A Merger...or Marriage?. RaeAnne Thayne

it seemed to dangle from his wrist but the ball somehow miraculously landed right in the sweet spot with a solid thud.

      Caught up in the moment, Anna jumped to her feet cheering with delight, along with Richard and the rest of the onlookers on their side of the bleachers.

      “That’s the game,” the umpire called. “Final score, sixteen to fifteen.”

      Anna held tight to Lilli as the little dog picked up on the excitement of the crowd, yipped with glee and vibrated in her arms, desperate to be part of the action.

      “Great game,” she said after a moment. “Be sure to tell Ethan congratulations for me.”

      “I’ll do that. Or it looks like you can tell him that yourself. Here he comes.”

      An instant later, a small figure rushed toward them, his features bright with excitement as he launched himself at his father.

      “Did you see that, Dad? I caught the ball right in my glove! Right in my glove! I won the game! Did you see?”

      Richard hugged his son with enthusiasm. “Nice work! I’m so proud of you, bud. You’re getting better every game.”

      “I know. I am.” He said it with such blatant confidence that Anna couldn’t help but smile.

      Lilli, never one to sit quietly when hugs were being exchanged and someone else was getting attention she thought rightfully belonged to her, gave another of her love-me yips and the boy quickly turned toward her.

      “Wow! Is that your dog?” he exclaimed to Anna, the baseball game apparently forgotten.

      Anna set Lilli down, careful to hold on to the retractable leash while Lilli trotted eagerly to the boy. He instantly scooped her into his arms and giggled with delight when the dog licked the little-boy sweat from his cheek.

      “What’s his name?” Ethan asked eagerly.

      “She’s a girl and her name is Lilli,” Anna answered.

      “I like her!”

      She smiled, charmed by how much this darling boy resembled his father. “I do, too. She’s a great dog.”

      “My name is Ethan Richard Green. What’s yours?”

      She sent a swift look toward Richard, not at all sure if he would approve of her engaging in a long conversation with her son. He returned her questioning look with an impassive one of his own, which she took as tacit approval for her to answer.

      “My name is Anna. Anna Wilder. Your dad and I knew each other a long time ago.”

      “Hi.” He set Lilli on the ground carefully and held out a polite hand to her, a gesture that charmed her all over again.

      She shook it solemnly, tumbling head over heels in love with the little boy.

      “I’m very pleased to meet you, Miss Wilder,” he said, obviously reciting a lesson drummed into him by someone.

      “And I’m very pleased to meet you as well, Mr. Green,” she answered in the same vein.

      His solemnity didn’t last long, apparently, at least not with Lilli around. He knelt to pet the dog, giggling as she tried to lick him again.

      “Would you like to hold her leash?” Anna asked.

      “Can I?”

      “If it’s okay with your dad.”

      Ethan looked at his father, who nodded. “You can take her once around the bleachers but don’t go farther than that.”

      The little boy gripped the leash handle tightly and the two of them headed away.

      “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a dog person,” Richard said after a moment.

      “Why not?”

      “I don’t know. Just seems like a lot of responsibility for a single executive living in the big city.”

      Though his words echoed her own thoughts of earlier in the evening, she still bristled a little that he apparently doubted she might possess the necessary nurturing abilities.

      “It’s not always easy, but I make it work,” she answered. “What about you? I wouldn’t have pegged you for Little League games and car-pool duty. Talk about responsibility, Mr. High-Powered Attorney.”

      One corner of his mouth quirked into a smile. “Point taken. Just like you, it’s not always easy but I make it work.”

      She didn’t doubt it was a major juggling act—nor did she doubt Richard handled it with his typical elegant competence, just as she remembered him doing everything.

      Both of them turned to watch Ethan and Lilli make their way through other onlookers and players back around the bleachers.

      Richard sighed as the boy and dog approached. “You know this is going to be one more salvo in our ongoing, occasionally virulent we-need-a-puppy debate.”

      She laughed at his woeful tone. “Sorry to cause more trouble for you. But Ethan is welcome to borrow Lilli anytime he’d like while I’m still in Walnut River.”

      He looked less than thrilled at the prospect, which only made her smile widen.

      “That was super fun,” Ethan exclaimed. “Can I do it again?”

      “You’d better give Lilli back to Anna now, bud. Remember what I promised you after the game?”

      “Oh yeah!” He handed the leash over to Anna. “We’re gonna get a shaved ice,” he exclaimed. “My dad promised I could have one if I was a good sport and didn’t get mad if I didn’t get on base again. Hey, do you and Lilli want a shaved ice, too?”

      She slanted a look at Richard, who was again wearing that impassive mask.

      Common sense told her to pick up her dog and run. She didn’t need to spend more time with either of the Green males, both of whom she found enormously appealing on entirely different levels.

      On the other hand, all that awaited her at her place was more paperwork. And she couldn’t escape the sudden conviction that Richard wanted her to say no, which conversely made her want to do exactly the opposite.

      “I’d love a shaved ice,” she proclaimed. “It’s thirsty work carrying a huge dog like Lilli around. Wears me right out.”

      The boy giggled as he eyed the miniscule Chihuahua. “You’re super funny, Miss Wilder.”

      She hadn’t heard that particular sentiment in a long, long time. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had thought she was anything other than a boring numbers-cruncher. She decided she liked it.

      “You know what? You can call me Anna, as long as I can call you Ethan. Is that okay?”

      “Sure.”

      “Ethan, would you mind holding Lilli’s leash while I walk my bike?”

      He nodded eagerly. “I won’t let go, I promise,” he said.

      “Okay. I trust you.”

      She slanted one more look at Richard, who was watching their exchange with only a slight tightening of his mouth showing his displeasure. She almost apologized for forcing herself into a family event but then gave a mental shrug.

      They were only sharing shaved ices, not spending the entire evening together.

      This was completely unfair.

      Richard barely had time to adjust to the idea that she was back in town and here she was again, crowding his space, intruding in his carefully constructed life, making him think about things he had put on the back burner.

      A casual observer probably wouldn’t be able to imagine that the coolly competent executive he had spent two hours with earlier in the day could be the same woman as this softer, far more approachable, version.