Catch of a Lifetime: A Cricket Creek Novel by Luann McLane

Lawson was doing a bang-up job with getting thick grass to grow on the field. Season-ticket sales had been going strong, and corporate sponsors were showing interest. All in all, everything was coming together, putting Ty in the best frame of mind he had been in for a long time.
    Until tonight.
    Right this minute, he was frustrated as hell. His little prove-it-to-you kiss had backfired big-time. Just thinking about locking lips with Jessica got him going all over again.Ty raked a hand down his face and groaned. “Damn.” His attraction to her went beyond physical. He admired her culinary talents and work ethic. Ty grinned. And when she let her guard down, she entertained him with her sharp sense of humor. But his grin faded when he thought that at this very moment, she was probably dancing with hotshot Lannigan. He suddenly regretted his decision to leave the party, but his emotions had gotten the best of him.
    With a sigh, Ty padded on bare feet into the kitchen. The smooth, cold tile sent a slight chill up his spine, but he didn’t mind. After spending years in hot leather cleats, Ty loved the freedom of bare feet. He opened the refrigerator door and peered at the meager assortment of food: olives, spicy mustard, hot sauce, pickles, one lonely apple taken from a basket of fruit sent to the stadium, bottled water, and expired milk. The rest of the shelves were laden with beer.
But not just ordinary beer,
he thought in his own defense. Ty was a big fan of microbreweries and placed a high value on flavor, complexity, and quality. He picked up a bottle of Moose Drool from Big Sky Brewing and grinned. Noah thought he was a beer snob, but in reality, Ty appreciated the handcrafted passion that went into brewing the best beer possible. Ty fully understood dedication and the need for success, but what he was just beginning to get was that there was so much more to life, namely sharing it with someone you love.
    “Wow,” he said with a sad sigh, and then put the bottle back onto the shelf. Other than the spinach dip, he hadn’t eaten, and his stomach growled in angry protest. He stood there scratching his chest and was contemplating opening the jar of olives when his doorbell rang. Ty frowned and shut the refrigerator door. If it was a pizza-delivery dude at the wrong door, he might just have to claim the order.
    He took long strides across the living room in case the delivery dude figured out his mistake, and tugged the door open. He was so dumbfounded to see Jessica standing therethat he stared at her in silent confusion instead of inviting her in. Finally, she thrust a plate at him.
    “I brought you . . . uh
 . . .
” She looked down at the plate as if she had forgotten what was on it and then added, “Cake.”
    “Thank you,” he finally managed, and took the plate from her.
    Jessica hefted her purse higher on her shoulder and said, “Well, enjoy. Good night.” It wasn’t until she pivoted on her heel so fast that her ponytail whipped across his chest that Ty located his lost senses.
    “Can’t you come in for a while?”
    She halted her quick head-down exit and turned around slowly to face him. “I—I should go. You—you look ready for bed,” she added, and then her cheeks turned a cute shade of pink. “Please don’t touch that line,” she pleaded with a slight grin. “Wow, I suck at flirting.”
    “Is that what you’re doing?”
    “Apparently not.”
    Ty grinned back. There it was again, that unexpected splash of humor. “On the contrary.”
    “Really?” She appeared so pleased that Ty chuckled.
    “Have you had any cake yet?”
    “No. But I did have a shot of bourbon.” She raised one finger in the air, and he realized she was tipsy.
Oh, that explains a lot.
    “That’ll put hair on your chest,” he teased, but at his comment, her gaze dropped to his bare chest, and she visibly swallowed.
    “I guess you’ve been drinking bourbon too.”
    Ty chuckled.
    “I’m glad you’re not into that