The Cowboy and His Baby by Sherryl Woods Page A

legs drawn up under her, her butt sticking up in the air. He couldn’timagine the position being comfortable, but she was sleeping soundly.
    Awestruck, he moved closer to the crib. Melissa stayed a few steps behind him. Her mother never budged from the doorway. He studied the tiny, balled-up fists. Her skin looked soft as down and her light curls feathered around her face like wispy strands of silk. Her mouth curved like a miniature bow of pink. She was perfect. Adorable.
    An overwhelming surge of protectiveness spread through him. This was his daughter. His! He’d seen Luke with the newborn Angela. He had watched Jordan hold J.J., but he had never guessed the depth of emotions that his brothers must have been feeling. He’d never experienced anything like it before in his life.
    â€œShe’s so beautiful,” he whispered, his voice choked.
    â€œShe has your eyes, your hair,” Melissa said quietly.
    â€œAnd your mouth,” he noted. “I had no idea.”
    â€œNo idea about what?”
    â€œThat it was possible to create anything so perfect.”
    Melissa laughed softly. “You haven’t seen her throw a tantrum yet.”
    He turned toward her and grinned. “Ah, so she has your temper, too?”
    â€œOh, no,” Melissa protested. “You’re not blaming me for that. Every ounce of stubbornness she possesses she got from you.”
    Gazing directly into her eyes, he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Thank you.”
    â€œFor?”
    He wasn’t certain how to explain all that he was grateful to her for. For having the baby, even without him in her life. For keeping her healthy and safe. For loving her. So many things.
    â€œFor our daughter,” he said simply.
    â€œOh, Cody,” she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks.
    â€œShh, darlin’, don’t cry,” he said, pulling her close. “You’re not alone anymore.”
    To his astonishment, he realized that after the loneliest year and a half of his life, he was no longer alone, either. He was just a visit to the preacher away from having a family of his own. And nothing or no one was going to stand in his way.

Chapter Six
    S till awestruck, Cody was knee-deep in mental wedding plans before he and Melissa walked out the front door of her parents’ house. He was so caught up in thinking ahead to the day when Melissa and Sharon Lynn would move into his old house out at White Pines, that he almost forgot to ask Melissa to have dinner with him that night so he could officially propose and go over the details.
    â€œBoth of you,” he told her as they stood in front of the drugstore a few minutes later. “You and Sharon Lynn. We’ll go to DiPasquali’s. I’ll pick you up at your folks’ place after you get off work.”
    Her lips set in a stubborn expression he knew only too well.
    â€œWas there an invitation in there somewhere or did you mean it to sound like an order?” she asked.
    He supposed they could quibble all morning over the difference, but he didn’t see much point to it. They had far bigger issues to worry about, like setting a wedding date in the next week or so. Now that he’dseen his daughter, nothing was going to keep him from her. The prospect of instant parenthood scared the daylights out of him, but he was eager to get started, anxious to make up for lost time. He considered Melissa part of the package, of course.
    â€œAn invitation, of course,” he said, wise enough to pacify Melissa. He wanted her in a receptive frame of mind tonight. He didn’t want her stubborn streak kicking in. “Would you like to have dinner with me tonight at DiPasquali’s?”
    â€œI think your daughter is a little young for pizza.”
    Based on the spark of amusement in her eyes, she might have been teasing, but Cody took her comment seriously. He hadn’t thought of