Toni Blake - Sugar Creek

R achel Farris came speeding down the dusky two-lane highway toward Destiny just as fast as shed left town almost fifteen years ago. Flooring it on a straight stretch, she turned up the radio, trying to let the Rolling Stones drown out her thoughts. But Micks gravelly voice, reminding her that you cant always get what you want, had just the opposite effect.

One day life was great, near perfect, and you thought you had it all figured outand then the next: massive implosion !

Well, okay, it hadnt imploded just yet, but signs of imminent collapse were everywhere lately.

It was bad enough she was headed back to her home-town of Destiny, Ohio, a place shed never planned to return. But the timing couldnt have been worse.

Her grandma, Edna, was lonely again, thus claiming she needed help with the fall apple harvestand Rachels number had come up. Fair enough. Family came first. Yet life would have been easier if this hadnt happened right when Conrad/Phelps, the small but prestigious Chicago ad firm where Rachel had worked since college, was about to downsize. And right after her boss had warned her theyd soon be eliminating one of only two account director positions, putting her career in serious jeopardy.

Given that Pamela Tremaine, the other director, had been with the company less than three years, Rachel should have felt totally confident shed be the one to stayif her team hadnt just lost the firms largest account. And it didnt help that Pamela was ridiculously young, and ridiculously pleasant, and beloved by everyone who came into contact with her. So Ednas call had left Rachel feeling duty bound to take a leave of absence at a time when she could least afford it.

Yep, the potential for implosion was getting seriousa thought which made her press her Manolo Blahnik clad foot a little deeper onto the gas pedal as she took a slight curve, her BMW hugging the road. The sooner she got to Destiny, after all, the sooner she could leave. That was how Rachel operatedquickly and with purpose; get in, get out. If she applied the same work ethic with Edna as she did on the job, shed be back in the windy city trying to salvage her career in no time. And after nearly seven hours behind the wheel, she was more than ready to reach the Farris Family Apple Orchard.

It was just as the Destiny city limits sign went flying past in a blur that a blast of evening sun cut between the rolling hills up ahead, blinding her. Yikessuddenly she couldnt see a thing, so she reached for the glove box in search of sunglasses, and the car swerved a little.

Thats when the swirl of blue lights reflected in her rearview mirror and the whir, whir, whir of a siren split the air.

Oh, damn. Just what she needed. Not .

As she pulled to the side of the roadwhich, in Destiny, was just a narrow shoulder of gravel that crunched beneath her tiresshe took a deep, calming breath and prepared to face some paunchy, overeager Deputy Dawg type who was all excited to catch a speeder. This was probably the highlight of his day. But that didnt mean she couldnt talk her way out of it. Being convincing and persuasive was what she did for a living, after all.

She dug for her license and registrationwithout coming across her sunglasses, darn itthen turned down the radio and lowered the window, only to have a thick wave of hot August air burst in to override the effects of her A/C. Blegh.

When she looked up, the sinking sun still glared directly in her face, forcing her to lower her eyes. She saw dots and felt disoriented as the cop approached.

Whats the hurry? he snapped in a deep, rather mean voice.

Sheeshcan we tone it down a little, Barney Fife? She squinted, attempting to see him alongside the painfully bright beams of sunlight, and when that failed, she settled for trying to read his badge. Im sorryI didnt realize I was speeding, she fibbed in her best polite-yet-confident tone. But Im afraid my frail, ailing grandmother is expecting me and I dont want her to worry. Id call to let her know Im on my way, but I cant get a signal here She narrowed her eyes on the badge further, still trying to make it out. Officer Romeo.

Thats Romo , he corrected her stiffly.

And Rachels jaw dropped. Oh no. He was a Romo? A freaking Romo ? The Farris and Romo families were long-time enemies, and even if most of the Farrises had left Destiny, she knew the bad blood remained.

And then, as if to add insult to injury, he said, License and registration, maamand she instantly wanted to slug him. Since when had she become a maam? She was only thirty-two, for heavens sake! I bet Pamela doesnt get called maam. As her chest tightened, she handed the paperwork over and waited for a reaction.

Figures, he muttered under his breath. Ah, there it was.

Whats that? she asked anyway, playing dumb.

Youre a Farris, he informed her, like she might not know. Then he shifted his weight to one side until his broad shoulders blocked out the sunfinally allowing her to see him.

The first thing she noticed was the way he scowled at her from behind typical mirrored cop sunglasses.

And the second wasoh dear. Oh my . Her throat went dry.

He was no Deputy Dawgand a far cry from Barney Fife. In fact, he wasa cop god . With thick, dark hair and olive skin, a days growth of stubble covering his strong jaw, and shoulders that filled out his beige uniform quite nicely, he wasshockingly hot. Even behind mirrored sunglasses. And in Destiny, of all places! How was that possible?

But then she recalled her friend Amywho still lived herementioning some sexy-as-sin Romo being a town policeman. Her heart beat faster than before and she suddenly had to work to control her breathing.

Even while he snarled at her.

But waitstop. Get hold of yourself.

Sure, hes hotbut hes a Romo. And a mean, growly one at that.

He proved her point by glancing back down to grouse, Out-of-state license.

That would be because I live out of state, she heard herself reply dryly. She didnt normally talk back to cops, but apparently she just couldnt take this attitude from a Romo lying down.

Not that she would mind lying down with him. If he were a little nicer. And not a Romo, of course. But he was and her unwitting attraction to him was making her all the more irate.

Her remark earned another handsome scowl, to which he added, Ednas not frail or ailing, by the way. So your excuse doesnt fly.

Oops. Clearly, he knew the town well enough to know Edna was the only Farris left who might have a granddaughter coming to see her. Well, thats not how she tells it, she argued. All I know is that she summoned me to help with the apple harvest, so thats what Im doingif youll kindly let me go on my way.

To her surprise, he lowered his chin, appearing suspicious. You dont look like much of an orchard worker.

Who asked you? She bit her tongue for once, though, and tried to regain her composure. In fact, it suddenly hit her that all her powers of persuasion had pretty much gone out the window somewhere along the way. So she gave her head a confident tilt, and in her smoothest voice replied, My skill set might surprise you. Andhmm, was that being confidentor flirting?

And no way Im letting you off that easy, he added.

Okay, didnt matter whether it was confidence or flirtation since, either way, it hadnt worked. So now she scowled at him . Come on, Romo, cut me a break.

When his dark eyebrows rose behind those sunglasses, she realized what shed just saidbut again, she couldnt let him win . Since, that quickly, thats what it felt like with this guya matter of winning or losing. Farris vs. Romo. She couldnt let him get the best of her without at least fighting back.