by Liz Lee
“They can’t get rid of Daddy. You’re mistaken.” Mallory was certain of it. Almost.
Celinda shrugged. “All I know is what I heard. And what I heard was J.D. is out and new blood is in.”
Celinda stopped, fluffed her hair in the mirror, dug a hot pink lip-gloss out of her purse and swiped it over her lips. “I only heard a minute of it because I was just delivering coffee and Mayor Jenkins knew I was listening. Plus, I think the school board members all knew they were throwing in with the enemy even sitting at the same table with that developer and his partner. But I know they’re going after J.D. first. They want someone young. Someone who can ‘relate to the kids’ is what they said.”
Darn. Darn. Double darn. Mallory bit her lip and tried to regain some of the elation from moments before. But panic replaced it. Panic and fear that she might be too late to fix this.
She forced herself to think, to plan, to decide.
Within seconds she acted.
“Well, that might be the way it’s done elsewhere. But in Serendipity, Baber is synonymous with success. They’re not getting rid of Daddy.” She turned off the water and moved to the door as the dryer ground to a halt. “We’ll just have to make sure of it. Now come on, the board’s recognizing my girls, and if you’re right, we’ve got a little work to do.”
With Celinda trailing behind, Mallory practically marched to the boardroom. The smell of fresh popcorn mixed with certainty that she would fix this somehow.
The feeling of success now replaced with one of determination and anger, she looked in the room and focused on her girls. They were why she was here, why the bank president had popped the popcorn in her honor, why the whole town knew her as the other winning Coach Baber.
And they were integral to her plan to save her daddy’s job.
Her father stood on the podium next to the superintendent and president of the school board. Neither of whom met her eyes when she walked inside.
Dirty skunks. How could they stand there pretending?
Did J.D. already know about the meeting?
She made her way through the crowded room as her father stepped down and lumbered toward her. When his big arms closed around her in the hug reserved for when she won, she reached up and kissed his cheek.
The photographer’s flash caught her eye at the same time her daddy spoke. “Well, you did it, pretty girl.”
A smile lit up her face and she prayed the photographer caught every minute of this. She wouldn’t let a businessman with an agenda and a group of jealous men ruin her father. “You taught me everything I know.”
And he had. Play fair, but play tough. Never lose sight of the ultimate goal. For Babers that meant one thing. Winning.
When they reached the front of the room, her father left her with the team that had helped her reach that goal.
Mallory threw her arms up as the girls crowded around for yet another hug. A week had passed, but the thrill of victory still permeated the air.
And she’d be damned if she’d roll over and let her daddy be replaced because some hot shot from the city decided it was time.
She searched the room and zeroed in on her biggest opponent. There he sat in his millionaire glory, right on the front row next to her empty seat.
If they ever made gorgeous men illegal, Brenton Alexander would rank as a felony crime.
His designer suit fit perfectly. His professionally cut black hair accentuated the green of his eyes. Eyes she’d had to face once too often since he’d moved to town with his daughter, Nina, star first baseman, wonder kid sophomore.
As team parents went, Brenton ranked right up there with the best. He never missed a game, never yelled at Nina when she messed up. Volunteered to work concession stands. Bought the team equipment and paid for programs.
Unfortunately, he’d come to town with one goal in mind. Growth. Expansion. Turning his millions into billions.
And so far, he’d succeeded beyond belief.
Ever since his developments had begun swallowing up her family’s land, she’d known he was an enemy. Now that he’d decided to destroy her father, he’d moved to the top of the list. One way or another, Mr. Alexander was going to have to learn the rules. In this part of the country, football reigned supreme. And her daddy was king in this kingdom.
And this kingdom wasn’t some metroplex suburb wanna be. They didn’t need malls. They didn’t need franchise restaurants. They didn’t need fast food in the school cafeteria.
Taking her seat, Mallory prepared to win the biggest game of her life. Brenton Alexander might have money, but he didn’t have heart. He’d learn fast enough he’d picked the wrong family to do battle with.
They hadn’t made coaches like Mallory Baber when he’d been in high school. Brenton knew if they had, he’d have caught more games.
As she took her seat beside him, he watched her legs cross, her skirt creep up to show her knees. Perfection marred by a small scar his daughter told him came from knee surgery years earlier.
Her red hair curled in wisps around her face. Her blue eyes clear in their dislike. “Coach Baber.” He nodded his head in greeting, enjoying the way her eyebrow lifted.
“Mr. Alexander.”
Sure, he knew well enough why she disliked him. Lots of people were afraid of change. But he’d made his money on change, and he was willing to bet this town would be the better for it before he left.
Just as he was willing to accept that Mallory Baber’s dislike made her all the more appealing.
“Great season.”
“The best.”
“Record setting.” He could match her short answers any day.
“That it was.”
Her red sandal tapped in time to some internal beat, her calf muscles flexing seductively, her toe ring flashing in flirty silent cadence. Nothing like the woman he saw on the softball field. And yet still the very same.
“Maybe the new girls gave you the advantage you needed.” Nina was the only new player this year, but by this time next season that would definitely change.
Her foot stopped moving, and he wondered what crazy thoughts were running through her mind. “Maybe.”
He would have said more, tried to goad her into a conversation, but someone called the meeting to order. When she was introduced, she walked to the podium. Around him, the team called for a speech, her father offered his hand to help her, and as he watched the way her skirt slid as she stepped up, he knew he was seeing poetry in motion.
When she leaned into the microphone, he practically held his breath. Her smooth, sensuous voice reminded him of the bass saxophone.
“Girls, you did good.”
Her words started a flurry of cheers. Those same words had been the mantra of the team all season. He couldn’t count the number of times his daughter had come home from practice chanting them.
Once the whistles, hand clapping and all around shouts of “good job, Coach” subsided, she turned to her father and grinned. The big man grinned right back, perfectly pleased his daughter’d delivered the ultimate goods in a town where games ruled.
“As a little girl, I grew up with faith in the success of a team that believed it could do anything. I watched my daddy bring home eight state championships. Five from unranked teams. And I figured once I got the chance, we’d bring the girls into that winning tradition, too. Well, here we are.”
Her words were met with more cheers, but when her eyes found his, hers held only challenge.
So she knew about today’s meeting.
It wasn’t all that surprising. But he’d figured on more time.
Why it suddenly mattered, he didn’t know.
Whether she liked it or not, this town had outgrown the man at the Athletic Director’s helm.
But that didn’t mean they had to be enemies.
Until Nina graduated, he’d be a major player in this community. Mallory Baber was an important part of this town. An important person in his daughter’s life. And he’d do whatever it too
k to somehow convince her he wasn’t the devil she thought him to be.
As she walked to her seat, that glint of challenge he’d seen in her eyes fed his desire.
Once she was seated, he leaned toward her, catching the barest hint of soap and something sweet. “Good speech.”
The girls moved forward one at a time to receive their awards. Her answer barely sounded above the applause. “Thank you.”
“How about dinner?” Certain she’d refuse, he couldn’t resist trying.
“Sorry. I’m busy.”
She didn’t even glance in his direction.
“We could make it a business proposition.”
Her hands stilled for a moment. “What business would that be?”
Well, well, well. He certainly had her attention now.
He watched as Nina accepted her certificate, thought his next words through carefully, rolled them around in his mind looking for alternatives.
Nina turned toward him, lifted the certificate in the air and blew him a kiss before shaking her hands in the air and flashing the victory sign toward her coach.
The coach who’d refused to give him more than cursory attention before just this second.
In that moment he made his decision. “I guess you’d have to accept to find out.” His kept his voice low, filled with supposition. And he could just see the pulse at the base of her neck, right where two veins joined under her lightly tanned skin.
After a long pause, she turned to face him, her eyes level with his, the glint stronger. This time with a hint of future retribution.
“I guess I would.”
She hadn’t answered in the affirmative, but he could tell he had her. Could tell by the way his pulse sped just as it did when he closed on a major property. Just as it had before he sold his Internet company in a multimillion-dollar deal.
Just as it had before he’d finally coaxed Sarah Ann Parker out of her clothes when they were sixteen and sex in the back seat of a borrowed car had been the only break in his long days of hard work, taking care of his mother and hitting the books.
“Well?”
At her silence, he thought he might have misjudged her. But she looked toward the podium and sighed before shrugging. “I’ll meet you at Charlie’s at seven. You’ll have five minutes to convince me to stay.”
This was a battle he would truly relish. Five minutes was more than enough time.
“Five minutes it is.”
Chapter Two
Mallory was in trouble and she knew it. Whatever proposition Brenton had in mind wasn’t about to appease her. Not unless he planned on saying the town was perfectly fine as it was and her daddy’s job was secure.
Of course, he wasn’t about to do either of those.
She reached down and undid the buckle on one of her sandals. She had six hours to figure out what to wear for battle. At least she’d been smart enough to pick out the one spot left in town she could call her turf.
As she tugged on a pair of wind shorts and a running shirt, she heard her sister-in-law open the back door.
“Hey, Mal, you home?”
It didn’t matter that her car was parked out front and Faith Hill was blaring from her living room stereo, Julie always asked that question.
Grabbing her running shoes from beside her bed, Mallory walked into the living room. “I’m home.”
She reached up and gave Julie a hug and then sat on her beat up couch to pull on her shoes.
“I got here as soon as I could. When Celinda called and skipped the ‘Mallory needs prayer’ and jumped right into ‘Mallory needs help,’ I knew there was a serious problem brewing.”
Mallory finished tying her laces and couldn’t help but smile. Five brothers might have been a royal pain growing up. But now that two of them were married and had stayed in town, her sisters-in-law more than made up for it. Even though Celinda’s prayer requests were infamous and her penchant for delivering bad news a little aggravating at times.
“Serious doesn’t begin to explain it.” She really wanted to run. But she couldn’t leave Julie alone when she’d driven out to help. At the same time, she wasn’t too sure what to tell Julie. Julie and Tim were the only two Babers in town who liked the idea of expansion. They’d sold Mr. Millionaire their pastureland not long after he arrived in town.
But business was one thing. This was family. Brenton had crossed the line with his latest scheme. Surely Julie and Tim would agree.
“I have a business meeting with Brenton Alexander tonight at seven.”
“Uh-huh. That’s what I heard.”
The disbelieving sound in Julie’s voice matched her own incredulity. The entire family knew exactly what she thought of the town’s latest millionaire.
“At least I think it’s a business meeting.” She hung her head between her knees in a stretch and looked up. “What he said was he had a business proposition.”
“Interesting.” The long pause before the word spoke volumes. Julie didn’t believe this was any old business meeting any more than she did.
“The way he said it made me think I was selling my soul to Satan.”
Julie laughed at that. “You are always calling Brenton the devil.”
Mallory straightened and then bent her leg behind her. She might not be able to run, but she could start stretching. “That I am. Do you know what his latest plan is?”
Julie stood, hands across her chest, watching and waiting. “I suppose you do.”
Mallory quit stretching and exhaled deeply. “He wants Daddy fired. Celinda said he and Mayor Jenkins met with some of the board in a closed door meeting today to push for a new athletic director. Someone who can keep up with changes. With a bigger team. Like Daddy couldn’t run circles around those hot-shot big school coaches.”
“Have you talked to your father yet?”
Silly question. “Of course not. But I know he doesn’t want this. He spent all last week talking about the boys and next year’s potential.”
Julie made some noncommittal noise that left Mallory burning, but she refused to get into an argument with her sister-in-law about this. She was sure she could count on her brother’s support.
“Anyway, he could tell I was furious, so he suggested we talk it over tonight. At Charlie’s.”
“He doesn’t strike me as a Charlie’s kind of guy.”
Of that Mallory was sure. “He’ll just have to put away his caviar for one night.”
Julie shrugged and returned the real point of the meeting. “You think you can change his mind by showing up at Charlie’s?”
Mallory wasn’t sure what she thought. She just knew that she’d seen the challenge in his eyes when he’d issued the invitation, and she wasn’t about to be bested by some namby-pamby rich boy, no matter how good he looked. No way. Her brothers and daddy had taught her long ago to never back down.
And J.D.’s favorite saying: if you’re going to fight, make sure you win.
That’s what tonight was about. She was going to win. She just wasn’t sure how.
“I’m certainly going to try. But first, I’m going to run.” She looked pointedly out the front window, but Julie wasn’t ready to leave just yet.
“Listen, Mal. I love you dearly. But I’ve watched Brenton work.”
Mallory wished she’d been faster changing into her running clothes. If she could have avoided Julie, she wouldn’t have to hear what was coming next. “So have I, the skunk.”
“I’m not talking about what he’s done exactly, but rather the way he does it. He’s a barracuda, Mal. One minute he’s a best friend, and the next he has you down for the count. You don’t want to be in that position.”
“I’m not exactly sugar and spice.”
Her sister-in-law laughed, agreeing. “That you aren’t. But what I’m saying is, I’m worried about you and him and tonight. He can be quite charming.”
“Like a snake oil salesman.” Mallory couldn’t believe Julie was worried about…”Listen, Jules, I can hold
my own against any man in this town. In this state for that matter. I doubt seriously Brenton Alexander is interested in what you’re insinuating, and if he is, well, he’ll learn quick enough that I’m not that kind of girl.”
After she watched Julie drive off and she started running, Mallory couldn’t help but worry. Trouble was, she didn’t doubt that Mr. Moneybags was interested in what her sister-in-law had suggested. She’d felt the tension, the energy between them. Had seen the look in his eye when he’d said the words business proposition.
And for an instant, her heartbeat had just about flatlined before it shot to maximum overdrive.
It didn’t matter. She was an expert at control. He might be used to getting his way, but she hadn’t lost a game in years. And that’s all this was. A game. And round one started in a little less than six hours.
Brenton sat back in his red leather office chair and smiled. He had everything he’d ever dreamed of, and Nina would never want for the finer things in life. Business was very, very good.
He turned his focus to his upcoming dinner date. Mallory Baber, Serendipity’s champion. She’d fought every move Alexander Industries made with the ferocity of a mother tiger protecting her cubs. Her resistance didn’t make sense. But then, what did he know? People acted the way they did for a variety of reasons.
Usually he could narrow his own motives down to one word.
Success.
But tonight’s dinner could backfire.
He knew on an instinctive level he needed Mallory Baber’s cooperation to truly have success in Serendipity.
And if cooperation were all he was after, he’d definitely find a way to earn that.
But cooperation wasn’t his goal with Mallory. He wanted more. And that more could destroy his chance for success.
Dropping the chair back to an upright position he shook his head as click, click sound of his daughter’s footsteps carried down the hall.
Nina walked in and Brenton felt his breath catch.
When the heck had she grown up?