The Manning Sisters

  Frustration and anger mounted with each passing minute. Drawing in a deep breath, he rubbed his face with both hands, certain he’d almost made a world-class fool of himself for the second time.

  When was he going to learn? Women weren’t to be trusted. Especially pretty blue-eyed ones who looked as pure as freshly fallen snow. On the outside they were all sweetness, but inside…His thoughts skidded to an abrupt halt despite his best efforts to think badly of Christy.

  He couldn’t compare Becca with Taylor’s sister. The two women had little, if anything, in common. Becca was a con artist. Christy wouldn’t know how to deceive anyone.

  But she had.

  She’d deceived him.

  Once more he rubbed his hand down his face. Had she really? Hadn’t she said there was something she needed to tell him? He’d stood in Russ’s kitchen, looked into her beautiful eyes and had seen for himself the turmoil inside her. He’d been unable to grasp what was troubling her.

  But right now all Cody could think about was himself. For the first time in years he’d been able to feel again. For the first time in years he’d been whole.

  The only thing he felt now was an ache that cut far deeper than anything he’d known before. His feelings for Christy had been a cruel joke.

  “You don’t honestly expect Cody’s going to come, do you?” Taylor asked as Christy sprayed her carefully styled hair. She’d spent the past half hour fussing with her makeup and hair, hoping that if she looked her best, it would lend her confidence.

  “No. But I want to be ready in case he does.”

  “You’ve been restless all day,” her sister said.

  “I know. I can’t help it. Oh, Taylor, I can’t bear to let things end this way between Cody and me. Everything felt so…so right with us.”

  “It’s hard, isn’t it?”

  She nodded, fighting the need to rush to him and make him understand. “His eyes were so cold. I didn’t know anyone could look so…” She couldn’t think of a word strong enough to describe her fears.

  For much of the night she’d wrestled with the sheets and blankets, trying to find a comfortable position. Once she did and closed her eyes, the disdainful look on Cody’s face would pop into her mind. Her eyes would fly open, and the need to explain to him would dominate her thoughts again.

  She’d spent most of the night composing what she was going to say. All day she’d been mentally rehearsing it so when the time came she’d be ready.

  But she didn’t feel ready now. She felt uneasy and scared, as if nothing she could say or do would make a difference.

  “If he doesn’t come, what do you plan to do?”

  “Go to him,” Christy said firmly. “He made a date, and he’s going to keep it whether he wants to or not.”

  A quick smile flashed from Taylor’s eyes, and her lips quivered with the effort to suppress it. “I see.”

  “I mean it. If Cody isn’t man enough to give me a chance to explain, then he deserves what he’s going to get.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “I haven’t decided yet, but I’ll think of something.”

  “Yes, I’m sure you will,” Taylor said on her way out of the bathroom.

  Once she was finished, Christy joined her sister, who was busy with dinner preparations. “Let me help,” she insisted, feeling guilty that Taylor was stuck with the cooking. The very reason Christy was in Montana was to help with the household chores while Taylor recuperated.

  “Don’t be silly. I’m perfectly fine. Besides, you might mess up your makeup.” Leaning against the counter, Taylor surveyed Christy’s attire. “Personally I’m betting Cody’s not going to be able to take his eyes off you.”

  “Oh, Taylor, do you really think so?” Looking her best was important to Christy. If Cody was going to slam the door in her face, which was a distinct possibility, then she wanted him to know what he was missing.

  “There’s something different about you,” Taylor went on to say, her expression somber. She crossed her arms and cocked her head to one side.

  “You mean the eyeliner. I’m using a different shade.”

  “No, this doesn’t have anything to do with eyeliner. You’re not the same Christy I left when I moved away from Seattle.”

  “I’m older,” Christy said, “and hopefully more mature.”

  Taylor paused to consider that. “I suppose that’s part of it, but there’s more.”

  “Oh?”

  “You were always the ‘good daughter.’”

  “You make it sound like you were the bad one, and that isn’t the least bit true.”

  “But we both know I love an argument,” Taylor said, “and Dad was always willing to comply. We were so often at odds.”

  “But you and Dad loved and respected each other. It wasn’t like some families.”

  “I know. It’s just that we’re so different. About the worst thing I can remember you doing was running around the house with a pair of scissors in your hand.”

  “I did go swimming in the community pool without a bathing cap that one time, remember?”

  “Ah, yes, I’d forgotten about that. You renegade!”

  They laughed. Taylor was right; Christy had never caused a problem, never been in trouble. The good daughter. Too good, in some ways.

  “You realize Mom and Dad are going to be disappointed when they find out you aren’t going to marry James.”

  “Probably more disappointed than James,” Christy joked.

  Taylor frowned slightly. “Are you sure you’re doing the right thing?”

  The question was unexpected. “Of course. Very soon after I met Cody, I knew I should never have agreed to marry James. I…”

  “Then why did you?”

  “Well…because we’re friends and we’d been working together a lot, and it just seemed…like a good idea.”

  “Your decision had nothing to do with Mom and Dad?”

  “I…ah…”

  “I don’t mean to pressure you or sound like a know-it-all, but if you check your motives, I think you might discover that you accepted James’s proposal for all the wrong reasons. It suited Mom and Dad for you to marry him, and you went along with it because you were trying to please them. Am I right?”

  “I…” Christy lowered her eyes as a tingling extended from her stomach to her arms and down her fingers. She loved her parents so much and wanted to make them proud of her. Her marrying James would certainly have done that. Christy had been so concerned about doing what her parents thought was right that she’d never considered if it was best for her.

  “Christy?”

  “You make me sound so weak, so insecure.”

  “You’re not. You’re loving and gentle and good. James is a fine young man, but he’s not the one for you.”

  Without question her parents would be upset with her, but in time they’d realize she was doing what was best for both her and James.

  Christy left the Lazy P soon afterward, not waiting to see if Cody was going to come for her or not. From the way he’d left the evening before, she suspected he had no intention of keeping their dinner date.

  She found his place without a problem and parked her car. She took several minutes to compose herself before making her way to the front door.

  An eternity passed before he answered her knock. “Christy?”

  “I believe we have a dinner date,” she said boldly, damning her voice for shaking. She didn’t want him to guess how terribly nervous this confrontation made her.

  “A dinner date? You and me? Forget it, sweetheart. If you want to go out, call your fiancé.”

  Six

  “I’m not going to marry James,” Christy explained in a voice that demanded Cody listen to her and at the same time begged for his understanding. Cody wasn’t in the mood to do either. From the moment he’d left Christy the night before, he’d fought to push every thought of her from his mind.

  With very little success.

  “Who you
marry or don’t marry is none of my business,” he said, his words sharp and abrupt.

  Christy flinched at his disdain, and it was all Cody could do to keep from reaching for her and asking her forgiveness.

  “Please, if you’d give me a chance to explain….”

  She was so beautiful, with her cobalt-blue eyes and sweet, innocent face. Until he’d met Christy and Taylor, Cody had never seen eyes that precise shade of blue.

  He groaned inwardly, struggling against the need to take her in his arms and bask in her softness. Equally strong was the instinctive urge to protect his heart and his orderly life from the havoc she was sure to bring.

  Cody was the sheriff-elect, but there was little that could terrify him the way this woman did. It was essential to keep his eyes off her. Everything about her was sensual and provocative. It was difficult enough to fight her, but the battle grew even fiercer as he struggled with his own desires. This was much harder than he’d ever imagined it would be.

  “At least talk to me.”

  Her voice was soft and compelling. The mere sound could drive him straight through the bounds of what was fast becoming his limited self-control.

  “I think you should leave.”

  There, he’d said it. He didn’t mean it, but he’d said it, and that little bit of resistance lent him a sense of control, which had been sadly lacking to this point. Christy wasn’t aware of that, but he was.

  “I’m not leaving until you’ve listened to me.”

  “Then you’re going to have to do your talking from the street.” It astonished him how forcefully he came across. He blocked the doorway as he leaned indolently against the jamb, trying his best to suggest that he hadn’t a care in the world.

  She hesitated, then surprised him by nodding. “Fine. If that’s what it takes, I’ll shout at you from the middle of the street, loud enough for the entire block to hear.”

  “You’re wasting your time.” He’d played these games with another woman once, and he wasn’t about to fall into that trap a second time.

  Feeling suddenly confident, he straightened, leaned forward and braced his hands against her shoulders, keeping her at arm’s length. It was a risk to touch her, but one he was prepared to take. Perhaps he felt the need to convince himself that he could be close to her and not want to kiss her….

  His plan backfired the instant she looked directly up at him. To complicate matters, she flattened her hands on his chest. His heart reacted immediately, and he was sure she could feel the effect she had on him. Maybe touching her wasn’t such a smart move, after all.

  “I meant what I said.” He narrowed his eyes, hoping she’d take the hint and leave. In the same breath he prayed she wouldn’t.

  “You have every right to be angry,” Christy continued, her eyes pleading with him. “I don’t blame you. I intended to tell you about James and me. Remember when we were in the kitchen before dinner? I told you there was something I had to talk to you about.”

  She didn’t give him a chance to answer. Not that it mattered; he did remember, all too well.

  “It was never my intention to mislead you. I would’ve explained everything except James phoned before I had the chance.”

  Cody felt himself weakening. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. He should be a tower of strength. A bastion of fortitude. With little more than a shrug of his shoulders he ought to send her packing. One woman had mercilessly used him before. Only an idiot would allow it to happen again.

  “I realized the first time you kissed me that I could never marry James,” she persisted. “Maybe even before then. I know it should’ve been a simple decision, but it wasn’t. I had to think everything through. The answer was so obvious, so clear—but it frightened me.”

  She was frightened! Cody was shaking in his boots!

  He dropped his hands; touching her had been a tactical error.

  “So you’ve broken it off?” he asked, hating the way his hopes rose at the possibility that she was free.

  Christy dropped her eyes. “Not exactly. But I promise you I will the minute I get back to Seattle.”

  Cody’s blood turned to ice. So she intended to string him along. At least she was honest about it, but frankly that didn’t count for much.

  “I know it sounds bad,” she said softly. “You might think it’d be better if I told James now. I thought so myself, but then I realized it wouldn’t be right. James doesn’t deserve to be treated so heartlessly. He’s a good man—it would be wrong to call him and just tell him I’d met someone else. It’s cruel to do it over the phone.”

  Cody snorted a soft laugh. She was a candidate for the loony bin if she expected him to buy into that. Either she was engaged to James or she wasn’t. Either the wedding was on or it was off. As simple as that.

  “All right,” she said, and he could see her fighting to hold on to her composure. “If you can’t accept that, I’ll phone James and talk to him right now.”

  “Fine.” He led her into the house and didn’t stop until he reached the kitchen phone. Feeling slightly cocky, he lifted the receiver and handed it to her, fully expecting her not to go through with the call. She was putting on a brave front, but he was sure she had no intention of following through.

  She stared at the receiver for a moment before taking it out of his hand. When she did, Cody saw how deathly pale she’d gone.

  She offered him a quick, reassuring smile. “You’re right,” she said weakly. “I shouldn’t be thinking about James’s feelings at a time like this. You have feelings, too. It’s probably best to get this over with now. James will understand. I know he will.” As if her fingers weighed a thousand pounds, she lifted her hand and slowly punched out a series of numbers, then closed her eyes as she waited. “He’s probably still at the office.”

  After what seemed like an inordinate amount of time, and a short conversation with the receptionist, Christy replaced the receiver. “James already left. He must be home by now. I’ll try there—only…” She looked up at him, her eyes wide and full of tension. She was willing to do this because Cody demanded it of her, but it was so hard. To know she was humiliating James, causing him pain…

  “Only what?” he prompted.

  “Could you kiss me? I seem to need it right now.”

  His mouth found hers even before she’d finished speaking. He’d planned to brush his lips gently across hers. This wasn’t the time for anything more.

  To be on the safe side, he kissed her again—just so he’d know for a fact that he could walk away from her in the blink of an eye.

  That was Cody’s second tactical error of the evening.

  She tasted like heaven, sweet and warm. His mouth continued to move over hers until her lips parted. She sighed deeply and sagged against him. Then she buried her face in the curve of his neck. Her breathing was as hard and uneven as his own. His hands were splayed across her back, and he held on to her with what little strength he’d managed to reserve.

  “Give me a moment and I’ll phone James at his house,” she whispered, her voice raspy.

  Cody framed her face in his hands. “No,” he whispered.

  “No?”

  “I’m not happy with the situation, but you’re right. Breaking the engagement by phone would be insensitive. I can wait until you get back to Seattle and talk to him face-to-face.”

  She lowered her eyes in gratitude, her thick lashes sweeping her cheek. “Thank you.”

  He nodded.

  “Oh, Cody, please believe me, I’m going to end it. I’m being as completely honest as I can.”

  “I know.”

  “You do?”

  He nodded. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. “I don’t know where that leaves us,” he said. “Or even where we go from here.”

  “I don’t, either,” Christy whispered, but he felt her sigh of contentment as she relaxed against him.

  “You’re as jumpy as a grasshopper,” Russ teased three days later. “
I swear you keep looking out that window as though you expect the Mounted Police to come riding over the hill.”

  “Not the Mounted Police, just one handsome sheriff.”

  “Ah, so you’re seeing Cody again.”

  “I’ve seen him every night this week.” Christy could feel herself blush as she said it, which was exactly the reaction her brother-in-law was looking for.

  “Quit teasing my sister,” Taylor said. She was sitting at the kitchen table, Eric nestled in her arms, nursing greedily.

  Every time Christy watched her sister with the baby, she felt astonished at how easily Taylor had taken to motherhood. She acted as though she’d been around infants all her life. She seemed so comfortable, so confident with her son, whether she was breast feeding him or diapering or rocking him to sleep.

  “Where’s Cody taking you this afternoon?” Taylor asked, glancing up at her.

  “He wouldn’t say. It’s supposed to be a surprise, but I have a sneaking suspicion we’re headed into the wild blue yonder.” At her sister’s raised eyebrows, she explained. “I think he’s planning to take me for a plane ride. He told me earlier that he has his private license and twice now he’s mentioned flying.”

  “I thought you were afraid of planes,” Taylor commented. When it was first decided that Christy would come to Montana, she’d immediately rejected the idea of flying into Miles City. Driving to Montana appealed to her far more. Neither Taylor nor their mother had pressed the issue.

  “I’m not excited about flying,” Christy admitted.

  “But you don’t mind going up in a plane with Cody?”

  “No.” She trusted him beyond question. Enough to place her life in his hands.

  “If I were you, I’d make sure his little surprise doesn’t involve horses,” Russ warned, and his eyes connected with his wife’s as though they were sharing some well-kept secret.

  “Cody doesn’t ride that often.”

  Russ poured himself a cup of coffee and joined Taylor at the kitchen table. He smiled at his son while speaking to Christy. “You certainly seem to know a great deal about the sheriff’s habits.”