Catching Heat

by Alison Packard

  Catching Heat

  By Alison Packard

  Life has taught Angie DeMarco that all baseball players are womanizers, and her incredible one-night stand with sexy San Francisco Blaze back-up catcher J.T. Sawyer seemed to prove it. Determined not to give in to their sizzling chemistry a second time, she’s kept her distance ever since, focusing on her accounting job with the team. But now she’s laid off…and pregnant.

  J.T. was hurt by Angie’s rejection, but with one more year with the Blaze, he has no time for love. He needs to spend the off season training hard so he can negotiate a better contract with a new team at the end of the year. But when Angie shows up on his doorstep, he’s overwhelmed by wanting to not just do right by her but pursue a relationship with her. Hoping for a second chance, he proposes.

  Angie agrees to marry J.T. on one condition: the marriage will be purely a business arrangement. But as Angie spends time with him and his family, and J.T. neglects his training to spend time with her, what begins as a union in name only slowly grows into something more—something that looks a whole lot like love and friendship.

  For more stories about the San Francisco Blaze, check out The Winning Season!

  87,000 words

  Dear Reader,

  My vow to you is to not mention the holiday that starts with a V in this letter for the February releases. If you’re like me, you’re probably on holiday overload after all of the winter festivities, and you wish you could just blank out all of those advertisements for diamonds and chocolates and fancy dinners. Of course, if someone wanted to buy us any of that, that would be okay…

  Instead, let me tell you about the sometimes-romantic and sometimes-not lineup of books we have for you this month! Fans of Alison Packard’s The Winning Season will be glad to know that JT and Angie’s story releases this month. Look for sparks to fly in Catching Heat. Author Christi Barth finishes up her Aisle Bound series with A Matchless Romance. You won’t want to miss this playful story about a sexy gamer who just needs a beautiful Chicago matchmaker to help him see how hot he really is.

  Also in the contemporary romance category is Party Girl by Tamara Morgan, following up her well-reviewed romance The Derby Girl. When a good-time party girl meets a backwoods hermit, the only thing bigger than their differences is their attraction. Fan favorite Inez Kelley joins the contemporary romance offerings this month with smoking-hot lumberman Jonah Alcott, who wants to do more than fight with gorgeous mountain activist Zury Castellano in The Place I Belong.

  Lynda Aicher brings her trademark sizzle to a new erotic romance story in her Wicked Play series. In her first male/male romance, Bonds of Denial, security nerd Rockford Fielding finally finds a man worth coming out of the closet for, but Carter Montgomery has to move past his own insecurities before they can claim a future they both thought was impossible.

  Opium addict and Victorian bounty hunter Cherry St. Croix is back again in Karina Cooper’s Tempered. Dragged to a neglected estate and forced to dry out, Cherry tries on the role of helpless Gothic heroine—and tumbles headlong into danger when she takes to meddling in her family’s alchemical history instead.

  Returning to Carina Press with a new series is Eleri Stone with the first book in her new paranormal romance series. In Reaper’s Touch, Jake and Abby work together to find a cure for the infection that turns men into flesh-eating monsters. We’re also welcoming back Jody Wallace with her newest paranormal romance, Witch Interrupted. Wolf shifters heal from tattoos as if they were never inked, so why is the same sexy wolf back in Katie’s tattoo parlor for more? And last but not least in the paranormal romance category, we’re also pleased to bring back Victoria Davies and her newest novella Demon by My Side. When a tempting demon prince crashes into her life, a demon hunter struggles to figure out who she can trust and one wrong move will cost her not only her heart but the safety of the human world as well.

  Concluding her wonderful epic fantasy series, Shawna Thomas wraps up with Journey of the Wanderer in which to save Anatar once and for all, Ilythra must risk everything she loves.

  But with every ending there’s a new beginning, and we’re happy to welcome male/male romance author A.M. Arthur to the Carina Press team. A reformed troublemaker meets his match in an inexperienced bookworm when what was supposed to be a casual relationship starts to look a lot like love in No Such Thing.

  And we’re happy to introduce debut author Holly West. Holly delivers a fascinating, well-plotted historical mystery, the first in a new series. In Mistress of Fortune, Isabel Wilde, a mistress to King Charles II who secretly makes her living as a fortune-teller, is threatened when one of her customers is murdered after revealing a conspiracy to kill the king and the diary of her illicit activities as a soothsayer goes missing, a page of which turns up in the dead man’s pocket.

  Coming in March: look for the newest installment in Marie Force’s Fatal series!

  Here’s wishing you a wonderful month of books you love, remember and recommend.

  Happy reading!

  ~Angela James

  Editorial Director, Carina Press

  Catching Heat

  Alison Packard

  Dedication

  For Johanna Packard. Thank you for always believing in me.

  Acknowledgments

  This book wouldn’t be possible without the wonderful and supportive people I’m lucky enough to call friends.

  First, I must thank Jodi Henley for, not only her guidance on this book, but for always being willing to talk about plot, core events, the transformational arc and all things writing. Whoever said that romance writers are the most supportive and generous people in the writing community is right. Jodi is a shining example of that.

  The following people, at one time or another, provided a sounding board for this book and I thank them from the bottom of my heart: Chrissie Humphrey, Jennifer Vincent, Angie Shiroff, Jessica Cline, Lulu Alvarez and Suzanne Balistreri. Thank you all for your thoughts and suggestions.

  Lastly, I’d like to thank my editor, Angela James, for taking a chance on me, and for her ongoing support. I couldn’t ask for a better editor and mentor. I’ve been honored to work with her and the entire Carina Press team.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Angie DeMarco closed the folder her boss had given her just a few short hours ago and pressed her fingers to her temples. A futile gesture—the pressure did nothing to dull the persistent throbbing in her head. Lack of sleep, and the realization that in two weeks’ time she would be unemployed had given her a monstrous headache. And what was worse, she wasn’t sure if the churning in the pit of her stomach was due to the stress of being laid off, or because a certain monthly visitor was several weeks late.

  Grandma Sophia—God rest her soul—always used to say that bad things came in threes. Like the time Angie chipped her front tooth on a frozen Snickers bar, developed a skin rash and then discovered that Livvie, her little sister, had spilled grape juice on her prom dress—all on the day of the prom. Angie had been crying her eyes out
when her grandmother spouted that pearl of wisdom. But Grandma Sophia hadn’t been trying to make her feel worse, just better, because the three bad things had already happened.

  The thing about her grandmother, and one of the reasons why Angie missed her so much, was there were never any judgments. She could tell Grandma Sophia anything. Things she couldn’t tell her mother. God, how she wished her beloved grandmother were still alive. Right now, corny clichés and a soft shoulder to cry on were exactly what she needed.

  The doorbell rang, and for about three seconds she considered pretending she wasn’t home. But Mrs. Tenney, who lived in the apartment above hers, sometimes came down for a cup of tea and a chat, and since the elderly woman lived alone and didn’t have a lot of visitors, Angie didn’t have the heart to ignore her. Rising from the kitchen table, she tucked the folder in a drawer, then headed for the living room.

  Opening the door, she was surprised to find that instead of Mrs. Tenney, it was her best friend and soon to be ex-coworker, Kelly Maxwell, who stood on her doorstep. And judging by the concerned expression on Kelly’s heart-shaped face, it was obvious she’d heard that, despite their recent World Series win, the San Francisco Blaze had laid off four front office employees. Grandma Sophia was right about one thing. Bad news really did travel fast.

  “I talked to Katherine. She said she saw you leave early,” Kelly said, referring to her boss. “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “Because you’re getting ready to go on vacation and I didn’t want to spoil it,” Angie replied as Kelly moved forward to envelop her in a sympathetic hug.

  “How are you doing?” Kelly asked, grimacing as she pulled back. “Stupid question. I’m sorry.”

  “No. It’s okay.” Angie closed the door and walked with Kelly into the living room where she’d tied back the gauzy white curtains to let the early afternoon sun fill the room with natural light. Not surprisingly, the sunny fall day hadn’t been able to brighten her mood. “I’m still a bit numb, to tell you the truth,” she said as she followed Kelly to the couch.

  “They really kept a lid on this one. I was shocked when I heard the news.” Kelly dropped her purse on the floor as they both sat down. “I usually hear all the rumors, but there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

  “I suspected something was up because the department heads were acting weird all week. I just didn’t think it would be something like this.” Angie reached for an elastic band on a small round table next to the couch and quickly gathered her thick hair into a ponytail. Her blasted mass of hair had been driving her crazy all morning. Why couldn’t she have been born with straight, easy to manage hair like Kelly? “This is the last thing I need, especially now.”

  “What do you mean? Especially now.”

  Angie hesitated and gnawed on her bottom lip. “I—I think I might be pregnant.”

  Wow. Saying it aloud was easier than she’d thought, but only because it was Kelly. Angie didn’t even want to think about telling her mother her suspicions.

  “Pregnant?” Kelly’s amber colored eyes widened with surprise. “Oh. Good God. Please do not tell me it’s Scott’s baby. That man should never be allowed to procreate. I don’t know why you agreed to marry him.”

  The look of horror on her friend’s face almost made Angie chuckle. It was exactly the reaction she’d expected from Kelly, who’d loathed Scott from the moment she’d met him and had never made a secret of it.

  “You’ll be delighted to know that we broke up. And it’s not his baby. Scott and I never slept together. He doesn’t believe in sex before marriage.”

  “Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me,” Kelly said with a wry grimace. “Can I tell you how thrilled I am you came to your senses? I was afraid I was going to have to do something insanely drastic—like interrupt the ceremony.” Kelly kicked off her heels and stretched her long legs out in front of her. The nondescript dress black pants and blazer she wore were her standard workday attire and indicated she’d come straight from the ballpark. “So spill it, woman.” Kelly lifted one dark brow. “If you are pregnant, who’s the daddy?”

  “Take a guess,” Angie said as she shifted sideways to tuck her feet under her legs. “It shouldn’t be too hard to figure out. If I am pregnant, I’d be about thirteen weeks along.”

  “Hmmm.” Kelly looked up at the ceiling and squinted. “Let’s see, thirteen weeks ago would have been around the first of August.” Seconds later, she gasped, whipped her head around and pointed a finger at Angie. “I knew it. Something did happen between you and J.T. the night of our softball game.”

  “Give the woman a prize.” She couldn’t help but smile at Kelly’s triumphant expression.

  “You slept with him.”

  Angie rolled her eyes. “Obviously.”

  Kelly laughed. “It wasn’t a question. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about Matt?” Angie shot back. “I didn’t know you two were dating until he pulled you up on top of the dugout and kissed you in front of a million people.”

  “Because I wasn’t sure how Matt felt, or if what we had was more than just sex.”

  “Well, I did know that it was just about sex between me and J.T. And I wasn’t proud that I’d slept with him while I was seeing Scott. After it happened I just wanted to forget about it.”

  Kelly pinned her with a perceptive stare. “Have you?”

  “No,” Angie whispered.

  “Have you told J.T.?”

  “I have to make sure first, so I called my OBGYN’s office first thing this morning. They said they had a cancellation so I was able to get an appointment for later this afternoon.” Angie sighed. “Maybe the home pregnancy test is wrong.”

  Kelly gave her a doubtful look. “I’ve heard those things are pretty accurate.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  * * *

  “Congratulations.” Angie’s doctor looked up from the paperwork on her desk. “You’re pregnant.”

  As silence pervaded the consult room, bile inched its way up Angie’s throat. “How far along am I?”

  The question was moot—she knew exactly how far along she was. Memories of that particular evening were imprinted on her brain like a tattoo. And now—there was no chance in hell she’d ever forget it.

  “Thirteen weeks.” Dr. Manning smiled as if she actually believed she was delivering joyous news. Angie kept her hand on her stomach. Funny, it was still flat. That seemed odd. There was a baby in there. How could it still be flat?

  Dr. Manning’s smile faded. “By your reaction, I assume this isn’t good news.”

  That was an understatement. “It’s unexpected,” Angie said after clearing her throat. “Very unexpected.”

  Dr. Manning rested her arms on her desk and leaned forward, composed and professional. Of course Dr. Manning was composed, she wasn’t pregnant. “Would you like to discuss your options?”

  “Options?” Angie tilted her head and frowned. Several strands of her unruly hair fell forward. Annoyed, she brushed it back over her shoulder. “What options?”

  “There’s adoption and—”

  “You don’t need to go on.” Angie raised her hand. “I’m having this baby.”

  “I understand.” Dr. Manning nodded. “Then why don’t we discuss your prenatal care?”

  Now there was a question you didn’t hear every day.

  * * *

  After leaving the doctor’s office, Angie shoved the pamphlets and other reading material she’d been given into her purse and headed for her car. Once inside and buckled in, she stared out the windshield to the busy street beyond and tried not to panic. Too late. She’d left panic in the dust and was headed straight for terrified out of her mind.

  Damn it, I should have figured it out long before now. The signs were all there. Her periods had always been erratic so she hadn’t put too much stock in that, but the extreme tiredness she’d experienced for the past few weeks had been unusual and should have clued her in
. But it wasn’t until the horrible nausea started and her breasts had become swollen and tender that she’d begun to suspect she was pregnant. The home pregnancy test had confirmed it, but she still couldn’t believe it—she didn’t want to believe it.

  And now there was no doubt—she was having a baby.

  The jarring sound of a car horn jerked her out of her stupor and, dazed, she stared at her hands, gripped much too tightly on the steering wheel.

  Just three weeks ago, a small diamond ring had adorned her left ring finger. Now she could only breathe a sigh of relief that she’d come to her senses and broken off her engagement. Accepting Scott’s proposal had been a knee-jerk reaction, and one she’d regretted immediately. But in her own odd way she’d cared for Scott and couldn’t—in good conscience—marry him when all he could ever be was a safe choice. And now that there was a baby involved, she was even surer she’d done the right thing. With a shaky hand, she inserted the key into the ignition and started the car. There was nowhere to go but home.

  Unmarried, unemployed and pregnant. Grandma Sophia was right, bad things really did come in threes.

  * * *

  J.T. Sawyer had just taped the bottom of a cardboard box when his doorbell rang. Moving from the kitchen in the condo he’d called home all season, he dodged a couple of boxes in the living room and opened the door.

  “You’re still here?” he asked with surprise when he saw Matt Scanlon standing in the hallway. “I thought you’d be in Santa Monica by now.”

  “We’re leaving tomorrow morning,” Matt said, entering after J.T. motioned him inside with a nod of his head. “Kelly’s off next week.”

  J.T. closed the door. “You want a beer?” he asked as Matt followed him to the kitchen. J.T. opened the refrigerator, took out two beers and handed one to his friend. “So what’s the deal?” He twisted off the bottle cap and dropped it on the countertop. “Are you coming back next season, or what?”