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“Would you mind? I don’t want to yell and wake my little peanut here.”
Shay settled the sleeping baby in her arms while DeAnne went to fetch his sister. A lump formed in Ally’s throat as she watched Shay with the baby. There was so much longing in her eyes that Ally could barely stand to watch her for the ache it caused in her own heart. Tag and Iris had both told her how much Shay wanted children.
DeAnne returned with Liza and a car seat for Albert. The little guy barely stirred when Shay buckled him in. DeAnne and the kids said their goodbyes, settled in the minivan and drove away.
Shay stood. “Well, I should get going…”
Ally had forgotten about the donut box inside the bag she held. Under normal circumstances, she would have offered donuts to the kids, but her state of mind was nowhere near normal. Now she held the bag aloft.
“I have donuts. Would you like to come in?”
“You know what? I think I will.”
They went inside and Ally made tea. For some reason, she felt more kindly disposed toward Shay when the woman wolfed down a donut in short order and took two bites of another before setting it on the plate Ally provided.
“This donut—” she pointed at the maple-glazed pastry that Ally had already decided was her favorite “—the Emily? It’s named after Bering’s wife.”
Ally had to smile. “Seriously?”
“Yep. You’d never know it by looking at her, but she’s a semireformed junk-food addict. When she first came here, that’s pretty much all she ate. She’s since become an excellent cook, but back then she spent a lot of time at the Donut Den.”
Shay took a sip of her tea. “This is really good. What is it?”
“An herbal mix I make myself. Don’t worry—there’s no dried chicken feet or buffalo tongue in it.”
Shay cringed and cleaned her fingertips with a napkin. “I’m sorry about that voodoo comment. It was incredibly insensitive.”
“Yes, it was. But I’m sorry, too.”
“What? Why?”
Ally sighed and explained, her heart heavy. “Because I’m purposefully throwing it back at you to make you feel uncomfortable. Which makes me just as bad in my own mind.”
Shay gaped at her. “You are so…mature for your age, do you know that? Shoot, does that sound condescending?”
“No. Honesty rarely does.”
“Good, because I’m going to be brutally honest right now. I know we got off on the wrong foot. At first, I didn’t care because I was only thinking about Tag. But I want to explain myself. This election is very important to him, to me, to our entire extended family, to our community—the whole state, for that matter. I don’t know how much he’s told you, but he’s been considering it the last few years. We just didn’t think he’d be running so soon, but circumstances have evolved and he has to now. I’m just worried that he doesn’t… That he’s not prepared.”
Has to? Ally needed to think about this. She probably needed to know Tag better before she commented on something that had been troubling her almost since she’d met him. Instead, she said, “Your love and concern for your brother is admirable.”
“He’s truly the best man I know. That might sound odd. You’re probably thinking I should name my husband or my dad. They’re both right up there, but Tag is… He’s special to almost everyone who meets him.”
Ally nodded. She could believe that.
“I’m not saying he’s perfect. He’s got plenty of faults—he’s conceited and proud and thinks he’s invincible and plenty of other things that you’ll discover soon enough.” Shay chuckled a little before adding, “I guess what I’m saying is that if you’re special to him, you must be worth it.”
“Worth it?”
“Yes. Worth the controversy his involvement with you is causing and will continue to cause. He can’t see it yet. My sisters don’t see it. But, as you’ve probably figured out, I’m generally considered the cynical one in the family. I prefer realist, but we can’t always control the opinions of others, can we? And before you take offense, please know that if, after considering what I’ve said, you and Tag choose to pursue a relationship I’ll back you a hundred percent. Like my brother, I’m also very loyal. Family means everything to me.”
