life, making practically every basket she attempted.
Ben looked in Kitty’s direction just as the refs, in their zebra-striped shirts, pounded onto the court and the buzzer brought the practice session to an end. His smile widened when their eyes met across the noisy gym and her world narrowed to the man who stood head and shoulders above the crowd.
Like a long-parched desert rose in the sweetest of spring rains, love burgeoned inside her. But with it came a thorn of pain.
Until the accident, she’d always viewed Benjamin Cooper as her natural enemy. And why not? He was the wealthy scion of a wealthy scion; she was a third-generation redneck. He had success stamped all over him. The only thing she hadn’t failed at was motherhood. And on that the verdict was still out.
Now she didn’t know what to think. She knew only that their differences ran as deep as the rich black coal seams that had divided their families for nearly a century. That gap was bound to widenwhen the bargaining talks resumed and they sat down on opposite sides of the table next week. But for tonight …
Ben mouthed an inaudible “hi” but stayed where he was, waiting for her to come to him.
Kitty mouthed her own silent “hi” and started up the sideline.
As she wended her way toward him, their eyes spoke volumes, but this was neither the time nor the place to give voice to their pent-up feelings.
“I missed you,” he said, shrugging off his trench coat and slinging it over one shoulder.
“I missed you too,” she answered with an honesty she wouldn’t have been capable of a couple of weeks earlier.
The pep band tackled “The Star-Spangled Banner” with more enthusiasm than skill, and they stood at attention then, not more than a few inches separating their hands as they joined the crowd in singing along.
Kitty’s heart soared to the rafters when Ben’s robust baritone mingled with her own soft soprano. She’d never known such a feeling of closeness, of completeness as she did at this moment and with this man.
As the stirring anthem ended on the trembling note of a trumpet, a brand-new song—richer and more satisfying, somehow—began when he followed her up the concrete steps to cheer her daughter’s team from the bleachers.
“I didn’t realize it would be this crowded,” hegrumbled between “excuse me’s” as they sidled past the other parents’ knees.
“Kentuckians take their basketball seriously at every level,” she said, aware that everyone was watching as he followed her to their seats.
“Tell me about it.”
“What do you mean?”
Ben nodded a greeting to one of the men he’d worked with, then helped her out of her coat. “I got suckered into three different betting pools on my lunch breaks and drew three certain losers.”
“That’ll teach you to gamble with people you don’t know.” Kitty waved to Carol, who was sitting between Jamie’s two little brothers and wearing a pair off sunglasses that were obviously meant to hide her bruises.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said sheepishly as he laid their coats on the bleacher, then lowered himself close beside her.
Momentarily distracted by the woman in dark glasses, she didn’t respond to his teasing reply.
The Cooperville Cougars, wearing gold uniforms piped in black, huddled around their coach. A middle-aged woman with a true sense of fair play and a proven knack for creating winners, Coach Brown spoke to the team as a group before singling out the five starters. Finally, all the girls linked arms and gave their signature war whoop for luck.
As they jogged out onto the court with the other starters, Jessie and Jamie spotted Ben and Kittysitting together in the stands. Smiling from ear to ear, they waved. Kitty waved back and Ben gave them the thumbs-up sign
The packed crowd set up a roar, the ref tossed the ball for the tip-off, and the game started with a fast break.
It was a hard-fought first half. The opposing team was a longtime rival from the
Ben looked in Kitty’s direction just as the refs, in their zebra-striped shirts, pounded onto the court and the buzzer brought the practice session to an end. His smile widened when their eyes met across the noisy gym and her world narrowed to the man who stood head and shoulders above the crowd.
Like a long-parched desert rose in the sweetest of spring rains, love burgeoned inside her. But with it came a thorn of pain.
Until the accident, she’d always viewed Benjamin Cooper as her natural enemy. And why not? He was the wealthy scion of a wealthy scion; she was a third-generation redneck. He had success stamped all over him. The only thing she hadn’t failed at was motherhood. And on that the verdict was still out.
Now she didn’t know what to think. She knew only that their differences ran as deep as the rich black coal seams that had divided their families for nearly a century. That gap was bound to widenwhen the bargaining talks resumed and they sat down on opposite sides of the table next week. But for tonight …
Ben mouthed an inaudible “hi” but stayed where he was, waiting for her to come to him.
Kitty mouthed her own silent “hi” and started up the sideline.
As she wended her way toward him, their eyes spoke volumes, but this was neither the time nor the place to give voice to their pent-up feelings.
“I missed you,” he said, shrugging off his trench coat and slinging it over one shoulder.
“I missed you too,” she answered with an honesty she wouldn’t have been capable of a couple of weeks earlier.
The pep band tackled “The Star-Spangled Banner” with more enthusiasm than skill, and they stood at attention then, not more than a few inches separating their hands as they joined the crowd in singing along.
Kitty’s heart soared to the rafters when Ben’s robust baritone mingled with her own soft soprano. She’d never known such a feeling of closeness, of completeness as she did at this moment and with this man.
As the stirring anthem ended on the trembling note of a trumpet, a brand-new song—richer and more satisfying, somehow—began when he followed her up the concrete steps to cheer her daughter’s team from the bleachers.
“I didn’t realize it would be this crowded,” hegrumbled between “excuse me’s” as they sidled past the other parents’ knees.
“Kentuckians take their basketball seriously at every level,” she said, aware that everyone was watching as he followed her to their seats.
“Tell me about it.”
“What do you mean?”
Ben nodded a greeting to one of the men he’d worked with, then helped her out of her coat. “I got suckered into three different betting pools on my lunch breaks and drew three certain losers.”
“That’ll teach you to gamble with people you don’t know.” Kitty waved to Carol, who was sitting between Jamie’s two little brothers and wearing a pair off sunglasses that were obviously meant to hide her bruises.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said sheepishly as he laid their coats on the bleacher, then lowered himself close beside her.
Momentarily distracted by the woman in dark glasses, she didn’t respond to his teasing reply.
The Cooperville Cougars, wearing gold uniforms piped in black, huddled around their coach. A middle-aged woman with a true sense of fair play and a proven knack for creating winners, Coach Brown spoke to the team as a group before singling out the five starters. Finally, all the girls linked arms and gave their signature war whoop for luck.
As they jogged out onto the court with the other starters, Jessie and Jamie spotted Ben and Kittysitting together in the stands. Smiling from ear to ear, they waved. Kitty waved back and Ben gave them the thumbs-up sign
The packed crowd set up a roar, the ref tossed the ball for the tip-off, and the game started with a fast break.
It was a hard-fought first half. The opposing team was a longtime rival from the
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