Chapter 4

“Oh, she’s competitive,” Uncle Mike chuckled. “Good luck, son.”

Madden smiled politely. “I can handle competitiveness.”

Poppi arched an eyebrow.

“You have no idea,” she joked.

The teams spread out at opposite ends of the boards. A loose circle of relatives formed around them, drinks in hand, already placing playful bets.

“C’mon, Pop!” one of her cousins shouted. “Don’t embarrass the family!”

“Pressure’s on,” Madden said under his breath.

She stepped onto the throwing line.

“It usually is,” she said under her breath.

Her first toss landed dead center. The bag disappeared into the hole. Cheers erupted.

“There she is!” someone yelled.

“I told you she hustles everybody!” Aunt Charli yelled.

Madden looked at her, genuinely impressed.

“You sandbagged me,” he said.

She glanced sideways.

“I never said I wasn’t good,” she uttered.

“You let me think I had a chance,” he said.

“I let you think a lot of things,” she said.

The words slipped out before she could stop them.

Silence. Only for a second.But long enough for both of them to hear what she hadn’t meant to imply. She looked away first.

“Your throw,” Poppi said.

He nodded once, swallowing whatever response he might have formed. His bag landed on the board with a satisfying thud. Not bad.

“C’mon!” Fred shouted. “That’s my boy!”

Madden’s shoulders relaxed a fraction.

“So…” he said quietly as they walked to the other end of the stables. “…this is your place?” He asked, looking around.

“Our family’s place, Madden,” she replied.

“You seem…” he started.

“What?” She pried.

“Like you belong here,” he finished.

She gave a small shrug, “I do.”

He looked around at the cousins laughing on hay bales, the uncles arguing over barbecue sauce, Valyn smiling from the dessert table.

“I don’t,” he said, tossing a bean bag pitifully low in the air and catching it.

The admission was so soft she almost missed it.

Before she could answer, Uncle Mike hollered, “Less talking! More throwing!”

The family laughed again. Poppi picked up another bag.

“You’ll survive,” she said.

“You think?” He inquired cautiously.

“I know this bunch,” she said.

She aimed. Another clean shot. More applause. Madden shook his head.

“Show-off,” he laughed, as he shot her a smile.

“You started it,” she said, returning the smile.

“I literally just got here,” he said confused.

“Exactly,” she said.

A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

She hated that she noticed.

His next throw clipped the front edge of the board and slid into the hole. The crowd exploded.

Fred pumped a fist into the air, “That’s it!”

Madden laughed, a real laugh this time, and instinctively turned toward Poppi. Without thinking, she grinned back. It lasted less than a heartbeat. Just long enough for both of them to remember.

His smile faded first.

“So…” he said quietly while everyone celebrated the point. “…about the grocery store…”

“We’re not talking about that,” she grimaced.

“I wasn’t going to,” he backpedaled.

“You were,” she said, squinting her eyes at him.

“I was,” he admitted.

She sighed, “I know.”