Concealed

by Michaels, Victoria

  “Hi, Wade. Did you come to pet the animals?” As soon as the words left her mouth she shook her head, something she did all the time around him. “Of course you didn’t. Why would you? You’re not five. Sorry.” She paused her rambling and took a deep breath. “How are you?”

  “I’m good.” He glanced over at Faith who was hugging one of the larger goats around the neck. “She’s having fun.”

  Sydney followed his gaze then wrinkled her nose at her daughter. “Faith, stop that. You’re gonna smell like a goat.” The little girl waved then skipped over to investigate the squawking coming from the chicken pen. “She really likes animals,” Sydney said as if trying to offer some sort of explanation for her daughter’s behavior. One of the goats headed in Sydney’s directions and she shied away. “Shoo. I don’t like you. Go find Faith.” The offending animal crept closer, sending Sydney scurrying toward the fence.

  “He won’t hurt you,” Wade said trying to hide a smile, but the way Sydney was eyeing the goat like it was a charging rhino was comical. When a second waddled in her direction, Sydney let out a sound of distress.

  “Do they bite?”

  “No.”

  “He looks a little crazed. Do they get rabies?” she asked, her entire body going tense as the half blind animals brushed their mouths against her leg, looking for a snack. Wade was surprised when she grabbed his hand and held on to it for dear life. “I know this sounds incredibly pathetic, but can you get them away from me?”

  Never one to deny a beautiful woman any request, he braced one arm on the fence and hopped over, landing at her side. He gave the goats a gentle nudge with his knee and they wandered off in search of food. “I guess Faith is the animal lover in the family?”

  When the goats were a safe distance away, Sydney leaned back against the fence beside him, her entire body relaxing. She was so close, their shoulders brushed against one another. Sydney looked up at him from under her dark lashes and burst out laughing. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. You must think I’m more of a raving lunatic than you did before.”

  Wade laughed, but he wasn’t thinking about her being a lunatic at all. His attention was focused on other things like the sparkle in her eyes and bright color in her cheeks. Currently the sexy way she flung her hair over her shoulder had his complete attention. She was irresistible and he wanted her. He had to tuck his hands into his pockets to keep from reaching out and running his thumb across her lower lip.

  “Thanks for the rescue, Sheriff.” Her hand rested on his arm innocently, however his thoughts were anything but. He wanted to feel her soft curves pressed against him as he pulled her into a scorching kiss. As if she could somehow read his mind she stepped back, putting distance between them. The second her hand left his arm, he missed the contact. “I-I’ve got to drag Faith out of here and go meet Melissa.”

  “Wait.” Wade reached out and caught her wrist, holding her in place at his side. At that moment she looked more afraid of him than she had been of the goat. He must have voiced the thought out loud because a slow smile spread across her lips.

  “I’m not afraid of you.”

  “Good.” He pulled her closer, using his free hand to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. She turned her cheek into his hand ever so gently. Her skin was the softer than anything he’d felt in a long time.

  “Are you going to kiss me?” The breathless way the words tumbled from her mouth made his heart pound in his chest. He could tell she was embarrassed by what she said, but since she asked, he figured it’d be rude to not answer.

  “I’m thinking about it.”

  Big brown eyes were looking up at him as she took a step closer. “Me too.”

  The momentary spell that had been cast between them was broken when Faith ran over with a black bunny in her arms. “Mommy, look! I caught it all by myself.” The little girl beamed up at Wade. “Isn’t she pretty?”

  He smiled down at Faith but glanced back at Sydney when he said, “Absolutely.”

  “Honey,” Sydney said as she crouched down to talk to her daughter, “it’s time to go meet Melissa. Can you put her back with the rest of her friends and meet me at the gate?”

  “Did you see the goats? They’re so friendly!”

  When Wade chuckled, Sydney elbowed him. “Yes, I saw them. They seemed to like me, a lot. Now go put her away.”

  Faith ran back to one of the other kids and handed off the animal. Sydney kept her eyes on her daughter but Wade was fixated on Sydney. He was quickly becoming obsessed. Her lips turned up into a smile as Faith ran around saying good bye to each animal in the pen. Wade couldn’t stop thinking about how soft Sydney’s lips would be and how responsive she’d be to his touch. He knew she wanted him to kiss her but he’d moved on to wondering how she would feel wrapped around him in a tangle of sheets.

  “I’m ready, Mommy.” Faith grabbed Sydney’s hand and extended her other to Wade. “Will you come with us?”

  “I’d love to.” Wade took her tiny hand and couldn’t help but smile at the surprised look on Sydney’s face. He held the gate open and ushered them out of the pen. As Sydney brushed past, he whispered, “I’m still thinking about it.”

  Sydney shocked him when she leaned closer with a flirty smile and whispered, “Me too.”

  With Sydney and Wade at her sides, Faith led them down the midway. He thought of all the interesting things he wanted to show them at the festival, but then he remembered the message he was supposed to pass onto Sydney. “Melissa’s waiting for you at the dance. Do you know where that is from here?” He gave Sydney an out even though he knew Melissa’s plan was for them to be attached at the hip. There was no doubt he wanted to spend time with her, but he needed to know that Sydney was there because she was interested, not because they were thrown together by her friend.

  “I think I can find it,” she said with a relaxed smile, “but maybe you better show us the way, just to be sure.” Gone were her earlier nerves. She seemed more comfortable, and with that, came a sexy confidence that he hadn’t seen from her before.

  And man, did he like it.

  They began the long walk across the festival listening to Faith chatter on about the different things she saw. Wade wasn’t oblivious to the way heads were turning as they passed. People had been wondering about his love life, or lack thereof, and now he found himself strolling around the biggest gathering of the year with Sydney. He wasn’t sure if he should laugh or run. Fortunately, the beautiful woman walking beside him was more captivating than frightening.

  “I hear music, Mommy.” Faith stood on her tippy toes to see the large tent in the distance. “Ouch!” With a frown she stuck her foot up in the air at her mother. The little girl’s whole body started to topple over but Wade safely scooped her up. While Faith laughed in his arms, Sydney examined her foot and winced.

  “That’s a big blister you’ve got there, baby girl.” She slipped the shoe off Faith’s foot then held out her arms. “I’ll carry you the rest of the way.”

  It took everything in him not to roll his eyes at Sydney. Faith weighed next to nothing and without a second thought he hoisted her onto his shoulders. Her squeal of laugher warmed his heart in places he long thought dead.

  “I’ve got her.” He held onto Faith’s legs and tried not to wince as she grabbed two fistfuls of his hair to help her balance. “Ready?”

  “I’m so big!” Her little feet bounced with each step Wade took, and from the excited shrieks she would let out from time to time, she was enjoying the view. Wade would’ve carried her up a mountain to keep the radiant smile on Sydney’s face. The way she was looking at him made him wonder why he had waited so long to spend time with her. He was enjoying her company, and Faith’s, far more than he expected.

  “Well, there you are. I was just about to send a search party out for the three of you.” Agnes waved them over to a nearby picnic table. The dance floor was set up on a large grassy area behind the supermarket. Wade was always amazed at how ma
ny people could be crammed into such a tiny space. With a great flourish, he swung Faith onto the picnic table beside Agnes, taking care to protect her bare foot.

  “That was fun!” Faith hugged his leg. “Thanks for the ride, Sheriff Wade.”

  “Anytime.” Wade’s hand tenderly brushed over the girl’s curls. He wondered if Sydney knew how lucky she was to have this child in her life. What he wouldn’t give for someone to unconditionally love him the way Faith loved Sydney.

  “You gonna stay and dance, Wade?” Agnes asked with a knowing grin on her face. “Why don’t you take Sydney out for a spin on the dance floor?”

  As much as Wade had enjoyed himself, he didn’t want to push too far, too fast. She was finally more comfortable with him but it didn’t take much to make her look like she wanted to cut and run. As a lesson in patience, and to avoid the sinful temptation of her lips, he decided to leave.

  “Another time,” he said to Sydney, hoping she heard the sincerity in his voice. More than anything, he wanted to get his hands on her, but not with half the town watching. He preferred for it to be much more private. And intense. When he caught Sydney’s shy smile, he knew she felt it, too. “You ladies have fun.”

  Agnes watched him like a hawk, trying to dissect each of his words. He did his best to keep his expression neutral. For now, he was happy to see that Sydney recognized his interest and could feel something starting to happen between them. Let the rest of the town wonder.

  “Now, don’t go running off like a jackrabbit, Wade. Join us for some music if you don’t want to dance.”

  With mention of a rabbit, Faith’s eyes lit up and she launched into the details of her time in the petting area. Agnes’ attention was captured by the tiny girl’s enthusiasm, so Wade decided to take his leave, but not before catching Sydney’s eye.

  “Have fun,” Wade said.

  “Thanks for the rescue earlier.”

  “Anytime.”

  The funny thing was, walking away from them was harder than he imagined it would be. He hadn’t realized how much he wanted to stay, until he left. He’d gone a few steps when someone grabbed his arm and stopped him in his tracks.

  “You know, it’s not wise to sneak up on a police officer, Melissa.” He tried to be stern, but the peeved look on her face made him grin.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  He could tell his exit had derailed some elaborate plan Melissa had concocted, but he wasn’t going to make it easy on her. Part of the fun of being friends with Melissa was watching her get herself all riled up.

  “I’m going to check out the festival. Want to join me?” He offered his elbow but she just continued to glare at him.

  “No. I don’t want to join you. Why didn’t you ask Sydney to come with you?”

  “You two are leaving soon and besides, I left her in Agnes’ very capable hands,” he said, nodding toward the picnic tables.

  Livid, Melissa punched him in the arm. “The only hands she wants to be in are yours, you big idiot.”

  That comment piqued his attention. Wade highly doubted that Sydney would have voiced her feelings for Wade, or lack thereof, to Melissa knowing how she would react. Her cupid instinct was well known and many in town had succumbed to her exuberant dating advice only to realize that her arrow was a little bent at times and missed its mark more than it hit.

  But his curiosity got the better of him. “How do you know? What did she say?”

  “Oh my God, what are you, like twelve?” When Wade’s only response was to cross his arms over his chest, Melissa’s lips turned up into a wicked grin. “Go ahead, play it cool, but I know inside you’re dying to know what she might have said, aren’t you?”

  Wade was, but there was no way in hell he was going to admit it now. In an effort to seem indifferent, he put on his best poker face. “Not really.”

  “Not even if the things she said were pretty racy?”

  That comment made his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. He’d had dozens of erotic fantasies about Sydney but the thought of her having one made him crazy. “Were they? Racy that is?”

  “I’m not telling,” she laughed, delighted to see him on edge. “But because I’m such a nice person I will make one suggestion.”

  “What?”

  “Go to the auction tonight. There’s going to be a little something up for bid you definitely want to get your hands on.” As she walked away, she yelled over her shoulder, “Bring your checkbook. I have a feeling you could be in for some competition tonight, Wade.”

  IT HAD BEEN EXPLAINED to Sydney by half the town that the festival always culminated with the auction. It was considered the event of the week. She thought it was an exaggeration until she started making her ,way toward the hall where the pie auction was being held. The building entrance was surrounded by a thick crowd of people, mostly men, waiting to get inside. A number of them she recognized as regulars from the diner, but there were also plenty of men obviously from out of town who came to Elton just for this event. She held on tight to her pie with one hand and Faith with the other. She didn’t want to lose either as she pushed her way toward the door.

  There were several categories for the ladies to enter their food into. Many of the local women were serious about their baking from what Sydney gathered from the vigorous conversations in the diner lately. As she walked through the hall taking it all in, she was amazed at the spread before her.

  Perfectly baked cakes, brownies, and pies lined the wooden tables in the hall like a showcase of crusted perfection. Jams and jellies and homemade butters glistened on tiny pieces of toast and crackers. Sydney had initially scoffed at the idea of entering the auction when Melissa made the suggestion a week ago, but when she found out that the money would go to the elementary school’s library, she couldn’t say no. So she spent the last two days creating the perfect blackberry pie.

  Sydney began baking her pies on a whim for Pete’s shortly after she arrived in Elton. It was an easy way for her to make a little extra money on the side without having to be at the diner additional hours. Having time with Faith was important to her, so this was a great compromise. She could make the pies at home then bring them in to work the following day. Customers loved it when the pie rack was full, slices flying out the door as fast as she could bake them. All the recipes had been her grandmother’s, the one piece of her past that she held onto and carried with her all these years. Baking turned into a hobby she loved and one she was able to share with Faith.

  “Mommy, you look so pretty!” Faith looked up at her with a glowing smile.

  Sydney checked out her reflection in the window. She adjusted the pale blue ribbon that matched the tiny stripes in her sweater. When she and Melissa ran home between the dance and the auction, she spent more time getting ready than she ever wanted to admit. If she bumped into Wade again tonight, she definitely didn’t want to smell like a goat.

  Inside the hall, her nerves started to get the better of her. The whole town would be at this auction and the last time she saw most of them, she’d been foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog. She smoothed her hands down her hair and tucked the few stray pieces behind her ear, praying that she looked like a stable human being. If she did, they might forget her outrageous display from days earlier at the diner.

  “I got the pie!” Faith darted toward her, the large blackberry masterpiece about ready to topple out of her hands.

  “Put that on the table here by number sixteen.” The dish holding the pie hit the table with a bang, but fortunately, everything remained intact. While Faith toddled around the room checking out the competition, Sydney sliced the second pie into bite sized pieces for people to sample before they placed the bids. When the doors opened in ten minutes, all the interested bidders would arrive and let their taste buds guide them. Melissa said it was a ‘blind auction’ so the names of the people who baked the pies were kept anonymous so as to not influence the bidding in any way. It all sounded a bit complicated from Melissa’s
hasty explanation, but the idea of anonymity worked for Sydney. If no one bid on her pie, she’d be the only one to know.

  “There you are!” Melissa rushed in looking like the picture of fall with her jeans and cream color cardigan sweater accented by the bright scarf around her neck. She slowly looked Sydney up and down with a smile. “You look super cute! You aren’t trying to impress anyone in particular, are you?”

  “I do have a knife in my hand.” Sydney waved the berry-covered blade toward Melissa’s pristine sweater.

  “Brat. Come on, you’ve got to get away from this pie before the guys arrive.” She looked at her watch. “It’s almost time to start. Let me help you finish.” Together they scattered the small plates around the table. Even Sydney had to admit the pie looked damn good arranged in the basket with cute fall decorations around it. Hopefully someone would think it was worth bidding on.

  “Perfect,” Melissa said as she scooped Faith up on her hip. Sydney followed them toward the door just as a rush of men poured into the hall from the opposite side. “Let’s take Faith to sample some applesauce in the apple tent while the auction is going on.” Melissa’s grip on her arm tightened as she dragged Sydney away from the pie tables.

  “Lookie, lookie who just strolled in here looking all sexy in those tight fitting jeans you love so much, Syd.”

  “Will you please be quiet?” Sydney hissed trying not to laugh. Melissa was outrageous and Sydney loved her all the more for it. She braved a peek over her shoulder and had to admit that Wade did look damn good, but that was nothing new. The man could wear a sack and somehow make it look scrumptious. But the simple jeans and T-shirt he was wearing did send Sydney’s heart into overdrive, especially after having spent a little time with him earlier in the day and all the talk about kissing. Her overactive imagination was a very dangerous thing.