Fielder's Choice Read Online Free PDF Page A

already pegged him as her ticket to the big leagues. He thought he’d been clear, thought he’d laid it out that it was just an evening of fun. Though she’d smiled and agreed, it turned out she had other ideas. He’d had to block her calls before she got the message that he wasn’t interested.
    Alana was a ranch worker, so she might see him in the same light. He wasn’t about to lead anybody on, wasn’t about to be any woman’s big score; he’d be careful about the signals he sent. He could spell out the rules up front. He’d tell her sex only, no attachments. No relationship. It sounded crass, but she’d fired him up in a way he’d never felt before, there was no doubt about that. Maybe he’d give it a go. She could always decline. It’d be her choice.
    Matt was cleaned up and back on the field, listening to the national anthem and wondering how the time had passed so quickly. Probably because he’d been caught up in images of a sexy ranch worker. He shook his head to focus his thoughts on the game. And none too soon. The crowd quieted when the second pitch of the game blasted toward him. Sometimes it felt as though the fans breathed for the players. Matt snatched the ball from the ground and tossed it over to first. An exhaled cheer burst out as his teammate Alex tagged the runner out.
    Alex Tavonesi was a hell of a first baseman. Nearly every player on the Giants was at the top of their game. They were a tight team—he’d had to play at the edge of his game to match them. But since coming to the team in April, he hadn’t connected with anybody off the field. Hell, not only did he suck at relationships with women, he wasn’t very good with other people either.
    Nope, he hadn’t inherited any great relationship genes.
    But at least baseball had rules and stats. A guy knew where he stood, and there wasn’t any mystery. Show up, do well, repeat. Too bad there wasn’t a rule book for being a parent. He could use one.
    After the game Matt stood under the shower, and Alana’s image rose in his mind. Before he could shove it down, he imagined having her there with him, slick and wet and naked. He grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his waist. How could just thinking about her make him hot and horny? She was like a fastball that sailed high and enticing over the plate, inviting contact. He shook the water out of his hair and tried to clear his mind. Best to skip trouble like that. She probably hated baseball anyway.
     

     
    Only one car was parked out in front of the day care center when Matt arrived to pick up Sophie after the game. He walked through a front hall flanked with pegs for coats and lockers for the kids. The place was eerily quiet. He shoved open the double doors at the end of the hall and saw the center director sitting at her desk, chatting on the phone. She waved at him and pointed to where Sophie sat in a corner drawing on a sheet of paper bigger than she was.
    “Nice butterflies,” he said as he sat on the kid-sized stool beside her.
    “Almost.” She pointed to her book. “The wings are the hardest part.”
    “Sorry I’m late.”
    “It’s okay.” She tilted her head up at him. “You can make it up by playing your guitar at my new friend Sally’s birthday party. It’s on Saturday.”
    “Road trip on Saturday, honey.”
    Sophie’s face fell. She picked up a colored pencil and began studiously coloring at her drawing. It always made him feel rotten when he had to disappoint her. “But Grandma can take you. She’s coming Friday to watch you for a few days.”
    “I don’t need watching.” She handed him a colored pencil. “You can do the other wing.”
    He felt her eyes on him as he started to color in the wing of the butterfly. It was well drawn, and he felt a stab of pride.
    “Can we go back to the butterfly garden when you get back? I think they need our help. Especially that nice lady. Don’t you think she looks like the Sugar Plum Fairy?”
    “She’s a bit tall