Trusting Sydney (The Temptation Saga 6)

Prologue

Denver, Colorado, Five Years Earlier

“Hey, Sam…Chad.”

Sam O’Donovan looked up. His sister was on the arm of Zach McCray.

“Hey, Dust.” He turned to his companions. “This is my baby sister, Dusty. Dusty, meet Sydney Buchanan and Linda Rhine.”

“And this is my big brother Zach,” Chad said. “You all want to sit down?”

“We’d love to,” Dusty said.

“Sydney’s a barrel racer,” Sam said. “I’ve been telling her all about you.”

“Are you competing?” Dusty asked.

“Yeah. Day after tomorrow. You?”

“Day after tomorrow. Good luck to you.”

“You too. Though I doubt you’ll need it. Sam told me about your best time. Thirteen point nine seconds is awesome.”

“Sydney’s real good too,” Sam said. “Her personal best is fourteen point one.”

“That’s exceptional,” Dusty said. “I see you’ll be some real competition.”

“You want to dance, darlin’?” Zach asked Dusty. “They’re firing up the music.”

“Sure.”

She and Zach left the table, and Sam focused his gaze on the black-haired beauty next to him. Sydney Buchanan’s dark eyes mesmerized him. He’d never been one to pick up a girl he hardly knew, but his old friend Chad was obviously a pro at it. He was charming the pants off Miss Linda Rhine this very minute in the Westminster Room at the Windsor Hotel. The Bay siblings did know how to throw a party.

Course, they had money to burn.

Chad took the last swill of his beer and set the empty bottle on the table. “You all want to get on outta here? Go for dinner somewhere?”

“Sounds great to me,” Linda said, shaking her blond curls.

Sam turned to Sydney. “How about it?”

She blinked slowly. “Sure, I suppose it’s okay.”

Damn, those eyes could hypnotize a grizzly.

“Great.” Chad stood. “I know a fantastic little Italian place not too far from here. They always have a table for me.”