RECLAIM MY HEART(30)

The smoke from a charcoal grill wafted toward them, carrying with it the scent of grilling hot dogs.
When she didn’t speak, he continued, his eye riveted to the batter who now had a strike against him, “I want to tell you that I like Zach. I like him a lot. He reminds me of Lucas when he was young. He’s smart, and he’s inquisitive. Those are fine traits for a young man to have.”
A lump gathered in her throat and tears sprang to her eyes, and she was suddenly very grateful for the cover of her sunglasses. Her heart swelled hearing Jasper voice a positive opinion about Zach. She’d been sick with worry. She knew somewhere inside her son lurked the happy, considerate [ coch.individual she’d raised, but she was at a loss about how to bring that out in him again.
Jasper went quiet when the batter hit a fly ball into left field. His hoot was unrestrained and he clapped when Zach caught it and clinched the third out. A buzz of conversation stirred through the spectators as the teams switched places.
Giving Zach a thumb’s up, Tyne tried not to be bothered when her son refused to acknowledge her. She crossed one leg over the other and sighed.
“I have noticed,” Jasper said, “that Zach has—at the risk of using the current psychobabble of the day—some issues. He can be moody. He’s got a temper, and a penchant to blame others when things go wrong.”
Tyne fixed her gaze on the field, watching the opposing players take their positions. “You learned all that in the short time you’ve spent with him?”
Jasper chuckled. “You forget. I raised his father.”
Tyne smiled.
Then he leaned toward her. “I haven’t mentioned this to Zach; I wanted to ask you first. Would you allow me to take him camping? It would give us a chance to spend a few days together, one on one. I’ll teach him to pitch a tent and build a proper fire. We’ll do a little fishing, a little hunting, a little cooking on an open fire. And we’ll have plenty of time to talk.”
“Hunting? Oh, I don’t know, Jasper.” The idea of killing an animal made Tyne shiver. “We buy our chicken cutlets and ground beef at the local Acme. I don’t know if Zach could handle something like that.” And she wasn’t sure she wanted him to.
“It’s the middle of summer,” he reminded her with a gentle smile. “We might have special permission from the State to hunt on our own land year round, but game is scarce in the heat. The animals tend to move up into the mountains where it’s cooler.” His grin made his chocolate brown eyes twinkle. “I’ll remember to pack a loaf of bread and a large jar of peanut butter. The truth is, Tyne, we will be hunting, but not for game. We’re going to find Zach’s manhood.”
She just looked at him, uncertain what to say, and again her eyes welled. Her voice came out wobbly when she finally said, “I’d love for you to take him camping, Jasper. I trust you completely. I can only hope and pray that the hunt is successful. And I want you to know that I’ll be grateful for anything you’re able to do for him.” She frowned, then. “There are some things you should know—” she glanced over to the bench where her son and his teammates were seated, Zach’s broad back facing her. Then she looked at Jasper “—some things I should probably tell you.”
He lifted his calloused palm. “Zach will tell me whatever I need to know.”
An absolute assurance exuded from him, and she was pervaded with a strange and wondrous tranquility.
Jasper’s gaze lifted to somewhere behind her. “Lucas is here.” He lifted a hand in greeting.
Tyne turned too late to see if Lucas returned his uncle’s wave. He made no move to join them.
“Excuse me,” she murmured to Jasper. “I’m going to go say hello.”
Passing the batter’s box, she saw Zach was choosing a bat from among several that leaned up against the chain link backstop.
“Smack one out of the park,” she called. He didn’t lift his head. In fact, he made no reaction whatsoever. She wasn’t really surprised.
She smiled at Lucas when she reached him. “You got my text? I’m glad.” Since he’d walked in on her and Zach’s quarrel and she’d ended up telling him about the past, she’d experienced a sort of buoyancy, as though sharing her burden had somehow lightened it.
“Sorry it took me so long. Jim and I caught up a bit.”
“You want to come sit down?” she aske [?.
“If you don’t mind, I’d rather stand. I’ve been sitting all afternoon.”
“That’s fine.” She smoothed her hands over the sun-warmed skin of her forearms. “Were you able to help him? Your friend?”
“I was.” He nodded. “A communications company wants to install a tower on a corner of Jim’s property and he needed some help deciphering some of the legal jargon in the contract.” He smiled. “He wanted to pay me, and when I refused his money, he made me take a pack of New York strip steaks. ‘A fair barter,’ he called it.”
“Steaks for legal advice.” She licked her lips animatedly and touched her tummy. “Yum!”
They both went quiet when Zach stepped up to the plate. He gave the bat a couple of practice swings, then settled into a tense stance. The ball sailed across home plate, Zach swung late, and the ball slapped into the catcher’s mitt.
Lucas shouted, “It’s okay, Zach. Relax. Plant your front foot.”
“The next one’s yours, Zach,” Jasper called out.
The pitcher threw the ball, and again Zach swung just a fraction too late.