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I mentally cursed. “He has West on his team this year, doesn’t he?”
“Kyle kicked Zach off his team to get him too. Which means we’re stuck with Zach.”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Zach Wolfe was charming and hilarious but quite possibly the worst baseball player I’d ever seen.
We entered the backyard and headed toward the open space just beyond, which served as the field for the Evans games. “Did you get Amber for our team, at least?”
Amber King had played softball in high school and was one of the best players on the local adult team. “Yeah. And, well, I felt bad for Sabrina, since this is her first year, and so I picked her too, before Zach, so she wouldn’t be last. And I don’t even know if she can play.”
“She at least knows the rules. Her best friend is married to Ben Adams, and Sabrina has gone to quite a few games with them and Beck recently.”
Kate squeaked in surprise. “As in the famous-baseball-player-turned-coach Ben Adams?”
“Yep. Maybe next year we can secretly invite him to play on our team. It might give Kyle a heart attack.”
Katie laughed. “That’s evil, which means I love it!” She waved. “Come on. I said you were on my team if you arrived on time, so let’s hurry before my cheating-ass brother comes up with some other reason as to why you can’t play.”
I patted the bag slung over my shoulder. “Let him try and stop me. I brought my lucky glove with me.”
“Woot. I’ll take it. I hid Kyle’s favorite, so maybe he’ll suck today.”
All I could do was laugh. The Evans family took this annual game way too seriously.
And yet, it was familiar and gave me something to focus on. Especially once I spotted West in a pair of baseball pants and a jersey. The pants weren’t overly tight, but enough, and they highlighted his large muscled thighs.
Damn, the man was strong. Probably from wrestling cattle back at his in-laws’ place.
I wondered what it’d be like to run my hands over those legs, up, up, until I reached…
Nope.Not going there.
Katie shouted, “She’s here, Kyle! So Millie’s on my team!”
Kyle rolled his eyes. “Fine. Can we start now?”
Katie stuck out her tongue. “If you hadn’t changed the start time at the last minute, with no warning, we wouldn’t have to hurry.”
Kyle shrugged. “I’m helping the volunteer firefighter association with the fireworks later. It’s my first year, and I’m not going to be late.”
The local volunteer firefighters put on the sole big fireworks display in our area.
As I took out my glove and changed my shoes, I heard Katie reply, “You had plenty of warning to tell us. But that’s fine. We’ll beat your cheating ass anyway. Just wait and see.”
Kyle put a hand on his face, full of mock horror. “Oh no. I’m shaking in my shoes.”
Cassie Evans jumped in. “You should be, brother. You’re going down this year. Maybe even face-first, if you happen to trip. By accident.”
I could hear a few familiar people laughing—Beck was on my team too, it seemed—and then West growled, “Can we fucking start now and stop this shit?”
Avery shouted, “Two bad words, Daddy!”
I spotted Wyatt and Avery sitting with Aunt Lori and Abby. Weird, as Abby usually played. I’d have to ask her about it later.
Ready, I took my position on third base and punched my glove a few times.
For the next two hours, I forgot about anything but catching, throwing, and swinging the bat. Even when West was up to the plate, or caught one of my balls as shortstop, I only viewed him as an opponent.
But in the end, my team lost. West was just too good, and when combined with Kyle—who’d been all set to go pro when he injured his knee and ended that career—we didn’t stand a chance.
