Love on the Lineby Pamela Aares
Heart of the Game #4
Publication Date: May 22, 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
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Synopsis: Hiding her identity was a small price to pay for freedom…
Heiress Cara Barrington fled the opulent world of her rich and famous family to carve out an idyllic existence on the California Coast. In the sleepy town of Albion Bay, she’s embraced the simple way of living she’s always craved. No one knows her identity, and she’s free from the pressures of wealth…until her sexy new neighbor threatens the unpretentious world she’s worked so hard to build.
All-Star athlete Ryan Rea enjoys his high-profile status. He’s used to charming his way into the heart and bed of any woman he desires while keeping his own heart secure behind a steel wall. When he meets Cara, she throws him a curveball—she’s unlike any woman he’s ever met, and he has to have her.
Cara’s growing attraction to Ryan endangers her hard-won anonymity, and when she inherits the family business, she must choose between the world she left behind and her new life in the community she’s come to cherish. But facing up to her responsibilities could destroy her freedom and cost her the greatest love she’s ever known.
Excerpt:
“There! I told you I saw it!” Sam pointed to a red carparked
in the driveway of a newly renovated ranch house.
Not just any red car.
Cara knew a Bugatti when she saw one; her brother hadtwo,
although he preferred muted colors.
She maneuvered a curve that brought them closer tothe ranch
house. Whoever had bought the old Smithproperty had done a speedy job of
putting a new face on thedilapidated old ranch.
“It’s a Ferrari,” Timmy Brown said as he stuck his faceout
the window.
“It’s not. It’s an Aston Martin,” Cara heard Sam say
withdefinite authority.
She smiled to herself. What did the name of a carmatter? But
hearing the awed voices of the boys did give herpause. Money could buy such a
car, but unless the ownerwas part of a racing circuit, there was usually only
one reasonsomeone needed a two-million-dollar sports car in a ruralcoastal
California town.
Ego.
--
The high-end sports car was a visual reminder of theworld
she’d spent three years fighting to escape.
And only because she knew that novelty was scarce inAlbion
Bay did she slow the bus and give the boys a goodlook at the car.
But as she drove closer, it wasn’t the car that caught
hereye.
A ridiculously handsome specimen of male wasunloading a hay
bale from the passenger seat of the Bugatti.
He was tall, maybe six-foot-three, and handled the hay
baleas if it were a sack of feathers.
Hay?
Now, that did make her smile. A sports car wasn’t asensible
vehicle for transporting hay bales. The guy wascrazy, desperate or just lacked
everyday common sense.
Whatever his foibles, his broad-shouldered physiqueand
rugged good looks were likely to cause a town buzz thatwent well beyond a group
of preteen boys. The man lookedup and flashed a wave toward the bus. When he
followed hisgesture with the most beaming smile she’d ever seen, a smilethat
zinged into her core, she was sure of it.
--
Working in the garden after her afternoon shift of
busdriving usually relaxed her, but all the talk in the communitygarden that
afternoon had been of Albion’s newest resident,Ryan Rea.
As she’d suspected, the boys on the bus weren’t theonly ones
who’d noticed the flashy Bugatti of their town’snewest resident, and Cara
wasn’t the sole woman to havenoticed his rugged good looks.
Ryan Rea.
His name made him sound like an extra from a TexasWestern.
And the smile he’d flashed as she’d driven past himhad made her pulse leap,
surprising her. She didn’t need thecomplication of a flashy man in her life. No
indeed.
--
“Cara?”
Alston Patterson might be nearing eighty, yet he hadthe
voice of a much younger man. But her attorney’s voicealways meant trouble. At
least it had lately.
“No, it’s Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.”
“Just the person I was looking for. Facing the news Ihave
might require a bit of magic.”
“Alston, I’m bordering on a headache and—”
“The news will be the same whether I tell you today
ortomorrow,” he said in a gentle voice.
She’d known Alston all her life. He’d been hergrandfather’s
attorney, and when she needed wise counsel afew years back, she’d asked him to
be hers.
“Might as well tell me now then. After wrangling
thirtyhyped-up school kids, dodging the latest rock avalanche thatthe gods of
nature have thrown upon us and harvesting theworld’s most stubborn
earth-hugging carrots, nothing couldfaze me.”
“Your grandfather’s estate has finally been settled.”
--
“He’s also bequeathed a matching two billion to youdirectly.
That is, if you accept the position as president of thefoundation. But you
won’t be able to touch that money untilyou’re twenty-five.”
Four billion dollars.
She could do even more good with four billion dollars.But
the thought had barely materialized when she sawLaci’s face—cold, white and
surrounded by the silk blanketsthat Cara had tucked into her coffin. She would
never forgetthe waxy feel of Laci’s skin and the bruises that showedthrough the
mask-like makeup the undertaker had slatheredon her friend’s face. Unlike Cara,
Laci hadn’t escaped.
--
The crowd in Detroit was rowdy. One thing about playing
incenter field, Ryan got a taste of the hard-core fans and theirenergy. He’d
stolen a home run from the Tigers’ best hitterin the eighth, so he wasn’t on
their happy list.
Ryan crouched and focused on Romaro, their closer,and tuned
out the catcalls and obscenities. If Romaro did hisjob and struck out Hobbs, the
final Tigers hitter, the gamewas theirs. But there was nothing comfortable
about a onerunlead. Ryan had played against Renaudo in the minors—the guy had
power and, more than that, he could put the ballwhere he wanted it.
Romaro’s pitch was too sweet. Hobbs connected andshot it
through the gap.Ryan was too far back to scoop it on a hop. He wavedoff Paxton
in right field and dove, rolling, and then sprang tohis feet and fired the ball
to Alex Tavonesi, poised and readyat first. Ryan’s throw was on the mark, and
Alex stayed onthe bag, but the umpire called Hobbs safe.
Ryan cursed. Sometimes close calls didn’t go your way.But
Hobbs should’ve been called out, ending the game.
When the next Tigers hitter shot a line drive intoshortstop
Matt Darrington’s glove, the crowd booed. UsuallyRyan could translate the
negative energy of the opposingteam’s fans into what it was—love of the game.
But tonightthe echoing boos just dragged him into the gloomy, blackfeelings he
hated to give the upper hand.
They’d won—he should at least feel happy about that.
But he didn’t.
He was miserable and pissed because he had to jumpon a
plane, fly to Boston, and sit in a courtroom publiclyfacing more lies and
accusations. Worse, for the first time inhis Major League career, he’d miss a game.
He boarded the plane and swore that no matter whathappened,
he’d never miss another game. There werethousands of guys out there hungry to
take his job, ahundred of them lined up, ready and waiting. But more thanthat,
the game was sacred to him. But the law was the law,and this time he hadn’t had
a choice.
.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Cara is living in a small town trying to escape from her past and keeping secrets from all of her new friends. She is forced to face that past when her grandfather passes away leaving her a multi-billion dollar foundation to run.
Ryan is a baseball player who has a reputation as a player and who lives in the spotlight. The air ignites when they get together.
I enjoyed this book very much. Once again Pamela Aares gives us an escape and entertains in a way that keeps me coming back for more. It is well written and a fun read and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
I received this book as a complimentary copy for an honest review.
View all my reviews
My Review:
Cara is living in a small town trying to escape from her past and keeping secrets from all of her new friends. She is forced to face that past when her grandfather passes away leaving her a multi-billion dollar foundation to run.
Ryan is a baseball player who has a reputation as a player and who lives in the spotlight. The air ignites when they get together.
I enjoyed this book very much. Once again Pamela Aares gives us an escape and entertains in a way that keeps me coming back for more. It is well written and a fun read and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
I received this book as a complimentary copy for an honest review.
View all my reviews
About the Author: Pamela Aares is an award-winning author of contemporary and historical romance novels and also writes about fictional romance in sports with her new baseball romance book series titled Heart of the Game.
Her first book, Jane Austen and the Archangel (Angels Come to Earth, #1) was released in 2012. Midnight Becomes You, the second in the series will release this year as will the celebrated historical romance novel, The Lady and the Patriot.
Her popularity as a romance writer continues to grow with each new book release, so much so, that the Bay area author has drawn comparisons by reviewers to Nora Roberts.
Pamela Aares writes romance books that she loves reading, particularly those that entertain, transport and inspire dreams while captivating and tugging at the heart. She takes her readers on a journey with complex characters in both contemporary and historical settings who are thrown in situations that tempt love, adventure and self-discovery.
Before becoming a romance author, Aares wrote and produced award-winning films including Your Water, Your Life, featuring actress Susan Sarandon and NPR series New Voices, The Powers of the Universe and The Earth’s Imagination. She holds a Master’s degree from Harvard and currently resides in the wine country of Northern California with her husband, a former MLB All-Star and two curious cats.
If not behind her computer, you can probably find her reading a romance novel, hiking the beach or savoring life with friends. You can visit Pamela on the web at http://www.PamelaAares.com.
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