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“Do they swim?”
“When they fall in. Sometimes I catch the cubs playing in the shallower parts.”
The cub cautiously traveled over the falls, balancing on rocks that jetted out of the surface. His head moved back and forth as he tracked his fast swimming prey.
He was adorable, his big paws swiping deep, the mist coating his brownish nose and black fur. It shook like a large dog trying to dry off. For as cute as the cub was Sam was smart enough to resist the temptation of getting any closer. She’d heard stories of mother bear instincts and even if momma bear wasn’t around, baby bear had claws the size of bananas.
Sam gasped as the bear jumped into the water. It looked down for a split second then plunged its head under water and came up with a fish. At first it took the fish over to a rock and held it with amazing dexterity as it flopped back and forth. Once the fish stilled the bear pranced off to dryer land, lunch in its mouth, and scurried up the trunk of a tall pine.
She smiled at Braydon. “That may have been one of the neatest things I’ve ever seen in person.”
“He gave you a good show for a first timer.”
He leaned across the seat and kissed her. She hadn’t been expecting a kiss, but didn’t have the heart to stop him. It was more intimate than a friendly peck, but less sexual than what she expected from him. Again, she wondered at the strange bridge of being just friends they couldn’t seem to smoothly cross.
“I’m glad you like it here.”
“What’s not to like? It’s amazing. You’re very lucky to have grown up here.”
“It was a fun place to be a kid,” he agreed. “We better head back if we’re gonna make the game. Do you need to grab anything from the house before we head to the field?”
“I don’t think so. It’s not like I’m playing.”
He chuckled. “Fair warning, they’re gonna make you play.”
The baseball fieldwas only about a fifteen-minute drive over the mountain. It actually was closer than Sam assumed, but because they were traveling down rough terrain they maintained a speed of less than fifteen miles per hour for most of the trip.
With what she already saw of the McCulloughs, Samantha should’ve expected a traditional field complete with two dugouts and stadium style bleachers, but she was still surprised when they pulled up.
“Is this still McCullough property?”
“Yup.” Braydon parked the truck by the fence facing first base. “We have a league with my Aunt Rosemarie’s bar so it made sense for us to have an open field for practice. Colin brings some of the kids from the youth center here from time to time as well.”
The mention of Colin brought thoughts Samantha had been ignoring all afternoon to the forefront of her mind.
“How long’s your brother known he wanted to be a priest?”
“Since college, maybe before then. I’m not really sure. I was a conceited twelve-year-old when he left for university. I think he told the family that winter when he came home for Christmas.”
“Didn’t he have to go to a special school for that?”
“Yeah, he goes to seminary at Saint Peter’s, not too far from where we are in the city. That’s where he lives usually. I think what he’s doing now, this Transitional Diaconate period, is like an enforced time of reflection before he takes his vows.”
Doing quick math in her head, Sam discerned that Colin was almost thirty. The minute Maureen announced he was becoming a priest Samantha was certain she was going to hell. Not thirty seconds before the proud announcement, Sam was picturing the man naked and begging her imagination to make him drop the towel.
Worse, after the revelation of his holy rank, her dirty mind couldn’t help imagining him like a Chippendale dancer, but instead of a bowtie, he wore a priest’s collar. Yes, she was definitely going to hell.
They walked through the lot of cars she recognized from the house and some she did not. Katherine was sitting beside her mother and father. Her children were running around on the grassy part of the field. Sam was relieved to see members of the family sitting in the bleachers. Perhaps she wouldn’t be expected to play after all.
As they crossed the threshold marked by an opening in the chain link fence surrounding the field, Sheilagh yelled, “Finally, we can pick teams. Jen and I are captains.”
Sam turned and started toward the stands when a sharp whistle sounded. She turned to see Kelly yell, “Where you going, Samantha? The field's this way.”
She stared back at a gaggle of young McCulloughs and some others she didn’t recognize and stammered, “I’m not real good at sports. I’d figured I’d watch.”
Kelly gave her a vagabond’s smile. “No can do, love. Since Kate’s prego we need another player. Come on over so we can pick teams.”
Never one to go against the grain, Sam joined the others by home plate. Everyone was dressed in casual clothes, many wearing kelly-green shirts that said O’Malley’s Bar and Grill. Sheilagh and a young attractive blonde girl with her O’Malley’s shirt tied in a way that showed off her pierced belly button did a quick game of rock, paper, scissors.
