It wasn’t her doing. It was that bastard, Chad.
But for how long could she keep her secret? How long would she live afraid like she did, every single day?
As long as she had to. All she could do was pray.
“Everything okay?” Mike asked and she realized her face probably betrayed her emotions and concerns. She was too damned transparent sometimes.
“Great.” She smiled up at him. “It’s a gorgeous day.” And it was, the fall air crisp and cool, along with a crystal clear, cloudless blue sky and a light breeze.
He returned her smile as they approached a black SUV that was pulled up to her curb. She recognized it as the vehicle she’d parked behind the night she’d met up with Mike at the bar. He opened the passenger door for her and helped her step up onto the running board and then she slid inside before he closed the door behind her. She set her jacket and purse beside her as he strode around to the driver’s side and climbed in.
With a sexy little grin that turned her bones to water, he said, “Are you ready for a whopper of a day?”
His grin was so damned hot. “Most definitely,” she said.
“Good.” He laid the blazer on the back seat then started the SUV and put it into gear. “Ever been to a pumpkin festival before?”
“Is that where we’re going?” She looked at him and felt another stir of excitement. “I’ve wanted to since we moved here. Something always seems to come up that keeps me from going.”
He steered the vehicle down the neighborhood street. “I’ve been more times than I can count from the time I was a kid, but as far as I’m concerned, it never gets old.”
During the eighteen-mile drive to the pumpkin farm in Dewey, Mike and Anna chatted. Mike had an easy way about him, comfortable and down-to-earth. She’d always been adept at talking with people, including strangers, so between the two of them there were no lulls in the conversation.
The drive was pleasant, the scenery beautiful. The local scenery never failed to amaze Anna. It was so pretty here, so filled with life. Her Aunt Maria would say she saw God in every living thing.
Cheerful looking signs and banners were erected at the entrance to the dirt road leading to the farm, a couple of flags fluttering in the breeze. Mike guided the SUV over a cattle guard and down a well-maintained dirt road toward a sprawling farmhouse with extensive barns and other buildings.
Mike drove the SUV into an area that had been reserved for parking. Once he’d shut off the engine and climbed out, he came around the vehicle and opened the door for Anna. He took her hand in his warm one and helped her out of the SUV.
He released her hand once she was out of the vehicle and she missed his touch at once. She looked at him and he smiled. The way his smile did queer things to her belly made her realize she was in trouble.
Big trouble.
Chapter 6
The positive vibes and laughter in the air as Mike and Anna walked up to the festival entrance made her feel almost giddy, as if she was a young girl at a carnival for the first time. On top of a hay bale, a tall sign listed entry fees and prices for trail rides, pony rides, and a haunted house. Mike paid the entry fees and they walked through the gateway lined with hay bales and pumpkins.
After they entered, they stopped and looked at another sign, this one giving times for festival singers and jugglers during the day and fireworks and a barn dance at night. Pumpkins of all sizes were everywhere. Tractors with long beds filled with hay bales for hayrides were parked near the bounce house.
A bounce house for kids was near the huge barn and a sign declaring “Corn Maze” was positioned in an opening that led into a field of tall corn. Another field was filled with pumpkins and there was also an apple orchard. According to a sign, they were each allowed to pick out a pumpkin from the field, and select apples from the orchard.
“My aunt would love to make apple empanadas.” Anna looked at Mike. “Do you like to cook?”
He gave her a crooked grin. “I can’t say it’s my favorite thing. I do like to eat, though. How about you?”
“I love to cook.” She tucked long strands of hair behind her ear. “I think I got my love for it from my aunt.”
Vendors selling kettle corn, candied apples, fudge, funnel cake, hotdogs, nachos, and other foods lined the walkway. The smells reminded Anna of going to a carnival, only here the scents were mixed with fresh country air.
Further down were game booths where players could attempt to knock down milk bottles, throw darts at a dartboard, and shoot rubber ducks bobbing in water. Stuffed animals of all sizes hung from hooks at the booths.
More vendors’ stalls were after the game booths, these selling items like sunglasses, tie-dye T-shirts, and handmade jewelry.
Everywhere people greeted Mike with hellos and handshakes. He was friendly and personable, and still managed to guide Anna onward without spending too much time with the people greeting him. It was clear he was here to be with her.
On occasion his cell phone would vibrate and he would check the display to make sure an urgent message hadn’t been sent. As sheriff he was never fully off-duty. He did it as unobtrusively as possible but Anna didn’t mind. She knew it was part of his job, something he’d signed up for when he’d run for the position.
“Are you hungry?” Mike nodded to the hotdog vendor. “Looks like they have some top-notch gourmet food.”
Anna laughed. “I would love something to eat.”
They ordered hotdogs—two for Mike and one for Anna—along with sodas. “Have to save room for one of those candy apples and fudge,” she said when he asked her if she wanted anything else to eat.
“Good thinking,” he said as he paid for their lunch.
They found seats in time for the next performance and laughed as a juggler engaged the audience and started tossing balls and rings into the air that he handled easily. He ended the performance by juggling lit torches.
Anna and Mike finished eating and waited until the performance was over before leaving to explore more of the festival. Mike was still greeted frequently and they ran into several of his cousins. Anna had never seen so many good-looking males in one family as she had with the McBrides. Ryan was one of Mike’s cousins that they stopped to chat with. Ryan was with his wife, Megan, along with their adorable three-year-old identical twin sons and two-year-old daughter.
Anna watched Mike crouch to interact with the three children. He had the kids grinning and chatting with him in no time.
“You’re good with children,” Anna said after they parted ways with the family.
“I like kids,” Mike said. “My stepbrother, Garrett, and his wife, Ricki, just announced they’re expecting a baby in the spring. Our parents are thrilled to have a grandbaby on the way.” Mike smiled. “They want to know why the rest of us haven’t gotten busy having kids.”
“Do you want children?” Anna asked.
Mike gave her a long look. “Yes.”
“Boys or girls?” she asked.
“Both.” He grinned. “I’ve never been too sure about a girl, since I’d have to keep a shotgun around once she’s old enough to date. But seeing Ryan’s daughter…I’d have to say I wouldn’t mind having a girl one bit.”
“Same here.” She thought about her cousins. “I’ve helped raise Josie and Pablo since they were born, and there’s joy in raising both girls and boys.”
They wandered on past the bounce house and stopped by the entrance to the corn maze. They looked toward the horse corral.
“I’ve never been on a horse.” Anna tilted her head to the side as she looked at a small group that was saddled up and heading out for a trail ride. “They’re gorgeous animals, but they’re so big that I have to admit I’m a little afraid of them.”
“I’ll take you on a ride at my place some time if you like.” He rested his hand on her shoulder and she felt the warmth of his hand through her blouse. “I have a mare that’s gentle and perfect to learn on. You’ll fall in love with Maggie.”
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Anna smiled. “I’d like that very much.” Horses might make her a little nervous, but she trusted Mike and his assurances made her feel a little more relaxed about the thought of riding one of the huge animals.
“Want to try the corn maze or get your pumpkin and apples?” he asked.
“Pumpkin and apples first,” she said. “I’ve got to get my courage up for the corn maze. I got lost in one once as a kid, so I tend to panic a little when it comes to things like that.”
They went out to the pumpkin patch and selected one each. Anna’s pumpkin was round and fat while Mike’s was tall and not so fat. He carried them out to the SUV and when he came back they each picked a dozen juicy red apples.
After he took the apples to the vehicle and then returned, they went to the candy apple vendor. Mike picked out a traditional caramel-dipped apple while Anna went with one dipped in dark chocolate caramel with a dark chocolate coating.
“Yes,” she said before he asked, “I adore chocolate. One can never have enough, and the darker the better.” She smiled inwardly as she thought about how many times she thought of his eyes as chocolate brown. Yes, she loved chocolate.
He linked his fingers with hers as they started walking down the aisle past the vendors. With a grin, he said, “That’s good to know.”
She liked the feel of his hand around hers and her tummy did all kinds of flips and flops. The caramel apple was delicious—the apple was juicy and the chocolate absolutely yummy. She felt light of heart and found herself enjoying every moment of the day.
“Best date ever,” she said. She finished off her caramel apple and tossed the stick into a garbage can. “Thank you for bringing me.”
“I’m glad you came.” He nodded toward the games. “Up to a little friendly competition?”
She nodded. “You bet.”
They spent the next half hour playing games. She did well with knocking down the milk bottles but couldn’t beat Mike at darts or shooting rubber ducks in the bin of water. By the time they were finished playing, Mike had won a large stuffed animal and he let her pick out one. She chose a stuffed alligator and he carried it while they continued enjoying the pumpkin festival.
As the day grew later, Mike left Anna to take the alligator to the SUV and to grab their jackets. While he was gone, she went to a glass-blowing booth and watched a man make a hand blown ornament.
Mike came up beside her when he returned. “Pretty amazing, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “It’s been fun watching the artist.”
Mike continued to hold their jackets as they continued on.
When they reached a bobbing for apples booth, he gestured to the large tub and the floating apples. “Up for a little wager?”
“And what that might be?” she asked.
“If I get an apple, I get a kiss,” he said with a sexy grin.
A thrill went through her as she took the jackets from him. “You’d better get that apple, Sheriff.”
Chapter 7
The memory of how Mike had kissed her the night she’d met him at Nectars caused flutters in Anna’s belly. She found herself holding her breath as he held his hands behind his back and leaned forward. Apples bobbed in the water and she wondered if he’d be able to get one.
He looked at her and winked, and she thought she’d swoon like a historical romance book heroine. He lowered his face to the water and she bit her lower lip as she watched him. She didn’t have long to wait. His teeth sank into one of the red apples and he rose, holding the apple with his teeth.
She swallowed as he took the apple out of his mouth and with a grin, caught her by the waist and drew her close to him. His face was cool and wet against hers, but his mouth was warm and inviting as he kissed her, long and so very sweet.
When he drew away, applause burst around them. Anna blinked, trying to catch her breath as she looked to see a small crowd around them. Heat crept through her and she glanced at Mike to see him smiling. He dried his face off with a paper towel that was handed to him then tossed it. They shared the apple before he took the jackets from her. He grabbed her hand and they walked toward the corn maze.
Lips still tingling from Mike’s kiss, she looked up at him. “What if we get lost?”
He grinned at her. “I can think of worse things than getting lost with you.”
She loved the zings that shot through her belly when he smiled like that at her. “You lead the way.”
When they entered the maze, he gripped her hand tighter. The corn towered over them, and she would have felt lost immediately if it hadn’t been for his hold on her hand. Corn stalks swayed and leaves brushed her skin and the cool air smelled of earth and cornhusks.
As they walked through the maze, feeling more and more lost, they laughed and soon she was breathless from the laughter.
“I think we’re going in circles,” Mike said when they reached another junction. “What do you think? Right or left?”
She looked from left to right. It was already shaded in the cornfield but it seemed that the sun must be going down because the light was getting dimmer.
“Left.” She nodded in that direction.
“Left it is.” He smiled at her and led her behind him.
Moments later they finally made it out of the corn. He gave her a quick grin “I think that calls for another kiss.”
He met her mouth with his and she held back a soft moan that would have slipped from her. The day had been amazing and she couldn’t imagine how it could get any better than this.
When he raised his head she looked into his eyes. He had a way of making her feel special…wanted…needed.
The reason she was really with him hit her full force.
It wasn’t too hard to pretend that she was with Mike because she liked him, because she truly did. But the reason she was there now—it made her stomach twist into a knot. What was she doing?
Her mind turned to the ones she loved. She had to do it. She had no choice.
Damn. She had to get herself together. She had to do this. Damn Chad!
She needed to be her positive self and set all other thoughts aside. Somehow she would spend time with Mike without breaking either one of their hearts. She could do that, right?
She was going about it the wrong way if that was her plan.
He took both of her hands and gave her a long searching look. “Is something wrong, Anna?”
The seesaw of feelings made it hard to smile, but she managed it. “Nope. I’m having a fantastic time.”
He gave a slow nod and squeezed both her hands. “We’re not done yet.”
She made the decision to enjoy herself for the rest of the day. “I’m ready.”
He released one of her hands and led her away from the cornfield toward a tractor and a flatbed trailer where people were climbing onto the bed and sitting on hay bales. Mike helped her up and climbed onto the flatbed. They found a hay bale to share and he brought her close to him so that his arm was around her shoulders and her body touched his from her shoulder to her knee.
She closed her eyes, pretending for a moment that this could be real. She knew she would have to back off, but for now she could pretend, couldn’t she?
The tractor started moving, jostling them back and forth as the hayride took them through the apple orchard, around the barns and other buildings, as well as pens where cows grazed and horses swished their tails as they ate grain in their feeders.
As the hayride continued, the sky grew dark, the air chillier, and she shivered.
“Here.” He held her jacket up and helped her slide her arms into it. He put on his own jacket and then held her closer.
It was dark as they came close to approaching the point where the hayride had started. Fireworks exploded overhead, causing Anna to catch her breath in surprise. The fireworks glittered in the night sky, raining down in red, orange, green, and blue sparkles. Everyone on the hayride oohed and ahhed.
The tractor stopped and they watched the show. She had
never experienced anything so romantic as sitting beside Mike on a hayride near a pumpkin patch and a cornfield on a cool early October night. It was easy to pretend they were alone as they sat close, her head on his shoulder.
When the fireworks display ended, she looked at Mike and she smiled. He lowered his head and kissed her as the hayride started again.
He moved his hand to her face and brushed her cheek with his knuckles. “There’s no one I would have rather shared today with than you, Anna.”
She didn’t know what to say so she kissed him.
The tractor came to a halt and she drew away. It was easy to forget she was being blackmailed as she spent time with Mike. It was so comfortable being with him.
After everyone else who had been on the hayride climbed off, Mike jumped from the flatbed then helped Anna down. When she was on the ground, she brushed hay from the seat of her pants with both hands.
He took her hand again. “Know how to dance to country music?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I never learned how.”
“I’ll bet you’re a quick learner,” he said.
“I’m willing to give it a shot sometime,” she said.
“You’re in luck.” He put his arm around her shoulders. “A barn dance is supposed to start after the fireworks.”
Anna couldn’t believe how happy it made her to know that the evening wasn’t over yet. “Well, let’s go, then.”
They wandered toward the barn that was lit up, a live band playing, music pouring through the open double doors.
Anna caught the delicious smell of barbeque just as Mike said, “Damn, that smells good. Hungry?”
She nodded. “Most definitely.”
“Why don’t you reserve us a place to sit and I’ll be right back,” he said.
While she waited for him, she sat at a picnic table and looked around. Couples crowded the area, laughing and chatting. She felt a part of something like she’d never felt before. She wondered at that. Maybe it was because she didn’t have much of a life beyond family and work. It was good to get out and have a good time with someone she wanted to spend time with.
Belong to You Page 5