Caleb studied the boy for a minute. No, that wasn't it—Danny's smile wasn't anything like Sheila's.
"Introduce me to your friend, Danny," a syrupy female voice said.
Danny jumped. Caleb jerked his head around. A petite brunette in a pair of skintight jeans smiled at him.
"Oh, hi, there, Mrs. Baker," Danny said. "I didn't hear you come up. This is Caleb Bishop. Caleb, this is Devin's mother."
The brunette held out her small, ring-adorned hand and took a step closer, leaving only inches between her body and Caleb's. "Gwyn Baker, Mr. Bishop. Us folks here in Crooked Oak sure are proud that you're a native son. This whole town watches the Braves religiously. I'm one of your biggest fans myself."
"Thanks."
The minute Caleb accepted the woman's hand, she curled her fingers and clasped tightly. "So, you're Devin's mother, huh? I met him last night at Danny's house."
"I know." Gwyn's full, pouty lips opened in a broad smile. "That's all he talked about when Bill Finch brought him home. He said you might be here today, so I decided to come by and see for myself. Devin usually gets a ride home with one of the other kids."
Caleb extracted his hand from Gwyn's, but couldn't escape her flirtatious smile or her arm that suddenly snaked around his waist.
"Come on, Caleb." Danny tugged on Caleb's arm. "The guys are all dying to meet you."
Completely ignoring Danny, Gwyn said, "If you ever get lonesome or bored, I'd be more than happy to show you around. I know all the hot spots from here to Nashville."
"What would Mr. Baker think about your showing me around?" Caleb asked.
Gwyn's chirpy laughter gained the attention of several other parents who had emerged from the vehicles and were milling around, moving slowly but surely in Caleb's direction.
"There isn't any Mr. Baker, sugar," she said. "Well, there is. But he lives in Arkansas and he's not my husband anymore."
Pat Lawley, followed by the entire Bulldogs team, headed toward Caleb. Surrounded, he thought. Surrounded by fans. There had been a time when he had immensely enjoyed the adoration of the crowds, had loved being swamped by a horde of baseball enthusiasts. But that had been when he was at the top of his game. A star. The idol of millions of boys throughout America. And the heartthrob for a million and one women.
"The team is really glad you stopped by," Pat Lawley said. "How about saying a few words to the boys?"
"Sure thing." Caleb had given plenty of inspirational talks to kids during his reign as the Prince of Baseball. All he had to do was remember one and spiel it off to Danny and his teammates.
After his talk and a half hour spent signing autographs on everything from baseball bats to Gwyn Baker's T-shirt, Caleb realized that despite his disability, he was still the hometown hero. These people were still fans. These boys still worshiped him. And to these women—Gwyn Baker in particular—he was still a heartthrob.
"Have you got plans for dinner tonight?" Gwyn whispered in his ear. "I could get a baby-sitter and we could go over to the Pale Rider for a few beers."
A night with Gwyn Baker might be just what he needed. She seemed to be the type who'd show him a good time and not expect anything else. Just as he started to accept Gwyn's offer, he saw Sheila Vance cross the parking area and head straight toward Danny, who was busy helping Pat Lawley gather up the team's equipment. Pat smiled at Sheila, put his hand on Danny's shoulder and the three of them walked off the field together. They looked like the ideal family.
Caleb's gut tightened. Pat could offer Sheila and her son a commitment, a future as a husband and father. Whereas he couldn't offer them more than a few months of his life, as a lover to Sheila and a buddy to Danny. Pat was the kind of man they needed. He wasn't. He had no right to interfere in Sheila's life, to disrupt anything that might happen between Pat and her.
"I don't have any plans," Caleb told Gwyn. "Tell me where you live and I'll
"Introduce me to your friend, Danny," a syrupy female voice said.
Danny jumped. Caleb jerked his head around. A petite brunette in a pair of skintight jeans smiled at him.
"Oh, hi, there, Mrs. Baker," Danny said. "I didn't hear you come up. This is Caleb Bishop. Caleb, this is Devin's mother."
The brunette held out her small, ring-adorned hand and took a step closer, leaving only inches between her body and Caleb's. "Gwyn Baker, Mr. Bishop. Us folks here in Crooked Oak sure are proud that you're a native son. This whole town watches the Braves religiously. I'm one of your biggest fans myself."
"Thanks."
The minute Caleb accepted the woman's hand, she curled her fingers and clasped tightly. "So, you're Devin's mother, huh? I met him last night at Danny's house."
"I know." Gwyn's full, pouty lips opened in a broad smile. "That's all he talked about when Bill Finch brought him home. He said you might be here today, so I decided to come by and see for myself. Devin usually gets a ride home with one of the other kids."
Caleb extracted his hand from Gwyn's, but couldn't escape her flirtatious smile or her arm that suddenly snaked around his waist.
"Come on, Caleb." Danny tugged on Caleb's arm. "The guys are all dying to meet you."
Completely ignoring Danny, Gwyn said, "If you ever get lonesome or bored, I'd be more than happy to show you around. I know all the hot spots from here to Nashville."
"What would Mr. Baker think about your showing me around?" Caleb asked.
Gwyn's chirpy laughter gained the attention of several other parents who had emerged from the vehicles and were milling around, moving slowly but surely in Caleb's direction.
"There isn't any Mr. Baker, sugar," she said. "Well, there is. But he lives in Arkansas and he's not my husband anymore."
Pat Lawley, followed by the entire Bulldogs team, headed toward Caleb. Surrounded, he thought. Surrounded by fans. There had been a time when he had immensely enjoyed the adoration of the crowds, had loved being swamped by a horde of baseball enthusiasts. But that had been when he was at the top of his game. A star. The idol of millions of boys throughout America. And the heartthrob for a million and one women.
"The team is really glad you stopped by," Pat Lawley said. "How about saying a few words to the boys?"
"Sure thing." Caleb had given plenty of inspirational talks to kids during his reign as the Prince of Baseball. All he had to do was remember one and spiel it off to Danny and his teammates.
After his talk and a half hour spent signing autographs on everything from baseball bats to Gwyn Baker's T-shirt, Caleb realized that despite his disability, he was still the hometown hero. These people were still fans. These boys still worshiped him. And to these women—Gwyn Baker in particular—he was still a heartthrob.
"Have you got plans for dinner tonight?" Gwyn whispered in his ear. "I could get a baby-sitter and we could go over to the Pale Rider for a few beers."
A night with Gwyn Baker might be just what he needed. She seemed to be the type who'd show him a good time and not expect anything else. Just as he started to accept Gwyn's offer, he saw Sheila Vance cross the parking area and head straight toward Danny, who was busy helping Pat Lawley gather up the team's equipment. Pat smiled at Sheila, put his hand on Danny's shoulder and the three of them walked off the field together. They looked like the ideal family.
Caleb's gut tightened. Pat could offer Sheila and her son a commitment, a future as a husband and father. Whereas he couldn't offer them more than a few months of his life, as a lover to Sheila and a buddy to Danny. Pat was the kind of man they needed. He wasn't. He had no right to interfere in Sheila's life, to disrupt anything that might happen between Pat and her.
"I don't have any plans," Caleb told Gwyn. "Tell me where you live and I'll
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