Playing for Keeps Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1 - Sweet Southern Comfort

  Chapter 2 - A Cold Blast from the Past

  Chapter 3 - Who’s the Boss?

  Chapter 4 - Top-shelf

  Chapter 5 - Just Do It

  Chapter 6 - Caught Up in the Moment

  Chapter 7 - Thinking Outside the Bun

  Chapter 8 - Rock Soup

  Chapter 9 - Check, Please!

  Chapter 10 - Spring Fever

  Chapter 11 - The Only Game in Town

  Chapter 12 - Cowboy Up

  Chapter 13 - Walking on Sunshine

  Chapter 14 - It’s Five O’clock Somewhere

  Chapter 15 - Islands in the Stream

  Chapter 16 - Play Ball!

  Chapter 17 - Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

  Chapter 18 - The Games People Play

  Chapter 19 - Once More with Feeling

  Chapter 20 - Crazy Love

  Chapter 21 - Hit Me with Your Best Shot

  Chapter 22 - Let’s Get the Party Started

  Chapter 23 - No Doubt

  Chapter 24 - Love on the Rocks

  Chapter 25 - Oh, What a Night!

  Chapter 26 - If the Flip-flop Fits

  Chapter 27 - Just One Thing

  Teaser chapter

  Praise for LuAnn McLane

  He’s No Prince Charming

  “This is a laugh-out-loud story and one you won’t want to put down.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “I loved all the aspects of this story. It was truly a great romance.”

  —The Romance Studio (5 stars)

  “This is a fun, lighthearted frolic… . Fans will enjoy.”

  —The Best Reviews

  “Had me smiling like a loon … a delightful read.”

  —Book Binge

  “LuAnn McLane is a master at creating sensitive love stories … sweet, sinful, and utterly satisfying!”

  —Romance Novel TV

  Redneck Cinderella

  “Each tale is low-keyed fun.”

  —The Best Reviews

  “A pure delight… . Ms. McLane is the queen of Southern, romantic comedy.”

  —Manic Readers

  “A lighthearted, quick read, steeped heavily in Southern-fried language and mannerisms … as satisfying as a frozen fruit pop on a hot, lazy summer day.”

  —San Francisco Book Review

  “A hysterical, sexy, highly entertaining read!”

  —Errant Dreams Reviews

  “Funny … for a lazy day in the sun or for a great pickme-up.”

  —Night Owl Reviews

  A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action

  “Macy and Luke are fabulous lead protagonists. They make this tale work as a deep yet humorous character study with a strong support cast.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “[McLane] has a knack for rollicking Southern romances and her newest is no exception.”

  —The Cincinnati Enquirer

  “[A] fun and flirty contemporary romance about grabbing that second chance.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  Trick My Truck but Don’t Mess with My Heart

  “[There’s] an infectious quality to the writing, and some great humor.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Sweet … a real Southern-fried treat.”

  —Booklist

  “[A] quick-paced, action-packed, romantic romp … hilarious.”

  —Romance Designs

  Dancing Shoes and Honky-Tonk Blues

  “Lighthearted comedy and steamy romance combine to make this a delightful tale of a small town that takes Hollywood by storm.”

  —Romance Junkies

  “A hoot a minute… . LuAnn McLane shows her talent for tongue-in-cheek prose and situations … a winning tale not to be missed.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “A fun story filled with plenty of laughter, tears, and allout reading enjoyment.”

  —Fallen Angel Reviews

  “A fabulous story… . Get ready for a deliriously funny, passion-filled rumba in this book.”

  —The Romance Readers Connection

  “A fun small-town drama starring a delightful … lead couple and an eccentric but likable support cast.”

  —The Best Reviews

  “LuAnn McLane makes the pages sizzle… . Dancing Shoes and Honky-Tonk Blues is one of the better romances out there this month.”

  —Roundtable Reviews

  Dark Roots and Cowboy Boots

  “An endearing, sexy, romantic romp that sparkles with Southern charm!”

  —Julia London

  “This kudzu-covered love story is as hot as Texas Pete, and more fun than a county fair.”

  —Karin Gillespie, author of Dollar Daze

  “A hoot! The pages fly in this sexy, hilarious romp.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “Charmingly entertaining … a truly pleasurable read.”

  —Romantic Times

  Wild Ride

  “A collection of sensual, touching stories … Wild Ride is exactly that—a thrilling, exhilarating, sensual ride. I implore you to jump right in and hold on tight!”

  —A Romance Review

  “Amusing, lighthearted contemporary romances starring likable protagonists.”

  —The Best Reviews

  “Scintillating romance set against the backdrop of a tropical island paradise takes readers to new heights in this captivating collection of erotic novellas. The three tales are steamy and fast-paced, combining descriptive romance with creative love stories.”

  —Romantic Times (4 stars)

  “A solid collection… . For readers, it is a ride worth taking with these three couples.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  Hot Summer Nights

  “Bright, sexy, and very entertaining.”

  —New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster

  “Spicy.”

  —A Romance Review

  “Superhot summer romance … a fun read, especially for fans of baseball and erotica. This one earns four of Cupid’s five arrows.”

  —BellaOnline

  “Funny, sexy, steamy … will keep you glued to the pages.”

  —Fallen Angel Reviews

  ALSO BY LUANN MCLANE

  CONTEMPORARY ROMANCES

  He’s No Prince Charming

  Redneck Cinderella

  A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action

  Trick My Truck but Don’t Mess with My Heart

  Dancing Shoes and Honky-Tonk Blues

  Dark Roots and Cowboy Boots

  EROTIC ROMANCES

  “Hot Whisper” in Wicked Wonderland anthology

  Driven by Desire

  Love, Lust, and Pixie Dust

  Hot Summer Nights

  Wild Ride

  Taking Care of Business

  eISBN : 978-1-101-47745-8

  SIGNET ECLIPSE

  Published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

  Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)

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  Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi - 110 017, India

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p; Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)

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  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:

  80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  First published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  First Printing, March 2011

  Copyright © LuAnn McLane, 2011

  All rights reserved

  SIGNET ECLIPSE and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  To Doug

  Your unwavering support and encouragement means

  the world to me. This is our year!

  Acknowledgments

  I would like to give heartfelt thanks to the editorial staff at New American Library. It takes a team to get a great book on the shelf, and I am grateful to each and every one of you. I especially want to extend a very special thanks to Jesse Feldman for keeping me on track and to Laura Cifelli for challenging me to grow and get better with each book. I truly appreciate your dedication and hard work. And, as always, thanks to my dear agent, Jenny Bent. You have believed in me from the beginning, and I can’t thank you enough. Finally, thank you to my readers. Your kind words keep my fingers on the keyboard.

  1

  Sweet Southern Comfort

  WELCOME TO CRICKET CREEK, KENTUCKY, BIRTHPLACE OF NOAH FALCON, Noah read as he drove his red Corvette convertible past the city-limits sign. He had won several awards as a major-league relief pitcher, but this little bit of hometown recognition never failed to bring a smile to his face. Of course, he’d never dreamed he would be returning home to audition for the community theater. His life wasn’t exactly going as planned.

  Noah’s smile faded as he turned onto Main Street. The once-thriving little town was all but deserted, even on a Saturday afternoon. Several of the shops had FOR LEASE Signs in the windows, and other storefronts were looking run-down.

  He supposed that the sluggish economy had taken its toll on the small river town where the locals earned a living on charter boating and tourism. He guessed that here, like everywhere else, it was difficult for the local stores and restaurants to compete with nearby suburban chains. Some of the antiques shops had survived, and he smiled when he stopped at the red light and spotted Myra’s Diner, where he had consumed many a cherry Coke, double cheeseburger, and giant onion rings with his rowdy teammates after high school baseball games.

  As Noah idled there at the light, he remembered Myra Robinson, as feisty as she was tiny, who had somehow managed to keep Noah and his cronies pretty much in line. All she had to do was raise one eyebrow in their direction and they would pipe down … well, at least for a minute or two. He also recalled Myra’s niece, Jessica, who had caused quite a stir when she had shown up on her aunt’s doorstep pregnant at sixteen. But free-spirited Myra lived by her own rules. She had taken her niece in and after sweet little Madison was born, she charmed the town with her mop of blond curls and big blue eyes. Noah shook his head thinking that here he was, twenty years later, auditioning for a play that Jessica’s daughter wrote. As he passed the diner he did notice that there seemed to be some construction going on inside and hoped it meant that the restaurant remained on solid ground.

  “Yes!” Noah shot a celebratory fist into the air when he saw that Grammar’s Bakery, home of the best butter cookies on the planet, was still in business. “Thank God for small favors!” he said to the blue sky and then slid his sleek red car into a parking spot directly in front of the bakery. He glanced at his watch. If he was lucky they would still have a few cookies left. He unfolded his jeans-clad legs from the driver’s seat and eased his road-weary body to a standing position before stretching. At least nobody in here would poke fun at his cowboy boots or western-cut flannel shirt. It was a bit on the cool side to have the top down, but on a bright, sunshiny day like this Noah couldn’t resist. “You can take the boy out of the country …” he said under his breath and then grinned. Man, it felt good to be back home.

  A bell jingled when Noah tugged the door open, and he had to stop in his tracks and take a deep breath of air scented with cinnamon and yeast. “Please tell me you have some butter cookies left.”

  “I think so.” A teenage girl with a pale blond lopsided ponytail glanced up from wiping the counter and gave him a bored smile.

  “Sweet. I’ll take them all.” Since it was Saturday afternoon the shelves were already mostly bare, but he glanced in the glass display case and breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted a couple dozen butter cookies dotted with pastel icing. A fat cinnamon cake topped with mounds of crumble called his name, and so did a flat, crispy elephant ear. Oh, and he needed a loaf of white and a loaf of marble rye …

  “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!” boomed the big voice of Mabel Grammar. She stood there with her hands on her ample hips and grinned while the double doors to the kitchen swung back and forth behind her. “Noah Falcon?”

  Noah pushed his mirrored aviators up onto his head and grinned back. “The one and only.”

  “No truer words were ever spoken.” Mabel laughed, causing her double chin to jiggle. “Well, aren’t you just a sight for sore eyes?” She dusted floured hands on her apron and ambled out from behind the counter.

  “And so are you, Mabel,” Noah told her and gave her a big bear hug. “It sure smells good in here.” After he stepped back he noticed that the teenager’s jaw had dropped.

  “Noah, this is Chrissie.”

  “Uh-uh …”

  “You mean you’re not Chrissie?” Noah asked with a grin.

  “No, I mean … yes. Really? You’re Noah Falcon?” She stood up from her slouch and suddenly appeared less bored.

  “Yep.” Although Noah bestowed his best Dr. Jesse Drake soap-opera smile upon her, it grated a little that he wasn’t worth the time of day until she knew he was famous. He had experienced much of the same after he was no longer a major-league baseball player, and now that he had been booted off Love in the Afternoon, his net worth had taken a nosedive once again. His personal life had taken a tumble too. No one wants a has-been, only a right-now, and it was beginning to wear on him—but he kept his smile in place and gave her a wink. She was just a kid and meant no harm.

  Chrissie’s eyes widened. “Dude, my mom was so upset when you got all blown up in that car wreck.”

  “What?” Mabel took another step back and gave him a once-over. “What’s this about a car wreck?”

  “On television,” Noah explained. He hadn’t seen his untimely death coming either, but before he could elaborate Chrissie interrupted with an excited wave of her hands.

  “He plays Dr. Jesse Drake on Love in the Afternoon.” Mabel slapped her leg. “Oh, that’s
right. I’m never home in the afternoon to watch.”

  “You should totally TiVo it.”

  “Chrissie, honey, I have no idea what in the world you’re even talkin’ about. I have a tough enough time workin’ my remote.”

  “My mother never misses it,” Chrissie gushed. “She said she knew you back in high school. She said you were superhot.”

  “Thanks … I think.”

  “N-not that you aren’t now,” Chrissie quickly amended and then blushed. “You know, for an old dude.”

  “Oh, Chrissie, good one,” Mabel said and slapped her leg again.

  “What?” Chrissie frowned for a second, and then she said in a rush, “Oh, not old … old.”

  “Chrissie, honey, you’d better quit while you’re ahead.” Mabel chuckled but then pressed her lips together when Noah gave her a look. “Oh, Noah, I think you’re still cute as a button with those dimples and all.” She reached up and pinched his cheeks.

  “You meant ruggedly handsome, right?”

  Mabel patted his cheeks. “You betcha. Well, except you could use a shave.”

  “That’s my sexy soap-opera stubble, I’ll have you know.” When he playfully arched one eyebrow and struck a pose, Chrissie whipped out her cell phone and snapped a picture. Great—he looked like a total asshat. Plus, he wanted to keep his presence here on the down low for a while. He would have asked her to delete it, but she seemed so thrilled that he didn’t have the heart.

  “Camera didn’t break, did it?” Mabel asked Chrissie, who looked at her like she was one taco short of a combo.

  “Miss Mabel!”

  “Oh, Noah knows I’m just yanking his chain,” she said with a wink in his direction.

  “My mom is gonna freak,” Chrissie announced when she looked at the picture.

  Noah laughed. Although his hometown had always showered him with pride, Noah’s friends and family also made certain that he checked his ego at the door. What they didn’t know was that except when he was on the baseball field or in front of the camera, his hotshot persona was just that—an act that he wasn’t always comfortable with. He’d much rather be noshing on chili cheese fries at Myra’s Diner than eating sushi at a fancy restaurant, but if he wanted to continue with his acting career he had to keep up his over-the-top image.