Chapter 5

A breeze drifted through the barn, carrying the scent of fresh-cut hay and charcoal.

The next round began.

Their rhythm settled in without discussion.

When he missed left, she compensated.

When one of her bags bounced off the board, he knocked an opponent’s bag away to leave hers the point.

“You two work together pretty well,” Aunt Charli observed.

Fred laughed.

“They’re naturals.”

Neither of them answered. They kept working, sinking bean bags one after the other. It was like they had done this their entire lives.

Poppi caught Madden’s eyes. His eyes were hauntingly blue. He didn’t look away right away, but eventually he turned his head back to the crowd. Poppi let out a long breath. She must have been holding her breath while he was staring at her.

Halfway through the match, Madden bent to retrieve a beanbag at the same moment Poppi reached for it.

Their hands brushed. A fraction of a second. Still, it felt like touching a live wire. Both jerked back immediately.

“Sorry,” they said in unison.

Poppi’s stomach tightened. She pulled away instinctively but her mind was telling her to touch him a bit longer. Why would she think that? She knows who he is now and he is definitely off limits. Isn’t he?

Madden stared at the red beanbag in his hand. The game came down to the final throw.

“Winner takes bragging rights!” Valyn called.

Everyone gathered closer.

Madden looked at Poppi, “You want to attempt yje last shot to win the game?”

She nodded. He handed her the final red bag, “No pressure Poppi.”

She smirked despite herself.

“I thought you said you could handle competitive,” she said.

“I lied,” he giggled.

She laughed, but quietly this time. It surprised them both. She took a breath, released the bag, and watched it arc cleanly through the warm evening air.

Straight into the hole.

She turned to get a look at his face as she strutted to grab the bags that hadn’t gone in. His mouth was wide open and his eyes were the size of saucers. He could not believe what a clean shot she has made.

The family erupted in cheers. Before he could stop himself, Madden threw an arm around her shoulders in celebration. He squeezed her into his side. The instant he realized what he’d done, he stepped back as if it burned.

Neither looked at the other. No one else noticed. The family only saw two new siblings winning their first game together.

Only Poppi and Madden knew it wasn’t nearly that simple.

Poppi got butterflies in her stomach the moment his hand touched the skin on her shoulder. The touch was brief but she had memorized how his fingers felt when he grazed her arm.

They kept shooting each other knowing glances when people said they looked great together or that they loved how we worked so well.

Madden would give her a little smile. He could see it was bothering her.