“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.”