All of Me

by Jennifer Bernard

  “I’m not going to defend myself to you, Caleb, because you haven’t had to live in this town with those . . . those . . . criminals. I just couldn’t take it anymore, and I’m sorry the Catfish players got hurt, and I’m sorry Sadie got her leg broken, and I’m really sorry about Mike, I never meant any of that to happen, and—”

  “You should apologize in person. Mike’s three doors down.”

  An uneasy expression crossed her face. “I don’t know if he really wants to see me.”

  Caleb wasn’t sure either, but he hid his doubt behind a reassuring smile. “Of course he does.”

  After Donna left, Caleb sank onto Sadie’s bed and gathered her into his arms. It felt like coming home after a trip around the world. “God, I missed you.”

  “I missed you.” They both laughed, since they’d only been apart for, what . . . ten minutes?

  After a long, luxurious snuggle, Sadie murmured, “Hmm. Donna still hasn’t told me what’s going on with her. That’s what I went to the Roadhouse for.”

  “She’ll have to tell you by phone, then. I want you with me as soon as possible. Did the doctor say when you can travel?”

  “As soon as I feel up to it.”

  “Good. I want you to come back with me to San Diego. Please.”

  She drew back and held his face in her hands, her brilliant dark eyes beaming light right into his soul. “You’re worried.”

  “Hell, yes.” Of course he was worried. It felt like leaving her alone in a war zone.

  “Don’t be. It’s going to be fine. Nothing can really hurt me now. Not where it counts.”

  That was all well and good, he thought as he peppered her face with kisses. But he wanted her physically intact as well.

  “Can you take me to City Hall? Mayor Trent wants to see me.”

  He frowned, annoyed. “She should come here.”

  “They’re releasing me in an hour anyway. I told the mayor we’d stop by on our way home.”

  He liked that “we.” He wanted to hear more of that. “Fine. But if you get tired or need more painkillers or a backrub or a—”

  “Striptease?”

  “No. Leave me some dignity, would you?”

  An hour and a half later Caleb opened the door to the mayor’s office so Sadie could swing through on her crutches. Pain nagged at her leg, but even so it felt good to be back at City Hall, where everyone greeted her with hugs and worried exclamations. As the door shut behind them, Mayor Trent rose to her feet, immaculate as always in a black suit with a crisp, fuchsia scarf at her neck. She came around the desk to embrace Sadie, who was so stunned by the sight of the other man in the room that she barely managed a hello.

  Roy Wade, Hamilton’s father, sat in the “supplicant’s chair” before the mayor’s desk.

  “What are . . . what is . . .” She looked at the mayor, totally puzzled.

  Caleb’s hand tightened on her elbow. He probably didn’t know who Roy was, but he easily picked up on her shock.

  “I invited Mr. Wade here today because I believe I’ve come up with a solution to our problem.”

  Roy stood up too. He had Hamilton’s football player build, with an extra pillow of fat around the middle. He wore a bolo tie and a loose cotton jacket. “We might not agree on the source of the problem, but we agree on the solution. A one-way ticket out of Kilby.”

  Sadie stiffened. The mayor held up a finger, like a scolding kindergarten teacher. “Now Mr. Wade, don’t forget the potential lawsuits you’re trying to avoid. If you anger Sadie, she might not agree to drop her claim against Hamilton.”

  Claim against Hamilton . . . She looked up at Caleb, but he simply moved closer to her, so she felt his warm solid strength at her back.

  “You and I know that claim is a load of cow turd.”

  “If that’s so, why are you here?” The steely note in the mayor’s voice made him snap his mouth shut. “Let’s move past the cow turd phase of this conversation. Sadie, I’ve made a proposal on your behalf, but it’s up to you whether or not you’ll accept it. If you want to take your case against Hamilton Wade all the way to court, I’ll make sure it gets tried outside of Kilby. You should have an excellent chance. Hamilton went too far this time, and everyone knows it. Brett Carlisle—you know him, from Save Our Slugs—is willing to testify that Hamilton deliberately thrust his foot onto your leg in an attempt to break it.”

  Sadie noticed she didn’t say that Hamilton actually did that. She didn’t remember who had broken her leg but did not doubt that the ultimate blame for the brawl lay with Hamilton. Caleb steadied her, his warm breath ruffling the top of her hair. “What’s the proposal?” he asked the mayor. “It better be something really good.”

  “Mr. Wade has offered to pay Sadie’s tuition at the law school of her choice. As long as it’s not in Kilby, which isn’t a problem since we don’t have a law school. He thinks Hamilton could use some distance and perspective.”

  “What’s Texas coming to when you can’t get into a barroom brawl without lawsuits flying?” Roy Wade grumbled under his breath. “We need a new mayor in this town, that’s what we need.”

  Sadie ignored him, still stunned by the offer Mayor Trent had made. Law school tuition . . . She could actually go to law school—assuming she got in. On the other hand, were the Wades paying her to leave Kilby? She didn’t like the sound of that.

  “In addition, he will donate a substantial sum to the Save Our Slugs group.”

  Roy coughed, burying the word “payoff” in the scratchy sound.

  Mayor Trent gave him a sharp stare. “I’m tempted to add room and board—”

  “That’s not necessary,” Caleb said, the rumble of his chest against her back making her shiver. “I can take care of it. All of it. Sadie, you don’t have to take this deal. I can afford law school. Or I will be able to, as soon as the next contract—”

  “Hey!” Sadie tilted her face to his. “I don’t want to be one more person depending on your contract. If I marry you, it’ll be because I love you and want to be with you, not so you can support me.”

  “If?” His eyes turned stormy. “Didn’t we already settle that?”

  “When,” she corrected herself. “I meant when. But my point is—”

  “Your point is valid,” interrupted the mayor. “What you and Caleb work out between you has nothing to do with this deal. This is the Wade family paying for their horrendous behavior, which culminated in my assistant being physically assaulted by their offspring. Quite frankly, you’re letting them off easy if you take this deal. But it will avoid a big, messy court case and your name in the papers, and I know you’ve had enough notoriety over the past year. But it’s completely up to you, my dear.”

  Sadie sent Caleb a silent question. What do you think? Take their money? File a lawsuit? He looked steadily back at her, but gave no clue as to what he thought. Her leg throbbed. She needed to get home. She turned back to the other two.

  “So basically you’re offering to pay me to become a lawyer, so if Hamilton ever tries some other sleazy move, I can go after him with all the legal skills I’ll possess by that point? And I can help anyone else he messes with? Or I can help other people who have nothing to do with Hamilton?”

  Roy Wade shrugged. “Take it or leave it. I don’t care.”

  “For the sake of irony alone, I’ll take it.”

  Mayor Trent smiled triumphantly. “Good. I knew we could work this out. Sadie, you should get home. Thanks for stopping by.” She leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. “I’m going to miss the best assistant I ever had.” Turning to Caleb, she added, “I bet the Catfish will miss you too. For a very brief moment in time, the team actually looked good.”

  From across the room, Roy gave an unpleasant snort. “Another thing you and your church ladies are about to ruin.”

  “Excuse me?” Mayor Trent swung around with a frown. “What are you talking about?”

  “The league’s fed up with Crush Taylor. They want him out. If he goes, t
he team will move somewhere else. He only keeps it here because Kilby’s his hometown. Anyone else would move it to a bigger city.”

  The mayor tapped her fingers against her side in a rapid rhythm. Stress. Sadie recognized it. “We’ll see,” she finally said. “Crush Taylor has a way of coming out on top.”

  Was Sadie the only one who noticed how worried Wendy Trent suddenly seemed?

  “Something’s going on between Crush Taylor and the mayor,” she whispered to Caleb as they made their way back to his rental car. “I’d kill to know exactly what.”

  “No way. They’re complete opposites. And Crush is always lecturing the players about not getting serious about girls.”

  “Oh really?” She gave him a teasing nudge, just because it felt so good to touch him. “Didn’t you propose to me not long ago? You just don’t listen, do you?”

  He winked back at her. “Nope. I’m a rebel, baby. A rebel with a cause.”

  “What cause?”

  “The best. Getting into your pants.”

  Accidentally-on-purpose, she grazed his foot with her crutch.

  “Did I say get into your pants? I meant . . . win your undying love.” His broad grin nearly knocked her off her crutches. He gazed down at her, eyes shining in the darkening twilight, his big body angled protectively toward her, adjusting to the pace of her crutches.

  Well, if that was all he wanted . . . mission accomplished.

  While Sadie slept off the effects of that dramatic meeting, Caleb visited Bingo in jail.

  “Tell me the whole thing, beginning to end,” he told his father. “I need to hear it.”

  So the story spun out in all its sad absurdity. Bingo had been drawn to the ballpark because that’s where Caleb spent his time, but he’d gotten tempted by the ubiquitous prop bets. It seemed harmless. But once the Wades wanted to turn his just-for-fun sideline into a full-service bookmaking operation—and threatened to publicly reveal his connection to Caleb if he didn’t—he felt trapped. “After you gave that newspaper interview, I tried to get out. But they said they’d make it look like you gambled on the games yourself, which would be even worse.”

  That made a certain sort of sense, although something still bothered him.

  “Why did you want to bring the kids here? Were you going to use them somehow, the way you used me and Tessa?”

  “No. I swear it, Caleb. I wanted to see them. It had nothing to do with the Wades. I wish they’d never seen the boys and Tessa. One more thing to threaten me over, and I never saw it coming. I would have gone to prison for twice as long if that’s what it took to keep them away from our family.” He shook his head miserably. “I didn’t want to make trouble for you. Turns out, I made plenty without even meaning to. Do you hate me?”

  “I don’t. No. I wish you hadn’t started in with the prop bets.”

  “Christ, so do I,” Bingo groaned.

  “But it was partly my fault. I should have given you more of a chance. Invited you to the ballpark. Opened up to you more. Besides, once you got caught, you tried to protect Tessa and the boys, and I’m with you on that.”

  “Don’t give me too much credit, Caleb. I have a knack for trouble. But I don’t want my family paying for that. No more than you already have.”

  “Well, I can’t argue with any of that.” Caleb couldn’t help smiling; he was too happy to hold onto his resentment. “Maybe you should figure out a way to make trouble legally.”

  Bingo peered up at him hopefully. “Good thought, son. Good thought. I’m going to work on that.”

  Thurston Howell II—a man it was impossible to stay angry with. “Here, I almost forgot.” From his pocket, Caleb pulled out a handful of his brand new San Diego Friars baseball cards, already signed. “We’re working on a probation agreement. In the meantime, just in case you need to tell anyone about your sort-of-famous son, take these.”

  He pushed them across the table. Bingo touched them as if they were made of gold. “Really? You don’t mind?”

  “I don’t mind. See you soon, Bingo.”

  Late September

  Even in a meaningless game—the Friars had fallen behind too far to have any chance of making the playoffs—the atmosphere inside Friar Stadium was unbelievable. Caleb scuffed his cleats against the mound, carving it the way he wanted, with a little extra groove for his left foot. This was his office now, and even though the season was about to end, he planned to come back with a vengeance next year. When he had it just right, he took one quick glance over his shoulder for a 360-degree view of his domain. He loved the open air stadium, with its stucco surfaces, dark blue seats, and exposed steel beams painted white. The buildings of downtown San Diego soared behind the bleachers, and beyond them he caught a glimpse of the blue waters of the bay.

  If you could pitch in a ship at sea, that would be Friar Stadium.

  And Caleb loved every moment he spent on that mound. Even the tough ones. Because, now that he thought about it, maybe that was the point. Win or lose, beat or get beaten, you had to give yourself completely. No shame, no doubt, no worry, no mistrust—just put it all out there and take what comes. Even if what comes is chaos.

  Turning his attention back to home plate, where the Nationals’ Ian Garner was assuming his stance, he accepted the one-finger call for a fastball. Turn, lift, explode. The ball sizzled through the air and into the catcher’s mitt. Strike. Garner shook his head, muttering to himself.

  Meaningless game? No such thing. Not in baseball. Not for the players, because every pitch and every at-bat counted toward your stats. Every pitch was a moment that mattered.

  But with a 10-2 lead, he could at least let his gaze wander toward Section 113 in the Infield Box down the first base line. The front row seat meant for Sadie had been empty at the beginning of the game, and since then he’d been busy keeping the Nationals to two runs. But now, with two outs and Garner at 0-2, he allowed himself to glance in that direction.

  There she was. Sadie, in a red top and shorts that showed most of one long, sleek leg and the black brace on the other. She stepped carefully down the aisle, wearing a small backpack and holding a box of Cracker Jacks. The breeze played with her dark hair, sending it in whimsical little flyaways.

  Joy flooded him. There she was. Alive. With him. With him. He wasn’t alone anymore. Sadie was with him. No matter what curveballs his career or his family threw his way, Sadie would be with him. She was his home plate, his dugout, and his Cy Young Award all wrapped into one sexy, delicious package.

  The next pitch he threw, a knuckleball, took chaos to a whole new level, dancing and whirling like a demented hornet. Garner, incredible hitter that he was, got a piece of it and crunched out a fifty-five footer. Caleb snagged it, tossed it to first ahead of Garner for out number three, then, instead of heading toward the home dugout with the rest of the team, he kept on going.

  It happened in a blur, the way it had last time. One minute he was on the field, completing the one-three play to end the inning, the next he was over the dark-blue-padded barrier and scrambling toward Sadie. Then she was in his arms, her Cracker Jacks flying into the air, her smile setting his world on fire.

  He kissed her with passionate hunger while Cracker Jacks cascaded onto their heads. It wasn’t as if everything else disappeared. He heard the roar of voices all around, felt the trembling of the stadium floor as fans stampeded to get a good shot of them. The breeze kissed them with the scent of peanuts and salty ocean. The moment held all those things, and he loved them all, because Sadie was in his arms and he loved her.

  The voice of the play-by-play announcer from someone’s radio caught his attention. “He’s done it again! Shades of Caleb Hart’s infamous attack in the stands down in Kilby. This doesn’t look like the same kind of thing, but even so, the Friars have to be wondering just how stable Hart is. They’re pinning their hopes for next season on his missile launcher arm. But can they count on him to stay on the darn field?”

  One of the Fox color commentary gir
ls came running up, along with a cameraman, who aimed the camera at them. The red light warned them they were live on the Jumbotron.

  “Caleb Hart, can you explain what’s happening?”

  Sadie, shaking with laughter, buried her face against his chest. He wrapped one arm tightly around her. “I haven’t seen my fiancée in a while, and I guess I got a little carried away.”

  “So this is your fiancée?”

  Sadie angled her head at Caleb, wrinkling her nose in a way that promised sweet vengeance later on. Then she too turned to the reporter. “Hi. I’m Sadie Merritt.” She gave a little wave to the camera.

  He loved the way she said her name, so proud. Maybe she’d shaken off her ghosts too.

  “How do you feel about your future husband joining the Friars pitching roster?”

  “Anyone would be lucky to have Caleb on their team. I’m not saying that just because I love him, even though I’m crazy about him. He’s a great player, and the thing is, he’s just getting started. All you Friars fans should sit back and enjoy the ride. Next season’s going to be amazing.”

  A cheer went up around them. Caleb squeezed her shoulder, so touched he couldn’t say anything. So this was what it felt like to have someone with him.

  “How did the two of you meet? Mind telling us the story?”

  Sadie turned and met Caleb’s gaze, tossing that question to him. He knew a besotted smile had spread across his face and he probably looked ridiculous up on those Jumbotrons. He didn’t care. He bent down and brushed a soft kiss across her lips. “She tried to kick me out of Kilby. She didn’t know what a stubborn guy I am.”

  “Are all the stories about the Kilby Catfish true?”

  The Nationals were taking the field, and a few catcalls floated toward them. The first Friars batter was moving toward home plate, limbering up. Caleb had to get back to the dugout before he caused any more of a disruption. “Gotta go. Enjoy the game, everyone!” He waved and turned to Sadie, who gave him one last radiant smile.

  “See you after the game,” he whispered, for her ears only.