Concealed.

Wade mumbled something to Luke under his breath, and then turned to the auctioneer. "Three hundred dollars."

A whoop came up from the crowd, as people voiced their excitement. She heard the woman beside her mumble, "That"s a new record!" She smiled at Sydney. "You must be quiet the little baker."

It was supposed to be anonymous, but Wade was making it obvious who he was bidding on and Sydney felt exposed to the crowd. In contrast, Luke hadn"t once looked her direction, his attention solely on Wade. At a bid of three hundred and fifty dollars, Luke cursed, shook his head in surrender, and stormed to the back of the hall. A cheer went out to celebrate the generous donation from the sheriff.

Wade won her pie. She had a date with Wade Jenkins.

Sydney was in a complete daze as the last few pies were auctioned off without nearly as much fanfare as hers had garnered. It was all so surreal. Melissa was beaming. Faith fed off the excitement in the room and was bouncing up and down at her side. Soon the auction came to an end.

"I"m thrilled to announce that we have set a new fundraising record, nearly doubling the amount we raised last year for the elementary school"s library."

A loud thunder of applause rumbled through the room. The princ.i.p.al beamed with appreciation on the stage. Sydney was happy to know it had all been for a good cause and the children in town would benefit from it. She tried to focus on that fact as they called the ladies who had entered the contest to the front of the room for the reveal.

Any questions about whose pie Wade had been bidding on were about to be answered. And who he had a date with.

"Now for the fun part of the evening!" The announcer, who Sydney thought might have had a little too much coffee this afternoon, excitedly launched into introductions. "Pie number one was made by Mrs. Walter, and the winner of that delicious pie and a date with Misty is none other than... Reverend Walter. No surprise there, he"s been eating that delicious Mayflower pie for years! Come on up, Reverend, and claim your pie and your date."

Applause rang through the room as the names were read and winners announced. Every pie had been purchased, thank goodness, and names continued to be rattled off. As predicted, husbands were paired with their wives. After some encouragement from the crowd, Pete laid a huge kiss on Cara as he claimed her signature cherry pie.

"It"s almost your turn, Momma!" Faith was far more excited than Sydney about the impending announcement. A swarm of b.u.t.terflies were raging in her stomach, making it difficult to breathe. There was no doubt she and Wade would become the talk of Elton. Even if it was only one date, the gossip mill would be working overtime.

Luke offered her a brief distraction from her panic. "Did you enter, Sydney? I had no idea."

"Funny, neither did I." She shot Melissa a withering look. "Did you have fun bidding on all those pies?"

"Yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You should have told me what number you were and I could have saved you from one of these idiots." He waved his hand at the crowd of men who were left.

"Well, like I said, I had no idea I was being turned into a paid escort for the night. And besides," she peeked toward Wade and noticed him watching her talk to Luke, her heart rate picking up, "I"m pretty sure that"s against the rules."

"Momma was number sixteen," Faith whispered with a grin. She was terrible at keeping secrets, unlike her mother. "You almost won her pie."

"Faith," Sydney reprimanded, "you weren"t supposed to tell."

"That was you he was bidding on?" Of course Luke would be annoyed that it was Sydney"s pie Wade had won, but the venom in his voice was over the top. Melissa didn"t hesitate to put him in his place.

"If you would have looked around a little instead of staring holes into the back of Wade"s head you might have noticed, Luke," Melissa chastised him. "You really have to let it go. Not everything is a compet.i.tion."

"Right," he said as he looked at Sydney with a frown then walked away.

"I think he"s sad he lost," Faith whispered tugging on her mother"s arm. Any further conversation was interrupted by the over-caffeinated announcer gathering everyone"s attention.

"Now, for my favorite part of the night. The big winner. The record price for a pie, set a few years back by the mayor"s wife has been shattered tonight!" Excited applause came from those still in attendance.

"He"s going to have to spend big bucks to reclaim the t.i.tle for his wife next year. He"s such a cheapskate, too, it"ll kill him to throw out extra cash," Melissa said with a laugh.

"The highest selling pie, as we all know, was number sixteen. The lovely lady who baked it is none other than one of our newest residents to Elton, Sydney Ross!"

"Hooray, Momma!" Faith jumped up and down with all the exuberance her five-year-old body could manage. "You won!"

"Told you so," Melissa sang with a Cheshire grin on her face as she elbowed Sydney.

With a wave of her hand, the announcer signaled to Sydney. "Could you come up here, dear?" When Sydney was within earshot, she whispered, "Lucky girl."

Sydney prayed she didn"t look as terrified as she felt as she stepped on stage. She nervously played with a piece of hair that fell over her shoulder and looked anywhere but directly into the crowd. She could feel him watching her, even now.

"Pie sixteen went to the very generous and high bidding Wade Jenkins! Come on up and claim your pie and your date, Sheriff."

Her eyes immediately locked on his across the room. The applause and wolf whistles faded and all she saw was Wade. Sydney felt like she was going to combust as he pushed off the wall and strode through the crowd with that quiet confidence he had. Everything about the way he moved made her insides melt and her brain short-circuit. She vaguely remembered his ma.s.sive shoulder brushing against hers as he claimed the pie and then her hand. He led her off to the side where Faith and Melissa joined them, congratulating Wade on his purchase. She dropped his hand like a hot potato when Melissa smirked at their linked fingers.

Sydney pulled out of her fog just in time to hear Faith say to Wade, "You know I helped her make the pie, but I"m not going on the date because I don"t want to kiss a boy yet. But Momma"s okay with it."

"That"s good to know. Thanks, Faith."

"Why is your face all red, Momma?"

Faith"s innocent question sent Melissa over the edge into a laughing fit. She scooped the little girl up into her arms and managed to squeak out, "We"re just going to go help with the clean-up while you two...chat." As they walked away, behind Wade"s back Melissa mouthed, "You owe me" to Sydney.

"So," Sydney said to fill the awkward silence between them, "you liked the pie?"

"I order it every time I"m at Pete"s, don"t I?"

Her heart soared, and then fell. "Oh, you thought it was Cara"s," she mumbled as she looked away.

Wade cupped her chin and turned her face to look at him. "I"ve been going to Pete"s for years. Cara"s specialty is cherry, but yours is the blackberry pie." His hand felt warm and strong against her cheek but he held her like she was as delicate as a baby bird. "There"s always blackberry when you come to work carrying those white boxes."

Sydney stared at him for the longest time before the corners of her mouth turned up into a little grin. "I guess being a cop makes you pretty observant, huh?"

"I pay attention to things I"m interested in," he said, releasing his hold.

They stood together for a moment, the basket that carried the pie between them acting as a barrier. Thankfully it was there or she might have done something stupid like wrap herself around Wade.

"Give me your phone." When her eyebrows shot up at the command, he sheepishly rephrased his words. "May I please have your phone?"

It was a miracle her fingers still worked, she was trembling so much. She prayed he wouldn"t notice as she slipped it into his outstretched hand. He quickly punched in his number and gave it back to her, his hand lingering as his fingertips brushed against the inside of her wrist. "Call me later."

"O-Okay," Sydney stammered as she extended the pie to him. With one hand he grabbed the handle of the basket, while the other brushed against her cheek before it cupped the back of her head and pulled her toward him for a gentle kiss.

The idea of kissing Wade had consumed her every thought since this afternoon, but all her fantasizing didn"t come close to doing it justice. Everything stopped in that moment and Sydney knew that she was forever lost where this man was considered.

It was a light feathering of his lips across hers, but it might as well have been full body contact with the way her heart responded. Wade did nothing to hide his desire. It was written plainly on his face. But when he pulled back, he didn"t kiss her again. He simply smiled and held her close, promising there was much more to come between them without uttering a single word. Her hands fell against his chest to keep from melting into a puddle at his feet. Everyone in the room could have been staring at them, but Sydney didn"t notice. When she looked up into his eyes, there was only Wade. Everything else faded away. And she didn"t think that was going to change anytime soon.

EXHAUSTION WAS AN AWFUL thing which Wade had lived through plenty of times in the past, but this was one of the worst. Not only was his body stretching itself beyond its limits, so was his mind. They had upped their patrols in the area since the woman, Samantha, had been found in Greenville to give the residents of Elton some peace of mind. It had been almost a week and there were still no leads he knew of in the case.

Wade sipped his coffee and forced himself to look out the window into the bright sunlight. If he didn"t, he was going to search for her face in the kitchen again.

"You look serious," Melissa said with a nudge to his shoulder before sliding into the seat across from him, refilling his coffee.

"Morning."

They"d been friends forever. No matter how bad things got, Wade could always count on Melissa for a smile and a laugh. She had more spirit than anyone he had ever met, even as a kid. She"d follow Wade and her older brother Matt around everywhere they went. If he and Matt had the hair-brained idea of jumping off a tree branch into the river, she was right behind them. When they stole the tires off Johnny"s truck one night, she was the first one caught but she never ratted them out. More than anything, it was her carefree smile and warmth that made her impossible to resist. There was never anything romantic between them-she was too much like a sister to him. When Matt moved away, she would come to Wade with problems or questions, and she helped him more than he could say when he came back from the service. He didn"t know where he"d be without the hyper little blonde in his life, and he wouldn"t have it any other way.

Her absence over the next few months was going to be difficult, but he was so happy she was following this dream of hers to travel the world. She had set a goal, and now she was making it happen. That"s the kind of woman Melissa was. And currently, she looked like she was gearing up for the inquisition.

"So, what"s new? You look tired. Been up late dreaming of pie again? Or maybe pretty blondes?"

Wade rubbed his hand against his jaw and smiled. "You"re like a dog with a bone, Mel."

"Oh, come on, Wade. This is good for you and for her. She"s so sweet. Don"t smirk at me, mister. I see the way you look at her and I saw that kiss you laid on her at the auction. So did everyone else in town, in case you were wondering. You might think you"re being subtle, but believe me, everyone around here sees it." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "She"ll be good for you. It"s time you start living again, Wade. You"ve shut yourself off for too long. If anyone can put a smile back on that ugly mug of yours, it"s Sydney."

"I would have asked her out on my own, you know."

"Well frankly, I got tired of waiting, Wade Jenkins. I leave in a couple days and there was no way in h.e.l.l I was gonna wait six months to hear about your first date." She leaned back in her seat, smiling. "Look at it this way: I just gave you two a little shove in the right direction, that"s all. You can thank me later." As she scooted out of her seat, Wade caught her wrist.

"Thanks, Mel."

She bent over and kissed his cheek. "Anytime." With a wink she walked away, checking on each of her tables and filling the diner with her infectious laughter.

His thoughts returned to Sydney and the kiss they had shared. He had no idea what made him do it, driven only by the thought that he couldn"t not kiss her at that moment. She had looked so sweet and nervous. And s.e.xy. There was something about her he couldn"t resist, and he realized he didn"t want to anymore. Not after he had a taste of her and what could be.

As luck would have it, just then Sydney"s tiny blue car flew into the parking lot, kicking up rocks as she sped around back to park. Fate wasn"t going to let this go. And neither was Wade.

The first time Wade saw Sydney Ross was four months ago and it was a sight he"d never forget. She was standing on top of the counter, changing a light bulb in one of the fixtures for Cara. Her laughter and spirit caught his attention immediately, not to mention her killer legs which were on full display that day. He buried his smile behind his mug at the memory. She was beautiful, with the kind of curves a man couldn"t help but notice, and hair so blonde it was almost white.

He"d had many fantasies about that hair of hers.

At thirty-four, Wade had been through the relationship wringer and had no interest in doing it again. Even with all her personality, there was something about Sydney, a darkness in her eyes, a mystery that she kept to herself that he had been trying to figure out. Women with secrets were bad news in Wade"s book. But Sydney wasn"t just any woman; she was the first woman in years to spark his interest and make him even think about what it would be like to have someone in his life.

How stupid was he?

He learned a long time ago, you find out more about a person by watching than talking to them. Staying true to that, he was quite content to watch Sydney every chance he got. Sometimes, he noticed her eyes were full of sadness, but only when she thought no one was looking. She kept it hidden well, probably from years of practice, Wade guessed. When her daughter, Faith, was around, it was the opposite. Her face glowed. She couldn"t hide her love for her daughter if she tried. The two of them together were like sunshine, and everyone around was attracted to them.

Especially Wade.

"Sorry I"m late." He heard Sydney"s soft voice in the kitchen and Wade forced his eyes to stay trained outside a bit longer. "Faith had a fever when I picked her up from school. I gave her some medicine before I left her with Agnes, but I wanted to see if it went any higher." He heard the kitchen door squeak and his head reflexively turned to watch her make her entrance with two boxes balanced in her arms. As she slipped the golden crusted pies into the rack, Wade knew she had been up late baking.

And she still hadn"t called him.

He knew she"d go on the date, since it was part of his bounty for winning the pie and she didn"t seem the type to back out of an obligation. But he didn"t want her to see him as an obligation; he wanted to be her choice. She had liked it when he kissed her-he"d kissed enough women to know when they were into it, and she was definitely right there with him. But since then, she"d been avoiding him. His d.a.m.n wounded pride wouldn"t let it go. He"d rather not go out with her at all than to have her grudgingly follow through with it because she felt like she had to. The silence was preferred to her pity.

There was no denying the chemistry between them, but she turned skittish whenever she found him looking at her, which was often. Fortunately, Wade was a patient man and he was willing to wait and see what happened between them. He had a feeling when Sydney made up her mind to do something, she did it all the way.

While he finished off his sandwich, he studied Sydney. Her every movement was enticing to him. Somehow the woman managed to make something as simple as slicing pie s.e.xy. He was enjoying the view as she bent over to fill the lower shelf when Melissa appeared at his table with a smirk.

The girl didn"t miss a thing.

"Got your eye on anything else? You still look kinda hungry, Wade. Maybe something sweet now that Sydney"s here?"

"I"ll have some pie." He saw her eyes light up as she scurried back to the counter. She bent her head to Sydney"s and whispered in her ear. Sydney"s head swung around his direction then quickly turned away, but not before he caught the pink flush of her cheeks. Whatever Melissa had been running her mouth about earned her a playful smack on the shoulder.

From across the diner, Melissa flashed Wade a big thumbs up. "Sydney will be right over with your pie, Wade. I"m going on break." She disappeared into the kitchen just as Sydney made a lunge at her.

He watched Sydney take her time finishing up with the pies before steeling herself and heading his way. She was easy to read, and for some reason he found her vulnerability where he was concerned, cute. There was no point hiding his interest anymore, the auction had taken care of that and the opportunity to watch the sway of her hips as she walked his way was far too tempting.

"Hi, Wade. Melissa, in her own subtle way, hinted you might like a piece of pie." She gently placed a plate on the table with a nervous smile.

"Peach?" he asked as his fork pierced the crust, spearing one of the ripe fruit slices.

Sydney shrugged, but didn"t step away. He could tell she was waiting for his reaction to the pie and that brought him more satisfaction than it should have.

"I thought I"d try something new. I also figured you might be sick of blackberry pie, since the auction."

The sweet flavors of peach exploded in his mouth with each bite. The woman had a gift for baking, anyone with taste buds would notice that, but there was something about the idea of eating something she had made herself that Wade found incredibly s.e.xy.

Maybe it was simply because he kept remembering that her lips tasted as sweet as her pies.

"It"s delicious."

"Thanks," she said tugging at her ponytail that had fallen over her shoulder trying not to smile at his praise. If only she knew the improper thoughts her fingers put in his head as they glided through her hair.

"You haven"t called." It was hard to keep from smiling when her hands went still, her eyes filling with an insecurity that, on her, was charming.

"It"s late whenever I think to call you, or I"m in bed. I mean, I-I didn"t..." she stammered for a second, like he knew she would when he tossed the questions out to her. He could see her thinking, then with a resigned sigh she blurted out, "The thing is, Wade, I don"t know how to ask a man out on a date." He could see how much it cost her to admit it. She was young and lively, but apparently old fashioned on some things.

That made him smile.

He knew she was seconds away from taking off for the kitchen, but he couldn"t resist teasing her just a little more to see if he could get that spark of fire to flash in her eyes. "If you"d have called, I"d have done the asking." Right on cue, her arms folded and her temper flared. And all he could think about was kissing her again.

"You"ve been playing me." Her hip settled against the table right in his line of sight. He took a long, slow appraisal of her curves before meeting her eyes.

"Guilty as charged."

"Then I don"t plan on making this easy on you. I may owe you a date but you better show me a good time or I"ll tell all your female fans around town that you don"t know how to entertain a woman." She leaned forward to take the empty pie plate, but Wade stopped her, catching her hand and holding her close enough to smell the intoxicating floral scent of her perfume.

"I know plenty of ways to entertain a woman, Sydney. Don"t you worry about that." Once again electricity sparked around them, the s.e.xual tension palpable. He thought for a second about kissing her again because their first kiss hadn"t been enough. He definitely wanted a second taste, but with her impeccable timing, Melissa came screeching out of the kitchen.

"Syd, look!"

Sydney nearly fell into Wade"s lap, she was so startled. "What"s gotten into you?" she asked her friend as she waved the newspaper in her hand.

"Wade, you"ve got to see this, too!" She shoved the pie plate toward the window and spread out the local newspaper on the table. The front page story was about the festival and Sydney"s record breaking pie. There was a large picture of her and Wade that accompanied the story listing him as the high bidder and her as the baker.

"Holy c.r.a.p." Her face went white as a sheet as she slid down into the seat across from Wade. With trembling hands she covered her mouth and read the story, her eyes widening as she looked at the picture for the third time. "Faith," she gasped as he finger brushed the corner of the photograph where her daughter"s image was captured in perfect clarity.

"Syd, what"s wrong?" Melissa asked, looking to Wade for a clue as to what could have upset her so much. All he could do was shrug because he was as confused as Melissa.

"Who did this?" Her voice was barely a whisper as she looked between them.

"One of the local photographers probably."