Bluegrass Undercover (Bluegrass Brothers)

being in this position for a month.”
    “Thank you, Coach.”
    Cade nodded and headed out onto the field as the reporter wrapped up his pre-game comments.
    He took in the scene and his nerves steadied. Assistant Coach Parks was warming up the offense. The defense was stretching out. The smell of the fresh cut grass mixed with the aroma of popcorn coming from the stands now filling with people. This was it, the first home game of his coaching career, and boy, did he love it! He placed the silver whistle in his mouth and gave it two short bursts. His team responded immediately and circled around him.
    “Okay, men. I want to focus on execution tonight. Hit your marks, block your targets, and make your tackles. Okay, Trey. You and Ryan head out there for the coin toss. Break!” The deafening sound of clapping and cheers arose from his team as they pumped each other up.
     
    Annie took her seat in the stands. She opted for the highest row in the bleachers so she could see everything that happened around her. Maybe, just maybe, the boss or some more of the soldiers would be here tonight. If she kept an eye on who was in the crowd, and if she could identify anyone who looked like they didn’t belong, she could then also keep an eye on which people the players looked at. Then maybe she could figure out who the dealer was.
    She looked around the small stadium. Apparently the first home game was a big deal in Keeneston. The place was packed. People mingled with each other, kids ran around the bleachers, and signs and pompoms waved in the air. She heard cheers as the game started and cheered when others did. She knew football. She loved football, but tonight she was not here for fun. She was here for surveillance. She glanced down at the field and saw Cade coaching one of the boys before sending him into the game. Unlike a lot of coaches she’d seen, he didn’t yell at his players. He taught them. He pulled them aside and showed them what they did wrong and how to do it right. That was just the kind of person he was.
    They had talked quite often since the night of the thugs. He had stopped by her office to talk, and she had politely excused herself as fast as she could. She just didn’t know how to act around him. After learning who he was, she knew he would have the smarts to figure out who she was and she didn’t want to risk it. He was nice, polite, and the farthest thing from the egotistical men she was used to.
    Every time he saw her at the Blossom Café, he would expertly remove her from whatever grilling she was receiving from Daisy or Violet. He always would walk her home, claiming he had to protect her from errant thugs. Which, in turn, would fuel the gossip flames at the Café and cause her to listen to lectures of not buying the milk when the cow was free – or something like that from the Rose sisters.
    She and Cade liked to talk about the team, and she tried to dig around to learn more information on the town. The way he would describe his childhood adventures with his brothers, or the way he helped teach Paige how to outshoot them, always had her laughing. It would only be later that she would realize they had been talking comfortably for almost an hour each time he walked her home. She would scold herself and try to remember to keep her distance. She had a job to do after all. She shouldn’t be looking forward to nights on the porch with Cade.
    Annie had to shake her head to focus herself on the task at hand. She was doing it again. She was here to keep a look out for drug dealers, not watch the way Cade’s butt looked when he crouched down to watch a play. She didn’t know why it was so hard to keep her eyes off of him. She’d worked with plenty of attractive, masculine men before. She never had this kind of physical reaction to them though. Well, maybe it was because he wasn’t exactly like those men. They were macho, egotistical and always cocky.
    If anyone had a reason to be cocky it was Cade. She’d seen all the medals and awards he had won while in the Army. However, he never mentioned it. He never mentioned his accomplishments and he always talked to her about the accomplishments of the kids in his class or his family. He was kind and caring and staring right at her! She felt her cheeks redden as she realized he’d caught her staring like a doe-eyed teenager at him. Oh God! This was so embarrassing. She scanned the field and clapped when the receiver caught the ball. Maybe he would think