break the bond between him and Sharon Lynn, that she would shut him out and face her grief all alone, as she’d apparently done after losing her husband.
At the thought of Kyle Mason, he realized what he should have guessed sooner. Mason was the man he’d heard about whose ranch might be up for sale. Sharon Lynn was the widow he’d been told might be anxious to sell. Oddly enough, none of that mattered now. He had far more important things on his mind.
By closing time, there still had been no word from Justin. Sharon Lynn was a basket case and even the baby seemed to have picked up on their uneasiness. She’d been fussing for an hour and nothing they tried seemed to soothe her.
“Why don’t we all go out to dinner?” Cord suggested. “The wait will be easier if we’re not just sitting around staring at each other.”
“Do you honestly believe there is anything that will make this easier?” she asked skeptically. “Besides, Ashley’s not settling down. We’ll just be on edge the whole time we’re at the restaurant.”
They were still debating the issue when her cousin Dani came in. She honed straight in on the crying baby.
“What’s the matter, sweetie?” she said to Ashley, lifting her out of Cord’s arms. She frowned at the two of them. “Judging from the expression on your faces, it’s little wonder she’s crying. What’s up?”
“We’re waiting to hear from Justin,” Sharon Lynn said.
“Ah, I see. I thought that might be it.” She glanced from Sharon Lynn to Cord and back again. “Why don’t I take the baby back over to the house and put her to bed? You two go have a quiet, relaxing dinner and stop worrying.”
“But what about Justin?” Sharon Lynn protested.
“I’ll send him to the restaurant if he gets back before you do,” Dani said.
“Don’t you need to get home to your own kids?” Sharon Lynn asked.
“Hey, what’s the matter? Don’t you trust me with the little one?”
“Of course, but—”
Cord snagged Sharon Lynn’s hand. “Let’s take Dani up on her offer. We won’t stay out long, but we both need the distraction.”
Her glance went from him to the baby. “I don’t know,” she said fearfully.
“Well, I do,” he said.
“Me, too,” Dani chimed in. “Go. This little peanut and I will be just fine.”
“You’ll send Justin to the restaurant?” Sharon Lynn asked worriedly.
“I told you I would,” Dani reassured her, already bundling the baby up in her snowsuit and blankets for the walk home.
Sharon Lynn continued to look uneasy, but Dani gave her a quick hug and headed for the door. Cord watched with amusement as she brushed off Sharon Lynn’s last-second concerns, then gave him a wink.
“Try to make her eat,” Dani called back to him. “A little lasagna will put some color back into her cheeks.”
As soon as she was out of sight, Sharon Lynn sighed heavily. “I suppose we might as well get on with it.”
“Having a nice dinner, making a little conversation is not supposed to be torture,” Cord reminded her.
“Sorry. It’s just that—”
“It’s just that you’re worried. Well, so am I, but I am also starved, so take pity on me and let’s get going.” He grabbed her coat and purse from the back room, then guided her toward the door.
Even as she allowed him to help her into her coat, she grumbled, “How could you possibly be starved? You wolfed down two cheeseburgers and a large order of fries not three hours ago.”
He grinned. “I had no idea you were keeping such close track of my diet.”
“I just worry about seeing your arteries clog before my very eyes.”
“Next time I’ll order a salad,” he promised as he took the key from her hand and locked up. “Italian okay with you?”
“Whatever.”
Despite her lack of interest, he noticed that once they walked in the door of the restaurant, she seemed to perk up a little. The aroma of garlic and tomato sauce tended to do that for some people.
“Lasagna?” he asked when they’d been seated. “I gather from what Dani said that it’s your favorite.”
“Yes, but I’ll never be able to eat it,” she insisted.
“Eat what you can and we’ll take the rest home.”
“You’re every bit as pushy and annoying as my cousin, do you realize that?”
“If you’d give me just a little cooperation here, there would be no reason for me to be pushy and annoying.”
She almost smiled at that. Her lips began a slow curve, then snapped into a tight line. “I don’t