Nick straightened up and couldn’t hide his smile. “Yeah, I was surprised all right.” Ellie’s face paled. Teasing her probably wouldn’t be the best way to let her know he liked her. He hadn’t used that tactic since the fourth grade.
Needing a diversion, he retrieved the Nerf football from the ground. “Hey, Cade, do you wanna play catch?”
The kid’s eyes brightened. “Yeah.” Then he turned to his mom. “Can I play with him now?”
Ellie looked relieved. “Sure, honey.” Her eyes darted up and met his gaze. Her lips curved up ever so slightly. “Thanks.”
Was she thanking him for playing catch with her son or was it something else? “No problem.”
Patiently, he taught Cade how to toss and catch the football. He felt passionate about the game—something his dad had passed on to him. It was something he hoped to pass on to a son of his own. If Cade had been his, he would have been so proud of him. He certainly never would have abandoned him. Then there was Cade’s mother.
He covertly watched Ellie help with the dinner preparation and wondered how a man could have ever walked out on her. She was beautiful. But unlike most of the women he’d been around, she seemed unaware of her beauty. Her husband must have been crazy to dump her for somebody else. Betsy had hinted about the lasting effects her ex had left in his wake. Of course Ellie would be wary of trusting a man again. It made him feel better about her earlier rebuff.
He tossed the ball to Cade and allowed his eyes to stray back to Ellie. Her hair hung over her shoulder as she stirred a pitcher of lemonade. She looked up and caught him staring at her. This time her lips tipped up into a full smile. Nick grinned. Then the football hit him in the chest.
“Hey, how come you missed?” Cade asked him.
Ellie’s blush deepened and she giggled softly. Nick’s grin broadened before he tore his eyes away from her to look down at the little boy. “Sorry. I was momentarily distracted.”
Cade’s eyebrows furrowed. “Mom, what does distracted mean?”
Ellie stopped mixing the lemonade and the smile fell from her face. She looked like she didn’t know how to answer her son. It probably didn’t help to have all the other adults watching her, waiting for an answer.
“Um, it means…” The definition seemed to elude her.
Nick knelt down in front of Cade. “It means I wasn’t paying attention to you or the football.”
Pastor Owen stood next to the grill and removed the cooked hamburger patties. He laughed and added under his breath, “It also means you had your mind on something other than catching the football.”
Nick gave the pastor a sheepish grin and shrugged his shoulders. “Just remember, Cade,” he said, tossing the football up and then catching it again, “always keep your eye on the ball.” He was looking at Ellie again and winked at her before she dropped her eyes.
* * *
Ellie let out the breath she had been holding and finished mixing the lemonade. She couldn’t define what distracted meant, but she certainly knew what it felt like.
And what is with Mr. MVP? Every time she tried to sneak a peek at him, he was staring at her. Then he winked. Was he flirting with her? She almost wanted to look behind her to see if someone else stood there.
“Almost done with the lemonade?” Betsy asked as she opened a bag of potato chips.
Ellie let go of the spoon. If the lemonade had been cream, they’d have butter by now. “Yes.” She wiped her hands down the front of her jeans and tried to ignore the smug look on Betsy’s face. “Do you need me to do anything else?”
“Nope,” Betsy said as Owen brought over a plate of steaming burgers. “Looks like we’re ready to eat.”
When they stood around the table, Owen put his hands on Cade’s shoulders. “Nick, would you mind offering a prayer on the food?”
Ellie bowed her head, telling herself to get a grip on her emotions. Since Thomas’s deception, she honestly had not felt any kind of attraction for a man. So why did she have to pick somebody who was totally unattainable to have her first crush on? Maybe that’s why she felt this way—nothing could ever come from it.
As Nick said the prayer, the timbre of his voice made her stomach tighten. It figured he would offer a nice prayer. It was one more thing to break down her resolve.
After the prayer, Ellie helped Cade get his food and was dismayed when he insisted on sitting by Nick. When she approached the patio table, she took the only seat available. Across from Nick. She tried to avoid looking at him but since Cade sat beside the football player, she found her eyes drifting in Nick’s direction. More than once, their gazes connected, and for a few seconds she almost couldn’t breathe. It made her dinner difficult to ingest, what with her labored breathing. It was frustrating—she liked to eat.
The Stewarts were excellent hosts and asked Nick questions about his humanitarian work. The ice around Ellie’s heart melted a little more as she listened to Nick talk about the kids whose lives had been altered for the good. By the time everyone was finished with dinner, Ellie felt confused. She was actually beginning to like the guy.
She didn’t like that one bit.
When Betsy started to clean up, Ellie wanted to help. Owen had already taken a load into the house. If Betsy left, she would be alone with Nick. Cade was busy playing with the ice-cubes in his water glass.
Ignoring the look Betsy threw her way, Ellie grabbed a few items on the table. “Here, let me do that. You made the dinner so just sit here and relax.”
Betsy wouldn’t have it, her matchmaking mind undoubtedly in motion. “Nonsense, Owen and I can do this.” She grabbed the dishes out of Ellie’s hands. “Go on, sit down and visit with Nick.”
Visit? Not likely. Saying something stupid was more like it.
She pulled Cade onto her lap, making him a barrier between her and the gorgeous man who smiled a lot. He currently watched her with an amused expression.
“Cade, do you want to help with the dishes?” Betsy asked.
What? No! Betsy knew Cade wouldn’t be able to resist the invitation, because everyone knows that to a four-year-old, doing the dishes meant playing with water and bubbles, not work.
“Yeah!” He raced in the kitchen, leaving Ellie alone with the man wreaking havoc on her emotions.
She either had to talk to Nick or go home. Shyly, she turned to see if she could read what he thought about all of this. He still watched her, a small smile playing at his lips.
He is just a man, she reminded herself. A really good-looking man. Those eyes of his had her mesmerized and now she was the one doing all the staring. She blinked and forced herself to speak. “Thanks for playing catch with Cade.” She wondered if he knew how much it really had meant to her.
“It was fun. He’s a cute little guy.” He moved closer, sitting in the chair next to her. “I like kids, so I really didn’t mind his visit today.”
Why did he have to bring that up? “Uh, thanks for not saying anything about the…” She couldn’t say towel. “Um, he tends to escape at the most inopportune times.”
He chuckled. “You’re a good mom.”
That’s all he was going to say? Good—he recognized her exposure as that of a devoted mother. “Yeah, it’s amazing what you would do for your child when you think they’re in danger.”
She was in danger. The way he looked at her made her feel…attractive. He must have sensed the terror she felt at his nearness because he drew back and stretched out his long legs. “So, your parents are in England?”
She grabbed onto the safe topic. “Yes, Cambridge. My dad is a professor of ancient history at CU. He couldn’t resist the opportunity to teach at Cambridge for a couple of years. They love it there, especially on the weekends when they can explore all of England.” Then she told him about her two older brothers and tried not to grin—Weston and Nathan would die if they knew who she was talking to right now.
Oddly enough, they found common ground. They both lived without family around and each had two
siblings. As she listened to him talk about his parents and two sisters, it was obvious how much he loved his family. Funny, she even got the feeling that Nick Coulter felt a little alone at times. Go figure.
There really did seem to be more to this man than just a pretty face and a lucrative football career. She found herself warming up to him. Then he dropped a big, wet blanket on her.
“So, does Cade get to see his dad often?”
Twice a year was too frequent. “Not really. Thomas lives in Australia and only makes it out a couple of times a year.”
Twisting her hands in her lap, she wished Cade or the Stewarts would come back outside. She could hear her little boy’s laughter and wanted to go watch him having fun. Anything to avoid this uncomfortable subject.
Shifting her weight, she thought about just leaving anyway. Either that or change the tide of this conversation. She wasn’t quick enough, though.
Nick leaned forward, his indigo eyes studying her carefully. “Is it hard raising a child all by yourself?”
Hard, wonderful, scary, amazing…She shrugged. “I’m used to it. My parents have been a great help, especially when Cade was so little. I really miss them.”
“I’ll bet. How old was Cade when his dad left?”
She looked into his deep blue eyes and saw pity. No, it was more like compassion. She felt vulnerable revealing that her husband had found someone else and didn’t want her or the child they had created. “Cade was three weeks old.”
She heard his sharp intake of breath. What must he be thinking? Abruptly, she stood up. “Well, I need to get ready for church tomorrow. I better get Cade home.” She rushed into the kitchen, eager to escape. She could feel Nick on her heels.
“Cade, we need to go.” Her voice was fraught with emotion.
“But, Mom…”
She cast a desperate look Betsy’s way. Please understand and don’t make me stay. “I have a lot of ironing to do and need to round up Cade’s Sunday clothes.” She rambled off stupid excuses, but she didn’t care. She just needed to leave.
Again, she looked at her son. “Cade. Please.” She could feel the tears threatening. She had already made a big enough fool of herself today. Sobbing uncontrollably would make her certifiable.
Betsy must have sensed the dam was about to break. “Ellie, why don’t you go on home and get started on your ironing. I’ll bring Cade over in a little while.”
Ellie gave her a grateful smile. “Okay. Thanks for dinner.” Without meeting any other eyes in the room, she bolted out the door just as the tears started to fall.
How embarrassing to divulge she wasn’t good enough to keep her husband from leaving her. She hated Thomas for what he had done to her. Hated him for breaking his promise to her—making her a skeptical, bitter and insecure woman.
* * *
Nick watched helplessly as Ellie fled from his presence. He didn’t know if he should go after her. Why had he asked her something so personal? He was still so baffled at how any man could have walked out on this beautiful woman, but on top of that his baby son? He wanted to stop her and apologize, but she was gone before he could open his mouth.
Pastor Stewart was a smart man and knew when to leave things to his wife. “Cade, do you want me to push you on the swing?”
Cade grinned and flew out the back door. “Yeah!”
Once they were out of earshot, Betsy sighed. “What happened?”
Frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair. “I’m an idiot.”
Betsy actually smiled. “No you’re not. Our girl just has a few things to work through.”
In spite of the situation, Nick couldn’t help smiling at the reference, our girl. “I asked a personal question without thinking.” Betsy’s face remained impassive when he repeated the thoughtless words. “I feel so bad. Do you think she’ll accept my apology?”
Betsy gave him a motherly pat on his arm. “Sure she will. When I walk Cade home, I’ll see how she’s doing. Then tomorrow after church you can talk with her.”
I have to wait that long? “I won’t be in church tomorrow. I’m taking a late flight for California to tie up some last-minute business deals.” He shrugged. “Besides, I didn’t want to go to church here until after my agent releases a statement about my move to Colorado.”
“Hmm.” Betsy tapped her finger against her mouth. “Well, don’t worry about it. I’ll have a chance to talk to her. She’s a little emotional right now because Thomas called earlier and canceled a trip to take Cade to Disneyland. Ordinarily I don’t think Ellie would have been bothered by the question.”
Nick had some connections with Disneyland and was tempted to blurt out his offer to take Cade. But he wasn’t Cade’s father and he wasn’t Ellie’s husband.
The thought made him angry. His jaw clenched tightly as he tried to keep his voice low. “Here I would give anything to have a wife and family and yet this guy just threw them away like they were yesterday’s garbage.”
Nobody knew how painful it was for Nick to be thirty-four and not married. He’d heard the different rumors circulating about him. The most popular: He was a player and had commitment issues. The whole mess with Roxanne had only added fuel to that theory. The other rumor was that he didn’t really like women. All of the lies hurt, but over the past couple of years his skin had thickened so that most of the rumors didn’t cut as deep.
Betsy clicked her tongue against her teeth, shaking her head. “I think Ellie sometimes feels like she was just trash. Knowing her, she probably blames herself for Thomas’s infidelity.” She offered him a bright smile. “When you get back in town, I’ll plan another dinner. Ellie hates cooking and they eat here a lot anyway.”
Nick still felt bad, but knew he couldn’t do anything about it now. He thanked the Stewarts for dinner and went home to pack a duffle bag. Ellie Garrett was a mystery to him. She was not like any other woman he had ever met. None of his charm seemed to work with her. After this evening, he doubted she would warm up to him any time soon.
Why did that bug him so much? Yeah, he was looking for a wife, but he’d only been in Colorado a couple of days now. He had yet to even start looking. He pulled at the collar of his shirt as he drove to the airport. What if the girl he was looking for was just across the street?
* * *
After a whirlwind weekend, Nick arrived home late Tuesday afternoon. He’d been stuck in traffic caused by a multiple-car accident, making the drive home another hour longer. The flight home had been crowded, even in first class. He had signed the typical amount of autographs all the way to parking. Thankfully, no one questioned why he was in Colorado. If they were true fans they all knew about Jared and his wife’s death, and Nick’s campaign against alcohol and drunk driving.
So far his anonymity had remained. He wondered how much longer it would last. If he made it to the press release date, he’d consider it a great victory. When Alec did make his relocation public, Nick hoped it wouldn’t spark the interest of too many people, especially since he had opted for settling down in the suburbs of Denver. With his player-reputation, the more logical place would have been L.A.
At one time, L.A. seemed like the place he would live after retiring. His parents were close by and he knew Roxanne wouldn’t have lived anywhere else. But that was then. Even though Roxanne had long since left the West Coast, he still felt like Colorado was the right place.
Alec had sent him the latest gossip about Roxanne and all the partying she was doing. When her modeling contract had been canceled last year, Roxanne had gone off the deep end. Even Alec thought she was too wild—and that was saying something. She currently lived in New York, taking bit parts in a few soap operas and doing a small number of commercials. Her big break never came and the publicity she’d hoped to gain from being involved with Nick had rebounded on her.
Making his way through Pleasant Wood, he couldn’t believe how different it was compared to the fast pace of L.A. It was calmer here, like he could slow down and enjoy the scenery.
His cell phone buzzed. At a stop sign, he glanced at the caller-ID. It was Betsy Stewart. “Are you back in town?” she questioned after identifying herself. He could hear a mixer in the background. His mouth watered at the thought of one of her baked goods.
“Yeah, I just passed by Safeway.”
“Great. You still interested in having dinner tonight?”
Was that a trick question? “If I’m still invited.”
The mixer turned off and Betsy laughed. “You sure are. Cade and Ellie should be here around six. Does that work for you?”
The clock in his car read five forty, but he was a guy and could be ready in less than five minutes. “I’ll be there. Can I bring anything?”
“Just your charm.”
After the last dinner get-together, he would definitely need charm. When he mentioned this to Betsy, she assured him Ellie wasn’t mad at him, just embarrassed, and that she didn’t want any apologies.
“So I should just let it go?” he asked, tapping on his brakes as he approached an intersection not far from home.
“I knew you were a smart man. See ya soon.”
He ended the call and waited as a Honda Accord passed by. The car looked familiar—so did the driver. Their eyes met briefly then the blonde head whipped back around, her mouth open wide. Nick grinned and lifted a hand to wave.
Chapter Six
Ellie forced her eyes back on the road, narrowly missing a trashcan. Her cheeks felt hot and her mouth went dry. She swallowed back a mixture of excitement and dread. Looks like the new guy on the block was back in town.
Her face felt even hotter when she thought about the emotional breakdown a couple of days before. After she had run home from the Stewarts’, she had let herself cry over what should have been. When she’d married Thomas, they had been the perfect couple. At least that’s what she had thought at the time. Thomas worked hard, went to church with her every week and was excited about starting their family.
Fair Catch Page 5
