nose. His hair was cut short like a gladiator ready to do battle. Assuming half the juicy details of the bad boy book were true, Luc Martineau had a woman stashed in each city the team visited. Jane was surprised he wasnât terminally exhausted.
Like all of the other players, this morning Luc looked more like a businessman or an investment banker than a hockey player. Earlier at the airport, Jane had been surprised to see the whole team show up in suits and ties as if they were on their way to the office.
Her view suddenly blocked, Jane glanced up into the battered face of enforcer Rob âthe Hammerâ Sutter. Bent over to accommodate the low ceiling, he appeared scarier than usual. She didnât have the faces of all the Chinooks memorized yet, but Rob was one of those guys who was easy to remember. He was six-foot-three, two hundred and fifty pounds of intimidating muscle. At the moment, he sported a fuzzy goatee on his chin and a brilliant shiner beneath one of his green eyes. Heâd taken off his suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and loosened his tie. His brown hair needed cutting and he had a piece of white tape across the bridge of his nose. He glanced at the briefcase on the seat next to her.
âDo you mind if I sit down for a few?â
Jane hated to admit it, but sheâd always been a bit unnerved by big guys. They took up so much space and made her feel small and a little vulnerable. âAhh, no.â She grabbed the leather handles and shoved the briefcase on the floor by her feet.
Rob crammed his big body in the seat next to her and pointed to the newspaper in her hands. âDid you read the article I wrote? Itâs on page six.â
âNot yet.â Feeling a bit boxed in, Jane thumbed to page six and looked at a game photo of Rob Sutter. He had some guy in a headlock and was punching his face.
âThatâs me feeding Rasmussen his lunch in his rookie season.â
She glanced sideways at Rob, taking in his black eye and broken nose. âWhy?â
âScored a hat trick.â
âIsnât that his job?â
âSure, but itâs my job to make things rough for him.â Rob shrugged. âMake him a little nervous when he sees me coming.â
Jane thought it prudent to keep her opinion of his job to herself. âWhat happened to your nose?â
âGot too close to a stick.â He pointed to the paper. âWhat do you think?â
She skimmed the article, which seemed to be well enough written.
âDo you think I hooked the reader in the first graph?â
âGraph?â
âThatâs journalist talk for paragraph.â
She knew what graph meant. ââI am more than a punching bag,â â she read out loud. âThat got my attention.â
Rob smiled, showing a row of beautiful white teeth. Jane wondered how many times theyâd been knocked out and replaced. âI had a lot of fun writing that,â he said. âWhen I retire, Iâm thinking maybe Iâll write articles full-time. Maybe you could give me some pointers.â
Getting a foot in the door was a lot easier said than done. Her own résumé was less than stellar, but she didnât want to rain on Robâs parade by telling him the truth. âIâll help you, if I can.â
âThanks.â He half rose and pulled a wallet from his back pocket. When he sat down again, he flipped it open and pulled out a photograph. âThis is Amelia,â he said as he handed her a picture of a baby girl resting on his chest.
âSheâs so tiny. How old is she?â
âOne month. Isnât she the prettiest thing youâve ever seen?â
Jane wasnât about to argue with the Hammer. âSheâs gorgeous.â
âAre we showing baby pictures again?â
Jane looked up and into a pair of brown eyes watching her over the seat in front of them. The man handed back a photo. âThatâs