know. Something tells me that’s just your nature.”
He teased and tormented her all the way through dinner. She ate most of her lasagna, probably without even realizing that she was lifting the fork to her mouth between barbs. To Cord’s amusement, when her plate was almost empty, she stared at it as if a thief had snuck in and stolen her meal.
“Hungrier than you thought, I guess,” he observed mildly.
“I had no idea,” she murmured.
“Turns out I’m a halfway decent distraction.”
She met his gaze evenly and this time the smile built slowly and stayed in place. “You’re a miracle worker.”
“I’ll put that on my résumé when I’m out of a job again.”
“You were the one who said my father would understand about you being here in town with me.”
He shrugged. “I might have stretched the truth just the teensiest bit. I told him I’d try to get back for evening chores.”
“Cord, what on earth were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that you needed me more than your daddy did.”
“But this job was so important to you. I’ll call him. I’ll explain.”
“You’ll do no such thing. I’ll talk to your father. If he wants to fire me over this, there will be other jobs.” Hopefully right here in Los Piños, but if not, well, he’d worry about that when the time came. He was pretty sure Cody was a reasonable man and that his concern for his daughter would make him lenient with Cord under the circumstances.
He glanced across the table and saw that Sharon Lynn was gathering up her things.
“Hey, darlin’, where’s the fire?”
“We’re going home right this second. You can drop me off and then go on out to White Pines and try to straighten things out with my father.”
“I’m not leaving until we’ve heard from Justin and that’s that.”
“But—”
He met her gaze evenly. “No buts, Sharon Lynn. That’s final.”
She regarded him with amusement. “Are you sure you don’t have Adams blood in you?”
“Meaning?”
“You’re as stubborn and single-minded as anybody in my family. Believe me, that is not a compliment.”
He grinned at her disgruntled tone. “You’d do well to remember it, though. I always, always get what I’m after.”
Chapter Eight
Sharon Lynn was shivering by the time they reached her house, though Cord couldn’t tell whether it was from the bitter cold temperature outside or from anxiety. It was plain that she dreaded walking in to find Justin waiting for them, but as it turned out Dani was alone, flipping through veterinary medicine journals as the baby slept in her portable crib in the bedroom.
She glanced up at their entrance, surveyed Sharon Lynn closely, then gave a little nod of approval. “Much better. I don’t know if it was the food or the fresh air that did it, but you look a hundred percent better than you did a couple of hours ago.”
“Any word from Justin?” Sharon Lynn demanded without even acknowledging Dani’s observation.
“Not a peep.” At Sharon Lynn’s crestfallen expression, she added, “Maybe that’s a good sign. Maybe the lead he thought he had didn’t pan out.”
For an instant there was a spark of hope in Sharon Lynn’s eyes. “Do you think that could be it?”
“Of course it could be,” Dani assured her.
Cord wanted to believe that as desperately as Sharon Lynn obviously did, but he wondered. What if Justin’s being out of contact all day meant that the lead had actually panned out and taken him in a new direction? What if he’d been gone so long, because he was following it straight to the mother’s doorway?
Dani continued to study her cousin closely. “Are you going to be okay?” she asked worriedly. “Want me to stick around?”
Sharon Lynn didn’t answer. Her gaze kept straying toward the bedroom.
“I’ll be here,” Cord said finally. “She won’t be alone.”
Dani grinned at him. “Then I’d say you’re in good hands,” she told Sharon Lynn as if her cousin was actually paying attention, which she hadn’t been since they’d walked in. Her focus was totally on the baby down the hall.
“I’ll pop into Dolan’s in the morning before I open up the clinic to see if there’s been any news,” Dani added. “If you need me in the meantime, call.”
Sharon Lynn nodded absently, then wandered off, leaving Cord to thank Dani for looking after the baby.
“If they take the baby away, she’s going to take it hard,” Dani said, staring after her worriedly.
“We both will,” Cord replied grimly. “She’s strong, though. She’ll do okay.”
“And you?” Dani inquired, regarding him thoughtfully. “How will you do?”