Carolina Valdez

During the days, they were fierce nineteen-year-old rivals in a collegiate golf competition, but at night, their passion sizzled under the sheets. After Team USA won, Rio "River" Vargas returned to his native Spain and Greg Thorenson headed back to his home in the United States. But when Rio didn't respond to a letter he sent, Greg wasn't sure if Rio's silence was because Greg had beaten him for the win or because their affair had been only a four-night-fling.<br><br>Now, professionals at the height of their game, they meet again as competitors in a major tournament in the California desert, where the prize of thousands of dollars is at stake. It's been six silent years since those wild, hot nights as young men. Maybe for Rio that earlier passion had been an experiment, an aberration of who he really is and of whatever Greg may have meant to him. But to Greg, that earlier passion had been something deeper ... he had fallen in love.<br><br>Upon seeing Rio again, Greg is torn between ignoring the past or re-igniting the banked embers of emotion to see where they'll lead. But can he risk it? If Greg opens himself to love, and also wins this tournament, Rio may very well walk out of his life a second time ...

Hole in One

Disappointment and relief warred in Greg. Disappointment because he realized how very much he really wanted to win…and relief because he very much wanted the win to be River’s. For a moment he thought the conflict might split him in half. But there was a game to finish, and so he lined up his last shot. Not doing his best was anathema to him.


Stepping onto the apron, with Arnie behind him, he sat on his haunches and held up his putter to act as a plumb line to read the green. They talked in quiet voices. He walked first to one side of the closely cut grass of the green, then to the other. He carefully avoided the line of any putt he might make from ball to cup as he studied it. Any disturbance of the grass or indentations he might make in this process could ruin the roll of the ball.


He went back to doing the plumb line thing again.


Chapter 18