Covering Kendall
A LOVE AND FOOTBALL NOVEL
JULIE BRANNAGH
Dedication
To my mom, who believed in me when I wasn’t sure I believed in myself.
I miss you every day.
Acknowledgments
I’D LIKE TO thank my agent, Sarah Younger of Nancy Yost Literary Agency, and my editor, Amanda Bergeron of Avon Impulse. They went above and beyond for me and this book, and I appreciate them both (and all of their hard work) so much.
Thank you to everyone at Avon Impulse for their extra effort on my books. As always, a special shout-out to Jonathan Baker of the copyediting group, who makes me look like I actually know something about grammar and punctuation and checks my football research.
Thank you to the staff and the owners of the Bellevue, Washington, Cupcake Royale, who continue to harbor the Cupcake Crew each week.
Thank you to Jessi Gage and Amy Raby of the Cupcake Crew, my critique partners and my friends. I am so lucky to have you both in my life.
Thank you to my husband, Eric, who took on a lot more than his fair share so that I could write. I love you, honey.
Thank you to Susan Mallery, who continues to offer great advice and encouragement.
Thank you to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report for patiently answering my questions on Twitter and making me laugh every day. He’s forgotten more about pro football than I’ll ever know. Follow him on Twitter at @mikefreemanNFL, won’t you?
Thank you to the Super Bowl Champions Seattle Seahawks (that NEVER gets old!) for interviews they’ve given in various forms of media, which were a huge help with my research.
Speaking of research, the research for this book was challenging. Women still aren’t being hired for front office jobs in the NFL in most franchises. I believe this will change, especially since forty-eight percent of women from nineteen to forty-eight identify as NFL fans. I’m looking forward to seeing how the league will address this.
Thank YOU for buying and reading my books. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I love writing them! If you want to learn a little more about me, I’m at www.juliebrannagh.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter at @julieinduvall.
Go Sharks!
Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Epilogue
Author’s Note
An Excerpt from Holding Holly
An Excerpt from Blitzing Emily
An Excerpt from Rushing Amy
An Excerpt from Catching Cameron
About the Author
Also by Julie Brannagh
An Excerpt from Beauty and the Brit by Lizbeth Selvig
An Excerpt from The Governess Club: Sara by Ellie Macdonald
An Excerpt from Caught in the Act by Sara Jane Stone
An Excerpt from Sinful Rewards 1 by Cynthia Sax
An Excerpt from When the Rancher Came to Town by Emma Cane
An Excerpt from Learning the Ropes by T. J. Kline
Copyright
About the Publisher
Chapter One
DREW MCCOY DODGED pouring rain as he darted through a puddle-infested parking lot and into the entrance of the biggest bookstore in Bellevue. As he shook off the rain and jammed his hands into the pockets of his black North Face fleece jacket, he nodded at a familiar bookstore employee.
He spent enough time here that the staff knew who he was, despite the fact he always kept his long blond ponytail tucked out of sight beneath a slouchy knit hat. He didn’t mind because they kept a respectful distance, but he was occasionally recognized by another customer. It looked like his luck was about to run out.
As he passed the Women’s Fiction aisle he overheard a woman say to the employee he’d nodded at, “Wasn’t that Drew McCoy that just walked by? From the Sharks?”
Drew darted into Gardening/Home Improvement and braced himself to be exposed.
“That guy looks a lot like him, huh?” the employee said. “A football player probably doesn’t like to browse in the Women’s Fiction section of the store, though.”
“You’re right,” the woman said and laughed a little. “He’s probably not into books.”
He sighed with relief. Peeking around the end display, he saw the woman walk away in the opposite direction. He waited until she got in line at the checkstand and doubled back to find the store employee who’d misdirected her.
The employee glanced up from his work in surprise. Drew stuck out his hand. The guy shook it. He wore a nametag: CRAIG. Drew would be stopping by next week with autographed team merchandise for him.
“Thanks, man,” Drew said.
“Anytime.” The guy grinned at him. “Go Sharks.”
Drew continued on to the history section. A free-standing sign caught his eye, and he paused to take a closer look. Carl Sagan’s latest biographer would be speaking in fifteen minutes about his new book on the famed astronomer.
Drew had a couple of hours before he needed to get his ass home and get ready for this weekend’s Sharks game. He’d enjoy listening to what the guy had to say, and he could grab a couple of books on his way out the door too. He glanced around to see a few rows of empty chairs in front of a lectern. Another bookstore employee was unpacking books to stack on a table for the author to sign.
A deserted book signing: bad for the author, but great for Drew. He could geek out to his heart’s content in anonymity. He loved what he did. He loved the Sharks’ fans. He didn’t love the inability to move freely in public, however. He relished any situation in which he was just another bookworm.