Heavy Hitter (Dating Mr. Baseball Book 4)

by Lucy McConnell

  Brady laughed. “Can he sign my cast?”

  Sheila’s smile grew, and Brock blinked, blinded by the sincerity of it. “Sure. He can even sign both your cast and something from in here.”

  Brady leaned over the edge of the bed to get a better look at the contents of the wagon. “I think I want a ball.”

  “A ball it is.” She nodded to his cast. “And where do you want him to sign on your cast? It’s already so full.” She used her teeth to open the plastic bag the ball came in. Brock stared at her mouth for a moment too long.

  Brady glanced down, his fingers tracing over the words Mom and Dad and then brushing down to the other names. “That’s my soccer team. They came to visit last night after they won their game. I’m the goalie.”

  “Sweet.” Brock found an open spot. “How about here?”

  “Yeah, then I can see it.”

  He wrote carefully, not applying too much pressure. The marker didn’t exactly glide over the bumpy surface. He drew a bat next to it just in case no one could read his name. He wanted Brady to have something to show off for his friends. When he was done, Sheila handed him the ball, and he did the same thing on the white leather so they matched.

  Kelly leaned over his shoulder, her hair brushing his arm. “That’s so sweet of you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Okay!” Sheila said just a bit too loudly. “Brady, we’ve got to hit the road. You get better soon.” She handed him the controller with a wink.

  Dr. Weaver reached up and turned off the TV, making it impossible for the kid to keep playing. “Sorry, big guy, it’s time for a nap.”

  “Awww.”

  Sheila rubbed her lips together. It looked like she was swallowing back twenty-some-odd years of sisterly rivalry and it was bitter to choke down.

  The next two rooms went about the same as the first, except Sheila and Kelly didn’t have a reason to butt heads. They were both so subtle in Brady’s room that he started to forget it had even happened.

  The third room had a teenager in it. He’d been in a car accident and had internal injuries. Surgery had fixed him up, but he had another day of observation before he could go home. Julia enthusiastically shook hands with the parents. She chatted them up about being on the website and social media pages and had her release papers signed in no time.

  Brock waited, knowing she would want the hellos on film. Sheila didn’t wait. She sat on the edge of the bed and started talking. “I’ll bet your girlfriend is missing you something fierce right now.”

  The poor kid turned bright red from his neck up. “Maybe.”

  Sheila grinned and nudged his arm. “I knew it. What’s her name?”

  He was putty in her hands, and Brock was jealous of the kid. He had Sheila’s smile. The teasing glint in her eye. And Brock was standing there alone like a prized dog waiting to show.

  Kelly sidled up to him, brushing her fingers down his arm to get his attention. “I think this is so wonderful, what you’re doing here. They say kids are resilient, but they need to see that they’re worth something.”

  He turned to her, tipping his head as he thought about her words. “I agree, Doctor.”

  She twittered a laugh again, like she was a bird in a tree and not a five-foot-nine medical professional with a stethoscope around her neck. “Kelly. Please.”

  He inclined his head, indicating that he’d use her given name from now on. “So, you’re a doctor in pediatrics?”

  “Yep. I did my residency in South Virginia but wanted to come home to practice.”

  “I can see why. St. George is unique in its beauty.”

  She blushed.

  Ah shoot. He didn’t mean to flirt. He meant the red rock canyons and Zion National Park.

  “Brock,” Sheila called. “Come on over and meet this charmer.”

  The kid flushed again. Sheila should go easy on him—he just got out of surgery and was already weak. If she kept making him blush like that, they were going to get kicked out. She didn’t have to lay it on so thick; the kid was already a fan of hers.

  Brock sat on the other side of the bed and asked about school. Joey was a junior.

  He asked about extracurriculars. He played the trumpet in the marching band.

  He asked about the girlfriend. They were already planning prom night. At that, Joey’s mom rolled her eyes and everyone laughed.

  Julia took photo after photo. She kept muttering things like “picture gold” and “eat this up.”

  Kelly stepped into the group, laying her hand on Brock’s arm. This time the touch felt possessive. “What this guy isn’t telling you is that he scored a 34 on his ACT.” She smiled warmly at the patient. “He’d got big things in his future.”

  Brock nodded appreciatively. “That’s impressive.” His arm warmed under Kelly’s hand. He glanced down and she pulled it away, almost as if she’d forgotten about it. But there was a gleam in her eye that told him she knew exactly what she was doing. He felt his face heat and threw a glance at Sheila to see if she’d noticed.

  She wasn’t paying him any attention.

  “Doc says she’ll write me a letter of recommendation.” Joey glowed. “I want to be an anesthesiologist.” And just like that, his parents’ faces glowed too.

  “Sounds like a great plan,” said Brock.

  Sheila held up a ball. “Would you like Brock to sign a ball? Or a tee shirt?”

  Joey picked the tee shirt, and they went through the motions. Joey’s mom hugged both him and Sheila before they left. She was all smiles. “Thanks so much for stopping in. You made his day.”

  Brock shuffled his feet. “He made mine.” It was true. Guys like Joey, good kids who were having fun in life, made him feel good about the world.

  They went out to the hallway and Kelly led them past a couple rooms with infants. One was under some kind of blue light, crying. The mom stood by with silent tears running down her face.

  “What’s going on in there?” Brock asked.

  “Jaundice treatments.” Kelly waved it off like a screaming baby was no big deal. Maybe it wasn’t to her—she probably dealt with a lot of crying children—but the sound grated against his fatherly instincts. He had nieces and nephews and couldn’t stand it when they cried. His sisters-in-law thought it was hilarious how he came apart and insisted on rocking them.

  “They’re exposed to the ultraviolet lights for a while each day, and they’re good as new.”

  “Oh.” His eyes lingered on the doorway, wondering if they should at least stop in to see the mom.

  Kelly pointed at the door four doors down. “Elizabeth will be your last stop on our floor.”

  Sheila wheeled the wagon ahead, and Brock followed. They visited for a few minutes with the little girl who’d had her appendix out the day before.

  “I thought that was basic surgery?” Brock smiled at the dad.

  Dad sank in his seat. “She’d had pains for days, and then they went away. I guess it had burst.” He rubbed his face and then the back of his head. “We could have lost her.”

  Kelly patted his hand in comfort. “But you didn’t. Elizabeth will be tearing around the neighborhood on her bike in no time.”

  Sheila talked to the girl for a few minutes. Julia got her paper signed. Brock gave an autograph, and Kelly ushered them out the door. “I’m sorry to rush off. I have an appointment in ten minutes.”

  “It’s fine.” Sheila smiled and gave her sister a quick hug. “Thanks for being here. Love you.”

  Kelly hugged her back. “Love you too.”

  Julia held up her hands. “Wait, before we go, I want a picture of Brock and Dr. Weaver.” She motioned between Kelly and Brock. “It’s awesome with your lab coat and his Redrocks gear.” She fisted her hands and squealed in delight. “I can already picture the Insta post.” She scooted the two of them so they were facing and had Kelly put her hand on Brock’s arm again. “You two are so adorable together with your blond hair and blue eyes.” She let out a sigh.


  “I’ve got to go.” Sheila headed down the hallway, wagon in tow. Her back was straight and her feet made a staccato rhythm on the gleaming tile.

  Brock stared after her for a moment, not sure if he should follow.

  Kelly leaned into him. “I’m impressed with your bedside manner, Brock.”

  He lifted a shoulder. “Kids make it easy.” No hidden agendas. No motives to question. If they’re hungry, they tell you. If they want a hug, they climb on your lap.

  “That they do.” Her lips lifted and she tipped her head. “Would you like to go to dinner with me tomorrow night?”

  Brock blinked at the unexpected invitation. He’d been asked out by women before, but that was at the ball field. He’d never been asked out by a doctor before. Kelly was pretty, and she’d certainly been nice to everyone today. He could spend some time with her, get to know her better. She certainly wasn’t a fangirl and she wasn’t tripping over his job. Heck, her job was more impressive than his.

  He paused for a minute, his thoughts going to Sheila. What would she think of him going out with her sister? She’d been polite to him, if not slightly friendly today. There were definitely sparks between them when there weren’t any walls to smother them, but she didn’t do anything to encourage them into flames. She hadn’t touched his arm. She didn’t linger near. In fact, she’d taken off as soon as she had the chance to get away from him.

  “We have a series of late games starting tomorrow, but after next Wednesday I’m wide open.” The end of the season was coming up fast. Every guy on the team was trying not to talk about it. You played ball until there was no more ball to play. Kept your focus. But he knew many of them had booked trips to Europe with their wives to make up for all the time they were away during the season. Juan was taking his daughters to Florida theme parks for two weeks.

  “That works for me.” She pulled out her phone, and he did the same so they could exchange numbers. “I’ll text you.”

  “Great.” They said goodbye, and he left with a bounce in his step. Dating a doctor could be amazing. Kelly was unlike the women in his past who had come on strong and left fast. She had a stable job, money of her own, and a life—all that told him she was looking for a stable relationship and not a trophy date.

  Julia bumped him with her shoulder. “Look at you scoring a date with the hot doctor.”

  Brock laughed. “Hey, she asked me.”

  Julia giggled. “I noticed.”

  They were halfway down the hall when Sheila came out of a room and almost ran into them. “Oh. Sorry!” The wagon hit the back of her legs, and she fell into Brock with a grunt. He grabbed her arms to keep her up. “Sorry,” she said quietly. Her white hair fell over one eye, and she flipped it aside with a jerk of her head.

  Brock glanced behind her and saw the mother of the baby with jaundice holding a teddy bear over the crib. The bear wore a Redrocks jersey. The baby was slowly calming as his eyes focused on the toy and his head cocked toward the sound of his mother’s soothing voice.

  Brock stared down at Sheila, holding her arms. She’d snuck off to give a baby a teddy bear? His first thought was to tease her about making the baby a fan for life, and wasn’t that starting them off a little young? But there was something in her eyes—a panicked look that she’d been caught. A fleeting glance over her shoulder said she didn’t want anyone to make a big deal out of this. Like she hadn’t done it for ratings or marketing or community outreach purposes. She was just being kind because she was in a place to do so.

  He crushed her to his chest in a giant hug and rocked side to side. Man, she felt right against him.

  “Uh, Brock?” she asked, her face mashed against his pec.

  “Yeah?” He loosened his hold slightly so she could look up at him. A nurse walked by, her eyebrows raised.

  “You’re squishing me. And people are looking at us funny.”

  He dropped her immediately, and she stumbled. This time, he righted her with a hand to her elbow. “Sorry. I was just …” Just what? Excited to find out there was a real person behind the agenda? He couldn’t say that. Not if he wanted to make friends with Sheila. And he did. Want to make friends with her.

  Sheila mock glared at Julia. “That had better not end up on our feed.”

  Julia laughed. “No way. Although a little love triangle would shoot our likes through the roof.”

  Sheila’s brows puckered. “What do you mean?”

  “Lover boy here has a date with the hot doctor.” Julia winked.

  Sheila looked at him for a moment. Shock mixed with loss swirled in her eyes before a mask dropped over her face. It wasn’t a real mask made out of plastic or anything, but it was a mask all the same, and the way it shut Brock out was like a bucket of ice-cold Rev-Aide sports drink to the face.

  “She asked me,” he hurried to explain, as if that would make things better. He needed her to know that he hadn’t initiated the date, that he hadn’t pursued her sister. Gag! That sounded so much like a player. He wasn’t that guy, but now she thought he was. He could tell by the way she leaned back from him.

  “I’m sure you’ll have a great time. Kelly’s amazing.” She said the right words, but they came out flat, like she didn’t have enough air to pump them up. “Thanks for coming today, you two. I’ll see you in the office, Julia.”

  Sheila set off without waiting for them to reply. Her wagon trailed behind her, the wheels bumping over each seam in the tile.

  Brock shook his head. He’d messed that up pretty badly.

  Julia glanced down at her phone and then back up at him. She grinned brightly. “That was fun.”

  His eyebrows shot up. Had they been in the same room for the last five minutes? “Yeah, the kids were fantastic.”

  “Can you give me a quote to use with the post?”

  He thought for a minute. “I’m always impressed with the kids and teenagers who live in St. George. They’re good people who make me want to be a better person too.”

  Her thumbs flew over her phone as she walked away. “Epic.” She finished and tucked it away. “Good luck in the game tomorrow. I hope we kill ’em.” The last part was thrown over her shoulder as the door slipped shut behind her.

  “Me too.” Brock waited a beat before he left the building. He lifted his hand to shield his eyes until they adjusted.

  Julia was already in her car. She waved as she backed out. Sheila was nowhere to be seen. She must have been highly motivated to get away from him.

  Not everyone had to like him—he was cool with that. But he wanted Sheila to like him. She was, well, she was a surprise. He’d thought he had her pegged the other day and even today with her wagon full of Redrocks swag, but there was sincerity in what she did. She may have been raising community awareness, but not once did he feel like she was using the children. It was more like she was an ambassador for the Redrocks, being the goodness she wanted people to associate with the team.

  He’d not done much to improve her opinion of him. In fact, he’d behaved poorly every time they were together lately. That was why it grated: because he didn’t have anyone to blame for his poor reputation but himself. And no one else could fix it but him. The problem was, he had no idea what to do.

  Chapter Five

  Sheila

  Sheila sat in the owner’s box during the last game of the season. There was a large buffet table against the back wall, stuffed with buffalo wings and mini hot dogs wrapped in bacon as well as trays of vegetables and fresh fruit in a rainbow of colors.

  The front office staff mingled. Some of them stayed for a few minutes and left. Others camped out. She was one of those who staked out a seat and hunkered down for the game. Being in her office when the team was on the field was like trying to ignore a chocolate bar next to the keyboard. This was the last game of the season. And the Redrocks were on a winning streak. She wasn’t going to miss a moment.

  The batter from Chicago ground out to short. The game wasn’t a nail-biter, but it still felt oh so g
ood to win by three.

  And just like that, it was time for the after-party. Sheila migrated with the staff in the box down to the lobby. A local band played, their mix of country and pop music rising up into the two-story vaulted ceilings. Redrocks players and their families mingled in and out of the room along with the front office staff, grounds crew, and anyone else who was considered part of the Redrocks family. Some of the players were more excited than others to get out of town. As the celebration of their first season with a new owner and a new coach wound down, Sheila got a text from Harper.

  Will you stop by my office before you leave?

  Sheila scanned the room, wondering when the owner had disappeared. She’d been here earlier, kicking off the party with a speech about her dad, who’d passed away and left the team to her. Jake Richmond had hired Sheila, but that was the extent of their interaction. He preferred to hang with the executive team. Harper was different; she mingled on all levels of the corporation. Still, hearing the ache in Harper’s heart made Sheila want to text her dad and tell him how much she loved him. The band had a few more numbers to play, but Sheila didn’t want to keep Harper waiting.

  She made her way up to the top floor. Lauren, Harper’s personal assistant, motioned for her to go ahead. She knocked on Harper’s office door before popping inside. “You wanted to see me?”

  Harper gulped down water. She waved Sheila into the room. Behind Harper’s desk was a giant picture window that afforded her a beautiful view of the baseball field below and the red cliffs beyond. Sheila loved the symbolism of having the field built into the cliffs, like the Redrocks were born to be part of the St. George landscape. On the left wall was a family portrait of Harper, Coach Wolfe, and his adopted son, Logan. The three of them stood in front of a brick building with peeling paint. They wore matching shirts and smiles. The image stirred something in Sheila’s soul—made her envious of Harper. But it wasn’t the billions of dollars in her bank account Sheila coveted. It was a slice of heaven built in a loving family of her own.