Free A Maverick's Heart by Roz Denny Fox Page B

around with us until it gets dark?”
    “I, uh, c-couldn’t,” Lila sputtered. “I need to cut out baby layettes—that’s my project for my women’s group to sell at the next bazaar. We’re raising money for a snowy owl refuge.”
    “At most we have an hour of light.” Seth pulled two adult mitts out of the sack tucked behind the porch railing. “I took the liberty of buying you a glove.”
    “Please, Mom.” Rory begged her with his eyes, too. “You used to play with me, or read, or do puzzles. You never do anything now ’cept work.”
    Seth knew the moment she capitulated. Her smile slipped and her shoulders bowed. “I, uh...let me feed Ghost and change. You guys start without me.”
    “I took Ghost for a run and I fed him,” Seth said. “He could come out, but maybe we should break in this new ball first. Another day we can show Ghost he only gets to chew on Rory’s ratty old baseball.”
    “Sure. Thanks for feeding him,” Lila said, bending to sniff a rosebud. She slanted a happy smile at Seth that had his heart beating faster before she went inside.
    “Come on, Seth. I can’t wait,” Rory shouted, all but hopping up and down when Seth handed him a blue leather outfielder youth glove. “This is cool. Cooler than Kemper’s brown glove. After we practice, if Mom lets me, I’m gonna phone him.”
    Seth left the smaller of the two adult gloves on the porch for Lila. He put on the larger one and massaged the new ball a few times. “Let’s leave batting practice for another day. Tonight we’ll get the feel of throwing and catching a ball.”
    Nodding vigorously, the boy ran to the side of the house where Seth had first seen him tossing his old ball in the air. Rory turned to face him and Seth gave an easy toss. The ball bounced in and out of Rory’s new glove and hit his head.
    “I missed it,” he said ruefully as he rubbed his forehead.
    “Let the ball come down to your level instead of reaching for it,” Seth instructed. “It’ll take time to get used to the new glove. Gently squeeze the ball the instant you feel it touch the mitt. Cover it with your free hand so the ball stays firmly in the pocket.”
    “Nobody told me that before.” Rory threw the ball to Seth.
    It went wild and he had to dive for it. Then he took a minute to show Rory the right way to throw from his shoulder, not his elbow.
    The boy said, “This is good. At recess no one wants me on their team ’cause they say I throw like a girl.”
    “That’s not nice,” Lila said, letting the door slam as she emerged from the house. She scooped up the spare mitt and made her way to them. “Tell your friends some girls throw better than boys, and they can run faster, too.”
    “She’s spot-on,” Seth declared and tossed her the ball, which she caught neatly.
    Lila gave Rory a soft toss, which he held on to. The success had him dancing excitedly.
    Following a few more good catches, Seth noticed Lila relaxing and smiling a lot. And she looked darned appealing in snug jeans and a T-shirt. A thought he savored more and more as they continued to play even after the sun dipped low and evening shadows threatened to end their outdoor time.
    Lila, though, acknowledged the fading light. “Hey, guys, as much fun as we’re having, we almost lost that last ball in the dark. Time to call it a night.”
    “Aw, Mom. I’m really getting the hang of closing my mitt around the ball like Seth showed me. Can we throw a few more? Please, please, please?”
    She shrugged. “Two more rounds then we’re done.”
    Rory threw to Seth. He had to back into a row of bushes to catch the ball. He tossed underhand from that distance to Lila.
    Seemingly out of nowhere swooped a giant bird directly over Seth’s head. He ducked and cringed as the flapping bird skimmed his hair to catch the ball in its talons.
    Then the thief flew off with his prize.
    Rory jumped around bawling and bellowing, “Stop. Stop him. That bad owl took my brand-new ball.” His