“Don’t be so sure,” she teased.

“That’s what you want, is it?” He was frowning so fiercely, his lips were a tight line.

“I want a man who’s willing to make an emotional commitment to me, and that includes time to come to know each other properly. I’m not willing to settle for anything less. If you’re serious about marrying me, Cody, then you’re going to have to prove to me you’re sincere. I won’t accept some…some offhand proposal.”

“You’re looking for romance, aren’t you?” he asked starkly.

“If you want to call it that,” she said. “I need to know I’m important to you, that this attraction isn’t just a passing thing.”

“I asked you to marry me, didn’t I?” He sounded thoroughly disgusted. “Trust me, a man doesn’t get any more serious than that.”

“Perhaps not,” Sherry agreed. “But a woman needs a little more than a proposal that talks about cutting to the chase and being done with it.”

“You want me down on one knee with my heart on my sleeve, telling you I couldn’t survive without you?”

She raised her eyebrows. “That would be a start.” If you meant it, she added silently.

“I thought so.” Cody stood and marched over to his briefcase. He threw his pen and pad inside, then slammed down the lid. “Well, you can forget it. I’m willing to compromise, but that’s as far as it goes. Take it or leave it, the choice is up to you.”

Sherry closed her eyes. “I believe we’ve both made our choices.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Sherry sat in a booth at the Yellow Rose, sipping coffee and mulling over the events of the weekend in Abilene. Doubt assailed her from all sides. Twice now, she’d rejected Cody’s marriage proposal.

The irony of the situation didn’t escape her. For years she’d longed for a husband and family. She’d been looking for a change in her life. This was why she’d uprooted herself and moved halfway across the country.

She’d been in Texas for less than a month, and in that time she’d been held captive by a community, helped deliver a beautiful baby boy and received a marriage proposal—twice. This was some kind of state.

Cody. She wished she could think clearly about him. The fact that she’d met a man who attracted her so powerfully came as a shock. That he should feel equally drawn to her was an unexpected bonus.

Donna Jo strolled over to the booth and refilled her coffee. “You’re looking a little under the weather,” the waitress commented. “How’d your weekend with Cody and Heather go?”

It was no surprise that Donna Jo knew she’d spent the weekend with the Bailmans. “We had a lot of fun.”

Donna Jo set the glass pot on the table. She shifted her weight, as if what she had to say was of momentous importance. “Take my word for it, honey, that man’s sweet on you.”

Sherry’s only response was a weak smile. “I heard about Heather’s 4-H project. That’s what you and Mrs. Colson wanted me to find out on my own, wasn’t it?”