Thrown By Love (5 page)

“I have to go—I lost track of the time.” She smoothed her skirt down her legs. She had legs like an athlete, toned and long and lean. He stopped himself from imagining those legs gripped in ecstasy around his hips.

“If you’re in town for a few days, maybe we could go for a walk,” he said in the most casual tone he could muster. “You’re about the only person I can talk stars with.” He meant it, but also knew it was the only lure he could throw. Despite his vow not to pursue her, he’d do just about anything to see her again.

She looked unsure, maybe frazzled and worried, but interested too.

“How about Monday morning?” When she didn’t answer, he added, “Just a walk?”

When she said yes and told him her cell number, he ignored the warning in his gut and punched the number into his phone. She grabbed the bag with the other two cookies and rushed out of the bookstore. Wherever she was headed, she was in a mighty hurry.

Chapter Four

On Monday, Scotty stood at the top of the cliff overlooking the beach and checked his watch. It was the third time he’d looked in fifteen minutes. Chloe was late. Or maybe she’d changed her mind since they’d exchanged text messages the day before to arrange a meeting place and time. That he was breaking his usual routine on a day he was scheduled to pitch gnawed at him, but his desire to see her won out.

He tapped his finger along the metal rail of the overlook. To distract himself, he counted the wooden stairs leading to the beach. Twenty-six. Beyond the wide crescent of pebbled beach, the sea stretched out, a vast blanket of blue spreading to the horizon. He’d loved growing up in Nebraska but since he’d moved out to the coast, he knew he’d never move back. He’d fallen in love with the ocean.

In his peripheral vision, he saw a kid walk toward him, holding out a piece of paper. He signed the autograph for the boy and answered a couple of predictable questions. Apparently satisfied with the answers, the kid ran off toward the souvenir shop and was scooped up by a man Scotty was sure was his dad.

A silver Jetta pulled up and Chloe stepped out. He muttered a brief prayer to the timing gods. Neither of them needed to be reminded of their roles in the game, not if they were going to enjoy their walk. And he had every intention of doing just that.

“There was a parade on California Street,” Chloe said. “California Street! There are
never
parades on California Street.”

He shrugged. “I’ve only been in San Francisco long enough to know where to get something to eat at midnight. Don’t know much about parade routes.” When she smiled, he couldn’t help adding, “It looks like
never
is living up to its reputation for promoting exceptions.”

As he studied her, he saw the lines of strain around her eyes. Something was eating at her. He resisted the temptation to scoop her up and offer to make it all better. He probably couldn’t anyway, but it shocked him that he had the urge.

“Sorry I’m late.” She fidgeted with the hem of her sweater. “I hate to be late.”

“No worries—the pelicans that flew by ten minutes ago promised to make a pass back this way. You haven’t missed anything.”

If anyone were to ask him what they talked about as they walked along the beach, he might’ve been able to give a general report. But his attention wasn’t on words, though the conversation was animated and easy. He soaked in everything about her as if he’d been starved of sight for a lifetime—the way the sun gleamed in her hair, the way her hips swayed as she walked, the curves of her, the strength of her. They navigated the rocks at the far end of the beach, and she hopped along them with an agility he could only hope to master. But what captivated him most was her laugh. If the gentlest summer breeze had a sound, he was sure it would sound like Chloe’s laugh. He was definitely hovering near high-risk territory—he was pretty sure he’d do almost anything to make her laugh.

After they talked and walked and laughed through the world’s problems, rejecting the idea that starting over on a distant planet was the world’s best option, they walked back toward the stairs that led to the street. Thirty yards from them, he saw a brown form huddled near a pile of seaweed. Then he saw it move.

He stopped Chloe by grasping her arm. He hadn’t dared touch her down at the beach, except to help her over a slippery rock, hadn’t trusted himself not to back her up against the cliff and taste her once again.

“I’m going to check that out. I think it’s a dog.”

“More likely a seal.” She fished in her purse and pulled out her cellphone. “We can call Jackie Brandon’s center. They rescue stranded seals.”

He felt her eyes on him as he approached the shivering brown shape. It wasn’t a seal. It was a very hungry, very frightened dog. Its coat was mottled and patchy, and its eyes had the vacant stare of hunger, a hunger that had taken too much of a toll for too long for the dog to seek out food. Scotty’d seen dogs abandoned like this on roadsides in Nebraska; it seemed odd to see them near the beach. His mother had once threatened to kick him out of the house when he’d brought home a third hungry dog in a single month, but he was an adult now, and this dog needed help.

“Easy, boy.” He reached out his hand and let the animal sniff. The dog had a wonderful face, looked to be part kelpie and part pit bull or terrier. Scotty’s anger rose. There were animal shelters, plenty of them; letting a dog suffer like this was cruel. The dog had no collar; Scotty hadn’t expected one. The animal licked his hand, and Scotty was a goner. Just like that, he or she was going home with him.

He turned his head to call to Chloe, then remembered he’d taken the Muni and walked from Twenty-fifth Street.

Chloe came up beside them. “Poor pupper. He’s starving.”

“And in need of serious medical attention. Do you know of a good vet in town?”

“My dad’s vet is great. She’s in the Marina District. You could take him directly there.”

“I’ll have to call a cab. I didn’t bring my car.”

She appeared puzzled at first, then reached down and patted the dog. “Easily remedied. I have mine.”

After that, he really wanted to kiss her. He resisted his urge and scooped up the dog. It didn’t growl or whimper, another bad sign. They loaded him into the back seat of Chloe’s car, and she drove straight to the vet’s office. They got lucky; it was a light day and the vet called him in right away. Chloe insisted on waiting for them. They’d need a ride home, she said with a gentle smile that lanced right through him. He was pretty sure the woman had little idea of her effect on men. Or if she did, she hid it well.

Helping Scotty with the dog took Chloe’s mind off her worries about her dad. Yesterday he’d talked his way out of the hospital, but only after his doctor made him agree to hire a private nurse to monitor him. He’d continued to be evasive about what was wrong, and the hospital staff followed protocol and wouldn’t disclose information that he wanted kept private. While he napped later in the day, she’d talk to the nurse he’d hired, see if there was anything she should know. She just wanted him better; stressing him out with questions wouldn’t help him. But the compassion in the nurse’s eyes when Chloe left the apartment had told her more than she wanted to know.

She settled into the waiting room of the vet’s office and sorted through the magazines on the table next to her. She wasn’t sure of the differences between
People
and
Us
, but she picked up the
People
magazine and flipped through it. What was it about the challenges and triumphs of celebrities’ lives that held such fascination? She found herself reading about the latest romance between a young actor and a musician she’d never heard of. And why was it that the marvel of galaxies and stars—not to mention the miracle of life, for goodness’ sake—never held such appeal?

Her thoughts didn’t stay on such questions for long. Though she stared at the pages, the images that flew in her mind were of Scotty. He’d barely touched her to help her climb over a high section of rocks so they could explore a hidden cove on the beach, but that touch had sent the same fire through her body that his kiss had on the night of the gala. At one point she’d thought he’d kiss her. She’d felt both relieved and disappointed when he hadn’t.

It’d just been too long since she’d had any sort of meaningful relationship with a man. No—she slapped the magazine closed—it’d been too long since she’d had
any
relationship with a man. Last year one of her friends had set her up with a guy from the city, but that had been a mistake. Within a week he’d had her life planned out; it didn’t take long to see that the plan was mostly to benefit him and his life and—most of all—to entice her dad to invest in his business. She’d cut it off and kept a low profile ever since.

But she couldn’t deny she was attracted to Scotty. It was the strength of the attraction and the instant flare of it that had her mystified.

She was rational, knew there had to be an explanation for her unsettling reactions.

She closed her eyes and pictured him, immediately smiling at the image. She did that a lot, she realized. Smiled when she was with him, when she thought of him. Being around him, just thinking about him, was drawing her out of her carefully tended shell. The armoring bits of it had already fallen away, though she couldn’t put her finger on exactly when or how. She’d once watched a swallow hatch outside her bedroom window, observing with patient awe as the tiny bird poked its head through the egg that had held it warm and safe. She imagined that the expression of wariness and curiosity, the drive to live that had shown on its still featherless face, was showing on her face as well.

She’d never met a man who shared her passion for the mysteries of life, at least not one with the sensibilities of both poet and scientist. The guys in school had been all over the cool science stuff, but they hadn’t understood the mystery and the allure, the beauty of the universe in all its facets. She loved that she and Scotty shared so many interests. They could talk about anything.

She looked up, startled, at a deep
woof
from behind a closed door. She and a woman holding a shaking Chihuahua shared a laugh before Chloe opened her magazine again.

Yes, she and Scotty could talk about anything, but who was she kidding? She’d
never
met a man who fired her up in the deep places of her soul.

Yet Scotty Donovan was off limits. She never, ever let herself get involved with ballplayers, especially baseball players. Such a relationship crossed too many lines. It’d be fodder for the press and if it went sour, no one could fire her. But knowing her father, any player who broke her heart would be at serious risk of losing his job.

She flipped another page in the magazine. There, staring up at her from a sidebar, was a photo of Scotty with a gleaming young woman smiling ear to ear. She was gorgeous.
All-Star Scotty Donovan and date at the Black and White Ball
, the caption read. She peered closer, bringing the page almost to her nose. The guy was not only off limits, he was a player in every sense of the word. Could have any woman he wanted. Probably did.

She checked the front of the magazine. The date was from the previous week. She told herself that a similar photo could’ve been snapped of her and him at the gala where they’d met and
they
weren’t in any kind of relationship. That she was even entertaining thoughts about the two of them was ridiculous.

The door to the vet’s exam room creaked open, and Scotty walked toward her. He wasn’t smiling, but she hadn’t expected him to be. She’d seen what shape the dog was in. She snapped the magazine closed and tossed it on the table.

“He’ll have to stay here for a few days.” He sat in the chair next to hers and dropped his head into his hands. “But he’s not in as rough shape as he looks. The vet says he’s made of strong stuff; he’ll pull through. She’s got him on an IV.”

He ran one hand around the back of his neck and then met her eyes.

She felt her heart drop to her belly. She wasn’t only looking at him, but into him. He had a deep capacity to love, she could see it. Could actually see the compassion reaching out from him. But she quickly told her herself that she mustn’t confuse his love for an injured dog with affection toward her.