Catch of a Lifetime: A Cricket Creek Novel by Luann McLane Read Free Book Online Page B

masculine voice stopped her in her tracks.
    “Please don’t tell me you’re leaving.”
    Jessica turned around and looked into amazing sky-blue eyes and one eyebrow raised in question. He tilted a beer bottle up to a full, sexy mouth made for sin and then gave Jessica a slow grin that made her swallow hard. With shaggy, blond, streaky hair and a tan you wanted to touch, Mr. Blue Eyes looked like he should have just walked off a California beach with a surfboard tucked beneath his arm. She was about to answer him when she realized he couldn’t have been more than in his midtwenties if he was a day, and therefore had not been talking to
her
. She looked over her shoulder and expected to find some sweet young thing standing behind her, and was grateful not to have made a fool out of herself yet again.
    “Will you stay if I get you another one of those?” He nodded his shaggy head at her snifter and looked at her in question. So he was talking to her!
    Either the low lighting made her appear younger or Surfer Dude already had his beer goggles on. Or maybe he was a stripper hired by Aunt Myra to add to the birthday photo album? Dear God, Jessica hoped not. If so, she was going to need another snifter of Bourbon Barrel Ale and then some. “Sure,” she finally answered, and handed him her nearly empty glass. “It’s my party, so I have to stay.” She tapped her finger toward her chest so there would be no mistake that she was the over-the-hill birthday girl. If he
wasn’t
a stripper, she wanted him to know that she was the geezer that lordy, lordy, had just turned freaking forty. That should chase him away quicker than she bored Ty McKenna.
    “Ahhh, you must be Jessica,” he said, and pointed to the table holding the huge cake that said her name in script. “Saw it when I came in, but I’m not above crashing a party.” He extended his hand. “I’m Logan Lannigan. I’m here to play with . . . the cougars.”
    “Really? What position do you play?”
    He leaned in close and said in her ear, “Any one you want. Because you are one sexy cougar.”
    Jessica opened her mouth, but nothing came out. So he wasn’t a stripper—thank you, God—and he knew she was the birthday girl.
    Well . . . should she be offended that he thought of her as a cougar, or flattered? Did he deserve a slap or a hug?
    “Not that I would have ever guessed that you were anywhere close to forty,” he commented, as if reading her mind.
    “Thank you.”
Okay,
Jessica decided,
he deserves the hug.
Could everyone read her doggone mind? Was she that transparent? But anyway, it was a good response, so he got instant brownie points for that. Still, she shouldn’t be flirting with someone as young as him. Should she?
    God, no! Step away from the Bourbon Barrel Ale. . . .
    She was about to send cutie-pie Logan on his way, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mr. Triple Threat watching with apparent interest.
Hmm
, no longer bored,
she thought to herself, and tried to muster up a flirty smile. Surely she could pull off a smile, couldn’t she?
    “Come on, Jessica,” Logan pleaded in her ear. “What do you say?”
    Jessica was going to give his chest a shove, regardless of who was watching, when John Fogerty’s voice came over the speakers singing, “Put me in, Coach. I’m ready to play . . . today.”
    “You ready to play, sweet, sexy cougar?”
    Jessica laughed and suddenly felt carefree again. “Sure!” she answered, and let him lead her onto the dance floor. What could a little dancing hurt anyway?
    Madison squealed with delight when Jessica wiggled her way onto the dance floor. Her daughter’s eyes widened when she saw Logan, Aunt Myra gave her a high five, and Olivia shook her head but laughed. Jessica blushed, but decided to just have some fun.
    “This is Logan Lannigan. He plays with—I mean
for
the Cougars.”
Dear God . . .
    Logan gave her a wink but then nodded. “Pitcher,” he announced.
    “Welcome to