Ben was the picture of athletic grace. She watched his bat crack against a pitch. The ball sailed into the outfield. Another pitch. Crack. Hitting the ball was as easy for him as picking up flu germs had been for her.

He turned, met her eyes, and smiled.

Her heart actually contracted.

“Be there in two minutes,” he called.

“No hurry.” I could sit here for hours.

Watching him interact with his teammates was slaying her. Sometimes he smack-talked with them and made them laugh. Other times he complimented them or clapped them on the shoulder. She’d bet that if she asked any of these men who their closest friend was on this team, they’d all say Ben. He was magic with people. Others couldn’t help but respond to him with warmth.

She was legitimately crushing on him, which terrified her.

She didn’t view herself as the type of woman who had what it would take to win the heart of Ben Coleman. She wasn’t like Leah Montgomery. She wasn’t confident enough, or beautiful enough, or impressive enough. It would be so, so much safer for her to find contentment in her friendship with Ben. She would find contentment in it. And why not? Their friendship was superb. An unexpected gift!

She didn’t want to risk either their friendship or her heart by attempting more with him. Yet these swoony feelings were growing every time she saw him.

Too soon, the practice finished. He tossed his equipment into a duffel bag that he hauled over his shoulder. Once he’d said good-bye to the others, he approached her.

She clambered down from the bleachers. “You’ll be pleased to know that I didn’t find anything about that practice the slightest bit romantic.”

His eyebrows shot up. “No? What about now? I’m going to give you my smolder.” He imitated a male model’s serious face. “How ya doin’?” he purred.

She shook her head. “I’m impervious to that.”

“How about this?” He extracted a bat from his bag. Turning to the side, he slung it over his shoulder, struck a pose, and held eye contact with her.

“Nope.” The syllable emerged high-pitched because the eye contact was rearranging her insides into the shape of a heart with an arrow through it.

“That’s great to hear.” He broke character and they walked toward the parking lot. “It sounds like we’re safe from romance.”

“Nothing to worry about. At all.”

Midmorning on Saturday, a tiny train drew Luke deeper and deeper into the tunnels of Big Cedar Mountain Gold Mine.