The Manning Sisters (21 page)

“So,” Russ said, glancing from Cody to Christy, sporting a wide grin.

“Russ,” Taylor warned in a low whisper.

“What?”

“Do you have to be so obvious?”

Russ blinked, apparently at a loss to understand his wife's censure. “I didn't say anything, but if I did venture to mention the obvious, I'd say something along the lines of how happy I am that my best friend and your sister have apparently hit it off so well.”

“To tell you the truth, I couldn't be more pleased myself,” Taylor added, smiling.

Cody crossed his legs and picked up his coffee. “I'm glad to hear Christy and I have made you two so happy.”

Russ chuckled at that, amusement glistening in his eyes. “Do you remember that time in the sixth grade?” Russ asked.

“I'm not likely to forget it.”

“What are you two mumbling about now?” Taylor demanded.

“We were eleven.”

“You were eleven,” Cody corrected. “I was ten.”

“Right,” Russ agreed. “We'd been good friends for several years and had started to notice some of our other buddies turning traitor.”

“Turning traitor?” Christy repeated.

“Liking girls.”

Since Christy was the youngest of the five Manning children, she couldn't recall her brothers sharing similar feelings. “What did you two do?” she asked.

“The only thing we could,” Russ explained, grinning again. “We were losing our best friends left and right, so Cody and I made a pact and became blood brothers. We made a solemn vow never to associate with any of the guys who'd turned traitor and liked girls.”

“Especially pretty ones with dark hair and bright blue eyes,” Cody remarked, looking at Christy, who possessed both. His mouth quivered, and she realized he was only a breath away from laughing outright.

“And which of you broke this sacred vow first?”

“Cody did,” Russ said.

“Russ,” Cody responded, the two speaking almost simultaneously.

“Boys, please,” Taylor said in what Christy was sure was her best schoolteacher voice.

“Cody gave Mary Lu Hawkins a valentine that year,” Russ reminded him.

“My mother forced me to do it,” Cody insisted. “I never liked Mary Lu Hawkins, and you know it.”

“That's not what I heard.”

Listening to Cody and Russ was like being present at an exchange between her own brothers. A strong sense of family was an integral part of who she was. She loved their frequent get-togethers and had missed Taylor dreadfully over the past year.

“Is it always like this between these two?” Christy asked her sister.

“Sometimes worse,” Taylor answered.

“Russ was the ultimate traitor,” Cody said, setting his coffee mug aside. “He married a dark-haired, blue-eyed woman, and worse, I wasn't even invited to the wedding.”

“No one was,” Mandy inserted as she came in from the kitchen, drying her hands on her apron skirt. “Not even me. Russ's very own sister.”

“I swear you're never going to forgive me for that, are you?” Russ grumbled. “Just wait till you fall in love, little sister, then you might be more understanding.”

Mandy straightened her spine and threw back her shoulders. Her eyes narrowed as she glared across the room at her brother. She reminded Christy so much of her older sister confronting their father that she nearly laughed out loud.

“It may come as a shock to you, big brother, but I've been in love several times.” Mandy evidently considered herself a woman of the world.

Russ didn't hide his opinions on
that
issue. He rolled his eyes.

“Russ,” Taylor said softly.

“Now what did I do?” he asked. At the rate he was going, his foot would remain permanently in his mouth. “All right, all right, I—
we
made a mistake by not including you in the wedding ceremony. There. Are you satisfied?”

“No. I want you to admit that I'm old enough to be in love.”

“Mandy!”

“Admit it.” It was clear that brother and sister were often at odds, yet Christy sensed the deep and abiding love they shared.

“Don't look at me, Russ Palmer,” Taylor said bluntly. “You got yourself into this.”

“I suppose that at fifteen a mature teenage girl may have experienced her first taste of love.”

“May have?” Mandy repeated. “That's not good enough.”

“Hey, the girl wants blood,” Cody murmured.

“She's likely to get it, too,” Taylor said, apparently for Christy's benefit.

“All right, I'll admit it. There!
Now
are you satisfied?”

Mandy smiled graciously and nodded. “Thank you, brother dearest.”

“You're welcome, sister sweetest.” He turned his attention away from Mandy. “Listen,” Russ said, looking at Cody and Christy and then back at his friend. “If you two ever get married, whether it's to each other or anyone else, take my advice and don't elope.”

“If Mandy was upset about not being at the wedding, that was nothing compared to how strongly Mom and Dad felt about it,” Taylor said. “Dad seemed to feel I'd cheated him out of an important part of fatherhood by not letting him escort me down the aisle.”

From somewhere deep inside, Christy forced a smile. This talk about weddings was making her decidedly uncomfortable. What her sister said was true enough; her parents had been bitterly disappointed not to hold a large wedding for their oldest daughter. It was one of the reasons they were so pleased when Christy announced that she and James would be getting married. Almost immediately they'd started talking about the church ceremony, with a reception and dance to follow.

“I think it's time for us to go, don't you?” Cody said to Christy, unfolding his long legs and standing. He walked across the room in three strides. “See you later, Taylor, Eric. Oh, and you, too.” He nodded at Russ with a grin. “Thanks for dinner, everyone.”

“Where are you two headed?” Russ wanted to know, making no effort to disguise his interest.

“Out.” Cody turned to Christy, and his smile was like the warm fingers of sunlight in winter. They'd known each other such a short while, and it seemed inconceivable that she could feel like this. But she did. The feelings she and Cody shared were too complex to put into words.

“When will you be back?” Russ asked his sister-in-law, as if he wasn't completely convinced his best friend was safe in her company.

“Who appointed you my guardian angel?” Cody asked sarcastically, his eyebrows raised.

“I'm only looking out for your best interests,” Russ explained, continuing the game. “Good grief, man, she's pretty with dark hair and blue eyes. We learned way back in the sixth grade that those are the ones to watch out for. You've got to be careful. Look what happened to me!”

“What did happen to you?” Taylor asked, her brow wrinkling with the question.

“You should know. Before I realized it, I was saddled with a wife. I don't mind telling you, Franklin, I'm worried about you.”

“If I'm responsible for the security of an entire county, you can trust me to take care of myself.”

“Saddled?” Taylor asked, her voice ominously low. “You found yourself
saddled
with a wife?”

Russ instantly looked guilty. “Maybe saddled wasn't the best word.”

“Then I suggest you search for another.”

“Ah…” Russ rubbed his hand across his neck.

“He's talking off the top of his head,” Cody said, defending his friend. He turned toward Russ. “If I were you, I'd plead for leniency and remind her how crazy in love you are.”

“How about I was
favored
with a wife?” Russ muttered. He seemed quite pleased with his choice of word.

Taylor glanced at Christy, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth, then shook her head. “You'll have to do better than that.”

“Taylor, come on, I'm having a serious discussion with my friend here. All I'm trying to do is impart a few words of wisdom before Cody makes the same…before he ends up…”

“Ends up what?” Taylor prompted.

It took Russ a moment to answer. “Blessed?” he offered, confident he'd smoothed things over.

“Blessed is an acceptable word.”

“I think we should get out of here while the getting's good, don't you?” Cody asked, reaching for Christy's hand, entwining their fingers.

“I couldn't agree with you more.” The solid ground beneath her feet seemed to shift as she realized that once they were alone she'd need to explain about James. Dragging in a steadying breath, she looked at Taylor. “I won't be gone long.”

“If I get worried, I'll call the sheriff,” Taylor teased.

The phone rang, and Mandy shot out of the living room.

Russ escorted Christy and Cody to the back door.

Mandy appeared, stretching the long telephone cord into the kitchen. She seemed confused as she held out the receiver to Russ. “I think it must be a wrong number. Maybe you should talk to him.”

“All right.”

Cody chuckled. “I never thought I'd be grateful for a phone call. I had the impression Russ was going to make us listen to more of his pearls of wisdom.”

They were all the way down the steps when the back door swung open with enough force to send it crashing shut.

“Christy.” Russ stood on the top of the steps, hands on his hips, his eyes squinting against the setting sun.

“Yes?” She turned to face her brother-in-law. The humor in his eyes had been replaced with a fierce anger that transformed his handsome features.

Cody took a step forward. “What is it?”

“The phone,” Russ said. “It's for Christy. Someone named James Wilkens.”

She gasped softly before she could stop herself.

“He claims he's her fiancé.”

“C
ody, please,” Christy began, her heart in her eyes. “I can explain.”

“You mean it's true?” Russ shouted.

“It's not as bad as it sounds—if you'd take the time to listen.” Both of her hands gripped Cody's forearm as she boldly held on to him, not wanting to let him go for fear she'd never see him again.

“Are you engaged or not?” Cody asked. His dark eyes burned into hers, searing her conscience far more deeply than any words he could've spoken.

“I was going to tell you about James….”

Cody's face tensed as though she'd delivered a crippling blow to his abdomen. He lowered his gaze to her hands, which clenched his arm tightly.

“I see.” The two words were cold, his voice remote.

She moistened her lips, unsure she could trust her voice. “Please let me explain.”

“What's there to say? It's simple, isn't it? Either you're engaged or you're not.” He pulled himself free and turned his back to her.

“Cody.” She tried once more, hating the way her voice wobbled as she pleaded for patience and understanding.

One stern look told her he wasn't willing to grant her either. Her heart seized painfully as she slowly dropped her hands and stepped away from him.

Without another word, Cody climbed inside his Cherokee, slammed the door and drove away as if the very demons of hell were in hot pursuit.

Christy went completely still. She couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.

How long she stood there, Christy had no idea. Nor could she put order to her thoughts. Just a few minutes ago she'd been sitting across the room from Cody, laughing with him, sharing secret smiles, her whole being permeated with gladness and joy. How natural it had seemed to be together. As natural as the sun setting. As natural as rain.

“Are you going to talk to your fiancé or not?” Russ demanded, his voice sharp with censure.

Christy stared at him for a moment before she realized James was still on the phone. Nevertheless, she stood where she was and watched the plume of dust that trailed behind Cody's vehicle. After a while it faded away, taking with it the promise of something wonderful.

Russ waited for her at the top of the porch steps. Christy lowered her eyes as she moved past him. He didn't need to say anything for her to feel his reprimand.

The telephone receiver was resting on a small table in the hallway. Christy dragged in a deep, calming breath and reached for it. “Hello, James.” She prayed her voice revealed none of her turmoil.

“Christy. How are you?” He sounded anxious, concerned.

“Fine, just fine. Taylor had the baby, but I suppose you've heard about that already. I doubt Mom and Dad could keep quiet about Eric. He really is precious.” She knew she was chattering but couldn't seem to make herself stop. “Montana is a beautiful state. I haven't seen much of Cougar Point yet, except the bowling alley. I had breakfast there the other morning, only it was really the middle of the afternoon—the day Eric was born, actually.”

“You ate breakfast at a bowling alley?”

“There's a restaurant there and the food's good—excellent, in fact.”

“That's nice.”

“How are you?” Christy felt obliged to ask.

“Fine. I miss you.” He dropped his voice slightly as if he'd admitted something he shouldn't. “The office seems empty with you away.”

James wasn't a man who was comfortable with expressing his emotions. Showing affection was difficult for him. The fact that he'd called and said he missed her was practically equivalent to another man standing on a rooftop and shouting at the top of his voice that he was madly in love.

“I…I've been busy.”

“I was hoping you'd call me.”

His disappointment echoed in each word.

“I'm sorry, James, really I am. It's just that everything happened so fast. I didn't even have a chance to unpack my bags before Taylor went into labor. She came home from the hospital today, and we…we were just having dinner.” That was a slight exaggeration, but she needed an excuse to get off the phone before she did something stupid like weep uncontrollably or tell him about Cody.

“You're having dinner? Why didn't you say something sooner? No wonder it took you so long to get to the phone.”

Christy leaned against the wall, closed her eyes and swallowed. She felt guilty about by her minor deception, contaminated by the way she was deceiving him in an effort to cut short this painful conversation.

James deserved so much more than this. The guilt was killing her, and it demanded all the self-control she possessed to keep from blurting everything out.

“I'll let you go, but before I do I want you to know I got the diamond back from the jeweler. It'll be ready when you return from your sister's.”

“Oh, g-great,” she stammered, trying to inject some enthusiasm into her voice.

“Goodbye, Christy. Give my regards to Taylor and her husband and congratulate them both for me.”

“I will. Bye, James. Don't work too hard.”

“No, I won't.”

She replaced the receiver, her fingers curled tensely around it as she waited for the recriminations to rain down on her. She felt an overwhelming sense of wrongdoing, a surge of remorse.

Raised voices came at her from inside the living room.

“The least you can do is listen to her,” Christy heard Taylor shout.

“What possible explanation could she have? Either she's engaged or she isn't.”

“Listen to me, Russ Palmer. I won't have you yelling at my sister. Whatever's happening between her and Cody is her business. It doesn't have anything to do with us.”

“Like hell I'm going to stay out of it. We're talking about Cody here—my best friend. I thought he was your friend, too.”

“He is.”

“Then you can't expect to sit idly by and watch him get hurt.”

“Please,” Christy said, stepping into the room. She couldn't bear to have them arguing over her. “Please…don't fight.”

The room went silent, a silence so intense it seemed to throb like a giant heart. Taylor's gaze, clouded with doubt and uncertainty, locked with Christy's. Russ's eyes were filled with reproach.

Russ and Taylor continued to stare at her. Russ was angry and made no effort to disguise his feelings. Taylor, usually so strong and confident, couldn't hide her confusion.

Christy suspected her sister was as troubled as her husband. Only Taylor wouldn't allow herself to voice her misgivings because of family loyalty.

“Sit down,” Taylor suggested. She motioned toward the recliner where Christy had sat earlier. “You're so pale. Are you sure you're all right?”

“Why didn't you tell us you were engaged?” Russ asked, barely giving her time to compose herself. “And if you and James are getting married, why aren't you wearing a ring?”

“Russ, please,” Taylor said, “let her answer one question before hitting her with another.” Directing her attention to Christy, Taylor widened her eyes. “We're waiting.”

Folding her hands in her lap, Christy squeezed her fingers so tightly they hurt. “James asked me to marry him two days before I left Seattle.”

“He didn't give you an engagement ring?”

“Of course…it's being sized now.”

“I see,” Taylor said, frowning. “And you didn't mention it to anyone? Do Mom and Dad know? I'm your sister, for heaven's sake! The least you could've done was mention it to me.”

“Taylor,” Russ said gruffly, then reminded her of her own words. “She can only answer one question at a time.”

“I didn't have a chance to tell you when I first arrived. Remember? Then first thing the next morning you went into labor and…I met Cody.”

“You had no business leading him on,” Russ snapped.

“I didn't mean to,” she cried, and raked her fingers though her short hair, praying Taylor and Russ wouldn't condemn her. “It just…happened. We were both so excited about the baby and afterward we went out to eat. Then Cody drove me home and…and I knew he was going to kiss me. I realize it was a mistake not to say anything to him, but I was afraid…” Afraid that if she
had
said something he wouldn't have touched her, and she'd wanted his kiss so much.

Unable to meet her sister's eyes, she glanced at the coffee table as the tears spilled down her cheeks.

“Who's this James character, anyway?” Russ asked Taylor. “Did we meet him?”

She nodded. “He's the attorney Christy introduced to us last summer.”

“Not the…” He hesitated.

“Why didn't you tell me?” Taylor apparently considered it a personal affront that Christy had kept the news to herself. “We had plenty of time to talk while I was in the hospital and you were there every day.”

“I tried,” Christy said in her own defense. “But every time I mentioned James, you changed the subject. And when I finally managed to drag him back into the conversation, you started telling me how dry and boring you think he is and what a mismatched couple we are. What was I supposed to do? Tell you I'd agreed to marry the man you'd just finished criticizing?”

“Oh, dear,” Taylor whispered. “Now that you mention it, I do remember you trying to bring James into the conversation.”

“Fine. You two got that settled, but what about Cody?” Russ stalked to the other side of the room and stared out the front window. “I can't, I
won't
let this happen to him a second time. Not when it's in my power to prevent it.” Gradually he turned around, his shoulders squared and his jaw tightly clenched.

“A second time?” Christy echoed.

When Russ didn't respond right away, she looked at her sister, who was busy with Eric. Either that or she was avoiding eye contact. “Taylor?”

“It happened several years ago,” Russ began grudgingly. “A woman by the name of Rebecca Morgan moved into town. She was from somewhere in the south and had the sweetest manners you can imagine. She was the type of woman a man could fall in love with. Becca was perfect. Beautiful. Demure. Charming and…” Russ shook his head. “Who would've guessed?”

“Guessed what?” Christy asked.

“Becca made it obvious from the moment she moved into town that she was attracted to Cody. Every time he turned around there she was, batting her eyes at him, doing those things you women do to let a man know you're interested.”

“I could make a comment here, but I won't,” Taylor muttered.

“Soon Becca and Cody were seeing a lot of each other. You have to understand, Cody isn't easily taken in, especially by a pretty woman. Until recently.” He frowned at Christy as he said it. “But Becca did more than interest him. For the first time in his life, Cody was in love. It showed in everything he said and did.

“Cody's always been popular with the folks around here, and his happiness seemed to rub off on everyone. Most folks liked Becca, too. They couldn't help it. There was plenty of talk about the two of them getting married.” Russ walked over to the ottoman and sat down. “A month or so after she moved into town, a series of baffling robberies started happening.”

“You don't mean to say Becca…”

“Not her personally. She was part of a team. They worked a scam in small cities all across the western states. Apparently the heat was on in several of the larger cities, and she and her partner decided to try their hand in smaller towns. They were successful, too. Becca would move someplace and get involved with a deputy from the local sheriff's office. One way or another she'd get information about shipments of money to the town banks. Then she'd pass that information to her partner. It was all cleverly done. Whenever a shipment of cash was due to arrive, Becca would make sure she was nowhere nearby. Two banks were robbed, and a couple of stores lost valuable equipment all within the second month she was in town. But no one suspected her. How could they? She was just as sweet as honey.”

“How long did it take Cody to realize it was Becca?”

“Not long, a few weeks, but he felt like the biggest fool who ever lived and you'll never convince him differently. He took responsibility for everything, blamed himself for not picking up on the scam sooner.”

“But he loved her. Trusted her.”

Russ's dark gaze collided with Christy's. “I know. He arrested her and her partner and testified against them.”

“Surely no one blamed Cody!”

“No, everyone in town was as taken in by her as he was. But Cody felt as responsible as if he'd personally handed over the money. It's his job to protect and to serve and he felt he'd let the entire county down, although he worked his fool head off until every penny was returned. Even that wasn't enough. Cody felt he had to resign from the department.”