Game On: a book in the Cotton Creek Saga (Heartbreakers & Heroes 9) Read online

  Game On

  A Heartbreakers & Heroes

  Holiday Novella

  Copyright 2018, Ciana Stone

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, businesses, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 Ciana Stone

  Cover by Syneca Featherstone

  All rights reserved.

  Game On

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Game On Copyright © 2018 Ciana Stone

  Cover art by Syneca

  Electronic book publication December 25, 2019

  Print book publication Dec. 15, 2019

  This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Syneca Featherstone

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Dedication:

  For my honeyman – always and forever.

  Chapter One

  "Thank you. Yes, sir, I will."

  She ended the call, put her phone on the table and looked at Lincoln who sat across from her. "It's done."

  "Seriously?"

  "Seriously. I'm officially relieved from the assignment at Cotton Creek High School. That's done. At least for me. I made a recommendation to the Senator, and he approved the candidate, and she'll be here at the end of the week, so I only have to be there a few more days."

  "So, you know your replacement?"

  "I do. We're friends. I worked with her for a little while, and she's good."

  "Obviously, Senator Walker thinks highly of your opinion."

  "He knows I want the best person possible. He and I are still friends, and I care about his family and their safety."

  "So what now?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "What are you going to do? Nothing's keeping you in Cotton Creek anymore?"

  "Like hell. You're here, and so are all the people I've come to care about."

  "I was hoping you'd feel that way."

  "You know I do. I want to stay. No, make that, I'm going to stay. I've put in an application with the Cotton Creek Sheriff's Department. Charli thinks I have a good chance of being offered a position. They try and assign an officer to the high school and Senator Walker said he can probably pull some strings and make sure I get that assignment, so I can at least be on hand for backup if my replacement has a need."

  "Are you sure you want to do that? You know I wouldn't fight it if you wanted to keep the assignment."

  "I'm sure. I'm ready for a change. And I can't keep pretending to be Dillon's girlfriend. Too many people know I'm crazy about you and now that we're talking about living together—"

  "Which reminds me, I talked with the owner of this place and made an offer on it."

  "Get out! Really?"

  "Really. I know you love it and I do too, so why shouldn't we live here? If I decide to keep the blacksmith shop, I can drive in when I need to."

  "If? So, does that mean you're still undercover and need the Smithy as cover or that you need the money?"

  "No, it's not what it means. Thanks to good advice from Wiley, I have enough to live quite comfortably for the rest of my life. And I've never had issues with being undercover."

  "Nice evasion. Are you ever going to tell me about your assignment?"

  "Probably not, but it's not a matter of trust. Some things just can't be shared, as you well know."

  "Indeed, I do."

  "So, back to your replacement as Dillon's bodyguard. You think she and he will work well together?"

  Lula smiled. "I think he's in for one hell of a surprise."

  "Oh, why?"

  "Lots of reasons. First, she's hot, and I mean firecracker hot. Second, she's good at what she does. Third, the role she's going to be assigned is going to not just surprise him but raise some eyebrows, baby. And finally, I'm willing to bet she knows as much about football as any high school coach."

  "I hope you're not going to try and leave me hanging with that."

  "Well, maybe I could tell you, or maybe you'd need to bribe me." She batted her eyes dramatically and preened.

  Lincoln was out of his chair and around the table in two seconds. He hoisted her up in his arms and headed out of the room. Lula laughed and hung on until he reached the bedroom where he plunked her onto the bed.

  "Bribe, huh?"

  "Lots of bribes. I don't come cheap."

  It was his turn to laugh, then join her on the bed. "Works for me."

  Chapter Two

  "Gentlemen, ladies," Dillon looked around at everyone. "While I appreciate what you're trying to do for me, I'm going to have to ask you to back down on this."

  "Now just hold on until I finish." He held up his hands as Lula started to speak. "First, thank you all for making my safety a priority. It is appreciated. I went along with you when you installed Lula here, and we all know it caused her and I both some tense moments. I completely understand her reasoning for asking to be replaced and respect it.

  "But. But, I sincerely don't believe that a threat against my uncle should alarm our family to the point that I'd need a personal security detail."

  He paused to look at his father. "And on that note, I've yet to be given an answer on just how many people that entails or who they are, and I do believe I should be afforded that respect."

  "Son, all we're trying to do—"

  "Dad, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I get it. You want to keep me—all of us safe, and I appreciate that. But this plan—it's crazy, and it's going to start a shit storm."

  "Why?" Lula asked, and when he looked at her, he knew she was about to challenge him. "Because she's a woman? You think a woman isn't qualified for the position?"

  "No, I don't. Not this position. Lula, you know I respect you, but you also know that if I allowed a female trainer to be hired to work with my team, the people in this county will lose their minds. We're not in D.C. or California or New York. We're in Texas. God, country and football. You get what I'm saying?"

  "I hear a bunch of sexist nonsense coming out of your mouth."

  "It's far from sexist. Ask any man in this room, and if he's honest, he'll agree with me. Hold on, Principal McCall is here with School Superintendent, David Moorefield. No more talk of bodyguards, please."

  Dillon walked to the door and opened it. "Principal McCall, Superintendent Moorefield, please come in. I believe you know my father, Russell Walker, and my uncle, Senator Richard Walker?"

  "Senator, Mr. Walker." Principal McCall was the first to hurry forward with an outstretched hand. "It's an honor, sir." He shook Russell's hand and then Richard's. "I voted for you sir."

  "I appreciate that, Adam isn't
it? "

  "Yes, sir."

  "It's a pleasure, Adam."

  Richard then turned to the next man. "And Superintendent Moorefield." Richard offered his hand. "Pleased to meet you."

  "It's my honor, Senator."

  "Please, everyone, have a seat. Dillon, I believe the floor is yours."

  "Thank you, sir." Dillon acknowledged his uncle with a nod. "As I was saying, for this school to hire a female as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, sets a precedent that may backfire on us. Football is, like it or not, a male sport and to put a woman in a training center with a team of teenage boys... gentlemen, believe me when I tell you, it could create some real problems. Surely, you agree with me, Principal McCall."

  Dillon could tell before Adam McCall opened his mouth that he'd not get the support he'd wanted from the administration.

  "Well, Coach, let me say that I completely understand your hesitation and even reservations about us taking such a progressive step, but let's consider. We could show ourselves to be the most forward thinking and progressive team in our division with such a move and—"

  "And we get that whopping big donation from Heritage, yeah?" Dillon hated being petty, but he was willing to bet that his family's deep pockets carried far more weight than anything else in this matter.

  "Now, I didn't say that Coach. Naturally, the school appreciates all the generosity your family has shown, but my position isn't colored by such things."

  "While the School Board unanimously voted to accept the generous offer made by the Walker family," Superintendent Moorefield added. "it's important to note that not only will Cotton Creek High School benefit, but the entire school district. I would think it a small concession, Coach, to take a progressive step forward with the hiring of a female training coach."

  "May I interrupt?"

  Everyone looked at the woman who, until now, had been sitting quietly beside Lula. "Of course," Dillon agreed. "If you have something to say, we'd love to hear it."

  "Thank you, Coach Walker." She looked around the room. "I wonder if Ms. Duvall and I might have a word with the Coach, his father, and uncle?" She looked at the principal and superintendent. "Thank you so much, gentlemen. I promise we'll be quick."

  Dillon saw the indecision on the men's faces and the way they looked to his uncle and father. "We'll make this as brief as possible," Richard assured them.

  Once they'd left the room, everyone's attention focused on Josephine Harper. Dillon had been doing his level best not to look at her. She was, in a word, stunning. Blonde hair so light it was nearly white, cut in a short pixie to frame a face that no man could see and forget. Her cat green eyes were rimmed with thick dark lashes.

  And Lord almighty, her full lips seemed to have been formed for the sole purpose of making a man wonder what it would be like to kiss them. If her looks above the neck weren't enough to stop traffic, her body from the neck down, damn sure was.

  "Ms. Harper, before you say anything, I'd like to go on record, and I apologize if I offend you. The truth is, you're not a woman who belongs in close quarters with a bunch of horny teenage boys, and I'm sorry if that sounds crass. But it's the truth. I'm not going to insult your intelligence here. You know you're beautiful, and you have to know that might be a problem."

  "I appreciate your candor, Coach Walker, and I'm not going to argue the point with you. Teenage boys are walking pods of seething hormones. I don't deny that. But I don't think their hormones or my appearance precludes the possibility that we just might be able to work together, help your team, set an example for others schools," she paused for a moment then continued. "And keep you safe, which is, in the end, the objective of this assignment."

  Dillon looked at Lula before answering. "I realize I don't know how to recognize someone who might be a threat, a glint of light from a window that's something more than just reflection, or how to kill a person. That was pointed out to me not long ago by a smart and capable woman.

  "But," he looked around at everyone. "I do know that we've already concocted one elaborate ruse and have been lucky enough to have people buy it. Until we left for the winter holiday, most everyone in the school, students and teachers, were under the assumption that Lula and I are an item."

  Dillon looked at her. "I don't blame you one bit for asking to be relieved. You have a life and someone you want to spend it with, and you deserve that."

  He then looked at his father. "But now, you're asking me to start an entirely new lie and one that's even more convoluted."

  "Yes, I am," Russell replied without hesitation. "Son—Dillon, we wouldn't ask this if we didn't believe there was a credible threat to every member of this family. Your uncle and I have gone to great lengths, and expense to ensure the safety of the family, and as much as I know you'll hate hearing this, you have no choice."

  "There's always a choice, Dad. I can walk away from this place and never look back."

  "But would you do that to your team?" Josephine asked. "Is your loyalty so anemic that you'd turn your back on them rather than try and cooperate with something that could be for your own good, and perhaps theirs as well?"

  "Don't ever question my loyalty to my team." Dillon barked before he could tamp down the acid rise of anger. He held up a hand. "I apologize. Ms. Harper, I get where you're going and concede the point. I wouldn't walk away. But let me ask you something, if I may?"

  "Absolutely."

  "Do you know anything at all about football?"

  Chuckles from people in the room had Dillon looking around in confusion. "Someone want to clue me in on the joke?"

  "I apologize, Coach Walker," Josephine said. "Harper is my married name."

  "You're married?" He blurted.

  "Widowed. My husband was killed in Afghanistan."

  "I'm sorry."

  "Thank you, so am I. But the laughter was because football has been part of my life since the day I was born, as my maiden name attests."

  "Which is?"

  Dillon got it, one thousand percent the moment the name came from her lips. "He's your father? Five time Superbowl champion, more wins than any coach in NFL history?"

  "Yep. That's my Dad. I pretty much grew up in a locker room since my mom died when I was two. A hit and run, drunk driver while she was jogging."

  "Again, I'm sorry for your loss, but—okay, I'm at a loss. You probably are pretty damn familiar with the game. Still, I'm not convinced this will work."

  "But we won't know until we try. And hey, I know how you feel. After all, I have to convince the people of this town I'm all hot over the high school coach."

  "Well, thanks. Take my ego down with my intelligence."

  She laughed and walked over, sticking out her hand. "What do you say we give it a try? There needs to be some kind of plan in place come Monday when school is back in session, and there's no time to come up with anything else between now and then.

  "I propose we give it a try and in a couple of weeks if we see that we're headed for a huge crash and burn, we pull the plug and come up with an alternative."

  He looked down at her hand and then at her face. "Ah hell, fine." He took her hand, and she smiled at him. "Now is that any way to act to the gal you want so much you cajoled an entire school board to get onto your staff?"

  "I did what?"

  He heard his uncle and father laugh and even saw Lula bite down on a snicker. "Yeah, yuck it up, people."

  "I'm sorry." Lula was the only one to respond. "And like Josie said, give it a chance. Besides, don't forget that you're getting more than a training coach in this deal. The increase in budget means you get to add two offensive and one defensive coach to your roster."

  "Trying to soften the blow?"

  "Just a reminder that it's not all bad."

  "Fine. What do we tell the principal and superintendent?

  "They've already been told everything they need to know," Richard answered.

  Dillon smirked. He'd been railroaded. No two ways about it. And he didn't ha
ve one ounce of confidence that anything good was going to come of this aside from the school district and Cotton Creek High School getting an influx of money that was badly needed.

  Maybe that should be enough. If he meant what he said, and his loyalty was to his team and his school then he should be willing to do his part.

  "Then I guess it's a done deal." He looked at Josephine. "Welcome to the team, Ms. Harper."

  "Thank you, and please, call me Josie. I appreciate your goodwill and cooperation."

  Damn, Dillon hated it when life demanded that he put up or shut up.

  Chapter Three

  Josie put her hand over the top of her glass as Lula started to pour her another drink. "I'm kind of a light-weight when it comes to alcohol."

  "No worries," Lula refilled her and Naomie's glasses. "Here's to one hell of an interesting assignment."

  "Says the woman ecstatic to have wormed her way out." Josie teased and raised her glass. "Not that I blame you. Damn, girl, Lincoln is—"

  "Thor," Lula said and took a drink.

  "Holy shit, you're right. He does look like Thor. The question is, does he have moves like a superhero?"

  "Asgardian God, baby."

  "Well here's to you, Lula. You brought home gold."

  "Isn’t that the truth? And listen, it's no real burden to be around Dillon. I mean aside from those blue eyes and hot body, he's actually fun to be around when you get to know him."

  Josie would have eaten her arm before she'd have admitted that she knew all about Dillon Walker and how attractive and appealing to the opposite sex he was. As far as anyone in Cotton Creek knew, she'd never heard of the man, and that's how she wanted it to stay.

  "He is hot, I'll agree with you there, but good God, his uncle and father are ... whew! And hey, Naomie, what's with the fireworks between you and Russell Walker? Every time I've seen the two of you together, it's like something's about to blow."

  "Nothing is ever going to blow. Never, ever."

  "Why not?"

  "It's just not. I don't get involved with people I work with."