Harlequin Heartwarming April 2018 Box Set

by Amy Vastine

  This time Ally glared at him because she didn’t want this man anywhere near her private life. She felt a tiny bit of gratification when she realized that whatever card he thought he had up his sleeve was no good now, not when she and Tag were no longer together.

  “I have a complaint all ready to file for the malpractice of medicine, along with a patient who will be compelled to testify if necessary.”

  Pushing aside her distress at his declaration, Ally thought fast. How could these two points possibly be related? The answer made her body go weak. She knew Tag was upset about Shay, but had he said something to Dr. Boyd? The idea was sickening. But even if he had, she hadn’t given Shay any medical advice. And Shay would never file a complaint against her. It didn’t matter because there was no way Ally would fall victim to his underhanded strong-arming.

  “You know what, Dr. Boyd? I’ll take my chances with this complaint.”

  “I see.” He added a patronizing frown and a nod. “Except here’s the problem, Ms. Mowak. Those chances are not for you to take.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The complaint isn’t against you. It’s against your grandfather.”

  The blood drained from her head and Ally heard an odd sound inside her skull like the low echoing snarl of a wolf. Breathe, Ally. Think… Why was he doing this?

  “See these?” He lifted some papers from the desktop before him and dangled them aloft. “This is a list of endorsements and contributions from businesses, organizations and medical professionals, all slated to go to Tag James. Without these, the election is virtually impossible for him to win. It would be a shame to be the reason he didn’t win, wouldn’t it? You, Ms. Mowak, hold the keys to the futures of the two men you care most about.”

  “I’d like to see this complaint.”

  “I’m sure you would. And you will, if you choose to disregard what I’m offering.”

  “What you’re saying is if I quit, then you bury the complaint against my grandfather and Tag gets elected? But if I don’t quit you’ll file the complaint and do your best to see that Tag loses the election?”

  “That’s it precisely. You are intelligent—I’ll give you that. Too bad you’re as misguided and conceited as your grandfather. Now, do we have a deal?”

  * * *

  WHEN THE DOORBELL RANG, Tag couldn’t squelch the burst of hope that it was Ally. He didn’t bother to hide his disappointment when he opened the door and found Flynn standing on his porch along with Bering and Emily.

  Flynn said, “We need to talk to you.”

  Waving them in, Tag said, “Ramsey, if you’re here to lecture me about Ally, my sisters have beaten you to it.”

  Tag led the way to the kitchen, where Iris and Hannah were now seated at his table drinking all his coffee. Greetings were exchanged, and then Iris said, “Flynn, just like you suspected, Tag didn’t know about the hearing. Ally didn’t tell him.”

  Flynn nodded. “Well, things are even worse than I thought.”

  “What do you mean?” Shay asked.

  “Boyd has given her an ultimatum.”

  “What kind of ultimatum?” Tag asked, even as his stomach dropped.

  “The kind where she quits her job to save you.”

  “Flynn, what are you talking about?” Iris asked.

  He went on to explain how Dr. Boyd had threatened to sabotage the election if she didn’t resign.

  “Can he do that?” Shay asked.

  “Yes, he probably could,” Bering said. “He can make it very difficult if not impossible for Tag to win. We were already prepared to take some heat over his association with Ally, but he has a lot of clout in the medical community. Who knows what he might say, or make up and who he’ll say it to? Espcially if he tried to make her look like a fraud and—”

  “Bering, I know you could crush my windpipe with one hand, but if you talk about her like that again, I swear I will—”

  “Tag, calm down.” Emily stepped forward. “Bering doesn’t think that. He’s just explaining how it might happen.”

  A voice sounded from the doorway. “I don’t want either of those things to happen.”

  Tag stared at the woman he loved and wondered how he could have ever believed her to be cold and detached. There was so much emotion flickering in her eyes, they looked as hot and bright as a bonfire. He wished he could identify them—anger, disappointment, fear? He wasn’t sure, but he deserved all of those and more, and it took every ounce of self-control not to go to her and beg for forgiveness.

  “I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. The door was open.” Her gaze traveled around the room before landing on Flynn. “Flynn, did you tell them?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  “Good. Tag, I need to talk to you. All of you, probably.”

  “What do we do now?” Shay asked helplessly.

  Bering answered, “I don’t know, but we can’t lose this election. Tag has to win this.”

  “Oh, please!” Iris cried. “Why? What’s the worst that can happen?”

  Bering gaped at her. “Iris, are you serious? If Mammoth Tracks builds a mine in the valley, wildlife habitat will be devastated. They will pollute the Opal River, ruin our air quality and—”

  “Stop, stop, stop! I’m not talking about that. I get it. Mammoth Tracks bad. Must be stopped. But why does Tag have to ruin his life in the process? You guys are his family, can’t you people see what this is doing to him?”

  Tag stared at his little sister, love squeezing his heart so hard his knees went soft. He needed to sit. He sank onto the dining chair nearest him.

  “Ally sees it. Don’t you, Ally?”

  He tried to meet her gaze, but she looked away. The gesture was like a kick to his already bruised and battered spirit.

  She answered with a soft “It doesn’t matter what I think, Iris.”

  “I don’t agree. But we’ll circle back to that. Because first, Tag, I’m going to ask you a question and if you can answer with a resounding, no-hesitating, all-caps yes—and promise you mean it a hundred and ten percent—I’ll shut up.”

  “Iris, don’t—”

  “Yes, Iris, do,” Ally encouraged. “Please.”

  Iris looked him square in the face. “Do you want to be a senator?”

  It took effort to swallow the negative answer. How did his sister know this about him? How did she seem to know everything before he did? He managed a more diplomatic Ally-esque response. “I… It doesn’t matter what I want, Iris. What matters is what needs to be done.”

  Shay bolted to her feet. “No, it doesn’t! I mean, it does matter, Tag. If what Iris is suggesting is true, it means everything.”

  He shook his head. “Shay, I don’t think you should be jumping around in your condition.”

  She grinned and rolled her eyes. “Answer the question.”

  Bering glowered from the end of the table. “Yes, cousin, answer the question.”

  “I don’t…”

  Iris scowled. “If you say you don’t know, I will hurt you.”

  “Fine. No, I don’t. I don’t want to be a senator.” Saying the words felt like a million-pound boulder had been lifted from his chest. It was like he could breathe for the first time in weeks. With the exception of Iris, his family stared in shock and horror. And, just as quickly, the boulder shifted back into place, applying all its pressure.

  “But, I’m sure I’ll get used to it.”

  Iris huffed. “No, you won’t. And it’s ridiculous to try. Everything about this campaign is making you miserable. And it’s turning you into someone you’re not.”

  “Tag…?” Bering sighed. “Why didn’t you say something if this is how you felt?”

  “I couldn’t let you down, Bering. Any of you. Don’t worry. I know I’m committed. Maybe I can serve one term and then we can find someone else—�
�

  “I’ll do it!” Hannah leaped up out of her seat. “Drop out, Tag, and let me run. I’m jealous that you’re doing it, anyway. I want to do it. Phew! That felt good.”

  “Hannah?” Shay cried.

  “I would never have taken it away from him, Shay.” She turned toward Tag. “But, Tag, if you bow out, I will run. And I will win. And if I don’t, it won’t be because I didn’t try or because I didn’t want it.”

  Tag couldn’t help it; he chuckled. Emily was staring at Hannah. Bering looked as shocked as Shay, who was shaking her head.

  Emily said, “I think you’d be fantastic, Hannah. And I’d love to be your campaign manager. I don’t have political experience, but I know I can do it.”

  Hannah looked elated. “Emily, no one could do it better. We’ve already proven we make a great team. You’re hired.”

  Iris was the only one who didn’t appear surprised. She grinned, flashed Tag a meaningful look and faced Ally. “Speaking of jealousy—Ally, are you jealous of Kendall?”

  “Um…”

  “It’s okay, you can say it. I already told him.”

  Ally’s gaze slid tentatively toward Tag, and he felt the tiniest glimmer of hope spark inside him.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Okay.” He was instantly on his feet and went to her. “That’s… You all need to excuse us for a minute. Ally and I are going to talk outside.” With one hand on the small of her back, he led her to the sliding door and out onto the deck.

  Facing her, he said, “I’m so sorry about Boyd.”

  “Is that really what you want to talk about?”

  “No. There is so much I want to talk about. But first, I need to apologize for the thing with Shay. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”

  “Thank you. I’ll admit that upset me. A lot. Maybe I could have found a way to ease your mind. Sometimes when I feel strongly about something, it’s difficult to see options. Period. I don’t like to have to explain, to justify my actions… Obviously, sometimes I should. It gets me into trouble. So, for that, I’m sorry, too. And I understand you were emotional because of her history and her pregnancy struggles. What concerns me is that our beliefs might cause more problems in the future.”

  “But I don’t think they will. I mean, they might, in that maybe we’ll disagree on certain specific issues. But that’s okay. A little debate is healthy, right? We’ll both learn. It was my reaction that was the problem. I think I was acting on some of my own fear and disappointment. I wanted Shay to have children because I can’t…or something?”

  “You make some good points.”

  “Good.” He grinned. “Now I want to talk about Kendall.”

  “Good.” She copied his grin. “Iris is right. I am jealous of Kendall. I hated that photo. I hated seeing her paw you in that photo, and at the Cozy Caribou that night and then again at your rally. I don’t know if she told you, but I was rude to her…but only because she insulted me first. Iris is right, she wants you back and she won’t stop until—”

  “Shh. I know. But I don’t want her.”

  “Then stop letting her manipulate you. That bothers me more than the jealousy.”

  “I already fired her from my campaign.” He grinned, happiness building inside him at the notion. It felt good to take his life back. “My campaign, which no longer exists, apparently.”

  “Hannah Addison for senate. I’m personally going to go door-to-door.”

  Tag laughed. “We’ll do it together.”

  Then Ally smiled at him, and a new joy unfurled deep inside him. It was like her happiness had a direct link to his soul, like his own capacity for joy depended on hers. Now, if only he could get her to forgive him, to believe that he had faith in her.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were bothered by her? You seemed so…cool about it.”

  “I don’t know… I knew how much the campaign meant to you, how important her parents’ contribution would be. I didn’t want to add to the stress I could see you struggling with every day. And Flynn told me not to let you know I was jealous. Guys don’t like jealous, he said.”

  Tag shook his head. “There’s a reason that guy is still single. Ally, I thought it meant you didn’t care. To me, the fact that you weren’t jealous meant that I liked you way, way more than you liked me. I mean, no one likes irrational jealousy. Like the kind I had for Gareth and then Dave. It was stupid, but I can see now that I felt that way because I wanted more. And then I thought you wanted to keep your options open and that killed me.”

  Ally shook her head. “Flynn is the only person I had to talk to about this. I have practically no experience with dating or relationships. You’re the first guy I’ve ever been serious about. The first one I’ve ever…”

  * * *

  AND THAT WAS the moment the metaphorical herd in Ally’s chest broke free. She took a deep breath and said, “I love you, Tag. I’m in love with you.”

  “You…what? Ally, do you understand what you’re saying? You’re so young and—”

  “Tag!” Frustration tinged her tone, but she didn’t care. “You know how much I hate that. And please don’t insult me. No, I’ve never been in love before. I’ve never even been in a relationship. I might not have any experience in certain areas, but I know love when I feel it, and I just had to say it.”

  He chuckled. “It’s not that. I love you, too.”

  Ally tried to tamp down her joy. In case there was a but. “You don’t have to say it because I did.”

  “For weeks I’ve been trying my best not to say it. I didn’t want to pressure you into more of a relationship than you wanted to have.”

  “But you said you wanted something casual.”

  “I knew almost immediately that I wanted more than that. But I was afraid…”

  “Afraid of what?”

  “Of smothering you or going too fast. I know you don’t like age to be an issue, but the fact is that it is an issue for me. I’m not saying it’s one I can’t deal with, but I’m still a little afraid of it, that you’re too young to know what you want. But I know what I want.”

  “What is it that you want, exactly? Let’s clarify that.”

  His gaze skittered away for a second before landing right back on her, and the intensity in those many-shades-of-green eyes turned her legs to jelly. Because Papa was right about this, about the way he looked at her. How could she have not seen it before? She realized Tag was pretty good at hiding his feelings, too.

  “Everything. Ally. I want everything. With you. But I don’t think it’s fair to ask you for this possibility when you’re only twenty-two.”

  “Hmm.” Ally gave him her best bland stare.

  He puffed out an impatient breath. “Say something. It kills me when you do this.”

  “Well…” she drawled and purposely paused for way too long. Although this was partially because she was fighting her lips to keep them from twitching. She didn’t want to laugh. Yet. “I want some stuff, too.”

  “What?”

  “A lot of things.”

  “Like?” he asked impatiently.

  “A baby. With green eyes and golden specks.”

  At that moment, Ally truly understood what Ginger had been talking about. She wished with all of her being that she could capture this moment, because although Tag was standing there, still and calm, there was nothing but pure joy and relief shining in his eyes. And love. She could see that, too, and her insides were like warm honey oozing into all the cold, dark places that their days of separation had wrought.

  When he finally spoke, his voice was calm and a little flat, and she loved that he was trying to imitate her. “Brown,” he countered. “I want a baby girl with dark, dark brown eyes.”

  “Fine,” she said, and her heart felt both light and full, and she thought it might break loose from her rib cage and floa
t away. “Let’s have both.”

  In two steps he closed the distance between them, wrapped his arms around her and lifted her so that their faces were only inches apart. “Ally, are you sure? I’m almost forty, and I don’t want to wait long to start a family.”

  A family. How she wanted one of her own, and she wanted to be a part of his large and loving extended family, too. “Then you better figure out a way to make me your real wife soon. No more pretending.”

  “No more pretending,” he repeated, and she knew he knew that she meant that in all the ways that had caused them to hurt each other.

  With a sharp inhale, he buried his face in her neck before lowering her back down. His lips found hers and Ally wouldn’t have believed kissing him could be better than before. But this love thing proved her wrong. This had to be why people wanted to say it. That would teach her to try and contain it. Maybe it would teach them both.

  When he pulled away, they were both out of breath. Cupping a hand around her jaw, he caressed her cheekbone with his thumb. “I know I’m older and dated more and whatever, but I want you to know that none of it matters. I feel like I was just stumbling around in the dark before I met you. I’ve never been in love before, either. It’s like I’ve been waiting my entire life for you, only I didn’t know it until I found you.”

  “Tag…”

  “And, in light of Shay’s struggles, I want you to know that even if we never have kids, that won’t change. I know in my heart, Ally, that I will love you, and only you, forever. I want you more than I want anything. All the things I thought were important in my life before I met you pale in comparison. My business, the senate—obviously—even my family and friends. Of course, I love them, too. But from now on, I promise you, you’re first. You’re all I need to be happy. My love for you is so…intense I can barely think straight sometimes.” He lifted his hands from her shoulders and slipped one around the back of her neck. The other he kept on her shoulder. One side of his mouth curled up, and he asked, “Are you scared yet?”

  Ally could only shake her head because tears were clouding her eyes and too many words were like a logjam clogging her throat. How could it be possible to love another human being like this?