Married in Texas, page 20
Sherry laughed. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard from Doc Lindsey?”
“Yes. He called this morning to see if everything was working out.”
Sherry was relieved. At least the physician had some sense of responsibility. “I want to talk to him when he phones in again.”
“No problem. He wants to talk to you, too. Apparently there’s been a misunderstanding—you weren’t scheduled to begin work for another two weeks.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell everyone,” Sherry said emphatically. “I made the mistake of driving through town, and everyone figured that because I was here I was starting right away.”
Mrs. Colson fiddled with a folder from the file drawer, pulling out a sheet of paper and glancing through its contents. “Doc’s right. It’s in the contract, plain as day. So, why are you here so early?”
“I was just passing through on my way to Houston,” she explained patiently—and not for the first time. “Mayor Bowie assumed I was here to stay and so did Doc. Before I could stop him, he was out the door with his fishing pole in hand.”
“You should’ve said something.”
Sherry resisted the urge to scream. “I tried, but no one would listen.”
“Well, Doc told me to tell you he’ll be back in town sometime this afternoon. He says the fish don’t bite this early in the season, anyway.”
“I’ll need to call my friends and tell them I’m going to be late,” Sherry said. She hadn’t had a chance to phone Norah yesterday, thanks to the events of the afternoon and evening.
“Sure, go right ahead.”
Sherry decided to wait until she’d showered and changed clothes before she contacted Norah. It was midmorning before she felt human again.
“I’m in Pepper,” Sherry explained once she had Norah on the line. “It’s a long story, but I won’t be able to leave until later this afternoon, which will put me in Houston late tomorrow.”
“That’s no problem,” Norah was quick to assure her. “I’m so glad you’re coming! I’ve missed you, Sherry.”
“I’ve missed you, too.”
“How do you like Texas so far?” Norah wanted to know.
Given Sherry’s circumstances, it was an unfair question. “I haven’t been here long enough to really form an opinion. But the natives seem friendly, and with a little practice I think I’ll be able to pick up the language.”
Norah chuckled. “Oh, Sherry, I am so looking forward to seeing you! Don’t worry, I’m going to give you a crash course on the state and the people once you arrive. You’re going to love it—just the way I do.”
Sherry didn’t comment on that. “How’s Rowdy?” she said instead.
“Busy as ever. That man runs circles around me. So many people want his time and attention, but that’s all right. It’s me he comes home to every night, me he sits across the dinner table from and me he loves. He’s such a good father and an even better husband.”
“Val and Steffie send their love. Your dad, too.”
“Talking to you makes me miss them even more. Rowdy promised we’d fly to Orchard Valley this fall, but I doubt my dad’s going to wait that long. I half expect him to drop by for a visit before the end of the summer.”
Sherry chuckled. “Well, at least I’ll be there before he is.”
“It wouldn’t matter,” Norah said. “You’re welcome anytime.”
Sherry felt a lot better after talking to her friend. But Norah sounded so happy she couldn’t quite squelch a feeling of envy. Norah and Rowdy had two small children and were adopting two more. Norah had always been a natural with children. Sherry never did understand why her friend, with her affinity for kids, hadn’t chosen pediatrics.
In an effort to help pass the time until Doc’s arrival, Sherry read several medical journals in his office. When she looked up, it was well past noon.
Mrs. Colson stuck her head in the door, “Do you want me to order you some lunch?” she asked.
“No, thanks.” Her impatience for Doc to get back had destroyed her appetite.
“I’m going to order a salad for myself. The Yellow Rose is real good about running it over here. You sure I can’t talk you into anything?”
“I’m sure.”
Donna Jo stopped off fifteen minutes later with a chef’s salad and sat down on a chair in the reception area. Mrs. Colson was behind the counter, and Sherry was sitting on another chair with her purse and suitcase, ready to go. “The Cattlemen’s Association’s in town for lunch,” Donna Jo told the receptionist, removing her shoe and massaging her sore foot. She eyed Sherry with the same curiosity she had a day earlier. “I hear you delivered Ellie’s baby last night.”
Word had indeed gotten around. Sherry nodded.
“You must’ve spent the night out there with her and Luke, because Mayor Bowie came into the café this morning looking for you. You weren’t at the clinic.”
“Actually, Cody Bailman drove me over to his house.”
“You stayed the night at Cody’s?” Donna Jo asked, her interest piqued. Mrs. Colson studied Sherry with undisguised interest.
“It was after two by the time I finished. I was exhausted, and so was Cody.” She certainly didn’t want these two getting the wrong impression. “Nothing happened. I mean, nothing that was, uh...” She gave up trying to find the right words. “Cody was a perfect gentleman.”
“Isn’t he always?” Donna Jo winked at Mrs. Colson.
“Is there something wrong with my spending the night at Cody’s?”
“Not in the least,” Mrs. Colson immediately said. “Cody’s a gentleman.”
“As much of a gentleman as any Texan gets,” Donna Jo amended. “Martha, are you going to tell her, or am I?”
“Tell me what?” Sherry said.
Donna Jo and Mrs. Colson shared a significant look.
“What?” Sherry demanded again.
“I don’t think so,” Mrs. Colson said thoughtfully. “She’ll find out soon enough on her own.”
“Yeah.” Donna Jo nodded. “You’re right.”
“What will I find out on my own?” Sherry tried a third time, but again her question was ignored.
“Martha here tells me you’re bent on leaving town,” the waitress said conversationally. “Stop in at the café on your way out and I’ll pack you a lunch to take along. You might not be hungry now, but you will be later.”
“Thanks, I’ll do that.”
Doc showed up around two that afternoon, looking tired and disgruntled. “I’ve been up since before dawn,” he muttered. “It didn’t make sense that I wasn’t reeling in any fifteen-inchers until I realized it was too early in the month.”
“I’ll be back in less than two weeks,” Sherry promised, “and next time the fish are sure to be biting.”
“I hope so,” Doc grumbled. “You might’ve said something about arriving early, you know.”
Sherry nearly had to swallow her tongue to keep from reminding him that she’d done everything but throw herself in front of his truck to keep him from leaving.
She’d almost passed the café when she remembered her promise to Donna Jo and pulled to a stop. The waitress was right; she should take something to eat, as well as several cold sodas. Already it was unmercifully hot. She grinned, remembering Donna Jo’s remark that the locals who escaped to Colorado for the summer weren’t real Texans. Apparently folks were supposed to stay in Texas and suffer.
The café was nearly empty. Sherry took a seat at the counter and reached for the menu.
“What’ll you have?” Donna Jo asked.
“Let’s see... A turkey sandwich with tomato and lettuce, a bag of chips and three diet sodas, all to go.”
Donna Jo went into the kitchen to tell the chef. When she came back out her eyes brightened. “Howdy, Cody.”
“Howdy.” Cody slipped onto the stool next to Sherry’s and ordered coffee.
“Hi,” he said, edging up his Stetson with his index finger as if to get a better look at her.
“Hi.” It was silly to feel shy with him, but Sherry did. A little like she had in junior high when Wayne Pierce, the boy she’d had a crush on, sat next to her in the school lunchroom. Her mouth went dry and she felt incapable of making conversation.
“I was wondering if I’d run into you this afternoon.”
“Cody’s in town for the local cattlemen’s meeting,” Donna Jo explained as she placed a beige ceramic mug full of steaming coffee in front of Cody.
“Doc’s back,” Sherry said, although she wasn’t certain he understood the significance of that. “He said the fishing was terrible, but then, it generally is about now.”
He shrugged. “You’re having a rather late lunch, aren’t you?”
Donna Jo set a brown paper bag on the counter along with the tab. “I was planning to eat on the road,” Sherry said, thanking Donna Jo with a smile. She slipped her purse strap over her shoulder and opened the zipper to take out her wallet.
A frown appeared on Cody’s face. “You’re leaving?”
“For Houston.”
His frown deepened. “So soon?”
“I’ll be back in a couple of weeks.” She slid off the stool and was surprised when Cody slapped a dollar bill and some coins on the counter and followed her to the register.
“Actually I was hoping to talk to you,” he said, holding open the café door.
“Oh?” She headed for her car.
Cody continued to follow. “Yeah, it’s about what I said this morning.” His eyes refused to meet hers. “I was thinking about it on my way back to the ranch, and I realized I must’ve sounded pretty arrogant about the whole thing.”
“I didn’t notice,” Sherry said. It was a lie, but only a small one. She found it charming that he wanted to correct the impression he’d made.
“It’s just that Heather’s on this marriage kick....”
“We both agreed it was a lapse in judgment,” she told him. “Let’s just forget it ever happened.”
He jammed his fingers into his pockets as Sherry opened her car door. “I wish I could,” he said so low Sherry wasn’t sure she’d heard him accurately.
“Pardon?” she said, looking up at him and making a feeble attempt at a smile.
“Nothing,” he said gruffly. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You wish you could what?” she pressed.
He glanced away, and his wide shoulders heaved with a labored sigh. “I wish I could forget!” he said forcefully. “There. Are you happy now?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m confused.”
“So am I. I like you, Sherry. I don’t know why, but I do, and I don’t mind telling you it scares the living daylights out of me. The last time I was this attracted to a woman I was—” he rubbed the side of his jaw “—a heck of a lot younger than I am now. And you’re leaving.”
“But I’ll be back.” The rush to get to Houston at the earliest possible moment left her. Nothing appealed to her more right now than exploring what was happening between her and Cody Bailman.
“But you won’t be back for two weeks.” He made it sound like an eternity. His face tightened. “By the time you’re back it won’t be the same.”
“We don’t know that.”
“I do,” he said with certainty.
Sherry was torn. “Are you asking me to stay?”
His nostrils flared at the question. “No,” he said emphatically, and then more softly, “No.” He moved a step closer. “Aw, what the hell,” he muttered crossly. He reached for her, slipped his arm around her waist, pulled her toward him—and kissed her.
At last he drew back and sighed. “There,” he said, his breath warm against her face. “Now go, before I make an even bigger fool of myself.”
But Sherry wasn’t sure she was capable of moving, let alone driving several hundred miles. She blinked and tried to catch her breath.
“Why’d you do that?” she demanded.
“Darned if I know,” Cody admitted, sounding none too pleased with himself.
Sherry understood his consternation when she glanced around her. It seemed the entire town of Pepper, Texas, had stopped in midmotion to stare at them. A couple of men loitering outside the hardware store were watching them. Several curious faces filled the window at the Yellow Rose, including Donna Jo’s. The waitress, in fact, looked downright excited and gave Sherry a thumbs-up.
“We’ve done it now,” Cody said, scowling at her as if she were to blame. “Everyone’s going to be talking.”
“I’d like to remind you I wasn’t the one who started this.”
“Yeah, but you sure enjoyed it.”
“Well, this is just fine, isn’t it,” she said, glad for an excuse to be on her way. “I’m outta here.” Tossing her lunch bag onto the passenger seat, she slipped inside the car.
“Sherry, blast it, don’t leave yet!”
“Why? What else have you got planned?”
“Okay, okay, I shouldn’t have kissed you, I’ll be the first to agree.” He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. “As I said before, I like you.”
“You have a funny way of showing it.”
He closed his eyes and nodded. “I’ve already made a mess of this, and I haven’t even known you for a whole day. Listen, in two weeks Pepper’s going to hold its annual picnic and dance. Will you be there?” He gave her the date and the time.
She hesitated, then nodded.
“If we still feel the same way, then we’ll know this has a chance,” he said. He spun on his heel and walked away.
Four
“What can I tell you about Texas?” Norah asked Sherry as they sat by the swimming pool in the yard behind her sprawling luxury home. Both three-year-old Jeff and baby Grace were napping, and Norah and Sherry were spending a leisurely afternoon soaking up the sun. “Texas is oil wells, cattle and cotton. It’s grassy plains and mountains.”
“And desert,” Sherry added.
“That, too. Texas is chicken-fried steak, black-eyed peas and hot biscuits and gravy. Actually, I’ve discovered,” Norah said with a grin, “that most Texans will eat just about anything. They’ve downed so many chili peppers over the years that they’ve burned out their taste buds.”
“I’ve really come to love this state.” Sherry sipped from her glass of iced tea. “Everyone’s so friendly.”
“It’s known as the Lone Star state, but a lot of folks call it the Friendship state, too.”
That didn’t surprise Sherry.
“The men are hilarious,” Norah continued, her eyes dancing with silent laughter. “Oh, they don’t mean to be, but I swear they’ve got some of the craziest ideas about...well, practically everything. To give you an example, they have this sort of unwritten code, which has to do with real Texans versus everyone else in the world. A real Texan would or wouldn’t do any number of things.”
“Such as?”
“Well, a real Texan believes in law and order, except when the law insists on a fifty-five-mile-an-hour speed limit. They consider that unreasonable. And clothes... A real Texan wouldn’t dream of decorating his Stetson with feathers or anything else, with the possible exception of a snake band, but only if he’d killed the snake and tanned the skin himself. And the jeans! I swear they refuse to wash them—they wear ’em until they can stand up on their own.”
Sherry laughed. She’d run into a few of those types herself on her journey across the vast state. But no one could compete with the characters she’d met in Pepper. Mayor Bowie, Donna Jo and Billy Bob. The way that man had manipulated her into staying in town!
And Cody Bailman... He kept drifting into her mind, although she’d made numerous attempts to keep him out. She’d tried hard to forget their last meeting, when he’d kissed her in broad daylight in front of half the town. But nothing helped. Cody Bailman was in her head day and night. It didn’t seem possible that a man she’d known for such a short while—
“Sherry.”
Sherry looked up and realized Norah was waving a hand in front of her face. “You’re in another world.”
“Sorry, I was just thinking about, uh, the folks back in Pepper.”
“More than likely it’s that cattleman you were telling me about.”
Sherry lowered her gaze again, not surprised Norah had read her so easily. “I can’t stop thinking about him. I thought that once I was with you, I’d be able to get some perspective on what happened between us. Not that anything really did—happen, I mean. Good heavens, I was only in town for about twenty-four hours.”
“You like him, don’t you?”
“That’s just it,” Sherry said, reaching for her drink and gripping it tightly. “I’m not sure how I feel about him. It’s all messed up. I don’t know Cody well enough to have an opinion, and yet...”
“And yet, you find yourself thinking about him, wishing you could be with him and missing him. All of this seems impossible because until a few days ago he wasn’t even in your life.”
“Yes,” Sherry returned, astonished at the way Norah could clarify her thoughts. “That’s exactly what I’m feeling.”
“I thought so.” Norah relaxed against the cushion on the patio chair and sighed, lifting her face to the sun. “That’s how it was with me after Rowdy was released from the hospital and went home to Texas. My life felt so empty without him. He’d only been in the hospital a couple of weeks, but it seemed as if my whole world revolved around him.”
“Rowdy, fortunately, felt the same way about you,” Sherry said, knowing Cody was as perplexed as she was by the attraction they shared.
“Not at first,” Norah countered. “I amused him, and being stuck in traction with that broken leg, the poor guy was desperate for some comic relief. I happened to be handy. Being Valerie’s sister added to my appeal. You know, he actually came to Orchard Valley to break up her engagement to Colby! I don’t think it was until much later that he fell in love with me—later than he’s willing to admit now, at any rate.”
