Hailed by Heidi McLaughlin as a bestselling author who “knows how to create the men who make us swoon,” L. P. Dover returns with an edgy, emotionally gripping Second Chances novel about a beautiful widow who can’t resist a chiseled NFL player. Former nurse Summer Jacobs has seen her fair share of suffering, but she never expected tragedy to hit so close to home. After watching her husband die in the MMA ring, Summer spends the next two years fighting her way through the darkness. The last thing she needs is another hardheaded athlete turning her life upside down. But that’s exactly what happens when she meets a gridiron star who’s as skilled at stealing hearts as he is at snagging passes.
Carolina Cougars wide receiver Evan Townsend usually has no problem winning fans, so he’s intrigued when Summer shoots down his go-to plays for winning a woman’s attention. Never one to back down from a challenge, Evan turns up the heat, setting off sparks that neither can deny. But as his slow seduction begins to chase away Summer’s pain, he gets the feeling that someone is desperate to keep them apart. Now Evan will do anything to protect her—because he never misses a chance to make a perfect catch.
Don’t miss any of New York Times bestselling author L. P. Dover’s red-hot Breakaway novels: HARD STICK | BLOCKED
Or these heartwarming Second Chances romances: CATCHING SUMMER | DEFENDING HAYDEN | INTENDED FOR BRISTOL
“L. P. Dover knows how to create the men who make us swoon, the book boyfriends we all want.”—New York Times bestselling author Heidi McLaughlin
Praise for Catching Summer “L. P. Dover masterfully weaves together agonizing heartbreak and swoon-worthy romance with ultimate suspense. This second-chance love story had me flipping the pages from the very first scene, craving more with each twist and turn.”—USA Today bestselling author L. B. Simmons
“A moving story of love and loss that will stay with you long after you finish reading.”—USA Today bestselling author Kelly Jamieson
“[A] sweet and flirty contemporary . . . One need not be fan of football to fall head over heels for this spunky contemporary romance with elements of suspense.”—Library Journal “I’m so glad I picked up this book.”—The Book Disciple “I love how this story is told. It gave me the feel of both characters and what they are thinking.”—Wicked Women Book Blog “How does L. P. Dover manage it? I’ve read countless books by her and she still manages to suck me in right from the first few pages.”—Emmbooks
Includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.
Release date:
April 5, 2016
Publisher:
Loveswept
Print pages:
246
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Memories. I hated them. All I wanted was to forget the past and move on, but I couldn’t. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see it all as if it had happened yesterday. Sleep was not my friend. The second I’d drift off, I’d be taken back to that nightmare. I wanted to rip out my heart and throw it away so I wouldn’t have to feel the pain anymore. Or feel anything, for that matter. It was too much. I honestly didn’t know if I was going to live through it.
How could I when my whole life had been taken from me? To this day, even when I was awake, Austin’s shouts demanding that I be let go still echoed in my ears. All he wanted was to be recognized, to show the world how good a fighter he could be. Instead, he was lured into a deadly game, promised a life of riches and fame. I could still feel my captors’ fingers digging into my arms as they held me tight, whispering in my ears what they were going to do to me and to my husband. I was blindfolded at the time, but I could hear every damned thing that was going on. It was the exact moment I lost all faith in humanity.
I wanted to be strong, to believe that we would get out of it alive, but it was no use. Austin didn’t have a chance, and neither did I. All he had wanted was to be the best fighter in the UFC and to make something of himself, to finally earn the money to open up the restaurant he and his brother had been dying to start ever since they were young. Instead, our dreams scattered to the wind that day, gone for all eternity. I don’t know how many men were in the ring with him, but it had to have been at least three by the sounds of it. Fists hitting flesh, grunts of pain, and bones breaking were the noises of my nightmares. They were nightmares I could never escape from. The endless torture never ceased.
“Summer? Are you okay?”
My sister’s voice broke through the memories, but it wasn’t enough to snap me out of it. Lara had tried desperately to help me, to talk to me in hopes it would ease my pain. She was my twin sister, and with a bond like that she was sure she’d have the healing touch to help me forget. But her soothing words were no match for the evil tainting my soul. Nothing helped, not even when I sold our house in Georgia to move back to North Carolina. Our parents lived in Virginia and had tried to get me to move in with them, but I couldn’t escape from my demons no matter how far I moved away.
I could still hear Austin choking on his own blood, begging them to let me go. The men taunted him about how they were going to have fun with me when he was dead. I’d tried to hold in my screams because I knew it would only torment him more to know that I was scared. My arms were covered in bruises for weeks after the attack. The trauma made me forget, and for a while my memories had escaped me, but they came back with a vengeance. While in the hospital, I had no clue who I was or what had happened. It was like I didn’t exist.
Sometimes I wanted to go back to that, to be in a state of ignorant bliss where the memories couldn’t haunt me. It wasn’t until Mason Bradley, a friend of mine and Austin’s who also happened to be an undercover cop, showed up and sparked my memory that it all came back to me. Mason found Austin’s murderers and brought them to justice, almost losing his own life in the process. I would always be grateful for what he did for me, but nothing was going to bring Austin back.
Lying broken and beaten in the hospital bed, I’d wanted my life to end so that I could be with Austin again, to see his smiling face and feel his arms around me. We didn’t have any kids, so it wasn’t like I had anything at home waiting for me other than my sister. With his last dying breath before the final blow took him away from me, Austin had shouted that he loved me.
“Summer, come back to me,” Lara cried, shaking my shoulders.
Gasping for air, I looked down at my hands, which were bloody. Tears streamed down my cheeks and my hands shook as I lifted them. “What happened?”
Lara frowned. “You had another episode. As soon as I heard the glass break, I came up here.”
Tears blurred my vision, and I could feel the shards of glass stuck into the palms of my hands, but there was no pain. It was all in my chest. “What did I break?”
Swallowing hard, she glanced toward the corner where my wedding picture with Austin lay mangled, the glass shattered and the frame broken. “Oh my God, what did I do?” Sobbing, I crawled over the broken glass and held the picture to my chest. Lara sat with me and pulled me into her arms.
“Shh, it’s okay. We’ll get you a new one.”
“It won’t be the same,” I cried. “Nothing will ever be the same.”
She rubbed her hands soothingly down my back. “I know they won’t, but you have to get through this. It’s been six months and you’re worse now than you’ve ever been. I don’t think talking to me is helping. You’re barely eating or sleeping.”
I pulled away from her. “So what are you saying? That I need psychiatric help?”
Her voice softened and she regarded me with those sad blue eyes of hers. It was the first time I’d really looked at her in months. We looked exactly alike with golden blond hair, heart-shaped faces, and blue eyes, but she was never one to be sad. My pain was rubbing off on her, and I could see the effects of it in her face. It only made me feel worse. Selfish.
Her eyes misted over, but she held back her tears—always the strong one. “All I’m saying is that you might want to consider talking to a therapist. I can’t stand seeing you like this. Austin wouldn’t want it. He would want you to live your life and find happiness again.”
“He was my life, Lara.”
“You’re right, he was. Now you need to live a new one. He’s always going to be a part of you. What you need to focus on now are the good times you shared and not the bad.”
I looked down at my wedding picture, at the man I thought I’d be with for the rest of my life. Shaking my head, I traced his smile with my finger. I’d give anything to be able to see him again. I missed his touch and the way he’d held me protectively in his arms. He’d always known what to say to make me feel better if I was having a bad day. How could I find that kind of happiness again?
“I don’t know if I can do that,” I whispered.
Lara lifted my chin and smiled. “That’s what you have me for. You can do this, Summer. I have faith in you. Now let’s get your hands cleaned up.”
She helped me to my feet, and I finally got a glimpse of my room. Other than the photo, there was no trace of Austin anywhere, not since I’d moved out of our home. His brother, Grayson, had most of his things because I couldn’t bear to look at them. I used to be strong like Lara. I needed to be that person again, but I didn’t know how to find her. She had died six months ago.
“Will I ever get back to normal?” I asked softly.
Lara took my wrist and pulled me gently into the bathroom. “Yes, I promise. You just have to have faith.” She turned on the faucet and stuck my hands underneath the running water.
Closing my eyes, I let the warm water glide over my torn skin. Please God, if you can hear me, I need your help.
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