Page 54 of One Hot Deal

Diana spins around and sashays over to the line of chairs where the other ladies have taken their seats.She drops onto the chaise beside Avery.

Oh yeah, my team is going to wallop the Brits for sure.Diana just gave me all the inspiration I need to get the job done.

I face the two teams and shout, "What are you waiting for?Let's kick the shit out of each other."

The guys all raise their bats and cheer.

Chapter Twenty

Diana

The man I adore is about to engage in a sport he has never played before, with teammates who have a bizarre idea about what sports are meant to be like.I talked to some of the MacTaggart wives while Derek was off getting a crash course in cricket.Those women told me how the MacTaggarts often ignore the rules and will do almost anything to win a match, whether it's shinty, football, or cricket.The Scottish team will win, they say.

But the British wives told me their men are experts at cricket, and they will certainly win.

At least the players all have legguards.

That might not help with this lot.After spending several hours with them, I've decided they seem likely to ignore the rules just for fun.

I can't hear it, but I can see the teams having brief discussions that I assume are about strategy.Then two men from each team take up positions at the wickets.The rest spread out around the field.

"What's going on?"Avery asks.

"Evan MacTaggart has taken his position as umpire.Hugh is the first batsman, and Magnus MacTaggart is the bowler.That means Magnus will pitch the ball and Hugh will hit it with his bat.Errol Murdoch is positioned behind Hugh so he can catch the ball if Hugh misses it.And Chance Dixon is standing near Magnus so he can make a run."

"This is more like baseball than I expected.Well, except for those wicket thingies."

"Shh, it's time for the first bowl."

Avery leans forward in her chaise, hands clasped under her chin.

Hugh runs toward his wicket and hurls the ball at the other end of the pitch.It smacks into the bail, knocking it off the stumps.

"Does that mean he won?"Avery asks.

"No, dear, it means he bowled out.It's like a strike in baseball."

"Oh no, poor Hugh."

My gaze wanders around the field until I finally spot Derek.He's waiting for a chance to catch a ball, like most of the men on the lawn.Maybe I should root for the British team, but I want Derek to beat them.

Avery is chewing on her lower lip.

"Don't worry," I tell her."Hugh is no bunny.He'll do better next time."

"Bunny?I know he's not a rabbit."

"No, dear, bunny is a cricket term.It means someone who is easy to dismiss."

"Oh.Well, Hugh definitely isn't that."She flashes me a knowing smile."Neither is Derek."

No one would ever apply that term to Derek Hahn.He is the quintessential tough guy, like Sylvester Stallone without his arsenal of weapons.Now that I no longer need to pretend that I don't want Derek, as a lover and a boyfriend, I'm free to scream my bloody head off when he makes the winning hit in this match.

But I still feel odd referring to him as my boyfriend.I'm forty-five years old, not a teenager.Am I too old for him?He is a virile man in his thirties.If I can't get pregnant soon, I will never be able to give him a child of his own.

"Look!"Avery says."Hugh just hit the ball, and it flew past Magnus.Then Richard Hunter caught it.Woo-hoo!Go, Rick!Go, Lord Steamy!"

She actually calls Hugh that?In public?

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