Page 44 of Stealing Kisses

“Do they play baseball, too?”

“Oh, yeah. Dad loves baseball. We’re all named for legends of the game. He had us catching a ball by the time we could run, so I guess we never had a choice. But even if we would’ve had one, we’d have played. Our bats and gloves might’ve been cheap and second-hand, but we didn’t care.”

“Are your brothers as good at baseball as you?”

“Promise not to tell?”

“My lips are sealed,” she pledged with a zipped-lip gesture.

“I think they’re even better.”

“Where do they play now?”

“They’re a lot younger than I am; Lou is sixteen, and Mickey’s only twelve.”

“Because of your success, poverty hasn’t shaped them in the same way it affected you.”

Teddy shrugged; he was no saint or savior.

“Do you see them?”

“Not as much as I should. They come to a few games during the summers, and I try to make a few of theirs around my schedule. I could do a much better job of getting back to visit.”

“What makes it difficult to go?”

“I want to fix everything for Mom and Dad. I could if they’d let me.” He’d had the argument with his parents enough times to hear it play out in his mind, so even telling Baylin about it brought his frustrations to the forefront. “If they’d just choose to be happy, attempt to enjoy life. A new approach can do wonders.”

“That explains your unceasing determination to be cheerful.”

Was that a compliment or an insult?

Teddy examined Baylin’s expression, looking for signs of derision. He couldn’t find any.

Still, her insightfulness made him uncomfortable.

He stood from the table, cleared their empty plates, and refilled their wineglasses.

They worked in quiet tandem to put away the leftover food and load their plates and silverware into the dishwasher. He rolled up his sleeves to wash the pots and pans, and Baylin dried them.

When they’d finished cleaning up from dinner, Baylin led the way to the parlor.

Teddy followed her, carrying their drinks, the apple pie Maree had made, two plates, and two forks, which he arranged on the coffee table. Then he added wood to the fireplace and lit a fire.

Baylin settled on the couch, patting the cushion beside her for him to sit there.

Such a small gesture, yet it caused his heart to skip a beat. Perhaps his grand gesture would work…he prayed it would draw her nearer rather than push her away.

“My happiness isn’t fake,” he explained. “I love my life. It’s not as easy as the television makes it seem; I have to work on my game, my speed in the outfield, and my hitting all the time. Otherwise, I’ll lose my spot to one of the hundred — more likethousands— of guys who’d love a shot at it.”

“That’s why you’ve been working out in the barn.”

His head snapped up to meet her gaze. He’d been running the stairs, from the lower level of the barn to his condo and back down for forty-five minutes, pushing tractor tires across the open space, and logging five hundred sit-ups and one hundred pull-ups before they started farm chores each morning. He hadn’t realized she knew.

“I came in to feed the horses Monday and saw you,” she said.

“Did you now?” Teddy questioned, enjoying the way her cheeks burned at her memory of him shirtless in her barn. “Do tell.”

“Yes, well… I didn’t want to disturb you, so Iimmediatelywalked out.”

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