Anna Sugden - A Perfect Distraction

A face-off—head vs. heart

For Jake Badoletti, this year is all about his career. He has a rare second chance to make the most of being a pro hockey player, so no parties, no scandals. Too bad he’s met a woman who could sideline those plans. Maggie Goodman is not his usual type—right down to being a single mom. Still, the sizzling connection with this gorgeous brunette can’t be ignored.

With a little juggling and a lot of focus, Jake manages to have the game and Maggie. Then his performance on the ice suffers and a scandal erupts. Now he can’t afford the distraction of Maggie…even if she is perfect for him.

Concentrate, damn it

Jake repeated the silent mantra, hoping it would stick, hoping it would stop the parade of sinful images marching through his mind.

Then Maggie turned her earnest gaze on him. “Is there anything you need me to do for you?”

Her business-like tone should have doused the crazy feelings. But his traitorous body found another meaning to the innocent question, responding in a way that would have shocked her down to her covered toes.

Jake looked up at the mirrored ceiling, with its etched-gold crown motif, and tried to calm the heat caused by her unintentionally provocative words with thoughts of ice. A great big sheet of ice.

What the hell is wrong with you? Nervous, mousy brunettes weren’t his type, even with a sexy accent—he preferred cool, confident blondes. Plus he’d decided less than ten minutes ago to cut women from his life until he’d won the cup. His focus had to be on hockey. No distractions. No exceptions.

His body obviously hadn’t got the memo.

Dear Reader,

Thank you for buying my first book! I’ve wanted to write romance novels since I read my first Mills & Boon at age nine, so having this book published by Harlequin is a dream come true.

Of course, in those days, my stories were a little simpler and usually involved Barbie and Action Man—I thought Ken was a drip!

But perhaps I misjudged Ken. Appearances can be deceptive, after all, and preconceptions can be dangerous.

Think about the famous comedian who suffers from depression when he’s off-stage. The confident businesswoman who is really painfully shy. All those nerdy people who turn out to be superheroes.

Hockey players have a reputation for being violent thugs because people can’t separate what happens on the ice, from the person on skates. In reality, hockey players are among the most humble, gentlemanly and kind-hearted people I’ve ever met.

This dichotomy intrigued me and that’s how Jake’s story was born. Who better to challenge Jake than a woman who believes she’s weak, yet had the strength to survive abuse? A woman who thinks she knows the truth about sports stars.

I hope you enjoy the journey of discovery that Maggie and Jake take. I love to hear from readers, so please drop me a line at anna@annasugden.com or Box 174, Regis House, 23 King Street, Cambridge. CB1 1AH. England.

Happy reading!

Anna Sugden

A Perfect Distraction

Anna Sugden

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Three-time Golden Heart finalist, Anna Sugden, is as avid a fan of romance novels and happy endings, as she is of hockey. Her office is filled with overflowing bookcases, treasured trinkets and some pretty awesome hockey memorabilia. When not reading or watching hockey, Anna enjoys cooking, making simple cross-stitch projects and shopping for great shoes. Anna lives in Cambridge, England, with her wonderful husband and two bossy black cats. You can find out more about Anna by visiting her website, www.annasugden.com.

For Keith, my hero, my inspiration—I love you.

For Eileen Sugden (1924–2008)—this is your book.

Acknowledgments

With a first book, there are so many people to thank, especially when the journey to publication was a long one.

I couldn’t have survived the journey without the writing advice, support, laughs and love of my best buddies—Beth Andrews, Terri Garey, Kathleen Long, Janice Lynn and Tawny Weber. You ladies rock!

Special thanks to:

My agent, Jill Marsal, and my editor, Wanda Ottewell—you made my dream come true!

Kate Lutter, Maria Imbalzano and Nancy Northcott for their critiques, support and friendship.

Jeff Vanderbeek for giving me access to the New Jersey Devils organization.

Ken Daneyko for answering my questions and for sharing his experiences as a world-class hockey player.

Tom Ferreri, VP of Arena Operations, Izod Center (Continental Airlines Arena) for taking me behind the scenes at the arena and giving me great insights into how it all works.

Thanks, too, for the Zamboni ride!

Caitlin Knighton for sharing her legal expertise and helping me plot and resolve Maggie’s custody issues.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Epilogue

Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE

“YOU DIDN’T tell me there would be paparazzi!” Maggie Goodman muttered into her phone.

As if she wasn’t nervous enough. She ducked behind the trees, out of sight of the snap-happy vultures with their powerful cameras and long-range lenses. Thankfully, they hadn’t spotted her; their attention remained focused hungrily on the front entrance of Trump Place.

“Relax, sis,” Tracy soothed. “They’ll be watching for Manhattan’s glitterati. They won’t care about the ex-wife of a jack-the-lad footballer. Soccer isn’t as popular in the States as it is back home in England.”

“Everyone here seems to know David Beckham and Posh Spice.”

“Sure, but how many have heard of Wayne Rooney and Colleen, let alone know what they look like? They won’t know Lee Goodman.” Her voice softened. “Or you.”

Anonymity was one of the reasons Maggie had leaped at Tracy’s offer to come to the United States. She’d been tired of having the details of her messy divorce splashed across the tabloids and of being asked questions by the gossip media every time her ex was seen with a new woman. He could date who he pleased as long as he left Maggie and her seven-year-old daughter, Emily, alone. They’d suffered enough.

“They won’t recognize you,” Tracy added. “You look completely different now.”

Maggie smoothed her dark brown hair, recently restored to her natural color from bleached blond, then checked the café au lait linen dress and matching jacket she’d worn for this evening’s meeting. Understated, professional and elegant, it was as far from tarty footballer’s wife as she could get. Not what she was used to wearing—she’d thrown away every bling-covered, barely there outfit as soon as her divorce had been finalized—but it felt normal.

Lee would hate it. Despite the heat, a shiver went through her as she recalled the repercussions of his disapproval. She shook her head to clear the brutal images. She didn’t have to worry about what her ex thought anymore. She didn’t have to worry what any man thought. Maggie would never give anyone the chance to control her life that way again.

“You’re right.” She wished the nervous fluttering in her stomach would settle. “I just don’t want to let you down. I know how important this meeting is for Making Your Move. What if I mess it up?”

Bad enough that Tracy was flat on her back in a hospital bed after emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix and that her assistant had run off with a minor-league baseball player, one of the relocation business’s clients. Maggie would never forgive herself if she ruined her sister’s chance of winning the contract with the New Jersey Ice Cats, the local professional hockey team.