Page 44 of Double Play

Bullpen Ranch had its own airstrip where Crush kept his two-seater plane. It was just barely big enough for the charter to land. Trevor and Jim hurried to put on their tuxedos in the plane, then drove a golf cart to the grounds surrounding the ranch house, where the wedding was takingplace.

Most of the wedding guests were already in their seats—white garden chairs arranged before an enchanting flower-adorned gazebo. There weren’t enough seats for everyone, so many people remained standing, gathered in a festive group behind the seated guests. Overhead, swaths of shade fabric protected them from the glare of the Texas sun. From his spot in the standing-room throng, Jim scanned the crowd, lookingforNina.

He didn’t see any trace of her blond pixie hair or bright, smiling face. His longing to lay eyes on her felt physical in its intensity. Heneededto see her. Needed to touch her, to smell her, to hear her cheerful voice. He couldn’t wait to see her expression when shesawhim.

The bridesmaids and grooms, including Paige, were already in place inside the gazebo. Trevor made his way toward an empty chair in the front row. As soon as Paige spotted him, she gave what looked like a jumpofjoy.

That’s what Nina would do, Jim knew it. Then she’d run to him and leap into his arms and he’d kiss her and tell her everything that was in hisheart—

“Jim?”

He swung around at the sound of the hushed female voice next to him. It wasn’t Nina, though—Maggie stood next to him, a perplexed frown on hercatlikeface.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were in San Diego. Don’t you haveagame?”

“I had a groin pull in my last game. I’m surprised you didn’t know. Aren’t injuries part of the datastream?”

“Oh—yes. They are. I haven’t watched the last couple of games and I have someone else doing data entry. I’m sorry about yourinjury.”

“I’m only out one game. It could be worse.” He looked around the crowd again. “Where’s Nina? I haven’t seen her. This is supposed to be a surprise, but I was really hoping to see herfirst.”

“Oh my gosh…” Dismay came over her face. “She’s…well…maybe you shouldcallher.”

Jim patted his pockets, then realized he’d left his phone on the plane. “I’ll have to get it after the ceremony. It’s on Trevor’splane.”

“So you flew out here to surprise Nina?” A funny expression came over her face, and then a giggle popped out. Maggie folded her lips together and shushed him before he could answer. “Come sit with me. We’ll talk after thewedding.”

He followed her to a chair near a potted orange tree that gave off a heavenly scent. They slipped into their seats just as Wendy took her first step down the “aisle.” The mayor of Kilby was a beautiful woman—a former beauty queen, in fact--but she looked more stunning than Jim had ever seen her. She wore a strapless ivory bustier dress and a white cowboy hat over her blond hair, which flowed downherback.

Waiting for her in the gazebo, Crush matched her in a dinner jacket with white satin lapels and cowboy boots. They looked like the perfect Texas powercouple.

Wendy’s only bridesmaid was Teri Dimitri, her long-lost daughter who had reappeared last season. Teri usually dressed like a tomboy or in baseball uniform, since she played for the Isotopes as the first female pitcher on a Triple A team. But today she wore a pink bridesmaid’s dress and had her long dark hair inaknot.

She saw Jim watching and waved at him, then mouthed “talklater.”

Jim had trouble focusing on the wedding because he couldn’t figure out why Nina was nowhere to be seen. Was she sick? Had something happened? He reassured himself that it couldn’t be too terrible. Maggie didn’t look upset, just surprised toseehim.

When he did pay attention to the wedding, he noticed the tender way Crush gazed at his bride, and the rapturous expression she wore. Crush had always been the disreputable sort, a hard-partying former baseball legend with three ex-wives and children he rarely saw. Then he’d fallen for the “ice queen” mayor of Kilby, and neither of them hadlookedback.

If two complicated people like Crush and Wendy could wind up pledging their love before a minister and half of Kilby, the sky was the limit for him and Nina. If he could justfindher.

As soon as Crush swept Wendy into a kiss and the guests began to applaud, Jim turned to Maggie. “What’s going on? Why isn’tNinahere?”

“She’s in San Diego! She wanted tosurpriseyou.”

“What?” He laced his hands behind his neck and tilted his head back to look up at the sky. “I thought she wanted me to show up at this wedding to prove my love or my manhood orsomething.”

“She decided she liked you the way you are. She missed you terribly and just wanted toseeyou.”

“Oh, hell on a cracker. So she’s all alone in San Diego? Trevor’s here too. Was anyone going to pick her up? Where’s shestaying?”

They stared at each other. “I’d better call her,” Maggie said. As Jim waited tensely, she dialed Nina’s number. “Nina? Whereareyou?”

She glanced at Jim as she listened to whatever Nina was saying, then handed over thephone.

“Sweetheart?”

The sound of Nina’s voice, so far away on the phone line, felt like a punch in the gut. “Jim? I can’t believe this!” It was part wail, part laugh. “You actually made it to thewedding?”

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