Headfirst into Home
By: Jennifer Simpkins
Blurb:
Coming off of a divorce, Rachel
Young’s focus is on moving forward and making a life for her and her daughter.
When ex-baseball hottie, Ty Robinson, waltzes back into her life, tempting her
with his kisses, forming a bond with her daughter, and making promises for
their future, she willingly gives him her heart.Ty has harbored a deep desire for small town beauty, Rachel, for the past ten years. Fate dropped her in his path when they were teenagers, leading to one magical night. Following an injury, he has come home, determined to prove to Rachel he is home for good.
After a life changing phone call, Ty is faced with taking another opportunity at playing the game he’s always loved and the woman and child that have stolen his heart. In the end, is he capable of giving Rachel what she needs—a sense of home and most importantly, honesty?
Excerpt:
With all the
laughter and cracking of the billiard balls, Rachel was amazed she’d even heard
the bell ding above the entrance door, either announcing or saying good-bye to
a customer. People were coming in, while others were making it an early night
and heading home. This was one of those rare nights where she didn’t have to be
home at a certain time. Her mom responsibilities were put on hold for the next
twelve hours. Her daughter was safe and happy, and Rachel was set on having a
good time.
She saw him
first.
If she was smart
she would’ve sank down in the booth, trying to make herself unnoticeable or
give him the hint she still wasn’t interested in talking. It was the same way
she treated him after…well, after the night that changed her life. She was
still on the fence as to if that change was a good thing…or a very bad thing.
Turns out she
wasn’t smart. At least not when sinfully, sexy Ty Robinson stood just feet away
from where she sat. Smart and Ty never had gone hand in hand with her. He
clouded her judgment—always had. She sat up straight, almost announcing herself
to him, begging him to waltz in her direction.
His warm gaze
locked on her instantly. Was he surprised to see her? She couldn’t tell. But
from what she could tell by his wide grin, flashing pearly whites, he didn’t
look unpleasant at the sight of her. That was a good sign.
“Mmm…” God, did
she just sigh out loud. No, it wasn’t fair he still could turn her brain to
mush. How was that even possible?
“What’s that?”
Morgan asked, her eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong with you? You look like you’ve
seen a ghost.”
No, it wasn’t a
ghost, not by a long shot. She would have been a lot safer if the man standing
just feet away from her, looking like the hottest thing ever to grace The Eight
Ball, was paranormal. A fitted gray T-shirt stretched over a formed chest,
revealing muscular—but not overwhelming—tanned arms. Was it possible he’d grown
taller since the last time she’d seen him? He had to be at least six feet plus
inches. Long legs filled the luckiest faded pair of blue jeans. And here she
thought seeing him on television, under the blazing sun, perspiration forming above
his brow, and with an intense expression as he sized up his opponent in the
batter’s box was enough to get her juices flowing. Watching his baseball games
were entertaining, but didn’t come close to seeing him up close.
Rachel couldn’t
will herself to look away. “I can’t believe he’s back. Why is he here?” Ty’s
sister, Stacey, one of her best friends, never said anything about her twin
brother coming back to town. At least not to Rachel, she didn’t. Could it have
been Stacey didn’t even know? “I wonder if Stacey has seen him yet.” Another
thought came to mind. It was enough to turn her attention back on Morgan. “How
do I look?”
“You look like
you always do. Why is who back? And what does it have to do with Stacey? I’m
sorry, Rach, but you’re not making a lick of sense.”
Rachel fiddled
with the paper napkin under her glass of wine, too afraid to look up again.
“Ty. Ty Robinson just walked in.”
Before Rachel
could tell her friend not to make it obvious they were talking about him by
whipping her head around, Morgan was already turned completely around in the
booth, eyes fixated on Ty. “Oh. My. God. It’s really him, isn’t it?”
Isn’t that what
she had just said? “Morgan,” Rachel said through clenched teeth. “He’s looking
right at us. Can you please turn your ass back around? Geez!”
“What do you
think this means?” Morgan asked, once again facing forward. “I think he retired
the end of last season. I think I heard it was some kind of arm injury. Do you
think he’s back for good?”
Opening Day,
something she only knew because it was considered a holiday in Lincoln Springs,
was a little over three weeks ago. And since he was in Lincoln Springs and not
playing under the big lights, it was safe to say the rumors of Ty retiring
after only playing six years in the Major Leagues was true.
“I’m not sure
what it all means.”
“Well, it’s not
like he hasn’t been back in the past ten years. He used to visit once a year.”
This time felt
different. In the past ten years Rachel had only seen glimpses of Ty around
town when he would come to visit his family. She had stayed away, never even
offering a hello to him, because of her marriage to James. As far as she knew
he hadn’t been in town in the last three years.
The already loud
bar got even louder as everyone figured out the biggest thing to come out of
Lincoln Springs had returned. A lot of hellos were given, a lot more slaps on
the back…and of course women appeared out of every corner like cockroaches,
swarming around him.
Rachel casually
sipped her wine, peeking over the rim of the glass to catch another eyeful of
an all grown-up Ty Robinson. In the past couple years she’d caught a few of his
games. Because he played on the West Coast, the games were always on late.
Sometimes after she’d put Brooklyn to bed and had a few minutes to sit back and
relax, she would turn on a California Wolverines game. She wasn’t always sure
what exactly was happening on the ball field, but…God, the things that man
could do to her. She didn’t have to understand all the ins and outs of baseball
to appreciate the sight of him in a pair of uniform pants.
Leisurely
walking through the crowd of people, shaking hands with guys he’d grown up
with, smiling at all the pretty girls who fluttered their eyelashes at him,
Rachel watched him make his way toward the booth she and Morgan shared.
“Don’t look,”
Rachel said. She felt it was important to remind Morgan of that right off the
bat. What was up with her and baseball
terms tonight? “He’s coming over here.”
* * * *
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Bio:
Jennifer has always been an avid reader, but
it wasn't until
she became a stay-at-home mom did she start to read romance. Her passion of
reading romance turned into another passion she had as a child—writing. One
late night of writing about sexy heroes and strong-willed heroines turned into
two nights, until seven months later she had written her first novel.
She lives in a small, North Carolina town with her supportive husband (whose dream is to be on the cover of one of her books), a beautiful daughter, and two dogs who can’t seem to get along. If she's not writing you can find her reading, hanging out with her family, or cheering on the New York Yankees.
She lives in a small, North Carolina town with her supportive husband (whose dream is to be on the cover of one of her books), a beautiful daughter, and two dogs who can’t seem to get along. If she's not writing you can find her reading, hanging out with her family, or cheering on the New York Yankees.
Other Books by
Jennifer:
Moving
On
Trusting
Patience (Patience #3)
Loving
Patience (Patience #2)
Forgiving
Patience (Patience #1)
Connect with
Jennifer:
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