She pulled back the sheets and undressed. She thought she’d be asleep before her head hit the pillow, but she was wrong. She tossed and turned until dawn, the image of Cody standing at the end of the hallway burned in her brain. Finally she fell into a troubled sleep.

* * *

“Hot damn.”

Sherry gingerly opened her eyes and saw a pretty girl of about twelve, dressed in jeans and a red plaid shirt, standing just inside the doorway. Dark braids dangled across her shoulders.

“Hot damn,” the girl repeated, smiling as if it was Christmas morning and she’d found Santa sitting under the tree.

Sherry levered herself up on one elbow and squinted against the light. “Hello.”

“Howdy,” the girl said eagerly.

“What time is it?” Sherry rubbed her eyes. It seemed she’d only been asleep a matter of minutes. If it hadn’t been rude to do so, she would’ve fallen back against the pillows and covered her face with the sheet.

“Eight-thirty. Where’s Dad?”

“Uh…you’re Heather?”

“So he mentioned me, did he?” she asked gleefully. The girl walked into the room and leaped onto the mattress, making it bounce.

“I think you have the wrong impression of what’s going on here,” Sherry felt obliged to tell her.

“You’re in my dad’s bed, aren’t you? That tells me everything I need to know. Besides, you’re the first woman I’ve seen him bring home. No, I think I get the picture. How’d you two meet?” She tucked her knees up under her chin and looped her arms around them, preparing herself for a lengthy explanation.

“Heather!” Cody’s voice boomed from the end of the hallway.

“In here!” she shouted back with enough force to make Sherry grimace.

Cody appeared as if by magic two seconds later, his large frame filling the doorway.

“Dad,” Heather said with a disappointed sigh, “you’ve been holding out on me.”

CHAPTER THREE

“So, Dad, when’s the wedding?”

“Heather!” Cody ground out furiously. He looked like he’d dressed in a hurry. He was in jeans and barefoot, and his Western-style shirt was left open, exposing his hard chest and abdomen and an attractive smattering of dark, curly hair.

“But, Dad, you’ve comprom—” she faltered “—ruined your friend’s reputation! Aren’t you gonna make an honest woman of her?”

Sherry laughed. She wondered where the girl had acquired such an old-fashioned expression, although it was clear Cody wasn’t amused by his daughter’s badgering. Heather’s blue eyes sparkled with mischief.

“So,” the girl continued, “how long has this been going on?”

“You will apologize to Miz Waterman,” Cody insisted, his voice hard.

“Sorry, Miz Waterman,” Heather said. She didn’t sound at all contrite. “I guess you’re new in town?”

Sherry nodded and thrust out her hand. “Call me Sherry. I’ll be working with Doc Lindsey.”

“Wow. That’s great.”

“I was with Ellie Johnson last night,” Sherry said.

“Ellie had her baby?” Heather’s excited gaze shot to her father.

“A boy. They named him Philip,” Cody answered.

Heather slapped her hand against the mattress. “Hot damn! Luke never said anything, but I know he was hoping for a boy. But then, Luke’s so crazy about Ellie he’d have been happy with a litter of kittens.”