“Duke,” Molly pleaded, “you don’t have to do this here. Not tonight.”
“What better place or time will we ever have? This is my sanctuary.” She looked out at the field once more until tears blurred her vision. “But you’re my soul.” She shuddered, then plowed forward. “This is where I learned to love, but you’re the true object of my adoration. This game taught me the meaning of sacrifice, perseverance, and faith, but you taught me how to live those virtues. You won me from game one. You taught me how lucky I was to be here. You showed me how to be the best, how to swing for the fences. You showed me how to keep my eye on the ball and how to work through a long season. And while it may have been too little and too late for us, you made me truly understand there’s no ‘I’ in ‘team.’ Baseball offered me those life lessons, but you, Molly, you made all the lessons worth learning.”
Around them, the crowds pushed past, the national anthem blared, the players ran onto the field, but for her there was only Molly. Taking her hand in both of hers, she had to shout to be heard: “Love is the heart of the game. It always has been, but my heart’s empty without you.”
“I don’t want you to choose between loving me and loving baseball. I should’ve never asked that of you.”
“Good, because I can’t. It’s all or nothing. The love is all wrapped up together. It’s what makes me who I am, and it’s what’s built my capacity to love you the way I do. I know I wasn’t the person you needed me to be before, but I can be if you’ll let me. I think I’ve proven I have the ability to love one thing with a whole heart, with a pure heart, through good times and bad, for my whole life, but I can’t do it without you anymore. Baseball built my heart, but I’m giving it to you.”
“Please stop,” Molly cried, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I can’t stand any more. You have to stop.”
The words knocked all the air out of Duke’s lungs. She’d failed again. She poured out the tiny pieces of her broken heart, tangled, jagged, and raw, only to have them rejected. Molly didn’t believe her, or didn’t believe in her. She didn’t want to hear any more. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring this all up again. I didn’t mean to bring up all the emotions and all the baseball talk. I just, I just—”
“You just can’t help it,” Molly said, her beautiful lips curling up at the corners. “You can’t help but talk about love in sports terms any more than I can help falling in love with a sportswriter.”
Duke nodded sadly. They were both victims of a cruel— “What?”
“I said, you can’t change how you love any more than I can change the fact that I’m in love with you, too.”
“But you said…you said to stop. You said you couldn’t stand any more.”
“I can’t.” Molly laughed. “You’re too eloquent for your own good. You could’ve said you loved me, and I would’ve told you I loved you, too, but no, you have to give a heart-melting oration on the grand nature of that love tied to America’s national pastime. It’s not that I don’t want to hear about your capacity for love and devotion, but I already knew those things.”
“You did?”
“Yes, and I’m sorry I didn’t realize them earlier. I should have, but you aren’t the only one to learn big lessons this season.”
“Really?”
“You got me back in the ballgame after years of losing more than I won. You eased me in one game at a time. You taught me the games aren’t played on paper, and I shouldn’t let my fear of striking out keep me from swinging. You helped me see a person can be so much better than their box score, and home runs can come when you least expect them.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “The only thing you couldn’t teach me was that there’s no crying in baseball.”
Duke rubbed away her own tears before reaching out to caress one away from Molly’s cheek. “That’s because it’s a stupid rule. Of course there’s crying in baseball, what else is worth—”
“No more speeches, sportswriter.” Molly hooked a finger through the belt loop of Duke’s jeans and tugged her close. “Kiss me.”
Their lips met in a rush of passion laced with sheer electricity, and the crowd went wild. Forty thousand people rose to their feet on a wave of exuberance as deafening cheers rocked Busch Stadium. Molly and Duke slowly stepped apart and turned toward the field in time to see Cayden Brooks cross home plate.
Molly wrapped one arm around Duke’s waist and gave her a little squeeze before shouting, “Now, that’s what I call a home run.”
She laughed and looked from Molly to the boys, who were watching them with wide, eager eyes so much like their mother’s. They walked over together and pulled the whole family into their embrace. Duke rested her chin on Joe’s head with one arm around Charlie and the other around Molly as she looked out across the familiar vista before her and saw her future once more.
Her understanding of baseball had grown, changed, and evolved over time, but some things remained constant. Like the child who’d first felt the magic of this sport so many years ago, this field, this team, this game had once again led her heart home.
About the Author
Rachel Spangler never set out to be an award-winning author. She was just so poor and easily bored during her college years that she had to come up with creative ways to entertain herself, and her first novel, Learning Curve, was born out of one such attempt. She was sincerely surprised when it was accepted for publication and even more shocked when it won the Golden Crown Literary Award for Debut Author. She also won a Goldie for her second novel, Trails Merge. Since writing is more fun than a real job, and so much cheaper than therapy, Rachel continued to type away, leading to the publication of The Long Way Home, LoveLife, Spanish Heart, Does She Love You?, and Timeless. She plans to continue writing as long as anyone anywhere will keep reading.
Rachel and her partner, Susan, are raising their young son in western New York, where during the winter they make the most of the lake-effect snow on local ski slopes. In the summer, they love to travel and watch their beloved St. Louis Cardinals. Regardless of the season, she always makes time for a good romance, whether she’s reading it, writing it, or living it.
For more information visit Rachel online at www.rachelspangler.com or on Facebook.
Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
Twice Lucky by Mardi Alexander. For firefighter Mackenzie James and Dr. Sarah Macarthur, there’s suddenly a whole lot more in life to understand, to consider, to risk…someone will need to fight for her life. (978-1-62639-325-7)
Shadow Hunt by L.L. Raand. With young to raise and her Pack under attack, Sylvan, Alpha of the wolf Weres, takes on her greatest challenge when she determines to uncover the faceless enemies known as the Shadow Lords. A Midnight Hunters novel. (978-1-62639-326-4)
Heart of the Game by Rachel Spangler. A baseball writer falls for a single mom, but can she ever love anything as much as she loves the game? (978-1-62639-327-1)
Getting Lost by Michelle Grubb. Twenty-eight days, thirteen European countries, a tour manager fighting attraction, and an accused murderer: Stella and Phoebe’s journey of a lifetime begins here. (978-1-62639-328-8)
Prayer of the Handmaiden by Merry Shannon. Celibate priestess Kadrian must defend the kingdom of Ithyria from a dangerous enemy and ultimately choose between her duty to the Goddess and the love of her childhood sweetheart, Erinda. (978-1-62639-329-5)
The Witch of Stalingrad by Justine Saracen. A Soviet “night witch” pilot and American journalist meet on the Eastern Front in WWII and struggle through carnage, conflicting politics, and the deadly Russian winter. (978-1-62639-330-1)
Night Mare by Franci McMahon. On an innocent horse-buying trip, Jane Scott uncovers a horrifying element of the horse show world, thrusting her into a whirlwind of poisoned money. (978-1-62639-333-2E).
Pedal to the Metal by Jesse J. Thoma. When unreformed thief Dubs Williams is released from prison to help Max Winters bust a car theft ring, Max learns that if you want to catch a thief, you have to get in
bed with one. (978-1-62639-239-7)
Dragon Horse War by D. Jackson Leigh. A priestess of peace and a fiery warrior must defeat a vicious uprising that entwines their destinies and ultimately their hearts. (978-1-62639-240-3)
For the Love of Cake by Erin Dutton. When everything is on the line and one taste can break a heart, will pastry chefs Maya and Shannon take a chance on reality? (978-1-62639-241-0)
Betting on Love by Alyssa Linn Palmer. A quiet country girl at heart and a live-life-to-the-fullest biker take a risk at offering each other their hearts. (978-1-62639-242-7)
The Deadening by Yvonne Heidt. The lines between good and evil, right and wrong, have always been blurry for Shade. When Raven’s actions force her to choose, which side will she come out on? (978-1-62639-243-4)
One Last Thing by Kim Baldwin & Xenia Alexiou. Blood is thicker than pride. The final book in the Elite Operative Series brings together foes, family, and friends to start a new order. (978-1-62639-230-4)
Songs Unfinished by Holly Stratimore. Two aspiring rock stars learn that falling in love while pursuing their dreams can be harmonious—if they can only keep their pasts from throwing them out of tune. (978-1-62639-231-1)
Beyond the Ridge by L.T. Marie. Will a contractor and a horse rancher overcome their family differences and find common ground to build a life together? (978-1-62639-232-8)
Swordfish by Andrea Bramhall. Four women battle the demons from their pasts. Will they learn to let go, or will happiness be forever beyond their grasp? (978-1-62639-233-5)
The Fiend Queen by Barbara Ann Wright. Princess Katya and her consort Starbride must turn evil against evil in order to banish Fiendish power from their kingdom, and only love will pull them back from the brink. (978-1-62639-234-2)
Up the Ante by PJ Trebelhorn. When Jordan Stryker and Ashley Noble meet again fifteen years after a short-lived affair, is either of them prepared to gamble on a chance at love? (978-1-62639-237-3)
Speakeasy by MJ Williamz. When mob leader Helen Byrne sets her sights on the girlfriend of Al Capone’s right-hand man, passion and tempers flare on the streets of Chicago. (978-1-62639-238-0)
Myth and Magic: Queer Fairy Tales, edited by Radclyffe and Stacia Seaman. Myth, magic, and monsters—the stuff of childhood dreams (or nightmares) and adult fantasies. (978-1-62639-225-0)
Venus in Love by Tina Michele. Morgan Blake can’t afford any distractions and Ainsley Dencourt can’t afford to lose control—but the beauty of life and art usually lies in the unpredictable strokes of the artist’s brush. (978-1-62639-220-5)
Rules of Revenge by AJ Quinn. When a lethal operative on a collision course with her past agrees to help a CIA analyst on a critical assignment, the encounter proves explosive in ways neither woman anticipated. (978-1-62639-221-2)
The Romance Vote by Ali Vali. Chili Alexander is a sought-after campaign consultant who isn’t prepared when her boss’s daughter, Samantha Pellegrin, comes to work at the firm and shakes up Chili’s life from the first day. (978-1-62639-222-9)
Advance by Gun Brooke. Admiral Dael Caydoc’s mission to find a new homeworld for the Oconodian people is hazardous, but working with the infuriating Commander Aniwyn “Spinner” Seclan endangers her heart and soul. (978-1-62639-224-3)
A Spark of Heavenly Fire by Kathleen Knowles. Kerry and Beth are building their life together, but unexpected circumstances could destroy their happiness. (978-1-62639-212-0)
UnCatholic Conduct by Stevie Mikayne. Jil Kidd goes undercover to investigate fraud at St. Marguerite’s Catholic School, but life gets complicated when her student is killed—and she begins to fall for her prime target. (978-1-62639-304-2)
Season’s Meetings by Amy Dunne. Catherine Birch reluctantly ventures on the festive road trip from hell with beautiful stranger Holly Daniels only to discover the road to true love has its own obstacles to maneuver. (978-1-62639-227-4)
Courtship by Carsen Taite. Love and Justice—a lethal mix or a perfect match? (978-1-62639-210-6)
Against Doctor’s Orders by Radclyffe. Corporate financier Presley Worth wants to shut down Argyle Community Hospital, but Dr. Harper Rivers will fight her every step of the way, if she can also fight their growing attraction. (978-1-62639-211-3)
Never Too Late by Julie Blair. When Dr. Jamie Hammond is forced to hire a new office manager, she’s shocked to come face-to-face with Carla Grant and memories from her past. (978-1-62639-213-7)
Widow by Martha Miller. Judge Bertha Brannon must solve the murder of her lover, a policewoman she thought she’d grow old with. As more bodies pile up, the murderer starts coming for her. (978-1-62639-214-4)
Twisted Echoes by Sheri Lewis Wohl. What’s a woman to do when she realizes the voices in her head are real? (978-1-62639-215-1)
Criminal Gold by Ann Aptaker. Through a dangerous night in New York in 1949, Cantor Gold, dapper dyke-about-town, smuggler of fine art, is forced by a crime lord to be his instrument of vengeance. (978-1-62639-216-8)
Heart of the Game Page 29