The Manning Sisters (25 page)

Okay, he mused, sighing deeply. He was in love. It wasn't supposed to happen, but it had. Damned if he knew what to do next. For a man in his thirties he'd had precious little experience with it. The one other time he'd committed his heart to a woman, it had cost him dearly. He hadn't been willing to place himself at risk again. Not until he met Christy.

Fifteen minutes passed before Christy finally joined him. He heard her moving behind him in the kitchen and felt the swish of the screen door as it opened.

“That was James,” she said as she sat down on the step beside him.

“I heard.” He didn't mean to be, but he sounded flippant, uncaring.

“He…he's called two other times.”

“That's none of my business,” he informed her curtly.

“I know, but I want to be honest with you. Are you angry?”

“No.”

“You sound angry.”

“I'm not.” And pigs fly, he told himself.

For a long moment Christy didn't say anything. She sat there looking like an angel, smelling like something out of a rose garden. How was a man supposed to resist her when she gazed at him with those large blue eyes of hers?

“I…almost told him about you. It was on the tip of my tongue to try to explain. But James seemed so preoccupied. He was visiting my parents, and I spoke to them, too, and…” She shrugged. “It was impossible.”

“Why's that?” He made a determined effort to take the starch out of his voice.

She hesitated before answering. “My mom and dad like James a lot.”

“I'm sure he's perfect son-in-law material.”

Christy ignored that comment, which was probably best. He knew he wasn't dealing with this situation well. In fact, he was making a real jackass of himself.

“Now…now that I've had these two weeks with you, I think I accepted his proposal more to please my parents than because I was in love with James.”

“I see.” Several questions popped into his mind. Christy was a kind person, affectionate and empathetic, someone who tried to please others. Her parents, James,
him.

“They like Russ, too,” she hurried to add.

Cody didn't know what that proved, and frankly he wasn't in the frame of mind to ask.

“Or at least they do now. At first—” She stopped abruptly, as if she'd already said too much.

Cody didn't doubt that the week to come, when she confronted James and her family, would be one of the most difficult of her life. If she went through with it, if she decided to break off the engagement, after all.

“I…can't bear for us to spend our last night together arguing,” she whispered.

Cody forced himself to relax. He couldn't bear it, either. He lifted his free arm and placed it around her shoulders, drawing her closer to him and Eric. She turned and smiled shyly up at him. With unhurried ease he lowered his head until their mouths met. The kiss was long and slow and when he raised his head, Cody felt dizzy with yearning.

“Oh, Cody,” she moaned, her fingers clutching his shirt collar, her eyes closed. “I hate to leave you.”

He hated it, too, feared it more than he'd feared anything. He dreaded the moment she'd drive away from him.

Fear and dread. Fighting those emotions wasn't how he wanted to spend their last hours together.

 

“Are you sure you haven't forgotten anything?” Taylor asked for the tenth time. They stood beside Christy's car, Taylor in her housecoat, Christy in her traveling clothes—a comfortable pair of faded jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt.

“I'm positive I've got everything.” She'd checked the house twice, and even if she'd inadvertently left something behind, she'd be back. Soon, she hoped. As soon as she could clear up the situation with James. As soon as she was free.

Taylor hugged her, and Russ stepped forward, holding Eric. He placed his free arm around Christy and squeezed tight.

“Drive carefully,” Taylor said, “and phone the minute you arrive in Seattle. You know I'll worry until I hear from you.” Tears brimmed from her sister's eyes as she reached for Christy one last time. “I really hate to see you go.”

“I'll phone,” Christy promised. As for the part about hating to leave, that went without saying.

“Where's Cody?” Russ asked, frowning.

“He's got the day shift,” Christy explained. Although she'd spent until the wee hours of the morning saying goodbye to the sheriff, she half expected Cody to come barreling down the driveway before she headed out.

“Be a good little baby,” she whispered to Eric, kissing his brow. “Remember your Aunt Christy.” With no more reason to delay, she opened her car door and climbed inside.

As she was driving toward the road, Christy looked in the rearview mirror and caught sight of Taylor slipping her arm around her husband's waist. She rested her head on his broad chest and leaned against him, as though she needed his strength, his support.

The scene was a touching one, and Christy found herself blinking back tears.

She was still sniffling as she headed for the highway that would connect her with the interstate. It would be a straight shot to Seattle after that.

Christy planned to make the best time she could. The sooner she got home, the sooner she could set her life in order.

Reaching across the seat, she located the thermos of coffee Taylor had insisted she take with her. Holding it between her legs, she struggled to unscrew the cap. It was difficult to do with one hand. She'd just about given up when a flashing blue and red light was reflected in her rearview mirror.

Cody.

Christy eased to the side of the road, turned off the engine and threw open the door. It was impossible to hold her emotions at bay a moment longer.

Her gaze was blurred with tears, but it didn't matter. Cody had come to her.

By the time she'd climbed out of her car, he was out of his. Not waiting for an invitation, she rushed toward him, sobbing, so grateful he'd come.

He caught her, encircling her waist with his arms and lifting her from the ground. His lips found hers, their mouths connecting with such force that it threw her head back. Christy didn't mind; she was as needy as Cody. As hungry. As lost.

He continued to kiss her, saying with his body what he couldn't with words. That he loved her, needed her and was desperately afraid of losing her.

Christy understood and responded to each doubt.

“There's a side road about two miles back. Do you know where I mean?”

She nodded, remembered having driven past it minutes earlier.

“Meet me there?”

“Yes.”

By the time she climbed back into her car, Christy was trembling from the inside out. Her stomach felt tight, and her heart was pounding. Cody made a U-turn and led the way. Christy followed willingly.

He pulled onto the dirt road, stirring up layers of fine dust, partially obliterating his vehicle. He drove past a wide curve, then he parked at the side. Christy watched as he reached for his radio. She got out of her car and waited for him.

“I told dispatch I wouldn't be available for the next fifteen minutes,” he explained, his dark eyes holding hers. “I know it's not long enough to say what I want to say, but it's all the time I dare take.”

Christy nodded.

He brushed his fingertips over her damp cheek. “You've been crying.”

“I…couldn't get the thermos open.”

“That's why?” he asked softly.

“No, of course it's not. I don't want to go. Oh, Cody, it's so much harder to leave you than I thought it would be.” She tried unsuccessfully to swallow a sob.

“Don't cry,” Cody pleaded. He held her against his chest and lowered his head. When he kissed her, it was with desperation and urgency, his mouth slanting over hers. She clung to him, giving as much as she took.

He kissed her neck, nuzzled it. Christy let her head fall back, allowing him to do whatever he wished. She was his for this moment, this hour, this day.

His warm mouth skimmed the length of her throat, planting moist kisses along her shoulder blade…then lower, much lower.

Slowly, as if he was calling upon all the self-control he possessed, Cody raised his head. “Letting you go is the hardest thing I've ever done,” he whispered. He smoothed the hair away from her face and kissed her again.

A well-modulated voice came over the radio of the patrol car, reminding them both who and what Cody was. A man who'd pledged to serve and protect. As much as he would've liked to stay with her, the time had come for them to return to their separate lives.

“I'll follow you to the county line,” he told her. He held open her car door, looking very much like the dignified sheriff he was. There was little evidence of the loving interlude that had passed between them.

A nod was all Christy could manage. She slid into the driver's seat. Her hand closed around the key. Cody held on to her door, his eyes trained directly ahead.

“I guess this is goodbye,” she said hoarsely. “At least for now.”

He nodded. “For now. You'll drive carefully?”

“Of course.”

Again he nodded, closed her door and then stepped back. He seemed about to say something else, but then changed his mind.

Christy waited for him to enter his patrol car before starting her engine. She sent him a smile and glanced in her rearview mirror as she entered the main road.

True to his word, Cody followed her for several miles. In the distance she read the sign that stated she was leaving Custer County. An immediate knot formed in her throat, making it difficult to swallow.

Her rearview mirror showed Cody's red and blue lights flashing. She pulled over and stopped. Cody eased the patrol car in behind her.

He was out of his vehicle before she had a chance to free her seat belt. Lowering her window, she looked at him expectantly.

“One last thing before you go.” His voice was deep and gravelly. “I love you, Christy. Come back to me.”

“J
ames,” Christy said quietly, “you know I consider you one of my dearest friends. I've always heard good friends make the best husbands…no,” she mumbled, her hands tightening around the steering wheel. “That doesn't sound right. Think, Christy, think!”

She'd just crossed the Idaho-Washington border and was within six hours of Seattle and home. Every mile, every minute, led her closer to the confrontation with James and her parents.

For the past two days Christy had carefully rehearsed what she planned to say, outlining her speech, inordinately conscious of each word.

James would be devastated, her parents shocked.

When it came right down to it, Christy was more worried about confronting her parents than she was James, especially her father, whom she adored. Eric Manning always seemed to think he knew what was best for her; for the most part, Christy had agreed with him. And he'd decided James would be the perfect husband for his youngest daughter.

The hours sped past, far too quickly to suit Christy. As she approached the outskirts of Seattle she found that she was traveling well below the speed limit, which produced several heated stares from her fellow travelers.

Once she'd arrived at her apartment building and had unloaded her car, Christy paced her living room restlessly. She'd assumed that once she was surrounded by everything that was familiar, some of the uneasiness would leave her.

It didn't. In fact, she was more agitated now than ever.

Gathering her courage, she decided to call her family and deal with them first. She planned to ask if it was convenient for her to come over, hoping it would be. The she could quickly put an end to this madness.

Once she was alone with her parents, she'd tell them she intended to break her engagement. Her argument was prepared, her decision unshakable.

Her first choice would've been to do it over the phone, but that would be the cowardly way out. Her only option was to confront them together. Once that was finished she'd go and see James.

As she reached for her phone, her stomach tensed. She wasn't sure what to expect from her parents or James and tried not to dwell on how they'd react to her news. She closed her eyes and prayed someone would answer before she lost her courage and hung up the phone.

“Hello.”

“Jason?” He was her second-oldest brother and the handsomest of the lot, or so he liked to claim. At thirty-two he was a “catch,” only he enjoyed playing the field far too much to settle down with any one woman.

“Christy? When did you get back?”

“Just a few minutes ago.” How odd she sounded. Christy prayed Jason wouldn't notice. “What are you doing there? Are Mom and Dad around?”

“I'm here 'cause I took the day off. Mom and Dad are out but they'll be back any minute.” He paused. “You don't know yet, do you?”

“Know what?” Jason loved playing games, dangling bits of information in front of her like bait, making her hungry for more.

“Never mind.”

“Jason, I've been on the road for two days, and to be frank, I'm not up to any of your trick questions.” Under normal circumstances Christy would have been amused and played along, but not now.

“Hey, sweetie, no trick questions with this one. All I can say is you have a real surprise waiting for you. Mom's slaved every day since you've been gone, so if I were you, I'd make my presence known soon.”

“Thank you so much,” Christy muttered sarcastically. “Talking to you is like looking through a telescope with the lens cap on.”

“Always happy to oblige,” Jason responded with a light chuckle. “Just drop by the house soon…. In fact, the sooner the better.”

Christy intended on doing exactly that. “I'll be over in fifteen minutes. By the way, how's Mom?” Breaking her leg had kept Elizabeth Manning at home for several weeks, and Christy knew how terribly disappointed her mother had been about missing this important time with her eldest daughter and newborn grandson.

“Mom's doing great. Especially now…” He didn't finish the enigmatic statement, and Christy refused to fall into his hands by asking what he meant. “If you don't mind, I'll stick around for a while, too. I'd like to get a look at your face once you find out what's been going on around here. Mom's in seventh heaven. At the rate things are going, you're likely to end up in one of those celebrity magazines.”

“Cute, Jason, very cute.” Christy had no idea what he was talking about, but that was typical of her older brother. Over the last few years, his comments had taken on a biting edge. Christy didn't know what his problem was, but she wished he'd straighten out whatever was wrong.

In an attempt to delay the unavoidable, Christy played back the messages on her answering machine while she leafed through two weeks' worth of mail. Anyone who mattered wouldn't have phoned because they'd know she was out of town, but she couldn't help being curious.

There were several beeps, indicating that whoever had called had hung up before leaving a message. Probably salesmen.

Deciding it was a waste of time, Christy started for her front door when Taylor's voice, hesitant and unsure, came over the tinny speaker. “Christy, call me as soon as you get home. Something's come up that we need to discuss.”

There was an uncharacteristic note in her sister's voice, an uncertainty that suggested something was terribly amiss.

Puzzled, Christy returned to the phone and placed a long-distance call to Cougar Point. Mandy answered, sounding as cheerful as ever.

“Taylor's not here,” Russ's sister explained. “She drove into Miles City for Eric's first appointment with the pediatrician. Do you want me to have her call you once she gets back? I don't think it'll be too much longer. I know she was anxious to talk to you.”

“No. I'm headed to my parents' house now. I'll phone again later.” Hopefully by that time everything would be settled. She could contact Taylor and Russ and then talk to Cody. The mere thought of him made her go weak. Seemingly by accident they'd found each other and unexpectedly discovered what it meant to fall in love. Neither of them had been looking for this, neither of them fully understood why it had happened, but it was right. Right for Cody. Right for Christy.

After two long days on the road, she was physically exhausted and mentally depleted. She'd considered delaying this confrontation until she was well-rested and relaxed, but she knew she couldn't do that. The engagement to James hung over her head and she wouldn't find peace until all the obstacles were cleared out out of the road that would lead her back to her sheriff.

Her parents' luxury vehicle was in the driveway when Christy drove up. Jason's car was in the street, and Christy parked her own behind his. Even before she'd turned off the engine, her father had opened the front door and was walking toward her, arms outstretched.

Eric Manning embraced his daughter, hugging her tight. From the time she was little Christy had always felt a special closeness to her parents. Most of her friends had rebelled in one way or another against their families, but never Christy. She'd never felt the need.

“When did you get back?” her father asked.

“Not even half an hour ago.” She slipped her arm around his thickening waist and they walked toward the sprawling brick house. The lawn was a soft, lush green. Many a happy hour had been spent racing across this very same grass. Echoes of her childhood laughter seemed to mock her now.

Elizabeth Manning stood in the entryway, her left leg encased from her foot to just below her knee in a hot pink cast. She broke into a broad smile as Christy approached the front door.

“Sweetheart, it's so good to have you home.”

“It's good to be home, and before you ask, yes, I brought tons of pictures of Eric.”

“Oh, that's wonderful, I can't tell you how excited we are that Russ and Taylor named him after your father.”

Christy stepped into the house. It was a large home built into a hill overlooking the freeway that cut a wide path through the heart of Seattle. The basement opened onto an enormous, landscaped yard with a profusion of flower beds and space for a vegetable garden, whose bounty spilled over to friends and neighbors every summer.

“How's the leg?”

“Better,” Elizabeth said, dismissing her daughter's concern with a quick shake of her head. She was walking with a cane now, leaning heavily upon it. Christy knew her mother well enough to realize Elizabeth Manning would never want to burden her children with the fact that she was in pain. But her mother did look much healthier, Christy mused. The sparkle was back in her eyes, and a flush of excitement glowed from her cheeks. Christy couldn't remember how long it'd been since she'd seen her mother so happy. No doubt the birth of their third grandson was responsible.

“You're looking terrific,” Christy said, kissing her mother's cheek.

“Actually, sweetie, we have you to thank for that,” her father murmured, sharing an enigmatic smile with wife.

“Me?” Apparently they were playing the same game as Jason.

“Eric, let's not discuss this in the entryway.”

Her father chuckled, and Christy noted that his eyes seemed brighter, too. He certainly was in one of his better moods. Christy would like to think it was all due to her arrival and the fact that she'd brought pictures of their grandson. But somehow she doubted it, especially after having spoken to Jason.

Her second-oldest brother was sitting in the family room in front of the television when Christy walked in. He was wearing a Seattle Mariners baseball cap, which he had on much of the time.

“Welcome home, little sister,” he greeted her. He stood and hugged her, then stepped back, wiggling his eyebrows.

“All right, you guys,” Christy said, claiming the easy chair next to Jason. “What's going on around here?”

Her father's mouth started to quiver, as though he was having difficulty holding back his excitement. He shared another look with his wife of thirty-five years.

“If you'll recall, your mother's spirits were low after she fell and broke her leg. Missing out on this special time with Taylor and Russ depressed her.”

“I didn't even realize how melancholy I'd become until Eric mentioned it,” Elizabeth said. “Sometimes I swear he knows me better than I know myself.”

Christy felt herself nod.

“Your father's the one who came up with the idea for an engagement party.”

“An…engagement party,” Christy echoed, coming halfway out of her chair, appalled and dismayed.

Her mother pressed her fingers to her lips, almost giddy with delight. “We knew you'd be pleased.”

“I…I…” Christy was at a complete loss for words. Somehow she managed a smile and slumped back into the cushions of the overstuffed chair.

“You can't imagine what fun we've had,” Elizabeth continued, her voice animated. “I'm afraid your father got carried away. He insisted we order the best of everything. We've rented the Eagles Hall, got the invitations mailed—engraved ones. Oh, sweetie, I can hardly wait for you to see them. We spent hour after hour with the caterers. I can't even
begin
to tell you what a fabulous time I—we—had planning every detail of this party. I can't help feeling proud of everything we accomplished in such a short time.”

“It was just what your mother needed,” Christy's father inserted smoothly, looking equally delighted. “Elizabeth's been like a kid again from the moment we decided to go through with this.”

“I see.” Christy went completely numb. It seemed impossible that no one was aware of it.

“I suppose we're a pair of old fools, but when Taylor married Russ in Reno, your father and I felt cheated out of a large family wedding. We've been looking forward to throwing one for years.”

“When?” It was torture getting the word past the tightness that all but blocked her throat.

“That's the crazy part,” Jason told her. “Mom and Dad put this entire thing together in two weeks.”

Christy still didn't understand; not much of the conversation made sense. Her look must have conveyed her confusion.

“The party's tomorrow night,” Elizabeth said, her face radiating her excitement.

“Tomorrow night?”

“I know it sounds crazy, and we took a chance booking it so close to the end of your vacation, but there were only a few dates available at the Eagles Hall, and it was either tomorrow night or three months from now.”

“In fact, the only reason we were able to get the hall is because of a last-minute cancellation,” Eric said. “I had no idea we'd need to book this sort of thing so far in advance.”

“James?” No one seemed to notice she was having trouble speaking, which Christy supposed was a blessing of sorts.

“He knows, of course, but we decided to keep it a secret for you. A welcome-home surprise.”