Bluegrass Undercover (Bluegrass Brothers)

dirt road and turned on her high beams. She drove through pastures and saw more cows than she ever had before in her life. Soon she came upon some trees and followed the dirt path through the woods.
    She rounded the corner, slammed on her brakes, and sent dirt flying as she stopped before hitting a family of deer. Letting out the breath she realized she was holding, she started heading down the dirt road again. She drove around a bend and came out in an opening. A white farmhouse stood there. It was beautiful. She could tell from the architecture that it was very old, but also from the fresh paint job and what looked like a new deck, that Cade had just finished some renovations.
    The house was lovely, a two-story, wood farmhouse with a large front porch that had soft-looking chairs sitting out and speakers wired for music. She pulled up to the front steps and turned off her car. The house was dark, and Cade’s SUV was nowhere in sight. A tingle of worry crawled down her spine, but if half of what she read in his military file was true, then he could easily handle himself. She had to admit, she was pretty curious to find out what that joke of a kidnapping was about.
    She climbed up the stairs and looked at the comfortable porch chairs, but then she looked toward the house. She wondered what it was like inside. She also knew that to do her job, and do it well, she needed proof that Cade was not supplying his team with S2 or anything illegal. Evidence like that coming to light during a trial would break any case she would make against any of the dealers. Sometimes in her job she had to do things she didn’t like.
    Well, if she were honest, a little B and E never hurt anyone. And think how much she could learn about Cade. She took out her pick case, but when she reached for the door, she discovered it unlocked. The knob turned easily in her hand, and she felt her heart speed up at the thought of walking around Cade’s house alone.
    She pushed at the door and nothing happened. Huh? It was unlocked. The door was open just a sliver. Why wasn’t it opening all the way? She pushed again, but it didn’t budge. Was something barricading the door? She took her pick and ran it through the sliver of open door. No, nothing was barricading the door. She took a step closer to the door and bent her knees. She put her shoulder to the door and pushed.
    She heard someone grunt and the door flew open. It opened so fast she fell forward onto the old hardwood floor. It was her time to groan. The jeans had prevented her knees from being scraped up, but she had landed hard on her hands. She lay there for a second, regaining her breath, when she felt that she was not alone. She slowly raised her head and came face to face with him.
    Annie stared, he stared, and neither of them moved. He had big brown eyes that seemed to look right into her soul. With his lopsided grin, he looked like he was laughing. Even his soulful eyes twinkled with some untold joke.
    “Hi there. I wasn’t expecting anyone at home,” she said in a calm voice so as not to upset him.
    Slurp! A big pink tongue lapped her across the face. She looked at the happy face in front of her and at his tongue hanging out, his white hairy jowls, and his big, black tail as it thumped against the ground, and smiled. Cade’s dog looked like he had just stepped out of a Disney movie.
    “What a guard dog you are. You sure know how to keep people out and then how to make them feel welcome once they can push past you.” Justin’s tail thumped again as he cocked his head to one side.
    “Well, if you don’t mind, I’m going to take a look around. Do you want to show me where things are?” Justin stood and walked beside her. His big, black nose kept nudging her hand every time she stopped rubbing his head.
    “Can you show me where the drugs are?” Justin stopped walking and plopped to the ground, rolling over to expose his belly. “Hmm. I take it that your drug is belly rubs.” She rubbed his belly for a second as she took in the house.
    The house had just had a complete upgrade inside. Everything was new. There was an entranceway with narrow stairs leading upstairs. A half bath was tucked in under the stairs, and an office sat across the front room facing the porch. Past the stairs was a dining room that also connected with the kitchen just beyond that. Cade had obviously knocked down walls to create a large kitchen and living room area in one. The kitchen had brand new