Book Title: HEARTSTRINGS AND HELMETS (Book 1 Hearts in Hawthorne)
Character Name: West Sutherland
How would you describe your family or your childhood?
Best childhood ever! I grew up in Hawthorne, a small-town northwest of Ft. Worth. I was a big brother to my twin sisters, Summer and Autumn, who were two years behind me in school. Education was sacred in my family, with Mom being Hawthorne’s city librarian and Dad serving as the superintendent of the public schools. Chance Blackstone, my best friend since pre-school, was my brother from another mother, and I spent some great times at the Blackstone Ranch, learning how to ride horses. Chance and I kept our grades up, but we had more than our share of fun, being the two coolest (and hottest!) guys in our graduation class.
What was your greatest talent?
My athleticism. I’m 6’2” and have a lean, athletic build. I’m also lightning fast on the football field. I was the golden boy in football, breaking school records as a wide receiver. I earned a scholarship to Texas A&M and after playing four years for the Aggies, I was drafted by my dream team—the Dallas Cowboys. While I would’ve have played for them for free, I had a great sports agent who negotiated me a sweet contract, with side endorsements, so after my playing days, I’m set for life.
Significant other?
Funny you should ask. Back in high school, I broke up with my girlfriend a couple of months before graduation. I didn’t want to sit home and miss all the social activities—the sports banquet, prom, graduation parties—so I asked Chance’s sister to be my date to all the events. We had a blast together, but she was heading off to cheer at the University of Texas. Let’s face it—Longhorns are an Aggie’s biggest enemy. After one powerful, surprising kiss, we decided not to go the long-distance route. I’ve come back to Hawthorne, though, and Kelby has just returned. I’m ready to see if she’s willing to give us a second chance. I’ve never experienced a kiss that was that charged, and I want to see if we still have chemistry together.
Biggest challenge in relationships?
My biggest challenge is that I haven’t been in a relationship since high school! As an NFL player, I had my pick of women for a decade. I went out with a ton of gorgeous ladies, some very famous, but everything was surface level. We never had any deep conversations. Yes, I had a lot of great sex, but I never formed any lasting attachments. I changed women in my life as frequently as some people change their clothes. Now that my twenties are behind me, I’m more mature. I want to settle down. Have a wife and kids and a dog. And my gut tells me that Kelby Blackstone is the one who got away—and I’ve got a second chance to prove to her that we belong together.
How do you feel about the place where you are now?
I enjoyed the single life in Dallas, but returning to my hometown and sinking deep roots into the Hawthorne community is important to me. I look at Mom and Dad and see how much they’re still in love after being married forever, and I want that for myself. My boyhood in Hawthorne was idyllic, and I want the same for my own kids.
What do you do for a living?
I played wide receiver in the NFL for a decade. I had one knee injury which I rehabbed and came back from. My final year, we won the Super Bowl in New Orleans, and I decided to retire on a high note while I still had my health. I’ve just recently landed a job at Hawthorne HS, where I played. I can’t wait to work under my former mentor, Coach Markham, and learn the coaching side of the game. I know I could’ve taken a coaching position in college or the pros, but I wanted to work with high school athletes. I feel it’s the last time a coach can make an impression on a teenager and really help them, not only to learn the game of football, but to impart important life lessons.
Greatest disappointment?
My greatest disappointment was being injured and not finishing out the year. I was in a dark place mentally because of the knee injury and felt I’d really let my teammates down. It turned out to be a great life lesson, though. I started going to therapy, and Dr. Linda (even if she is a Green Bay Packers fan) has helped me learn a lot about myself and how to achieve what I want in life. Now, my mental health will always be something I keep an eye on, and I FaceTime with Dr. Linda so that I don’t have to drive into Dallas for therapy sessions.
Greatest source of joy?
Spoiler alert—I’m going to get together with Kelby if you read our love story, HEARTSTRINGS AND HELMETS—and she is the love of my life. One smile from her, and I am on top of the world. I can’t wait to start a family with her (and you’ll see how that turns out in our epilogue).
Hearts in Hawthorne #1
A Small-Town, Second Chance Romance
Welcome to Hawthorne, Texas, a place where many former citizens return, drawn to their hometown’s slower pace and family values, finding lasting love and happiness.
A man who’s gained fortune and fame. A woman who’s known heartbreak and despair. A second chance for a couple who went their separate ways years ago . . .
As a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, West Sutherland walks away at the peak of his career, ready to find a quieter life in his hometown of Hawthorne, Texas. He’s hired by his former high school coach and mentor and will have a place on the Hawks’ coaching staff next year. He’s surprised to find Kelby Blackstone in town, the girl he’s never forgotten.
Kelby Blackstone married her college boyfriend, who was drafted into the NFL. Injury-prone, he turns to alcohol and drugs, and Kelby divorces him. She moves to Dallas and forges a new career path and life, until she receives devastating news that her father has suffered a stroke.
Although as teenagers, West and Kelby maturely agreed to go their separate ways after high school, running into one another in Hawthorne fourteen years later causes unresolved feelings to surface for them both. They decide to explore what they missed out on the first time, finding their shared past and old friendship soon grows into deep feelings for one another.
The road to love is never easy, however, and they must deal with obstacles in their professional lives, even as they find strength in their shared passion for their hometown and each other.
Will a second chance at finding lasting happiness be in store for West and Kelby?
Find the answer in bestselling author Alexa Aston’s Heartstrings and Helmets, the first book in Hearts in Hawthorne. This romance contains no third-act breakup!
Romance Sports | Romance Small Town [Oliver-Heber Books, On Sale: June 17, 2025, e-Book , / ]
Where Love and History Collide
Award-winning, internationally bestselling author Alexa Aston lives with her husband in a Dallas suburb, where she eats her fair share of dark chocolate and plots out stories while she walks every morning. She loves reading, watching movies, and attending sporting events when she’s not watching Survivor, The Crown, or The Great British Baking Show.
A former history teacher, Alexa’s historical romances are set during the Regency, Medieval, and American Old West Eras—where she brings to life loveable rogues, dashing knights, and rugged cowboys and lawmen. She also writes contemporary romances which are light and flirty and sometimes contain a bit of suspense.
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