Caught Looking
Page 28
Ryan’s hands were pointing toward home, punctuating whatever he was saying to the umpire. The ump crossed his arms over his wide chest as Carter said something else. Ryan pointed toward the dugout. Carter kicked the dirt with his shoe and looked like he might argue but then listened and stomped away. Ryan went back to yelling at the ump. Frankie’s heart was hammering even as she was smiling. She hadn’t expected so much intensity.
“Just hope we don’t see him get tossed,” Travis said.
“Who would toss Ryan?” Miles asked, making Frankie ruffle his hair. Ryan shook his head and walked away from the ump, who signaled for the game to carry on.
The crack of the bat pulled them in. The ball flew like it had wings and their necks craned to follow it.
“Moon shot,” Travis whispered under his breath, making Frankie smile.
“I’m hungry,” Miles said, fidgeting in her lap. She checked her watch. It was bottom of the third. They’d eaten right before the game when she’d picked up him and Travis.
“We’ll grab a hot dog but that’s it. Sue said she was making dinner for when you got home.”
Miles smiled at her. “Hot dog and a pop?”
Travis chuckled and Frankie grinned at him then said to Miles, “And a pop.”
The Wild Cats won by three and even after the crowd had cleared and Sue and Nelson had picked the boys up at the field, Frankie felt excitement coursing through her veins. The smell of popcorn and dust filled the air and contentment settled in Frankie’s chest. She sat on the bench, leaning back, soaking up more of the sun as it shifted in the sky. When she opened her eyes, she saw Ryan walking toward her. He looked tired, but his eyes were smiling.
“Hey there, Coach,” she said, sitting up and scooting to the end of the bench so she could greet him with a kiss. He took his cap off and hugged her to him before finding her mouth, kissing her slowly. He trailed his lips across her cheek and nipped at her earlobe.
“So? How do you like baseball?”
She ran her hands over his jersey and wrapped her arms around his neck. “It’s exciting. I like watching you,” she said. She felt his smile against her throat as he nuzzled there.
“Hmm. That works out well. I like watching you.”
She laughed and leaned back. “Did you ask Carter about being your best man?”
“On the way over, before the game,” he said. He took her arms from around his neck, ran his hands down to hers, and held her left hand up, kissing above the engagement ring he’d placed there. The sun glinted off of the diamond.
“Miles will be excited that all three of them are standing up for you,” she said, excited about the next steps they were taking. They’d be married at the end of the summer.
“He will. Carter says he gets to plan the bachelor party,” Ryan teased.
“Yeah right. I think it might be safer to let Miles plan it,” Frankie said.
He gripped her waist and boosted her off of the bleachers. They walked, hands swinging between them, the clouds drifting across the sky.
“All that matters is that you end up being my wife,” he said, looking down at their clasped hands. He spun her around so she was looking up at him once again.
“I love you, Frankie.”
“I love you back. Let’s go home and I’ll let you get to second base.”
He laughed, following after her. “Bet you I get a home run.”
“You might, Walker. You just might.”
Acknowledgments
Thank you, first to everyone at Penner who worked with me on this title. It’s a special one—the one that got me my agent. Thank you, Fran, for believing in this story and me. To Kevin Costner and Kelly Preston for starring in my favorite movie, For Love of the Game. I can’t play any sports, but there’s something about sport-related movies that inspires, builds us up, and makes us want to achieve more. So, thank you to Matt, for making me watch them . Thank you to my girls for giving me time to write and edit even though it tends to keep me pretty busy.
Thanks to Bob, my work bestie, for making me laugh and knowing a LOT about baseball. Enough that I didn’t even have to use Google. If this gets made into a movie, I’ll totally buy you a flat of beer. If not, my appreciation is your gift.
Thank you to my pre-readers, who see all of these words before they’re ready: Brenda, Tara, & Tiff. Thank you to Christy who helped me cut 25,000 words from this, then add them back in.
Thank you to my readers. I hope you enjoy this story and the characters in it. In the same way Frankie wanted to feel connected and the way she made the boys and Ryan feel like they had a place and a purpose, you guys make me feel like I belong in this bookish world. I’m so grateful for that.
About the Author
Jody Holford lives in British Columbia with her husband and two daughters. She’s a huge fan of Rainbow Rowell, Nora Roberts, Jill Shalvis, and Emily Giffen. She’s unintentionally funny and rarely on time for anything. She loves books, Converse shoes, and diet Pepsi, in no particular order. When she has to go out into the real world, she’s a teacher. She writes multiple genres but her favourite is romance because she’s a big fan of love and finding happily ever after. Probably because she’s lucky enough to have both.
Connect with Jody:
@1prncs
Authorjodyholford
jodyholford.weebly.com
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