His voice was ragged and oddly breathless when he said, “You kiss me.”

Sherry didn’t hesitate, not for an instant. She placed her hands on either side of his head and drew it down toward hers. Their lips met in an uncomplicated kiss. Sweet, gentle, undemanding. Then it changed in intensity. What had seemed so sweet and simple a moment earlier took on a magnitude and power that left her head swimming and her lungs depleted of air.

Cody groaned and his mouth slanted hard over hers.

This wasn’t the type of kiss that burned itself out, that made the gradual transformation from passionate to pleasant. This kiss was a long way from being complete before it grew too hot, too heady for either of them to handle.

Sherry wasn’t sure who moved first, but they broke apart and stepped back. Space, she needed space, and from the look of him, so did Cody. Sherry’s chest was heaving, her heart pounding, and her emotions threatened to fly out of control.

Cody spoke first. “I think,” he said raggedly, “that it’s a fair assumption to say we’re sexually compatible.”

Sherry nodded mutely. This brief experiment with the physical aspects of their relationship had proved to be more potent than she’d thought possible. She raised her trembling fingers to her lips.

Suddenly, standing seemed to require a great deal of energy, so Sherry moved back to the sofa and sat, hoping she seemed confident and composed. She felt neither.

Cody joined her as he had earlier—sitting on the far end of the sofa where there wasn’t any possibility of accidentally touching her.

He reached over to the nearby table for the same pad and pencil. “Thus far, your main objection to marrying me is…” He hesitated, then reviewed his notes and set aside the pad.

“I want to be sure of something,” Sherry said when she was reasonably certain her voice would sound even and steady. “Heather’s 4-H project.”

Cody’s gaze shot to hers.

“Your sudden desire for a wife—does it have anything to do with that?”

His shoulders squared defensively. “Yes and no. To be honest, I hadn’t given much consideration to marrying again until this past year, and Heather had a lot to do with that. She’s at the age now when she needs a woman’s influence. She realized it herself, I think, before I did. Otherwise she wouldn’t have come up with that crazy project idea.”

“I see.” Sherry found the truth painful, but was glad he hadn’t lied.

“That doesn’t mean anything, though. I didn’t meet you and immediately decide you’d be a perfect mother for Heather. I looked at you and decided you were a perfect wife for me, with one exception.”

“What’s that?”

“You want everything sugar-coated.”

“Cody, it’s much more than that!”

He shook his head. “I’m not the kind of guy to decorate something with a bunch of fancy words. Nor do I have the time to persuade you I’m decent enough to be your husband. If you haven’t figured that out by now, flowers and candy ain’t going to do it.”