Walking over to her, he plunked himself down on the floor, picked up a toy, and made a zooming sound with it.
Mesmerized by him, she temporarily stopped flailing and cooing. Then she gave him the biggest smile.
“That’s right,” he said in his newly acquired falsetto voice. “You like that, Maddy, don’t you?” He made more zooming sounds. This process repeated over and over until he saw her bearing down and her cheeks getting red.
Then he heard a toot, and Maddy smiled again.
Despite himself, he laughed. “Yeah, that’s a girl. I guess if you eat all that oatmeal, then you need to take care of some business.”
She pushed down again and smiled.
He suspected he would have a diaper to change soon.
Then the smell hit him.
“Ahh.” He stood and picked her up. “I guess we’ll change you and get you bathed for the day.”
After bathing and lotioning and diapering, he went to the room he was staying in, and he put her in the center of the bed. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was only five-thirty. “Dang, girl, is it nap time already, or what else can we do?”
Happily, she threw her arms down to her legs. “Gaa.”
“Right.” He pointed at her and thought about the heavy-duty three-wheeled stroller he’d seen in the laundry room folded up next to the broom. “I think it’s time for a run.”
15
It astonished him how much Maddy seemed to enjoy the stroller. He’d finally figured out how to work the maniacal clips and straps. He felt like she could survive any kind of off-roading in this get up. He jogged quickly down the Young driveway and hit the highway, staying to the side and watching for any possible cars.
It was quiet. Barely six, he figured. He really didn’t mind being up at this hour. In fact, he preferred sunrises. He’d always appreciated them on his runs in Dallas, and he preferred trails to treadmills. He liked to feel like he was ‘getting somewhere’ instead of watch meaningless shows like some of the other players liked to do in the weight room.
In Dallas, he liked hitting the streets around the stadium on his conditioning days. The trainers had wanted him to stay in the facility, but he hadn’t cared. He’d needed to run to get away from his lousy playing. He might have been off his game this past year, but he’d never been off his training.
Before he realized it, he’d come to a sign that read ‘Wolfe Creek,’ and immediately, he saw another sign that read ‘The Alaskan Inn.’ Pausing in front of the Inn for a second, he realized that this was where Roman and Katie had gotten married. The media had made a big deal about how this had been the place they had met and restored together. This was the place Roman’s uncle had left him. Truly, he and Katie had been a modern day love story—akin to Prince Wales and Diana. Sam snorted. He used to be bitter about it. Now it was just funny that he was actually here.
The place looked great. The trees that led to the semi-circle driveway were large and the sharp pine smell filled the air. The log cabin style inn looked cheery with its bright red door.
“Huh,” he mused and glanced into the stroller to make sure Maddy was doing okay.
She looked up at him and grinned. Her lips were folded around a plastic ring that was attached to the front part of the little section that had clipped in front of her.
“Is this your daddy’s house?”
“Gaa.” She grinned, baring the little front teeth that were poking through her gums.
Taking off into a sprint, Sam pushed the stroller ahead of him down Main Street. It was quiet; there was no one on the road. He flew past a cemetery then a row of houses. Finally, they got to some shops, and Henry’s Hardware was on his left next to a café called Leapin’ Lizard’s. Amused, he turned up the opposite side of the street toward a ski resort.
The previously level road turned into a steep climb up the hill, and he wished he had brought some type of electrolyte drink with him. Nevertheless, he kicked it up a notch, digging into the hill by lifting his knees and keeping his chest high, like he’d seen on those YouTube videos about hill running.
The thing he didn’t anticipate was the strain that having a stroller would add to the climb. He tried focusing on the scenery and not thinking about getting to the top of the mountain. Like most of the local ski resorts, Wolfe Creek had been commercialized. There was a large resort rental area, clothing shop, and eatery to his left. He was considering heading into the large parking lot to let himself recover for a second, but then he saw Tiffany’s truck.
16
She was parked by a crooked sign pointing the way to ‘The Wolfe’s Haven Diner.’
The diner was surrounded by trees with plenty of balcony seating. Sam noticed her walking up the steps. She was wearing a simple pink dress that ended right above her knees paired with socks and white tennis shoes. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a ponytail and she was carrying the same black purse from last night. Before he could yell out her name, she disappeared inside.
Almost without thinking he found his legs were moving up the rough path. It wasn’t paved like the rest of the fancy ski resort to the side. No, this road had gravel, and Sam guessed it would be awful in the winter. She definitely needed the four-wheel drive she drove.
Stopping at the bottom of the brown steps, he picked up Maddy’s stroller and sprang up the steps. The smell of coffee greeted him at the top, and he put the stroller down on the rickety wood. As he opened the door, it ‘dinged,’ announcing his arrival.
The first thing he noticed was a bunch of old fashioned posters on the walls. The greats including Elvis, Marilyn, and James kept watch over the patrons. He heard what sounded like Elvis coming from a jukebox in the corner.
“Can I help you?”
A tall, dark man with brown eyes and a warm smile stared at him from behind the old school diner breakfast bar.
“H-hi.” Sam pushed the stroller up to the breakfast bar, grateful that he’d grabbed his wallet on the way out. “I…” He broke off, scanning for Tiffany.
“Can I offer you some water?” The man turned, picked up a small glass, and filled it with ice and some tap water.
Sam caught his breath, realizing he was breathing hard. “ Thanks.” He chugged back the water.
The man smiled down at Maddy, his eyebrows rising. “Well hello, little Maddy.”
He put the glass on the counter with a loud clunk, and grabbed a package of saltine crackers for Maddy.
The man still didn’t look at him. He reached forward, lightly touching Maddy’s hair. “I heard that another football player had come to town.”
The man’s tone was neutral, like he was talking about the weather.
“Yep.” It shouldn’t surprise him that everybody knew Maddy and knew about him being here.
The man stepped back and scoffed. “You had come to apologize to the great Roman Young,” the man said the name in an annoyed tone.
Sam narrowed his eyes, not knowing where this conversation was going.
The man grinned. “What can I say, I was always team Dumont.” His lips widened into a grin. He stretched his hand out. “I’m Lou Revel. I own this place.”
Relaxing, Sam reached for his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Gesturing to the barstool, the man nodded. “I heard Josh is in the hospital. How is he?”
Small towns. Right. “Roman’s bringing him home this afternoon.”
The middle of Lou’s eyebrows creased. “I’m glad he’s okay.” An eyebrow went up. “Is Katie staying in Europe with Mrs. K?”
For some reason, Sam felt like this guy was a little too interested in Katie, but he shook it off. “Yep.”