Page 16 of Hot For You

“You can definitely trust me.” He inclined his head toward the bar. “Let’s get another drink.”

“All right,” she said, at the same time wondering what happened to her insistence to Leigh and herself that she should keep her distance from Cody. She certainly wasn’t doing a very good job of it.

When they were seated at the bar and after Cody had ordered drinks for both of them, he rested one arm on the bar top as he looked at her. “Do you have family in Kansas?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Not anymore. My mom and stepdad retired and moved to Florida.” She hesitated and a sharp ache stabbed her gut like it always did when she mentioned her father. “My birth father might be there, but it’s hard to count him as family since he abandoned my mom and me when I was very young.”

“No cousins or any other family there?” Cody asked.

“All of my relatives live in Indiana.” Carilyn ran her fingers up and down her rum and Coke glass. “Mom ran away to Kansas with my birth father when she was just seventeen. When my father left us, she didn’t have enough money to move back to Indiana and she refused to ask family for help. So we stayed. By the time she could afford to move she’d met my stepdad and his roots run deep in Kansas.”

Cody looked thoughtful. “How is your relationship with your stepdad?”

Carilyn smiled. “George is like a father to me. Much more so than my birth father.” She cocked her head to the side. “What about you? Do you have much family here? I met your cousin and you mentioned a brother.”

“My parents passed away some time ago,” Cody said. “But I have a boatload of cousins, aunts, and uncles in the Prescott Valley. The McBride clan is one of the biggest and oldest families in the area.”

“I take it your reunions are pretty wild?” Carilyn said.

He laughed. “You could say that.”

Carilyn shifted on her seat. “I’d bet you have some stories to tell.”

“You have no idea.” He grinned. “Do you have anything planned while you’re here?”

“I haven’t made any plans yet.” She pushed a loose curl from her face. “I do want to go to Sedona sometime. I hear there’s a great dress shop there.”

His lips twitched. “Couldn’t vouch for that, but I can tell you that Sedona has one of the best fudge shops anywhere. The only fudge I’ve had that’s better is Leigh’s.”

“You’re a big fan of fudge, I take it,” she said. “Plain with no nuts, right?”

“You’ve got it,” he said. “You could say I’m a purist.”

She laughed. “I’ll have to try some when I go.”

“If you’d like someone to go along, I’d be glad to take you,” he said.

Something tickled her insides as she met his gaze. “I’d like that.” She found herself saying the words before she could stop herself. She’d already made plans to go to his ranch, and now Sedona, too?

He smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.”

She suddenly felt jittery and wondered why she would feel nervous now. “I should find Leigh.” She let her gaze drift over the room but didn’t see her friend.

“It’s possible she went outside with Mike,” Cody said. “It would be easier to hear out there.”

She turned back to him. “I’m only going to be here a month,” she found herself saying.

He nodded. “You might as well enjoy yourself while you’re here.” He gave a little grin. “Who knows? You might decide to stay.”

“I don’t think so.” She couldn’t help returning his smile. “You and Leigh don’t give up easily though, do you.”

“Nope.” He shifted his elbow on the bar. “Do you have anyone back in Kansas?”

“If you mean a boyfriend, then no.” She shook her head. “My long-time boyfriend broke it off and went into the Peace Corps a few months ago.”

“That must have been a tough thing to go through,” Cody said.

She considered it for a moment. “It was unexpected and it wasn’t easy, but I’ve moved on.”

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