Before Melissa could fight her instinctive reaction just to the sight of him, he had thrown open the door and lifted his daughter high in the air, earning squeals of delight for his effort.
“Hey, pumpkin, I could hear you all the way inside the house,” he teased the baby. “Your grandpa Harlan said you were loud enough to wake half the county. He’s thinking of getting you geared up for the hog-calling contest at the state fair. What do you think?”
Melissa noted he reported his father’s reaction with unmistakable pride. He glanced her way just then and the humor in his eyes darkened to something else, something she recognized from times past as powerful, compelling desire. Whatever was behind his proposal of marriage, the one thing she couldn’t doubt was Cody’s passion. He wanted her and he was doing nothing to hide that fact from her.
“Thank you for coming,” he said, his expression solemn.
“I told you I would.”
He shrugged. “You never know, though. Sometimes things come up.”
Suddenly, for the first time Melissa was able to pinpoint the most devastating problem between them. Neither of them had so much as a shred of trust left for the other.
She didn’t trust Cody not to leave again. She didn’t trust him not to rip her daughter away from her.
And worse, to her way of thinking because she knew he had a right to feel as he did, he didn’t trust her to keep her promises. She had kept the secret of his daughter from him. He had to wonder if he could trust her to be honest with him about anything.
All at once she was unbearably sad. Regrets for the open, honest relationship they had once shared tumbled through her, leaving her shaken.
Before she realized he’d even moved, Cody was beside her, Sharon Lynn in his arms.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his expression filled with concern.
“Of course. Why would you think I wasn’t?”
“Maybe it has something to do with the tears.”
She hadn’t even realized she was crying. She brushed impatiently at the telltale traces. “Sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize, for heaven’s sake. Just tell me what’s wrong.”
“An attack of nostalgia,” she said, knowing it was only partially true. “Nothing to worry about.” She plastered a smile on her face. “Come on. Let’s go inside before Harlan falls out of that window he’s peeking through.”
Almost as if he’d heard the comment, the curtains fell back into place and a shadow moved away from the downstairs window. Cody grinned at her.
“He can’t wait to meet Sharon Lynn. If you think I’m bad, wait until you see the room he’s fixed up for her visits.”
The implications of the lighthearted remark sent panic racing through Melissa. If Harlan had fixed up a room, then he clearly intended for Sharon Lynn to be at White Pines a lot. Was this visit just a prelude to the custody battle her mother had warned her about? Cody might not be willing to fight her in court, but Harlan was another matter. With Mary dead and his life stretching out emptily in front of him, who could tell what kind of crazy notion he might get into his head.
Apparently her fears must have been written on her face, because Cody halted again. “Melissa, you don’t have to worry,” he reassured her. “It’s just a room. You know Harlan. Everything drives him to excess.”
“You’re sure that’s all it is?”
“Very sure. You don’t have anything to worry about from Harlan.” That said, he winked at her. “I, however, am another matter entirely. I’ve given up on winning you with diapers and juice and toys.”
“Oh?”
“I intend to win you with my sexy, wicked ways.”
He was up the front steps and in the house before she had a chance to react. When she could finally move again, her legs wobbled and her pulse was scampering crazily.
Suddenly any threat Harlan might pose dimmed in importance. Cody was the one she needed to worry about. Always had been. Always would be.
Chapter Nine
At the precise instant that Cody and Melissa entered the front door at White Pines, Harlan stepped into the foyer. His prompt presence indicated that he had indeed been watching for Melissa’s arrival and was eager for an introduction to his granddaughter.
Cody studied his father’s face closely as Harlan’s gaze honed in immediately on Sharon Lynn. For the first time since the funeral, there was a spark of animation in his dark eyes. And when he glanced at Melissa that animation included her, only to be quickly replaced by questions, unanswerable questions Cody hoped he wouldn’t get into right off.
To stave them off, Cody crossed the wide sweep of wood floor and woven Mexican rug to stand in front of his father, Sharon Lynn still perched in his arms.
“Daddy, meet your granddaughter, Sharon Lynn.”
The baby responded to the cue as if she’d been coached. A dimpled smile spread across her face as she held out her arms to be transferred to her new grandfather’s embrace. Harlan accepted her with alacrity.
“You are a mighty fine young lady,” he told her, his expression sober, his eyes unmistakably welling up with rare tears. “I’m very glad to be welcoming you to the family.” His gaze shifted then to encompass Melissa once more. “It’s good to see you again, girl. We’ve missed you around here.”
Cody saw the sheen of tears spring to Melissa’s eyes and realized more than ever what he had cost them all by running off as he had. His parents had always accepted that Melissa would one day be his wife. They had approved of her spirit, her kindness and her unconditional love for him. Melissa had been present on most family occasions, welcomed as if their relationship had been
