Sherry’s hands fumbled with the last button and her heart fell straight to her knees. “Who told you that?”

“Oh, you could say I heard it on the grapevine. And not just any grapevine.”

“You should know by now how unreliable that can be,” Sherry said as unemotionally as she could, unwilling to swallow the bait.

Mrs. Colson raised her brows. “Not this time. My source is dependable. I have my ways of learning things.”

A “dependable” source? That had to be Janey the housekeeper. Or Heather…

“This town’s worse than Orchard Valley,” Sherry muttered. “I hardly know Cody Bailman. What makes you think he’d ask a casual acquaintance to marry him, and furthermore, what makes you assume I’d accept?”

“Casual acquaintance, is it?” Mrs. Colson asked. “Seems to me you know him well enough to dance cheek to cheek in some fancy hotel restaurant, don’t you?”

“You know about that, too?” Sherry’s jaw dropped. Yes, it had to be Heather. “Is nothing sacred in this town?”

“Morning.” Doc Lindsey strolled into the room; seeing Sherry, he paused and grinned broadly. “I hear you’re marrying Cody Bailman. He’s a damn good man. Congratulations.” He patted Sherry’s back and sauntered out of the room.

Sherry clenched her fists and looked up at the ceiling while she counted to ten. Apparently the folks in Pepper had nothing better to do than speculate on Cody’s love life.

“Cody’s waited a long time for the right woman,” Mrs. Colson stated matter-of-factly on her way out the door. “I only hope his stubbornness doesn’t ruin everything.”

“Mrs. Colson,” Sherry said, hanging the stethoscope around her neck. “I don’t mean to be rude or unfriendly, but I’d rather not discuss my personal affairs with you or Donna Jo or Billy Bob or anyone else.”

“The mayor’s got a good ear if you change your mind.”

Sherry gritted her teeth in her effort not to lose her temper. Something would have to be said, and soon; the situation was getting out of hand.

Sherry saw several patients that morning, the majority of them children having physicals before the start of the school year, which was only a week away. Rather than risk another confrontation with Donna Jo and the lunch crowd at the Yellow Rose, she ordered a chef’s salad and had it delivered.

At one, Mrs. Colson ushered her into Doc’s office, where a tall, regal-looking older woman in a lovely blue suit was waiting for her. The woman’s hair was white, and she wore it in an elegant French roll.

“Hello,” Sherry said. The older woman sat, her legs crossed, her designer purse in her lap.

“You must be Sherry. I’m Judith Bailman, Cody’s mother. I’ve come from Dallas to meet you.”

Sherry felt an overwhelming urge to sit down, too. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Mrs. Bailman.”

“The pleasure is mine. I understand there are several things we need to discuss.”

Sherry couldn’t seem to make her mouth work. She turned and pointed at the door in a futile effort to explain that she was on duty. Unfortunately, no patients were waiting at the moment.