GARETH AND CODY jogged over to her, and both boys gave her hand a quick shake.
The taller one said, “I’m Gareth. Good to meet you.”
“You, too. You’re Tag’s cousin, right?”
“Yep, my mom is Janie. My stepdad is Aidan.” He hitched a thumb toward his companion. “This is my friend Cody. We play on the high school team together.”
Cody smiled, and Gareth wasted no more time getting down to business. “I’m assuming you’ve played at least a little if you’re willing to subject yourself to one of our family melees?”
“Some.” She added a smile because he’d managed to figure this out and Tag hadn’t.
“So, looking at the teams today, Tag, Freddie and Brittany are going be our main competition. It doesn’t matter who Tag plays with—he almost always wins. But, with any luck, we won’t be playing his team until the championship game, anyway.”
He went on to give a quick rundown on the strengths and weaknesses of the best players.
Ally was impressed. “Got it.”
“Do you think you can handle the ball? Dribbling and stuff? I mean, I was thinking since you’re shorter maybe you could play point?”
Should she ease his mind and tell him she was more than a decent player or just wait and let him figure it out? As usual, she decided to let her actions do the talking. “I think I can handle it.”
The teams drew straws to see who would be matched up for the initial loser-out match. Unfortunately, luck was not with their team, as Gareth and Tag both drew the short straws, meaning they would play Tag’s team first.
They flipped a coin for first possession, and Tag’s team won. His teammate, Freddie, began the game with the ball at the top of the court. Ally allowed him to pass it to Tag, who made a simple jump shot, putting his team up by two.
Ally started play for her team. She easily moved around Freddie to pass the ball to Cody. Brittany was all over him, and Tag was on Gareth. Ally got around Freddie, and Cody called out a play and passed it back to Ally. When Gareth moved around Tag, she fired the ball to him, and he put the ball through the hoop and tied the game.
They went on like this for a few minutes, with Tag’s team scoring and theirs tying it up. Ally held back, assessing the skills of everyone on the court. Tag was just as good as Gareth said, probably better. Like her, she felt he was holding back. But, she suspected, not nearly as much as she was.
A few minutes in she could see it would eventually come down to an under-the-basket matchup between Tag and Gareth if she didn’t do something. From what she’d seen so far, this wasn’t a strong bunch of three-point shooters.
She called a time-out.
Gareth looked concerned. “Hey, what’s up? You okay?”
“Yep, good.”
“You can obviously handle the ball a little better than you let on, huh?”
“A bit.” She added a grin. “I just need to know how bad you guys want to win?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’ve seen enough to know that we can win this game if you want to, or we can just keep playing, and you and Tag can duke it out under the basket and see who comes out on top.”
Gareth peered at her and lowered his voice. “You’re a three-pointer shooter.”
It sounded like an accusation and Ally laughed. “I am. And I can handle Freddie. But what’s going to happen is this—I’m going to sink a couple of threes before Tag figures out that I can play. He’s going to call a time-out and then he’s going to guard me. That will put Freddie on you and free you up under the basket. Then we can have some fun.”
Cody stared at her, his face an expression of hope and disbelief. Then his mouth curved into a little grin as he seemed to catch up with the plan.
“Are you guys okay with this?”
Gareth put a hand over his mouth to hide his smile. “Heck, yeah.”
* * *
TAG WATCHED ALLY fist-bump Gareth and Cody in their little huddle. It looked like she was giving them a pep talk. Cute. He was relieved to see that she could handle the ball pretty well. All in all, he thought their teams were pretty evenly matched with his having a slight advantage.
Aidan blew the whistle, indicating the time-out was at an end. Ally passed the ball to Cody. He faked a drive and threw it back to Ally, who had already moved around Freddie and was heading to the baseline corner. Tag spun around to guard Gareth, expecting her to pass the ball to him. Only when the crowd erupted with a cheer as the ball slapped loudly onto the court behind him did he realize she’d made a three-point shot.
Huh.
Their possession. But as Freddie passed the ball, Ally batted it away and Cody grabbed it.
Turnover.
This time when Ally darted around Freddie, she looked like a streak of lightning. She launched the ball from beyond the top of the key and scored another three points.
Just like that, they were down by four points, and he realized that Ally, the little con, could play basketball.
“Time-out!” Tag waited for his fellow players to approach. “Guys, what do you think?”
“I think the quick one is making me look like a doofus.” Freddie chuckled and used his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow.
“Let’s switch. I’ll take her, and you go under the basket.”
Freddie nodded. “Okay, but you know I won’t be able to shut him down, right? If Gareth gets the ball, we’re toast.”
“Just do the best you can.”
Tag had no intention of allowing that to happen. Ally appeared calm and unflappable. Holding the ball against his right hip, he waited for Aidan to call the action. Narrowing his eyes, he gave Ally a menacing smirk. She responded with an amused smile, but kept her attention on Aidan.
As the whistle blew, Ally lunged, her right arm shooting forward and stripping Tag of the ball. Stunned with disbelief, he whirled to defend against her. Too late. She fired the ball to Cody.
He caught it. Brittany was glued to him as he pivoted toward the basket. Tag moved that way, planning to intercept the impending pass to Gareth. Cody fired the ball back to Ally, who promptly scored again.
“Three points!” Gareth lifted a fist skyward. “Way to go, Ally.” More fist bumping. Not nearly as cute now, Tag silently acknowledged.
On the next play, he managed to pass the ball to Brittany. Barely, because Ally was like an irritating mosquito and he had to rely on his height advantage to throw it over her head.
“That’s it, Brittany!” Tag called when she hit a jumper and scored two.
This time when Ally started play, Tag went tighter. She drove hard to her right, flipped a behind-the-back pass to Cody, who zipped it to Gareth. His nephew dunked it to the roar of the crowd.
Brittany groaned. Freddie shrugged.
Tag sighed and threw up his hands because that was the moment he knew: the game might not be over, but ultimately, he was going to have to accept defeat. And all because of Ally.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t reeling when, a few plays later, Gareth walked up to him, dribbling the ball from side to side, a cocky grin on his lips. “Good game. First time for everything, huh?”
“Apparently.”
“So, when are you two getting married?” Gareth quipped, and Tag knew it wasn’t the last he’d hear of that old family joke. He should probably warn Ally.
He couldn’t help but grin. “We already are. Sort of.”
* * *
THE CRUNCHING SOUND of feet treading on loose gravel alerted Ally that someone was approaching. Her team had gone on to win the next two games. After accepting the wows, congratulations and at least one confusing comment about marriage, Ally had departed with a slice of “winner’s cake” and a cold drink to a relatively secluded bench next to the river where she’d been cooling off. She turned to find Tag approaching. Finally.
“Hey.” He sank down onto the bench beside her. His gaze traveled over her and, although it was quick, Ally felt the same intense pull of attraction, boosting both her heart rate and her confidence.
“Hi.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you. It was fun.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were a basketball prodigy?”
She chuckled. “Prodigy is a bit of an exaggeration. And I told you I played.”
“Mmm-hmm. No, not like that you didn’t. I asked if you played in school.”
“And I said no. Because I didn’t.”
“Yeah, so I assumed—”
She interrupted, “You have an assuming problem, are you aware of that?”
He scratched his chin, looking uncomfortable, which made her laugh.
“We have a basketball court in my village. I didn’t have a television or video games or a screen of any kind. Not until I was a teenager, and then the computer was only for learning. Basketball was what I did for fun.”
“Wow. Flynn knew, didn’t he?”
“Yep. We used to play when he’d visit. And he stayed with us for a couple of summers when he was in high school to study with my grandpa.”
“I’m impressed. And I’m not often impressed by someone else’s skills. It’s your strategy, too.”
“Well, strategy is vital when you have a distinct and fixed disadvantage, right? All great military leaders know that no matter how great a weakness you have, if you can turn it to your advantage, you’ve got a chance.” “I have bad news, though.”
“What’s that?”
“Now we have to get married for real.”
“What?” She laughed.
He was grinning. “I’ve always made this joke to my family that if I ever found a woman who could beat me at basketball I’d marry her. You’re undoubtedly gonna hear some jokes about it, too, so I thought I better tell you.”
“I heard one already, but I didn’t get it.”
“Although...” Leaning back, he stretched one leg out and Ally admired its lean, muscled length.
“Although?” she said without bothering to look away. But she didn’t immediately meet his gaze, either. Instead, she let her eyes inch slowly up, pausing briefly on his mouth. Smiling slowly, she watched his eyes darken as his gaze flickered to her mouth and away again.
He blinked, nostrils flaring, chest expanding as he slowly inhaled a deep breath. Ha. His smoldering gaze landed on hers again like...like he couldn’t help himself? Or didn’t want to help himself? She waited, wondering if he was going to see past the years between them and acknowledge the attraction simmering here.
“I suppose I could adopt you, instead. You’re a sweet kid.”
A loud sigh accompanied her eye roll while he sat there looking satisfied with his stupid joke.
“Are you...serious with this?” Slipping an arm behind him to grip the back of the bench, she inched toward him, studying his reaction. “Do you really not...?”
She scooted closer. Desire and terror looked to be at war on his face. He stared at her lips and leaned away from her at the same time. She would have laughed if it wasn’t so exasperating.
“Not what?” The question sounded strained. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat.
Ally planned every beat of her next move because she wanted to catch him off guard, wanted to see the heat flare in his eyes, wanted to elicit a reaction without giving him time to think.
Crooking a finger as if she was going to tell him a secret, she whispered, “I’m confused, and I need to tell you...”
He leaned in. She went closer. And closer still, exhaling softly near his ear. When she heard the sharp exhale of his breath, a spike of joy shot through her because it helped cement the truth of what she was about to say.
“You don’t look at me like you think I’m a kid.” Then she kissed him.
* * *
THE WORDS SHE spoke didn’t even penetrate Tag’s brain, or maybe he wouldn’t let them. But that thought would only occur to him later, because the sweetest lips he’d ever tasted were moving over his and he couldn’t think past how incredibly good it felt. And right and... He twined one hand into her hair right next to her scalp, the other he curled around her shoulder so he could deepen the kiss.
He coaxed her lips apart, and she seemed to melt into him, her fingers digging into his shoulders. He groaned. She responded with a soft little moan of her own, unleashing a not-quite-identifiable emotion inside him. Almost like fury, but not quite, because while the air was charged around them, there was a lightness inside his chest. And he realized that he never wanted to let go. Pulling her closer, adjusting so that more of her body pressed against his, he moved his mouth over hers, fitting it closer because he couldn’t seem to get enough...
He had no idea how much time had passed when she pulled away, just enough so that her mouth still hovered over his. She was breathing as hard as he was, and after a few seconds, her raspy chuckle worked into him like a caress. He would have kissed her again, but she was talking...
It took a moment for her next words to compute. “Stop worrying about my age and tell me how you really feel.”
Bees were swarming through his thoughts. Slowly he tuned out the buzzing and focused on her lazy-lidded eyes and swollen lips. Ally. So, so beautiful. Wayward strands of her silky black hair stirred in the breeze. She looked thoroughly...kissed. No, it was worse than that. A sick feeling rushed in, dousing the heat that had been muddling his brain only seconds before. What had he done?
“Ally, we...” We what? Not we, I. How could he make things right? Apologize? She’d kissed him, yes, but he’d let her. He’d more than let her; he’d kissed her back without an ounce of restraint and precious little self-control. And that wasn’t like him. He’d never lost his mind quite like this before, not even back in high school when he was young and reckless and...and she made him feel things he’d never felt before.
Languid brown eyes stared back at him without any regret or hesitation reflected there. Which made him feel about a million times worse.
“Oh, no...” Shifting, she sat up straighter. The fingers of one hand burned into him where they still clutched his shoulder. Her other hand rested on his forearm. “You’re not going to say we shouldn’t have done that, are you?”
Reaching up, he removed the hand on his shoulder so he could think. One deep breath later, he did the same with the other. Another breath and words still weren’t coming to him, not rational ones, anyway.
He went with “Yes, I am. That’s exactly what I’m going to say. Except it’s I... I shouldn’t have—”
She interrupted, “You mean I shouldn’t have? I kissed you.”
“No, I mean, I know you did. But I shouldn’t have let you.”
“Let me? You seemed to enjoy it. In fact, you kinda took over there at the end. Which is no surprise. You’re used to being in control, huh? To having things go your way?”
“No! I mean, yes, of course, I enjoyed...kissing you. Obviously. But we shouldn’t have. And we’re not going to do it again. I should have, I mean I shouldn’t have...and, yes, I like being in control of...certain things. But what does that have to do with this? I don’t even know what I’m saying...” Words lost, thoughts jumbled, he scraped a restless hand along the bench beside him.
Eyes sparkling, she watched him, her mouth a perfect, satisfied half grin, and he realized just how ridiculous he must seem.
He chuckled, but it sounded painful even to him. “You have this singular ability to leave me tongue-tied.” It was this way she had of not saying anything and then finally saying exactly what she thought. And this complicated, intense, amazing, uncomfortable thing that had just happened between them wasn’t helping.
She beamed. “You want me to untie it for you? Bring it here again, and I’ll give it a shot.”
Like that. He groaned. “Ally, please don’t...” Her eyes were fixed on his mouth, and he wanted to kiss her again. And again. And forever, maybe. What was he thinking? He couldn’t. This was insane. “You.” A long moment stretched between them while he stared at her and tried to come up with words.
“Me?” she finally prompted him.
Beside him, his phone chimed. He snatched it up, grateful for the reprieve. Coward that he was. Reading the text, he practically leaped to his feet.
“I need to go. I told Bering I would meet... We’ll talk about this later, okay?”
She reached over and patted his arm. “Okay, but just so you know, I’m going to hold you to that.”
* * *
“YOU SET A date yet?” Bering quipped when Tag joined him. They walked toward the house, where the senators were due to be arriving soon.
Tag chuckled because it was all the response he could manage. He needed to get a grip.
“Ally-oop!” Bering called and then took a moment to laugh at his joke. “Did not see that coming. She’s barely over five feet tall. She played you like a violin.”
“The woman is full of surprises.” So many surprises and other perfect, interesting, irresistible qualities that had him wishing for things... A pain crimped his insides, worse than the stabs of loneliness, of reluctant bachelorhood, that plagued him these days. Except worse. So much worse. Like hot-knife-twisting-in-gut bad.
“It looked like she and Gareth have been playing together for years. Too bad she couldn’t play point guard on the team next year, huh? With that three-point shot, they would be unbeatable across the entire state.”
Tag groaned inwardly. Bering was right; watching her with Gareth and Cody only illuminated the fact that she was undoubtedly closer in age to his teenage cousin than she was to him. Reaching up, he squeezed the back of his neck in an attempt to ease the tension clutching him there.
He still couldn’t believe it had happened. The chemistry between them was unlike anything he’d ever experienced except...except he had higher standards for himself than kissing a woman who was barely old enough to vote. That might be a slight exaggeration, but still, she was too young for him. The knot twisted tighter. He needed to think. He might need some ibuprofen. What should he do? He had to be straight with her. A task that would be so much easier if he didn’t like her so much. And she just had to be a Mariners fan and a basketball player? It was like some kind of cosmic joke.
He briefly considered, and then discarded, talking to Bering about it. He knew Bering wouldn’t judge, but would he approve? He wasn’t ready to admit what he’d done, to open himself to the taunting of a middle-aged cliché, however much he deserved it. What would the rest of his family think?
“Perfect timing. There’s Jack.” Bering slapped him on the shoulder as Senator Marsh’s SUV pulled up to the house.
Senators Marsh and Fincher climbed out of the vehicle as Tag and Bering approached. Greetings and handshakes were exchanged. Bering offered refreshments, and they both requested coffee.
Tag volunteered to fetch it. “I’ll get it. I was going to get myself a cup, anyway.” He headed toward the beverage area, stalling to gather his wits, while Bering gestured at an empty picnic table and led the men across the yard.
Tag joined them with the coffee. Small talk bounced around the table for a few minutes until Senator Marsh lowered his cup and said, “So, word has reached Randall that Mammoth Tracks Mining has been sniffing around the valley. They’re quietly trying to purchase mineral rights along the Opal River.”
Bering and Tag exchanged glances and Tag said, “That might explain it.” He told the two men about the inflated offers Hannah and Shay had received for their properties.
Senator Marsh nodded. “Yes, obviously word has leaked out. Usually, Mammoth uses a number of other companies to gobble up the outlying land. If they move in here, real estate prices will skyrocket. And I don’t think we need to talk about what this will do to Rankins if they’re successful.”
Bering exhaled a frustrated breath. “And I thought Cam-Field was the biggest threat we’d face in my lifetime.”
Senator Marsh gave his head a defeated shake. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years as a politician, it’s that there’s always a bigger monster waiting to take the place of the one just slain.”
“What can we do?”
“We’ll fight it legislatively, of course, as much as we can at the national level. But that’s the thing—we’re going to need strength at the state level. Which is what we’re here about.”
“Okay.” Bering nodded.
Tag tensed at the senator’s expression, anxiety zinging through him like a fishing line gone taut.
Senator Marsh went on, “Circumstances have arisen in Randall’s personal life, and he’s going to have to retire at the end of his term. Tag, we need you to run in the upcoming election.”
“Can we be ready by then?” Bering asked.
“When will I have to start campaigning?”
“We will be,” Senator Marsh answered Bering. “We can be. Nothing alarming in that background check and our research has told us that we’ve got strong financial backing coming Tag’s way.”
He turned to Tag. “Campaigning will have to begin immediately, I’m afraid. We’ve got a lot to do in a very short time. If you agree to commit to this, I’d like you both to fly to Juneau next weekend so we can get the ball rolling. Randall and I have ideas about hiring your staff. My assistant, Maura, is looking at some potential campaign managers. There’s a dinner Friday night that I’d like you to attend—lots of potential donors and numerous important people to introduce you to.”