Fair Catch (5 page)

What?
She gasped and stood up abruptly. “No. I can’t ever face him again.” In fact, she needed to make sure the opportunity to see him again never arose. “Do you think Owen will help me move back to Boulder?”

This time Betsy laughed. “You’re not going anywhere. The man is a celebrity. He’s used to star-struck women.”

“I am not star-struck.” Bitter—maybe—but not star-struck.

Raising an eyebrow, Betsy grinned. “Prove it.”

“Why?”

“Because, I like having you for my neighbor.”

“He’ll think I’m a crazy lunatic.” She couldn’t face him.

“Ellie, believe it or not, he’s feeling lonely and needs friends just like everyone else.” Betsy gently pushed her toward the door. “Now go on over there and talk to him.”

“Can’t you come with me?”

Betsy narrowed her eyes. “No. Now get over there.”

Well, if she was going to be like that…Ellie wasn’t going anywhere. She crossed her arms in front, tempted to stomp her foot.

One side of Betsy’s mouth tipped up. “You’ll feel much better if you do.”

Oh, all right
! Acting like a petulant child, Ellie glared at Betsy. “Fine.” She marched out the front door and crossed the street. She would apologize, but that was it. Whatever schemes Betsy had planned needed to stop.

She sucked in a deep breath before knocking on the door. Boy, she could sure use some chocolate right now.

Chapter Four

Nick
sat at his kitchen table, eating the delicious bread and thinking about the woman who had made it for him. He tore off another chunk of bread and stuffed it in his mouth, crumbs falling on the table. The blonde—Ellie—was single. She also seemed irritated with him and well…uninterested. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had rejected him. Maybe junior high?

Just as he tore off another piece of bread, he heard the doorbell. Brushing the crumbs from the front of his shirt, he walked toward the door, wondering who it would be this time. He was surprised to find Ellie standing there with her golden, curly hair cascading over her shoulders.

She did not look happy. But man was she beautiful.

“Hi again,” Nick said, unable to hide his grin.

“Hi.” She took a very deep breath, as if trying to fortify herself. “I…You…” Pursing her lips, she closed her eyes, clearly trying to gain composure.

Nick shifted his stance, studying her flawless features and perfect mouth. What would it be like to…

She opened her eyes and caught him staring. Her aqua colored eyes narrowed a fraction. “I’m sorry. I was surprised to find out you were the new home owner.”

“Keep baking me bread and I think I can forgive you.”

Finally, he was rewarded with a tiny smile. “Trust me. You wouldn’t want any bread I baked.”

Puzzled, he glanced over his shoulder. “Uh, that was probably the best bread I’ve ever had.”

She laughed. “Sorry. Betsy made the bread. She just conveniently asked me to bake it for her while she ran some errands.”

Nick raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Ahh.” Perhaps Betsy was trying to do a little matchmaking. How convenient. “Well, thanks for baking it then.” Ellie seemed much friendlier. Maybe he would invite her in.

Before he asked, she gave him a look he couldn’t quite read. “It was nice meeting you.” Then she backed up and waved. “Welcome to the neighborhood. I guess I’ll see you around.”

She guessed
?

Stunned, Nick didn’t know how to respond and watched her walk away. Accustomed to fighting off unwanted attention, he didn’t know what to do. It was obvious the woman wasn’t being coy or playing games with him. She really didn’t seem to like him. Was the move to Colorado meant to humble him?

With his confidence sliding a few notches, he stepped back inside his house and closed the door. He was a man, and men did have egos—whether they wanted to admit it or not—and his had just been bruised. Twice.

* * *

Ellie had done it. She had apologized. The guy seemed nice enough. Confident. Handsome. She chewed on her bottom lip remembering the fit of his T-shirt, revealing huge biceps, broad shoulders and a very solid chest.

She hadn’t meant to notice those kinds of things and told herself to stop being so silly. But as she walked across the street, she could feel his eyes on her. It unnerved her. How could one man exude the aura of so much male? No wonder he was so popular.

Marching toward her house, she was determined not to be one of the masses that seemed to melt at the sight of his crooked grin or those incredible blue eyes. Nope, he was just another man
. Lie
. She wasn’t attracted to him.
Lie
. She wasn’t going to think about him.
Lie, lie, and lie
.

Betsy seemed shocked to see her so soon. “Did you talk to him?”

Ellie nodded her head. “I apologized and he accepted.”

“Hmm.” Betsy was clearly disappointed.

“And the jigs up. He knows I didn’t make the bread.”

Betsy frowned. “That’s okay, he would have found out eventually.”

“I am not interested in that man.” She was such a liar and probably protesting a little too much.

Betsy studied Ellie intently. Then she smiled and patted her on the arm. “Okay. I just want to make sure we make him feel as welcome as when you moved in.”

Ellie pressed her lips into a tight line. Betsy had her there.

Apparently she was going to leave and let her stew a little. “See ya, honey. Remember dinner tonight.”

Ellie closed her eyes. It was Saturday. Ever since she’d moved in, she and Cade had dinner with the Stewarts every Saturday night. Dang, now she had to think about what to wear. She just bet Mr. MVP was also invited.

* * *

Hours after her forced apology, Ellie stepped out of the shower and towel dried her hair. She poked her head out of the bathroom door and called for Cade. They had spent the day at the park and she wished she could’ve lingered in the shower just a little longer.

When Cade didn’t answer, she wrapped a large bath towel around her snugly and called out again. Her stomach dropped when saw the television on, but no little boy sitting in front of the screen.

Feeling a little panicked, she hollered out his name again. “Cade! Where are you?” She rounded the corner into the living room and stopped in her tracks, horrified to see the front door wide open.

This was the last thing she needed. Her day had started off so bad and now this. Without thinking about it, she instinctively rushed outside and shouted Cade’s name again. Looking around, she couldn’t see him anywhere. Betsy and Owen had just called and said they were running to the store for a few things and the Colemans were still out of town. The only other house was Nick Coulter’s.

Oh, no.
It looked like his door was slightly ajar. Biting her lip, she looked down at the large bath towel and then back at the house. “Oh, snap!” she cursed. What was she supposed to do? If Cade was in danger, she didn’t have time to get dressed. There was a very good chance he was wandering somewhere outside.

She hollered one more time. “Cade Thomas Garrett, if you’re outside you had better come home right now!”

Feeling panicked, she started looking in the yard. She prayed he was hiding from her and hadn’t left the property.

* * *

Nick’s day was filled with multiple telephone conferences as he geared up for the opening of the
Kids Come First
summer camps. His head swam with all the things that had to fall into place in order for it to be successful, and yet, Ellie Garrett and her aqua-blue eyes kept popping up in his already full head.

He glanced at the time on the bottom of the computer screen and thought about Ellie again. It was almost time for dinner at the Stewarts’ house and he was pretty sure Ellie was going to be there. If she got to know him a little better she might not be so uptight. At least he hoped.

Closing his laptop, he looked around his house. It was so quiet he could hear himself breathing. For the first time in a long time, Nick was free from the media and adoring fans. As much as he hated the loneliness, it was kind of nice to feel normal.

Of course, being rebuffed by a beautiful woman had really made him feel normal. A little too normal. He had to ask himself if maybe Pleasant Wood was
too
quiet.

Maybe he’d been hasty in retiring so soon, but the doctor had told him that if he took another blow to the head, he might not have an elevator that went all the way to the top. Playing professional football for the past eight years on top of his college days, had taken its toll on his body.

The doorbell chimed, interrupting his thoughts. Before he could answer it, the door creaked open and in poked a little blond head.

Nick grinned. “Hi, Cade.” He looked expectantly at the door for Ellie to follow her son. When she didn’t immediately show up, he figured Cade had probably come to the wrong neighbor’s house, looking for a treat. He made a mental note to get a cookie jar with Oreos in it.

The little boy looked around, his eyes wide with curiosity. “This looks fun.”

Nick raised an eyebrow. To a kid, the large entryway with bare hardwood floors and devoid of any furnishings probably resembled a small gym.

“Yeah, I guess it does.” He took a step toward the little boy to escort him home when he heard Cade’s name being called. The alarm in Ellie’s voice was clear. “Hey, Cade, did you tell your mom where you were going?”

Cade shook his head. “Nope, she was in the shower.”

Uh-oh
. He knew he better get the kid out of his house quickly. “I think we need to tell your mom where you are, buddy. She’s probably pretty worried.” Worried? From the sound of the woman’s voice, she bordered on hysteria.

Cade shrugged his shoulders, but didn’t make any attempt to move. “Come on, little guy, let’s go see your mom.” Nick reached down and took Cade’s hand. Small, warm fingers met his palm and Nick smiled down at the cherubic little face. Ellie Garrett made cute babies.

Still holding the little boy’s hand, he stepped outside and hoped Ellie would believe he had nothing to do with her son being inside his house. They made it across the street when Ellie came into view, hollering out her son’s name. Nick immediately stopped, staring in disbelief.

Ellie was wearing a towel. Should he close his eyes?

“Cade!” She was frantically looking behind a bush.

Nick was glad it was a big towel and really all he could see were ankles and bare feet. He was just about to propel the little boy forward and then make a hasty retreat to his house, when Cade shouted, “Mommy!”

Ellie abruptly turned around and gripped the towel tight. Her wet hair hung in ringlets, covering her bare shoulders. Her face flamed with color when she saw Nick, making her even more attractive.

“Oh. My. Heck.” She glanced down at her towel and then looked up again, her eyes reflecting mortification. “I…You…”

She stammered and Nick bit back a smile. Somehow he knew laughing wouldn’t go over too well. Remembering his mother had raised a gentleman, he turned his back. “He just came in to my house. Sorry.”

There was silence and Nick almost turned around again to see if she still stood there. Then she spoke to her son.

“Cade. Please come home right now.” Surprisingly, the tone of her voice sounded calm and in full control.

“Okay,” the little boy replied.

More silence ensued. Was it safe to turn around?

“Mommy,” Cade said in his little voice. “Why are you wearing a towel?”

Nick choked back a laugh.

* * *

Why indeed
? Ellie asked herself mockingly. Because she was a mother and when a mother thought her child was in danger, all sense of propriety went out the window.

She thought about thanking Nick—for returning Cade
and
turning his back—but she changed her mind when she saw his shoulders shaking. He was laughing at her!

Clutching Cade’s hand, she rushed back inside the house and marched up the stairs. “Cade Thomas Garrett, don’t ever leave this house again while I’m in the shower.” Now that he was safe, her anger stemmed more from her embarrassment.

His little mouth turned down into a frown. “But I just wanted to say hi to Nick.”

She knelt down and softened her voice. “Cade, you scared mommy when I couldn’t find you. It was wrong for you to leave without asking me for permission.”

“I’m sorry, Mommy. Do I have to have a time out?”

Well, now that he brought it up… “Yes. I want you to sit right here while I finish getting ready.” Discipline had never been one of her strong points. She rarely raised her voice and she had never spanked her child.

“Can I go in your room and watch SpongeBob?”

He looked so repentant, but she couldn’t have Cade pull that kind of stunt again. “No, sweetie.” His bottom lip quivered and his blue eyes were bright with unshed tears, tugging at her heart. “But you can run and get one of your Transformers to play with while you’re in time out.” What a pushover. She never could stick to a punishment. But then again, he was missing his favorite show.

Thirty minutes later, Ellie dressed in a pair of jeans and the only decent shirt that was clean—a plain blue tee that fit a little too snugly. She really needed to add sit-ups to her exercise regimen. As she applied lip-gloss, she seriously considered moving back to Boulder. This just hadn’t been her day. First, the welcome-to-the-neighborhood scene gone awry from this morning. Second, the indecent exposure debacle.

She was buying a very thick bathrobe on Monday. If Cade did something like that again, at least she wouldn’t be so exposed. In reality, her neighbor hadn’t seen much. The towel was big and her hair had covered her back and shoulders. But still…

It would be so embarrassing to see him again, and she would see him in approximately five minutes—that is if she could ever get the guts to actually leave her house. Technically, Ellie had been ready for a while now, but she lingered in the bathroom because her hair wouldn’t do what she wanted it to do and her makeup seemed a little overdone.