Love Bats Last Read online




  Books by Pamela Aares

  The Tavonesi Series:

  Love Bats Last (Book #1, Alex and Jackie)

  Thrown By Love (Book #2, Chloe and Scotty)

  Fielder's Choice (Book #3, Alana and Matt)

  Love on the Line (Book #4, Cara and Ryan)

  Aim For Love (Book #5, Sabrina and Kaz)

  The Heart of the Game (Book #6, Cody and Zoe)

  Love in the Vineyard (Natasha and Adrian, September 2015)

  Any Day for Love (December 2015)

  also available:

  Jane Austen and the Archangel

  LOVE BATS LAST

  Book One in the Tavonesi Series

  Jackie and Alex

  © 2013 Pamela Aares

  [email protected]

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  A note from Pamela:

  What a journey it has been writing about All-Star Alex Tavonesi and the emotion-packed love stories of his teammates and family! I'm so lucky to have the most wonderful readers in the world--your emails and tweets asking for more of the Tavonesi clan and their captivating friends keep my fingers flying.

  Stay tuned, as the next books in the series will bring Alex's sister Sabrina's story and the unexpected arrival of the Tavonesi clan from Italy. With their passion for wine and polo and their exuberant love of life, the wine country of California will never be the same.

  If this is your first time reading a book in the Tavonesi Series, each book can be read as a standalone--and I hope each story carries you away!

  Thanks to all of you who've written to tell me how much you love the whole series--it means so much to know that the happy-ever-afters of the Tavonesi Series are as much fun to read as they are to write! Strong women determined to follow their dreams and sexy heroes fighting to open their hearts make for some sizzling romance!

  Pamela Aares

  The baseball diamond isn't the only field for all-star player Alex Tavonesi; he also runs his family's prestigious vineyard. What he can't seem to run is his love life. He's closing in on the perfect vintage and the perfect game, but so far the perfect woman has eluded him.

  Veterinarian Jackie Brandon is eluding her aristocratic past and memories of a soccer star who jilted her just before their wedding. She devotes herself to a marine mammal rescue center on the northern California coast, where hundreds of seals and sea lions are washing up dead.

  A chance meeting in a midnight storm brings Alex and Jackie together to rescue a stranded whale. Watching her work, he realizes she's the passionate, courageous woman he thought he'd never find--he just has to overcome her deep distrust of jocks. Jackie’s passion and courage lead her to discover what's killing the sea mammals. The culprits want to silence her, and Alex is the only one standing in their way.

  For my husband Bruce—

  for trusting the power of love and story,

  and for sharing the breakfast table with

  an ever-changing cast of invisible characters!

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Epilogue

  Thank You

  Other Books by Pamela

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author