“Be patient with him,” Ellie advised.

Sherry smiled. “It’s funny you should say that. A few days ago someone else said the same thing.”

“Cody’s so much like Luke. I’d like to shake the pair of them. Luke wasn’t any different when we first met. He seemed to assume that if he loved me he’d lose part of himself. He put on this rough-and-tough exterior and was so unreasonable that…suffice it to say we had our ups and downs, as well.”

“What was the turning point for you and Luke?”

Ellie leaned back in her chair, her expression thoughtful. “My first inclination is to say everything changed when I decided to leave Pepper. That’s when Luke raced after my car on his horse and proposed. But it really happened about a week before that.” She sighed and sipped her tea. “To hear Luke tell it, we fell in love the moment we set eyes on each other. Trust me, it wasn’t like that. For most of the summer we argued. He seemed to think I was his exclusive property, which infuriated me.”

“What happened?”

“Oh, there wasn’t any big climactic scene when we both realized we were destined for each other. In fact, it was something small that convinced me of his love for me—and eventually mine for him.

“Luke had taken me horseback riding, and I’d dared him to do something stupid. I can’t even remember what it was now, but he refused, rightly so. It made me mad and I took off at a gallop. I’m not much of a horsewoman and I hadn’t gone more than a few feet before I was thrown. Luckily I wasn’t hurt, but my pride had taken a beating and Luke made the mistake of laughing at me.

“I was so furious I left, figuring I’d rather walk back to the ranch than ride. Naturally, it started to rain—heavily—and I was drenched in seconds. Luke, too. I was so angry with him and myself that I wouldn’t speak to him. Finally Luke got down off his horse and walked behind me, leading the two mares. He wouldn’t leave me, although heaven knew I deserved it. I thought about that incident for a long time afterward, and I realized this was the kind of man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

“But you decided to leave Pepper shortly after that.”

“Yes,” Ellie admitted cheerfully. “It was the only way. He seemed to think marriage was something we could discuss in three or four years.”

“It’s something Cody wants to discuss every three or four minutes.”

Ellie laughed. “Do you love him?”

“Yes,” Sherry said in a soft voice. “But that’s not the problem.”

“Cody’s the problem. I know what you mean.”

“He wants me to marry him, but he doesn’t want to get emotionally involved with me. He makes the whole thing sound like a business proposition, and I’m looking for much more than a…an arrangement.”

“You frighten him.”