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I saw Chad sitting at a desk in a windowed office in the back and wandered in that direction. As I got closer, I saw Chad was glaring at the computer on his desk, and he looked stressed. Looked like running a tractor dealership wasn’t all that easy for him.

The person working the desk glanced at me as I went to the office, but was with a customer, so I knocked on the half-open door. Chad’s mouth turned down even further when he saw it was me, but there wasn’t any real anger in it. I let myself into the office and closed the door behind me.

“What are you doing here, Cook?” He sounded tired.

I took a seat in one of the chairs facing his desk. I’d come here with a plan, but the biggest variable was how Chad would respond. “I wanted to talk to you about Jane. I know you’re pissed that we’re together, and that she kicked you out. But taking your anger out on her, trashing her around town, will upset Ethan and Brooke. I don’t care, the club already knows. I do care about you hurting Jane, the kids, or her business. I think we can come to an agreement that will be good for both of us.”

“Why would I want to do that? Eventually, you’ll be gone. Janie won’t go with you. She’ll take me back. We’d be together already if you hadn’t moved in and screwed up my plan.”

I swallowed back the laugh that was trying to escape. If I laughed, he’d never listen to me. “I don’t think things would have worked out the way you wanted them to. We both know our time together is limited, but I care about Jane. I don’t want you to upset her, and continuing to insert yourself in her life would do that.”

The lines around Chad’s mouth grew deeper, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “You don’t know that. I know I hurt her in the past, but I know now that I was wrong. She was the best part of my life, and I fucked it up. I want her back.”

The thought of Chad worming his way back into Jane’s life had me balling my hands into fists, pressing them into the scar tissue on my legs. I couldn’t stand the thought of him destroying all the good things in Jane’s life. Her joy, her peace. The bakery. Upsetting the kids. Chad had the power to turn her life upside down.

“You cheated on her. Maybe she could have forgiven you, but then she endured public humiliation because of those women you were with. You made some bad choices, and it cost you your marriage. I can’t let you do that to her again.”

“I just want my life back on track. It hasn’t been right since the divorce. I’m selling tractors, for fuck’s sake. If we get back together, maybe things will be right again.” Chad’s anger disappeared, replaced by defeat.

Seeing Chad brought this low was painful. I was pissed as hell for what he had done to Jane, but we had been teammates, even friends, once. I hoped my proposal worked.

“Jane has moved on, built an entirely new life. You need to do that too.” I paused, then played my final card. “You want out of Red Rock, to be back near baseball. I know your suspension is under appeal, and you might wind up back in the broadcast booth. What are your plans if you don’t?”

Chad shrugged, dejection visible in his body language. “I have no idea. I can’t stay here. The dealership is for sale, and once it sells, I’m out of a job. I’ll find something.”

I weighed my next words carefully. I’d reached out to a friend, called in a favour. The idea was, if I did something good for Chad, he’d leave Jane alone.

“I have a friend with a new fitness apparel company, trying to get his product into high school and college ball. He needs a high-profile player connection to get noticed. I told him I’d let him use my name, but I can’t do any of the in-person events he needs to get noticed. He needs someone who can talk to potential customers, convince them to take a chance on his products. Let’s face it, you have a talent for that aspect of marketing.”

I wasn’t even lying. When it came to schmoozing at high-profile baseball events, Chad had skills.

A flicker of interest crossed Chad’s face. “Your friend doesn’t have an issue with the gambling charges?”

“I won’t lie, he’s not thrilled. After looking into everything, there is nothing stopping him from hiring you. He figured enough people would overlook the charges that the benefit of your name recognition would offset any downside. I’ve got to warn you—the money won’t be close to what you made in broadcasting.”

Chad sat up straighter, and the grooves in his face smoothed out as hope replaced frustration. “It’s got to be better than this. If you’re serious, I’ll talk to your friend.”

“I’m serious. I’ll pass on your contact information.” I stood up to leave.

Chad stood and reached to shake my hand. The gesture was one he wouldn’t have given me even a few weeks ago. Maybe Chad was ready to make a real change. If he was, it would be good for everyone in the long run. “If this pans out, I owe you. And I promise, I won’t cause Jane any trouble. I never wanted to hurt her.”

I left and drove to the ballpark. If Chad took this job, that would be a major obstacle out of Jane’s life. Now to convince her our relationship could last longer than the baseball season.

Chapter 34

Carter

Mid-July All-Star Break

I twisted the steering wheel of my Jeep to make the left turn onto the marked gravel road. Navigating our way into the mountains had been easy enough, but as we drove deeper into the wilderness, signs had become sparser, and we’d lost GPS about twenty minutes ago. The Airbnb listing had warned that this would happen, which had been part of the appeal. Taking Jane somewhere that was completely off the grid, to allow her to escape from all the demands of her everyday life, had been my intention for this weekend.

We had a couple of days before the second half of the season, and a quick getaway to a remote mountain cabin had sounded like heaven. No work for her, no baseball for me, no kids, and Chad no longer in the way—absolute perfection.

After getting Jane to agree to a mini vacation, I wouldn’t let her back out. She deserved the break from work, which was consuming her seven days a week. I didn’t tell her anything except that we were going to the mountains, and to pack comfortable clothes. My plan was to treat her like a queen for the next three days.

Jane was relaxed against her seat, a small smile on her face as she stared out the window. “Oh, look, a bear!”

I glanced to where she was pointing, spotting a black bear lumbering into the trees off the side of the road. “I can’t remember the last time I saw a bear. They rarely wandered into Seattle, and I didn’t get out to the mountains very often when I lived there.”