Concealed Read Free

even after her husband’s passing. Everyone adored her, but knew not to mess with her. Heaven help you if you were to sneak onto her property in the middle of the night. She’d take a shot at you then claim self-defense. Beneath the wrinkles and gruff exterior, she was still young at heart. That’s why everyone loved her.
    “Hello, Agnes.” Wade sat down beside her with a smile then turned his attention to Sydney who always found herself struck mute at the sight of him.If she was looking for a man, Wade Jenkins would definitely be a slice of mouth-watering heaven. At 6’2, he was a head turner for sure. His deep brown hair was a touch on the long side, hanging just over his ears with a sexy curl above his brow. His chiseled jaw and mysterious eyes were enough to make even the strongest woman swoon.
    If she was looking for a man, she would have imagined running her fingers through his hair, over the defined muscles in his arms, and kissing his full lips. Beneath the gorgeous exterior there was something dark about him. It seemed like he had his secrets, things he most definitely wanted to keep private. That was something Sydney understood completely.
    But because of her own secrets, she wasn’t looking for a man.
    “Sydney will be right with you, Wade,” Melissa said in a voice loud enough to turn every head in the diner. No one saw Sydney pinch her under the counter, but they did take note of how Sydney’s cheeks flared red with embarrassment.
    “You’re dead,” Sydney snarled as she turned her back to Wade and grabbed a mug.
    “And you’re welcome,” Melissa sang as she swatted her in the rear with a rag. The yelp Sydney let out caught Wade’s attention. He gave a little nod her direction and set his hat on the counter.
    The bright green color of his eyes was distracting whenever he would look her way. It took a lot to rattle Sydney, but there was always something about Wade that definitely threw off her equilibrium. He slowly looked her up and down, waiting for her to say something. Her stomach gave a flutter and random words tumbled from her mouth before she could stop them. “H-Hi. Hey. Hello. How are you? Want something? What can I get you to drink today?”
    Make an ass of myself? Check.
    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Melissa shaking her head and smiling. She busied herself refilling one of the napkin holders and shamelessly continued to eavesdrop. Sydney would’ve told her all the embarrassing details later, so Melissa might as well witness her humiliation firsthand. At least that would save Sydney the trouble of having to relive it.
    Deep breath. “Sorry, let me try this again. Hi, Wade. How are you today?”
    “Sydney,” he said in that deep voice of his that made her feel all warm and tingly inside. How could he make a simple hello sound so sexy? “I’m good. Coffee, please.” When she slid the mug and the creamer his way, he rewarded her with a warm smile. “Thanks.”
    “Anytime.”
    One thing she had learned was Wade Jenkins was a man of few words. Not that she had been watching him. Or pining over him. Or having erotic dreams about him the last few weeks. Definitely not wondering what he looked like naked. Nope. Not Sydney. That would be stupid because she wasn’t looking for a man. But she had noticed that when he came in to the diner with other people, he sat back and listened, only contributing to the conversation if asked something directly. It was probably why she always asked him so many questions. It was her feeble attempt to get him to talk a little more.
    He was incredibly polite and tolerated her verbal diarrhea, which seemed to strike often in his presence. At twenty-four years old, she should have been over that by now. But not where Wade was concerned. He would politely respond to whatever random thing she prattled on about, but rarely offered information. He was probably an excellent poker player because he gave nothing away with his body language. Sydney had