Stephanie Doyle: Scout's Honor

The game has always come first

Jayson LeBec couldn’t be the champion Scout Baker needed when he walked away without her years ago. But seeing her grief over the death of her father—the legendary baseball coach they both idolized—Jayson’s now ready to step up to the plate.

On the fast track to tanking her career and her reputation, Scout’s in trouble. And while she’ll agree to ex-sex with Jayson and nothing more, what she really needs is a friend. If only she’d let him be that! Because the only game plan he’s ever had is “Love Scout...”

“There are no sides here, Scout.”

“Yes there are. Mine and theirs. You knew that, you knew that better than anyone and now you’re choosing their side. Great, just great!”

He could see the tears in her eyes and the hysteria that was building. In two steps he was in front of her, his hands around her upper arms, shaking her a little and forcing her to look at him.

“Scout, I’m here for you. For you. And I’m not going anywhere. Got it?”

She looked at him then, right into his eyes. As though she was seeing straight through to his soul, really, for the first time.

“Until you leave me again. Yeah,” she said, pulling away from him. “I got it.”

There it was, Jayson thought. The final second of their time-out just ticked on the clock.

The past was back.

Dear Reader Dear Reader Title Page About the Author 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 Extract Copyright ,

Hopefully, if you are reading Scout’s Honor, you had the chance to read The Comeback of Roy Walker as the first book in the series. When writing that book I truly fell in love with the somewhat prickly younger sister named Scout.

Then of course there was Scout’s relationship with her father and the man she once loved that she could never quite get over.

I was so excited to write this story and I hope I did right by both Scout and Jayson. This is a story of love and grief and finding a way to start over again even when everything seems lost. It’s one of my personal favorites.

I love to hear from readers, so if you do enjoy this story you can let me know at www.stephaniedoyle.netor on Twitter, @StephDoyleRW.

Stephanie Doyle

Scout’s Honor

Stephanie Doyle

www.millsandboon.co.uk

STEPHANIE DOYLE, a dedicated romance reader, began to pen her own romantic adventures at age sixteen. She began submitting to Mills & Boon at age eighteen and by twenty-six her first book was published. Fifteen years later she still loves what she does as each book is a new adventure. She lives in South Jersey with her cat, Hermione, the designated princess of the house. When Stephanie’s not reading or writing, in the summer she is most likely watching a baseball game and eating a hot dog.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text The game has always come first Jayson LeBec couldn’t be the champion Scout Baker needed when he walked away without her years ago. But seeing her grief over the death of her father—the legendary baseball coach they both idolized—Jayson’s now ready to step up to the plate. On the fast track to tanking her career and her reputation, Scout’s in trouble. And while she’ll agree to ex-sex with Jayson and nothing more, what she really needs is a friend. If only she’d let him be that! Because the only game plan he’s ever had is “Love Scout...”

Introduction “There are no sides here, Scout.” “Yes there are. Mine and theirs. You knew that, you knew that better than anyone and now you’re choosing their side. Great, just great!” He could see the tears in her eyes and the hysteria that was building. In two steps he was in front of her, his hands around her upper arms, shaking her a little and forcing her to look at him. “Scout, I’m here for you. For you. And I’m not going anywhere. Got it?” She looked at him then, right into his eyes. As though she was seeing straight through to his soul, really, for the first time. “Until you leave me again. Yeah,” she said, pulling away from him. “I got it.” There it was, Jayson thought. The final second of their time-out just ticked on the clock. The past was back.

Dear Reader Dear Reader Dear Reader Title Page About the Author 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 Extract Copyright , Hopefully, if you are reading Scout’s Honor, you had the chance to read The Comeback of Roy Walker as the first book in the series. When writing that book I truly fell in love with the somewhat prickly younger sister named Scout. Then of course there was Scout’s relationship with her father and the man she once loved that she could never quite get over. I was so excited to write this story and I hope I did right by both Scout and Jayson. This is a story of love and grief and finding a way to start over again even when everything seems lost. It’s one of my personal favorites. I love to hear from readers, so if you do enjoy this story you can let me know at www.stephaniedoyle.net or on Twitter, @StephDoyleRW . Stephanie Doyle

Title Page Scout’s Honor Stephanie Doyle www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author STEPHANIE DOYLE, a dedicated romance reader, began to pen her own romantic adventures at age sixteen. She began submitting to Mills & Boon at age eighteen and by twenty-six her first book was published. Fifteen years later she still loves what she does as each book is a new adventure. She lives in South Jersey with her cat, Hermione, the designated princess of the house. When Stephanie’s not reading or writing, in the summer she is most likely watching a baseball game and eating a hot dog.

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

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

SCOUT STARED AT the gathering around the grave site and tried to remember how she’d gotten here. It wasn’t as if she had forgotten the past three months of her life. Of course she hadn’t. Nothing would ever take away that time. That horrible beautiful time when she got to care for her dying father and be with him as he slipped away from this world.

She’d read baseball biographies to him while he slept. They’d watched classic World Series games on the MLB Network channel when he was awake. She’d even allowed her sisters to have time with him. After all they were his daughters, too, and they also loved him, so it seemed only fair.

Yes, Lane and Samantha deserved their time with Duff. But when it came time for the serious stuff—the pain meds, the oxygen and then finally the morphine drip—that had been all Scout.

With the help of Sarah, the hospice nurse. Scout was convinced the woman had been sent from some mystical land of grace and peace. A perfect companion during a dark time who seemed to make it all so easy for Scout, Sarah had given simple, clear directions that Scout had followed ruthlessly.