The Manning Sisters

by Debbie Macomber

  A tenderness blossomed within her, the sensations so exquisite they shocked her even more than they had a day earlier. It shouldn’t be this good, this wonderful, she told herself over and over, wanting to weep with frustration. Yet it was better than anything she’d ever experienced.

  Cody continued to kiss her with a passion and an excitement that left Christy clinging to him.

  “I can’t believe this,” he murmured, and her mind echoed his words. She was struggling with reality, and felt lost and weak.

  Cody bent his head and dropped a succession of kisses down her neck and along her jaw until she moaned. He responded with a small, throaty sound and quickly joined their mouths again, kissing hers softly.

  Christy went weak with need. She was melting from the heat. Burning up with fever. Consumed with a sweet warmth that threatened to devour her. “No,” she whimpered. “We can’t do…this.”

  Cody raised his hands and held them against the sides of her face.

  He was going too fast for her. Her own body was going too fast for her. She felt as though she were sitting on a runaway horse, galloping out of control, being propelled farther and farther away from reason.

  “I feel as if I’ve been waiting for you all my life,” Cody whispered, wrapping his arms completely around her. His hand reached up to smooth the hair from her temple. “I can only imagine what you must think of me coming here like this.”

  Her eyes remained closed, and her dark world continued to spin without restraint. Even when she opened her eyes, everything was blurred and out of focus, her thoughts hopelessly addled.

  “I didn’t mean to shock you,” he said.

  “You didn’t. I shocked myself.”

  Cody worked his thumbs sensuously across the high curve of her cheekbones. He frowned as he felt her tears. “I hurt you?”

  “No…” she murmured, looking away. Now she understood the restless feeling she’d experienced all night. She’d been haunted by his kiss, haunted by the emotions and the need he’d created within her.

  All of this had to stop. Now. This instant. She pressed her forehead against his solid chest, needing his strength in order to find the courage to say what she had to say.

  His hand lifted her hair, his touch gentle as though fingering strands of silk.

  “I fall apart when you kiss me,” she confessed.

  His throaty laugh was filled with amusement and tenderness. “You fall apart?” He captured her hand and pressed it over his heart. “See what you do to me?”

  She didn’t need to touch him to realize how his pulse was churning beneath her palm. Unable to watch the disillusionment in his eyes when she told him about James, she closed her own.

  “I’ve never felt anything for anyone as strongly as I have for you,” she said softly. Then she didn’t say anything more for a long moment, carefully formulating her words.

  Cody obviously sensed that she felt troubled because he tucked his finger under her chin and raised her head. His gaze caressed her. “Christy?”

  “Please listen,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “There’s something you should know, something I meant to tell you from the first, only—”

  “Cody, what are you doing here?” Russ’s voice echoed through the barn like thunder. “Everything’s all right with Taylor, isn’t it?” Christy’s brother-in-law stopped abruptly when he saw Cody’s arms around her waist. He removed his Stetson and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “I wasn’t interrupting anything, was I?”

  “Your timing couldn’t be worse,” Cody barked, glaring at his friend.

  Russ didn’t appear the least bit concerned. He tossed a load of baling wire into his pickup and promptly reached for another. If anything, he looked amused.

  “This isn’t funny.”

  Russ paused. “Now that’s where I disagree. You just met Christy. Until yesterday you hadn’t so much as set eyes on her. I don’t mind telling you, Franklin, I’ve never known you to work so fast.”

  “Shut your fool mouth before you say something I’ll make you regret,” Cody grumbled. His threat wasn’t worth a dime and Russ knew it, but he felt he had to respond.

  “She is a pretty little thing, isn’t she?” Another wheel of wire landed on top of the first with a loud, discordant clang. He turned to stare at Cody when he didn’t answer right away. “Isn’t she?” he repeated.

  “Yes,” Cody admitted grudgingly.

  “For a moment there, it looked like the two of you had been kissing.” Once more Russ paused, a grin turning up the edges of his mouth.

  “I was kissing her,” Cody said, challenging Russ to make something of the fact if he wanted to. He was as uncomfortable as he could ever remember being with his friend. Russ was curious to learn what was going on between him and Christy, but unfortunately Cody could think of no way of explaining his feelings for Christy, especially with the mood Russ was in. His friend seemed to find the situation downright comical.

  “I guessed as much.” Russ wiped the sweat from his brow, but Cody had a sneaking suspicion that he did so to cover a smile. Not that Russ had any trouble poking fun at him and letting him know it.

  After Russ arrived, and the three of them had exchanged pleasantries, Christy excused herself and left, saying that she was driving to Miles City to visit Taylor and Eric. Cody would have offered to go with her, but he was working swing shift and it wasn’t likely that he’d be back before he was scheduled to go on duty.

  “You’re not going to get closemouthed with me now, are you?” Russ was asking. “I can’t say I’ve ever seen you take to a woman the way you have to Taylor’s sister. What’s different about Christy?”

  “What was different about Taylor?”

  Russ chuckled. “Touché. But if you remember correctly, all Taylor and I could do at first was argue. Never met a woman who could irritate me as much as she did.”

  “You didn’t stay angry at her for long.”

  Russ shook his head. “No, can’t say I did. She’d make me so furious I couldn’t think straight. Before I could stop myself, I’d say or do some fool thing I’d end up regretting. That certainly doesn’t seem to be the case with you and Christy, though. You two can’t seem to keep your hands off each other.”

  Cody decided it was best to ignore that comment. “You and Taylor worked things out, and that’s what matters.”

  Some of the humor disappeared from Russ’s dark eyes. “We did, didn’t we?” A faraway expression came over him. “Did you get a good look at him, Cody?”

  Before Cody could respond Russ continued. “The nurse handed me Eric, and I swear something happened to my heart. It was the craziest thing, holding that baby in my arms and loving him so much my throat got all clogged up. I couldn’t have said a word if my life depended on it. Before I knew what was happening, tears were rolling down my face. Me. I can’t remember the last time I cried. I’ve never felt anything as incredible as holding my son.

  “You know, I loved Taylor before the baby was born, but it pales in comparison to what I felt for her as she struggled to give birth to Eric. I’ve always thought of women as the weaker sex, but I was wrong.” He shook himself as if waking from a deep sleep, his eyes as somber as Cody had ever seen.

  “You have reason to be proud.”

  “I bought every box of cigars the gift shop owned.”

  “I know. I was with you.”

  “Hell, I don’t even smoke.”

  Cody laughed. “I know that, too.” He hesitated, uncertain how to proceed. “About Christy…You don’t have any objection to my seeing her, do you?”

  “So you plan to take her to Sitting Bull Lookout?” The ridge above the town had been their favorite necking place as teenagers.

  “Probably,” Cody answered, trying to hold back a grin.

  Russ tucked his hands in his hip pockets. “Then you really are serious?”

  “I’ve never been more serious in my life,” Cody admitted without a pause.

  Taylo
r was sound asleep when Christy got to the hospital. Her sister’s long hair spread out over the white pillows like spilled coffee. Her eyes were closed, her breathing deep and even.

  Tiptoeing into the room so as not to disturb her, Christy pulled out the lone chair and sat. Although she’d been on the road for more than an hour, she remained as upset and nervous as when she’d left the house.

  She felt like weeping. She felt like rejoicing. No woman should experience such conflicting emotions.

  The obedient, do-what’s-right-at-all-costs part of her kept reminding her of James. Loyal, hardworking James, who loved her.

  All her life Christy had done what was right. She’d never been rebellious. She’d been a model child. A model sister. Respectful. Considerate. Thoughtful.

  She felt none of those things now.

  The look Cody had given her just before Russ stepped into the barn would be forever burned in her mind. It was the kind of look a woman dreams of receiving from a man sometime in her life. A lover’s look. One so intimate and personal that it could never be explained to another.

  If this intense feeling between her and Cody was wrong, then why did Christy feel so good inside? Why did she long to throw up her arms and shout for joy? If this was being rebellious or disrespectful, then all Christy could say was that she was entering puberty later than the normal teenager. About ten years later.

  Taylor stirred and opened her eyes. “Christy,” she said, yawning. “When did you arrive?”

  “About five minutes ago.”

  “You should have woken me.”

  “And interrupted your nap?” she teased. “How are you feeling?”

  “Wonderful.” A soft smile touched her eyes. “Eric spent most of the morning with me. Oh, Christy, he’s so adorable. We became acquainted with each other. I counted his fingers and toes, and he taught me about breast feeding.”

  “You look happy.”

  “I am…I really am.”

  Christy settled farther down in the chair. Trying not to be obvious, she stared at the floor, studying the pattern in the white tile. “Cody took me out to eat when we left here yesterday.”

  “In Miles City?”

  “No. We went to the bowling alley in Cougar Point.”

  “I’m glad.” There was a pause. “He’s a good man.”

  Christy knew that instinctively. “I thought so, too. I like him, Taylor. I really do.”

  “Why do you look so guilty?”

  How could she look or feel anything else? But Taylor wouldn’t understand. Her sister had no way of knowing about the lovely engagement ring being sized at the Seattle jewelers.

  They chatted for a few minutes before Taylor settled back against the pillows and sighed.

  “What was that all about?”

  “What?”

  “That sigh,” Christy said.

  “Oh…I was just thinking about you and Cody. I’m really pleased you like him so much. Frankly, I’ve been concerned about you seeing so much of James.”

  Christy was surprised she didn’t give everything away right then and there. “Oh?” she managed.

  “He’s nice, don’t get me wrong, but he’s so boring. To be honest, I’ve never understood what you saw in him.”

  “But he’s kind.”

  “So is Big Bird!” Taylor argued. “I think James is a nice guy, but he isn’t the right one for you, and I can’t understand why you continue to date him.”

  “How can you say that?” Christy demanded, forcing the argument. James had been a child prodigy, a recognized genius by age ten. He graduated from high school in his early teens, and from law school at twenty. At twenty-five he was close to becoming the youngest partner in Atwater and Beckham’s long, distinguished history. “James is a a really nice man.”

  “True,” Taylor agreed readily enough. “But he isn’t the right one for you,” she said again.

  “You’re wrong.” A simple way to end this argument would be for Christy to announce her engagement, yet she hesitated, interested in hearing her sister’s opinion.

  “James is everything you say, but you’re not in love with him and never have been,” Taylor announced with a challenging smile.

  “You sound so confident of that.”

  “I am. You couldn’t possibly be in love with James if you’re this interested in Cody Franklin.”

  Any objection Christy might have posed died a quick and quiet death.

  “I think,” Taylor said, holding out her hands to her sister, “you came to Montana at exactly the right time.”

  Four

  “Can I hold Eric?” Mandy Palmer asked minutes after Taylor was home from the hospital. “I barely got a chance to look at him before,” she added, casting an accusing glance in the direction of her older brother.

  “Of course,” Taylor said, leading the teenager into the living room. Russ followed, leaving Christy standing alone in the kitchen with Cody.

  She busied herself at the stove, praying the sheriff would go with the others.

  He didn’t.

  “You’ve been avoiding me,” he said softly, leaning against the kitchen counter and crossing his arms over his chest. It was all Christy could do not to stare at him. If she did, he’d be able to read the longing in her eyes, and he’d realize she’d been miserable and unhappy and at odds with herself.

  She’d needed these two days to think. To come to grips with herself. To decide.

  The answers hadn’t come easily. She’d wrestled with the most momentous decision of her life. The resolution had come, but not without a price. She felt exhausted, frightened and on the verge of tears.

  She couldn’t deny Cody’s words. She had been avoiding him. She’d astonished herself at how clever she’d been about it. Clever enough so no one would have guessed.

  Except Cody.

  “Why didn’t you answer my calls?” he asked.

  “I came to spend time with Taylor, to help her. I’ve been busy….”

  No one had bothered to tell her that Cody had been invited to Taylor and Eric’s welcome-home dinner. She wasn’t prepared for this.

  From the way everyone had disappeared the minute Taylor arrived, Christy shouldn’t be surprised to find herself alone with Cody. It seemed as if it had all been prearranged.

  “Christy, talk to me,” he pleaded, his frustration evident. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Nothing. It’s just that I’ve been so terribly busy.” So terribly confused. So terribly guilty. Cowardly, too, since she’d been juggling with her conscience, her scruples and her sense of fairness.

  If anything, this time away from Cody had enlightened her. The first day she’d been trapped in the restless, lost sensation she’d experienced the night before, after he’d left.

  The second day, however, she’d found peace. It was a strained peace and would be so until she went home to Seattle and talked to James. Nevertheless, she’d reached a decision.

  For a good part of the afternoon, Mandy and Christy had worked together to get the house ready for Taylor’s return with Eric. No one had said Cody would be returning with them.

  No one had given her a word of warning. She didn’t know what to say to him just now, and the truth seemed unwieldy. Awkward.

  “I don’t blame you if you’re frightened,” Cody continued, his voice low. “I’m frightened myself. The first time we kissed I felt like I’d been hit by a freight train. The second time it was even more powerful…. Deep down I’d hoped it was somehow tied up in the emotion surrounding Russ, Taylor and the baby, but it isn’t.”

  “I don’t think it is, either.”

  “If you’re looking for an explanation of what’s going on between us, I can’t give you one. All I know is what I feel.”

  Sometimes, Christy believed, a lifetime of doing the right thing could be subverted by pure sensation. This had certainly proved true with her and Cody.

  “Talk to me.”

  Slowly she turned, witnessing for herself the t
enderness, and the confusion, in his eyes. Without uttering a word, she walked over to him and slipped her arms around his waist. He placed his own around her, anchoring her to his chest as he expelled a harsh breath.

  “Can you tell me what’s troubling you?”

  She nodded, almost giddy with relief and release. Raising her head, she smiled up at him, longing to reassure him. Part of her yearned to put this behind them and blurt it all out. She wanted to tell him about James and the engagement and how meeting him had turned her world inside out. But there wasn’t enough time to untangle this mess before dinner. They needed privacy to discuss it in detail, time to reach an understanding.

  She glanced regretfully toward the living room.

  “Do you want to steal away?” Cody asked. “Go somewhere else?”

  That was exactly what she did want, but they couldn’t leave. Tonight was an evening to celebrate. Taylor and Eric were home for the first time, and leaving would be selfish and thoughtless.

  “Forget I asked that,” Cody murmured. “I’ll be patient.”

  “So will I. We’ll make some excuse after dinner,” she suggested, then on impulse lightly brushed her lips over his.

  Cody, however, wanted more. Much more.

  Placing his hands on each side of her neck, he pulled her tighter to him and wove his fingers through her short hair as he brought his mouth to hers.

  “I swear,” Russ exclaimed loudly, walking into the kitchen, “I can’t leave these two alone for a moment.” The words were followed by the sound of his laughter.

  Languidly Cody eased his mouth from Christy’s and slowly opened his eyes. “How about getting lost for the next few minutes?” Cody said.

  “Fine with me,” Russ agreed, “but I don’t think that fried chicken’s going to want to wait much longer.”

  “Oh, my,” Christy said, abruptly breaking away. She’d completely forgotten about the dinner she and Mandy had so carefully planned. She grabbed a pot holder and moved the grease-spitting skillet from the burner. Heaving a sigh of relief, she brushed her bangs off her forehead.

  “Need any help?” Mandy asked, sauntering into the kitchen. Russ’s teenage sister lived with him and Taylor, and from everything Christy had heard, Mandy was the one responsible for bringing Russ and Taylor together. Because of a summer job and other commitments, Mandy had been away from the house during most of Christy’s visit and Christy was only beginning to get to know her. And like her.