crowd. The rest of the group, he was able to put a few faces to the names, but most he wasn’t sure who they were until introductions were made and handshakes exchanged. Considering the number of Barons involved, he already had a better understanding of just how badly the former governor wanted this team for his state.
“Let’s give you a tour of the facility as it currently is. We’re open to making any changes you might suggest,” the Governor boomed as he clacked his cane along the cement floor, taking the lead during the tour.
The lights were already on when they entered. The arena was prepped with fresh ice, something that must have cost the city, or the Barons, a pretty penny considering they didn’t have a team to play on it. As always, the sight of a clean sheet of ice made him itch to put on a pair of skates, grab a sturdy stick, and have a little one on one with a hockey puck. Unfortunately, his sore knee reminded him that even if he could manage a few spins around the rink on ice, there would be no handling of a stick and no chasing pucks. His hockey days were well behind him. Some days that was harder to accept than others, but at least he was still involved with the game he loved, even if it was behind a desk and not holding a stick. Glancing around, most of the older business members of Houston, despite their smiling enthusiasm, didn’t look like they had a clue how to lace up. Though the way the senator stared off into the distance, he wondered if this was the Baron who loved the game enough to go to all this trouble, or if a different trouble was on his mind.
“How many seats?” Daniel knew the answer because that was his job, but he wanted to sus out what the Governor would say in his sales pitch.
“For ice hockey, the arena seats 17,000. We can convert the venue for concerts to fit 10,000, but that probably isn’t why you’re here.”
No, Daniel wasn’t interested in a Taylor Swift concert. To his surprise, the vibe of the place felt oddly right. He glanced at the now silent scoreboard. He could almost hear the screaming fans, the blow of the referee’s whistle, and the sound of racing players battling for control of the puck and slamming against the boards. Still, ice hockey was a cold-weather sport with cold weather fans who’d grown up playing on ponds and lakes all winter long. Houston had not seen ice cold weather in, well, ever.
“What is the venue used for currently?” Daniel eyed the empty seats.
“Since the Aeros left, mostly just concerts,” Senator Baron said.
“We do have a junior hockey league. It’s new, but there’s a large fan base of northern transplants who want their kids to learn the sport they love and will be ready to support the new team when they come,” Chase Baron said.
Daniel suppressed a smile that the younger Baron had said “when” not “if.”
Another gray haired gentleman whose name Daniel had already forgotten, a city councilmen if he remembered correctly, made a sweeping gesture across the stands. “Of course, the community’s tax dollars as well as private funding as laid out in our proposal are available immediately to use as you see fit.”
Governor Baron pointed past the ice. “You’ll want to see what we’ve done to the locker rooms. They were state of the art when the former hockey team played here, but we thought your team would appreciate some upgrades. Of course we are open to make any changes or additional improvements you think necessary to accommodate the players.”
The home team locker room sported everything necessary for a hockey team and then some.
“We have started interviewing yoga instructors and massage therapists. We’ll be ready to sign contracts with them as soon as you say the word.” Governor Baron smiled confidently.
They were doing a full-court press, or in this case, a full-rink press. He couldn’t help being amused. Having been to all but two of the other cities on his list before Houston, and even though they’d all done their utmost to put their best foot forward, the old saying was proving accurate—everythingisbigger in Texas. The committee seemed confident the decision would be made on the spot. It wouldn’t surprise him to find himself later in the day in a tasteful man cave somewhere filled with cigar smoke and drinking scotch with the committee expecting to seal the deal.
Clearly, they were committed to the Comets’ move and that was a check in the plus column for Houston. He liked everything he’d seen so far, but things weren’t as easy as these men were making it out to be. He’d been around the block enough times to know, nothing goes as smoothly as these people were making it out to be.
When the tour ended, Daniel shook hands again. The Governor put his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “Do you have any questions?”
“Not at the moment, but there’s still much to review.” For one thing, he needed to rent a car and check out the city for himself.
“Excellent. In the papers the committee sent you there is a tentative schedule for your stay. From here you’ve got some time to settle in at your hotel and then we will pick you up to escort you to Baron Cellars. We thought you might enjoy a personal tour and chance to sample the fine wines of Texas. You’ll find Houston has much to offer.”
Somehow, he hadn’t doubted that even if Houston didn’t have much of interest, the Governor would find something. He also wondered if wine was the opening act and scotch and cigars would come later? Of course, there was only one way to find out. Though a small part of him wished the Baron’s owned a brewery instead of a winery, he couldn’t help but be intrigued. Just how muchdidHouston have to offer?
Climbing ladders was probably Paige’s least favorite thing to do but she’d assigned everyone else other tasks. Of course the stupid bulb a good twelve feet high would pick this morning to burn out. She had enough on her plate getting ready for the upcoming wine competition, now she had to deal with a visiting hockey VIPandchanging this dumb light before the Governor and his entourage arrived. With only a few minutes before anyone would enter the tasting room, she quickly set up the A frame ladder and with a bulb in her hand climbed higher than she liked. If her brothers knew how much she disliked heights, they’d never let her hear the end of it. The adrenaline junky gene that even Siobhan seemed to have inherited, clearly skipped over her. Standing on a two foot step stool was the extent of her comfort zone.
Reaching the highest step, she actually said a short prayer. How her siblings bungee jumped, climbed mountains, drove at the near speed of light—and enjoyed it—she’d never understand. Stretching to unscrew the bulb, the squeak of the door hinge had her adding one more thing to her mental to-do list. Oil that hinge. The winery had to be perfect down to the very last hinge when the competition committee came by. The second thought to cross her mind had her eyes popping open wide and gripping the top shelf of the ladder. If the door was opening, and she was in front of the door…
Sure enough, the next sound to send shivers up her spine was the thud of the door against the ladder about two seconds before the aluminum structure wobbled beneath her feet, rattling her like a rag doll in the grips of an angry dog. “Oh, sh…” escaped her lips at the same time a decidedly male voice completed words that she hadn’t dared finish.
A strong, hot, and most definitely masculine hand landed splat against the small of her back. His other hand must have gripped the ladder as she couldn’t see any other reason the thing hadn’t tipped over, hurling her through the air.
“I’m sorry.” The deep timbre of the man’s voice did little to assuage the panic still coursing through her veins.
Blowing out a deep breath, she sucked in another slow one, forcing her heart to stop pounding like a woodpecker against a favorite tree. The ladder gave one last wiggle before settling sturdily in place again, giving her a moment to regroup, her heart still pounding like a bass drum in her chest.
She’d almost forgotten the strong hand and the male voice until he cleared his throat and slid his hand away from her back. Still breathing deeply, she looked down into eyes so blue they might have been carved from the sky. She blinked and the man smiled.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t see the ladder when I barged in here.” He took a slow step in retreat. “Are you okay?”
