Baseball and Other Lessons (Devil's Ranch Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

millimeters from her ear, and said, “Those three jersey chasers are about four feet away from us. I have no desire to cause a scene, and frankly I’m too tired and my head hurts too much to deal with them right now.”
    “Fine,” she grumbled as she walked out with him. She led him to a blue Ford Edge—not the kind of car he’d pictured a single woman in her early thirties driving—the lights flashing as she pressed a button on the key fob in her hand.
    They climbed in, and Matt looked back to the entrance of the bar. He breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn’t followed him.
    Jenn started the small SUV before asking, “Do you know if Owen drove himself, or if he needs a DD?”
    “I’m pretty sure he drove himself—he got here after Chase and I did—and he’s only had a couple of beers so he should be fine.”
    Jenn nodded and backed out of the parking space. “So you don’t want to go back to Chase’s just yet. You’re sure as hell not going back to my place. And I don’t think we can spend more than ten minutes alone in this car without me wanting to kill you. So what did you have in mind?”
    He bit back the response that came to mind first—she would probably kick him out if he didn’t—and said instead, “How about Whataburger? I could go for some taquitos right about now.”
    #
    Without a word, she turned on to Veteran’s Boulevard and headed the few short blocks to Whataburger. Silence stretched between them, taut and awkward. Usually, she had no shortage of words and things to say.
    So sue her, she liked to talk.
    For whatever reason, though, words were totally failing her right now.
    Out of the corner of her eye she could see Matt, the glow of passing streetlights accenting his high cheekbones, full lips and the nose that was slightly crooked after having been broken in junior high. His hazel eyes that were usually so full of mischief were currently guarded.
    She kind of hated that she’d put that look in them.
    Mentally, Jenn shook herself.
    This was Matt. Notorious woman-chaser, confirmed bachelor and experienced one-night-stander. What did she care if he was suddenly putting his guard up and acting like someone with, oh, a conscience?
    With a sigh, she turned into the Whataburger parking lot.
    “Well that was a heavy sigh. I take it you don’t like taquitos?”
    Jenn snorted as she put the car into PARK. “I love taquitos. I was just thinking, that’s all.”
    They got out of the car and Jenn slammed her door closed before taking off for the entrance. When she realized Matt wasn’t behind her, she turned around and asked, “What, Matt? Did you suddenly change your mind and decide you didn’t want the thing not minutes before you thought you had to have?”
    For a brief second, his face clouded with an emotion she was quite frankly scared to analyze.
    Hey, at least she was willing to admit it to herself.
    And then the emotion was gone, replaced with the same determined expression he usually reserved for the mound.
    “Jenn—“
    She held up a hand. “Stop, Matt. Before you say something we’re both going to regret. I’ve already said more than I should have. So just drop it, okay?”
    He looked like he wanted to argue, so she turned around and resumed walking. She heard his heavy sigh behind her—could almost feel it, even though they were at least fifteen feet away from each other—and then his heavy footsteps, along with grumbling that sounded a lot like, “Baseball isn’t the only cruel mistress.”
    She yanked open the door. Asshole .
    #
    Matt watched Jenn from across the table as they waited on their order. She was sipping her Diet Coke and looking out the window with a bored expression on her face. Her bouncing knee was the only thing that really tipped him off that she wasn’t as unaffected as she was pretending to be.
    That, and he could practically feel the tension radiating in waves across the table.
    He decided to let her stew and looked around the restaurant