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

Matt with her best Mom Glare. “Now why have you been hiding from us?”
    How had he forgotten how tough his mom was? “I haven’t been hiding, Mom. I’ve just been relaxing, letting my body heal.”
    Chase snorted and continued to form hamburger patties.
    “I don’t need comments from the peanut gallery.”
    “I wasn’t commenting. The inside of my nose itched.”
    “Whatever. So when is Jo supposed to be back here?”
    Chase glared at Matt. Matt fought the urge to let a grin split over his face. Sure enough, when he’d gotten home last night Jo had been there, and hadn’t left until about an hour and a half ago. He almost felt sorry for her, knowing she was doing the walk of shame into her grandmother’s house, but after hearing what he’d heard at all hours of the night he was having trouble feeling much sympathy.
    There were some things you simply did not want to hear your little brother doing. Even when said little brother was over thirty.
    “Jo? Back here? What aren’t you telling me, Chase Roberts?”
    As expected, Sarah had taken the bait hook, line and sinker.
    Chase glared at Matt again. Matt somehow managed to not laugh at the faint redness that tinged his brother’s face.
    It really was too much fun baiting Chase.
    “Uh, she came over for a while and had to go check on her grandma, said she’d be back. Did you know that Nellie had a hip replaced a couple of months ago? She’s apparently healing well.”
    Their dad shook his head and chuckled. “Chase, you’re a shitty liar.”
    “In all fairness, Dad, I’m not lying.”
    “No, just withholding the truth—same difference.”
    “So when exactly was Jo here?” Sarah asked.
    Matt chuckled.
    “Fuck you,” Chase said and kicked Matt under the island.
    “Language!” Sarah admonished.
    Matt laughed.
    “I don’t know why you think this is so funny.”
    Matt shrugged. “It’s nice to see you on the hot seat. Besides, I figure if Mom and Dad know about you and Jo, they won’t let you do something stupid to screw it up again.”
    “I wasn’t the one who screwed up, douche canoe.”
    Of course, Matt kind of knew that; why he was poking this particular hornet’s nest, he didn’t know. “Are you sure? Because we men are usually the ones to mess up.”
    Bo snorted. “Matt, you might want to drop it. Don’t upset your mama.”
    Sarah shook her head. “Oh, he’s not upsetting me, honey. I trusted you back then and I trust you now. I think poor Jo was the real victim.”
    “What about me? I’m the one she stopped talking to.”
    Matt’s gaze ping-ponged from Bo to Sarah to Chase. Now this was interesting. Much better than inaccurate tweets about the future of his career.
    “Oh, honey, I know you got hurt in that whole mess, too, but Jo lost so much. Her parents. Us. You. All she had were Jenn and her grandma.”
    “I know, Mom. Jo wasn’t the only one who got hurt, though.”
    Sarah walked around the island and looped an arm around Chase’s waist. “Oh, honey. I know that. Try to forgive her, though—for your sake and for hers. She was just a girl, and what her mama did, the way that woman behaved, it wasn’t right.”
    Matt wanted to ask questions. He knew that Jo’s mom had been—to be nice—a bit promiscuous. If he were being honest and blunt, from what he’d heard and seen, Chandra Sommers could have given some of the worst jersey chasers a run for their money when it came to slutty behavior. Instead, he stayed quiet, interested in what wasn’t being said rather than what was. Had Chandra gone after Chase? Or even weirder, his dad?
    “Son, you’ve been in love with that girl since you were in elementary school, and she’s loved you just as long. Don’t let her slip away again—you might not get another chance.”
    Chase shook his head and placed the last hamburger patty on the cookie sheet with the others, and moved to the sink. “I’m not in love with her, Dad. We’re friends, still trying to feel each other