Over the past few years Norah had written her long e-mails about life in Texas. One thing she’d said was that the men here were as unique as the trucks they drove. Sherry had been amused and intrigued enough to move here herself. She was beginning to understand what Norah had meant about the men.

“I wish I’d talked to Luke myself,” Cody said. He glanced at Sherry as if she was somehow to blame for his friend’s discomfort. “That man’s so crazy about Ellie he’d lose his head completely if anything ever happened to her.”

Sherry grinned. “Isn’t that how a man should feel about his wife?”

Cody didn’t answer right away. “Some men with some women, I suppose,” he said a moment later.

Not wanting to discuss what he’d said or what it might imply, Sherry changed the subject. “Are there really rattlesnakes out there on Rattlesnake Ridge?” she asked conversationally.

“In Texas we tend to call a spade a spade. We don’t pretty up the truth, and the truth is there’s rattlers on that ridge. You’ll see it isn’t named Buttercup Hill.”

“I see.” She swallowed hard. “Are snakes a problem around here?”

“You afraid of snakes?” His gaze left the road for a few seconds.

“Not particularly,” she said, trying to make her tone light. Norah hadn’t said anything about snakes. “Tell me what you know about Ellie. Doc said she’d gone two weeks beyond her due date with the first pregnancy. Do you remember the baby’s birth weight?”

Cody glanced at her again, his expression puzzled.

“If I’m going to be delivering this baby, any fact you can give me is helpful,” she said. “Is Ellie small and delicate?”

“I guess…”

Sherry could see that Cody wasn’t going to provide much information. “What else can you tell me about her?”

“Well, she’s real cute.”

“Young?”

“Mid-twenties. Luke wasn’t interested in marriage until Ellie came to visit her grandparents a few years back. He took one look at her and he hasn’t been the same since. I swear he walked around like a sick calf from the moment he met her.” Cody frowned before he continued, “Unfortunately, his condition hasn’t improved. It’s been a long while since I’ve seen a man as smitten as Luke.” He said this last part as if he had little patience with love or romance. “My bet is that Ellie’s the calm one now.”

“Her first pregnancy was normal?”

“I think so. Don’t know for sure.”

“Boy or girl?”

“Girl. Christina Lynn. Cute as a bug’s ear, too.”

“Was she a big baby?”

“Not that I recall, but then I don’t know much about that sort of thing.”

“How old is Christina Lynn?”

“She must be a year or so.” He paused. “Is that bad?”

“Why?” His question surprised her.

“Because you frowned.”

Sherry hadn’t realized she had. “No, it’s just that they didn’t wait long before Ellie became pregnant again.”

“No, but if you want the truth, I don’t think this one was planned any more than Christina Lynn was. Luke’s besotted—that’s the only word for it. Got his head in the clouds where Ellie’s concerned.”