Free A League of Her Own by Karen Rock

for a Guns N’ Roses fan,” she said, unable to resist leaning in a bit, enjoying his discomfiture. “Do you prefer Slash or Axl?”
    His eyes slid from hers and he shrugged. “Neither. Just getting my energy up for practice.”
    Her eyebrow rose as she looked from the CDs scattered on his passenger seat back to him. “
Appetite for Destruction
,
G N’ R Lies
,
Use Your Illusion I
and
II
...that’s an impressive collection for someone who’s not a fan.” She glanced at his floorboards and backseat, wondering if he had empty bottles of booze rolling around. She breathed a bit easier when she saw he didn’t. He was clean. For now. But she knew all too well how quickly that could change. The thought had her backing away from his car.
    She had no business getting friendly with the players. As their superior, they needed to show her respect and seek her advice. Joking around about music preferences? Uh-uh. What was it about Garrett that made her lose her good sense? As her father had said, she’d acted impulsively by issuing the challenge instead of scheduling a sit-down meeting. And here she was again, hanging around him like a groupie.
    Ugh.
    “Heather, wait!” Garrett’s deep voice called, but she didn’t slow her pace. It carried her toward the rear entrance to the stadium.
    Before she got to the door, he jogged up beside her. When she reached for the handle, he put a hand on the frame.
    “There’s something I wanted to say before we go in.” Without his cap, he looked younger, his hair mussed around his perfect face. He had the looks of a sports advertiser’s dream. Too bad he also had a history of squandering opportunities.
    She wiped away the frown forming on her face and stepped back. His proximity did funny things to her, short-circuiting her brain.
    “A lot of the guys aren’t on board with you as manager.” At her steady stare, he ran a hand through his hair and shifted his weight to his right foot. “It’s no secret that I’m one of them.”
    Her mouth tightened as she reined in her irritation. First her father, now this? Would anyone believe in her? With so many doubts, it was getting harder and harder not to question herself.
    But she couldn’t. Second guessing yourself stopped progress, and she intended a lot of growth for this team and, ideally, for Holly Springs.
    She stepped forward and watched his nose flare and eyes sharpen. “You promised a hundred percent effort if you lost the match-up.” Her finger jabbed with each word. “Which. You. Did. Remember?”
    His head jerked back, a line appearing between his brows. “I’d like to erase it from my memory.”
    Her hands balled on her hips. She probably looked like every stereotype of a hormonally enraged woman. But she was beyond caring. “Well, you can’t. A real man keeps his word. A weak one doesn’t. So which are you?”
    He sucked in a large breath that seemed to inflate him. Make him grow taller.
    “Which do you think?” he ground out.
    “Guess you’ll just have to show me.” She began to pull on the door handle, then stopped and looked up at him. The anger on his face almost made her lose her nerve.
    “Oh. And one more thing. Full effort means that if you have the urge to drink again, you’ll let me know. No surprises. We’ll get you the help you need.”
    Before she could yank open the door, he placed his hands flat against it on either side of her face and leaned in, dangerously close. She shivered at his proximity, fingers of fear tiptoeing up her spine.
    “Don’t ever insinuate that I’m taking my sobriety lightly. Not getting help. I attend AA meetings every week.” His jaw clenched and his brows angled sharply together. A dull and heavy silence fell. Her heart skittered along her ribs like the wand she’d once used to play the xylophone.
    “Didn’t mean to suggest you were. And I’m glad you’re attending Alcoholics Anonymous.”
Please keep it up
, she added silently and lifted her chin. “Now, let