Lucille Winchester pulled her sweater around her thin, frail bones. “I’m not sure we have room for you, sir.”

Cody Witherspoon flashed his biggest, friendliest smile. “I can pay cash in advance, ma’am. You’d be doing me a big kindness.”

After a long pause, Mrs. Winchester nodded. “This is only temporary. I don’t take permanent boarders.”

Lucille was one of the few people in Nowhere who took on boarders, but she was skeptical of the handsome young salesman. She had heard that he had visited several of the businesses and residents of Nowhere to sell them insurance, and she wasn’t sure why he was still hanging around.

At eighty years old, Lucille had seen and heard it all. She was used to salesmen traveling to Nowhere, staying for a few days, and then moving on. Although Cody seemed friendly enough, Lucille didn’t trust him one bit.

Nevertheless, times had been tough lately, and she hadn’t had many opportunities to take on a boarder. This insurance man would just have to do.

Again, Cody flashed a wide smile. “Thank you very much, ma’am.” He began to count out crisp bills.

Lucille had to admit, she was impressed by a man who could pay two weeks’ rent in advance. She slid the money off the countertop and into her locked box. She handed Cody a key. “Go up the stairs, and it’s the second room on your left.”

Cody nodded gratefully and walked over to the stairwell, carrying his briefcase and a garment bag carrying his only other suit. He only owned two, but he wore a suit each day, which made for quite a bit of laundry to do.

At the top of the stairs, Cody walked to the second room on his left and inserted the key into the door. The lock clicked, and the door swung open. The room was neat and tidy, with a large quilt spread across a twin bed. At six foot two, Cody hoped his lanky frame would fit on the bed.

Although his boss had given him strict orders to move onto the next town, Cody had sent him a telegraph telling him he needed to stay to close a few more accounts. Although he knew he could sell more policies, there was another, deeper reason that was keeping him in Nowhere—and her name was Theresa Sanders.

Since he’d met her, he’d been drawn to her, and each time he saw her, his love for her only intensified. He had to make her his wife.

Cody sat down on the bed and thought about his plan. He didn’t have much time. In only a few days’ time, his boss would get impatient and he would have to move on. With any luck, he’d be moving on with a wife and two children in tow.

Cody sighed. He couldn’t get ahead of himself. There was a lot standing in his way. For one thing, the babies didn’t belong to Theresa. Someone could claim them and take them away from her. Theresa would be devastated, but Cody would do his best to comfort her.

For another, her parents seemed to hate him. In addition to Edna Petunia’s disapproval of his proposal, Cletus Sanders had avoided him at church and also hadn’t taken his sales call at his office. Cody had heard that Cletus was a fair and honest judge, but that he had a bit of a temper when it came to his daughters.

Cody knew that if he could get at least ten minutes of Cletus’s time, he could prove to the man that Cody was worthy of Theresa. But so far, it seemed Judge Sanders was avoiding him.

Finally, there was the problem of his nomadic lifestyle. He loved Theresa and wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with her. But he also enjoyed his job. It was well-paying and fulfilling, and he had studied for a long time to do this work. He appreciated helping others, and his job made that possible. But it involved travel almost every week of the year. How could he ask Theresa to give up living near her family to go on the road with him? And even if they were able to keep the babies, how could they travel with them?

Cody felt glum as he considered all of the possibilities. He decided to make plans for the following morning. It would be tricky, but if he could pull it off, he knew it would be worth it.

Wearing glasses and a cowboy hat, Cody made his way across town toward the Sanders’ home.

Theresa opened the door, rocking a baby—Faith, he guessed, by the yellow ribbon in her hair. “Hello—”

Cody looked around. “Is anyone else home?” Cody whispered urgently.

Theresa looked scared. She took a step back. “Yes, Edna Petunia is here.” The man at the front door was tall and wore a trench coat, a hat that shaded his face, and large glasses.

Cody nodded. He slid the glasses off the bridge of his nose. “It’s me.” He used his other arm to grab Theresa’s hand and squeezed it gently.

Theresa’s body came alive at Cody’s touch. “Cody?” She peered up at him, shocked.

“I wore a disguise so no one would suspect.” Cody explained. “I needed to see you.”

Theresa’s heart sang. “I’m so happy you came to see me.”

“I couldn’t stay away,” Cody told her.

Theresa smiled. “I should check on Gabriel.”

“Let me help you,” Cody told her as he followed her to the formal parlor.

When they got into the parlor, Cody went over to Gabriel’s crib and gently lifted the baby. He swayed back and forth, patting the infant on the back. Theresa felt a swell of emotion as she watched Cody with Gabriel. Cody was so diligent and attentive to the babies. Even though she knew the babies didn’t belong to him, he acted as if he was their father.

Footsteps upstairs interrupted Theresa’s daydreams. She tried to think of an excuse for a stranger to be in the formal parlor. “If Edna Petunia comes in, what will we tell her?”

“Tell her I’m a constable, investigating a crime that has taken place in Nowhere,” Cody said quickly.

Theresa laughed. “How did you think of that?”

Cody grinned sheepishly. “I read about it in a book. It seemed like a good disguise.”

“I think you’re right about that. I can say that I didn’t have a choice but to let you in,” Theresa said.

“That sounds like a good plan.” Cody nodded.

For the first time in days, Theresa felt relieved. She was constantly thinking about the babies and all the things she needed to do in order to keep them safe. With Cody nearby, she could stop worrying and enjoy their company.

As Cody rocked Gabriel in his arms, Theresa admired his strong jawline and broad shoulders. She remembered his words on the day he had proposed to her. Although she knew Edna Petunia and Cletus would never allow it, she found herself wishing that she and Cody could get married after all.

She wondered if they would be able to run away and get married secretly before Edna Petunia and Cletus could stop them. When Theresa heard Edna Petunia’s voice calling out for her, she immediately felt guilty for her thoughts. She quickly straightened. “Yes, Edna Petunia?”

“Who are you talking to?” Edna Petunia called.

“No one!” Theresa called out without thinking about it. “I mean, someone!”

Cody shook his head in amusement. Theresa seemed rattled.

Edna Petunia stomped into the formal parlor. “Who are you, and what are you doing in my house?”

Theresa remembered Cody’s cover story. “This is Mr.—er—Constable Jones.”

“That tells me who he is, but not what he’s doing in my house,” Edna Petunia said stonily.

“He’s investigating a crime,” Theresa replied quickly.

“And why can’t he speak for himself?” Edna Petunia asked suspiciously.

Cody took a deep breath and lowered his voice. “I apologize, ma’am. I am investigating a theft that took place a few miles south of here.”

Edna Petunia put her hands on her hips. “Crime in Nowhere is rarer than a fly on a horse’s rump in January!”

Theresa cringed. There was no way they would be able to escape Edna Petunia’s wrath. She had surely seen right through their plan.

Cody held his breath. He would do whatever it took if it meant he would keep getting to see Theresa. But he was running out of options. If Edna Petunia didn’t believe he was a constable, he didn’t have any other ideas.

Edna Petunia stared at the strange man in front of her. Something about him struck her as familiar, but she couldn’t put a finger on it. “Well?”

Cody felt his heart racing. He hoped his face didn’t give away his fear that Edna Petunia would ask him to leave. “Yes?”

“Aren’t you going to tell me what the crime was?” Edna Petunia laughed loudly. “You say you’re a constable, but you’re not a very good one.”

Cody and Theresa joined Edna Petunia with nervous laughter. Theresa felt like her cheeks were on fire. She had been sure Edna Petunia would recognize Cody, but so far, his disguise seemed to be working.

Cody thought quickly. “Cattle!”

Edna Petunia frowned. “Do you expect me to believe cattle committed a crime?”

Cody shook his head vigorously. “No, ma’am. It was . . . a cattle theft!”

“Hm.” Edna Petunia nodded but seemed distracted. Theresa was worried that she was going to confront Cody any moment. “Well, there are no cattle here.”

Just then, Faith began to cry, and Theresa went to comfort her.

Edna Petunia sighed. “I need to lie down.”

Theresa breathed a huge sigh of relief as she heard Edna Petunia go back upstairs.

Cody grinned and stepped closer to Theresa. “I can’t believe we pulled that off.”

“I can’t either,” Theresa agreed.

“We make a good team,” Cody said.

Theresa blushed. “Yes. I suppose we do.”

As soon as Faith quieted, Cody took the baby from Theresa’s hands and set the baby down in her cradle. Cody took Theresa’s hands. “Now we need to figure out how I can see you every day.”

Theresa felt a rush of joy at the thought of seeing Cody every day. “I would like that.”

Cody pulled Theresa closer, bringing his mouth closer to hers. Just as their lips were about to touch, there was a loud knocking at the door.

Theresa pulled back. “I should get that.”

Cody sighed in disappointment as Theresa rushed to the door. He watched the babies as they lay in their cribs. Faith sucked on one of her fists. It seemed as if they had grown in the short amount of time since he’d last seen them.

Theresa returned to the parlor with Dorothy. “This is my sister Dorothy.”

Dorothy extended her hand, seeming a bit confused. “Pleased to meet you. I had to stop by and visit these darling twins. Now that my babies aren’t as small anymore, I find myself missing the little ones!”

Cody shook her hand. “The pleasure is mine. I’m Constable . . . Witherspoon.”

“The Constable was just leaving,” Theresa said. “I’ll show you to the door.” Theresa whispered to Cody as she led him to the front door. “Witherspoon? You couldn’t think of any other name?”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking,” Cody told her.

Theresa paused in the entry. “It’s all right. I just don’t want you to get caught, because then we wouldn’t be able to see each other. We can’t let anyone from my family find out.”

Cody nodded solemnly. “I know you’re right.”

Theresa thought she heard wailing from the parlor. “I should get back to the twins.”

“I'll be back to visit you tomorrow, Theresa,” Cody said. He leaned in closer and kissed her on the lips.

Theresa couldn’t focus on anything but the feeling of Cody’s mouth against hers. She felt lucky that she had met such a kind, caring, and strapping man. She couldn’t wait until she saw him again. Each time any part of Cody grazed her, Theresa felt ripples of electricity shoot throughout her entire body. Even though she knew she couldn’t, she imagined engaging in improper relations with Cody. She had gossiped with some of her sisters about marital activities, but she had never understood the appeal before. Now, it was practically all she thought about when she thought of Cody.

Cody gave her one last kiss on the forehead, then exited the Sanders’ house.

Theresa returned to the formal parlor, where she found Dorothy balancing both babies and rocking them back and forth.

“They were both a bit fussy,” Dorothy explained. “Why was the Constable here? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that man before. He can’t be the Constable for Nowhere.”

Theresa sighed. “It’s a long story. Can I tell you later? I’m exhausted.”

Dorothy’s eyes widened with sympathy. “Oh, Theresa! Of course you can. Are you getting much sleep?”

Theresa shook her head. “As soon as I get one baby down, the other one wakes up. As soon as one baby is full, the other one needs a diaper change.”

“I’m sorry, Theresa. In all my excitement about the babies, I never thought about how much work they must be for you,” Dorothy said. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Not that I can think of. But thank you,” Theresa said gratefully.

“Well, I’m sure that soon we’ll find the family these little sweethearts belong to, and they’ll be on their merry way. Then I’m sure you’ll be able to get some sleep!” Dorothy suggested cheerfully.

Theresa felt her heart sink as she imagined handing over the babies to someone else. Even though she hadn’t given birth to them, she felt the babies were her own. It was her duty to love and protect them.

Dorothy noticed Theresa’s face fall. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Theresa said with a grimace. “I need to prepare more infant food for Gabriel. Please excuse me.”

Dorothy frowned as she watched her sister walk out of the room. She could tell something was wrong—but what was it?