The Cowboy and His Baby by Sherryl Woods Page B

days more. How bad can that be?”
    A few days, one hour, any time at all would be hell, especially if he discovered in the meantime that he had a baby of his own. Still, Cody had never been able to resist his sister-in-law. Kelly had been coaxing him into trouble since they were toddlers. Jordan had been too stuffy even at seven to fall in with some of her more outrageous mischief, though there had never been a doubt in anyone’s mind that Jordan was the one she loved.
    â€œI’ll stick around,” he said eventually. “Long enough to get that nephew of mine in good graces with the Lord. Then I’m heading right back out. Understood?”
    â€œUnderstood,” Kelly said meekly.
    Kelly meek? Every alarm bell in him went off. Before he could get too caught up in trying to figure out her angle, she was gone. He was left alone with Jordan, while Kelly went upstairs to tuck Dani into bed. Suddenly the questions that had been tormenting him earlier in the day could no longer be ignored.
    â€œKelly mentioned that you saw Melissa and her little girl today, after you left Luke and me,” Jordan said, his gaze fixed on Cody’s face.
    The comment gave him the perfect opening. “Why didn’t you warn me?” Cody asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. “You knew about the baby, didn’t you?”
    Jordan sighed, then nodded. “I saw her once, about eight months ago. She was just a baby.” He scanned Cody’s face as if looking for answers. “What did you think when you saw her?”
    â€œI figured Melissa and Brian had more going for them than I’d realized. I figured they were a happy little family now.” Cody threw out the possibility togauge his brother’s reaction. If Jordan knew anything different, he’d find it out now.
    The color washed out of Jordan’s face. “Did you say that to Melissa?”
    â€œMore or less,” he admitted. “Along with offering her my congratulations.”
    â€œWhat did she say?”
    â€œNothing.”
    â€œI see.”
    Cody lost patience for the game. He knew darned well that Jordan knew more than he was saying. He could see it in his eyes. His brother was looking everywhere in the kitchen except directly at him.
    â€œYou might as well spit it out,” he told him finally.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œWhatever has you looking like you’d rather be in Kansas.”
    A faint grin tugged at Jordan’s mouth. “Maybe Houston, not Kansas,” he said. He sighed. “How good a look did you get at the child?”
    â€œGood enough,” Cody said. He sensed that Jordan wanted him to reach a different conclusion than he’d just offered all on his own. He sucked in a deep breath. “She’s mine, isn’t she?”
    Once Cody had actually spoken the words out loud, Jordan nodded, confirming everything.
    Cody’s heart pounded. An uncommon mix of hope and dismay swirled through him. “You know that for sure?”
    â€œI saw it right off,” Jordan admitted. “She was the spitting image of your baby pictures. I confronted Melissa about it straight out.”
    Cody felt an icy chill settle over him as Jordan’s earlier comment came back to him. He stood andleaned down to look his brother in the eye. “And that was when? About eight months ago, you said?”
    â€œYes,” Jordan replied softly.
    â€œAnd Melissa confirmed your suspicions right then and there?” he demanded, the hurt and anger of yet another betrayal slamming through him.
    â€œYes.”
    â€œDamn you, Jordan,” he snapped, backing up to prevent slamming a fist in his brother’s face. “How could you do that to me? How could you keep a secret like that? Didn’t you think I had a right to know? Or was this another one of those big-brother-knows-best decisions?”
    â€œShe pleaded with me not to tell you,” Jordan said simply.
    Cody