Chasing Stanley

Table of Contents

 

 

The Penalty Box

“It will make you think even while you laugh and cry . . . A crowd-pleaser. You won't want to miss
The Penalty Box
.”

 

“Scores a goal with this reader . . . Deirdre Martin proves once again that she can touch the heart and the funny bone.”

 

“Martin scores another goal with another witty, emotionally true-to-life, and charming hockey romance.”
—Booklist

 

“Fun, fast rinkside contemporary romance . . . Martin scores with this witty blend of romance and family dynamics.”

 

“Ms. Martin always delivers heat and romance, with a very strong conflict to keep the reader engaged.
The Penalty Box
should be added to your ‘must-read list.' ”

 

“An engrossing read . . . Left me cheering at the end!”

 

 

T otal Rush

“
Total Rush
is just that—a total rush, an absolute delight. Deirdre Martin is the reason I read romance novels. This contemporary romance is well-written, has a hero to die for, and a romance that turns you into a puddle. It fills your heart to overflowing with love, acceptance, and the beauty of uniqueness. I laughed, I cried, I celebrated. It's more than a read, it is a reread. Brava, Ms. Martin, you're the greatest!”

“Well-written . . . Makes you want to keep turning the pages to see what happens next.”
—The (Columbia, SC) State

 

“Martin's inventive take on opposites attracting is funny and poignant.”
—Booklist

 

“A heartwarming story of passion, acceptance, and, most importantly, love, this book is definitely a
Total Rush
.”

 

“Fast-paced, sexy, fun yet tender, the pages of
Total Rush
practically turn themselves. This is Deirdre Martin's third novel and is as sensational as the first two . . . A definite winner.”
—Romance Junkies

 

 

“Martin depicts the worlds of both professional hockey and ethnic Brooklyn with deftness and smart detail. She has an unerring eye for humorous family dynamics [and] sweet buoyancy.”
—Publishers Weekly

 

“Fast-paced, wisecracking, and an enjoyable story . . . Makes you feel like you're flying.”
—Rendezvous

 

“A fun and witty story . . . The depth of characterizations and the unexpectedly moving passages make this an exceptional romance and a must-read for all fans of the genre.”

 

“A fine sports romance that will score big-time . . . Martin has provided a winner.”
—Midwest Book Review

 

“Sure to delight both fans of professional ice hockey and those who enjoy a good romance.”
—Affaire de Coeur

Body Check

“Heartwarming.”
—Booklist

 

“Combines sports and romance in a way that reminded me of Susan Elizabeth Phillips's
It Had to Be You
, but Deirdre Martin has her own style and voice.
Body Check
is one of the best first novels I have read in a long time.”

—All About Romance
(Desert Isle Keeper)

 

“Deirdre Martin aims for the net and scores with
Body Check
.”
—The Romance Reader
(Four Hearts)

 

“You don't have to be a hockey fan to cheer for
Body Check
. Deirdre Martin brings readers a story that scores.”

 

“Fun, fast-paced, and sexy,
Body Check
is a dazzling debut.”

—USA Today
bestselling author Millie Criswell

 

“Fun, delightful, emotional, and sexy,
Body Check
is an utterly enthralling, fast-paced novel. This is one author I eagerly look forward to reading more from.”

 

“An engaging romance that scores a hat trick [with] a fine supporting cast.”
—The Best Reviews

BODY CHECK
FAIR PLAY
TOTAL RUSH
THE PENALTY BOX
CHASING STANLEY

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
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(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
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South Africa

 

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

 

CHASING STANLEY

 

A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author

 

PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / February 2007

Copyright © 2007 by Deirdre Martin.

 

eISBN : 978-1-101-00753-2

 

BERKLEY SENSATION
^®
Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY SENSATION is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
The “B” design is a trademark belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

 

 

 

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to:

Jojo Plachta, who graciously allowed me to follow her around Manhattan so I could see what the life of a NYC dog walker/trainer/boarder is really like.

Dog trainer/lover/search-and-rescue expert Tom Connors, who answered all my canine questions both large and small.

 

 

Thanks also to:

My husband, Mark.

Miriam Kriss and Kate Seaver.

Elaine English and Allison McCabe.

Binnie Braunstein and Nancy Gonce.

The “posse”: Jody Novins, Alisa Kwitney, Liz Maverick, Karen Kendall, Mary Giery Smith, and Nancy Harkness.

Mom, Dad, Bill, Allison, Beth, Jane, Dave, and Tom.

Rocky, Winston, and Molly.

He was big
and handsome, with wavy black hair that gleamed in the sun and warm brown eyes that could tease out a girl's deepest secrets. Delilah Gould's heart flapped madly in her chest just looking at him. Her fingers itched; what she wouldn't give to run them through that thick, lustrous hair! Unable to stop herself, she edged closer. Their eyes met. Delilah's heart melted into a puddle, especially when he started wagging his tail. He was the most stunning Newfoundland she'd ever seen.

Delilah had taken her three dogs for a quick midday walk around her Upper West Side neighborhood. According to local weathercasters, the temperature was hovering around ninety-five degrees, with the mercury expected to hit one hundred by late afternoon. Delilah was anxious for Sherman, her golden retriever, Shiloh, a cairn terrier, and Belle, a white mutt, to do their business quickly so she could hustle them right back inside into air-conditioning. After only a few minutes, sweat was pasting her clothes to her body, while the stifling humidity had shocked the hair around her head into a brunette halo.

Despite the heat, the streets were still crowded, though most people were moving like sleepwalkers and looked about as happy to be outside as Delilah was. Rounding the corner of West Eighty-first and Madison, she paused to take a sip from her water bottle. That's when she saw him.

“C'mon, Stanley. Don't do this to me.” A well-built man with hair dark as his dog's and brown eyes just as tender, sounded desperate, cajoling the dog. “Stanley!” The man's voice turned harsh.
“Get up.”
He moved behind the dog and tried pushing him. Stanley didn't budge. “C'mon, you big slug. I don't have time for this.” Hooking his fingers under the dog's collar, he pulled. That's when Delilah sprang into action.

“Don't do that!”

Delilah commanded her own dogs to lie down and stay. They did so dutifully as she approached the Newf and his owner, who was eying her suspiciously.

“Do what?”

“Pull on his collar like that.” She clucked her tongue, noting how heavily the poor dog was panting. “How long have you had him outside like this? Don't you know big dogs suffer more in the heat? Especially black dogs. Black absorbs the rays of the sun. Look how heavily he's panting! How would you like to be out in this weather wearing a big fur coat?”

The man stared at her. “Do I
know
you?”

Delilah ignored him. She took her water bottle and squeezed some water into the grateful dog's mouth before pulling a bandanna from her pocket and wiping his dripping jowls. The dog owner watched, dumbstruck. Sizing him up as discreetly as she could, Delilah noticed he seemed unaffected by the heat, his tennis shirt dry as a bone, not a trace of moisture on his rugged, tanned face, almost as if he was
above
sweating. Delilah felt like a total
zhlub
standing there with her sticky T-shirt and shorts covered in dog hair. As casually as she could, she touched the top of her head, pretending to push some hair into place. It was just as she suspected: she was close to sporting an afro. Frazzled, she shoved her bandanna back in her pocket.