Read Online Covering Home by Heidi McCahan - Free Book Online Page A

“Get some ice. You’re done.”
    Caleb stared in disbelief. “Really?”
    “Really. We talk another time.”
    Caleb brushed past Shin, shaking his head. So this is how it is. He half-heartedly slapped the outstretched hands extended by his teammates, but their subdued reactions spoke volumes. One of the trainers from the sports medicine staff was already waiting with two bags of crushed ice and an elastic wrap. Caleb sat down on the bench at the end of the dugout and held out his arm, wincing as the ice bags contacted his skin.
    Jason eased onto the bench next to him. Caleb lifted his other hand to silence him. “Don’t. Just don’t. Whatever he told you to say, I don’t want to hear it right now.”
    Jason nodded and slunk away.
    There was nothing anybody could say to make him feel better. He’d done what he’d been trained to do since his Little League days … strike out the batter. And all it earned him was a lonely seat on the bench. He slumped against the dugout wall. “What am I even doing here?” he whispered.

Chapter Eight
    Britt flashed her press credentials at the security guard and tried to squeeze past him onto the baseball field. Reporters from every major newspaper and television station in Tokyo had swarmed the field after the Senators won the game. Even getting near a baseball player would be tricky.
    “No.” He held out a gloved hand to stop her, shaking his head in disapproval.
    She frowned, waving the plastic card on the end of the lanyard around her neck. “What do you mean?”
    He spoke quickly in Japanese, holding up both hands now to emphasize his point. She didn’t have a clue what he said, but he obviously wouldn’t let her get by.
    “Is there something I can help you with?” a familiar voice asked from behind.
    Britt whirled around to find Caleb standing there, a half-smile on his face. He still wore his Rays uniform, although there wasn’t a speck of dirt on it, and his cap was pulled low over his eyes. Something wasn’t quite right.
    “Wait a minute. You’re—”
    “Don’t you have some questions you’re supposed to ask me?” He gestured to the empty seats in the first row of the stands. “Why don’t we sit down?”
    Britt opened her mouth, then closed it again. What in the world? She looked at the chairs, scrambled to compose her thoughts, and then gave Caleb a careful appraisal. “Did you get hit in the head with a line drive? Why are you making this so easy for me?”
    He narrowed his eyes. “Like I said, why don’t we grab a seat?”
    Britt fumbled with her smartphone, determined to record his responses. If only she hadn’t been separated from Paul. In their rush to get down to the field, she’d lost him in the throng of reporters and cameramen gathered around Kentaro Hashimoto.
    “So.” Caleb sat on the chair, propped his elbows on his knees and flashed a disarming smile. “How about those Senators, huh?”
    Whether it was the absence of hair protruding from the back of his cap or the easy-going smile, Britt wasn’t sure which detail solidified her hunch. “Let’s talk about what’s really going on here. How long are you planning to keep up this ridiculous charade?”
    His smiled faded. “What?”
    “Oh, come on, Ben. I’m not stupid. You may be twins, but you can’t fool me. Your uniform isn’t even dirty.”
    Two small apples of color flushed Ben’s cheeks. “I told him this wouldn’t work.”
    “Where is the coward, anyway?” Britt craned her neck, scanning the whole field. “Would the real Caleb Scott please stand up?”
    “He’s probably halfway back to the hotel by now.”
    Britt groaned. “You’re joking, right?”
    “I wish I was.” Ben lifted his cap and scratched his head. “He’s irate. Refused to talk to anybody but me after the game.”
    “That’s a little childish, don’t you think?”
    “I can’t say that I blame him at this point. He was hired to throw strikes. That’s what he did and the manager benched him.