Apprehension (18 page)

"Whatever. I'll just help Thompson with chocolate dipped banan—"

"No!" Fred Thompson, the buzz cut blond of the force, threw his hands up to ward her off the simmering double boiler.

The white gauze on his forearm a stark reminder of the last time she'd been there.

Poking her lip out to hide her grin, she asked, "So, you don't want my help?"

Pulling a perfect brown covered apple out of the pot and placing it on the wax sheet, Franklin said, "Smith, you ran your ass off yesterday and raised a lot of money. You made it possible for us to provide so many free treats for the town folks. You did your part."

"Ran like something was chasing you," Thompson chirped in.

"Now get your tiny ass out of the booth." Franklin ordered.

"Fine." Danielle waved at her friends, taking the hint that her service was no longer needed, and left the candy stand. She was finally feeling a part of the town and the force. Strolling through the fairgrounds, she loved how twice a year this place came together raising money and contributing things so that this event was free for everyone.

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Pausing by the Ferris wheel, Danielle spotted the only dark corner of her own personal cloud nine. Robert. He was standing in the conductor's box at the carousel waiting for more kids to load up on the metal horses. His sister Liza and Officer Zeller were assisting smaller kids on the ride, while inside with him was Stephanie Maxwell, pressed close beside him. The woman's fake boobs practically stroked Robert's arm. Danielle could see Stephanie's sharp nipples signaling attention from this far away.

Shifting her gaze back to Robert and seeing is brown hair, strong jaw line and sexy mouth, Danielle's body tensed in remembrance. His hands shifted the controls, starting the ride for the children, and heat rolled in her stomach and lowered between her legs, awakening her sex. She recalled every touch and caress of his hands on her body and his spicy male scent.

She shook her head to clear it. The last thing she needed was to torture herself any more than she already was. Pulling her gaze away from him, Danielle turned and went to the picnic area.

She would need to find a spot before it got too crowded. The fireworks would be starting soon.

Plopping down on the grass, Danielle stared off in the distance. Thompson had been correct when he said she ran as if something was chasing her. Yesterday, she had tried to outrun all of the loneliness that was going to be her companion for many years to come.

She and Robert were over. He hadn't called her since Wednesday. Maybe he'd finally gotten tired of her not answering or returning his calls. After her run yesterday, she had been shocked to see him standing at the finish line. He and his father were there conversing with the two senior partners at the law firm and Chief Dennison. Robert clapped as she came across the line, third but the first woman. Winded, she gazed at him, while someone handed her a bottle of water. Pacing, she had tried to fill her lungs with much needed air and noticed his nod of congratulations.

Unable to deny the warm feelings surrounding her heart at his support, she almost smiled until General Wright turned and followed Robert's gaze to her. Quickly, giving both men her back, she walked away to the cheering group of cops.

"So, what's eating you?"

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Danielle lifted her head and saw Mandy, the second female runner, standing beside her. "Hey girl, what happened to your dipping fun?"

"See when you're a caramel apple-ologist. You don't need lots of time." Mandy sat beside her.

"Apple-ologist? Is that even a word?"

"It is now." The dark haired woman gave a husky laugh, almost masculine in nature. "Actually, the line started to thin.

Everyone wants to hear the speech and see the fireworks."

Danielle looked over the sea of families sitting around on blankets, eating, laughing and mingling with friends.

"You never answered my question. What's eating you, Smith?"

Glancing to the side, she stared at the other woman who had become a friend to her in the last few weeks. They'd even had lunch together a few times. "Why do you think something's bothering me?"

Bending her legs, Mandy propped her elbows on her knees.

"It's not because you haven't been Miss Ray of Sunshine. The guys probably can't tell any difference, but woman to woman, I've witnessed more than just one time where you were lost in your own thoughts and pain shadowed your eyes."

Damn, who would've ever thought tough Mandy had female
intuition
. Folding her legs in a crisscross fashion, Danielle decided to open up. She needed to talk to someone. "Mandy—"

"Mandy? Not Franklin? Whoa, this must be serious." The other woman dramatically placed her hand over her heart.

"Do you want to hear this or not?"

Mandy pretended to zip her lip.

Giggling for a moment, Danielle took a deep breath, then began, "I'm not going to go into great detail now, because if I do…" she swallowed, trying to loosen the thick feeling in her throat, "I'll start crying. Have you ever been in love with someone you knew couldn't be yours? Shouldn't be yours?"

"No."

Snapping her head to the side, Danielle looked at Mandy.

"You've never been in love?"

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"That's not what you asked. I've been in love lots. Never deeply in love, though. But, I can't think of a time that it was to anyone I shouldn't have. Unless the person you love is married."

"No, he's not married." She glanced past Mandy in the direction of the carousel, but no longer saw Robert. She wondered if he was off with Stephanie. "It just won't work.

There's too much between us."

"Never." Mandy nudged her shoulder. "If two people are in love and want it to work. Nothing can stop it."

Refocusing on Mandy, Danielle asked, "What about past hurts? Other people's views? Family disapproval? Those things can tear people apart."

"Only if the two want it to happen." With eyes full of a wisdom that Danielle had never recognized before, Mandy continued, "Do you love him, Danni?"

Danielle smiled at hearing her old nickname. "Yeah, I love him." She blinked away the tears threatening to fall. "But, what if it's too late?"

"Happy Independence Day, Claremont County!" Mayor Benson bellowed into the microphone from the wooden platform, erected for the fair, making the screech blare in everyone's ears.

Putting their conversation on hold, she and Mandy looked over to the small stage.

"This year, I decided to do something different." The fairground conversation came to a halt as everyone listened to the Mayor. "Instead of me kicking off the fireworks, I'm going to allow our county's highest ranking decorated hero and a descendent of one of our founders, and finally a county resident since his retirement, to speak."

Everyone, knowing who the Mayor was talking about before he said it, began to clap for General Wright.

Robert's father patted Mayor Benson on the back as he took the microphone. "Thanks, everyone. I must say that in all of my years traveling and living all over the world, there is no place like Claremont County."

People called out their agreement to his words.

"Nowhere else I've been comes together and supports each other like Claremont County."

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Whistles pierced the night air.

"It's because of that love and encouragement we show each other in this town that my son has decided this would be the best place to make an announcement."

Danielle's gaze located Robert walking up onto the five-foot high platform. His father gave him a wink, then passed the microphone to him. She wondered what Robert had to say that was so important he would do it in such a fashion.
Maybe he
made partner.

"My father and quite a few other people in this town have not pulled any punches in telling me that I need to be thinking about getting married."

That wasn't what she was expecting. Scanning the groups standing by the stage, she looked for Stephanie; the person she considered was the town's pick for Robert. She hadn't missed the gossip about how much Stephanie talked about wanting Robert.

"Before I go any further. I have a problem." He lifted his hand to his forehead and looked around the gathering. "Can you all help me find Officer Danielle Smith?"

Her lids stretched wide as all the town seemed to be staring at her with question in their eyes.

"Here she is!" Mandy bellowed out.

Looking at her friend, she whispered, "Thanks, Benedict Arnold."

"No time like the present for you to discover I'm a romantic at heart."

Danielle found herself shoved to her feet by her friend.

"Great," she mumbled. Unable to escape, Danielle found herself moving on wooden legs toward the stage.

"Hi, beautiful." Robert spoke into the mic.

Heat spread over her face. She was afraid to look anywhere else but at Robert. She didn't want to see the judgmental eyes of the onlookers. Giving a slight shake to her head, she attempted to plead with Robert not to do this.
Don't embarrass me, please.

But he disregarded her appeal and continued, "Officer Smith, you arrested my heart years ago the first time I saw you."

Nerves got the best of her, causing her legs to quiver in her jeans.
Oh, God
,
this man has lost his mind.

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"I'm crazy in love and I'm hoping that you won't say no in front of all of these people. Will you marry me?"

She was speechless, overwhelmed and nervous. A part of her wanted to turn and hightail it out of there. Accustomed to running, her defense mechanism told her to do it again. Not give a damn what Robert wanted, leave and find a new town.

Robert must have sensed the warring emotions inside of her because he handed the microphone to his father and jumped off the stage.

As his long muscular legs ate up the distance between them, Danielle's feet were rooted to the spot. She couldn't will herself to move, let alone run. But for once in her life she didn't want to.

Close enough to touch, Robert stood before her. "Robert, I—" her voice broke.

"Love me?" he questioned, sounding slightly unsure.

"Sweetheart, we both lost something precious once. But I refuse to lose you."

Through watery eyes, she looked into his hazel ones. "I don't want to lose you. But, do you really want to marry me knowing that your father doesn't approve of us?" Danielle's body felt prickly with all the attention focused on them.

Closing the gap, he held her face in his hands. "I don't care if this whole town, my father or Ms. Hanscom doesn't like it. I'd marry you in the town square today. I said I love you and I meant it."

What girl could argue with that? "I love you, Robert." Her heart pounded with excitement in her chest. "Ask me again," her voice wavered as the tears she'd been holding back began to fall.

Lowering his body to the ground, Robert took hold of her hand as he balanced himself on one knee. "Danielle Smith, will you marry me?"

"Yeees!" she answered, squealing with delight as Robert lifted her into his arms and began kissing her.

"Let the fireworks begin!" General Wright called out as the people cheered and explosions of lights lit the sky.

Placing her feet back on the ground, she found herself tugged behind Robert through the throng of citizens, congratulating them, and passed a teary-eyed Officer Franklin.

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Robert didn't stop until he had her inside the hall of mirrors trailer. "Now, I can show you how happy you've made me."

Pulling her to him, his hands snaked up the back of her shirt and caressed her skin.

The tingle she was feeling earlier was nothing in comparison to how her body was singing now. "Babe, we are not going to make love in this trailer with all of Claremont County outside the door." She moaned at the hot open mouth kiss he was placing on the side of her neck.

"Fine." His hands moved down to her butt and gripped it, pressing her to his distinct erection. "Party pooper, but I need to touch you."

Wrapping her arms around his wide shoulders, she said,

"What kind of woman would I be if I denied my fiancée?"

"A very naughty woman." Unzipping her pants, he slipped one hand inside and underneath the elastic of her panties. "And a deliciously wet one." Palming her bare sex, he brushed her clit, nestled between her slick folds.

Spreading her legs, Danielle gyrated her hips and pressed her aching center against his hand.

"Liza and Brad are getting married at the end of the summer. How do you feel about a Christmas wedding?"

Her eyes slid shut. "As long as you don't…stop…I'll agree to…anything."

"Hmm, good." His talented finger made circles at the apex of her thighs. "Dad wants the wedding at the house."

Danielle's eyes sprang open. "Are you sure he was talking about our wedding?"

With one arm curved around her waist, his hand between her legs became more insistent. "Positive, now you need to come, sweetheart, before the fireworks stop and the whole town hears you screaming."

She didn't care as her orgasm overtook her and she cried out, feeling the joy of knowing she was beginning a new life with Robert.

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About the Author

Yvette Hines loves romance and writing it is one of her greatest pleasures in life outside of her husband and two children. Her belief in happily ever after began when she was sixteen and started reading romance books. Now as an erotic romance author, she tries to show that every woman no matter color, age, shape or size deserves a high level of passion in her life.

Residing in Virginia with her family, she is an avid member of Chesapeake Romance Writers. She loves to hear from her readers:

[email protected]

or

visit

her

at

http://SASSE-Yvette-Hines .blogspot.com.

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