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that your eyes were wide open. Now, where does it hurt most?"
    "Nowhere but my pride, and my tongue. I bit it."
    "What about your neck? Are your ears ringing? Twiddle your
fingers for me."
    "Dammit, coach, I'm fine. Just got my bell rung a little,
that's all. Nothing serious."
    "You're positive? Your timing's been off all day."
    "I know. It happens sometimes, okay?"
    The coach nodded. "Sure, but that being the case, why don't
you take a breather and let Jack get in some practice?"
    "Suits me," Ty agreed, as he allowed the man to help him
to his feet. "Let Hays enjoy a little abuse for a change. Maybe it'll wipe
that smug expression off his face. Besides, he's looking entirely too spiffy
and spotless over there. It's like playing with Mr. Clean, for God's
sake!"
    "Don't worry, T.D., we'll muss him up good for you,"
Dean "Dino" Sherwood promised. "Sorry about
hittin' you so hard, man. I didn't hurt you, did I?"
    "No," Ty assured him. On a laugh, he added, "But if
you find any marbles or teeth rolling around out here, don't throw them away.
They're probably mine."
    He had his helmet off, and his water bottle halfway to his mouth,
when he spotted her. She was in the lower section of the stands, sitting next
to her devious-minded godfather, who was obviously not above a little bribery
to get his dowdy goddaughter a steady date. From this distance, she didn't look
too bad. She was wearing cut-off shorts and a sleeveless blouse knotted beneath
her breasts, what there were of them, to leave her midriff bare. Her mouse
brown hair was parted in the center to fall in a sleek bob that curved along
her jawline, with a fringe of bangs cut straight across her forehead. Not a
great style for her—it reminded Ty of the little Dutch boy on the paint can—but
at least it appeared neat and clean this afternoon.
    As Ty had feared he would, Tom waved for him to join them.
Grudgingly, all but dragging his feet with every step, Ty made his way to the
stands and trudged up the few rows of seats.
    As he drew nearer, he was glad to see his worst fears laid to
rest. She hadn't lathered on the makeup. In fact, she didn't seem to be wearing
any at all, other than a bit of mascara and a hint of lip gloss. Now that she
wasn't ready to faint or keel over from heat exhaustion, her natural complexion
was neither pale nor ruddy, but lightly suntanned and blemish-free, discounting
the spattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. If she'd been shorter,
and several years younger, she would have been the perfect Norman Rockwell
picture of the ail-American tomboy. Or, in Ty's opinion, a female version of
Tom Sawyer.
    Ty was still a few feet away from them, morosely contemplating his
misfortune, when Tom leaned toward Jess and said something that must have
struck her as terrifically funny. In an instant, her entire expression was
transformed as she tossed her head back and let loose a laugh. Even as he
witnessed it, Ty couldn't believe it. Her hair fell away from her face,
revealing high, strong cheekbones that would have been the envy of any
fashion model. Her eyes lit up with delight, and suddenly they weren't just a
nondescript hazel, but an intriguing shade of golden-brown, ringed by a wide
band of green. Straight, pearly white teeth came into view as her lips curved
upward and parted on the most enchanting smile Ty had ever beheld.
    She still wasn't beautiful, not in the usual sense of the word.
But "pretty" didn't quite measure up, either. "Striking"
was the term that came immediately to Ty's mind. Followed by
"stunning," which was precisely how Ty felt. Stunned. That a mere
smile could change a common plain-Jane into a downright attractive female, all
in the blink of an eye. It was akin to watching a magician perform one of those
sleight-of-hand maneuvers that left you shaking your head in amazement.
    Okay, so maybe the boobless wonder isn't a total zero after all, Ty
thought to himself. The tricky part is going to be to keep her amused the
majority of