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 succ.u.mbed 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 G.o.d, 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 h.e.l.l 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 compet.i.tion 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 b.u.t.ters 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 b.u.mped 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 compet.i.tion, 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 d.a.m.n 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 s.e.xy 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 d.a.m.n 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.

"Here for some pie, Wade?" Melissa shouted across the room with a wave.

Wade looked their way and smiled. Whatever else she planned to say was interrupted by the squeaking microphone. Melissa picked up the pace and hustled Sydney and Faith out the door, but not before they heard the opening announcement.

"Welcome, gentlemen, to the Perfect Pairing Pie Auction. It's tasting time! Pick a pie, pick a date," a female voice declared with great enthusiasm as the door shut behind them.

Sydney grabbed the back of Melissa's sweater. "Tell me you didn't do what I think you did."

"I didn't do what you think I did," she deadpanned, hiding behind Faith's brown curls.

"Melissa!" Sydney stomped her foot in frustration. "What did you get me into?"

"I told you it was a blind date pie auction."

"No, no, no, no, no. You said it was a blind auction. As in, they wouldn't know whose pie they were bidding on."

"Yes, that's true. See, I didn't lie. The guys have no idea whose pie they're bidding on!" Melissa put Faith down and ushered her toward the applesauce tent. With a squeal, Faith ran from one display to the next, slurping applesauce off spoons as fast as she could.

Sydney cornered her friend next to a bucket of apples. "Start talking."

"Fine." With an exasperated sigh, Melissa waved her hand through the air. "I might have left out the part where you go on a date with the guy who buys the pie."

"Tell me you're kidding." Sydney didn't go on dates. She kept to herself and took care of Faith. The thought of going on a date with a complete stranger was unnerving.

"I'm serious, but it's all in good fun. It's not like you have to sleep with the guy or anything. For all you know, the winner might be married."

"Wade's in there!"

"Duh," Melissa said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm gonna kill you."

With a wink, Melissa laughed. "Nah, I have a feeling you'll be thanking me by the end of the night. Don't think I missed the big goofy grin on your face when he walked you to the dance this afternoon."

Sydney tuned out Melissa's teasing as her mind raced a mile a minute. She was about to be auctioned off like a head of cattle to a room full of men. A room that Wade was in. Would he bid on her? Would he know her pie? What if he won? Without realizing it, she had made the blackberry pie he ordered every day at the diner. If there was one pie he might recognize by taste, that was it. Her stomach somersaulted, but she wasn't about to let Melissa know she was excited about the prospect. She'd never hear the end of it.

"Faith, don't put the spoon back in the jar if you licked it!" Sydney gave her daughter a stern look. The guilty smirk on Faith's face was almost enough to make her smile-almost. Instead, she glared at Melissa. "Thanking you? What the h.e.l.l does that mean?"

"It means I'm betting that Wade can identify his favorite pie from all the others in the room. He eats it four times a week at the diner for goodness sake. I'm betting he wins your pie!" When Sydney didn't mirror her excitement, she shook her head.

"There are over twenty pies in there, Mel."

"Trust me. He'll bid on your pie. He'll outbid everyone in town for it."

"Did you tell him which one was mine?"

Melissa laughed. "How could I? I didn't even know your number until I walked into the hall." For the first time Melissa looked nervous. "Are you mad at me?"

"Yes."

"Do you forgive me? And feel no pressure to rush the forgiveness, but I will remind you I'm leaving in a few days."

"If Wade doesn't pick my pie..."

"I'll kill him myself." Melissa placed her hand solemnly over her heart with a grin.

A million thoughts raced through Sydney's head. Strangling Melissa was at the forefront, second only to dying of embarra.s.sment when no one bid on her pie, or Wade walking out with the likes of s.l.u.tty Pamela Wilson on his arm after winning her pie, or Sydney having to go out on a date with Walter Frist, the man seven months shy of his ninetieth birthday. He probably liked pie.

As a distraction, they busied themselves sampling apples until a shrill squeak of the loudspeaker grabbed everyone's attention. "Good evening! It's time for the Fall Festival Pick a Pie Auction. Will all the ladies who entered please return to the a.s.sembly hall for the matchmaking!"

"Come on, Faith. We gotta go get your momma a date!" Melissa yelled, turning every head in the apple tent. Sydney covered her face, not sure how she'd survive the night.

With an excited squeal, Faith licked her fingers clean and clapped her still sticky hands together. "What's a date, Mel? Why does Mommy need one, and can I have one too?"

"A date is when Mommy gets all dressed up and a handsome man comes over to the house to take her out to dinner or someplace nice like that." She bent down and whispered in Faith's ear, "And he might even kiss her when he brings her home!"

"Ewwww," Faith laughed, launching herself into her mother's arms. "Do you really want to go on one of these dates, Mommy, and let some boy kiss you?"

Sydney wanted to strangle Melissa for getting her into this mess to begin with, and now, this conversation with Faith was just the cherry on top. As they walked into the hall she answered as honestly as she could. "I guess it depends on the boy."

Inside the doorway, the trio gaped at the crowd that had a.s.sembled. The room was packed with hungry men and the women who had baked pies. Sydney started to panic as Melissa shoved their way into the mob of women.

It didn't take long for her to scan the crowd and find the town's s.e.xy sheriff standing against the back wall. He looked uninterested in the whole event until he caught Sydney's eye. He gave her a nod of acknowledgement and the faintest smile before turning his attention to the woman on stage, addressing the crowd.

"I'd like to thank all the ladies for the delicious pies they took the time to bake. As you can see from the empty sample plates, they were very much enjoyed." A loud round of cheers sounded from the men in the crowd. "And thank you, gentlemen, for opening your wallets for a good cause. Now, let's start the auction!"

Excited cheers filled the hall, but Sydney's palms were sweating as the bidding started with the auctioneer introducing each entry. "Pie number one is a traditional apple pie, made with a recipe that was brought over on the Mayflower." People gasped as if an impressive pedigree would somehow make the apples taste better. Sydney surveyed the women and guessed it was made by the reverend's wife, the proud smirk on her face a dead giveaway. When the reverend's hand shot up first to bid, Sydney's suspicions were confirmed.

"Mayflower my a.s.s," Melissa whispered loud enough for only Sydney to hear.

"Twenty dollars," the auctioneer called and the reverend nodded in agreement, proud as could be. When the auctioneer called for forty dollars and Luke's hand jumped into the air, the reverend made eye contact with his wife and tugged at his clerical collar. He looked quite pained when he accepted the auctioneer's call of sixty dollars.

The men in the room laughed and continued their good-natured ribbing with one another as the bidding went on. The auctioneer loved Luke because he took great pleasure in outbidding the husbands, forcing them to dig deeper into their pockets to win their wives' favor. For the time being, it had Sydney laughing, but as the numbers on the pies crept higher, her hands began to shake. The mere thought of being on the auction block was terrifying.

Where Luke's hand was constantly bobbing up and down to bid, Wade sat back and watched. He hadn't taken his hands out of his pockets, not once tempted to bid, even when the pie that obviously belonged to Pamela Wilson named Silky Strawberry Seduction was on the block. The pink sprinkles and obscene amount of whipped cream on top of the pie made it the least appetizing thing Sydney had ever seen. However, the men in the room felt differently. They flailed about, their hands flying into the air with each call of the auctioneer, bidding each other up to a ridiculous final total of two hundred dollars for her pie. The whole time that was going on, Wade stared at Sydney.

"What a tramp," Melissa whispered, covering Faith's ears. "Did you see Pamela flick open the b.u.t.ton on her blouse when the bidding hit a hundred dollars and then again at two hundred?" Melissa rolled her eyes. "So much for keeping it anonymous."

"As soon as I heard the name of the pie and saw the sprinkles, I knew it was hers. So did everyone else in this room. Who else would give their pie such a trashy name?" Sydney whispered as Melissa uncovered Faith's ears.

"When is it your turn, Mommy?" Faith was bouncing with excitement.

"Soon," Sydney said with a nervous laugh. "But we can't tell anyone when it's my pie. It has to be a surprise, remember?" Reflexively her eyes searched out Wade who had moved away from the wall and was slowly inching closer to the front of the room.

Melissa noticed, too, and snickered. "Someone's jockeying for better bidding position." The smug, sing-song tone of her voice made Sydney blush from head to toe.

"Stop it," she said, shooing Melissa away. Her hands went to her burning cheeks. Was he moving closer to bid on her pie or someone else's? Sydney's heart stopped when the auctioneer closed the bidding on number fifteen and introduced the next pie.

"Now up for auction, number sixteen!"

Sydney's heart raced as the panic set in. Wide-eyed, she looked out into the cheering crowd. Wade had moved through the throng of people and was front and center. His hands were out of his pockets and now resting firmly on his hips. From all appearances, there was a distinct possibility he might bid on her pie. The mere thought of it tripled Sydney's pulse rate and made her a little dizzy. Luke was standing behind Wade, glaring at the back of his head. When the auctioneer asked for an opening bid of twenty dollars, multiple hands flew into the air.

Not one of them was Wade's.

She tried to keep her face calm even though her heart was about to burst from her chest. Hurt, disappointment, and confusion swirled in her mind but she prayed she kept her face stoic through it all. So much for Melissa's brilliant idea. She scanned the crowd to investigate the bidders she recognized. Luke, of course, was one of them. He'd bid on every pie so far. A nice guy, a friend, but if she was being honest, not the man she wanted to go on a date with. That man was stubbornly standing a few feet away with his jaw clenched, watching other men bid on her pie.

Luke was definitely the best of the initial bidders. The other two were Matt Schuller, whose young wife was glaring at him so ferociously, Sydney was certain his hand wasn't going up in the air again and Johnny. There probably wasn't anyone in the entire room more distasteful than him. He was self-centered, abrasive, and obnoxious. If she had to listen to his mortician talk for an evening, Melissa was going to be sorry.

As predicted, Matt's hand remained firmly in his pocket and the others fell by the wayside, but Luke and Johnny continued bidding back and forth. The price of her pie soon reached seventy-five dollars. Luke kept his attention toward the auctioneer the whole time. He was too engrossed in the spectacle of it all to try and match the pie to the woman who had made it. With each dollar that was added, Sydney's hope that Wade would raise his hand faded. Melissa was so annoyed she began to inch her way through the crowd, looking like she might throw his hand into the air herself. Sydney caught Melissa's eye and shook her head.

If Wade wanted her, he was going to have to do it on his own.

The bidding slowed with Luke still in the lead at ninety dollars. Johnny looked back at the table, apparently debating if the blackberry creation was worth a few dollars more. As he opened his mouth to bid, Sydney felt someone watching her. She searched for the only person who made her skin tingle that way. Wade. He looked her in the eye, his hand high above his shoulders. In a deep voice that made her heart squeeze, he called out, "One hundred dollars."

Any thought Johnny had about bidding ended the moment Wade upped the stakes. Where Johnny bowed out quietly, Luke's body language said it all. He was not about to be outbid by Wade. When his hand went back into the air and he called out one hundred and twenty-five dollars, the auctioneer sensed the shift in the bidding. So could everyone else in the room. He quickly asked for one hundred and fifty-dollars, which Wade returned with a subtle nod. He continued looking at Sydney to make it clear he was going to win this auction, and her.

He knows it's my pie. Her heart soared at the thought but she kept her face as calm as she could with Wade's heated stare fixed on her.

"Now this must be a quality pie." The auctioneer laughed as the crowd cheered in return. The excitement in the hall was palpable. "Any other men want to get in on this?" When no one else dared to raise their hand, he focused his attention back on Wade and Luke, determined to find a victor but not before convincing them to part with a bit more of their cash. "Now, let me repeat myself. I have a bid of one hundred and fifty dollars for this delicacy. Can I get one hundred and sixty?"

Melissa was nearly jumping up and down in the audience mouthing, "I told you so!" and pointing at Wade. Faith was perched on a chair watching the two men banter back and forth with the auctioneer.

"Who's gonna win, Mommy?" Faith asked wide eyed as the dollar amounts went higher and higher.

"I don't know. We'll just have to see."

Some of Melissa must have rubbed off on Sydney's daughter because she suddenly whispered, "Who do you want to win, Mommy?"

Sydney felt her cheeks flush with embarra.s.sment as she tickled her ornery daughter. "Don't you worry about that. Now hush and watch the auction."

Luke accepted the next bid, then someone in the crowd shouted, "Come on, Sheriff, raise that hand! You're always at Pete's eating pie." There was excitement in the air now that Wade had entered the bidding. Luke was furious, but the crowd was thrilled. A few of the older women had followed Wade's attention to Sydney and were nodding their heads approvingly. Through it all, Sydney managed to keep her face neutral and simply looked back at Wade even though the heat of his gaze was so intense she felt like it was melting her bones. There was no doubt he knew the pie was hers and he looked d.a.m.n determined to win it.

A night alone with Wade Jenkins. The thought sent a delicious shiver down her spine. The chemistry between them was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Since he admitted he was thinking about kissing her, Sydney's imagination had been running wild.

As if sensing the direction of Sydney's thoughts, Wade winked at her then accepted the next outrageous bid, much to the delight of the auctioneer. Not to be outdone, Luke agreed before the auctioneer finished saying the follow-up price. In the blink of an eye, her pie was up to one hundred and ninety dollars. Feeding off the momentum of the men, the auctioneer rapidly called for two hundred dollars, and you could have heard a pin drop in the hall.

"Whoever she is, she better be worth it," a deep voice shouted from the back of the room. The crowd laughed good-naturedly and even the corner of Wade's mouth turned up into a grin.

"I'm betting she is," Wade said and nodded to the auctioneer.

Sydney could feel Melissa and countless other women staring at her with their mouths hanging open in disbelief. Wade Jenkins always played his cards close to his chest. He rarely shared his feelings and here he was, in front of the entire town, expressing interest in her.

When Luke growled, "Two fifty," Wade finally broke eye contact with Sydney long enough to look at his compet.i.tor, the animosity between them clear. "How high are you willing to go, Sheriff?" His nasty taunt reached Sydney's ears. She couldn't tell if he was bidding to win the pie, or simply to beat Wade. Knowing that it was probably the latter left a bitter taste in her mouth.