And, to his very sincere regret, she made him every bit as hard now as she had as a teenager. He squirmed in a wasted effort to get more comfortable on the vinyl-covered stool.
When she finally turned back, she plunked his milk shake onto the counter with such force half of it sloshed out of the tall glass. Apparently she wasn’t entirely immune to him, either, and she wasn’t one bit happier about the discovery.
She grabbed up a dishrag and began scrubbing the opposite side of the counter, her back to him. Given the energy she devoted to the task, the surface was either very dirty or she was avoiding him.
“So, how’ve you been?” Cody inquired, managing the nonchalant tone with supreme effort.
“Fine,” she said tersely, not even glancing around.
He frowned. Why the hell was she acting like the injured party here? She was the one who’d cheated on him. Getting her to meet him halfway became an irresistible challenge.
“How are you, Cody? It’s been a long time,” he coached.
She turned and glared. “Why are you here?” she demanded instead.
He could have shot back a glib retort, but he didn’t. He actually gave the question some thought. He considered the teasing he’d gotten from Jordan and Luke. He considered his own undeniable curiosity. He even considered the size of his ego, which had found being cheated on damned hard to take. The bottom line was, he had no idea what had drawn him across the street and into the drugstore.
“I don’t know,” he finally admitted.
Apparently it was the right answer because her lush, kissable mouth curved into a smile for the first time since she’d spotted him at the counter.
“You mean to tell me that there’s something that actually stymies the brilliant, confident Cody Adams?”
He nodded slowly. “It surprises the dickens out of me, too.”
She leaned back against the counter, her elbows propped behind her. It was a stance that drew attention to her figure, though Cody doubted she was aware of it.
“You planning on sticking around?” she asked.
“A few more days, just till Daddy’s got his feet back under him again.” It was the same response he’d given everyone who’d asked. Now that he was right here with Melissa in front of him, though, he wondered if she might not be the one person who could change his mind.
At the mention of his father, her expression immediately filled with concern. “It must be horrible for him.”
“It is.”
“And the rest of you?”
“We’re doing okay. Mostly we’re worried about Daddy. He adored Mother. It’s going to be lonely as hell for him with her gone.”
“I’m surprised you’re not staying, then.”
He shook his head. “There’s nothing for me here anymore,” he said automatically, refusing to concede that he had evidence to the contrary in the tightening of his groin at the first sight of her.
She actually blanched at his harsh words. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, looking shaken. “What about White Pines? You always loved it. You were building your whole future around running that ranch.”
She was right about that. He’d fought tooth and nail to get Harlan to trust him with the running of the ranch. He’d spent his spare time building his own house on the property just to make the point that, unlike Luke or Jordan, he never intended to leave. Then in a matter of seconds after catching Melissa with Brian, he’d thrown it all away.
Now, rather than addressing his longing to be working that land again, he shoved those feelings aside and clung instead to the bitterness that had sent him away.
“There’s no way I can stay here now,” he said, unable to prevent the accusing note that had crept into his voice. “You ruined it for me.”
Melissa swallowed hard, but she kept her gaze on him steady. Some part of him admired her for not backing down.
“Maybe we should talk about what happened, Cody. Maybe if we could put it behind us, you’d change your mind about staying. Your decision to stay or go shouldn’t have anything to do with me.”
Talk about finding her in the arms of his best friend? Analyze it and pick it apart, until his emotions were raw? Cody practically choked on the idea. Once he got started on that subject, he doubted the conversation would remain polite or quiet. Eli would be bolting out from behind the prescription counter and Mabel, whom he’d spotted lurking over toward the cosmetics, would get a blistering earful.
No, he absolutely did not want to talk about the past. Or the present. And most definitely not about the bleak, lonely future he’d carved out for himself.
He slid off the stool and backed up a step. “There’s nothing to say,” he said, hoping his tone and his demeanor were forbidding enough to keep Melissa silent. He slapped a five on the counter, then tipped his hat.
“It’s been a pleasure,” he said in a tone that declared just the opposite.
He had made it almost to the door when he heard a soft gasp of dismay behind him. He stepped aside just as Velma Horton opened the door and pushed a stroller inside. His gaze went from Velma’s shocked expression to the chubby-cheeked little girl who promptly reached her arms up toward him, a thoroughly engaging smile on her face. He stared at the toddler in stunned silence, then pivoted slowly to stare at Melissa. Her face was ashen, removing any doubt at all that the baby was hers.
For the second time in a matter of minutes Cody felt as if he’d been hit below the belt. He could count backward as quickly as anyone in Texas. That darling little girl with the big eyes and innocent smile looked to be a year old, which meant she was Brian’s.
His blood felt like ice
