Red Zone: Boys of Fall by Mari Carr Read Free Book Online Page A

mind being consumed in it, turned to ash.
    “We keep going,” Joel said. If he weren’t so exhausted, so wrung out, he would have laughed at Sadie and Oakley’s matching looks of surprise.
    Then Sadie nodded. “Oh hell yeah. I want more.”
    Oakley still didn’t smile. “Are you sure?” This time he didn’t pretend he was asking Sadie. His eyes were locked firmly on Joel’s.
    Joel gave him one, almost imperceptible nod. “Yeah. I’m sure.”
     

 

Chapter Three
     
    “Thanks for helping me plan all of this, Sadie, but I could have met you at the bar. You didn’t have to drive all the way out here.” Lorelie put down the pen she was using to take notes.
    Sadie shrugged. “It’s not like you live a hundred miles out of town. Besides I didn’t mind. It was a good day to take my bike out for a spin.”
    “I swear I’d get my own motorcycle if I didn’t think it would give my dad another heart attack.”
    “I could see you riding a hog,” Sadie teased.
    “I’m starting to get excited about this party. I mean it’s been a ton of work, but I think it’ll be worth it. My dad is going to love it.”
    Sadie agreed. Quinn High School’s current football team was undefeated, and everyone was already starting to talk about the state championship. The Titans hadn’t brought home that trophy since Joel’s class thirteen years earlier. The locals—Sadie’s dad included—were foaming at the mouths for another win.
    Sadie would never understand how seemingly normal grown men could lose their ever-lovin’ minds over teenage boys tossing a football around. But the fact remained, Titan football was all anyone in town could talk about these days.
    Since Coach’s heart attack, a lot of the older guys, players on that last state-winning team, had come back to help Lorelie and her dad keep the ranch going while her dad recuperated. It spoke volumes about what Coach Carr meant to the guys, how they’d dropped everything to come back.
    To commemorate the winning season and Coach’s recovery, and with the old team in town, the school had decided to do something special this year for Homecoming. During halftime of the game, they planned to introduce the players from that first state championship team and then honor Coach for all his years of service to the school as football coach. 
    Lorelie had decided to throw a big-ass party after the game to celebrate, and as a way of thanking the guys for all they’d done by coming home to help them. Sadie had volunteered her expertise in setting up the open bar for the night. She and Lorelie hammered out the details on how many kegs to order, how many cases of wine, and whether or not to include liquor. Sadie was going to man the bar at the party, and Oakley and Joel had both promised to help her.
    Sadie glanced out the window absentmindedly. “I’m looking forward to hearing Wade play. Always loved his music.” Newlywed Wade had enjoyed a successful music career in Nashville before coming back home to settle down with Charlene in Quinn. He’d agreed to perform at the party.
    Lorelie poured more iced tea in both of their glasses. “Yeah. Wade’s got some friend who used to play guitar in his band coming as well. Apparently this Glen guy had a gig last week and had to miss the wedding. He wants to meet Charli, so he’s made plans to be in town then to accompany Wade. An old times sake kind of thing. So voila—now I have a band playing at my party.”
    Sadie took a sip of the sweet tea and sighed. Lorelie made the best tea in town. “Is the guitar-playing friend hot?”
    “Lord, I hope so. I need some new eye candy. Not that having all the guys from school back hasn’t improved the view in Quinn lately.”
    Speaking of eye candy, Sadie glanced out the front window again, hoping to catch a glimpse of Oakley and Joel.
    “Okay, what gives?” Lorelie asked.
    Sadie twisted her head back to look at her friend. “What?”
    “You’ve looked out that window no less than