Release Day & Giveaway: Making a Comeback by Kristina Mathews
Making
a Comeback
More than a Game # 3
More than a Game # 3
By:
Kristina Mathews
Releasing
July 7th, 2015
Lyrical
Press
Blurb
With
a divorce in the works, Annabelle Jones heads out to Southern
California, the land of sun and starting over. She wants to prove to
herself and her young daughters that she still has what it takes to
turn heads as a swimsuit model—that she doesn’t need a man to
take care of her. Until an accident forces her to rely on the hunky,
yet mysterious man next door…
Nathan
Cooper is trying to revive his own career. Once a top left-handed
relief pitcher, he tried to get over a hidden injury with the aid of
banned substances. Not only was he caught and suspended, he was
traded and missed out on winning the championship. Now he’s a free
agent without a contract, and that means life is ready to play ball…
Excerpt
“Hi.”
Annabelle stood on his doorstep with a smile and the bottle of
healing lotion. “I tried this stuff on my shoulder and it works. It
really works.”
“Good.
I’m glad.” He was also relieved she wasn’t here for an
emergency. “It’s all-natural. Really, not just as an advertising
claim. It’s made by a little old lady from—”
“Pasadena?”
She interrupted him with a wide grin and a twinkle in her beautiful
blue eyes.
“No.
Mendocino.” Why did she have to be so great? Funny and sweet and
appreciative. Why couldn’t she be more like her ex? A spoiled, rich
asshole.
“And
have you met this little old lady personally?” She still had a
smile on her face. Or most of her face, the left side didn’t quite
go up as much as her right, with the giant gash on her face.
He
clenched his fists to keep from reaching for her. “Yes. I have. She
was at a farmer’s market and she charmed me into buying a whole
case of the stuff.”
“Well,
I’m glad you did, because it really does help.” Annabelle moved
toward him, as if she wanted to come in. Or tell him a secret. “But
I can’t reach my back. Would you mind?”
Oh
hell.
He
stepped back so she could come in. She smelled of lavender and
rosemary and eucalyptus and something even sweeter.
A
hard rock song blasted from his weight room speakers.
“Let
me go turn that off.” He moved down the hallway and she followed.
Annabelle
stopped in the doorway of the dining room he’d converted to a home
gym and laughed. “Is that me? I don’t remember them doing a
poster of that cover.”
“They
didn’t. I had it done.” It had been ten years ago and he still
hung the framed picture in every place he lived. “A buddy of mine
worked at this place that could turn anything into a poster for
twenty bucks.”
“Twenty
bucks, huh?” She gave him a look that might have been disapproving,
if not for the way her eyes crinkled at the corners and her lips
twitched trying to hold back a smile. “That’s some pretty
expensive artwork.”
“I
paid another thirty for the frame.” He stood there feeling every
bit the twenty-one-year-old who’d been so obsessed with Annabelle
he’d convinced his friend to risk his job in making the poster when
he didn’t have the rights to the photo.
“Fifty
bucks, huh. Quite an investment.”
“I
was young. I wanted to class up my first apartment.” He wondered
briefly if she would have been interested in him back then. Would she
have even looked twice at an up-and-coming ballplayer who thought he
was the next hot prospect?
“I
was even younger.” She approached the poster he had hanging over
his weight bench. There was something almost wistful in her tone. “I
was so young.”
He
watched her study herself and wondered what she must be thinking.
Probably that he was some kind of stalker and she would be calling
her lawyer when she got home.
“So
you really do use me.” She laughed, turning around to show an
amused grin on her face. “Does that help you add cardio to your
workouts?”
“Huh?”
He was surprised at how lightly she was taking this.
“You
know, getting your heart rate up?” Her gaze drew over him, settling
just below his waist. “Among other things.”
Author
Info
Kristina
Mathews doesn't
remember a time when she didn't have a book in her hand. Or in her
head. But it wasn't until she turned forty that she confessed the
reason the laundry never made it out of the dryer was because she was
busy writing.
While
she resigned from teaching with the arrival of her second son, she's
remained an educator in some form. As a volunteer, parent club member
or para educator, she finds the most satisfaction working with
emergent and developing readers, helping foster confidence and a
lifelong love of books.
Kristina
lives in Northern California with her husband of more than twenty
years, two sons and a black lab. A veteran road tripper, amateur
renovator and sports fanatic. She hopes to one day travel all 3,073
miles of Highway 50 from Sacramento, CA to Ocean City, MD, replace
her carpet with hardwood floors and serve as a “Ball Dudette” for
the San Francisco Giants.
Giveaway Time! a Rafflecopter giveaway
Loved the excerpt - sounds like a fun book
ReplyDeleteIt's very good. I enjoyed reading it.
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