for you both,” Dani said, though it was evident from the semimechanical tone of her voice that her heart wasn’t entirely in it. She kept searching Sharon Lynn’s face as if looking for answers.
The rest of the family began turning up then, one right after another, until the whole house was packed with Adamses and their spouses. Kids were racing around underfoot. They were the only ones who didn’t seem to be giving the matter of this sudden engagement much thought. Doubts and confusion were evident with everyone else, though some were more polite than others about expressing it.
Cord would be forever grateful to Harlan Patrick, who gave his sister a fierce hug and said in Cord’s hearing. “I knew it, sis. You picked a winner this time.”
She seemed startled by the statement. Even Cord wondered at the choice of words, until Harlan Patrick clarified them himself. “Cord’s not the kind of man who’ll let anything stand in the way of getting what he wants, and it’s been obvious to me he’s wanted you since the day he rode into town.”
The implied criticism of Kyle Mason’s endless delays surprised Cord. He’d always been under the impression that everyone in the family had looked favorably on that union. It appeared that at least one Adams hadn’t. He’d worried for some time now about competing with a saintly ghost, but perhaps Kyle had been only human, after all. Of course, it wasn’t Harlan Patrick’s impression of the man that counted. It was Sharon Lynn’s memories.
There was no time to think that through, though, because Justin came roaring in just then, still in uniform and looking as if he were anxious to put Cord under arrest for trying to steal his cousin.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, Branson, but I don’t like this,” he muttered after drawing Cord away from the others.
Cord kept a tight rein on his temper. This was exactly what he’d expected from Justin. The man was totally honorable and fiercely loyal. Cord wanted Justin on his side.
“I love your cousin,” he said quietly. “She’s agreed to marry me. That’s all you need to know.”
“If you hurt her, you’ll answer to me.”
Cord met his defiant glare evenly. “Fair enough,” he agreed. “But I have no intention of hurting her. My goal is to see to it that all her dreams come true.”
It was easy enough to make the vow sound convincing because he meant every word. The marriage might be a sham on Sharon Lynn’s part, but on Cord’s, it was the answer to a prayer.
* * *
The engagement party was a fiasco. Sharon Lynn sensed that every single person crowded into her house—with the possible exception of her brother and her grandfather—suspected that this was not a love-match. Why Grandpa Harlan and Harlan Patrick thought otherwise was beyond her.
Of course, her grandfather was a dyed-in-the-wool romantic. That would explain his quiet, beaming acceptance of her announcement. But Harlan Patrick had every reason in the world to have no faith in love at all these days, yet even he seemed to be overjoyed by her news. Maybe he and Cord had bonded in some totally male way on those trips they’d made to Garden City.
As the night wore on with its unceasing questions, her head began to throb. She was no good at this deception stuff. If anyone had thought to sit her down and cross-examine her, she would have cracked like an egg. As it was, despite the overt skepticism, everyone seemed to be going along with the claim that the two of them had fallen madly in love practically overnight. Each time someone actually tried to corner her, Cord stepped in with a kiss and moral support to lend credence to their impression and put an end to their questions.
Only Justin made no pretense of being convinced. He’d been scowling since he’d walked through the door. He’d hauled Cord off to a corner for a few obviously intense moments. Whatever Cord had said in response hadn’t exactly reassured her cousin, but it had quieted him down. She could tell, though, that he was just biding his time until he could get a moment alone with her. She did everything in her power to preclude that from happening.
Unfortunately Justin was both patient and clever. He snared her coming out of the kitchen, whirled her around and half dragged her back inside. He all but pushed her into a chair and stood over her as if she were the