Bluegrass Undercover (Bluegrass Brothers)

could read his lips and was pretty sure he just told his quarterback to sit his ass down on the bench for the remaining two minutes of the game.
    Austin tore off his helmet and threw it into the table full of water. Cups went flying and water shot through the air as he stormed off towards the locker room. Cade signaled his sophomore quarterback to get out onto the field. The poor boy couldn’t weigh more than a hundred and fifty pounds. But, there was no fear in his eyes as he took his orders and headed out into the huddle.
    Annie had always thought of herself as tough, but those last two minutes had aged her ten years. Maternal instincts she never knew she had came out in full force for little Bobby Rudd. She had met with him to go over his grades at mid-term and was astounded by how smart he was. He had a 4.0 and was signing up to take advanced placement classes on the recommendation of his teachers. He was skinnier than a rail and carried a book with him everywhere. He was a nerd and was putting himself in danger out on that field.
    Annie watched in horror as the huge, beastly linebackers shoved at the offensive linemen while trying to get to little Bobby. Bobby back pedaled with the ball and looked downfield. Ryan was sprinting down the sideline. Bobby raised the ball and threw it seconds before a linebacker crashed into him, ramming him to the ground.
    Annie shot to her feet and gasped. He had to be broken in half. Paige lunged to her feet, unconcerned for little Bobby who was surely dying on the field. “Come on, Ryan!” she screamed, forcing Annie to look downfield.
    The ball was spiraling downfield right for the outstretched hands of Ryan Hall. Ryan managed to find another gear and leapt into the air, snagging the ball. He landed, twisted to avoid a defender, and kicked it into high gear again, running for the end zone.
    Annie turned back to see little Bobby standing whole and apparently uninjured as Ryan ran in for the touchdown. Bobby smiled and casually headed to the bench as if throwing a forty-yard pass resulting in a touchdown was no big deal. She didn’t think she could like the kid any more than after their meeting, but there were obvious sides to Bobby that she hadn’t even begun to know.
    The last seconds of the clock clicked off, but even with Bobby’s heroics, they had lost by ten. “Come on. Let’s go check on Cade. He looks ready to explode.” Paige grabbed her hand and tugged her down the metal stairs of the bleachers to the field. She went straight to her brother and gave him a hug.
    “Bobby!” Annie yelled as the boy started past her towards the locker room. “Are you okay after that hit?”
    “Miss H? Sure I am. That’s what the pads are for. Thanks for coming out to watch the game,” Bobby said in a voice that was still high.
    “You’re welcome, Bobby. That throw was amazing.”
    “Just physics Miss H. Hey, can I stop by Monday to go over that forensic book that you gave me? I finished it already. It was fascinating. I was hoping we could talk about it some more, and if you had any more criminal forensic books, I would love to borrow them.”
    “Sure. I’ll bring a couple of my old textbooks from college, and we can go over some old cases. Do you think it’s a field you would be interested in going into?”
    “It sure is. I love science, but I can’t see myself in a lab. Maybe in the FBI or something where I’m out in the field. That would be cool.”
    “I’ll place a call to Paige’s husband to see if Special Agent Parker can join us. Maybe he would give you some tips. With your smarts you could go into a specialized branch such as behavioral analysis or biochemical terrorism.”
    “Thanks, Miss H! That would be awesome. See you Monday!” She watched as Bobby ran off the field and gave his dad a high five and his mom a hug before heading into the locker room.
     
    Cade said good-night to his sister and walked over to where Annie stood staring after Bobby Rudd. “Do I need to be jealous?” Cade whispered into her ear as he came up behind her.
    “Maybe after he hits puberty. That’s one kid who is going to make a difference in this world. Sorry about the game. And sorry for the frustration.”
    “It’s getting worse. I don’t know how much longer I can turn a blind eye.”
    “I’ m hoping it will be over soon. I’m talking to Bobby again on Monday. He’s too smart to not know about what’s going on. Maybe I can find out some more.”
    “I better get