Page 613 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“Oh, yeah. What?” Her mind was still on the accident report.

“I’ve been doing some thinking.” He paused just long enough to arouse her curiosity. “About you.”

Her eyes shot upward and met his. He looked smug, satisfied. His tone remained conversational. “I ask myself: Why would a beautiful young socialite come to a town like Stoney Creek? Especially a lady so wealthy?”

His comment clutched her stomach like a vice. Blood rushed to Sydney’s face, and her temples began to pound like thefeathers of a caged bird. “What makes you think I’m wealthy? You don’t know anything about me.”

He shrugged. “You’re right of course.” His piercing eyes held hers. “How much do we really know about anybody? I just assumed.” He raised an eyebrow. “Maybe you inherited your wealth?”

He knows, her mind screamed. Somehow he discovered who she really was.

“Why are you here, Syd? What are you looking for?” He motioned at the files. “Ten years worth of accident reports just to establish a safety trend? Come on. What kind of a fool do you take me for?”

Somehow she found the nerve to speak. “Get out of my office.”

He stood. “Have it your way.” He made it to the door and then turned back. “One more question.”

She waited.

“Is the safety meeting still on for this afternoon?”

She fought the urge to laugh hysterically. “Why wouldn’t it be? I sent the e-mail out last week.”

He smiled. “Okay, see you there.”

Her hands were shaking. She looked down at the files. Did Sean really know who she was? She shook her head. No, that was impossible. He was bluffing. She’d underestimated Sean O’Connor. She wouldn’t make that same mistake twice.

12

“BE OF GOOD COURAGE, AND HE SHALL STRENGTHEN YOU HEART, ALL YE THAT HOPE IN THE LORD.” —PSALMS 31:24

Kendall was no conversationalist, Sydney decided. The two rode in silence to his mother’s house. She made a few surface remarks in the hopes of starting a conversation but had given up. She glanced at Kendall’s profile. His jaw was relaxed and he maneuvered the steering wheel with one hand. He must have felt her stare because he smiled at her and took her hand. She smiled back and relaxed in her seat. Maybe silence wasn’t so bad after all.

Sydney tried to remember how old she was when she first developed her crush on Kendall. There was a time when she’d lived for a kind word or smile from him. He was the star quarterback, and she was his younger sister’s best friend. It was puppy love, adoration, and infatuation all rolled into one. Even so, that hadn’t stopped her pulse from raising a notch when she realized it was Kendall who was helping her with her flat tire the day she moved to Stoney Creek.

They turned off the road and started up the long driveway. When the house came into view, Sydney felt like she was coming home. She was, in a sense. She’d spent countless weekends at the Fletcher’s. Everyone always thought that Emma was rich because her house looked so impressive from the road. It wasset high up on a hill with the winding driveway and pastures sprawled out below. Looking at it now, Sydney realized with a jolt that while the house was nice, it was not a mansion. It was, in fact, a modest brick home with a large sun-porch on the side. The home’s only frills were the two thick round columns on the front. That’s what made the house look so impressive from the street.

She waited for Kendall to open her door and was a little disappointed when she saw that he was almost to the house. She opened the truck door and hurried to catch up. One look at the anticipation on his face, and she forgot her irritation over his lack of courtesy. He was excited about her being there with him. That’s all it was.

He opened the door to the porch. “Mmm. Something smells good.” His voice floated through the sunroom. Sydney followed him into the living room. Emma was standing there, and she had to catch herself to keep from bounding into her arms.

“Hi there,” Emma said, a broad smile on her face. She looked at Kendall with a hint of mischief in her eyes. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

The color started in splotches on Kendall’s neck and rose to his face. Sydney could tell that Emma was thoroughly enjoying her brother’s discomfort. She smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Emma was still as lanky as ever, which was surprising because Kendall was so muscular. Her brown hair was almost the identical shade of Kendall’s, but it was curly where his was straight. She had it tied up with a red bandana.

“So tell me about the sawmill,” Emma said. “It must be so exciting.”

“Well, if you consider sweaty, old men exciting, then I suppose it is.”

Emma laughed a loud, uninhibited laugh, and Sydney was delighted to realize that she still liked Emma. For some reason, it made her miss Ginger even more.“

What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a first-grade teacher.”

“That’s wonderful. It’s a perfect job for you.”

---