The Texas Billionaire's Baby by Karen Rose Smith Page B

you?”
    Other players were gathering around now and they were close enough to hear what he and Gina were saying. He levered himself to his feet and held a hand out to her. “I’m fine. I think we both just had the air knocked out of us.”
    Gina’s brother, John, who’d pitched the ball to Logan, shook his head at his sister. “Sorry, kiddo. He caught it about a second before you slid in. You’re out.”
    “Only for this inning,” she said with a smile Logan knew was forced. Then she walked away without a backward glance and headed for the cooler of water.
    Logan was still staring after her when he felt a presence close beside him and turned to see Angie, Gina’s younger sister, rolling Daniel toward him in his stroller. The little boy was grinning from ear to ear, kicking his feet and babbling his enjoyment of the day and the company. Gina’s mother and sister had convinced Logan to go play the game while they took care of Daniel. He’d seemed perfectly comfortable with them, so Logan had agreed.
    Now he took his little boy from the stroller. “Are you having fun?”
    Daniel babbled and leaned forward to put his little arms around Logan’s neck.
    Angie laughed. “He likes us, but he likes you better.”
    Logan knew Angie was twenty-seven now. She was a beauty with dark brown wavy hair and golden-brown eyes. She was a little shorter than Gina, but slender like her sister. Now she tilted her head at Logan and asked, “So I guess you and Gina are…friends again?”
    He shifted Daniel to a comfortable position in his arms, much more comfortable than answering that question. “We’re not friends, exactly. She’s working with Daniel so we’re getting to know each other…again.”
    “You mean you can’t go back to what you once had.” Angie was frowning and looking troubled.
    “You can’t relive the past, Angie, no matter how hard you try.” They were both watching Gina, and Logan found himself saying, “She’s different now.”
    “Different how?” Angie asked warily.
    “She’s quieter, more introspective, even around all of you. She sort of sits back and watches, rather than entering the fray. Do you know what I mean?”
    “Yeah, I do. She changed after her first year of college, but we all just thought—”
    “What did you think?”
    “We thought it was because she really missed you.”
    Had the decision to leave him been much more difficult than he’d imagined? She’d never looked back. She’d been too busy to take his call when he tried to reach her at school. In fact, he could remember the conversation even today. Three months into his father’s rehabilitation, he’d been worn-out and overwhelmed. Gina had been the one person who could understand that. He’d thought—hoped—that she might have changed her mind…that they could work out some way to stay connected…to eventually be together.
    “Logan, I can’t talk right now,” she told him. “I have a class and a test.”
    “Can we talk later? Just because you’re in Connecticut doesn’t mean we can’t keep in touch.”
    She paused for a long few moments. “You and I both know a long-distance relationship won’t work. And, Logan, I can’t see me ever coming back to Sagebrush. Not for more than a visit. So I don’t think there’s any point…to talking.”
    Had her voice caught? Did she wish she hadn’t chosen the path she was on?
    It had taken him three months to set aside his anger and his pride and call her. But during that painful conversation, his pride had reared its head again. Her life had been going on, his would, too. Next semester if his dad continued to make progress in his recovery, he’d be working on his MBA. There had been more than one woman who’d shown an interest in him. Gina had chosen her path and her rejection had only made him more sure of his .
    Or so he’d thought—
    “You could become friends again,” Angie said, intervening in the past, as if she was hopeful about the future.
    The