Fielder's Choice

  The Arizona game went thirteen innings. Matt wasn’t sure if it was frustration or the fact that he was late getting home that fueled his long double through the gap. His hit gave Alex enough time to score from first and win the game.

  “Hey, no shower?” Scotty said as Matt tugged on his jeans.

  “Late for the babysitter.” He couldn’t bring himself to use the word nanny. And he shouldn’t have told the woman she could go home by eleven. “Gotta run.”

  Alex walked up to his locker, a few feet down from Matt’s.

  “My cousin Alana called me from Paris,” Alex said as he stripped out of his game jersey. “Told me your daughter signed up for every camp at her ranch.” He chuckled. “She also reported that you saved her from breaking her neck. “ He wrapped a towel around his waist and shrugged. “She’s not quite in step with country life.”

  “I noticed,” Matt said.

  “She’s like a Green Acres character,” Scotty said as he sat in the chair next to Matt’s locker. “I can just see her tooling around the ranch in spike heels.” He shot Matt a grin. “But don’t let her fool you. She’s mean on the volleyball court, got a wicked left hook. Almost took Chloe out once, back in the good old days when we were single.”

  “She’s okay,” Alex said.

  Scotty crossed his arms and shot Alex a mock glower. “She’s okay? We are talking about the same beloved cousin you warned me off last year before I met Chloe, aren’t we? Softening in your old age, Alex?”

  “Just because you have a ring on your finger doesn’t mean you know much about women, Donovan.” Alex turned to Matt. “She’s just a little flighty and unfocused. Too many years on the social circuit.”

  Matt heard the ambivalence in Alex’s voice.

  “The place should be great for kids,” Matt said. “And she’s got a good staff.” Why he felt compelled to defend her, he wasn’t sure. But his teammates’ wariness was duly noted and logged.

  “Want to come out with us for a beer?” Alex asked. “Requires a shower.”

  It was the first time Matt had been invited out with any of the guys. He’d watched from a distance as they’d made plans and joked but until that moment, he’d always felt like an outsider.

  “Some other time,” he said as he pulled a T-shirt over his head. “Gotta run.”