Illegal Procedure (Fair Catch Series, Book One)

by Christine Kersey

  Dashing to a window that overlooked the front of his house, his thoughts were on Shay and what was going on. Hoping there was a reasonable explanation, he jerked the blinds up and peered outside. Looking toward the barn door, he saw a rope staked to the ground extending toward the doorknob. From where he stood he couldn’t see where the rope ended, but he assumed it was tied to the door.

  Who would have done that? And why?

  Then it came to him. Shay’s ex. He must have seen the picture that reporter took, showing her with him, and then tracked down Josh’s address. Why hadn’t he considered that that would happen and taken precautions?

  Swearing under his breath, Josh raced to the rear barn door, but it wouldn’t open either. He tore back across the floor of the gym and looked out the window, desperate to see what was happening. At first there was nothing to see, but a moment later he saw his front door open and a man stepping through—a man he assumed was Will.

  Heart pounding like a jackhammer, Josh watched in horror as Will reached down and pulled on something. Seconds later Shay came into view, clearly unconscious. With his hands under Shay’s arms, Will dragged her onto the porch, then he began descending the steps, Shay bumping down them as he went.

  Furious that someone would do that to Shay, Josh knew it was up to him to save her. He unlocked the window, then using his left hand, he tried to slide it open, but it wouldn’t budge.

  Snarling in frustration, and with adrenaline dumping into his bloodstream, he ripped the sling off of his right arm and used both hands to slide the window open. Pain bloomed in his right shoulder, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. Ripping the screen out of the window, Josh flung himself through the opening, landing on the ground with a thud.

  Barely pausing to see what was happening, he saw Will dragging Shay down the dirt road. Looking farther down the road, he saw a car parked near the turnoff to the main road. Knowing he had to get to them before Will reached his car, Josh sprinted toward them.

  Will was walking backwards, facing the direction Josh was coming from, and after only a moment Will made eye contact with Josh. Will began fast-walking backwards, but with the burden of dragging Shay, he wasn’t moving terribly fast.

  Knowing he’d been spotted, Josh ran faster than he’d ever run before. This was so much more important than getting a touchdown. When Josh was within ten yards of Will and Shay, Will let go of Shay and began running towards his car.

  While playing quarterback, Josh always tried to avoid being tackled, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to tackle an opponent. And he’d made plenty of tackles over the years.

  As he passed Shay, Josh glanced at her and thought he saw her eyes opening, but for now he needed to catch the man who he was sure wouldn’t leave Shay alone until he was stopped, so on he ran.

  Though Will was fast, Josh was in the best shape of his life, and it didn’t take him long to catch up to him. Driving himself into Will’s back, Josh took him down easily. Pain erupted in Josh’s right shoulder as he was jarred against the ground, but he powered through it, keeping his goal in mind.

  Will was face-down in the dirt, so Josh pressed his knee into the space between Will’s shoulder blades. Hard.

  “Don’t move,” Josh growled, then he took his cell phone out of his pocket and called the sheriff.

  Shay felt groggy, and as she opened her eyes she couldn’t figure out why she was lying on the ground outside. Then it all came back to her—checking her phone for texts, Will appearing in the doorway, fighting with him, and then everything had gone black.

  Her head ached and her body felt bruised, but why was she lying in the dirt? Where was Will? Had he decided to leave her alone after all?

  “Shay!”

  Recognizing Josh’s voice, she tried to sit up, but her head hurt too bad and wooziness threatened to swamp her.

  “Shay! Are you okay?”

  Why was he yelling? Why wasn’t he coming over to help her?

  More confused than ever, she managed to roll onto her stomach before lifting her head in the direction of his voice.

  To her stunned surprise, she saw Josh kneeling on Will, holding Will’s arms behind his back.

  What had happened?

  “I’m okay,” she managed to call out, then she rested her head on her arms.

  “The sheriff’s on the way,” he said.

  After a few more minutes of lying on the ground, Shay pushed herself into a sitting position, hanging her head between her bent knees until the fresh wave of dizziness passed. Finally she felt strong enough to stand, and she made her way over to Josh and Will.

  Will’s head was turned in her direction, and he glared at her. Knowing he couldn’t hurt her, she just stared back, then shook her head.

  A short time later a sheriff’s car arrived. The sheriff handcuffed Will and put him in the back of his cruiser, then he turned to Josh and Shay.

  Shay told him what happened, including how she’d fought Will off before he’d knocked her out. Josh’s eyes were on her as she spoke, and she wondered what he was thinking. When she was done, Josh told the sheriff how he’d seen Will dragging Shay’s unconscious body down the steps and toward Will’s car.

  For some reason it hadn’t occurred to Shay that Josh had seen her in such a helpless state. Watching fury darken his eyes as he described what he’d seen, Shay tried not to imagine what would have happened if Josh hadn’t intervened.

  When they’d finish telling the sheriff what had happened, the sheriff drove away with Will in the backseat.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  The moment the sheriff was gone, Josh led Shay to the front porch where they sat side by side on the porch swing. Worried about her, he asked, “How are you feeling? How’s your head?” A bruise was forming on her cheek and he had to control the rage he felt towards Will. Shay needed him now. He had to focus on her.

  “I’ll be okay.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?” The sheriff had offered to call an ambulance, but Shay had declined.

  “I think one ride in an ambulance is enough.”

  Smiling, Josh nodded. “Yeah. I can’t argue with that.”

  Shay’s forehead wrinkled. “What about you? How does your shoulder feel?”

  It hurt. There was no question about that. But he didn’t think he’d injured it any worse. “It’ll be fine.” At the look of concern on Shay’s face, he added, “And don’t you dare blame yourself. You did nothing wrong.”

  A soft sigh slipped from her mouth. “You’re too sweet, Josh.”

  He wasn’t trying to be sweet. He just wanted to cut off her line of thinking before it had begun. “And you’re amazing,” he said. “I heard you telling the sheriff how hard you fought. You don’t give up easily, do you?”

  Her face reddened. “I couldn’t let him take me.”

  “That’s what I mean. I like how you stand up for yourself.” He paused, thinking about how she’d almost left him the day before, how she’d walked away from him, how he’d feared he would never see her again. How he’d come to realize how much she meant to him, how he wanted to be part of her life.

  Smiling, he knew the moment was right to tell her that his feelings for her were growing. Lowering his chin while keeping his gaze locked on hers, he softened his voice. “That’s not the only thing I like about you.”

  At the look on Josh’s face, combined with his words, Shay felt her heart begin to pound. But this wasn’t like the pounding of fear she’d felt when Will had shown up. No. This was a pounding of hope and excitement.

  “What do you mean?” she asked, her lips curving upward.

  His smile matched hers, and while his amazing blue eyes gazed into her very soul, he said, “We haven’t known each other very long, but I’ve grown to care for you more than I’ve ever cared for anyone, Shay.”

  Happiness blossomed inside her.

  “I can’t imagine…” A look of fear briefly darkened his eyes, then he shook his head
. “What if I hadn’t seen him dragging you away? What if he’d taken you?”

  She didn’t want to consider that, but it had nearly happened. Will had been within mere yards of succeeding. The thought of being under Will’s control made her sick, and her stomach churned. Closing her eyes, she reminded herself that Josh had saved her, that she was safe.

  She opened her eyes and met his gaze as the thought went through her head with power. He’d saved her.

  “I love you, Josh.”

  Her eyes widened in shock. Where had that come from?

  But she meant it. She’d never fallen for someone so fast or so hard. Still, it was too soon to say it. Wasn’t it? Holding completely still, she waited to see what Josh would say.

  Her declaration of love had taken Josh completely by surprise, but when she’d said the words, they had resonated within him in a way he’d never felt before. He reached out and gently stroked her face, wanting nothing more than to pull her into his arms and protect her from the world. She’d come to mean more to him than he ever could have imagined.

  Staring steadily into her emerald-green eyes, eyes that held no guile, Josh felt his heart swell with a feeling so overwhelming, he couldn’t deny it.

  “I love you, too, Shay.”

  They’d been through some crazy things together, and he was eager to explore the future with her, to see where things led.

  Shay could hardly believe he’d said the words back. Grinning like an idiot, she couldn’t take her eyes from his face, and when he tugged her into his arms, she went willingly. She pressed her cheek against his chest and listened to his strong and steady heartbeat. With his arms around her, knowing he would do anything to save her—that he already had saved her—and that he loved her as she loved him, Shay had never been happier.

  She looked up at him, and after only a moment he lowered his face to hers, then he pressed his lips against hers with a passion she’d never felt before. She sank against him, savoring the feel of being in his strong embrace.

  She didn’t know what the future held, but she was excited to discover it with Josh at her side, strengthening her, buoying her up as she would buoy him up. They would be there for each other, no matter what.

  Epilogue

  Eight weeks later

  Shay stood off to the side of the football field watching Josh run plays with his teammates. She had just arrived at the Sacramento Vipers’ practice field, having finished her shift at the Green Thumb Nursery. It was her third full week working there, and she loved it. And she was learning so much about gardening.

  When it had been time for Josh to move back to his Sacramento house, he’d invited her to move in with him, but she had decided it was time to be on her own. With his help, she’d found a small apartment, and it hadn’t taken long to find the job at the nursery. And though she’d argued that she would be fine taking the bus to work, Josh had insisted on buying a car for her. His one concession had been to let her choose the car, and she’d chosen an inexpensive used car. So far it had worked fine, and as it turned out, the car made it easy for her to stop by Josh’s practices from time to time.

  Between working and taking care of her little place, and especially spending time with Josh, her life was full. Even so, she had decided to enroll in classes at Sacramento City College and work towards a degree that had something to do with gardening. She hadn’t decided yet if she wanted to focus on landscape design or horticulture, but either way, she was filled with optimism about her future. Especially when it came to Josh. She’d fallen more in love with him every day.

  She tried not to think about Will, but she didn’t feel threatened by him any longer. He was in jail, and with any luck he wouldn’t be out any time soon.

  Now, as she watched Josh throwing the ball, her heart soared with happiness. Being with him was a dream come true, and she was grateful everyday to have him in her life.

  Josh saw that Shay had arrived, which brought a smile to his face. Every time he saw her it seemed as if the day was brighter. Though he would have preferred that she move in to his place, he respected her need to be on her own. Knowing she didn’t need him so much but rather had chosen him made him love her all the more. And he chose her. No other woman interested him in the least.

  Moving his right arm in a circle, he assured himself once again that his shoulder was one hundred percent healed. Grateful that there were no lingering problems, when the coach called an end to that day’s practice, Josh jogged over to Shay and pulled her into an embrace.

  “Hi there, beautiful,” he murmured in her ear.

  “How was practice?”

  He pulled back and smiled at her. “Fantastic. What about you? How was work?”

  “Great.” She gazed at him a moment. “You know, every time someone talks about starting a garden, I think of our garden at your cabin.”

  He laughed. “We’ll have to get up there and check on it sometime.”

  “Good thing we were able to automate that soaker hose, but I’m sure there will be a few weeds the next time we go there.”

  Chuckling, he said, “Yeah. Just a few.”

  “But think of the bounty of produce that’ll be waiting for us.”

  Her endless enthusiasm always warmed him, and he pulled her in for a lingering kiss. “I sure love you, Shay.”

  Her emerald-green eyes were steady on his. “I love you, Josh.”

  Savoring the moment, Shay gazed at him, her heart singing with love. She was so grateful for him and all that he’d done for her, for the amazing place she was in her life. She was certain she would have gotten there on her own eventually, but she was thrilled that Josh had helped her along and that they were on this journey together. Their future held endless promise, and as she smiled at him, she knew her life couldn’t be any more perfect.

  Thank you for reading Illegal Procedure, the first book in my Fair Catch sports romance series. The next book will be about Brock Remington. Sign up for my newsletter so that you’ll know the moment it’s available. You’ll also receive my two standalone suspense novels for free. Sign up by clicking HERE.

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  Hearts on Fire Chapter 1

  Working out had never been Arwen’s thing, but when she decided to do something, she gave it her all. And she’d decided it was time to get into shape. Sitting on her butt all day was not doing nice things to her body, and she was tired of getting out of breath just from climbing the flights of stairs at work—something she tried to do daily to get in a bit of exercise between appointments with her therapy clients.

  The doors to the gym slid open and Arwen stepped through, then strode to the front desk.

  “Hi there,” a young woman with a bright smile said. Her name tag said Michelle. “What can I help you with?”

  Reminding herself that coming here would improve her health, Arwen smiled back. “Hi. I want to join your gym.” Maybe want was the wrong word. She needed to do this.

  “That’s great! What’s your name?”

  “Arwen Butler.”

  The girl’s fingers clacked on her keyboard, then she looked at Arwen. “Would you like to take a tour?”

  A tour? This wasn’t exactly a vacation destination. Then again, she’d be spending good money every month to come here, not to mention the time she would put in. She should probably take a look and make sure
she would like it. “Yeah. Sure.”

  “Perfect.” The girl’s smile grew. “Hang on a sec while I grab Susan.”

  “Okay.”

  The girl typed on her keyboard again, and moments later a fit woman with short blonde hair walked toward Arwen.

  “Hello,” the woman said with a warm smile as she stopped in front of Arwen. “I’m Susan.”

  “I’m Arwen.”

  “Welcome, Arwen. I understand you’re considering joining our gym.”

  Decided, actually. She didn’t have time to gym shop. “That’s right.”

  “Perfect! I’d love to show you around.”

  Arwen walked with Susan, assessing each room as they passed through it.

  “We have several personal trainers on staff,” Susan said as they stood in the doorway of the main workout space and watched the men and women using the various pieces of equipment.

  Hiring a personal trainer had never crossed Arwen’s mind, but she considered it now. With no clue how to reach her fitness goals, a personal trainer could be useful even though she preferred to do things on her own.

  “Your first session with the trainer would be complimentary,” Susan added.

  Arwen saw right through Susan’s sales ploy. Still, having the help of a personal trainer could have some value. Maybe just get some guidance at that first session and then she could take it from there. “Sure. I’d be willing to give it a try.”

  “Perfect. Why don’t we go into my office and get you signed up?”

  By the time Arwen walked out of the gym and into the warm August air thirty minutes later, membership card in hand and an appointment with a personal trainer scheduled for the next evening, she was actually looking forward to this new challenge.