his paperwork when Cord walked into his office. Despite the truce, his eyes were still filled with distrust.
“I’m delighted you decided to show up this morning,” he said sourly.
Cord let the comment pass. He knew he needed to prove that he was a responsible employee. He hadn’t demonstrated it up until now, even if his reasons were sound.
“Do you have a minute?” he asked.
Cody put down his pen and gestured toward the chair. “Have a seat.”
“It’s about Sharon Lynn and that land of hers.”
“I’m not sure we ought to be getting into that,” Cody said. “We’re likely to come to blows. Daddy’ll pitch a fit if I injure the man he’s all but handpicked for my daughter.”
Cord grinned. “You’re assuming you’d actually manage to lay a hand on me.”
Cody scowled for an instant, then sighed. “I may be out of practice, but I can still hold my own in a brawl,” he muttered. “And I’m just itching to prove it.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. I just don’t think it’ll be necessary after you hear what I have to say.”
“Go on then.”
Cord told him what he and Sharon Lynn had discussed the night before. “So, you see, that land isn’t available. She’s made an agreement with the foreman and she’s sticking by it, just as she should. And I’m going to go right on working here and saving my money. I’ll have my own spread one day, but it won’t be that one.” He gave Cody a wry look. “Satisfied?”
The older man looked relieved. “To be truthful, yes. Despite what happened yesterday, I like you, Cord. I didn’t want to believe that your motives where Sharon Lynn were concerned were anything but honorable, but I had to say something. I couldn’t just let my suspicions pass.”
“I know that, sir. I didn’t like what you had to say, but I could understand your need to say it. I told Sharon Lynn that myself when she wanted to come out here herself and tear a strip out of your hide.”
Cody chuckled. “She would have, too. That girl’s got the Adams’s temper and spunk, even if it has been in short supply the last few months. I’m glad to hear it’s coming back and relieved to learn it won’t be directed at me.”
“There’s one more thing,” Cord told him. “It looks as if there’s a good chance that woman Justin found over in Garden City is the baby’s grandmother. They’re running another set of tests to confirm it. I wasn’t crazy about what Justin had to say about her and I’m not sure he didn’t leave some of it out. I was thinking it might be a good idea to hire a private investigator to do some checking. I wondered if you knew of anyone.”
Cody’s gaze narrowed. “It sounds as if you and Sharon Lynn are thinking of fighting the woman’s claim to the baby, if it turns out she has one. Is she that attached to the child?”
“We both are, but we’ll fight only if it seems like the right thing to do,” Cord insisted.
Cody stood up and began to pace. “I don’t like it,” he said. “Sharon Lynn’s getting too involved with that child. Now you’re talking about a private investigator.” He shook his head. “It’s going to get messy. She doesn’t need that.”
“Believe me, I understand where you’re coming from,” Cord assured him. “Like it or not, we are involved. Whoever left that baby on Sharon Lynn’s doorstep saw to that. I just want to be sure whoever winds up with custody has the baby’s best interests at heart.”
“And you think this woman who might be the grandmother won’t care about that?”
“It’s just a feeling I got from what Justin said and what he didn’t say. He’s got a responsibility to go by the law. I understand that. He may not be in a position to dig deep enough into this woman’s life to make sure she’s the right person to care for that baby.”
“What about social services?”
“I’m sure they’ll do their jobs. I’d just feel better if we had all the facts, too. I know Sharon Lynn feels the same way.”
The mention of his daughter did the trick. Cody nodded. “Let me call Justin and see what he thinks. If he agrees, I know just the man for the job. Lizzy’s husband and I hired him a while back when we were having some problems around our ranches. He was fast and he was thorough.”
Cord could see that was the only concession