Free Mendoza's Return by Susan Crosby Page B

usual.
    She wore a glove—an unscarred, brand-new baseball glove she was working a ball inside of, forming a pocket.
    Peripherally he was aware of Elliot walking beside her, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Last night after she’d kissed him, it had taken him more than a few seconds to gather his thoughts and make his way to his car. The kiss had been delicate yet hungry, soft and yet intense, triggering needs and wants he’d hoped to keep tamped down.
    No such luck.
    He’d driven home to an empty house and sat in adarkened living room, trying to figure out how he would be able to spend concentrated time with her when one small kiss could destroy his equilibrium so completely.
    â€œHi, Rafe Mendoza!” Elliot said as they reached him.
    â€œHey, sport. Are you ready to play?”
    â€œYes, sir. I am.”
    Rafe looked at Melina. Her cap brim and sunglasses did a good job of hiding her expression. “You look official,” he said, wanting to tug on her ponytail. “Are you, um, planning to…play?”
    â€œI thought I would help rather than just sit on the bench waiting for a ‘what if’ to happen.”
    â€œSo, not only have you learned to swim, you’ve also learned to play baseball?”
    â€œHow difficult can it be at this level?” She kept throwing the ball hard into her glove.
    She was adorable. Rafe was sure he’d never used that word in his life before, but nothing else described her at the moment. Innocence and enthusiasm danced across her face.
    â€œCan we go play now?” Elliot asked.
    Several kids were already out on the field tossing balls back and forth. Beau and three other men, probably his assistant coaches, strode up. “I’ll catch up with you. Start the boys off. Pair them up for tosses,” Beau said to one of the coaches, all of them looking like high school students. He glanced at Elliot. “Well, what’re you waiting for? Go get with your team.”
    Elliot’s eyes opened wide. He looked at Rafe.
    â€œI’ll be there in a minute, sport. You can do this. They’re just tossing the ball back and forth. You’ve done that, right?”
    â€œRight.” He took off slowly, looking back frequently. Melina wanted to hug him and tell him everything would be okay.
    Beau eyed her. “Interesting getup, Melina.”
    â€œThanks. I thought I should dress the part.”
    â€œAnd what part might that be?”
    â€œAssistant-assistant coach.”
    His laugh started low then grew to a guffaw. “Good one.”
    Her back stiffened. “I’m not kidding. I want to help.”
    â€œI have strict standards, you know? People bring their kids from miles away to train here. Somehow I don’t think you’ll inspire confidence.”
    She crossed her arms. “Well, first of all, since no parents are allowed at the practices, how would they know? Second, how do you know I wouldn’t inspire confidence? Inspiring is something I’m really good at.”
    â€œYour lack of athletic skill was legendary in high school. Have you improved?”
    â€œWhy don’t you just let her help?” Rafe interrupted. “What’s the harm?”
    Melina bristled. “I can handle this, thank you.”
    Rafe gave her a good, long look. “You got it,” he said, then loped away, heading toward Elliot.
    Beau glanced from Melina to Rafe and back again, a speculative twinkle in his eyes. She swallowed her irritation and thanked him for allowing Elliot to play. “I know you didn’t have to. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised how quickly he grasps the rules.”
    â€œI’ve done a little studying on my own about his situation, Melina, and while you may be right about him grasping the rules, learning the skills isn’t going to be an overnight thing.”
    â€œNone of these boys learned overnight. Nor were they expected