“If it’s for my daughter, it is not a waste of money,” he said curtly. “Now, can I find the kind of car seat I need at the discount superstore out on the highway?”

She nodded.

He turned the truck around on a dime, spewing gravel. He drove ten miles before his temper had cooled enough to speak again. He’d set out today to woo Melissa into changing her mind about marrying him. His first overtures, however, appeared to have gone awry. He’d lost his sense of humor, right along with his temper. It was no way for the two of them to start over. He sucked in a deep breath and made up his mind to mend fences.

“Truce?” he suggested, glancing over at her. She was huddled against the door, looking miserable. She shrugged.

“I’m not an ogre,” he stated. “I’m just trying to fit into Sharon Lynn’s life.” Her gaze lifted to meet his. “And yours.”

She sighed. “We don’t need you,” she repeated stubbornly. “We were doing just fine before you came back.”

He ignored the tide of hurt that washed through him at the dismissive comment. “Maybe I need you.”

Melissa frowned. “Yeah, right,” she said sarcastically. “As if Cody Adams ever needed anybody. Didn’t you pride yourself on staying footloose and fancy free?”

He saw no point in denying something she knew better than anyone. “I did,” he agreed. He thought about the agonizing loneliness of that cabin he’d sentenced himself to in Wyoming. “Maybe being alone for the past eighteen months has changed me. Maybe I’m not the selfish, carefree, independent cuss who stormed away from Texas.”

“And maybe pigs can fly,” she countered.

He grinned at her. “Maybe they can,” he said quietly. “If you believe in magic.”

“I don’t,” she said succinctly.

Cody heard the terrible pain in her voice, even if her expression remained absolutely stoic. Dear heaven, what had he done to her by running off and leaving her to face being pregnant all alone? He saw now what he hadn’t observed before. Not only was Melissa stronger and more self-sufficient, she also had an edge of cynicism and bitterness that hadn’t been there before. The blame for that was his, no one else’s.

At the discount store, when Melissa would have grabbed the first car seat they came across, Cody stopped her, deliberately taking the time to read the package for every last detail on safety. If nothing else, he intended to impress on Melissa that he took his parenting responsibilities seriously. Nothing was too trivial, too expensive, or too complicated to tackle if it had to do with his daughter.

Nearly an hour later they finally loaded the new car seat into the truck.

“I think that salesclerk despaired of ever getting you to make a choice,” Melissa said, the beginnings of a smile tugging at her lips.