Wanted: ghostwriter. Must be female, a baseball fan, and have a great pair of legs.
Ex-pitcher Rowdy Blanton never saw a woman he couldn’t conquer or a team he couldn’t beat. And now that he’s off the field he’s ready to tell all about when he played the field. So he chooses Breeanne Carlyle to do the job-she’s got the requirements, but more important, there’s something about her that makes him want to be a better man.
Convinced there’s more to Rowdy than a good fastball, a wicked smile, and a tight pair of pants, Breeanne can’t help but be tempted. After all, it’s boring always being the good girl, and Rowdy dares her to be just a little bad. The stakes are high, but win or lose, this time Breeanne’s breaking all the rules playing the game of love.
CHAPTER ONE
“Baseball breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone.”—A. Bartlett Giamatti
A crack of the bat.
The sound punctuated Rowdy Blanton’s life. Permeated everything. Seeped into his dreams.
From sandlot ball in knee-high Johnson grass in his hometown of Stardust, Texas, to luxurious major league diamonds, a crack of the bat spelled freedom. Freedom from boring classrooms where he struggled to read, from the empty belly that kept him awake nights, from watching his father wither and die.
Freedom from pain.
The crack of a bat carried him from poverty to the pinnacle of success, and all the nice things that money could buy. He had arrived, believing his lofty perch would finally ease his suffering.
His head throbbed. Tequila hangover. He squeezed his eyelids shut.
His belly ached. Kobe beef hangover. He clenched his teeth.
His left shoulder burned…
Oh God, his pitching arm. He winced, groaned. For one sweet fuzzy moment, he had forgotten about his ruined pitching arm.
A wet tongue licked his cheek. He put his elbow over his face, blocking the amorous kiss.
Undaunted, the persistent tongue laved his chin.
Was it the blonde from last night’s Cinco de Mayo party? Or the redhead? Might even be the brunette. She’d pawed him like a kitty at catnip.
No. Couldn’t be. He sent them all home.
Ever since that devastating night he always sent them home. He should be alone. But obviously, someone had lingered, taking advantage of his tequila-soaked brain.
Ugh.
The hot wet tongue slurped across his mouth. Sloppy kisser. Which one shared his bed? Blonde? Redhead? Brunette? Someone else entirely?
Sun warmed his face. The smell of chlorine burned his nose. A plush cushion covered the thin metal frame beneath his body. No. Not his bed.
Patio lounger.
Poolside.
Who was he going to have to face, cook breakfast for, walk to her car, kiss goodbye, and never see again?
Terrific.
He might as well get it over with. As much as he hated pain, he wasn’t a coward. Dreading what he would find, Rowdy held his breath, opened one eye, and saw…
Nolan Ryan.
Thank God.
About the Author:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Lori Wilde has sold seventy-eight works of fiction to four major New York Publishing houses.
Her first NYT bestseller, the third book in her Twilight, Texas series, The First Love Cookie Club has been optioned for a television movie. The town of Granbury, Texas, upon which her fictional town of Twilight, Texas is loosely based, honors Lori with an annual Twilight, Texas weekend each Christmas.
A popular writing instructor, Lori is a two time RITA finalist and has four times been nominated for Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award. She’s won the Colorado Award of Excellence, the Wisconsin Write Touch Award, The Golden Quill, the Lories, and The More than Magic.
Jennifer’s Review of Back In The Game
Review (4.5 Stars): Breeanne and Rowdy were so cute together as a couple because even though they seemed like opposites, they fit so well together. Breeanne spent most of her life sheltered due to a heart condition but the one thing that she loved was baseball. Especially, following the career of Rowdy Blanton and watching his games brought her joy in life after her many surgical procedures. Rowdy was considered a playboy until a horrific injury had him sidelined. Writing his autobiography was part of the plan to get his life back and he needed a ghost writer, while Breeanne was looking for her writing career to finally take off. Their chemistry was fun, sassy and sweet and I was so glad that Rowdy brought joy and hope back into Breeanne’s life. Back In The Game is the first book in Ms. Wilde’s new Stardust series and she definitely has hit a home run with this light-hearted romance.
Hi, thanks so much for featuring me today!
Thank you for hosting today!