You can pour me a cup of real coffee to make up for it.”
She grinned. “I don’t think so.”
He shrugged. “Oh, well, it was worth a try.” He bounced Ashley on his knee, then said casually, “This is a mighty big step you’re thinking of taking.”
“You’re not going to start on me, too, are you? Between Mama and Justin, I already feel as if I’ve gone ten rounds with a world-champion prosecutor.”
“No,” he said at once. “I happen to think Cord Branson is a fine man. He’ll be a good husband.” He gave her a sly look. “I also happen to think he’s in love with you.”
Her head shot up at that. “In love with me?” she repeated incredulously. “Don’t be ridiculous. He barely knows me.” Despite the denial, she couldn’t seem to help the little thrill that came over her at her grandfather’s claim.
Grandpa Harlan didn’t seem to be impressed by her vehement protest. “Sometimes it doesn’t take but a heartbeat for a man to recognize the one woman on earth who’s right for him. In Cord’s eyes, you’re that woman. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
“But...”
“Can you say the same about him?” he asked. “Or is this all about holding on to that precious baby?”
Sharon Lynn sighed.
Her grandfather nodded. “I thought so. I’m not telling you not to go through with it, darlin’ girl. I happen to think it’s a strong match.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“Maybe Cord loves enough for both of you, but I wanted you to go into this with your eyes wide-open. Whatever he may have told you, I’d stake my life that he’s not looking for a marriage in name only. You’ll owe it to him to make a real stab at making it work. Can you do that?”
Sharon Lynn fought her way through panic and an unexpected burst of anticipation to meet her grandfather’s gaze evenly. “I’ll have to, won’t I?”
“If you’ll listen to a few words of wisdom from an old man who loves you, what Cord is doing to protect you and that baby is a noble and decent gesture not many men would make. A man like that is worth holding on to.”
“I know that,” she told him quietly. It was a fact that had crept into her heart when she’d least expected it.
Chapter Sixteen
Cord figured Cody must approve of his relationship with Sharon Lynn. He gave him time off to get blood tests and paperwork done without so much as a grumbling comment. If he’d had to describe his boss’s mood, he would have called it resigned. Obviously Cody was a man who had given up fighting the inevitable, at least when it came to his willful daughter.
Their earlier dispute over the designs he suspected Cord had on Sharon Lynn’s property seemed to have been put behind them. Cord had a hunch he had Harlan Adams or Harlan Patrick to thank for that. Or maybe the fact that Kyle Mason’s ranch had been promised to someone else. Thank heaven, he’d talked Sharon Lynn out of giving him her share of White Pines. He could just imagine what Cody would think about that. Cord doubted he would live to walk down the aisle.
All in all, the wedding plans were moving along without a hitch and with them, Cord’s optimism was escalating. He was all but certain Sharon Lynn wouldn’t duck out on him at the last second, if only because she was clinging to this marriage as the only way to protect Ashley from Hazel Murdock.
He’d been stunned by the strength she’d demonstrated as she’d withstood her family’s doubts and skepticism. She’d almost had him believing by the end of their impromptu party that she was marrying him out of love. He promised himself that none of them would ever learn from him that nothing could be further from the truth, at least from her perspective.
Less than twenty-four hours from now, she would be Mrs. Cord Branson. Even though his confidence was strong, he couldn’t seem to keep himself from dropping by Dolan’s on his way to the bachelor party Harlan Patrick had insisted on planning. He wanted to make sure she hadn’t panicked and changed her mind. He wondered if there’d ever come a day when he could be as sure of her love for him as he was of his own for her.
“Aren’t you supposed to be hanging out with the guys tonight?” Sharon Lynn inquired when he settled into his usual place at