Catching Heat

by Alison Packard

  J.T. had told her that he’d met Melissa and liked her immediately. So did Angie. Melissa exuded such warmth and friendliness it was hard to imagine anyone not liking her.

  “Now that the introductions are out of the way, I’ll leave you two to the class while I go inflict some torture on my brother.” He put his hand on Melissa’s shoulder. “Stop by my office before you leave so we can discuss our training schedule for this week.”

  “Will do.” Melissa’s gaze followed Jake as he headed back toward his office. “He’s a nice guy,” she commented and then looked back at Angie and sighed. “Why can’t all men be like him?”

  “Some are,” Angie said, and stepped aside as the double doors opened and several sweaty men and women left the aerobics room. “They look exhausted.”

  Melissa grinned. “That’ll be us in about an hour.” Her gaze lowered. “Jake said you’re pregnant, but you’re barely showing.”

  “It’s this T-shirt.” Angie tugged at the loose cotton shirt. “Trust me, I’m starting to show.”

  “Well, at least if someone congratulates you on the baby, you really are having one.” A wry grimace crossed Melissa’s lips. “A month ago someone came up to me in the grocery store and asked me when my baby was due. You should have seen her face when I told her I wasn’t pregnant. That’s when I realized it was time for me to get serious about losing weight.”

  “Then you’re in good hands with Jake. My husband…” Angie paused, taken aback to realize that this was first time she’d ever referred to J.T. as her husband aloud. “My husband says Jake is a great trainer.”

  “So far, I can attest to that. He’s tough and while he does push me to do more than I would do on my own, he knows that right now I have some limitations. But I already feel better than I did a few weeks ago, so I’m making progress.”

  Angie peered into the room as several members filed in and took their places on the hardwood floor. “I hope I don’t embarrass myself. The only exercise I’ve done in years is play softball. I may trip over my feet in there.”

  Melissa laughed and patted Angie’s back. “Then you’re in good company. I’m a total klutz. It’s all I can do to walk and chew gum at the same time. We’ll make a fine pair.”

  Angie smiled and followed Melissa into the room.

  Two hours later, Angie sat across from J.T. at a table at the gym’s juice bar. “How was your visit with Justin?” she asked and then took a sip of her strawberry smoothie. “Did you talk to him about Christmas?”

  “Yep. He’ll be spending it with the family.”

  “Sharon will be relieved.”

  J.T. nodded and picked up his protein drink. “What about your mother and sister? Do you think they’d like to join all of us for Christmas?”

  Angie bit her lower lip and shrugged. Her last conversation with her mother had been strained. She could only imagine her reaction when she found out that Angie planned to make a go of her marriage to J.T. “I’m not sure. I’ll call my mom and invite her.”

  As much as she missed her mom and sister, the thought of her mother mingling with the Sawyers filled her with trepidation. Her mother’s moods could be unpredictable, and if she decided to enlighten J.T.’s family about the marriage contract it could be disastrous.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Late Monday morning, J.T. watched as the ultrasound technician used something that looked like a paddle to smear light blue gel over Angie’s stomach. “You were right,” Angie said. “It’s cold.”

  Mia, the technician, chuckled. “The gel acts as a conductor for the sound waves. As I move the transducer over your stomach it’ll produce sounds into your uterus. The sound waves bounce off the bones and tissue returning back to the transducer to generate images of the baby.”

  “Will we be able to find out the sex?” J.T. asked.

  “That depends on the baby. If he or she isn’t shy and the legs are open we should be able to determine the sex today. Do you want to know or do you want to be surprised?”

  “We want to know.” Both he and Angie spoke at the same time.

  Mia pressed several buttons on the console in front of her. “Okay, let’s take a look.”

  J.T. stared at the monitor. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting but it wasn’t this. The black and white images were grainy but he could definitely make out the baby’s head, legs and arms. Emotion welled in his throat at the sight of the small life inside Angie’s stomach.

  “It looks like she’s sucking her thumb,” Angie exclaimed with undisguised awe.

  Mia moved the transducer a little lower on Angie’s abdomen. “I think we got lucky. The baby’s legs are open.” She pressed a button and froze the picture. “See those three lines?” She leaned forward and pointed to the screen. “It’s a girl.”

  “How can you tell?” J.T. squinted but he didn’t see the lines she was referring to.

  “If it was a boy we would see the penis. But clearly it’s the labia.”

  There was nothing clear about it, but J.T. wasn’t going to argue with her. After all, she was the professional.

  “Our hunch was right.” Angie looked from the monitor to him, her face glowing with happiness. “We’re having a girl.”

  To J.T.’s surprise, his eyes grew moist. A daughter. His daughter with Angie. Sliding forward on the chair next to the examination table, he reached for Angie’s hand and took a breath to collect himself. He hadn’t expected such an emotional reaction to seeing the baby. But now that he’d seen the image of his daughter it only reinforced his belief that marrying Angie and being a major part of the baby’s life had been the absolute right decision.

  “Does everything look normal?” Angie asked, turning her attention back to Mia.

  “So far, so good.” Mia concentrated on moving the transducer while pressing buttons on the keyboard. “I’ll be taking measurements and then we’ll be done. After that you’ll finish up with the doctor.”

  “Any chance we can get a shot of the ultrasound picture?” J.T. asked. “I’m sure my family will want to see it.”

  Angie’s smile faltered and J.T. could have kicked himself. Angie’s mother hadn’t shown much interest in her daughter or the baby since before the wedding. Apparently, she still hadn’t gotten over the fact that he was a ballplayer. He hoped she’d relent and join them for Christmas. All Mrs. DeMarco had to do was get to know him. Then she’d see that he was nothing at all like Angie’s father, and that her daughter would never suffer the same betrayal she had.

  All he needed was a chance.

  * * *

  The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee enveloped Angie as she preceded J.T. into his mother’s “little business venture” located in downtown Sacramento. Immediately Angie could see Sharon’s unique stamp on the place. While there wasn’t much square footage, the small dark wood tables placed along the brick wall gave the room a spacious and charming look. Each table was flanked with two black chairs, and a black chalkboard with a scalloped frame hung on the brick and listed the specialty coffees of the day. At the back of the store, a gleaming stainless steel counter held an espresso machine and a cash register, and next to the counter was a glass display case that contained what was left of the baked goods Angie had removed from the freezer and packed up this morning for Sharon to sell.

  “Welcome to River City Coffee,” Sharon said cheerily from behind the counter as they approached. Her hair was pulled back with a dark green headband and she had a green and white bib-apron tied around her neck and waist. “How did your appointment go?”

  “It went well.” Angie smiled. “I like my new doctor and from what she was saying, the Family Birth Center at Sutter Medical Center is excellent. They even have classes for new parents.”

  “And Angie wants us to sign up for all of them.” Amusement tinged J.T.’s voice.

  “I believe in being well prepared.” Angie gave him a sideways look. “I’m scared to death I’m going to do something wrong when the baby gets here.”

/>   “That’s common with all first-time moms.” Sharon waved to a customer leaving the store. “But you’ll be fine.”

  Despite Sharon’s confidence, Angie wasn’t so sure. She’d never even taken care of a pet and in five months she’d be caring for a baby who would depend on her for everything. Perhaps what she was feeling was normal for expectant mothers but that didn’t do much to lessen her fears.

  “Did you find out the sex of the baby?”

  “We were right, it’s a girl.” Angie couldn’t resist telling Sharon the exciting news.

  “A granddaughter.” Sharon put her hand to her heart and blinked back tears. “I was hoping your intuition was right. I’m finally going to have a little girl to spoil.”

  Sharon’s heartfelt response caused a lump to form in Angie’s throat. She’d give anything for her mother to have the same reaction.

  “Angie, thanks for jumping in. I don’t know what I’d have done if you hadn’t helped me out. Your berry muffins have been getting rave reviews.” Sharon picked up a pencil from the counter and tucked it behind her ear. “It’s just until I can find someone else.” A sly smile tilted her lips. “Unless you’d like to make it permanent?”

  “I told her she could make a fortune with those muffins.” J.T. slipped his arm around Angie’s shoulders, a casual yet intimate gesture that signaled the change in their relationship. “I could eat one of Angie’s muffins every day.”

  Angie refused to look at J.T. After that day in the kitchen she’d probably never think of muffins the same way again.

  “They are delicious,” Sharon said with a smile. “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?”

  “I’d love some herbal tea,” Angie replied.

  Sharon looked at J.T. with an indulgent gleam in her eyes. “And you. I suppose you want me to concoct one of those protein smoothies you like?”

  “You know me too well.”

  Sharon laughed. “I should by now. Go find a table.”

  After they’d taken the table closest to the window that looked out to the street, Angie peeled off her jacket and hung it over the back of her chair. Brushing back her hair, she rested her forearms on the table and noticed a woman at the table next to them blatantly staring at J.T. She was blonde, drop-dead gorgeous and dressed exactly like Angie used to dress when she was working—in a sophisticated yet feminine business suit that flattered her figure and showed off her long shapely legs.

  Compared to the stylish woman, Angie felt like a first-class frump. Most of her clothes had become so snug she’d resorted to a pair of black leggings and an oversized sweater to wear to her doctor appointment this morning.

  “We should stop by the Christmas tree lot on the way home and pick up a tree.” J.T. pulled the sunglasses from the top of his head, folded them and set them on the table.

  Angie smiled and forgot her clothing issues. “I haven’t had a tree since I lived with my mom and Livvie. My place was so small that I just put out a few decorations.”

  “And I’ve never bothered because I always go over to my parents’ house on Christmas.” He tugged at the zipper of his Hunter green fleece pullover and then slid a finger under the collar of the cream colored mock turtleneck he wore underneath. “We’ll have to buy ornaments and stuff like that, but since we have to pick out paint for the nursery we can get some at Home Depot.”

  “We’re not getting Christmas ornaments at Home Depot.” Angie shook her head. “You know I love that store, but for our first tree we need special ornaments.”

  “Ornaments are ornaments. And I thought you wanted to paint. Why go to two different stores?”

  “We have plenty of time to fix up the nursery. Christmas is in two and half weeks. The tree takes priority and we’re not getting just anything to hang on the branches.”

  “Whatever you say.” J.T.’s mouth curved in a lazy smile. “You know, something tells me I’m going to be saying that a lot.”

  “That’s right. Happy wife. Happy life.”

  “Did you just make that up?”

  “No. My grandmother said that was my grandfather’s favorite saying. I barely remember him so I can’t vouch for it, but Grandma Sophia was a force to be reckoned when she was angry. I have no doubt he kept her as happy as humanly possible.”

  “No worries then.” Angie’s pulse heightened as J.T.’s gaze darkened and held hers. “I can think of many ways to keep you happy.”

  * * *

  While Angie used the restroom, J.T. pulled his phone from the pocket of his pullover and swore as he read a text from Jake.

  Where R U? Training session this afternoon. Remember?

  “Shit,” he muttered and typed a quick response to his brother.

  “Excuse me?” J.T. looked up to find a stunning blonde gazing down at him. “You’re J.T. Sawyer.”

  “Since birth.” He grinned and shoved his phone into his pocket. It still amazed him when fans approached him. Some were respectful and others weren’t, but he’d learned early on that the best course of action was to always be polite. The one time he hadn’t—on a road trip last season—he’d been lucky that Kelly Maxwell had stepped in and saved his ass from possible criminal charges.

  “I’m sorry to bother you.” She put a hand to her chest. “My name is Leah Porter and I work for Sacramento Life. We’re an online magazine covering the arts, entertainment and sports. I’d love to interview you.”

  The gleam in her eyes was more hopeful than predatory. She appeared to be on the up and up, but still, he’d have to run the interview request through his agent, Nick Johnson, as well as Kelly, before agreeing to it.

  “Please consider it,” Leah said, with a hint of desperation as he remained silent. “I’ve been assigned to entertainment, but my goal is to cover sports full-time. Scoring an interview with you just might help my boss see that I’m more than just a celebrity reporter.”

  J.T. cocked his head. “Do we get many celebrities in Sacramento?”

  “Not many, but it doesn’t matter if they’re in town or not, our readers love celebrity gossip.” Leah wrinkled her nose. “Personally, I don’t give a rat’s ass about who’s wearing what but some people eat that up with a spoon.”

  Amused, J.T. couldn’t help but laugh. “Rat’s ass?”

  Leah’s fair skin colored becomingly. “Sorry. That slipped out.” She dug into the pocket of her suit jacket and pulled out a business card. “I don’t know if this makes a difference, but I promise to be fair and I’m willing to send you my questions before the interview. I don’t like blindsiding anyone.”

  J.T. took the card and without looking at it, shoved it into his pocket. “Let me talk to my agent and I’ll get back to you.” He saw the disappointment in her eyes and continued, “I’m not just saying that. I know what it’s like to want to move up in your chosen field. One way or another, I’ll let you know.”

  “I appreciate that,” Leah said, and then glanced at the counter. “By the way, if you like muffins, there’s a few left. I had one earlier and it was to die for.”

  “Thanks. I’ll be sure to try one.”

  J.T. couldn’t help but admire Leah as she left the cafe. He was married, not dead, and Leah Porter was an extremely attractive woman.

  “Take a picture it’ll last longer.” Angie’s voice dripped with sarcasm as she slid into her chair across from him. “Who was that?”

  “A reporter who wants to interview me.”

  Angie’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll bet she wants more than that.”

  “No. She just wanted an interview.”

  “I saw her staring at you when we first sat down.”

  “A lot of people stare at me. Especially people who follow baseball.”

  “Then why did she wait until I left the table to talk to you?”

  J.T. let loose a frustrated breath. “I have no idea. Maybe she didn’t want to interrupt our conversation.”

  “Or maybe she wanted to hit on you.”

  “She didn’t hit on me. She was
all business.”

  “For now.” Angie threw back her hair, then clasped her hands together on the table and stared at him, her eyes glacial.

  J.T. leaned forward and covered her hands with his. “I’m not like your father,” he said in a low voice. Angie’s eyes softened and welled with tears. “Baby, I’m not going to cheat on you.”

  “Did you see her? She’s freaking gorgeous.” She blinked as her chin trembled. “And I’m fat. I tried on three pairs of pants this morning and none of them fit. I had to wear stretch pants.”

  J.T. didn’t understand why stretch pants were such a bad thing, but in Angie’s mind they obviously were. “You’re not fat, you’re pregnant. There’s a difference.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Angie muttered. “You’re not the one getting stretch marks.”

  “You don’t have stretch marks,” J.T. assured her and just having been up close and personal with her body, he should know.

  “Not yet, but just wait. It’ll happen.”

  At a loss, J.T. went with the first thing that came into his head. “She said your muffins were to die for.”

  Angie’s eyes widened. “She did?”

  “Yes. That’s a direct quote.”

  “She eats muffins and still looks like a supermodel.” Angie sighed. “That is so not fair.”

  * * *

  Although the Christmas tree she and J.T. brought home was in the living room, the pungent aroma of pine had drifted into the kitchen. The fresh scent reminded her of Tahoe and its towering pine trees, snow-capped mountains and bluer-than-blue lake. Heaven on earth was an apt description, and now that it was no longer tainted by the memory of her father she wouldn’t mind spending a long weekend there with J.T. Maybe they could even stay in the honeymoon suite again and make good use of that romantic canopy bed.

  After the last utensil had been washed and dried, Angie dug her phone out of her purse and moved to the kitchen table and pressed the speed-dial button for her mother. The phone rang three times before she answered.

  “Hello, Angela.”