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“Sure,” Maddy said. “Your place?”
“My place,” he said. “I’ll take you home to get the banana pudding.” He stood and offered her his hand. She looked up at him, and he had the distinct thought that she was an angel. All lit up by the stadium lights, her hair falling in golden waves, those eyes so trusting and open.
She put her hand in his, and the vision closed. He pulled her to him and took her into his arms. “I’m glad to be back,” he whispered.
She said nothing, one hand landing solidly on his back and the other curling up around his neck. Her fingernails brushed the short hair peeking out of the bottom of his hat, and a thrill ran over Kyle’s shoulders and down to his fingertips.
“Cornhole tomorrow,” Maddy murmured.
“Mm.” Kyle couldn’t wait to see the reactions of his family—Sierra and Holly would likely lose their minds, and he couldn’t wait to see that—and he stepped back.
“My mother hosts a big Independence Day picnic at her house on the Fourth,” he said. “Will you go with me?”
Maddy blinked at him, a hint of surprise in her eyes. “Is it for family only?”
“Yes,” he said. “Gina will be there, as she’s Blake’s wife. And Laura, of course. She and Todd are engaged.”
Maddy looked like she wanted to say something else, but instead, she nodded. “All right.” She swallowed and ran both hands up his chest. “You’ll introduce me to your parents as your girlfriend?”
“They know we’re dating.”
“Right, but I haven’t been properly introduced.” Maddy met his eye, and Kyle saw the need there.
“I’ll properly introduce you to everyone,” he said. He waited for the nerves to come, but they didn’t. He smiled at her and leaned down to touch his lips to hers. She tasted fruity and minty, and while Kyle liked that, he could really use some banana pudding to top off this day. “Let’s go get dessert.”
Maddy tucked her hand into his, and he led her down and out of the bleachers. Satisfaction filled him that she’d accepted his invitation to his family party, and the only thing he had to do was text Mama and let her know he had a plus-one.
* * *
“Oh!”The cheer rose into the air in a huge swell, drawing the attention of the teams playing on the lane beside Kyle. He raised both hands into the air, his grin so wide it made his face hurt. Maddy acted like she had ice in her veins as she stepped back, her remaining bag already in her hand.
Jesse had to throw more one bag, but he stood on the other side of the ramp, his hands hanging limply at his sides. He said something, but the cheering and applauding was still too loud for Kyle to hear him.
He looked across the distance from him to Maddy, and her eyes locked onto his. She’d just sunk her second bag in a row, and she looked like she could do another one. Then another, then another.
The tiniest of smiles touched her lips, and then she looked over to Adam as he said something to her. Kyle dropped his arms and studied his brother. Adam didn’t look like he was trying to get into Maddy’s head, but Kyle’s overprotective streak reared up.
He stayed where he was as the wonder and yelling calmed down. Several guests came up the steps to watch, and Blake stepped over to them to tell them about the family cornhole tournament. They had leaderboards in the lodge for guest scores and the family tournament—which ran all summer long and had a declared winner at the end of it. The guests could only earn points to be at the top of the leaderboard, as their average nightly stay on the ranch was only three.
“This is unbelievable.” Jesse stooped to pick up his last bag. “Did you know she could play?”
“She mentioned it,” Kyle said.
“Yeah, I bet she did.” He looked across the distance and started swinging his arm. He bent at the waist, his concentration exquisite. Kyle had enjoyed the family tournament in the past, but he’d never cared all that much about winning. The competitive spirit in him had been squashed when everything had fallen apart on his previous attempt to make it in country music.
He still couldn’t believe he’d signed a contract with Black Hill Records, and a hint of awe ran through him as Jesse released the bag. It hit the platform and slid up, but it didn’t drop through the hole.
Frustrated, Jesse fell back. Kyle could knock the bag off or in on his last throw, but Adam went first. He somehow managed to position his bag right at the lip of the hole. So if Maddy wanted to try for three perfect throws in a row, she’d have to arc it just right and drop it through the hole from the sky. The last two she’d slid up the ramp and down into the hole, and Adam had just prevented her from doing that for a third time.
Everyone looked at Kyle, and he swallowed, suddenly nervous. He didn’t care if Maddy carried them through the tournament. After he’d seen her throw last week, he’d known she would. He tossed his bag, and sure enough, he pushed in Jesse’s before his went down too, which caused a roller-coaster of emotions and reactions from the watching crowd.
The other games had paused, and everyone lined the lane where only Maddy had one more bag to throw. It didn’t matter if she made it in or not. She and Kyle were up by four points, and she could sink Adam’s bag and not hers, and they’d still win. Usually, the family only gathered to see who’d win in a close game, but apparently word had spread down the lanes, where everyone had been playing only a few minutes ago, to come see her.
Kyle grinned at her, watching as she slipped into battle mode. She had concentration made out of iron, and he admired her as she took her aim and let the bag fly.
It did arc higher than her other throws, and Jesse said, “I’m seriously going to lose it if that drops out of the sky and through the hole.”
In the next moment, the bag hit the platform—hard—and it was almost a vertical drop-hit. It didn’t drop right through the hole, but it had struck just behind Adam’s bag. A moan rose into the air, but Kyle watched as the bag bounced—yes, bounced—and started to hippity-hop over Adam’s bag.
