Thrown By Love (38 page)

“Just one example of the great excitement of life on the ranch” Alana said with a forced laugh. She brushed her hands off on her shirt, leaving artsy
ombré
handprints along each side. “I’d say it’s time for the gift shop. No dangers in there.”

She turned to Matt.

“Thank you for that, by the way.”

He stood and she met his gaze.
Definitely twilight
. Now that she was at eye level, his eyes definitely reminded her of twilight. The sort of blue into which she’d mix just the slightest wash of deep-gray pigment and a dash of cobalt if she wanted to paint such eyes onto a canvas.

“No problem.” His eyes flashed. If a gaze could indicate interest and wariness all at the same time, his did. And then the light in his eyes shifted and she was left wondering if she’d imagined the flicker of emotion she’d seen. It was the oddest sensation.

“I’ve never seen anyone move like that,” she said, not wanting to break the connection.

“Glad I could help,” he said, shrugging and stuffing his hands in his pockets as if dashing under ladders and catching women midair was something he did every day.

But as he turned and gazed out over the hills of the ranch, she found herself wondering what he did do every day. And before she could stop them, her thoughts wandered from his days to his nights. What he did at night could be far more enticing . . .

One of the women cleared her throat, and she shook off the images. But the sizzle from his hands on her body and the desire his touch had triggered weren’t so easily dismissed.

#

Alana dropped the tour group off in the gift shop and headed back toward the house. Matt had remained aloof from her as they’d walked back. Yet his quiet retreat piqued her interest more than a charming smile or flirtatious word would have.

“How’d it go?” Peg asked as she walked up with a group of six kids.

“Great. Gave them their money’s worth.” She didn’t feel like announcing her stumble. It’d make the gossip rounds soon enough.

“It’s a charity tour,” Peg said with a smile. “You donated it to the silent auction.”

“You mean Nana did.”

“Same thing. It all goes to a good cause.”

The kids were clamoring to go into the frantoio, so Peg headed off, taking the adults with her.

Alana headed back to the trail that skirted the pond and led toward the barn. Her thoughts were busy, teasing her as she puzzled over her strong reaction to Matt Darrington. Scuffling footsteps behind her made her turn.

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Another winner in Pamela Aares' Heart of the Game series. Get ready to enter the fast-paced world of alpha male, All-Star athletes and the top-of-their-game women they come to love.

Aares deftly weaves together the desires and strategies of world-class sports with the equally charged realm of the heart to create a fast-moving tale you'll wish would never end.

Mary Beath, award-winning author of

Refuge of Whirling Light

“Aares creates sensual, intoxicating characters that will steal your heart. “

Rachael Herron, International bestselling author of

Pack Up the Moon

“My favorite reads are spin-off series by Nora Roberts and I’m happy to find another author I love reading as much. A great love story that will wrap you up in the steamy hot attraction between Alex and Jackie but the danger threatening their lives will keep you on edge.”

Julie Martin Wallace , about Love Bats Last

Geode Press

And don’t miss…

Other Books by Pamela

Love Bats Last

Book One in the Heart of the Game series

A stormy night changes their lives forever...

The baseball diamond isn't the only field for all-star player Alex Tavonesi; he also runs his family's prestigious vineyard. What he can't seem to run is his love life. He's closing in on the perfect vintage and the perfect game, but so far the perfect woman has eluded him.

Veterinarian Jackie Brandon is eluding her aristocratic past and memories of a soccer star who jilted her just before their wedding. She devotes herself to a marine mammal rescue center on the northern California coast, where hundreds of seals and sea lions are washing up dead.

A chance meeting in a midnight storm brings Alex and Jackie together to rescue a stranded whale. Watching her work, he realizes she's the passionate, courageous woman he thought he'd never find--he just has to overcome her deep distrust of jocks. Jackie’s passion and courage lead her to discover what's killing the sea mammals. The culprits want to silence her, and Alex is the only one standing in their way. What will he sacrifice to save the woman he loves?

Love Bats Last is available online as a print or eBook at all of your favorite booksellers.

Love on the Line

Book Four in the Heart of the Game series

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.

Love on the Line is available online as a print or eBook at all of your favorite booksellers.

Acknowledgments

My overflowing thanks goes out to all the people who helped bring Chloe and Scotty's story to readers. And to the characters in Thrown By Love for showing up and demanding that their story be told!

Physics professor Jonathan Halliwell of Imperial College, London, focused his discerning eye on the passages about the Higgs particle. And my All-Star husband provided key facts and insight into the behind-the-scenes world of Major League Baseball. As always, any deviation from their collective wisdom is in service to the story or an embellishment of my imagination.

My editor, Beth Hill, provided excellent comments and insights into story structure and helped make
Thrown By Love
sing. Jane Dixon-Smith created the wonderful cover and hung in there with me to find the right Kelpie and a shot of Chloe in her private jet for the back cover. And again I have to thank Bella Andre and Nora Roberts for their spot-on advice and encouragement and Carolyn Jewel for being a great writer and wise friend. And my deep thanks go out to Catherine Coulter who headed me in the direction of Romance Writers of America in the first place and whose book
Midsummer Magic
led me to love romance novels so many years ago.

Thrown By Love

Reading Group Topics

for Questions and Discussion

1.
     
With
Thrown By Love
and her previous book,
Love Bats Last
, Pamela Aares has garnered praise for writing strong women characters who pursue their dreams in fields normally dominated by men. What is it about her heroines that speaks so powerfully to readers?

2.
     
If you had to distill the theme and essential storyline of
Thrown By Love
into three sentences for a write-up
The New York Times Book Review
, what would you say?

3.
     
How much of yourself and/or your friends do you see in the characters?

4.
     
What
motivates
a given character’s actions? Do you agree with the choices that Chloe and Scotty make? Can you relate to their motivations?

5.
     
Were there any moments where you disagreed with the choices of any of the characters? What would you have done differently?

6.
     
What
advice
would you have given to Chloe or Scotty?

7.
     
With which character would you most want have lunch? Why?”

8.
     
Can you
pick out a passage
that strikes you as particularly profound or interesting--or perhaps something that sums up the central dilemma of the book?

9.
     
What
scene resonated
most with you personally in either a positive or negative way? Why?

10.
 
What scene was the
most pivotal
for the book? How do you think the story would have changed had that scene not taken place?

11.
 
What do you think will
happen next
to the main characters?

12.
 
Did you
learn something new
reading this book? Did it broaden your perspective? Have any of YOUR views or thoughts changed after reading this book?

13.
 
What
surprised
you the most about the book?

14.
 
If you were to
talk with the author
, what would you want to know? (Pamela enjoys talking with book clubs. Contact her via her website to see if your reading group can set up a phone chat.)

Bonus Question:

The theme of the power of dreams runs through the series the
Heart of the Game
. Many people believe that dreams pull us into the future, tug us toward our deepest desires and help us become the most vibrant person we can be.

In taking the journeys with the heroes and heroines in each book of the series the
Heart of the Game
, Pamela invites you to consider your own life dreams--not just those when you sleep at night, but the daydreams and yearnings that, no matter how complicated or busy life can be, still have an empowering voice in our lives.