Score on You by Harloe Rae

Ridge Carter’s hockey career might be over but his purpose and passion are reignited when Calliope Porter leaves her past behind to start fresh in Knox Creek…
This existence I’m surviving passes alongside the bars of an invisible cage.
Until one night when there’s a choice I can take.
I flee the oppressive barriers without a backward glance.
The adjustment is a steep incline.
Unknown obstacles lurk in every direction.
But those turns are part of my journey, which makes them treasures to cherish.

The most meaningful of them all is crossing paths with Ridge Carter.
The former hockey star is intimidating but irresistible.
He’s the opposite of the men I’ve been raised to fear.
Rather than restrain my newfound freedom, he shows me what it means to thrive.
That gives me the courage to wade deeper.

Ridge’s stony exterior rarely cracks, except for me.
He’s different when I’m nearby and I like that. A lot.
It has me seeking him out, but I never have to look far.
Maybe I should question his close proximity that has little to do with him living next door.
I choose to trust instead.
Ridge acts like I’m a bigger score than any goal he made on the ice.