Orchard Valley Brides (21 page)

“Oh?”

“To my way of thinking, it's not necessary.”

Sherry frowned. “So you've said.” Countless times, but reminding him of that would have sounded petty and argumentative. The moment was peaceful, and she didn't want to ruin it. “Tell me what you want and I'll do it,” he said decisively.

“You want a
list?
”

“That'd help. I'm no good at this sort of thing, and I'm going to need a few instructions.”

Sherry turned to look at him. She pressed her hand to his cheek. “That's really very sweet, Cody. I'm touched.”

“If that's the only way I can convince you to marry me, then what the heck, I'll do it. Just tell me what you want, so I don't waste a lot of time.”

“I…I hate to disappoint you, but giving you instructions would defeat the purpose. It has to come from your heart, Cody.” She moved her hand to his chest and held it there. “Otherwise it wouldn't be sincere.”

A frown quickly snapped into place. “You want me to do a few mushy things to prove I'm sincere, but you aren't willing to tell me what they are?”

“You make it sound silly.”

“As far as I'm concerned, it is. Asking you to marry me is as sincere as I can get. And if that isn't good enough—”

Their peace was about to be destroyed, and Sherry was unwilling to let it happen. So she acted impulsively and stopped him the only way she knew would work.

She kissed him.

The instant her mouth covered his, she felt his anger melt away. His kiss was both tender and fierce. His breath was warm, his lips hot and eager, and the kiss left her trembling.

Then he began kissing her neck, from her chin to her shoulder. As always happened when he touched her, Sherry felt like Dorothy caught up in the tornado, spinning out of control before landing in a magical land. When he raised his head from hers, she immediately missed him. Missed his warmth, his passion, his closeness.

Cody started to say something, then changed his mind. He raised his finger to her face and brushed it down her cheek. “I have to go.”

She wanted him to stay, but wouldn't ask it of him.

“The guys are waiting for me. They're counting on me.”

“It's all right, Cody.”

He stood and thrust his hands in his jeans pockets, as if to stop himself from reaching for her again. That thought helped lighten the melancholy she experienced at his leaving.

“It was good to see you again,” he said stiffly.

“Good to see you, too,” she returned just as stiffly.

He hesitated on the top step and turned back to face her. “Uh, you're sure you don't want to give me a few tips on, uh, romance?”

“I'm confident you aren't going to need them.
Follow your heart, Cody, and I promise you it'll lead directly to mine.”

He smiled, and Sherry swore she'd never seen anything sexier.

 

She didn't hear from Cody all day Saturday, which was disappointing. She'd hoped he'd taken her words to heart and understood what she'd been trying to say.

Yes, she wanted to be courted the way women had been courted for centuries. But she also wanted to be
loved.
Cody was more afraid of love than he was of marriage.

Late that night when she was in bed reading, she heard something or someone outside her bedroom window. At first she didn't know what to make of it. The noise was awful, loud and discordant. Several minutes passed before she realized it was someone playing a guitar, or rather, attempting to play a guitar.

She pulled open the blinds and looked out to see Cody standing on the lawn, crooning for all he was worth. Whatever he was singing—or thought he was singing—was completely unrecognizable to her.

“Cody!” she shouted, jerking up the window and poking her head out. “What on earth are you doing?”

He started to sing louder. Sherry winced. His singing was worse than his guitar-playing. Holding up the window with one hand, she covered her ear with the other.

“Cody!” she shouted again.

“You wanted romance,” he called back and then repeatedly strummed the guitar in a burst of energy. “This comes straight from the heart, just like you wanted.”

“Have you been drinking?”

He laughed and threw back his head, running his fingers over the guitar strings with hurried, unpracticed movements. “You don't honestly think I'd try this sober, do you?”

“Cody!”

The sound of a police siren in the background startled Sherry. It was the first time she'd heard one in Pepper. Apparently there was some kind of trouble, but Sherry didn't have time to think about that now, not with Cody serenading her, sounding like a sick bull.

“Cody!”

“What's the matter?” he shouted. “You said you wanted romance. Well, this is it. The best I can do.”

“Give me a minute to get dressed and I'll be right out.” She started to lower the window, then poked her head out again. “Don't go away, and quit playing that guitar!”

“Anything you want,” he said, strumming even more wildly and discordantly than before.

Lowering the window didn't help. Cody knew as much about guitar-playing as she did about mustering cattle. Pulling on jeans and a light sweater, she slipped her feet into tennis shoes and hurried out the door. Fortunately the siren, too, had stopped.

As she came out onto the porch, she was gratified to realize he'd stopped playing. It wasn't until she'd reached the bottom step that she noticed the police car parked in front of the clinic.

Hurrying around to the side of the building, she encountered Cody and a sheriff's deputy, whose flashlight was zeroed in on her romantic idiot.

“Is there a problem here?” Sherry asked. She hadn't
met this particular deputy, but the name tag above his shirt pocket read Steven Bean.

“No problem, isn't that right, Mr. Bailman?”

“None whatsoever,” Cody said, looking almost sober. If it wasn't for the cocky smile he wore, it would've been impossible to tell he'd been drinking. “I only had a couple shots of whiskey,” he explained. “I had to, or I'd never have had the guts to pull this off.”

“Are you arresting Mr. Bailman?” Sherry asked.

“We've had three calls in the last five minutes,” Deputy Bean said. “The first call said there was a wounded animal in town. The second caller thought there was a fight of some kind going on. And the third one came from Mayor Bowie. He said we had the authority to do whatever was necessary to put an end to that infernal racket. Those were his precise words.”

“I may not be another Willie Nelson, but my singing isn't that bad,” Cody protested.

“Trust me, Bailman, it's bad.”

Cody turned to Sherry for vindication. Even though he was serenading her in the name of romance, even though he was suffering this embarrassment on her behalf, she couldn't bring herself to lie.

“I think it'd be better if you didn't sing again for a while,” she suggested tactfully.

He sent her an injured look, then turned to the deputy. “Are you gonna take me to jail?” he demanded.

“I could, you know,” Deputy Bean told him.

“On what grounds?” Sherry challenged.

“Disturbing the peace, for starters.”

“I didn't know it was unlawful to play the guitar,” Cody said, sounding aggrieved.

“It is the way you do it,” Deputy Bean muttered.

“He won't be doing it again,” Sherry promised, looking at Cody. “Right?”

“Right.” Cody held up his hand.

The deputy sighed and lowered his flashlight. “In that case, why don't we just drop this? I'll let you off with a warning.”

“Thank you,” Sherry said.

The deputy began to leave, but Cody stopped him. “Will there be a report of this in the paper on Wednesday?”

The officer shrugged. “I suppose. The
Weekly
reports all police calls.”

“I'd appreciate it if you could see that this one doesn't make the paper.”

“I can't do that, Mr. Bailman.”

“Why not?”

“I'm not the one who turns the calls over to Mr. Douglas. He comes in every morning and collects them himself.”

“Then make sure he doesn't have anything to collect,” Cody said.

The deputy shrugged again. “I'll do my best, but I'm not making any promises. We got three calls, you know.”

Cody waited until the patrol car had disappeared into the night before he removed his Stetson and slammed it against his leg. He frowned at his mangled hat and tried to bend it back into shape.

“I've ruined the best hat I've ever had because of you,” he grumbled.

“Me?”

“You heard me.”

“Are you blaming me for this…this fiasco?”

“No!” he shouted back. “I'm blaming Luke. He was
the one who said I should serenade you. He claimed it didn't matter that I couldn't play the guitar or sing. He said women go crazy for this kind of stuff. I should've known.” He indignantly brushed off the Stetson before setting it back on his head, adjusting the angle.

“It was very sweet, Cody, and I do appreciate it.”

“Sure you do. Women get a real kick out of seeing a grown man make a jackass out of himself in front of the whole town.”

“That's not fair!”

“You know what?” Cody barked, waving his arms, “I was liked and respected in this town before you came along making unreasonable demands. All I want is a wife.”

“
You're
being unreasonable.”

Cody shook his head. “The way I see it, you're waiting for some prince to come along and sweep you away on his big white horse. Well, sweetheart, it isn't going to be me.”

For a moment, Sherry was too shocked to respond. “I didn't ask you to serenade me. Or to sweep me away on your horse.”

“Oh, no,” he said, walking toward the gate. “That would've been too easy. On top of everything else, I'm supposed to be psychic or something. You won't tell me what you want. It's up to me to read your mind.”

“That's not fair,” she repeated.

“You said it, not me.”

“Cody—” She stopped herself, not wanting to argue with him. “You're right. I'm out of line expecting a man who wants to marry me to love me too.”

Cody apparently didn't hear her, or if he did, he chose
to ignore her
and
her sarcasm. “Luke. That's where I made my mistake,” he said. “I assumed my best friend would know all the answers, because for all his bumbling ways, he managed to marry Ellie.”

“You're absolutely right,” Sherry said, marching up the steps. “You could learn a lesson or two from your friend. At least he was in love with the woman he wanted to marry and wasn't just looking for someone to warm his bed and keep his daughter happy.”

Cody whirled around and shook his finger at her. “You know what I think?”

“I don't know and I don't really care.”

“I'm going to tell you, anyway, so listen.”

She crossed her arms and heaved an exasperated sigh.

“Cancel the whole thing!” Cody shouted. “Forget I asked you to marry me!”

“Cody!” someone hollered in the distance. Sherry looked up in time to see a head protruding from the upstairs window of the house across the street. “Either you shut up or I'm calling the sheriff again.”

“Don't worry,” Cody hollered back. “I'm leaving.”

“I
s it true?” Heather asked the following morning as Sherry walked out of church. “Did you nearly get my dad arrested?”

Sherry closed her eyes wearily. “Did Cody tell you that?”

“No.” Heather's eyes were huge and round. “I heard Mrs. Morgan telling Mrs. James about it. They said Dad was standing under your bedroom window singing and playing the guitar. I didn't even know Dad could play the guitar.”

“He can't. I think you should ask your father about what happened last night,” Sherry told her, unwilling to comment further. She couldn't. Cody would find some way of blaming her, regardless of what she said.

“He didn't come to church this morning. He had Slim drive me to town because he said his head hurt.”

Served him right, thought Sherry.

“School starts the day after tomorrow,” Heather announced. “Do you want to know what I'm going to wear for the first day? My new jeans, that black T-shirt and my new shoes.”

“Sounds perfect,” Sherry said.

“I've got to go.” Heather glanced across the parking lot. “Slim's waiting for me in the pickup. When are you going to come to the house again? I was kind of hoping you would last week. I was thinking of having my hair cut and I found this really cool style in my friend Carrie's magazine. I wanted to show it to you.”

“Ask your father if you can stay after school one afternoon this week, and I'll drive you home,” Sherry suggested. “But tell him—” she hesitated “—I won't be able to stay. Make sure he knows that. I'll just drop you off.”

“Okay,” Heather said, walking backward. “That'd be great. Do you mind if Carrie comes along? She wants to meet you, too, and her place isn't that far from mine.”

“Sure.”

“Thanks.” Heather's smile lit up her whole face. “I'll call and let you know which day is good.”

Sherry waved and the girl turned and raced over to the pickup. Sighing, Sherry started toward her own car. She hadn't gone more than a few steps when she heard Ellie Johnson call her.

“Sherry,” Ellie said, walking in her direction. “Have you got a minute?”

“Sure.”

“I've been meaning to call you all week, but with the baby and everything, it slipped my mind. I know it's short notice, but I'd love for you to come to the house for dinner. I've got a roast in the slow cooker. Drop by in a little while and we can visit for a few hours. Luke's so busy these days I'm starved for companionship.”

“I'd love to.”

“That's wonderful.” Ellie seemed genuinely pleased. “You won't have any problems finding your way, will you?”

Sherry told her she wouldn't. As it happened, she was eager for a bit of female companionship, too. With Ellie, Sherry could be herself. She didn't worry that she'd have to endure an inquisition or make explanations about Cody and her.

When Sherry arrived at the ranch an hour or so later, Ellie came out onto the porch to greet her. One-year-old Christina Lynn was thrilled to have company, and she tottered excitedly over to Sherry, who scooped her up and carried her into the kitchen.

After giving Ellie's daughter the proper attention, Sherry asked about Philip. “He's sleeping,” she was assured. “I fed him and put him down. Christina Lynn's due for her nap, too, but I promised she could visit with you first.” Sherry sat down at the kitchen table, and the toddler climbed into her lap and investigated, with small probing fingers, the jeweled pin she wore.

It had been several weeks since Sherry had spent time with Norah and her kids, and she missed being with young children. Christina Lynn seemed equally infatuated with her.

While Sherry devoted herself to the world of a small child, Ellie poured them glasses of iced tea, which she brought to the kitchen table.

“I suppose you heard what happened?” Sherry asked, needing to discuss the events of the night before. After all, there was sure to be some sort of backlash, since Cody seemed to blame Luke as much as he did her.

“There were rumors at church this morning. Is it true Cody was almost arrested?”

“Yes. For disturbing the peace.”

A smile quivered at the edges of Ellie's mouth. “I'm afraid Cody Bailman has a few lessons to learn about women.”

“I would've thought his wife, Karen, had taught him all this.”

“I never knew her, of course,” Ellie said, reaching for her glass, “but apparently Luke did. I've asked him about her.”

“What did he tell you?” Sherry was more than curious. She sensed that the key to understanding Cody was rooted in his marriage, however brief.

“From what I remember, Cody met Karen while they were in college. He was away from home for the first time and feeling lonely. Luke was surprised when he married her—at least that's what he told me. She was something of a tomboy, even at twenty. In many ways I suspect she was the perfect rancher's wife. She loved riding and working with cattle. What I heard is there wasn't anything she couldn't do.” Ellie hesitated and looked away as if carefully judging her words. “Luke also said Karen wasn't very interested in being a wife or mother. She resented having to stay home with the baby.” She took a deep breath.

“Luke also told me they had some huge fights about it. Karen died in a car accident after one of them. She'd threatened to leave Cody and Heather, but Luke doubts that she meant it. She mentioned divorce on a regular basis, dramatically packing her bags and lugging them out to the car. No one'll ever know if she meant it that particular time or not because she took a curve too fast and ran off the road. She died instantly.”

“How sad.”

“I know Cody loved Karen,” Ellie continued. “I admire him for picking up the pieces of his life and moving forward.”

“I do, too. I didn't realize his marriage had been so traumatic.”

“It wasn't always unhappy. Don't misunderstand me. Cody cared deeply for his wife, but I don't think he was ever truly comfortable with her, if you know what I mean.”

Sherry wasn't sure she did, but she let it pass.

“He's at a loss when it comes to showing a woman how he feels. The only woman he ever loved was so involved in herself that she didn't have much love left for anyone else, including him or Heather.”

“He's afraid,” Sherry whispered. But it wasn't for any of the reasons she'd assumed. After learning he was a widower, Sherry believed he'd buried himself in his grief. Now she understood differently. Cody feared that if he loved someone again, that love would come back to him empty and shallow.

“Be patient with him,” Ellie advised.

Sherry smiled. “It's funny you should say that. A few days ago someone else said the same thing.”

“Cody's so much like Luke. I'd like to shake the pair of them. Luke wasn't any different when we first met. He seemed to assume that if he loved me he'd lose part of himself. He put on this rough-and-tough exterior and was so unreasonable that…suffice it to say we had our ups and downs, as well.”

“What was the turning point for you and Luke?”

Ellie leaned back in her chair, her expression thoughtful. “My first inclination is to say everything changed when I decided to leave Pepper. That's when Luke raced
after my car on his horse and proposed. But it really happened about a week before that.” She sighed and sipped her tea. “To hear Luke tell it, we fell in love the moment we set eyes on each other. Trust me, it wasn't like that. For most of the summer we argued. He seemed to think I was his exclusive property, which infuriated me.”

“What happened?”

“Oh, there wasn't any big climactic scene when we both realized we were destined for each other. In fact, it was something small that convinced me of his love for me—and eventually mine for him.

“Luke had taken me horseback riding, and I'd dared him to do something stupid. I can't even remember what it was now, but he refused, rightly so. It made me mad and I took off at a gallop. I'm not much of a horsewoman and I hadn't gone more than a few feet before I was thrown. Luckily I wasn't hurt, but my pride had taken a beating and Luke made the mistake of laughing at me.

“I was so furious I left, figuring I'd rather walk back to the ranch than ride. Naturally, it started to rain—heavily—and I was drenched in seconds. Luke, too. I was so angry with him and myself that I wouldn't speak to him. Finally Luke got down off his horse and walked behind me, leading the two mares. He wouldn't leave me, although heaven knew I deserved it. I thought about that incident for a long time afterward, and I realized this was the kind of man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

“But you decided to leave Pepper shortly after that.”

“Yes,” Ellie admitted cheerfully. “It was the only way. He seemed to think marriage was something we could discuss in three or four years.”

“It's something Cody wants to discuss every three or four minutes.”

Ellie laughed. “Do you love him?”

“Yes,” Sherry said in a soft voice. “But that's not the problem.”

“Cody's the problem. I know what you mean.”

“He wants me to marry him, but he doesn't want to get emotionally involved with me. He makes the whole thing sound like a business proposition, and I'm looking for much more than a…an arrangement.”

“You frighten him.”

“Good, because he frightens me, too. We met that first day I arrived in town, and my life hasn't been the same since.”

Ellie patted Sherry's hand. “Tell me, what's all this about you insisting on romance? I overheard Cody talking to Luke yesterday afternoon. I wish I could've recorded the conversation, because it was quite funny. Luke was advising Cody on a variety of ways to—” she made quotation marks with her fingers “—win your heart.”

Sherry rolled her eyes. “That's the thing. Cody already has my heart. He just doesn't know what to do with it.”

“Give him time,” Ellie said. “Cody's smarter than he looks.”

A little later, Sherry helped her friend with the dinner preparations. Christina Lynn awoke from her nap and gleefully “helped” Sherry arrange the silverware around the table. A few minutes before five, Luke returned home, looking hot and dusty. He kissed his wife and daughter, showered and joined them for dinner.

They sat around the big kitchen table and after the
blessing, Luke handed Sherry the bowl of mashed potatoes. He said, “So Cody came to see you last night.” He cast a triumphant smile at his wife. His cocky grin implied that if Sherry and Cody were married anytime soon, he'd take the credit.

“Honey,” Ellie said brightly, “Luke was nearly arrested for disturbing the peace. And from what Sherry told me, Cody blames you.”

“
Me?
I wasn't the one out there making a first-class fool of myself.”

“True, but you were the one who suggested he do it.”

“That shouldn't make any difference.” Luke ladled gravy over his meat and potatoes before reaching for the green beans. “As long as Sherry thought it was romantic, it shouldn't matter.” He glanced at Sherry and nodded as if to accept her gratitude.

“Well, yes, it was, uh—”

“Romantic,” Luke supplied, looking hopeful.

“It was…romantic, yes. Sort of.”

“It was ridiculous,” Ellie inserted.

“A man's willing to do ridiculous things for a woman if that's what she wants.”

“I don't, and I never said I did,” Sherry was quick to inform him. “It bothers me that Cody would think I wanted him to do anything so…”

“Asinine,” Ellie said.

“Exactly.”

Luke was grinning from ear to ear. “Isn't love grand?”

“No, it isn't,” a male voice boomed from the doorway. Cody stood on the other side of the screen. He swung it open and stepped inside, eyeing Luke as if he was a traitor who ought to be dragged before a firing squad.

“Cody!” Ellie greeted him warmly. “Join us for dinner?”

“No, thanks, I just ate. I came over to have a little talk with Luke. I didn't realize you had company.”

“If it makes you uncomfortable, I'll leave,” Sherry offered.

“Don't,” Ellie whispered.

Cody's gaze swung to Sherry and it seemed to bore into her very soul. He was angry; she could feel it.

“Come in and have a coffee at least,” Ellie said, picking up the pot and pouring him a cup. Cody moved farther into the kitchen and sat down at the table grudgingly.

“I suppose you heard?” Cody's question was directed at Luke and filled with censure. “The next time I need advice about romance—or anything else—you're the last person I'm gonna see.”

Sherry did her best to concentrate on her meal and ignore both men.

“I assumed because you got Ellie to marry you,” Cody went on, “you'd know the secret of keeping a woman happy.”

“He does!”

Three pairs of eyes moved to Ellie. “He loves me.”

“Love.” Cody spat the word as if the very sound of it was distasteful.

“That could be why a smart woman like Sherry is hesitant to marry you,” Ellie said.

“I don't suppose she mentioned the fact that I've withdrawn my offer. I've decided the whole idea of marriage is a mistake. I don't need a woman to make a fool out of me.”

“Not when you do such a good job of it yourself,” Ellie said dryly.

Sherry's grip on her fork tightened at the flash of pain that went through her. It hurt her to think she'd come this close to love only to lose it.

“Anyway,” Ellie said, “I'm sorry to hear you've changed your mind, Cody.” Then she grinned. “I've got apple pan dowdy for dessert. Care for some?”

“Apple pan dowdy?” Cody's eyes lit up. “I think I could find room for a small serving.”

Sherry wasn't sure how Ellie arranged it, but within a matter of minutes she was alone in the kitchen with Cody. Philip began to cry and Ellie excused herself. Then Luke made some excuse to leave, taking Christina Lynn with him.