Earning a Ring
More Than a Game #4
By: Kristina Mathews
Releasing January 19, 2016
Lyrical Shine
Blurb
For Rachel Parker, covering the San Francisco Goliaths is the perfect opportunity to launch her career as a serious reporter. But she didn’t bargain on Bryce Baxter, the team’s star shortstop,
tempting her more non-professional aspirations. After tearing up the base paths with him, she finds herself with a little problem, and Bryce might be the only man who can save the game.
Bryce Baxter should be living the dream. His team just won the World Series and he just signed the multi-year contract of his career. But his field of dreams has been overtaken by a fiery
redheaded reporter, who’s bearing a news flash that will change both of their lives forever…
Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/10/earning-ring-more-than-game-4-by.html
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25430501-earning-a-ring?ac=1
Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/124028-more-than-a-game
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Excerpt
Bryce Baxter sat alone in the San Francisco Goliaths’ clubhouse. He didn’t want to go home
and watch the replays of tonight’s game. There was enough of that going on in his head. He’d
blown the game. How many times had he made that play since he first picked up a baseball at
the age of five? A thousand? Ten thousand? Probably more. Not tonight. Tonight it was as if
he’d forgotten everything he knew about the game. What should have been an easy double play
ended up being the game-winning run.
The loss put his team even farther behind in their division going into the second month of the
season and had reporters questioning the Goliaths’ chances of repeating a World Series run.
Some were even questioning the team’s decision to re-sign Baxter to the big contract extension.
The biggest one he’d ever inked. So naturally, he was having his worst start to the season ever.
He couldn’t hit. Couldn’t draw a walk to save his life. And when he struck out, he did it in
spectacular fashion.
Last November he’d been king of the world. San Francisco’s biggest hero since Willie Mays. As
World Series MVP, he’d been awarded a brand new Corvette. His face had been on the cover
of magazines. He’d made the talk show rounds. Met the President. Women had lined up outside
his door. And he’d had his choice of endorsement deals, including a line of men’s hair care
products. Now, if his game didn’t improve, his agent would be lucky to get him a spot peddling
adult diapers.
Reluctantly, he headed toward the parking lot.
“Hey, Bryce, you got a minute?” He recognized the voice of the woman standing beside his car.
A month ago, he would have been happy to see her. Professionally, personally, a little bit of
both. But not now.
“Look, Rachel, I’m not giving any more interviews tonight.” He was so down, all he wanted to do
was go home and crawl into bed. Alone.
“I’m not here for an interview.” She would have waited in the clubhouse if she were. He knew
that. Rachel Parker was a professional, the in-game reporter for Bay Area Sports Network. “Can
we go somewhere? Somewhere private?”
“I’m not giving that tonight either.” He waited for his body to protest, recalling the dozen or so
encounters with the sexy journalist. She’d been hot. Real hot. Hot enough for him to forget his
rule of one and done. They’d been hooking up off the record since before spring training of last
season.
“Look, I really do need to talk to you.” She seemed a little nervous, not her usual confident,
perky, and always upbeat self who was part bubbly cheerleader, part hard-hitting reporter. She
was still hot. But instead of smoking, she was…smoldering. His body stirred. Enough for him to
think that maybe spending the next several hours in bed might not be such a bad idea.
But it probably wasn’t a good idea either.
The last time they’d hooked up had been intense. Almost too intense. Too real. But maybe he’d
just been riding the high of signing his ridiculous contract. Or maybe he’d felt the pressure of the
deal and had transferred it to his personal life. Something he could control.
“You know, I think maybe we should take a step back.” He raked a hand through his hair, still
damp from his long shower after the game. “I’m not good for anyone right now.”
Rachel gave him a weird look, almost as if her eyes slipped out of focus. Her face drained of
color. She turned and stumbled toward his car, bracing herself against the front fender. Then
she threw up on the hood of his Corvette.
“Are you okay?” He took a step toward her.
“No, I’m not okay.” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I’m pregnant.”
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