Page 6

“I’m not here to cover the Fliers. I’m back. I’m here to take over the dealership.” He was using his announcer voice, trying to sound upbeat, but I’d known him too long. I heard the bitterness under his act.

What the fuck? Nothing about his body language said he was joking, but he couldn’t be serious. Chad couldn’t move back here. It had taken me a lot of time, and a lot of therapy, to rebuild my self-esteem after the divorce. I would not let Chad take that away from me again, especially not when I was so close to achieving my goals. The very same goals he’d spent our marriage mocking at every turn.

“Why? I thought your dad was trying to sell the dealership.” At least, that was what he’d told me during the annual Christmas gathering I hosted at our place. Chad’s mom, Diane Templeton, had suffered a minor stroke last year, and his dad, Eldon, had decided that it was time to retire and enjoy life a little more.

I pushed past Chad to lead him into the kitchen, turning in time to see the red flush that had coloured Chad’s neck and stained his cheeks.

“Yeah, he was going to. But things changed. I’m going to take over and run it.” He nodded when I pointed at the coffeepot.

I flipped on the pot, avoiding his gaze as I busied myself with pulling mugs down from the cupboard and grabbing the milk out of the fridge. None of this made any sense. Chad loved baseball. He had talked about joining a broadcast team years before he hit retirement, knowing that he wanted to stay close to the game. Even he had been self-aware enough to know that he didn’t have the temperament to coach, so broadcast had been a good fit. And as much as I hated to admit it, Chad made an excellent broadcaster. His larger-than-life personality and arrogance came across as charming and confident, which made entertaining television.

Add that to the fact he’d never liked Red Rock, and I couldn’t figure out what would have brought him home. Even if he was home to help his dad, why was he here, in my kitchen? He had no reason to seek me out. “What really happened? You’d never come back here unless you had no other choice.”

Chad smacked his hand against the marble top of the island. “You won’t let it go, will you? Fine, I was fired. Between my last divorce settlement and a few bad investments, I’m wiped out. Drawing a salary while running the dealership is my last option. At least until I hear from a couple of the clubs I put feelers out to. Then I’ll be back on top.”

I turned away to pour the coffee, hands shaking. Chad had always had a temper, but he never raised a hand to me or the kids. I wasn’t afraid of him, but I was still wary of his temper, and I’d never been good at confrontation.

I couldn’t believe Chad had been fired. How was he in financial trouble? In his prime he’d been pulling in over $20 million a year. What had he done with all that money? Not that I cared. It wasn’t my business. Chad and his problems were no longer my concern, and right now I could not have been happier about that. As much as I wanted to ask him why he’d been fired, letting him know I was curious would give him power. Besides, he’d only lie about it. Lies were his specialty.

I handed Chad his cup and watched as he stirred in milk and several spoons of sugar. Some things never changed. Extra-sweet coffee had been his one vice when he’d been pitching. Or so I’d thought. As it turned out, hot, sweet, and blonde had been how he’d liked his women as well as his coffee. “I’m sure your parents will be happy to have you here. But since they moved into that new apartment, where will you stay?”

The grin Chad flashed me was full of mischief, just like it was when we were in high school. It used to be charming. Now it was irritating. “Why, Janie, I’m staying with you. You have the room. I know, because it was my money that paid for this house.”

Like fuck he was staying with me. Hell would freeze over first. He was not going to weasel his way back into my life.

I slammed my cup down on the counter. “Your money? I gave up everything to follow you around while you played ball. I raised two kids you ignored, and I packed up our lives every time you were traded, or sent back to Triple-A ball. I earned that money. This is my house, and you are not welcome here.”

Chad just smiled wider, shaking his head. “I know you’re trying to rent that room out; my parents told me. I want it. I don’t know why you’re fighting me. You know you’ll say yes in the end. You always do.”

Since I was a teenager, I had always fallen for his charm. Not this time. I had fought too hard to regain my sense of self. I would not be steamrolled by him. Knowing that he wouldn’t let this go, I grasped at the first solution that popped into my mind.

“You should have called ahead. I don’t have room. I already rented it out.” I delivered the lie smoothly, a first for me. I was a terrible liar, but I sold it, hard. Chad had to believe this one.

Chad frowned, doubt creeping into his expression. “You wouldn’t have rented it out that fast. You wouldn’t invite a stranger to live here with the kids without running a check on them first.”

I resisted the urge to hurl my half-empty cup at him, to wipe the smug smile off his face. Sending up a mental prayer, I offered the one name Chad would believe. I would handle the fallout later. “Of course not. But when Carter Cook was signed by the Fliers, he needed a place to stay. So I’m afraid the spare room is occupied. You’ll have to stay somewhere else.”

The look of shock on Chad’s face was priceless, and I choked back a giggle. It had to be the stress, because I did not giggle. But it was a rare day when I threw him off-balance like this, and it was kind of fun.

“You’re kidding, right?” The red flush staining his cheeks wasn’t embarrassment this time.

“No. And I suggest you go. You’re welcome to see Ethan any time, but you won’t be doing it here.”

Chad opened his mouth, then snapped it shut and stomped out of the kitchen. When the front door slammed, I sagged against the island. What had I gotten myself into?

I opened my phone and searched for the message from Carter. Tonight was more important than ever. Carter had to agree to this nutty idea, because Chad would be relentless if he found out I had lied to him.

That works. I need to talk to you. Whatever you might hear between now and then, please play along. I’ll explain everything.

Now all I could do was wait.

Chapter 4

Carter

I stared down at my phone and tried to make sense of Jane’s cryptic message. Play along? With what? I’d been in town less than twelve hours, and I was already being sucked into small-town drama.

Batting practice with Ethan had gone well, and I’d actually had a lot of fun. Turned out that coaching Ethan helped me too. Working with Ethan to analyze his swing had allowed me to see flaws in my own, different ways I was compensating for the still-weak muscles from my accident.