Belong to You by Cheyenne McCray

message hadn’t been sent. As sheriff he was never fully off-duty. He did it as unobtrusively as possible but Anna didn’t mind. She knew it was part of his job, something he’d signed up for when he’d run for the position.
    “Are you hungry?” Mike nodded to the hotdog vendor. “Looks like they have some top-notch gourmet food.”
    Anna laughed. “I would love something to eat.”
    They ordered hotdogs—two for Mike and one for Anna—along with sodas. “Have to save room for one of those candy apples and fudge,” she said when he asked her if she wanted anything else to eat.
    “Good thinking,” he said as he paid for their lunch.
    They found seats in time for the next performance and laughed as a juggler engaged the audience and started tossing balls and rings into the air that he handled easily. He ended the performance by juggling lit torches.
    Anna and Mike finished eating and waited until the performance was over before leaving to explore more of the festival. Mike was still greeted frequently and they ran into several of his cousins. Anna had never seen so many good-looking males in one family as she had with the McBrides. Ryan was one of Mike’s cousins that they stopped to chat with. Ryan was with his wife, Megan, along with their adorable three-year-old identical twin sons and two-year-old daughter.
    Anna watched Mike crouch to interact with the three children. He had the kids grinning and chatting with him in no time.
    “You’re good with children,” Anna said after they parted ways with the family.
    “I like kids,” Mike said. “My stepbrother, Garrett, and his wife, Ricki, just announced they’re expecting a baby in the spring. Our parents are thrilled to have a grandbaby on the way.” Mike smiled. “They want to know why the rest of us haven’t gotten busy having kids.”
    “Do you want children?” Anna asked.
    Mike gave her a long look. “Yes.”
    “Boys or girls?” she asked.
    “Both.” He grinned. “I’ve never been too sure about a girl, since I’d have to keep a shotgun around once she’s old enough to date. But seeing Ryan’s daughter…I’d have to say I wouldn’t mind having a girl one bit.”
    “Same here.” She thought about her cousins. “I’ve helped raise Josie and Pablo since they were born, and there’s joy in raising both girls and boys.”
    They wandered on past the bounce house and stopped by the entrance to the corn maze. They looked toward the horse corral.
    “I’ve never been on a horse.” Anna tilted her head to the side as she looked at a small group that was saddled up and heading out for a trail ride. “They’re gorgeous animals, but they’re so big that I have to admit I’m a little afraid of them.”
    “I’ll take you on a ride at my place some time if you like.” He rested his hand on her shoulder and she felt the warmth of his hand through her blouse. “I have a mare that’s gentle and perfect to learn on. You’ll fall in love with Maggie.”
    Anna smiled. “I’d like that very much.” Horses might make her a little nervous, but she trusted Mike and his assurances made her feel a little more relaxed about the thought of riding one of the huge animals.
    “Want to try the corn maze or get your pumpkin and apples?” he asked.
    “Pumpkin and apples first,” she said. “I’ve got to get my courage up for the corn maze. I got lost in one once as a kid, so I tend to panic a little when it comes to things like that.”
    They went out to the pumpkin patch and selected one each. Anna’s pumpkin was round and fat while Mike’s was tall and not so fat. He carried them out to the SUV and when he came back they each picked a dozen juicy red apples.
    After he took the apples to the vehicle and then returned, they went to the candy apple vendor. Mike picked out a traditional caramel-dipped apple while Anna went with one dipped in dark chocolate caramel with a dark chocolate coating.
    “Yes,” she said before he asked, “I adore