Curveball Read online

  Curveball

  The Home Stand Series

  - Book 3 -

  By Lacy Hart

  Published by Scarlet Lantern Publishing

  Copyright © 2020 by Lacy Hart & Scarlet Lantern Publishing

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  This book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language.

  All characters in this work are 18 years of age or older.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Other Titles by Lacy Hart

  Excerpts

  Connect with Scarlet Lantern Publishing

  Join the Scarlet Harlots Facebook group for exclusive reveals,

  behind the scenes, peeks, polls, contests and more!

  Subscribe to the Scarlet Lantern Publishing Newsletter to

  get FREE stories, updates on new releases, and more!

  Find us on Social Media!

  Other Titles by Lacy Hart

  The Home Stand Series

  Change Up

  - The Home Stand Series Book 1 -

  Balk

  - The Home Stand Series Book 2 -

  Single Dad, Small Town Romances

  Burnt

  After Midnight

  Lacy Hart's Single Dad Romance Collection

  Bethany Beach Romances

  Sweet Nothings

  1

  The snow and sleet pelted against the window loudly enough to rouse Wes Martin from a deep sleep, or at least as deep as slumber came to him in the recent weeks. He rolled over to look at Kristin and peered through a half-opened eye, but all he saw were the propped-up pillows and rumpled down comforter on her side of the bed. Wes bolted upright, concerned about where Kristin might be. The clock showed it was just 5 AM, much too early for her to get out of bed, especially since he knew it was his turn to take the morning feeding if the baby got up early again.

  Wes’ feet hit the carpeting, and he immediately went over to the bathroom to see if Kristin was there, but the room was dark, and the door wide open. He paced quickly out of the bedroom and had to squint right away as he was hit with the glowing lights from the kitchen. There was also an unusual amount of noise in the kitchen for the crack of dawn.

  Wes spied Kristin seated at the kitchen table, her slippered feet propped up on one of the other chairs as she held Molly, their weeks-old newborn. The local TV station blared on the TV across the room where Wes’s daughter Izzy stood. Izzy had just poured boiling water into a mug before she turned to look at her father.

  “Morning, Dad,” Izzy chirped, way too chipper for this time of day.

  “Kris, I’m so sorry,” Wes told her as he moved to where Kristin sat. He gently ran the palm of his hand across the soft, downy blonde hair of Molly. “Why didn’t you wake me up?” Wes asked her as he moved over to sit next to where his fiancée sat.

  “I’m fine, Wes,” Kristin answered. “I just couldn’t get comfortable in bed anymore, and Molly was up and moving around too much. We were both getting restless.” Kristin gently rubbed Molly’s back as she smiled down at the baby.

  “You’re such the worry-wart, Dad,” Izzy noted as she placed a cup of tea down in front of Kristin. “Were you like this when I was born?”

  “Honestly, Izzy, I wasn’t around the months right before or after you were born,” Wes answered as he gave Kristin a kiss on top of her head. “I was in the minors playing right up until the day you were born and only had one day to see you after that before I was off again. I missed all of this. What are you doing up so early?”

  Wes had moved over to the coffeemaker now to start brewing a pot since he was up. Kristin had long stopped caffeine after learning she was pregnant and hadn’t started up again with coffee since Molly was born. While Izzy drank some occasionally, it was usually just Wes who helped himself at this point.

  “I heard Kris down here and thought she might need some help,” Izzy replied. Izzy had gone back to the stove and poured some hot water into another mug, mixing up the packet of hot chocolate she had emptied into the rest earlier. “Besides, I wanted to hear about the school closings.”

  “Really? They closed school today? Well, back when I was in Chandler High…” Izzy’s groan interrupted Wes.

  “Dad, if you tell me once more about how school never closed and Grandpa made sure you went even if you had to walk to get there, I’m going to scream.”

  “Well, we didn’t have off from school very often for the weather, that’s for sure,” Wes responded.

  “The snow is pretty bad out there today,” Kristin said as she peered through the dark of the back doors toward the hill in the backyard. The wind howled a bit more, and snow and sleet rattled the windows once again.

  “I guess that means it’s going to be a day to lounge in pajamas,” Izzy smiled.

  “Hey, just because you’re home doesn’t mean you won’t have stuff to do,” We chided. “I’m sure you have homework or studying, and I’ll probably need help shoveling a bit so we can clear space in case we need to go out.”

  “Where are we going to need to go?” Izzy said as she pointed to the back door.

  “Suppose Kris needs something, or Molly needs to go to the doctor?”

  “Wes, I’m feeling much better every day, really,” Kristin added. “I just had an appointment two days ago, and everything was fine. And there’s nothing wrong with Molly. She’s happy and healthy. There’s zero to worry about.”

  “At the very least, you can clean your room and finish your college applications. I saw the paperwork for Pitt still sitting on your desk the other day, and none of it was filled out,” Wes told Izzy as he sipped his coffee.

  “Dad, I will do it,” Izzy eye-rolled. “Besides, what are you doing in my room? We had an agreement.”

  “I was bringing up the piles of books and clothes you keep leaving down here instead of putting them away, which was also part of our agreement. Now, if you want to argue about it…”

  Kristin stood up from the table and went between Wes and Izzy.

  “If you two are just going to argue all day long, I’m locking myself in the bedroom with Molly. At least her crying and complaining is legitimate,” Kristin said. Kristin took Wes by the hand.

  “Wes, come back to bed with Molly and me. Izzy, thanks for your help and company this morning,” Kristin said as she led Wes away towards the bedroom. Wes glanced back at Izzy and could see a smug smile on her face before she stuck her tongue out playfully at her father.

  Wes closed the bedroom door behind them and gently took Molly from Kristin’s arms before he placed the baby in the white bassinet that sat next to the bed now. He then turned and helped Kristin get back into the bed. He fluffed the pillows behind her back so that she could be more comfortable.

  “Do you need anything else?” Wes asked before he walked back to the bassinet to pick up the fidgeting Molly.

  “Yes, I do,” Kristin said as she placed her right hand gently on Wes’ cheek.
“Stop riding Izzy at every chance you get.”

  “What are you talking about? I don’t do that,” Wes replied before climbing onto the bed next to Kristin.

  “Wes, you do it so much you don’t even realize you’re doing it anymore. She’s almost eighteen, she’s in her last year of high school. You must give her some space and not get on her about every little thing. At this time next year, she’ll be away at college…”

  “Not at the rate she is going with those applications she won’t,” Wes interrupted as he adjusted the blankets.

  “See? There you go again! You have to let her do these things, Wes.”

  “Kris, those applications have deadlines. If she doesn’t get them done on time, she won’t even get consideration. Between that and spending every waking moment with Bradley and working less on the farm, she’s shirking responsibilities. I’m just trying to make sure she stays on track.”

  “Trust me, it will all get done. Izzy knows what she is doing. We have talked plenty about all of this,” Kristin reassured him.

  “You guys talk about this stuff without me?” Wes said.

  “Of course we do, Wes. It would be silly if we didn’t. Izzy comes to me when she has questions about things, just like she comes to you.”

  “What does she come to you about?” Wes said as he sat up and took a more significant interest.

  “I’m not going to go into specifics with you, Wes, especially when she tells me in confidence. If it were something you needed to know about, I would tell you.”

  “It’s about sex, isn’t it?” Wes thundered. “She better not be having sex with Bradley. I warned that guy…”

  Kristin reached over and gently grabbed Wes’s arm so he didn’t startle the baby he held.

  “Wes, relax. She’s not having sex with Bradley. See, this is what I mean about you. You need to calm down. Come here,” Kristin told him. She took Wes’s right hand and interlaced it with her own before she laid her head on his shoulder. She placed a small kiss on Molly’s head to calm her down and then kissed his cheek.

  “See, you’re getting the little one all upset too,” Kristin scolded.

  “Nah, she’s just excited to hear her Dad’s voice, isn’t that right, buddy?” Wes added as he talked directly to Molly.

  “Now, can we calm down a bit?” Kristin asked softly as she squeaked out a small yawn.

  “Yes,” Wes answered. “Go back to sleep, honey. I’ll take care of her.”

  Wes stared down at Molly, who laid on his chest now, comforted by his breathing and closing her eyes. Wes watched his newborn girl as a thousand different thoughts ran through his head. There were so many things going on that it was getting difficult to keep track. Kristin and the baby were undoubtedly number one on the list. Molly had been born weeks before she was expected because of complications Kristin experienced. There was panic, a rush to the hospital, an emergency C-section, time for Molly in the PICU, and more. Kristin was still healing herself from the event and was slow to get around, and this caused Wes to switch into fourth gear as he took over everything he could.

  Along with Molly and Kristin, there was everything going on, or not going with Izzy, and that mattered a great deal as well. There were concerns about baseball that still existed too. Wes had finished last season with the Washington Wild Things, an Independent team not far from Chandler. The season started slowly but ended well for Wes and the team. The team made the playoffs and worked their way past the first round before getting eliminated. Wes had a good year in terms of statistics, hitting thirty home runs and batting nearly .300. Still, he had been disappointed that no major league teams came calling. He had good numbers, and scouts had shown up a few times to watch him play, but no offers ever came out of it. Now that it was well into the off-season, his agent Randy had not received any interest yet. He thought the Wild Things would be happy to have him back, but Wes hadn’t had a contract offer from them again either. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go through another year of independent ball without much hope or prospects.

  So where did that leave him? He could go back to work on the farm with his father. There was always plenty to be done, taking care of the horses and running the business. He could also look forward to just staying at home with the new baby, something he had little chance to do when Izzy was growing up. He was financially secure and didn’t need to work anymore if he didn’t want to. The opportunity to be a Dad again appealed to him tremendously. Wes might get the chance to do things right, to be there for his new child and for Izzy as she went through college. Baseball didn’t necessarily have to be part of what was to come next, but Wes wasn’t sure if he was ready to give it up. He made the mistake of stopping playing too soon once already, and it nearly cost him Kristin. Wes was sure he wasn’t going to go through all that again. He vowed that this time would be different.

  Wes looked down to see that Molly was breathing peacefully, eyes now closed. He gingerly rose from the bed to place her back in her bed, covering her with a light pink blanket. Wes went back to the bed and then rolled to his left and saw Kristin snuggled into her pillow, softly sighing as she slept. A smile crept across his face as he watched her, and he reached over to brush a few stray strands of blond hair away from her eyes. Kristin’s eyes fluttered and barely opened, and she peered at Wes. She smiled back at him as he watched her.

  “What are you doing?” Kristin mumbled as she inched closer to Wes’s touch.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. I was just watching you.”

  “Hmmm, that’s sweet. You should go back to sleep.”

  “Do you need anything?” Wes asked softly.

  “Nope, I’ve got everything I need right here,” Kristin answered. Her eyes closed as she placed her right hand under her pillow and the fingers on her left hand intertwined with Wes’.

  “You should go back to sleep,” Kristin told Wes. “Molly’s resting, and there’s nothing that has to get done today. We can just relax, enjoy the day, and think about nothing for a change.”

  Wes’ felt Kristin’s fingers loosen in his own as she drifted back off.

  If only it were that simple to think about nothing, Wes felt, his eyes still wide open.

  2

  Snow blanketed the region for more than a day, dumping over a foot during that time, enough to keep the schools closed for one extra day, to the delight of Izzy. All the precipitation also meant Kristin had to stay put for another day instead of going down to the library like she hoped. She had done no library work when Molly was born. With the recuperation she needed as she recovered and the care Molly required, there had been little, if any time, to do any work from home like she had planned. Her assistant at the library, Karen, had more responsibility to oversee operations, which was the plan once the baby was born, and Kristin was out on maternity leave. Everything leaped forward a few weeks earlier than expected, but all had gone well so far. Kristin could still help and do some work from home if she needed, but for the most part, Karen would handle everything that came along while she was out.

  Once the snow event ended, and Wes and his father dutifully worked to clear the driveways and roads, Kristin decided she wanted to venture to the library and see how things were going. Wes was reluctant to let her tackle the task herself.

  “Wes, I’ll be fine,” Kristin stated as she slipped into her snow boots to get better traction.

  “I can drive you down, it’s not a problem,” Wes answered back as he grabbed his coat from the hall closet. “I just want to make sure you have no trouble on the roads. And what if the sidewalk by the library isn’t cleared yet? Falling is not an option right now. Are you sure you’re up for this? Did you clear this with Dr. Walker?”

  Kristin pulled her own jacket out of the closet and struggled to put it on.

  “Dr. Walker and I talked about it when I saw her, and she said as long as I am careful and don’t overdo it, going out now is fine.”

  “You’re going to wear that jacket? Why not wear the ot
her one I got you?” Wes said as he pulled the coat off the hanger and held it up for Kristin to see.

  “Wes, I’m not wearing that,” Kristin protested.

  “Why not? It looks nice.” Wes held the coat higher as it rustled.

  “Because it is so puffy, I look ridiculous in it, and I can barely get it on and off without help. I can’t even move my arms high enough to steer the car when I have it on. The coat I am wearing is perfect.”

  “I can help you put it on, drive you to work, help you in, and then pick you up later when you are done.”

  “Wes, really, you don’t have to do that. I can drive myself, and Tom Shepherd said he would use his snowblower on the sidewalks and put sand down to walk on.”