"Anytime," Sydney whispered as he disappeared through the crowd.

Once she was alone, Melissa flew to her side. "What was all that about?"

"I have no idea." Sydney grabbed Wade's empty plate and held it with great care. Melissa's lips curled up into a smile.

"You two better get together before I leave or I'm killing you."

"Melissa-"

"You've got it bad for him, don't you?" It was impossible to miss the excitement in her voice. "Are you finally ready to admit you're hot for him?"

"Not to anyone," Sydney said with a wink as she turned away from Melissa, "except maybe myself."

THE DAYS LEADING UP to the festival had been rather depressing in town. It seemed everyone in the county had been questioned about the murdered woman they had found the next town over. She was identified as Samantha Walker, a teacher from Kansas, who was last seen leaving work the day before she was murdered. There was no clear motive and no real evidence to speak of in the case.

Wade had canva.s.sed Elton to see if anyone noticed any strangers pa.s.sing through town that day or in the days prior. Unfortunately, it appeared there had been nothing unusual in the tri-county area until they found Samantha's body. With few leads, everyone was left wondering what could have happened and, more importantly, was the killer still around? But those questions weren't likely to be answered anytime soon.

By the time the calendar flipped to the first of October, all talk in town shifted to one thing: the upcoming festival. People couldn't wait for the celebration to begin. No one had been sleeping well knowing there could be a murderer nearby.

Everyone was glad for the distraction, including Wade.

The Fall Festival was the biggest event of the year in the tiny town of Elton, Missouri. People came from far and wide to visit. Every fruit or vegetable grown in the tri-county area was proudly displayed over the week, farmers vying for the t.i.tle of largest pumpkin, apple, zucchini, squash, or gourd in the county. You name it; Elton had a contest or trophy for it.

On the last night of the festival there was a dance, followed by the grand finale, the Pie Auction, where the men from the area would bid on the pies and then, not only win a delicious dessert, but a special something from the woman who had baked it. It was a tradition that dated back a hundred and fifty years or so, to when Elton was first established. Back then, it was the way many farmers would marry off their daughters. Now, it represented an evening of fun and flirting for the single people in Elton before the nights turned cold.

The afternoon of the auction, Wade found himself walking down the main drag of the festival, taking it all in. The street was lined with tasting tents and street carts selling an endless variety of foods. People were shoulder-to-shoulder as they tried to navigate through the crowded road. Kids were running around in the gra.s.s, laughing, and people were smiling, visiting with neighbors and enjoying one another's company. Out of the corner of his eye, a flash of blonde hair caught his attention.

"Hi, Wade."

"Melissa," he replied as she fell into step beside him, grinning. In her hand there was a cardboard basket with something on a stick. "Dare I ask?" He warily eyed the stick Melissa waved toward him.

"Fried Twinkie. Want a bite?"

"No."

"Enjoying the fair?" she asked looping her arm around his.

"It's nice to see everyone having fun. How long until you leave for your trip?" Together they weaved through the crowd side by side.

"Less than a week now." Her eyes lit up with excitement at the prospect of her trip to Europe. Ever since they were kids, Melissa had talked about leaving Elton and seeing the world. She had been working since she was fourteen and saved every dime she could to make her dream come true. And now, she was days away from the trip of a lifetime.

"It won't be the same here without you."

"Aww, you gonna miss me, Wade?" She patted his cheek. "Don't worry. I'll be back in six short months."

The bright lights of carnival rides and games lit up the road ahead. Children were everywhere, their parents trying to keep up as they rushed from one ride to the next. Wade caught himself scanning the crowd for Sydney or Faith. Of course, Melissa noticed.

"Looking for anyone in particular?"

"No." Even as he said it, he knew the word rang hollow. For the last twenty minutes, he realized he'd managed to wander around every kid-friendly place at the fair, all in the hopes of seeing Sydney. He really didn't care about the craft center or a lopsided cow made of b.u.t.ter, yet he wandered past every group of children, looking for Faith's tell-tale dark curls.

How pathetic was he?

"You're such a terrible liar," Melissa said with a laugh. "Since you're too macho to ask, I'll help you out, because that's the kinda girl I am. I think you should wander over to the petting zoo area. You might find something nice and soft to cuddle up with over there."

Wade's thoughts immediately went to Sydney, and cuddling wasn't exactly what he had in mind. The images that flashed in his head when he thought of her were far more erotic, not that he'd ever share that with Melissa, or anyone else for that matter. It was hard enough admitting it to himself that the tiny blonde was under his skin. In the months that she'd been in town, she'd captured his attention like no one else had in years.

At first it was her looks that had stopped him in his tracks and her laughter. She was a breath of fresh air and lit up the diner with her smile. The longer Wade was around her, though, the more he saw the other side of Sydney. The side she tried hard to hide from the rest of the world. She was a woman with secrets and a past. There was never a mention of Faith's father, which was odd, but even more telling were the personality quirks that Sydney tried so hard to hide from the people around her. Being overprotective of Faith, constantly looking over her shoulder when she thought no one was watching, the lack of details she offered from her past were all red flags in Wade's mind.

Being in law enforcement, he had become an expert at reading the signs people unknowingly gave off, and from everything he'd observed over the last few months, if he had to hazard a guess, Sydney was exhibiting some of the cla.s.sic traits of a woman who had suffered some sort of abuse or trauma.

Wade could have done a background check. He'd been tempted to plenty of times but stopped himself. Part of him didn't want to invade her privacy and the other side of him simply enjoyed the distraction she offered.

Melissa cleared her throat, pulling him out of his thoughts. "You might fool other people, Wade Jenkins, but I know you like her. I've been watching you at the diner. Never known you to be such a pie enthusiast until Sydney came to town. You're sweet on her. The sooner you admit it, the sooner I can set you two up on a date. Consider it a farewell gift to me before I leave town."

"I'm perfectly capable of getting my own dates, Mel."

"Really?" she asked as she spun to face him, her chin tipped up defiantly. "I happen to know at least three women who have asked you out and you've turned them all down. Your dating life is dead at the moment."

"So?"

"So?" she sputtered, her hands reaching for his neck like she wanted to wring it. "So why would you pa.s.s up perfectly acceptable date invitations, unless you were interested in someone?" She thought about it a second, then paled. "You aren't seeing one of your bimbos from Centerburg right now, are you?"

It was amazing that no matter how discreet he tried to be, still the gossip made its way back to town. Maybe he needed to leave the state the next time he wanted to get laid. Rather than explain himself, Wade shook his head.

"I'm not dating anyone."

The wide smile Melissa gave him in return for that information was blinding. "Excellent. Then you should definitely go to the petting zoo."

"Melissa," he tried to tell her she was wrong, but the words wouldn't come. He tucked his hands into his pockets and shook his head.

"I'm going gray waiting for you to make a move on her."

Wade smiled. "You're so impatient."

"And you're welcome." She popped up on her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Besides, I'm counting on you to keep an eye on her while I'm gone. Do me a favor. When you see Sydney, tell her to meet me at the dance in an hour so we have time to run home and get her pie before the auction." Wade tried to grab her arm, but Melissa started to slip away. "Don't forget to give her my message, Wade." With a wave of her hand, she disappeared into the crowd but he could hear her exuberant laughter in the distance.

She had a way of getting exactly what she wanted. Wade had to give Melissa that. Before he could stop himself he'd turned around and started heading toward the petting zoo. As a zoo, it was sorely lacking. It was no more than a fenced area where bunnies, goats, and other small animals ran loose for the kids to play with. As he made his way past the last of the carnival rides, he saw the familiar wooden fence and heard the excited squeals of the children as they chased after a lively bunny who was trying to escape. A blur of brown curls darted past the fence in front of him.

"Faith!" Sydney's voice immediately captured his attention, but her daughter was too enamored by a squirming lop-eared bunny to answer. "Honey, be careful. You don't want to hurt him." Sydney cautiously opened the gate to the animal pen, making sure none of the critters escaped, then went inside.

Before he was spotted, Wade took the opportunity to unabashedly admire her body. There was a grace to her movements that was hypnotizing to him. A gentle sway to her hips that Wade couldn't tear his eyes away from no matter how many times he tried. She looked beautiful in her tight fitting jeans and black sweater which accentuated her curves. There was nothing overtly s.e.xy about the outfit but the sleek leather boots she was wearing definitely caught Wade's attention and were sure to star in a fantasy or two in the future. He watched her brow pinch as she debated following after her daughter. When she started nibbling on her lip, all he could think about was kissing her.

Wade forced himself to look away from Sydney and found Faith laughing on the far side of the pen with the other children who had moved on from the bunnies and were now chasing the goats with handfuls of feed, trying to get their attention. Sydney skirted along the edge of the fence as she tried to keep her daughter in view. When one of the goats started eating the food from her hand, Faith's squeals of laughter made her mother smile.

"That can't be sanitary," Sydney mumbled under her breath, so close to Wade that his chuckle of laughter caught her off guard. Sydney spun around, startled to find him along the fence, watching her.

"Hi," he said, offering a smile that only grew as the color crept up her cheeks. Her long hair blew over her shoulder in the breeze as she tried to compose herself. She tucked the stray hairs behind her ear and walked a few steps closer.

"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 s.e.xy 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 embarra.s.sed 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 pa.s.s 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 s.e.xy 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 pa.s.sed. 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 gra.s.sy area behind the supermarket. Wade was always amazed at how many people could be crammed into such a tiny s.p.a.ce. 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?"