Read Online Seasoned Veteran by Roz Lee - Free Book Online

the playoffs. If she had her way about it, they’d make it all the way to the World Series, preferably dragging it out to the seventh game. She wanted every minute she could get with Jake before he disappeared to wherever it was he went during the off-season.

 
     
     
     
    Chapter Ten

    Present - December 8th
    He’d lain awake the night before, trying to devise a plan of his own to get past the barriers Siobhan had put up, but as he stood in the crowded terminal at DFW, watching the people on the descending escalator, he knew he was up the proverbial creek without a paddle. He had nothing. Nada. Zip.
    After a week of being summarily told to go back to the rock he’d climbed out from under, he had to admit, Kelly might be his best, if not his only, chance. He still couldn’t think of his daughter as grown up, and he damned sure didn’t want to dwell on the fact she might have more in common with the woman he loved than he did. But, again, he knew when he was defeated. Kelly was right. It was time to call the bullpen.
    A new throng of travelers discharged from the upper floor of the terminal into the crowd of people waiting for friends and loved ones. He didn’t want to contemplate what the last minute ticket had cost him, but as soon as he saw his daughter’s face, he knew the purchase was worth it.
    Tears distorted his vision as she ran to where he waited. “God, I’ve missed you.” He wrapped her in his arms. The top of her head fit under his chin. When had she gotten so tall? Even through the layers of clothes, it was obvious she wasn’t the little girl he wanted to believe she was. She’d grown up when he wasn’t looking.
    “I missed you, too.” Grabbing him by the hand, she tugged him toward the baggage carousel. “Let’s get my stuff. I’ll tell you my plan on the way to your house.”
    His house. Not home. She’d never been to the residence he kept in Dallas. It was little more than a stopping off place for him during the season. Since Kelly’s mother preferred her daughter lead a stable life, he’d gone to see her when he could, instead of her coming to him. Very few people in the League even knew he had a daughter. His private life was just that—private.
    He pushed the cart loaded down with luggage across the busy traffic lanes to the parking garage. “Are you visiting or moving in?” he asked, cramming the extra bags that wouldn’t fit in the sports car’s miniature trunk into the backseat.
    “Visiting. But you never know. It might take a while to resolve this thing with Siobhan. If my plan works, I’ll be out of your hair next week.”
    She didn’t have to fill in the blanks. If her plan didn’t work, she was prepared to lay siege to his love life, using his house as her base camp for the duration.
    “So, tell me about this idea of yours.” He cranked the ignition. Stalling for time, he adjusted the vents to warm her side of the car, too, figuring he’d be better off hearing her plan while the vehicle was safely parked.
    “Okay.” She turned sideways in the seat, tucking her left leg under her right. Her eyes sparkled with purpose—a sure sign she was hell bent on carrying out her scheme. He’d seen the look before. “Siobhan loves you, but you fu…screwed up, so now she says she hates you.”
    He sighed, scanned the parking lot rather than let her see how much her blunt recap hurt. “Yeah, that about sums it up.”
    “It’s simple, really. All you have to do is make her jealous. Show up at this dinner thing, ball, whatever, with another woman. Act like you got the message. Make her think you’ve moved on.”
    Terror struck him right in the heart. No way was he going to ask another woman to the Crystal Ball. He’d go alone or not at all before he’d ask someone else. A date to an event of that caliber came with expectations afterward.
    “No way in hell.” He put the car in reverse. “I’m not taking some random date to the ball in order to make Siobhan