“Something troubling you?” he asked, looking up from his paperwork.
The question snapped her out of her reverie. “No,” she said. “What makes you ask?”
“You look like you’re about to cry.”
Strangely that was exactly how she felt. She managed a chuckle. “Don’t be silly.”
Heather fell asleep halfway through the movie. When Cody noticed that his daughter had curled up on the sofa and nestled her head in Sherry’s lap, he stood, turned off the TV after a nod from Sherry, and gently lifted the girl into his arms. Heather stirred and opened her eyes as if she wanted to scold him for treating her like a little girl, but she obviously thought better of it and let him carry her to bed.
Sherry pulled back the covers, and Cody placed his daughter, who seemed to have fallen right back to sleep, on the bed. Sherry tucked her in, dropping a kiss on Heather’s forehead. Silently they moved from the room, then paused as if they were suddenly aware that they were now alone.
Luckily Sherry had remembered to bring a book with her and decided to sit on the couch and bury herself in it. Although Cody sat at the table, busy with his own affairs, Sherry had never been more conscious of him. Agreeing to the suite had been a mistake. She should’ve insisted on two rooms—on different floors.
“Would you like some coffee?” Cody’s question cut into the silence.
“No, thanks.” If it wasn’t so early, she’d make her excuses and go to bed too, but it would look ridiculous to turn in at nine-thirty.
Unexpectedly Cody released a beleaguered sigh. “All right,” he said. “Shall we air this once and for all and be done with it?”
“Air what?” she asked, innocently.
“What’s happening between us.”
“I wasn’t aware that anything was…now.”
He closed his briefcase with a deliberate lack of haste, then stood and walked over to the sofa. He sat down on the opposite end, as far from her as he could get and still be on the same piece of furniture. “I’ve had more than a week to give your rejection of my proposal consideration.”
Sherry spoke softly. “I shouldn’t have said what I did.”
He tilted his head and a hopeful expression appeared on his face. “You mean you’ve changed your mind and decided to marry me?”
“No.” She didn’t like to be so blunt, but it seemed the only way to reach Cody. “I regret saying I’d rather eat fried rattlesnake.”
“Oh.” His shoulders slumped. “I should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy.” He grabbed a pen and pad. “I’d like to know exactly what you find so objectionable about me.”
“Nothing. You’re honest, hardworking, trustworthy. My grandmother, if she were alive, would call you a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy, and I’d agree with her. It would be very easy to fall in love with you, Cody. Sometimes I think I already have, and that terrifies me.”
“Why?” He sounded sincere.
“Because you don’t love me.”
His face fell. “I like you. I’m attracted to you. That’s a lot more than many other couples start out with.”
“Love frightens you, doesn’t it? You lost Heather’s mother, and you’ve guarded your heart ever since.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” He stood and walked to the window, shoving his hands in his pants pockets and staring out at the night. His back was to her, but that didn’t prevent Sherry from hearing the pain in his voice. “Karen died ten years ago. I hardly even remember what she looked like anymore.” He turned to look at her. “That’s the problem with you women. You read a few magazine articles and romance novels and then think you’re experts on relationships.”
“You loved her, didn’t you?”
“Of course I did, and I grieved when she died.”
“You didn’t remarry,” she told him quietly, afraid of agitating him further.
“I didn’t have the time, and to be truthful, my life was full enough without letting a woman dominate my time. That’s why I want to set the record straight right now. I’m not about to let a wife put a collar around my neck and lead me around like a puppy.”
“Karen did that?”
“No.” He scowled fiercely. “But I’ve seen it happen to plenty of other men, including Luke.”
“Ellie doesn’t seem the type to do something like that.”
Cody frowned. “I know—Luke put the collar around his own neck.” He returned to the table, wrote on the pad and glanced at her. “I was thinking you and I might reach some sort of compromise.”
“Is that possible?”
“I don’t know,” he answered. “But it might be if we try.”
“Before we go any further, I want it understood that I have no intention of changing who you are, Cody. That’s not what marriage is about.”
His look told her he didn’t believe her. But Sherry had no intention of arguing with him. He’d believe whatever he wanted.
“This isn’t working,” Cody said, thrusting his hand through his hair in frustration. “I was hoping to make a list, so I’d know what you want from me.”
“For what?”
He dropped the pen he still held on the table. “So we can put an end to this foolishness and get married!”
Their conversation had taken so many twists she was no longer sure exactly what they were discussing.
“You still want to marry me?” she asked.
“Obviously. Otherwise I wouldn’t risk making a fool of myself twice.”
“Why?” she asked, genuinely curious.
“Damned if I know,” he snapped. He took a moment to compose himself and come to grips with his temper. “Because I like the way you feel in my arms. And I like kissing you.”
“That’s all?” she asked.
“No. I also want to marry you because my daughter clearly adores you. On top of that, you’re easy on the eyes, you’re intelligent and well-read.”
“Ah,” Sherry said.
Her response seemed to succeed in making him angrier. “There’s sparks between us—you can’t deny it.”
This man had the most uncanny way of insulting her with compliments. But it was impossible for her to be angry and, in fact, she was more amused than offended.
“We’ve only kissed twice,” she reminded him.
“Only twice?” He sounded surprised. “Well, I guess you pack quite a wallop.”
Sherry decided to accept that as a definite compliment, and she smiled. He was suddenly standing in front of her, his hands reaching for hers, drawing her up so that she stood before him. “I can’t stop thinking about how good you taste,” he whispered. His mouth was inches from her own.
Sherry knew that a kiss would muddle her reasoning, but it was already so tangled it shouldn’t matter.
He pulled her closer. For one crazy moment all they did was stare at each other. Then Cody spoke. “It’s been a long time since I’ve kissed a woman the way I want to kiss you.” His words were low and heavy with need.
“I’m not afraid,” Sherry said simply.
“Maybe not, but I sure am.” His arms went around her, folding her against his chest. How right this felt, Sherry thought. How perfectly their bodies fit together….
His voice was ragged and oddly breathless when he said, “You kiss me.”
Sherry didn’t hesitate, not for an instant. She placed her hands on either side of his head and drew it down toward hers. Their lips met in an uncomplicated kiss. Sweet, gentle, undemanding. Then it changed in intensity. What had seemed so sweet and simple a moment earlier took on a magnitude and power that left her head swimming and her lungs depleted of air.
Cody groaned and his mouth slanted hard over hers.
This wasn’t the type of kiss that burned itself out, that made the gradual transformation from passionate to pleasant. This kiss was a long way from being complete before it grew too hot, too heady for either of them to handle.
Sherry wasn’t sure who moved first, but they broke apart and stepped back.
Space, she needed space, and from the look of him, so did Cody. Sherry’s chest was heaving, her heart pounding, and her emotions threatened to fly out of control.
Cody spoke first. “I think,” he said raggedly, “that it’s a fair assumption to say we’re sexually compatible.”
Sherry nodded mutely. This brief experiment with the physical aspects of their relationship had proved to be more potent than she’d thought possible. She raised her trembling fingers to her lips.
Suddenly, standing seemed to require a great deal of energy, so Sherry moved back to the sofa and sat, hoping she seemed confident and composed. She felt neither.
Cody joined her as he had earlier—sitting on the far end of the sofa where there wasn’t any possibility of accidentally touching her.
He reached over to the nearby table for the same pad and pencil. “Thus far, your main objection to marrying me is…” He hesitated, then reviewed his notes and set aside the pad.
“I want to be sure of something,” Sherry said when she was reasonably certain her voice would sound even and steady. “Heather’s 4-H project.”
Cody’s gaze shot to hers.
“Your sudden desire for a wife—does it have anything to do with that?”
His shoulders squared defensively. “Yes and no. To be honest, I hadn’t given much consideration to marrying again until this past year, and Heather had a lot to do with that. She’s at the age now when she needs a woman’s influence. She realized it herself, I think, before I did. Otherwise she wouldn’t have come up with that crazy project idea.”
“I see.” Sherry found the truth painful, but was glad he hadn’t lied.
“That doesn’t mean anything, though. I didn’t meet you and immediately decide you’d be a perfect mother for Heather. I looked at you and decided you were a perfect wife for me, with one exception.”
“What’s that?”
“You want everything sugar-coated.”
“Cody, it’s much more than that!”
He shook his head. “I’m not the kind of guy to decorate something with a bunch of fancy words. Nor do I have the time to persuade you I’m decent enough to be your husband. If you haven’t figured that out by now, flowers and candy ain’t going to do it.”
“Don’t be so sure,” she teased.
“That’s what you want, is it?” He was frowning so fiercely, his lips were a tight line.
“I want a man who’s willing to make an emotional commitment to me, and that includes time to come to know each other properly. I’m not willing to settle for anything less. If you’re serious about marrying me, Cody, then you’re going to have to prove to me you’re sincere. I won’t accept some…some offhand proposal.”
“You’re looking for romance, aren’t you?” he asked starkly.
“If you want to call it that,” she said. “I need to know I’m important to you, that this attraction isn’t just a passing thing.”
“I asked you to marry me, didn’t I?” He sounded thoroughly disgusted. “Trust me, a man doesn’t get any more serious than that.”
“Perhaps not,” Sherry agreed. “But a woman needs a little more than a proposal that talks about cutting to the chase and being done with it.”
“You want me down on one knee with my heart on my sleeve, telling you I couldn’t survive without you?”
She raised her eyebrows. “That would be a start.” If you meant it, she added silently.
“I thought so.” Cody stood and marched over to his briefcase. He threw his pen and pad inside, then slammed down the lid. “Well, you can forget it. I’m willing to compromise, but that’s as far as it goes. Take it or leave it, the choice is up to you.”
Sherry closed her eyes. “I believe we’ve both made our choices.”
Seven
Sherry sat in a booth at the Yellow Rose, sipping coffee and mulling over the events of the weekend in Abilene. Doubt assailed her from all sides. Twice now, she’d rejected Cody’s marriage proposal.
The irony of the situation didn’t escape her. For years she’d longed for a husband and family. She’d been looking for a change in her life. This was why she’d uprooted herself and moved halfway across the country.
She’d been in Texas for less than a month, and in that time she’d been held captive by a community, helped deliver a beautiful baby boy and received a marriage proposal—twice. This was some kind of state.
Cody. She wished she could think clearly about him. The fact that she’d met a man who attracted her so powerfully came as a shock. That he should feel equally drawn to her was an unexpected bonus.
Donna Jo strolled over to the booth and refilled her coffee. “You’re looking a little under the weather,” the waitress commented. “How’d your weekend with Cody and Heather go?”
It was no surprise that Donna Jo knew she’d spent the weekend with the Bailmans. “We had a lot of fun.”
Donna Jo set the glass pot on the table. She shifted her weight, as if what she had to say was of momentous importance. “Take my word for it, honey, that man’s sweet on you.”
Sherry’s only response was a weak smile. “I heard about Heather’s 4-H project. That’s what you and Mrs. Colson wanted me to find out on my own, wasn’t it?”
Donna Jo did a poor job of hiding her amusement. “I wondered how long it’d take you to learn about that. Cody’s kid’s got a good head on her shoulders. Heather figured that suggesting she find him a wife would get her father’s attention and by golly she was right.” Donna Jo laughed at the memory. “Cody was stunned. He’s lived so long without a woman that I don’t think remarrying even entered his mind. You’re sweet on him, too, aren’t you?”
“He’s a good man.” Sherry tried to sound noncommittal.
“Cody’s one of the best. He can be cantankerous, but then he wouldn’t be a man if he wasn’t. Now, I don’t have any dog in this fight, but—”
Sherry stopped her. “You don’t have a dog? They fight dogs in Texas?” she asked in horror.
“Of course not! It’s an old Texan saying, meaning I don’t have a stake in what happens between you and Cody. I’ve been married a whole lot of years myself, and personally I’d like to see Cody find himself a decent wife.” Her smile widened. “Folks in the Yellow Rose been talking about you two, and everyone says Cody should marry you. Are we gonna have a fall wedding?”
“Uh…”
“Leave Doc’s helper alone,” the sheriff called out from his perch at the counter, “and bring that coffee over here.”
“Hold your horses, Billy Bob. This is the kind of information folks come into the Yellow Rose for. Trust me, it isn’t the liver-and-onion special they’re after. It’s gossip. And everyone wants to know what’s happening with Cody and Sherry.”
Every single person in the café seemed to be staring at Sherry, waiting for a response.
“I hear you and Heather traveled with him to Abilene,” the sheriff said, twisting around to face her. “That sounds promising. Right promising.”
“Sure does,” someone else agreed.
“Here’s how I see it,” a second man intoned. Sherry hadn’t formally met him, but she knew he was the local minister. “A man wasn’t meant to be alone. A woman neither. Now, I know there’re plenty of folks who’d argue with me, but it seems if you’re both wanting the same thing, then you should get on with it.”
With everyone looking at her so expectantly, Sherry felt obligated to say something, anything. “I… Thanks for the advice. I’ll take it into consideration.” She couldn’t get out of the café fast enough. Everyone appeared to have either a question or some tidbit of wisdom.
By the time Sherry reached the clinic, she regretted opening her mouth. She had no idea so many people would be interested in her relationship with Cody.
Mrs. Colson looked up from her desk when Sherry came through the front door. “Good morning,” the receptionist greeted her cheerfully, her eyes full of curiosity.
“Morning,” Sherry said, hurrying
past. Her eagerness to escape didn’t go unnoticed.
“How was your weekend with Cody and Heather?” Mrs. Colson called after her.
“Great.” Sherry got her jacket from behind the exam-room door and was buttoning it up when the receptionist let herself in. “I heard that Cody popped the question. I don’t even think Donna Jo knows this yet. Is it true?”
Sherry’s hands fumbled with the last button and her heart fell straight to her knees. “Who told you that?”
“Oh, you could say I heard it on the grapevine. And not just any grapevine.”
“You should know by now how unreliable that can be,” Sherry said as unemotionally as she could, unwilling to swallow the bait.
Mrs. Colson raised her brows. “Not this time. My source is dependable. I have my ways of learning things.”
A “dependable” source? That had to be Janey the housekeeper. Or Heather…
“This town’s worse than Orchard Valley,” Sherry muttered. “I hardly know Cody Bailman. What makes you think he’d ask a casual acquaintance to marry him, and furthermore, what makes you assume I’d accept?”
“Casual acquaintance, is it?” Mrs. Colson asked. “Seems to me you know him well enough to dance cheek to cheek in some fancy hotel restaurant, don’t you?”
“You know about that, too?” Sherry’s jaw dropped. Yes, it had to be Heather. “Is nothing sacred in this town?”
“Morning.” Doc Lindsey strolled into the room; seeing Sherry, he paused and grinned broadly. “I hear you’re marrying Cody Bailman. He’s a damn good man. Congratulations.” He patted Sherry’s back and sauntered out of the room.
Sherry clenched her fists and looked up at the ceiling while she counted to ten. Apparently the folks in Pepper had nothing better to do than speculate on Cody’s love life.
“Cody’s waited a long time for the right woman,” Mrs. Colson stated matter-of-factly on her way out the door. “I only hope his stubbornness doesn’t ruin everything.”
“Mrs. Colson,” Sherry said, hanging the stethoscope around her neck. “I don’t mean to be rude or unfriendly, but I’d rather not discuss my personal affairs with you or Donna Jo or Billy Bob or anyone else.”