Jeanine Binder

Working the Count Jeanine Binder

Working the count (definition) - When a batter is patient in his at-bats and tries to get "ahead in the count" or to get a pitch that he can hit hard. Montero Salazaar was a master of this in his private life. He was always looking for the home run and never the strike out; contrary to how he wanted things to go when he was in a game. Being a major league pitcher only helped to enhance the number of girls wanting him in their bed and he knew how to lay down the smooth line at the exact right time. His life was an open book - at thirty-two years old, he had all the time in the world to play and have fun, making his presence known on every tabloid imaginable. Each day brought the promise of a new encounter, leaving him sated and satisfied without having to look in the rearview mirror. But then came Casey and his aunt, Annie. Being with her, he felt like he had been doused with a vat of ice water and now wide awake - looking at life (and love) so differently. Montero wasn't used to women who weren't throwing themselves at him and how could Annie be changing him so dramatically? And why was he suddenly more interested in spending an afternoon coaching an eight-year-old with baseball tips than finding someone to spend a sexy night with? Was this his one chance for love rather than being destined for one-nighters? Can he really change and make himself a solid person for Annie to love? Or were his teammates right and this would all blow over like a late-night storm with no true love in sight?