She made up her mind on the walk to her own house that she would try to overcome the last of her doubts and take the kind of risk her father was urging. There was a time when she would have risked anything at all to be with Cody. The pain of losing him once had made her far too cautious. It was probably long past time to rediscover the old Melissa and take the dare he’d been issuing for months now.

She found him in a rocker on her front porch, a tuckered out Sharon Lynn asleep in his lap.

“Rough afternoon?” she queried, keeping her tone light and displaying none of the annoyance she’d felt when she’d discovered he’d absconded with her daughter. She sank into the rocker next to him and put it into a slow, soothing motion. She allowed her eyes to drift closed, then snapped them open before she fell completely, embarrassingly, asleep.

“Playing in the park is tough work,” he said, grinning at her. “There are swings and seesaws to ride, to say nothing of squirrels to be chased.” His gaze intensified. “You look frazzled. Bad day?”

“Bad day, bad week, bad everything,” she admitted, giving in to the exhaustion and turmoil she’d been fighting.

“I know just how to fix that,” Cody said, standing. He shifted Sharon Lynn into one arm and held out a hand. “Give me the key.”

Melissa plucked it from her purse and handed it over without argument. As soon as he’d gone, she closed her eyes again. The soothing motion of the rocker lulled her so that she was only vaguely aware of the screen door squeaking open and the sound of Cody’s boots as he crossed the porch.

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” he urged. “Here, take this.”

She forced her eyes open and saw the tall glass he was holding out. “Lemonade?” she asked with amazement. “Where’d you get it?”

“I made it.”

Her eyes blinked wider. “From scratch?”

He grinned. “I didn’t bake a chocolate soufflé, sweet pea. It’s just lemonade.”

They sat side by side, silently rocking, for what seemed an eternity after that. The spring breeze brought the fragrance of flowers wafting by. Hummingbirds hovered around the feeder at the end of the porch.

“This is nice, isn’t it?” Cody said eventually.

“Not too tame for you?” Melissa asked.

“Don’t start with me,” he chided, but without much ferocity behind the words.

She thought of what her father had said and of her own resolution to start taking risks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. I guess it’s become automatic.”

“Think you can break the cycle?” he inquired lightly.

Melissa met his gaze. “I’m going to try,” she promised. “I do want what you want, Cody.”