It didn’t take long for Sherry to spot Cody. He was talking to a group of men who were gathered in a circle. Their discussion seemed to be a heated one, and Sherry guessed the topic was politics. Not until she got closer did she realize they were contesting the pros and cons of adding jalapeño peppers to Billy Bob’s barbecue sauce.
“They’re just neighbors,” Heather whispered as they approached. “Dad can talk to them anytime.”
Unwilling to interrupt him, Sherry stopped the girl’s progress.
“But this could go on for hours!” Heather protested, apparently loudly enough for her father to hear, because at that moment he turned and saw them.
His eyes moved from his daughter to Sherry, and he couldn’t seem to believe she was really there. He excused himself to his friends and began walking toward her.
“Hello, Cody.” The words seemed to stick in Sherry’s throat.
“I didn’t think you were going to come,” he said.
“I had a flat tire on the way, and it took ages to repair. I phoned, but I guess everyone at the Lucky Horseshoe had already left for the picnic.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Starved,” she said.
Cody pulled a wad of bills from his pocket, peeled off several and handed them to Heather. “Bring Sherry a plate of the barbecue beef.”
“But, Dad, I wanted to talk to her and—”
Cody silenced the protest with a single look.
“All right, I get it. You want to be alone with her. How long should I stay away?” The question was posed with an elaborate sigh. “An hour? Two?”
“We’ll be under the willow tree,” Cody said, ignoring her questions and pointing to an enormous weeping willow about fifty feet away.
“The willow tree,” Heather repeated, lowering her voice suggestively. “Good choice, Dad. I couldn’t have thought of a better place myself.”
Cody gave a sigh of relief as Heather trotted off. “You’ll have to forgive my daughter,” he said, shaking his head. Then he smiled. “She was as eager for you to return as I was.”
His words and smile went a long way toward reassuring Sherry. Their separation had felt like a lifetime to her. Two weeks away from a man she’d known only briefly; it didn’t make sense. And yet, she couldn’t deny how she felt.
All at once Sherry felt scared. Scared of all the feelings crowding inside her. Scared of being with Cody again, of kissing him again, of making more of this attraction than he intended or wanted. Her feelings were powerful, alien. At first she’d attributed them to being with Norah and Rowdy and seeing how happy they were.
Now here she was with Cody, sitting under the shadowy arms of a weeping willow, and her confusion returned a hundredfold. This man affected her in a thousand indescribable ways, but she was worried; she wasn’t sure her feelings were because of Cody himself. Maybe it was the exciting promise he represented. The happiness waiting for her just around the corner, just out of reach. She desperately wanted the joy her friends had found. She was tired of being alone, tired of walking into an empty apartment. She wanted a husband, a home and a family. Was that so much to ask?
Cody spread out a blanket for them to sit on. “How were your friends?”
“Very much in love.” It wasn’t what Sherry had meant to say, but the first thing that sprang to her lips. She looked away, embarrassed.
“Newlyweds?”
“No.” She shook her head. “They’ve been married four years and have two children. In a few weeks they’ll be adding two adopted kids to the family.”
“They sound like a compassionate, generous couple.”
His words warmed her heart like a July sun. Rowdy and Norah were two of the most generous people Sherry had ever known. It was as if they were so secure in their love for each other that it spilled over and flowed out to those around them.
“What’s wrong?”
This man seemed to sense her thoughts and emotions so accurately that nothing less than the truth would do. “I’m scared to death of seeing you again, of feeling the way I feel about you. I don’t even know you, and I feel…That’s just it, I don’t know what I feel.”
He laughed. “You’re not alone. I keep telling myself this whole thing is nuttier than a pecan grove. I don’t really know you, either. Why you, out of all the women I’ve met over the years?”
“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” Heather burst through the hanging branches and stepped onto the blanket. She crossed her legs and slowly lowered herself to the ground before handing Sherry a plate heaped high with potato salad, barbecued chicken and one of the biggest dill pickles Sherry had ever seen.
Heather tilted her head to one side. “They’ve run out of beef. I told Mayor Bowie this was for Sherry, and he wanted me to ask you to save a dance for him. He’s been cooking all afternoon, and he says he’s looking forward to seeing a pretty face, instead of a pot of Billy Bob’s barbecue sauce.”
“This smells heavenly,” Sherry said, taking the plate and digging in.
Cody looked pointedly at his daughter, expecting her to make herself scarce, but she looked back at him just as pointedly. “So, have you come to any conclusions?” Heather asked.
“No. But then we haven’t had much time alone, have we?”
“You’ve had enough.”
Cody closed his eyes. “Heather, please.”
“Are you going to ask Sherry to dance, or are you going to wait for Mayor Bowie to steal her away from you? Dad, you can’t be so nonchalant about this business. Aren’t you the one who says the early bird catches the worm? You know Mayor Bowie likes Sherry.”
“The mayor’s a married man.”
“So?” Heather said, seeming to enjoy their exchange. “That didn’t stop Russell Forester from running off with Milly You-Know-Who.”
If the color in his neck was any indication, Cody’s frustration level was reaching its peak. But Sherry welcomed the intrusion. She needed space and time to sort through her reactions, her feelings. Everything had become so intense so quickly. If Heather hadn’t interrupted them when she had, Sherry was certain she would’ve been in Cody’s arms—although it was too soon to cloud their feelings with sexual awareness.
“The chicken’s delicious,” Sherry said, licking her fingers clean of the spicy sauce. “I don’t think I’ve ever tasted any as good as this.”
“Cody Bailman, are you hiding Sherry under that tree with you?” The toes of a pair of snakeskin boots stepped on the outer edges of the blanket just under the tree’s protective foliage.
Heather cast her father a righteous look and whispered heatedly, “I told you Mayor Bowie was going to ask her first.”
Cody stood and parted the willow’s hanging branches. “She’s eating.”
“Howdy, Mayor,” Sherry said, smiling up at him, a chicken leg poised in front of her mouth. “I understand you’re the chef responsible for this feed. You can cook for me anytime.”
“I’m not a bad dancer, either. I thought I’d see if you wouldn’t mind taking a spin with an old coot like me.”
She laughed. “You’re not so old.”
“What’ll your wife think?” Cody asked, his tone jocular, but with an underlying…what? Annoyance? Jealousy? Sherry wasn’t sure.
Pepper’s mayor waved his hand dismissively. “Hazel won’t care. Good grief, I’ve been married to the woman for thirty-seven years. Besides, she’s talking to her friends, and you know how that bunch loves to idle away an afternoon gossiping. I thought I’d give them something to talk about.”
“Sherry?” Cody glanced at her as if he expected her to decline.
Frankly, Sherry was flattered to have two men vying for her attention, even if one of them was old enough to be her father and looked as if he’d sampled a bit too much of his own cooking over the years.
“Why, Mayor, I’d be delighted.”
Cody didn’t look pleased.
“I told you this was going to happen,” Heather reminded him indignan
tly. “Your problem, Dad, is that you never listen to me. I read romance novels. I know about these things.”
A laugh hovered on Sherry’s lips. She hoisted herself up and accepted Mayor Bowie’s hand as he led her to the dancing platform.
Cody and Heather followed close behind. Because Mayor Bowie was chatting, she couldn’t quite hear the conversation between father and daughter, but it seemed to her that Heather was still chastising Cody.
Although it was early in the evening, the dance floor was crowded. Willie Nelson was crooning a melodic ballad as the mayor deftly escorted Sherry onto the large black-and-white-checkered platform. He placed one hand at her waist and held her arm out to one side, then smoothly led her across the floor.
“How’re you doin’, Sherry?” a woman asked.
She turned to see Donna Jo dancing with the sheriff. Sherry waved with her free hand. Doc Lindsey danced briskly by with Mrs. Colson, first in one direction and then another.
Mayor Bowie was surprisingly light on his feet, and he whirled Sherry around so many times she started to get dizzy. When the dance ended, she looked up to find Cody standing beside the mayor.
“I believe this dance is mine,” he said.
“Of course.” The mayor gracefully stepped aside and turned to Heather. Bowing, he asked the giggling twelve-year-old for the pleasure of the next dance.
Heather cast Sherry a proud look and responded with a dignified curtsy.
“So, we meet again,” Sherry said, slipping her left arm onto Cody’s shoulder.
“You should’ve danced with me first,” he muttered.
“Why?” She wasn’t sure she approved of his tone or his attitude. Mayor Bowie certainly couldn’t be seen as competition!
“If you had, you would’ve spared me a lecture from my daughter. She seems to be doing research on romance, and apparently I’ve committed several blunders. According to Heather, my tactics aren’t sophisticated enough.” He made a wry grimace.
Sherry couldn’t help noticing that they were doing little more than shuffling their feet, while other couples whirled around them. Cody seemed to notice it, too, and exhaled sharply.
“That’s another thing,” he said. “My own daughter suggested I take dance lessons.” He snorted. “Me, as if I have time for that kind of nonsense. Listen, if you want to date a man who’s good at this, you better know right now it isn’t me.”
Sherry had already figured that out for herself, not that it mattered. Cody sighed again.
“Is something else bothering you?” Sherry asked.
“Yes,” he admitted grudgingly. “You feel good in my arms. I’m probably breaking some romance code by telling you that. Darned if I know what a man’s supposed to say and what he isn’t.”
Sherry closed her eyes. “That was very sweet.”
Cody was silent for the next few minutes. “What about you?” he asked gruffly.
Sherry pulled back enough so he could read the question in her eyes. His own were dark and troubled.
“It’d help if you told me the same thing,” he said. “That you…like being with me, too.” He shook his head. “I’ve got to tell you, I feel silly.”
“I do enjoy being with you.”
He didn’t seem to hear. “I feel like I’m on display for everyone to inspect.”
“Why’s that?”
He looked away, but not before she saw his frown. “Let me just say that kissing you in public didn’t improve the situation. It was the most asinine thing I’ve ever done in my life. I made a fool of myself in front of the entire town.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” she whispered, close to his ear. “I liked it.”
“That’s the problem,” he grunted. “So did I. You know what I think? This is all Heather’s doing. It started with that crazy project of hers. I swear the kid’s going to ruin me.”
“Heather’s project?”
“Forget I said that.”
“Why are you so angry? Is it because I danced with the mayor?”
“Good heavens, no. This has nothing to do with that.”
“Then what does it have to do with?”
“You,” he grumbled.
Dolly Parton’s tremulous tones were coming out of the speakers now. It was a fast-paced number, not that Cody noticed. He didn’t alter his footwork, but continued his laborious two-step.
“Cody, maybe we should sit down.”
“We can’t.”
“Why not?” she asked.
“Because the minute we do, someone else is gonna ask you to dance, and I can’t allow that.”
She stared up at him, more confused by the moment. “Why not? Cody, you’re being ridiculous.”
“I don’t need you to tell me that. I’ve been ridiculous ever since I saw you holding Ellie’s baby in your arms. I’ve been behaving like a lovesick idiot from the first time I kissed you. I can understand what caused a normally sane, sensible man like Luke Johnson to chase after a sports car on his horse because he couldn’t stand to let the woman he loved leave town. And dammit, I don’t like it. Not one bit.”
What had first sounded rather romantic was fast losing its appeal. “I don’t like what I feel for you, either, Cody Bailman. I had a perfectly good life until you barged in.”
“So did I!”
“I think we should stop while we’re ahead,” she murmured, pulling away from him. “Before we say something we’ll regret.” She dropped her arms to her sides and stared up at him.
“Great,” he said. “Let’s just do that.”
With so many couples whirling about, Sherry found it difficult to make her way off the dance floor, but she managed. To her consternation, Cody followed close behind.
Catching sight of Ellie beneath the shade of an oak tree, Sherry hurried in that direction, determined to ignore Cody. She was halfway across the park when she heard him call after her.
“Sherry! Wait up!”
She didn’t bother to turn around to see what had detained him. When she reached Ellie, the woman smiled up at her brightly.
“I see you’ve just tangled with the most stubborn man this side of Luke Johnson.”
Five
“Cody infuriates me,” Sherry announced, sinking down next to Ellie Johnson on the blanket under the tree. She wrapped her arms around her knees and sighed in frustration.
“Men have infuriated women since the dawn of time. They’re totally irrational beings,” Ellie said calmly while patting her infant son’s back. Philip was sleeping contentedly against her shoulder.
“Irrational isn’t the word for it. They’re insane.”
“That, too,” Ellie agreed readily.
“No one but Cody could use a compliment to insult someone!”
“Luke did when we first started dating,” Ellie told her. “He’d say things like ‘You’re not bad-looking for a skinny girl.’”
Despite her annoyance with Cody, Sherry laughed.
Cody had been waylaid by Luke, Sherry noticed. Luke carried Christina Lynn on his shoulders, and the toddler’s arms were reaching toward the sky in an apparent effort to touch the fluffy clouds. Sherry hoped Ellie’s husband was giving Cody a few pointers about relationships.
Forcing her thoughts away from the men, Sherry sighed again and watched Ellie with her baby son. Philip had awoken and she turned him in her arms, draped a receiving blanket over her shoulder, then bared her breast.
“He’s thriving,” Ellie said happily. “I can’t thank you enough for being with me the night he was born. Having you there made all the difference in the world.”
“It wasn’t me doing all the work,” Sherry reminded her.
“Then let’s just say we make an excellent team.” Ellie stroked her son’s face with her index finger as he nursed greedily. “I’m really glad you’re going to live in Pepper. I feel like you’re a friend already.”
Sherry glanced up to see Heather marching toward them, hands on hips. Her eyes were indignant as she stopped and talked b
riefly to her father and Luke before flinging her arms in the air and striding over to Ellie and Sherry.
“What did he do now?” Cody’s daughter demanded. “He said something stupid, right?” In a display of complete disgust, she slapped her sides. Then she lowered herself to the blanket. “I tried to coach him, but a lot of good that did.” She eyed her father angrily. “No wonder he never remarried. The man obviously needs more help than I can give him.”
Ellie and Sherry exchanged a smile. “Don’t try so hard, Heather,” Ellie said.
“But I want Dad to remarry so I can have a baby brother or sister. Or one of each.”
“Heather,” Sherry began, “your father said something about a project you were involved in, and then he immediately seemed to regret mentioning it.”
“He’s never gonna let me forget it, either,” the girl muttered. “Neither is anyone else in town.”
“You have to admit, it was rather amusing,” Ellie added.
“Oh, sure, everyone got a big laugh out of it.”
“Out of what?” Sherry wanted to know.
“My 4-H project. I’ve been a member for a few years and every spring we work on one project for the next twelve months. One year I raised rabbits, and another year I worked with my horse, Misty. This spring I gave the whole town a big laugh when I decided my project was going to be helping my dad find a wife.”
“You weren’t serious!” Sherry was mortified.
“I was at the time, but now I can see it wasn’t a great idea,” Heather continued. “Anyway, everyone talked about it for days. That’s one of the worst things about living in a small town. Dad was furious with me, which didn’t help.”
“That’s why you were so excited when you met me,” Sherry said in a thoughtful voice.
“You’re darn right, especially when I found you sleeping in Dad’s bed.”
Sherry shot a glance at Ellie and felt her face grow warm. “Cody slept in the guest room.”
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