Bluegrass Undercover (Bluegrass Brothers) by Kathleen Brooks Page A

and paused by the picture of him with his brothers and sister. It was slightly out of place.
    Annie saw the second he saw the picture. She had angled it more than it originally had been. She saw that now. She also saw how he quickly scanned the rest of the area for any other signs of her search. She was so busted.
    “There is still one more question I have for you,” Cade said to her. His voice only hinting at the anger he was feeling.
    “Yes?” Annie straightened her shoulders. She wasn’t going to be intimidated by a little thing like feeling bad over an illegal search.
    “What were you doing in my house? I can understand my office and the gun room, but what were you looking for?”
    “I think you know what I was looking for.”
    “Well, are you satisfied that I am not dealing drugs to my kids, or do you need more time to search?”
    “No, I don’t. Thank you for offering though. I will make note of your cooperation in my reports.” She was being a brat and she knew it. She should just explain it to him and then maybe he wouldn’t get mad at her. It always seemed like a man was mad at her for doing her job, of course, and to be honest she never took the time to explain herself.
    “Look, Cade, I know you’re mad, but there is no reason to be. You know I have a job to do. You’re the only one who should understand my need to make sure you are cleared before I move on to the next subject. I know you weren’t selling, but I had to prove it.”
    She watched as Cade processed her words. “Well, I guess that clears that up. How about we go outside and have a glass of wine. I believe you owe me an answer.”
    “An answer?” Annie asked, relief pouring over her. He understood … he actually understood.
    “I believe I asked you out on a date. Then Larry, Moe and Curly interrupted your giving me an answer. So, why don’t you contemplate your answer outside?”
    Annie almost jumped at the ball of fur that popped up from behind the back of a chair in the living room at the word ‘outside’. She watched in stunned silence as he leapt out of the chair and ran toward the closed sliding glass door. He leapt up, his white furry paws hitting the sliding glass door at head level, his long, black coat swishing in the self-created wind as he leaned his whole body to the right. His big paws pushed the sliding door open as he fell from the air, the force of his fall pushing the door further open. Justin landed on the ground and put his black nose through the door, and with a twist of his head pushed the door the remainder of the way open.
    Annie stared in amazement as Justin trotted through the door and disappeared into the darkness. “How?”
    “Yeah, it’s pretty wild, but he’s always been able to do that. He just jumps up and slides it open.”
    “He doesn’t look smart enough to figure that out. He kind of reminds me of a clown.”
    Cade handed her a glass of white wine and led her outside to the brown and green cushioned patio furniture. Annie sat down on the iron scroll chair and looked out into the night. The lawn was dotted with various trees and bushes before opening up into gently rolling pastures outlined with black fences. She closed her eyes and snuggled into the soft cushion, resting her head against the back of the chair. She opened her eyes and looked up at the star-filled sky.
    Annie watched as he took a seat in the chair a few feet away from her. No wonder all the teachers in the break room swooned when he came in. His shoulders were wide, his stomach flat, and the way his jeans sat on his hips forced her to think about wild nights in bed…oh no, she was getting sidetracked and she really needed to focus on the case. It didn’t matter that he was sexy as sin, nice, great with kids, and obviously secure in his sexuality. His dog did have a pink bow in his hair, after all. And it didn’t matter that he seemed to be the only person who understood and supported her theories on the case. But, those