by LuAnn McLane
“Will you stay if I get you another one of those?” He nodded his shaggy head at her snifter and looked at her in question. So he was talking to her!
Either the low lighting made her appear younger or Surfer Dude already had his beer goggles on. Or maybe he was a stripper hired by Aunt Myra to add to the birthday photo album? Dear God, Jessica hoped not. If so, she was going to need another snifter of Bourbon Barrel Ale and then some. “Sure,” she finally answered, and handed him her nearly empty glass. “It’s my party, so I have to stay.” She tapped her finger toward her chest so there would be no mistake that she was the over-the-hill birthday girl. If he wasn’t a stripper, she wanted him to know that she was the geezer that lordy, lordy, had just turned freaking forty. That should chase him away quicker than she bored Ty McKenna.
“Ahhh, you must be Jessica,” he said, and pointed to the table holding the huge cake that said her name in script. “Saw it when I came in, but I’m not above crashing a party.” He extended his hand. “I’m Logan Lannigan. I’m here to play with . . . the cougars.”
“Really? What position do you play?”
He leaned in close and said in her ear, “Any one you want. Because you are one sexy cougar.”
Jessica opened her mouth, but nothing came out. So he wasn’t a stripper—thank you, God—and he knew she was the birthday girl.
Well . . . should she be offended that he thought of her as a cougar, or flattered? Did he deserve a slap or a hug?
“Not that I would have ever guessed that you were anywhere close to forty,” he commented, as if reading her mind.
“Thank you.” Okay, Jessica decided, he deserves the hug. Could everyone read her doggone mind? Was she that transparent? But anyway, it was a good response, so he got instant brownie points for that. Still, she shouldn’t be flirting with someone as young as him. Should she?
God, no! Step away from the Bourbon Barrel Ale. . . .
She was about to send cutie-pie Logan on his way, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mr. Triple Threat watching with apparent interest. Hmm, no longer bored, she thought to herself, and tried to muster up a flirty smile. Surely she could pull off a smile, couldn’t she?
“Come on, Jessica,” Logan pleaded in her ear. “What do you say?”
Jessica was going to give his chest a shove, regardless of who was watching, when John Fogerty’s voice came over the speakers singing, “Put me in, Coach. I’m ready to play . . . today.”
“You ready to play, sweet, sexy cougar?”
Jessica laughed and suddenly felt carefree again. “Sure!” she answered, and let him lead her onto the dance floor. What could a little dancing hurt anyway?
Madison squealed with delight when Jessica wiggled her way onto the dance floor. Her daughter’s eyes widened when she saw Logan, Aunt Myra gave her a high five, and Olivia shook her head but laughed. Jessica blushed, but decided to just have some fun.
“This is Logan Lannigan. He plays with—I mean for the Cougars.” Dear God . . .
Logan gave her a wink but then nodded. “Pitcher,” he announced.
“Welcome to Cricket Creek,” they all shouted over the music, and then started singing along to the John Fogarty baseball classic. “Look at me! I can be . . . center field!”
A couple of other young guys whom Jessica didn’t recognize joined them, and she surmised they must also be potential players when they pointed at their chests while singing along. Jessica knew that this week was going to bring decisions for the final roster, and she would hate to be in their cleats. This league was meant to give them another shot, and if they didn’t make the team here, their futures in this profession would most likely come to an end. And so she put her arms around them and started singing along to the timeless song of the boys of summer.
When the song ended, Madison leaned over and said, “Mom, don’t go too far away. I have a really fun surprise for you.”
“I hope it’s a stripper!” Aunt Myra announced.
“Aunt Myra!” Jessica chided, but her aunt just shrugged.
“What? I want a stripper for my sixtieth birthday. Y’all can make a note of it.” She pointed at Logan. “And I want it to look like him.”
“Myra!” Olivia shook her head. “What would my father think?”
“Pfft. Your daddy already knows I’m plumb crazy,” she answered with a wave of her hand. “Part of my charm, don’t ya think?”
“I sure think so,” Logan chimed in, and got a nod from Aunt Myra.
“Well, now, aren’t you as cute as Christmas. I like you.”
Jessica rolled her eyes and turned to Madison. “So, just what is this surprise you’re talking about?”
“Duh. I’m not going to tell you. Just don’t venture too far away.”
“Am I going to like this surprise of yours?”
“I guarantee it.”
Jessica didn’t point out to Madison that her guarantees weren’t always money, but the light shining in her daughter’s eyes told Jessica that this was going to be something good. At least she hoped so.
“Can I refresh your drink?” Logan asked, and nodded toward the bar.
“No, thanks,” Jessica replied with a smile. “I’m going to go over to the buffet table. I need some food.” When she started to walk that way, she fully expected the young hottie to head on to younger pastures, but he fell in step beside her.
“Mind if I join you?”
She kind of did mind, but going to the buffet table required passing by Ty McKenna, and so she shook her head. “Of course not.” She went as far as to link her arm through his and then felt sort of silly, but the deed was done so she had to, as Madison would say, just roll with it.
While dipping a carrot stick in ranch dressing, she wondered what the big surprise was going to be and glanced in Madison’s direction. She was chatting on the phone, nodding and smiling, giving Jessica hope that something exciting was about to happen. She tried to sneak a peek at Ty, but as luck would have it, he looked in her direction at the same moment. He arched one eyebrow and gave her a smoldering look that made her heart pound, but Jessica lifted her chin a notch and then turned her attention back to Logan. Although she nodded and responded to the young ballplayer’s flirty questions, all she could think about was Ty McKenna seated behind her. She tried to keep her focus on Logan, but she kept wondering if Ty was still looking her way. And it took everything in her power not to turn around and find out.
4
Risky Business
“Ouch!” Ty grumbled when Noah kicked his shin beneath the table. “What the hell was that for?”
“You gonna let Logan Lannigan put the moves on Jessica? You know that boy is after one thing.” Noah took a long pull from his beer and thumped the bottle down onto the round table.
Ty shrugged. “Not my business.” He tilted his own beer up to his lips and took a casual, I-don’t-care swig, when in truth he was both pissed and worried, and then even more pissed that he was worried.
“Ty, Jessica is no match for his slick moves. And she’s been drinking. Something I know she doesn’t do much. You need to keep an eye on her, bro. Kick Lannigan’s hotshot ass, if need be. Well, at least pose that threat.”
Ty tilted his head to the side and was glad that Owen and Jason had gone over to get some cake. “Why, again, is this my problem?”
“It’s obvious that you’re into Jessica. Come on, you haven’t been able to take your eyes off her, so why are you sittin’ over here while she’s over there? What gives?”
“She pissed me off,” he admitted, even though hurt my feelings was probably closer to the truth. But he wanted to keep his man card intact.
“How? I know she puts on a tough-cookie act, but in reality Jessica is a sweetheart.”
“Except when it comes to me.” Ty stared at the label on his beer bottle and then leaned closer, so that no one but Noah could hear. “Noah, when I put it out there that I can’t get her out of my mind, she basically blew me off by responding
that I was a smooth operator. That she’s seen me in action.”
“Has she?”
“Well, yeah. Back in Chicago. So what? Those days are done. I know I had a big rep, but most of it was blown up and the rest of it wasn’t even true.” Ty inhaled a deep breath. “Look, I wanted to play baseball and not have any baggage ruin my career, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to screw over some trusting woman the way my jackass father did to my mom. I saw way too much of that crap. So I played around and never got serious. Nobody got hurt.” He shrugged and picked up his beer. “It was better that way. End of story.”
“I hear ya. I pretty much had the same reaction from Olivia. She thought I wasn’t anything more than beefcake and baseball.”
“So what did you do to convince her that you’re for real?”
“Starred in a play with her.” Noah grinned. “Built the stadium and saved the town she loves from going under.”
“Great.” Ty scrubbed a hand down his face. “Just what am I supposed to do?”
Noah lifted his shoulders. “You’re the manager. Bring some excitement to Cricket Creek by giving us a championship season. That will impress Jessica for sure.”
“No pressure there,” Ty answered with a long sigh. “You know this is all your damned fault. Bringing me here to this cute-ass little town. Being so gag-me happy with Olivia. I’m starting to want the very things I avoided all my life. Thanks, Noah. Thanks a whole hell of a lot.”
“You’re welcome,” Noah replied, but instead of grinning, he seemed serious. “Now go keep that young shit from pawing all over your girl.”
“She’s not my girl. It’s not my business,” Ty stated flatly, but his heart was thumping double time.
“Then change that fact and make it your business.”
When Ty looked over and saw Logan pop a strawberry into Jessica’s mouth, he muttered a low expletive.
“She’s no match for him,” Noah warned.
“Really?” Ty drained his beer. “She had no problem shutting my sorry ass down.”
“Ty, she didn’t shut you down. She stated a fact.”
“It wasn’t a fact. It was a perception.”
“Yeah, one that you admit you created. Can you blame her?”
Ty lifted one shoulder and then took a silent swallow of his beer. “Why the hell am I going after a woman who has made it clear that she wants no part of me?”
“For exactly that reason. Ty, you were used to women throwing themselves at you. It comes with being a celebrity. Jessica isn’t like that and you know it. She doesn’t have an agenda. Olivia was the same way, and it’s one of the reasons I love her so much. But you’re dead wrong about her not wanting any part of you.”
“You think so?” he asked, and then shook his head. “God, I sound like such a girl.”
“Then man up.” Noah leaned forward on his elbows and sighed.
Ty shook his head firmly. “I’m staying out of it.”
“Are you seriously going to let your pride get in the way of doing the right thing?” He angled his head toward the buffet table. “Look. He’s all over her.”
“She can take care of herself.”
“Ty, she’s out of her element.”
Ty reluctantly glanced in Jessica’s direction and then gritted his teeth when Lannigan suggestively slid his hand up Jessica’s arm. “You’re right. This is bullshit.”
“It’s about damned time,” Noah agreed with a firm nod.
“I hope I don’t regret this,” he muttered, but he scooted his chair back and made a beeline for the buffet before he knew exactly what he was going to do once he got there. A big dose of jealousy swirled around with his need to protect Jessica, and for the first time in a long while, Ty felt unsure of how to handle himself.
When Jessica looked up at him, he pretended to be interested in the food and reached for a plate. “Excuse me,” Ty said, making Lannigan have to step away from the table so that he could stand closer to Jessica. “I’d like to have some of the, uh, spinach dip.” Damn. He didn’t like spinach dip. . . .
“Sure, Mr. McKenna,” Lannigan said, making Ty feel like an old geezer. When a slow song came on, Lannigan turned to Jessica. “You wanna dance, birthday babe?”
The seductive Sinatra ballad had Ty gritting his teeth again. “Actually, Jessica, I need to talk to you.”
“May I ask about what?” Jessica looked at him with a slight frown.
Think fast. “Um, it’s a business situation.”
“Does it have to be now?” Her eyebrows shot up.
“It’s a pretty pressing matter. Lannigan, do you mind?” Ty asked, but gave him a level look that suggested he had better not mind.
“No, sure, Mr. McKenna,” Logan replied. But then he leaned in close to Jessica’s ear and continued loud enough for Ty to hear, “Save the next slow one for me. Okay, baby?”
“No problem,” Jessica replied, but her smile faded when she turned to Ty. “So what’s this urgent business matter you need to speak with me about?”
Ty cupped his hand over her elbow. “Let’s get some fresh air and I’ll explain.”
Jessica hesitated, but then nodded. “All right.”
“Thanks. I won’t keep you long.” Ty put his hand on the small of her back and led her outside to the patio overlooking a bend in the river visible through the budding trees. Pete had yet to set the tables up for his summer beer garden, so they were the only two out there. “Too cold?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she assured him, but then leaned her hip against the railing and looked at him expectantly. She appeared so lovely in the light of the moon that he wanted to gather her into his arms and kiss her. “So, what’s up?”
“I was rescuing you,” he said, deciding to go for the direct approach.
“Rescuing me?” She tilted her head, making her ponytail slip over her shoulder. Ty wanted to reach out and touch it. “From what?”
Although Ty got the distinct impression this wasn’t going to go well, he was invested and continued. “From Logan Lannigan.”
“So . . .” She raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips. Not a good sign. “You thought I needed to be rescued from Logan?”
“I thought you might have been tired of him pawing all over you. Come on, Jessica. He was after one thing and it wasn’t birthday cake.”
“Really?” She tilted her head farther. “And what might that be?”
“Every young dude’s dream. To score with a beautiful, mature woman.”
“Mature?” She drew out the word.
Oh, boy . . . “You know, that whole cougar thing.” His smile felt more like a wince. “Hey, I did say beautiful.”
“For a woman my age.”
“I didn’t say that.”
Jessica sucked in her bottom lip as if in thought, and Ty braced himself for the missile she was sure to fire. “So, it’s perfectly acceptable for you to have a sweet young thing on your arm, but the reverse isn’t okay for me?”
Oh, this was going to hell in a handbasket at warp speed. He was going to kick Noah’s ass all the way into next week for talking him into this big mess. “Look, I didn’t want him to take advantage of you.”
“I am forty years old. Mature. I am beyond being taken advantage of.”
Ty cleared his throat. “Granted, but it must be flattering and—” He stopped at her quick intake of breath.
“Flattering?” Her usual sultry tone became higher pitched. “You have a lot of nerve,” she ground out, and turned on her heel. But he stopped her with a gentle grip around her arm.
“Wait, you’re taking this all wrong. I was simply looking out for your best interest.”
“Really? You weren’t paying much attention to me until Logan showed up. I guess it’s all about the chase, huh? Once a player, always a player, and I’m the only game in this town.”
“Fine. Think whatever you want of me. I don’t care,” he lied. “But, Jessica, he’s doing his damnedest to try to get you into bed,
” he stated bluntly.
“So?” Jessica recklessly tossed back. “Again, what concern is that of yours?”
I care about you.
He wanted to say it, but he had spent so many years avoiding such sentiments that the words died on his lips. As his heart pounded and he felt both anger and confusion, it hit him that this damned drama was another reason he avoided relationships at all costs. “You’re right,” he said tightly. “It’s not my concern.”
“Exactly.” Her chin came up, but those amber eyes got to him. He felt unwanted emotion stab at his gut, and he longed to pull her into his arms and hold her tightly. “In fact, I owe him a dance.”
“Fine,” Ty responded curtly. He dropped his hand and stepped back, but when she turned to go once more, his heart overruled his brain and his arm shot out. He pulled her closer.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded hotly, but the slight quaver in her voice gave her away. He gazed at that perfect mouth that had been driving him crazy for weeks. She wore barely there nude gloss that made her lips appear moist and kissable.
“Do you have your phone on you?”
She swallowed and nodded.
“Give it to me.”
“Why?” After stepping back, she reached in her pocket and handed it to him. “Do you need to make a call?”
“No, I’m punching my number in for you,” he replied, and after doing so, he gave it back to her. “If Lannigan gets out of line, just give me a call and I’ll kick his ass.” He cupped her cheek in his hand. “Or anybody else’s, for that matter,” he added gruffly.
“It’s not your business or your concern. Remember?” There went her chin again, but her voice had turned soft, yielding.
“I’m making it my concern.” He rubbed the pad of his thumb over her full bottom lip. “Call me if you need me. Okay?” He wanted to kiss her so badly that he ached with need, but when she finally nodded, he dropped his hand.