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view, he somehow wasn t surprised to find Abby
standing in front of it, her back to him. The woman
seemed to live at the Gazette.
What did surprise him was her clothes. Instead of her
customary slacks and crisp blouse, she wore running
shorts and a tank top that hinted at her curves. Mark
couldn t help noticing that she was soft and rounded in
114 A Dream To Share
all the right places despite her lean physique. When she
reached up to return a three-hole punch to an overhead
shelf, her top crept up, revealing her trim waist and a
band of smooth skin that made his mouth suddenly go
dry.
As she gathered up her papers, Mark tried to gather
up his wits. Some women might be flattered by his ap-
preciative perusal. Abby Warner wasn t one of them.
Doing his best to act natural, he propped one shoulder
against the door frame.
 I thought I heard someone in here. He hoped she
wouldn t notice the slight husky quality in his voice.
She gasped and spun around, one hand flying to the
large expanse of exposed skin above the edge of her
tank top.
He tried not to stare.  Sorry. I didn t mean to startle
you.
 Wh-what are you doing here?
 I forgot my cell phone.
Abby s gaze dropped for one brief second to his
muscular legs before it skittered back to his face, tra-
versing the breadth of his broad chest en route. When
she spoke, her smile looked forced and her own voice
sounded a bit breathless.  I thought maybe you came
in to work.
 It s too hot in here for that. Though the heat hasn t
seemed to stop you.
Shrugging, she shuffled the papers in her hand.  I m
used to the heat. I hardly notice it.
Her flushed face, wiped clean of makeup by the
humid air, and the damp tendrils of hair that had escaped
Irene Hannon 115
from her ponytail and now clung to her forehead, inval-
idated that claim. But he didn t press her. He was
enjoying the view too much to introduce an argumen-
tative note to their conversation.
 So why aren t you in Chicago this weekend?
Her question forced him to refocus.  I have a game
this afternoon.
 A game?
 The pastor from down the street saw me shooting
baskets on the church lot and conned me into taking
over a boys basketball team until the coach recovers
from a broken leg.
 That would be Reverend Andrews. She tipped her
head.  You mean you gave up your weekend in Chicago
to stay here and coach a kids basketball game?
It was no great sacrifice, as far as he was concerned.
But he didn t share that with her.  There will be other
weekends. Look, I ve gotta run. Stay cool.
Without giving her a chance to respond, he turned
and headed toward the exit. As he pushed through the
door to the lobby, he glanced back. Abby had followed
him into the hall, but instead of turning toward her
office, she was watching him, her expression confused.
When she realized he d caught her staring, the becom-
ing flush on her cheeks deepened and she twirled
around and moved away with a purposeful, no-nonsense
stride.
Giving him an incredible view of her trim waist and
great legs.
And making him wish he could spend the afternoon
with her instead of a bunch of teenage boys.
116 A Dream To Share
* * *
 Good job, guys. We ll talk about the game in detail
at practice on Tuesday, but for a first effort you should
be very happy with the results.
The glowing faces clustered around him two hours
later in the corner of the gym were all the proof Mark
needed that he d made the right decision when he d
agreed to coach the team. Not to mention the thanks of
the parents, many of whom had stayed around to watch.
He couldn t remember when he d ever felt so appreci-
ated. Or needed.
 Everyone have a ride home? he asked.
A chorus of affirmative answers came back, and then
the kids started to scatter.
 Evan! Wait up.
The lanky teen, his blond hair spiky with sweat after
the game, slowed his retreat at Mark s summons and
turned but he stayed where he was.
With the ball still hooked under his arm, Mark didn t
rush to close the distance between them. This was new
territory for him, and he wasn t sure about his approach.
But something was wrong with this kid. He d only met
him on Tuesday, but the boy had been eager and
talented. After the impromptu tutoring session follow-
ing practice, Mark had been surprised at Evan s skill
with the spin maneuver two days later. As a result, he d
expected great things from him today.
Instead of the shining, up-and-coming star he d
expected, however, Evan had been listless and inatten-
tive. He d missed passes and throws that he d nailed at
Irene Hannon 117
the last practice. Maybe it was none of Mark s business,
but he couldn t just let him walk away.
 I can t stay. I hitched a ride with Justin, and his dad s
ready to leave. Evan edged away as Mark approached.
 I won t hold you up. I just wanted to ask if everything
is okay. You seemed a little distracted out there today.
 Sorry.
When the boy didn t offer anything more, Mark tried
again.  Listen, if there s a problem, I don t mind listen-
ing.
Shoulders slumping, Evan shook his head and
averted his eyes.  Thanks anyway. I gotta run.
Without waiting for Mark to respond, the boy bolted.
 Do I detect a problem?
At the sound of Reverend Andrews s voice, Mark
turned. The minister had attended the game as a show
of support for the boys, impressing Mark once again
with his kindness and genuine caring. Maybe he could
offer a clue about Evan s problem.  Something s eating
him, Mark said.
 I noticed. He seemed out of it on the court today.
 Any idea what s going on? I d pegged him as one
of my high-potential players, but he sure didn t live up
to that today.
 The family is having some problems. Evan s father
was laid off from his factory job in Rolla about ten
months ago and is still unemployed. To complicate
matters, Evan s mom was severely injured in a car
accident a couple of years back and has been in and out
of the hospital ever since. She was re-hospitalized yes-
118 A Dream To Share
terday with chest pain, which the doctors think is related
to the punctured lung she suffered in the accident.
No wonder Evan had been preoccupied.  How is
she doing?
 I believe she came home this morning. It s been
hard on the kids, though. Evan is the oldest of five, and
I think a lot of responsibility has fallen on him to take
care of the younger ones during these crisis situations.
Plus, the drain on the family finances has been severe.
I m afraid the situation may be getting desperate. The
church helps, but our resources are limited. And it takes
far too long to cut through government red tape to get
timely assistance. The man shook his head, his ex-
pression troubled.  It s impossible to address all the
needs out there. I wish we could do more.
It was hard for Mark to imagine the situation the
pastor had described. By the time he was old enough to
remember, his family had been well-off. The very
notion of money problems was foreign to him. But he
was the exception, he realized, thinking of Abby s
simple existence and the financial issues at the Gazette. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]