Excerpt: 'Caught' by Rhonda Shaw

Rhonda Shaw shares an excerpt from her new Caught, book three of Men of the Show.

First, here's the blurb about Caught:

Book three of Men of the Show

Shannon Morrison's dreams of becoming a lawyer are finally coming true. After landing a job at a prestigious law firm in Chicago, she's willing to sacrifice everything, including putting her personal life on hold, as nothing will stand in her way of making partner. Nothing except perhaps the gorgeous Detroit Rockets' All-Star catcher, Matt Buck.

Just when he didn't think his luck would turn around, life finally throws Matt a fastball right down the middle, reconnecting him with the one girl who has always intrigued him. As before, the timing isn't right, but Matt refuses to let this opportunity pass him by again. He knows Shannon's career leaves little room for anything else in her life, but he's unwilling to give in and will do whatever he can to make them work.

Together, Matt and Shannon struggle through one hurdle after another, determined to find a way to have everything they want. Just when they've finally figured it out, someone from Matt's past shatters everything, and leaves them both grappling to pick up the pieces…

Rhonda sets the scene for us …

Rhonda: As an avid sports fan, I like the sport in a sports romance to have its time in the limelight. I think it is important because showing how the hero responds in game situations often times is telling as to how he will react in real-life circumstances. I also like to bring the reader into the moment in order to experience the emotions and pressures the hero is facing.

In this opening scene, our hero, Detroit Rockets All-Star catcher Matt Buck, is at-bat during a stressful moment of the game. The Rockets are down by two runs, and Matt represents the last out the opposing team needs to get. The Rockets' season is over if Matt fails to keep the game going. If he succeeds, then they might have a chance of moving on into the playoffs. It's a pressure-filled situation, one that many cannot handle, but not Matt. Matt lives for these moments and thrives on them, and will do anything to succeed.

Enjoy!

EXCERPT

Matt Buck strolled up to home plate and dug in, trying to look as though he didn't have a care in the world. The crowd was going wild. The game was down to the wire and the Detroit Rockets' fans knew he was the last chance to save the season. Failure would mean the end, which was unacceptable. They refused to give up hope. If anyone could provide the much-needed lift, it was the All-Star catcher.

He'd been in this position before, was used to the pressure, but the sheer volume of the people yelling from the stands never failed to astound him. He ignored the frenzy, however. If he didn't, he'd be a hot mess at the plate.

Behind by two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Cleveland Buffaloes, a loss today meant the Rockets would miss their chances of continuing into the playoffs and instead would be heading home for the winter. Matt couldn't think about what was at stake, though. He needed to stick to the basics and let natural instinct take over. He had to focus on seeing the ball leave the pitcher's hand, and once that occurred, everything else was routine, a deep-rooted reaction he'd honed over the years. He hadn't won four Silver Slugger awards for nothing. As one of the best hitters in the game, he'd led the league in home runs multiple times and was clutch in situations such as this. He lived for these moments and thrived on the pressure.

Settling in his stance, he held the bat quietly over his right shoulder and waited patiently as the crowd noise faded away into the background. He had an inkling they were going to pitch him down and away, and he had to make certain not to chase. Sure enough, the throw came in outside the far left corner of the plate and the umpire called ball one.

He placed one foot outside the batter's box, adjusted his bright red batting helmet with a white block R in the middle, and tugged on his white jersey with lettering in the same shade as his helmet, trying to keep the fit loose on his shoulders. Taking a deep breath through his nose, he stepped back into the small box next to home plate outlined in powdery chalk, awaiting the next pitch. The fastball caught the left corner of the plate for a strike, but patience was the name of the game. If he waited, he would get the perfect pitch.

Down the third-base line, the coach signaled to Matt he still had the green light to swing away and put the ball in play any way possible. Matt kicked at the dirt with his cleats and tapped his helmet in acknowledgement before stepping back in. He eyed the pitcher, and as the ball came hurtling toward home plate, it broke again and Matt laid off. No matter how hard they tried, he wasn't going to swing at a bad pitch. He was determined and they could keep pitching him low and outside as much as they wanted.

The crowd grew louder with the count now two balls and one strike. At this point, they'd be happy with anything, even a walk. Anything other than an out.

The Cleveland pitcher wouldn't purposefully dig himself into a hole any more than he needed to, however, so one of the next pitches was going to be the one. Even with first base open, the Buffaloes didn't want to chance loading them up, especially since they only needed one more out. They could have gone with the pitch out on four straight pitches, walking Matt on purpose, but since the Rockets were an offensive threat throughout their entire lineup, they were taking a gamble with him.

Matt cleared his throat and returned to his stance. Again, all noise and commotion faded into the background, and his tunnel vision included only the pitcher and the ball. The pitcher went through his motion and Matt swore the ball was the size of a grapefruit as it came racing toward him.

This is it. Instinct took over and he reacted, swinging with everything he had.

Find out more about Rhonda and her books at www.rhondashaw.com.