No
One Like You
Barefoot William # 4
Barefoot William # 4
By: Kate Angell
Releasing April 28th, 2015
Zebra
Blurb
No One Expects a Curveball
For
Rylan Cates, the gloriously sunny beachside town of Barefoot William may be
home, but the pro baseball player needs to focus on spring training. Hiring a
personal assistant to keep him and his four dogs organized for the next eight
weeks is the first step—and Beth Avery is the perfect pinch hitter.
Beth
is still looking for her place in the world, and a couple months caring for
Rylan’s two dachshunds, his golden retriever, and a Great Dane named Atlas
should shore up her finances before she moves on. Except it’s Atlas who won’t
budge, pushing her toward tanned, scruffy, sexy Rylan every chance he gets. One
more strike and she’s calling the dog out—unless she and Rylan admit that the
attraction they’re feeling is a game-winning grand slam…
Excerpt
She left Rylan standing on the crosswalk, not
daring to turn around to see if he was watching her. She was already so
embarrassed, she didn’t want to mess this up, too. No doubt he was observing
her every move. His judging her did not sit well. People in her past had taken
her to task, and she’d not enjoyed the criticism.
Jogging, she caught up with Atlas and Rue. Ry
trailed behind them in the McLaren. Apparently he didn’t trust her to cover the
three blocks alone. Not that she blamed him. What dog owner wanted to see his
animals sprawled out and asleep on the asphalt? It was not a pretty sight.
Rylan’s two-story cottage sat west of Center Street
on Manatee Way. The heavily wooded lot provided him privacy. Only hints of gray
paint and white shutters could be seen through the trees.
Slowing to catch her breath, Beth followed the lime
rock driveway that wound between tall hedges. She pulled in her gut and kept
going. She was determined Atlas and company weren’t going to get the better of her.
The problem was, they knew the terrain, and she did not.
She nearly turned her ankle on a loose stone in her
attempt to keep up with the lead dogs. She winced, wanting to stop and rub her
foot, but they had picked up the pace and were headed for their water bowls
aligned in a row on the porch. The dachshunds squirmed in her arms, wanting
down. Once on the ground, they scrambled up the steps.
Tires crunched on the driveway behind her, and she
heard Coldplay on Ry’s car radio before the engine cut off. Exhaling, she
pushed back the hair falling into her eyes and straightened her top. She barely
had time to adjust her shorts before Rylan joined her at the front of the
house. He looked down at her. She tried not to notice that his light eyes
looked tired and he hadn’t shaved this morning. He seemed to have a lot on his
mind. Perhaps the man needed an assistant more than she’d realized. She hoped
it would be her.
“You made it back okay,” he said.
She nodded. “Just in time to—”
Be slobbered on. Oh, no.
Atlas had drunk deeply, then jumped off the porch, coming straight to her. He
wiped his muzzle on her denim hip. She was his towel. Drool spread from her
crotch to her thigh. She flinched.
“Sorry about that,” Rylan apologized as he tugged
off his T-shirt. “Let me dry you off.”
“No, I’m fine—”
“I insist.”
He touched her. She should’ve remained wet. His
hands were large and rough; the fabric of his shirt soft from wear. His bare
chest brushed her breast as he bent toward her hip. The warmth of his breath
blew across her belly. His rubdown was fast, thorough, and disturbingly
intimate. He didn’t seem affected, but she nearly came out of her skin. Goose
bumps rose.
She waved him off. “I’m okay, really,” she managed
and moved away from him, only to walk into Atlas. The Dane still invaded her
space.
Rylan smiled, appearing relieved. “He likes you.”
She found that hard to believe. “He wiped his face
on me.”
“He’s playing with you.”
“Then why am I not having fun?”
“You’ll get used to him.”
His words gave her pause. He would have to hire her
for that to happen. She wasn’t sure she could live with a dog the size of a
pony and the stubbornness of a mule.
“I’m not certain this job is for me.” She was being
honest with him and herself, even if it meant the interview ended right there.
Being broke was no longer an option. She hated to let the job go, but she
didn’t want to get in over her head. Been there. Done that. Her past hadn’t
played out well.
Her hesitancy had Rylan narrowing his eyes. He did
the unexpected. Throwing back his head, he released his inner beast. He howled.
The sound cued the dogs to do the same. They howled so loudly, Beth covered her
ears.
“What are you doing?” she asked once the racket
eased.
“We’re talking you into staying.”
She shook her head. “You’re crazy.”
“I’m also smart, practical, and tend to be too
serious, according to my family,” he told her. “I’m an animal lover and a
decent ballplayer.”
Decent ballplayer? She’d
Googled him before she applied for the job. Statistics showed he ranked among
the best. He was a gifted athlete.
She needed to come clean with him. “I lied on my
résumé,” she confessed. She figured her admission would put him off.
“I know,” he surprised her by saying. “I checked
your previous employers and references. If you worked where you said you did,
you were invisible.”
“Why did you let me slide?” she asked, confused.
He shrugged. “I’m honestly not sure. I trust my
dogs’ instincts. Atlas is an excellent judge of character. He wouldn’t let
anyone in the cottage who didn’t belong. He joined you on the sofa during your
first interview and you didn’t freak out. I had one applicant leave the house
screaming.”
“He is rather large.”
“Large, but harmless,” Ry assured her. “He’s still
growing. He’s just two years old.”
Still growing. Her heart
nearly stopped.
“The job is only for eight weeks. It starts a week
before spring training and ends a week after,” he reminded her. “I have a
permanent assistant in Richmond. She’s just gotten married. I gave her time off
for an extended honeymoon in Cancun.”
The timing is ideal, Beth
thought. Free of her previous obligations, she didn’t want to stay in one place
too long. She had a lot of country to explore. She wanted to lose herself in
her travels. Returning home was not an option. She wouldn’t be missed.
“It’s a busy time for me,” Rylan continued. “I’ll
have personal and professional obligations. I’ll need someone to keep me on
track.”
Beth swallowed hard. Some days she lived chaos, all
on her own. Could she keep his life and her own running smooth? That was to be
seen. Organization could be challenging.
To her surprise, he took her silence as holding out
for more money. “You’ll receive a salary and a household budget. You’ll have a
business credit card for emergencies. Should you come up short for any reason,
just let me know.”
The man was trusting. Perhaps overly so. She didn’t
want to disappoint him. She quickly gave the job a final assessment. The pay
was enticing—she’d make more money in eight weeks than she had made the
previous year. The cash cushion would be nice—she could take a short vacation
once she left town. She wouldn’t be forced to immediately seek another
position.
She had one final question for him before she
accepted.
“You had far more qualified applicants. I couldn’t
be your first choice. So why me, Rylan? Besides the fact your dog likes me.”
Because I’m not
attracted to you. He didn’t admit that to Beth; he didn’t want to
hurt her feelings.
Plain and simply put, she wasn’t his type. He
didn’t have a lot of time to date, but when he did, he favored tall, slender,
savvy blondes. The two other women he’d interviewed had turned him on. He
didn’t need the distraction or the erection. No work would’ve gotten done.
Beth Avery had quirky written all
over her. Her brown hair was curly and unruly. The tip of her nose turned up
slightly. She pursed her lips a lot. She had a chin dimple. She couldn’t be
more than five foot two.
Her style in clothes was mismatched. She’d shown up
to her first interview wearing a lavender prairie flower print top, a flowing
ankle-length green skirt, and white cowgirl boots with silver scrolling. Peace
sign earrings had dangled from her ears, and a crocheted and beaded bracelet
had wrapped her wrist.
Her amazing eyes had gotten her a second interview.
Rain cast in color, the blue-gray reminded him of the Gulf of Mexico before a
summer storm. He’d noticed that the hue changed with her mood. Blue dominated
when she was relaxed. Gray indicated her frustration. Atlas had aggravated her
greatly. Her eyes had turned gunmetal gray.
Ry was polite when he informed her, “I’m going on
gut instinct alone in hiring you,” he admitted. “You seem nice, have an ability
to adapt, and if you screw up, Atlas will let me know.”
“Atlas looks like a tattletale,” she agreed with a
glance in the dog’s direction.
“I need someone immediately,” he added. “You’re
standing before me. The job is yours if you want it.”
No
hesitation. “I’ll take it.”
Author Info
National bestselling
author Kate Angell lives in Naples, Florida. She’s an animal lover, avid
reader, and sports fan. Bookstores are her second home. She takes coffee breaks
at Starbucks. Her philosophy: Out of chaos comes calmness. Enjoy the peace.
Please visit her on Facebook or at www.kateangell.com.
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