He was rough around the edges and a little crude, but he wasn’t rude. He was the kind of man who knew he was a man and made no apologies about it. If Elizabeth wasn’t stupidly hung up on Gavin, she could easily drool over Ty.
But despite appreciating his utter masculinity and fabulous good looks, the man didn’t hit her hot buttons in the least.
She intended for many women to fall madly in love with Ty. She just wasn’t going to be one of them.
“Elizabeth. So glad you called me today.”
She rose to great Clyde, who kissed her cheek and gave her a hug. At sixty-four, Clyde was robust and an avid golfer. She played a few rounds with him whenever the weather was good and she had a free day on her calendar.
“Hello, Clyde. Thank you for allowing us to join you in the box tonight. I know opening day brings a crowd.”
“Nonsense,” he said, his brown eyes bright with excitement. “Always room for you in here.”
Elizabeth introduced Ty to Clyde. Clyde beamed. “You’re the center for the Ice. I go to many of the games.”
“Thank you, Mr. Ross. It’s an honor to meet you. I attend as many of the Rivers games as I can. You have a great team.”
Ty was an awesome ass kisser. A point in his favor.
“I’ll make sure you have season tickets and good seats, then. Bring some friends with you and talk us up.”
“Yes, sir.”
Clyde and Ty struck up a conversation about their respective sports, which left Elizabeth free to visit with some of the other people in the box, including Clyde’s wife, Helen, who had showed up late with their daughter Aubry. Aubry was a cute, petite blonde with the brains to match her beauty. She was in med school at Washington University and didn’t often have time to pop in and see a game.
“How’s medical school?” Elizabeth asked.
Aubry rolled her eyes. “Torture. Pure hell. I love it.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Of course you do. You were born to be a doctor. It’ll all be worth it when it’s over.”
Aubry blew out a breath and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “At this point I don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel, but I know someday it’ll be over and I’ll be delivering babies.”
Elizabeth grinned. She’d always loved Aubry, could remember meeting her when she was in high school. It made her feel old, as if time had passed her by and maybe she’d missed out on marriage and having a family. Not that she’d ever wanted those things.
One couldn’t have everything, could they? Elizabeth had long ago decided that her career would be the number-one priority in her life and nothing else would get in the way. No man, no marriage, no children. Sacrifices would have to be made because she couldn’t have it all. No one could.
But lately . . .
Well, there was no point in thinking about that. She’d made her choices: she had a successful career, and she was happy.
Mostly.
She turned her attention to the game, to Gavin digging in at first base. He looked good. More than good, actually. Tanned and muscular, his fine ass stretched his uniform as he bent to scoop up a grounder and run to touch the base before the runner got there. He threw the ball, his muscled forearms glistening in the waning sunlight.
She inhaled, let out a small sigh and sat, enraptured, through the rest of the game. Since she’d gotten to know Shawnelle and Haley, she paid particular attention to Dedrick and Tommy. Dedrick played third base, and Tommy was a relief pitcher, right now set up to pitch in the middle innings if needed. He didn’t get to see a whole lot of action. But Haley had told them they were grooming Tommy to be a starter.
Gavin had gone one for four on the night, which wasn’t his best, but he did knock in a run. The nail-biter came in the ninth when the bases were loaded and Dedrick was up. The game was tied so if he didn’t bring a run in, they were going to extra innings.
Elizabeth leaned forward in her seat, her fingers clasped together as Dedrick stared down Milwaukee’s closer. Dedrick dug his toe into the dirt, leaned in, and swung. It skidded along the third-base line, and Elizabeth held her breath, certain it was going to slide outside the foul line.
It didn’t. It stayed fair, and the runners took off from first and second. She leaped from her chair and squealed with delight as Jose charged around third base toward home while the right fielder scrambled for the ball. As soon as Jose touched home plate, the game was over. They only needed that one run to win the game.
The stadium erupted into chaos. The Rivers had won.
“That was a great game,” Ty said, turning to her with a grin.
“It was, wasn’t it?”
“Thanks for bringing me. I’m new to the city and haven’t had much of a chance to get out to meet too many people. Since the move to the U.S. after the trade to the Ice, I’ve been busy finding a place to live and playing hockey. And then changing agents, of course. It’s nice to get out and do something for a change.”
“But you like the team change?”
“Of course. I was the one who wanted the change. Davis resisted.”
Elizabeth leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. “Why?”
Ty shrugged. “No clue. He just said I should stay with Toronto, that change was never good.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Your stats were abysmal in Toronto. Since the trade, you’ve been kicking ass on the ice. And with the Ice. Sometimes change is exactly what a player needs.”
“That’s what I thought, too. But hey, that’s why I’ve got you and not him. He and I never saw eye to eye on my career. You and me mesh.”
She grinned. “Yes, we do. And I’m glad you’re happy. Now you can relax, play excellent hockey, and enjoy life in Saint Louis. The guys on your team are great. You should get to know them.”
“I have. A few of us are making plans to go out this weekend.”
“Settle in and make this your home. From what I hear from the team owner, you’re going to be here awhile. He likes you and your style of play.”
“Hey, Ty, want a tour of our fine facility here?”
Ty perked up at Clyde’s suggestion. “Love one. Come on, Elizabeth.”
She shook her head, not wanting to go anywhere near the locker room. “I’ve seen the place, but you go ahead.”
“Come with us, Elizabeth. Afterward, you and Ty can come with Helen and Aubry and me. I’m buying dinner.”