Free Belonging by Samantha James

he murmured.
    Angie wasn't quite sure how to take the
remark, and judging from the unmistakable male gleam in his eyes,
she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Now that he had done his duty
and delivered her shoes, she had yet to figure out why he was
staying. Checking her watch, she said apologetically, "I hate to
cut this short, but I'm afraid Janice and I and the girls have a
date at the baseball park." She paused, hoping Matt would pick up
the hint and bow out gracefully.
    Janice didn't even give him a chance. "Say,
how would you like to come along?" She pretended not to see when a
wide-eyed Angie sent her a warning look. "Bill gets a big kick out
of watching the games, and you might, too."
    Angie's heart sank when Matt seemed to
consider the idea. Having him stop by for a few short minutes was
one thing, but having him tag along to the girls' game was quite
another. She knew full well what Janice was up to, and she also had
the sneaking suspicion that Matt Richardson didn't mind in the
least.
    She quickly took advantage of the momentary
lull. "Oh, I'm sure he has plenty of other things to do on a
Saturday afternoon. Don't you, Matt?"
    His eyes conveyed a rather wicked
satisfaction as she finally called him by the abbreviated version
of his name. She knew she was doomed the minute she saw it. "As a
matter of fact, I can't think of a reason not to come."
    Except one—Angie didn't really want him
along. There was no doubt in his mind that what he was about to do
wouldn't exactly endear him to her, but at the moment Matt wasn't
feeling very sensible. Not sensible at all.
    Janice positively beamed. "Great!" she said
with her usual vibrancy. She called the other children. When they
were all clustered around her, she lifted a finger and counted
heads. "There's eight of us. Too many to fit in our car, even
though it's a station wagon. Especially with the police chief
along." She added coyly, "I seem to remember something about a law
against driving while encumbered."
    "I don't mind driving," he said easily. "As
long as someone points me in the right direction."
    "Angie can go with you, then," Janice said
breezily. She thrust the baby into Bill's arms and quickly herded
the other children out the front door, flashing a brief glance at
Matt. "See you at the park!" she called over her shoulder.
    Seeing the look Janice gave Matt, Angie
muttered something under her breath. It was all she had time for
before she was left alone with him.
    Matt didn't have to hear what she was
mumbling to know it wasn't anything complimentary, and he couldn't
hold back a grin at Angie's condemning stare.
    "I plead not guilty." He held up both hands
in a conciliatory gesture. "If Janice hadn't asked me along, I
wouldn't be going. Although I'll admit it might have been nicer if
you had asked me."
    Angie said nothing. She stared at him for a
moment longer, then shook her head with a resigned sigh.
    Matt laughed. Reaching out, he retrieved the
baseball cap she'd dropped on the table near the door. "Smile,
Angie," he told her, dropping the cap on her head. "It's the
neighborly thing to do."
     

CHAPTER FIVE
     
    The neighborly thing to do . . . It was a
thought Angie tried to keep in mind during the drive to the
baseball field in Matt's BMW. Matt Richardson was, after all, a
stranger in town.
    Which somehow brought to mind his teasing
gibe last night that they were kindred spirits. The thought was
oddly disconcerting, yet she found herself wondering if it was
true. She'd always considered herself quiet but intense. And Matt?
He struck her as a man who knew exactly what he wanted. A man who
was somewhat of a loner, someone who blended in with the crowd
around him and yet was different, separate.
    The need for human comfort and warmth was a
basic one, one that went hand in hand with trust, and Angie was not
yet ready to trust again. She preferred to stand alone—proud but
alone. It was safer, if not easier.
    Matt was only barely cognizant of the lazy
charm of