Cody started to tell her he hadn’t asked her, but of course he had. “Look, I don’t blame you for resenting me, but the fact of the matter is that I love your daughter, stubborn as she is, and I want to marry her and be a father to our children. I think she loves me, too, but she thinks she’s a fool for doing it.”

He saw from the set expression on her face that Velma had probably reinforced that belief. Maybe if he could win over the mother, she’d change her tune with Melissa and give him a fighting chance.

“You want her to be happy, don’t you?”

“Of course I do,” she said indignantly. “What makes you think I don’t?”

“Because I think she’s taking her cue from you. I think if she and I had just a little time alone, we could work this out, preferably before another one of our children is born without my name. Will you give us that chance?”

Velma spent the next minute or two in an obvious struggle with her conscience. “What is it you want, exactly?”

“Keep Sharon Lynn here tonight. Don’t interfere with my plans. That’s all.”

“You think you can convince her in one night, when you haven’t made any progress at all in the past nine months?” Velma inquired with a shake of her head. “You don’t know Melissa half as well as you think you do.”

She sighed heavily. “Okay, I’ll keep Sharon Lynn for you,” she relented to Cody’s relief. “But it’ll have to be for the whole weekend. If you ask me, it’s going to take you that long, maybe even longer, to turn that girl around. She’s scared spitless she’ll admit she loves you and you’ll turn around and leave again.”

“I won’t,” he swore. He circled Velma’s waist and spun her around. “Thank you. You’re an angel.”

She kept her lips in a tight line, resisting him to the bitter end, but Cody thought he detected a spark of amusement in her eyes. “See that you do right by her, young man, or I’ll have your hide.”

He kissed her cheek. “Not to worry, Velma. This is going to be a weekend to remember.”

He was already making plans to sweep Melissa away to a quiet, secluded cabin for a romantic weekend by the time he hit the driveway.