Rachel Laine (The Women of Merryton Book 3) by Jennifer Peel Read Free Book Online

with that big, toothless grin. “Yes!”
    Since
Drew thought that was a great idea, how could I refuse? Besides, maybe I could
accidentally hit Andrew with the bat.
    I
made my way down the steps to a mischievously grinning Andrew as he held the
bat toward me. I took it and he squatted down in a catcher’s stance while I
took my place at the makeshift base.
    I
tapped the bat a couple of times on the ground, took my own stance, and held
the bat up. “All right, kiddo, show me what you got.”
    Drew
grinned, wound back, and let the ball go. I swung and missed, which delighted
Drew to no end. It was even better for him when I missed the second time.
    Before
he was ready to strike me out, Andrew stood up. “Your mom needs some help.”
    I
scowled at Andrew. “Pardon me?”
    “Your
stance is completely wrong, and the way you’re holding the bat, you’ll never
hit anything.”
    “I
didn’t know this was Major League training.”
    He
moved closer, stood behind me, and gently grabbed my shoulders. I tensed up at
the touch. He chuckled. “Just relax.”
    I
tried to as he pushed on my left shoulder.
    “You
need to keep your front shoulder closed and relax your elbow.” He slid his hand
down my jacketed arm. I noticed his strong hands. “Now spread your feet
shoulder length apart and keep that front foot closed, and spread your weight
on both feet.”
    I
did as he said. My palms began to sweat and I felt an uptick in my heartrate.
    “Good,
now bring up the bat.” He laughed again when I tensed. “You need to relax.” He
touched my shoulders before placing his hand around my waist.
    I
looked at him like, what do you think you’re doing?
    He
flashed his pearly whites. “You’re whole upper body is tense; you need to
loosen up.”
    “You
touching me isn’t helping.”
    He
didn’t care. He reached all the way around me from behind with both arms and showed
me where to hold the bat and how to swing. To say I felt uncomfortable was a
vast understatement. A man hadn’t touched me this much in years. I couldn’t say
it was all bad.
    After
swinging the bat a couple of times with his assistance, I glowered at him. “I
think I got it.”
    “Don’t
take this the wrong way, but you smell amazing,” he whispered in my ear before
releasing me. I involuntarily shivered. He backed off and retook his catcher
position.
    I
didn’t respond to his compliment, but I did picture his head as the ball when
Drew sailed it my way. And what do you know? I hit a line drive straight past
Drew.
    “All
right, Mom!” Drew shouted.
    I
bowed for him and handed the bat back to a puzzled Andrew. “What? You didn’t
think I could actually hit the ball?”
    He
shook his head like he was coming out of deep thought and grinned. “Under my
tutelage, I had no doubt.”
    I
rolled my eyes at him and turned to my son. “Are you ready for some hot
chocolate?” I knew I was.
    “With
whip cream?” he asked.
    “Absolutely.”
    Drew
jetted into the house. Andrew and I followed. We spent a cozy afternoon
drinking hot chocolate in front of the fireplace and playing monopoly. I
observed Andrew with Drew all afternoon, whether it was when he volunteered to
have the both of them bring in more firewood, or how he had a knack for getting
Drew to laugh. If the circumstances had been different, I think I would have
enjoyed his company, but my mind swung from being a tad jealous to being
suspicious of his motives.
    When
five o’clock rolled around, we set the game aside.
    Andrew
rubbed his masculine hands together. “Time for dinner. Do you want to help me,
Drew?”
    Drew
stood up and high-fived him. “Yeah.”
    I
think Andrew could have said, “Let’s lick the floor,” and he would have agreed in
a second.
    I
got up to help, too, but Andrew smiled over at me. “I think you are supposed to
be painting your nails. We’ve got it under control.”
    I
stared at him blankly. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself—I wasn’t used to
being taken care of