Just Practicing (Hearts for Ransom Book 2)

by Georgia Evans

  “You—big guy in the center…” Willie was looking expectantly at Bo. “I need you to turn a little to your right.”

  Bo felt like a bona fide idiot as he turned. If any of his teammates made even one comment about him modeling, there was going to be at least one calendar page adorned with a black-eyed man.

  “Handsome man down in front.” Snickers abounded as Brody groaned. “Step forward just a little. The camera is going to love you.”

  “Like the ladies,” Coop muttered, which brought on another round of chortles.

  “And you with the beard…” Willie had to be talking to Mason. “Cheer up. This isn’t a funeral.”

  Since Bo had “turned a little to his right,” he couldn’t see Mason without turning in the other direction. Surely, Mason was clowning around. He couldn’t imagine the player not being gung-ho about having his picture in a calendar. He’d probably hand them out to women at Trimble’s, hoping to pick up some action.

  “Good.” Willie nodded. “Now, you’re all big, strong men selling auto parts, so don’t smile. Just look pleasant.”

  How in the heck was he supposed to look “pleasant”? What exactly did that mean?

  “Big man in the center, you’re frowning,” Willie chided. “You’ve just seen somebody walk into the store, and you’re happy he…or she’s here.”

  Now he was talking. Bo could do that. He automatically pictured Jan stepping past Willie and standing there.

  “Wonderful!” The camera flashed brightly several times.

  “Now, let’s try a few different poses,” Willie told them. “Troy wants three pages of the entire team, and we can’t use the same pose for each one.”

  There were audible groans as he set about rearranging the order and positions in which they stood or sat this time.

  After what Bo considered to be a grueling hour of being photographed as a team, Willie clapped his hands.

  “Okay. All of you can come back behind the equipment. We’ll start the individual shots.”

  “What are the rest of us supposed to do while you’re taking pictures of one of us?” Jesse asked.

  “This isn’t a doctor’s office,” Willie announced crisply, “and you’re not children. I should hope you can stand there patiently until it’s your turn. Once I’m finished with you, you’re free to go.” He practically glared at Jesse. “Or do you want me to send Celia for some lollipops?”

  “Now, there’s no need talking to me like that,” Jesse informed him. “I just asked a simple question. Troy isn’t ever rude to us, and I can’t believe he’d want his friend to be, either.”

  And there was that strong, stern Stringbean again. It never ceased to amaze Bo when that voice came out of the farm-boy’s mouth.

  The photographer had the grace to look embarrassed. “I apologize,” he said in a much nicer tone of voice. “I’ve had a difficult week here at the studio, and this is usually my day off. I shouldn’t take my frustration out on you.”

  “That’s okay,” Jesse responded amiably, his normal grin in place.

  “If you’ll all just be patient, I’m going to photograph you in monthly order. Troy told me which one of you is to be on each month’s page. I’ll just call out your name, and you can come to the staged area when it’s your turn,” Willie explained.

  “Do you know which month our group pictures will be used?” Matt asked.

  “Certainly,” Willie answered. “Your team photos will be featured in January, June, and December.”

  Bo followed along as the men moved to the area behind the camera. He didn’t miss the way “Celia” was checking out each one of the players, including him. She could just keep her eyes elsewhere as far as he was concerned.

  Willie walked over to a large storage garage with a sliding door and picked up some objects. It took him a few trips to carry all of them to the area where they would pose.

  “Brody Gaines will be our February player,” Willie, back in front with his camera, announced. As Brody stepped forward, the photographer chuckled. “I see why Troy would want you for Valentine’s Day month.”

  Brody promptly held his hand behind his back and flipped his teammates off as they began ribbing him again. It looked like Abby might be wearing off on him.

  Bo stood there with the others and watched as Brody stood or sat in a variety of poses, with a group of vehicle batteries placed around him. In one pose, he held a battery under his arm. Bo thought Brody was going to chuck it at them when Coop snickered and hollered, “Gonna start chargin’ the ladies, Gaines?”

  “You guys bite.” Brody borrowed Bo’s catchphrase as he walked past them and left the studio.

  Logan was their March man, and he went through a similar series of poses, only Willie exchanged the batteries for brakes, brake pads, and calipers. Bo had to bite back a laugh when Logan was instructed to lift a brake in each hand as if he were lifting dumbbells. While he didn’t say anything, he didn’t appear too happy as he left.

  Bo hoped Willie would just call his name and get it over with already, so he could get home and continue the game he and his family had been playing. But he stood there and watched as Coop posed with carburetors, Colton knelt beside alternators, Matt had shocks and struts strewn around him, and Jake posed with various impact wrenches. Bo had to laugh when Jesse walked up there and Willie carried over some jack stands. Like the tallest man on the team needed to be taller?

  Then it was finally down to Mason and Bo.

  “Mason Wright, you are October,” Willie announced. Bo silently groaned. He should have known he’d be the very last one, since he was in such a hurry to get home.

  “Mason. Which one of you is Mason?”

  Bo looked over at Wright. He was just standing there, staring into space.

  “Wright, he’s talking to you.” Bo reached over and lightly shoved Mason’s shoulder.

  “What?” Mason seemed startled.

  “It’s your turn,” Bo told him.

  Mason slowly walked up to the staging area, where Willie had set two air compressors. Bo would have made a comment about Mason fitting right in with equipment that blew air, but the other man wasn’t acting like himself at all.

  He watched disbelievingly as Mason woodenly posed for each shot.

  “No, no.” Willie was unhappy. “This will never do.” He walked up to Mason, scratching the few hairs on his head. “You need to loosen up.” He turned and scanned the room. “Celia, put down the clipboard and come over here.”

  The blonde turned and left the board and pen on the desk before walking to her boss.

  “Loosen him up,” Willie ordered her.

  Bo stood there, amazed. What had Willie just instructed his assistant to do?

  She walked over to Mason and wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled against him.

  What happened next stunned Bo. It wasn’t the woman’s behavior. It was what Mason did.

  “No, thank you.” He pulled himself away from the girl and stepped back. “You’ll just have to make do with what I’m giving you,” he told Willie. Then he appeared to relax a little and stood more naturally.

  Willie’s assistant walked back and fetched her clipboard, a mixture of astonishment and embarrassment on her face. Bo wondered if she was aware that she had just been shunned by the team’s biggest Lothario.

  “You alright?” He had to ask as Mason walked past a few minutes later.

  Mason nodded and kept walking.

  Bo couldn’t get the image of Mason stepping away from the woman out of his mind for the first few poses with an exhaust system, but after Willie reminded him to think of somebody he really wanted to see coming in, all he saw was his wife.

  “I finished the sweater for your baby girl,” Gertrude happily announced, “but I want to wait until I get the booties and mittens finished before I give it to you. Is that okay?”

  “Of course,” Jan assured the sweet old lady. Maybe she’d put back the set Gertrude gave her. Who knew? She might just have a
daughter someday.

  “You’re smiling again.” She jumped a little when Lance spoke in her ear.

  “Is there a law against being happy now?” She was well aware that her smile was still firmly in place.

  “Nope.” Lance grinned at her. “You’ve been mighty happy for the past couple of weeks. I can’t help but wonder if your husband has something to do with that.”

  She shrugged. She was relieved that Lance appeared not to harbor any held-back feelings for her, but still… “It’s not really any of your business, is it?”

  He looked at her with surprise written all over his face. “You’re in love with Bo, aren’t you?”

  It hit her just like that. She wasn’t happy only because she was sleeping with her husband every night. She was happy because she was sleeping with the man she loved every night.

  “Are you okay, Jan?” Lance suddenly seemed concerned. “You’re downright white.”

  “I need to take my break. Okay?” Jan didn’t wait for his response. She walked out the back door to the flower garden. As soon as she reached the swing, she sat down and put her head in her hands.

  What was she going to do? She and Bo had a deal—to be married for Seth’s sake. They were just “meeting each other’s needs,” so they wouldn’t break their wedding vows for the next five years. He had never acted interested in it lasting longer than that…not really.

  If she told Bo she loved him, she’d chase him away. They wouldn’t even have their time together like they did now. No. She was going to have to hide her feelings. But how was she going to make love with her husband and act like they were just having sex? Not letting him see her true feelings was going to be one of the most difficult things she had ever done.

  Jan had to do this to keep from risking their five years together. Because if she kept those five years, there was still a chance, however slim, Bo would come around and fall in love with her.

  Jan could dream. For now that was all she could do.

  “I need to go see Logan for a while. We have some stuff to talk about—work stuff,” Bo told Seth. They were at the school’s ball diamond, where Bo was supposed to watch Seth’s practice. “You’ll be okay with Coach Winters and the guys until I get back, won’t you?”

  Bo realized Seth needed more attention and reassurance than most kids his age, because of what his father had put him through.

  “But you never miss watching me practice. Who’s gonna tell me what I’m doin’ wrong?”

  “I’ll be back in a little while,” Bo assured him. “I promise I wouldn’t miss even a little bit of your practice if this wasn’t really important.”

  Seth still looked unhappy. “Okay, I guess.”

  “Thank you.” Bo turned and started to walk away, but then remembered something. “Seth?”

  “What?”

  “Can we just keep this between you and me? Like guy stuff?” He didn’t need Jan to know he was off having to ask Logan how to tell her he loved her.

  “You mean keep it a secret from Mom?” Seth asked incredulously. “Isn’t that like lying?”

  Bo nearly groaned. Why were they raising such a decent, honest young man? “It’s something really important to me that your mom doesn’t need to know about just yet. I’m not doing anything wrong or that’ll hurt her. I promise.”

  “Okay. I won’t tell her.” Seth shuffled his feet. “But you’ll be back soon, right?”

  “I’ll be back before you know it.” Bo grinned at Seth before he turned and jogged to his truck.

  He was soon sitting in Logan’s dining room with a confounded Logan across the table from him.

  “So you’re in love with Jan, and you don’t know how to tell her.”

  “That pretty much sums it up,” Bo agreed. “I’ve never told a woman…I’ve never had any reason to tell a woman I love her. And you know me. I’m not exactly a man of many words.”

  “You’ve got a point,” Logan stated sardonically. “’Loving you doesn’t bite’ probably isn’t a good way to express your feelings.”

  “How about if I tell her my whole world bites without her in it?” Bo asked.

  “Let’s just leave anything biting out of it,” Logan advised him. “I think you need to romance her.”

  “Okay.” Bo was all for that. “How do I do that?”

  Logan sighed. “I know you didn’t love Liz, but you really haven’t ever romanced a woman before?”

  Bo shook his head. “Like I said – I’ve never had any reason to. With Liz it was all about…sex. The idea I was ever with her at all makes me sick now. After I’ve seen what it’s supposed to be like.”

  “I know what you mean. I feel the same way about Em.” Logan looked past Bo, obviously doing some heavy-duty thinking. “Okay, Bo. Here goes. Have flowers sent to her at work. Em likes that. She says it embarrasses her, but I think she likes it because the other women get jealous.”

  “Flowers at work.” Bo nodded. “I can do that. What else?”

  “Romantic dates, like Butlers or Candlestop—nice places, just the two of you. Leave Seth with his grandma. Jan needs to see that you’re happy just spending time alone with her.”

  “Take her to fancy restaurants. Got it.” This all sounded doable so far.

  Logan had an “aha!” look on his face. “Buy her small gifts. Stop on your way home from work and pick up a box of candy for her—or a necklace. I brought a little teddy bear home for Emily one day, and she was all…never mind. She really liked it.”

  “So, flowers at work, dates at fancy restaurants, and little gifts…when do I tell her I love her?”

  A perplexed look crossed Logan’s features. “You’ll just know when it’s time. When you’re sitting together in a restaurant, or maybe in the living room at home. It doesn’t matter where you are; it’s just going to feel like the right time to say the words. When she thinks of how you’ve been romancing her, she’ll believe you.” He sat back and crossed his arms. “That’s my advice.”

  Bo considered all of what Logan had told him carefully. “About these small gifts. Can you give me some more ideas?”

  The two men talked until Bo glanced at his watch and was horrified to see it was almost time to pick Seth up. He missed Seth’s entire ball practice! He’d stop at a drive-through on the way home and console the boy with a milkshake.

  “I’ve gotta go. Seth’s gonna be waiting for me.” He practically ran to his truck and drove like a maniac from Logan’s house to the ball diamond.

  Coach Winters was getting into his car. Bo didn’t see any of the boys, including Seth, anywhere around.

  “Where’s my boy?” he asked the coach as he pulled up beside him.

  The coach looked at him, a displeased expression on his face. “His grandmother was here to watch him. When you weren’t here to pick him up, she took him on home. It’s policy that a parent be here to pick up their son when practice is over, Mr. Daniels. You’re lucky Seth is trustworthy enough that I knew he was telling the truth when he said it would be okay to let him leave with Mrs. Edwards.”

  “I’m sorry,” Bo told him. “It won’t happen again.”

  He pulled out of the lot and drove home as quickly as he dared. Patsy had been there, and he hadn’t. What did she think when he didn’t even show to pick Seth up? How much trouble had he caused?

  Bo didn’t even bother pulling his truck into the garage. He left it in the driveway and rushed into the house. It was too quiet. He came to a stop when he saw Jan sitting on the sofa, with only a small lamp lighting her tear stained face.

  “Jan, I can explain…”

  “Seth already told me.” He had never, in all the time he’d known her, heard that defeated tone in her voice.

  “Where is he? I need to tell him I’m sorry.” He started to walk to Seth’s bedroom.

  “He’s asleep. I haven’t seen him this upset since your wonderful trip to the zoo with your girlfriend.” She had been crying a lot from the looks of things.

  “I’m
sorry. Please let me explain.”

  “Explain what?” she asked. “That you had to desert Seth at ball practice to have some secret meeting with Logan about work? That you told Seth you’d be right back and didn’t even get there in time to pick him up? That my mother brought him home, and was fit to be tied asking me what kind of a father does that?”

  “I did have to talk to Logan. Time just got away from me…”

  “If you want to give Seth to my mother, just tell me. Don’t break his heart in the process of losing him.”

  She stood up. It was only then he noticed the blankets at the end of the couch. “I’ll be finished in the bathroom in a few minutes,” she told him, “and then I’m sleeping out here.”

  “Jan, please…”

  “Goodnight, Bo.”

  He softly swore as she walked past him. “This bites…I bite.” He had screwed up—royally. While he had been trying to figure out how to tell his wife he loved her, he was doing something that hurt her.

  He stomped out of the house. He may as well put his truck in the garage. There was no reason to rush anymore.

  “Leonard, please don’t do that anymore…not today.” Jan spoke softly as she stepped away from his pinching fingers.

  “I’m hungry!” Mildred exclaimed. “It’s time to eat, isn’t it?”

  “We’re lining up right now,” Jan told her in a tired voice. “Just as soon as everybody’s ready, we’ll walk to the cafeteria.”

  “I know her!” Mildred had just noticed Gertrude again. “She broke my arm!”

  Jan was so not in the mood to stop Mildred’s avenging cane, but she couldn’t let her beat on a defenseless woman. A giant of a man with dark hair and brown eyes—that was another story. Only she wasn’t really mad at Bo. He had hurt her beyond words the night before. She stood there, trying to make excuses for him to her mother, while she was internally screaming with frustration herself.

  “You’re not hitting Gertrude,” she ordered Mildred. “If you don’t put that cane down, I’m going to take it, and you won’t get to watch Dr. Phil after lunch.” She had never threatened to do anything like that before, but she just couldn’t deal with Mildred at that moment.