He stopped at the kitchen door. The lights were on, a glass of orange juice sat on the counter and steam rose from the mug of hot coffee beside it, but Melanie was nowhere to be seen.
“Buck.” The word escaped his mouth in a hushed urgency as the realization struck him full force. He whirled around and hurried across the house toward the parlor. If she’s disturbed him, I’ll—His thought deserted him as soon as he spotted her standing just inside the parlor door. The expression on her face said it all. The defiant woman he had been sparring with only half an hour ago was gone and in her place stood a lost little girl who looked so in need of someone to take care of her.
Melanie had not been prepared for the sight that greeted her. Her father was six feet four inches tall with a large barrel chest and broad shoulders. He weighed two hundred forty pounds, all of it pure muscle. His hair was jet black and his eyes were a piercing dark brown. All in all, he was quite an imposing sight. At least, that was the way she had remembered him.
The man sleeping in the bed certainly did not fit that description. His hair had thinned considerably and what was left had turned gray. His face was lean, making his squared jaw seem out of proportion. Even in sleep he appeared drawn and haggard. He almost seemed frail—a word she would never in her life have associated with her father. He looked much older than his sixty-four years.
Cody wrapped his strong fingers around her arm and yanked her out of the room. He quietly closed the door before ushering her back to the kitchen. She wrenched her arm out of his grasp and fixed him with an angry stare.
“Just what do you think you’re doing? I told you I didn’t want Buck disturbed. He needs his rest.” He saw the golden flecks ignite in her eyes. The little girl who had been quietly standing at the door of the parlor had vanished and the female wildcat had reappeared. “The last thing he needs is the type of aggravation you represent. Now, stay out of his room. At least until I’ve had an opportunity to prepare him for this little surprise.” Surprise, indeed. That was certainly the biggest understatement of the century.
“I’ve really had quite enough of this and quite enough of you! Now, get out of my way. I’m going to—”
He grabbed her around the waist and sat her up on the countertop. He leaned in very close to her, as he had done before. “You’re going to do exactly what I tell you to do.” Cody glanced back over his shoulder toward the kitchen door, then turned toward Mel again. “And try to show a little consideration. Keep your voice down. I don’t want your yelling to wake Buck.”
As much as Mel hated to agree with this obnoxious bully, he was probably right about waking her father. She might have disagreed with him a little while ago, but as soon as she saw her father she knew Cody had been honest about the condition of his health.
Melanie shoved Cody away and slid off the counter to the floor. She glared at him, hands on hips in as much of a physical challenge as a verbal one. She did make a concerted effort to keep her voice low. “Stop manhandling me as if I were some sort of a round peg you were trying to fit into a square hole.”
He laughed. For the first time she actually saw something on his face other than a stern expression or a scowl. It was a nice laugh and an absolutely devastating smile.
“You said it, kid—not me.”
Her anger exploded again. “I am not a kid! I’m twenty-eight years old and have traveled in fifteen different countries on five of the seven continents. My photos and articles have appeared in some of the most prestigious and popular magazines in the world. I haven’t spent my life stagnating out here—” she waved toward the window in a broad, sweeping gesture “—in the middle of nowhere.”
The smile faded from Cody’s face. He leveled a cool gaze at her, then spoke in a very controlled voice, showing no emotion. “I’m thirty-seven years old. I have a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in philosophy. I’ve done my share of world traveling. I’m fluent in both German and French and can get by in Spanish. Now, if we’re through comparing résumés perhaps we can return to the problem at hand. Namely, your sudden reappearance—for whatever the reason—and how it can be handled so as not to upset Buck any more than need be.”
This man standing in front of her wearing scuffed cowboy boots, worn jeans and a denim work shirt had a master’s degree in philosophy and was fluent in both French and German? She hoped her face didn’t give her away. Didn’t tell him how shocked and at the same time impressed she was with what he had told her. “Well, if those are indeed your credentials, then what are you doing stuck out here in the boonies working on a ranch?”
“I like it here.” It was a flat statement that said to one and all that the topic was closed to further discussion. He had been that route before—the society parties, being seen with the right people, only going to the in places—and was not interested in traveling over that road again. He wanted his feet planted firmly on real ground, not moving blindly through a world of big-city skyscrapers populated with plastic people.
“Cody?” The voice came from the direction of the parlor. It was not the booming voice of authority it had once been. It grew louder as its owner progressed toward the kitchen. “Is there some problem out there?”
Melanie saw the anger in Cody’s eyes and heard the warning in his tone of voice.
“Don’t you even hint at the possibility that there might have been the slightest disagreement spoken here this morning. Seeing you is going to be shock enough for Buck without the stress of an unpleasant confrontation.”
“Cody—” Buck paused at the kitchen door and blinked several times. He removed his glasses from his shirt pocket and put them on. His expression showed his confusion and uncertainty. His voice was hesitant. “Melanie?” His expression changed as he continued to speak. “Is that you, Mel, honey?”
Cody saw the surprise settle on Buck’s face and the shaky movement of his hand as he gripped the doorjamb in an effort to steady himself, and was immediately at his side. He offered Buck a gentle smile as he discreetly cupped his elbow and assisted the older man to the kitchen table without making it appear that the help was needed. “We have an early-morning visitor, Buck. She showed up at the door just a bit ago. Quite a surprise for me. I didn’t recognize her from the picture you have.”
Buck’s face lit up with a warmth Mel had never associated with her father during the entire eighteen years she had lived in the same house with him. His eyes glistened.
“Have you come home, Melanie? Have you finally come home?”
For perhaps the first time in her adult life Melanie Winslow was at a total loss for words. She stole a glance at Cody and caught the stern look he directed toward her. She looked again at her father’s deteriorated condition and understood the wisdom of Cody’s admonition. Her once hearty and robust father had been reduced to this frail man who appeared at least ten years older than he really was.
“Yes, Father. It’s me. I…” She swallowed in an attempt to lessen the lump that had begun to form in her throat. She covered her uneasiness by picking up her cup of coffee and carrying it to the table. She sat down across from her father, forcing a smile that she did not really feel. “I just wrapped up an assignment in this area. I…I’ve been working as a photojournalist for several years now and I was shooting a story in Rocky Mountain National Park.”
Buck’s voice was soft, as if the simple task of talking required an extra effort on his part. “I know all about your work, honey. I’ve seen your magazine articles.” He paused, taking time to catch his breath. “You’ve done very well for yourself. I’m real proud of you, Mel—we all are.” He glanced over at Cody. “Isn’t that right?”