Unforgettable Heroes II Boxed Set

by Elizabeth Bevarly

  Bullshit.

  The door opened before Meg could dismiss her conscience’s call-out. An unsmiling Dr. Banks strode into the room.

  Meg did a double take. Until now, she’d never seen the doctor without a smile on his face. Even when he’d told her she had “options,” he’d done it with a half-smile.

  “Something’s wrong.”

  He rushed to reassure her. “Not necessarily. I do, however, want to do an ultrasound. It’s routine but necessary.”

  Meg remained uneasy. In her mind, an ultrasound was anything but routine. “When?”

  “Let’s get you back in here on Friday.” Dr. Banks squeezed her hand. “Meg, don’t worry. Everything’s fine. Right now, stress is more of a danger than anything else.”

  She nodded without really believing him and eased herself off the exam table. Her legs were wooden, but she managed to make it to the car before she flopped against the seat.

  She tried not to panic. Really she did. But she couldn’t help wondering what she’d done wrong. She exercised as much as she could, taking a walk most mornings before work; she ate a lot of fruits and veggies and avoided deli meats and soft cheeses. Hell, she’d even managed to give up her Frappuccino-a-day habit. It wasn’t easy, but she now drank mostly water, with the occasional iced tea, 7Up or decaf coffee thrown in for variety.

  What should she have done differently?

  Meg reached for her phone. Without thinking, she dialed Matt’s number. Even though she got his voicemail prompt, his voice soothed her. He was an anchor of wisdom in a sea of insanity.

  Of course she was making too much of things. The doctor said it was routine. She had to trust Dr. Banks, who’d been involved with hundreds—maybe even thousands—of pregnancies over the course of his career, knew far more than she did about what was normal and what wasn’t. Maybe he just wasn’t smiling because he was having a bad day.

  At the beep, she left word that she needed to talk to him. Then she pointed the Bug toward the office. She’d gotten halfway to work when he returned the call.

  “Meg, what’s up?”

  She took a few deep breaths. She didn’t want Matt to be as alarmed as she was, so she downplayed her fears. “The Pea and I are scheduled for an ultrasound Friday afternoon. We’d love for you to come.”

  “Ultrasound?” Her efforts had been futile, because his voice was full of concern. “Something wrong?”

  “The doctor says it’s routine at this stage of pregnancy, but I’d still like the company.”

  She held her breath while Matt considered the request. She guessed she couldn’t blame him if he said no. He was, after all, upset with her for some reason she still was unable to fathom.

  “Sure. I have the day free. The team’s at home Thursday, and we don’t leave for our next road trip ’til Saturday.”

  “The appointment’s at one-fifteen.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  ****

  Thwack! After the ball landed squarely in his mitt, Matt rose to toss it back to the pitcher. Before he could hunker back down in catching stance, the rookie, Jim, approached.

  “You’re out, Thatcher. Jerry wants to see you in the dugout.”

  Matt was annoyed. He didn’t want to be taken out of the game now, at the bottom of the eighth with the Condors up by just one run. The rookie wasn’t ready for that kind of pressure—he could still blow the game.

  As much as he didn’t want to go, there was something he wanted more: to avoid earning a reputation as a diva. A-Rod he wasn’t.

  He hid his scowl and clapped Jim on the shoulder. “Good luck, kid.”

  “Thanks.” The rookie grinned.

  Matt headed straight to where the Condors’ manager waited. Beside Jerry was a guy wearing a suit much too warm for a hot spring day in Phoenix.

  “Thatcher, this is Sam Stringfellow.”

  Recognizing the name as belonging to a scout for several major league clubs, Matt was so surprised he could barely choke out a greeting. “Hello, Mr. Stringfellow.”

  “Please, call me Sam.” He pumped Matt’s hand. “You’re very impressive out there.”

  “Thank you, Sam.” It felt surreal to be calling the well-known scout by his first name. Still, Matt had to believe it was a good sign.

  When Jerry started talking him up, he took that as another good sign. Sam must be interested in recruiting him. “Thatcher here is more than a great catcher, Sam. He has one of the best batting averages of any catcher in the minors.”

  Matt nodded, eager to promote himself to the scout who could change his life—and doubly glad his relationship with Meg hadn’t ruined his batting average. “It sure is. I work hard at it.”

  Sam’s gaze was direct. “Let me get straight to the point, Matt. I want you to think about playing for the Rockies.”

  This time, he didn’t bother to hide his surprise. Or delight. His grin reached all the way to the outfield as he pumped the scout’s hand. “I’d love to explore that possibility.”

  “Good.” Sam extracted his hand from his grip. “You’ll fly with me to Colorado tonight and you’ll hit the field for team practice in the morning. Then, after lunch with a few of your prospective teammates—if all goes well—we’ll meet with Rockies officials.”

  “Yes, sir!” Matt boogied out of the dugout. He barely noticed the “What the hell is going on?” look Dave gave him as he danced past his buddy’s spot on the bench.

  He raced down to the Condors’ still-empty locker room, changed into his street clothes and threw his gear into his bag. All his thoughts were centered on one thing: This was his big break. He had a chance to dazzle the Rockies and play in the majors.

  What a great opportunity. Long overdue, too. It was about time all his hard work paid off.

  The Rockies, for cryin’ out loud. He was finally getting his chance to be a major league ballplayer.

  ****

  Meg sat in Dr. Banks’ waiting room, tapping her fingers against the arm of the chair. It was twelve fifty-five and the receptionist was about to call her name. Where was Matt?

  “He probably got stuck in traffic.”

  After all, there was construction on I-17, so it was down to just one lane for about ten miles. She knew from experience it could be slow going.

  Still, if that were the case, he could have called. The cell reception was fine—another thing she knew from experience.

  She was still scowling, as much at herself for indulging in the dangerous habit of talking and driving as at Matt for not calling, when the door to the doctor’s inner sanctum swung open. “Meg, Dr. Banks is ready for you now.”

  She peeked out the door on her way past, hoping to see Matt’s SUV pulling into the parking lot. No such luck.

  Maybe he was still nursing his grudge. Nah. Surely he knew how much she needed him. She’d called him to ask for his company at the doctor’s office, after all. How much clearer could she be?

  She got on the scale and was pleased to have gained another two pounds. The perfect amount, the nurse told her. But her pleasure at the small victory suddenly gave way to panic. What if Matt was hurt? He could have gotten in an accident. He couldn’t very well call her if he was on the way to the hospital or something.

  The nurse wrapped her arm in a blood pressure cuff and squeezed. A small frown marred her face as she made a note on her chart.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Your BP’s a little high. One-forty over eighty-five.”

  Big surprise. No doubt imagining Matt lying dead in a ditch had something to do with that.

  The nurse patted her arm. “Don’t worry. Dr. Banks will be right in.”

  Why did everyone keep telling her not to worry? Didn’t they know saying “Don’t worry” made it impossible not to fret?

  For once, the nurse wasn’t fibbing about the doc’s imminent arrival. Dr. Banks rushed into the room not even two full minutes later. He stopped. His salt-and-pepper eyebrows drew together. “I thought we were having compan
y.”

  Meg felt her cheeks begin to heat up. She mumbled an excuse about something coming up.

  “That’s okay. You’ll have the pictures to share with him later.”

  If there is a later.

  Meg nodded. She hoped he wasn’t lying in a ditch somewhere. And if he wasn’t, he’d better have a darn good reason for flaking out on her.

  ****

  Matt sat at the lunch table surrounded by several guys who played for the Rockies, listening to them talk about some of their absent teammates. He tried to pay attention because it’d help him understand the team dynamic, something he’d need to know if these guys became his teammates. But without being familiar with the players, he found it tough to keep up.

  He gave up and glanced at his watch. Nearly two o’clock.

  Awareness niggled at the corner of his consciousness. It seemed like there was something he was supposed to be doing right about now. Just then, the shortstop mentioned his newborn daughter and Matt remembered Meg and the ultrasound.

  That was what he was supposed to be doing.

  “Crap.”

  When four pairs of eyes stared at him, Matt realized he’d spoken aloud. He stood. “Sorry. I just remembered something I was supposed to do this afternoon. I need to make a phone call.”

  The shortstop shrugged and the pitcher jerked his thumb toward a bank of windows overlooking the mountains. “The reception is best over there.”

  “Thanks.”

  So as not to appear too eager to leave his potential teammates, Matt ambled over to the indicated area and pulled out his cell phone. He was about to dial Meg’s number when he stopped. How in hell was he going to explain to Meg that he wasn’t even in the state?

  Sure, he’d told her he was going to be there. And any other time, he would have been. But even for the woman he loved, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity of a lifetime. She’d have to understand this trip could mean the difference between merely making a living and spending a few more years doing what he loved.

  He dialed. When Meg didn’t pick up on the second or third rings, he panicked. What could he say on her voicemail? He was trying to formulate a suitable message when he heard her voice.

  “Matt, are you okay?”

  Her concern gave him pause. He’d expected anger or tears, not anxiety. But she sounded as if she’d been worried about him. “Of course.”

  “Then why didn’t you make it to the doctor’s office?”

  Now she sounded cross. That was more like it. “I’m in Denver.”

  “Colorado?”

  “Yep.” He explained about the scout and the trip, about how this was his big chance. When he was done, the silence was deafening. “Meg? You still there?”

  “I’m here.”

  “Well, what are you thinking?”

  More silence from her end of the line. After what seemed like forever, she said, “Matt, I need to get going. Call me when you get back into town—if you get back into town.”

  With that, the phone went dead. He stared at the receiver in his hand, wondering what had just happened. Did Meg just say “if”? Did she think he was just going to stay in Colorado? Even if he got the job, he’d have to close up his place in Mesa.

  Matt was still staring at his now-dark phone, questions racing through his mind, when the pitcher strolled up to him.

  “You okay, kid?”

  Bemused by the anti-conversation he’d just had with Meg, Matt didn’t notice being called by the name he used when addressing Jim and Greg. “Fine.”

  The pitcher grinned. “You’re about to be better than fine. You’re in.”

  Matt managed not to scream and jump up and down like an excited kid—just barely. “I’m in?”

  “You wowed us. All that’s left now is to work out the signing details.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Since she’d taken the afternoon off for her doctor’s appointment, Meg stood at her kitchen counter whipping up a batch of scratch-made cupcakes. Stress baking at its finest, to be followed by a good, old-fashioned round of stress eating once the treats were cooled and frosted.

  Stephanie, who’d sneaked away from work early, sat at the table with a napkin tucked into her blouse. If Meg weren’t mistaken, her mouth was already starting to water.

  Steph would just have to wait, though. Before the cupcakes made it into the oven, she needed to vent about Matt’s desertion.

  “He missed the appointment because he was in Colorado, auditioning for the Rockies.” That wasn’t a good reason. It wasn’t even a lame reason. It was just an excuse to wriggle out of the responsibility she thought he’d so readily shouldered.

  Stephanie was less than sympathetic to her complaint. “I don’t think that’s what they call it, Meg.”

  She scowled, beating her cupcake batter with more force than necessary. “I don’t care what they call it. The point is he lied. He said he’d be there for me and then didn’t show up.”

  Steph stood and stilled Meg’s hand. A stern look quelled Meg’s protest. “You want to be able to eat these cupcakes, right?”

  Meg sighed. The cupcakes were the least of her concerns. “What I want is to be able to depend on the man in my life to do what he says he will.”

  Stephanie took her by both hands and led her away from the counter, to the table. “Have a seat.” When Meg sat, Stephanie fixed her with another unyielding look. “I’m the first to agree with you when men are behaving badly, Meg, but this isn’t one of those times. You need a reality check.”

  “The reality is Matt wasn’t there when he said he would be.”

  She shook her head. “Look at the bigger picture: He had a chance to make his dream of playing in the major league a reality. No sane man would turn down an opportunity like that to go to an appointment for a baby that’s not even his.”

  Meg stared at her friend, stunned. Greg must have gotten to her somehow. That was the only explanation for her taking Matt’s side. “When did you cross over to the Dark Side?”

  “There are no sides here, Meg.” Steph squeezed her hand. “You know I love you like a sister, but right now you’re acting too dumb to be any relation of mine. Think long and hard. You know Matt’s not the kind of guy who fails to follow through on his promises—not without good reason. I’d say a shot at playing with the Rockies is a damn good reason.”

  She couldn’t see it that way—not when Tim’s desertion kept playing on a loop in her head. Unreasonable as it might be, her brain had lumped Tim and Matt into one inconsiderate being: Flaky, unreliable and ready to run off after something that would always be out of reach. “When you chase a dream, you’re running away from the here and now.”

  Stephanie’s eyes narrowed; her reply was sharp. “Oh no you don’t, Meg. Don’t you dare confuse Matt, who has a legitimate chance to play in the majors, with your slimebag ex. Tim up and ran off to Vegas without any prospects. The Rockies came to Matt. Greg told me so. He called me while I was driving to your place. Matt’s big break is the talk of the Condors’ locker room. Everyone fully expects him to get an offer.”

  “So he moves to Colorado and the only time I ever see him again is on TV.” Meg sighed. “That’s just great.”

  Steph rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so determined to kill off your romance with Matt. You two belong together. You’re like peanut butter and bananas…peaches and cream…strawberries and shortcake…cherries and chocolate.”

  Meg made a face. “You know I hate chocolate-covered cherries.”

  “Just give him a chance to explain, Meg. After this long, you owe him that much.”

  Meg nodded, just to get Stephanie to shut up. She wasn’t in the mood to hear her friend extol Matt’s virtues when she couldn’t think of a single one.

  She had no intention of giving Matt anything. He blew his chance when he ran off to Colorado instead of keeping his promise. “I’ll be there,” he’d said. “I want to be there every step of the way.” And she’d believed him.

  �
�When are you going to learn?” she scolded herself.

  Even worse? Matt’s defection meant her father was right: She had no taste in men. Maybe it was time to join a convent.

  All week, she refused to answer the phone when Matt tried to call. She deleted his voicemails and text messages without listening to or reading them. He accused her of not knowing what she wanted? Well, she knew she never wanted to take a back seat to anyone else’s aspiration to go pro. Once was enough.

  Stephanie tried again to convince her to listen to Matt. Probably at Greg’s urging, Meg thought darkly. That man seemed to have way too much influence on her one-time bubbly, wild-child friend, who was now wearing longer skirts and lower-heeled shoes and spouting baseball analogies.

  “Ballplayers get three strikes before they’re out, Meg. You can’t count Matt out after just one.”

  Meg ticked his other offenses off on her fingers. “He’s too bossy and he told Tim about the baby. Running off to Colorado was number three.”

  Steph shook her head. “Those don’t count. You sometimes need to be bossed and you know Tim needed to be told.”

  Meg retreated to her bedroom. She and Stephanie were going to have to agree to disagree. She knew what she was doing by avoiding Matt’s calls. For sanity’s sake, she needed to make a clean break. No tears or apologies.

  The one thing she refused to give up, however, was Stan. It was next to impossible to find someone who could make her hair look good, and now that she had, she wasn’t going to let a breakup with his brother keep her away.

  Meg set up an appointment for Saturday, a day she knew the Condors were out of town so Matt couldn’t arrange an ambush. She’d checked the Rockies’ schedule too, just in case the locker room talk was true. They had a game in L.A. She also asked Stan to please not mention Matt’s name in her presence.

  When she wandered into Headliners, she was glad to see Stan alone. Good. She didn’t want to have to deal with the rush of another celebrity sighting on top of her own angst.

  Stan rushed up to her and gave her a hug. She let herself revel in its warmth, a warmth she’d been missing lately, and tried not to wish it was Matt and not his brother who had his arms around her.