“Pardon?” she said, looking up at him and making a feeble attempt at a smile.

“Nothing,” he said gruffly. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You wish you could what?” she pressed.

He glanced away, and his wide shoulders heaved with a labored sigh. “I wish I could forget!” he said forcefully. “There. Are you happy now?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m confused.”

“So am I. I like you, Sherry. I don’t know why, but I do, and I don’t mind telling you it scares the living daylights out of me. The last time I was this attracted to a woman I was—” he rubbed the side of his jaw “—a heck of a lot younger than I am now. And you’re leaving.”

“But I’ll be back.” The rush to get to Houston at the earliest possible moment left her. Nothing appealed to her more right now than exploring what was happening between her and Cody Bailman.

“But you won’t be back for two weeks.” He made it sound like an eternity. His face tightened. “By the time you’re back it won’t be the same.”

“We don’t know that.”

“I do,” he said with certainty.

Sherry was torn. “Are you asking me to stay?”

His nostrils flared at the question. “No,” he said emphatically, and then more softly, “No.” He moved a step closer. “Aw, what the hell,” he muttered crossly. He reached for her, slipped his arm around her waist, pulled her toward him—and kissed her.

At last he drew back and sighed. “There,” he said, his breath warm against her face. “Now go, before I make an even bigger fool of myself.”

But Sherry wasn’t sure she was capable of moving, let alone driving several hundred miles. She blinked and tried to catch her breath.

“Why’d you do that?” she demanded.

“Darned if I know,” Cody admitted, sounding none too pleased with himself.

Sherry understood his consternation when she glanced around her. It seemed the entire town of Pepper, Texas, had stopped in midmotion to stare at them. A couple of men loitering outside the hardware store were watching them. Several curious faces filled the window at the Yellow Rose, including Donna Jo’s. The waitress, in fact, looked downright excited and gave Sherry a thumbs-up.

“We’ve done it now,” Cody said, scowling at her as if she were to blame. “Everyone’s going to be talking.”

“I’d like to remind you I wasn’t the one who started this.”

“Yeah, but you sure enjoyed it.”

“Well, this is just fine, isn’t it,” she said, glad for an excuse to be on her way. “I’m outta here.” Tossing her lunch bag onto the passenger seat, she slipped inside the car.

“Sherry, blast it, don’t leave yet!”

“Why? What else have you got planned?”

“Okay, okay, I shouldn’t have kissed you, I’ll be the first to agree.” He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. “As I said before, I like you.”

“You have a funny way of showing it.”

He closed his eyes and nodded. “I’ve already made a mess of this, and I haven’t even known you for a whole day. Listen, in two weeks Pepper’s going to hold its annual picnic and dance. Will you be there?” He gave her the date and the time.