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heart set on marrying
Misty, with given how crafty his mother was acting, he was sure it
was only a matter of time until something else went
wrong.
    “ It’s not that I make
things easier. It’s that I accept the flaws and focus on the good,”
Morgan said in a joking manner, causing both Indiana and Cody to
chuckle.
    “ Yes, I am sure it isn’t
nearly so difficult as it seems,” his mother said to
Rosamund.
    Cody glanced over at Rosamund, who was
watching him carefully with a broad grin on her face.
     
     

Chapter 7

    Cody was not happy in the slightest
accompanying Rosamund Swire on a picnic, far from it. The words of
his mother still rang in his ears: “If you accompany Miss Swire on
a picnic and then still do not wish to marry her, then I shall
agree that you do not have to marry her.”
    When Cody had told Morgan and Indiana
about his mother’s words, they had thought it an excellent idea to
end her interference, not that they had put it quite so bluntly.
Misty, however, had seemed upset.
    Cody, with Rosamund at his side,
walked toward the creek, watching the sunlight reflect from the
ripples in the water. People had always said he was a hopeless
romantic, and he supposed that was, in fact, true. He spent much of
his time daydreaming about his and Misty’s life together once they
were married. “Misty would love it here,” he said absently to
himself.
    “ Misty!” Rosamund spat the
word. “Do not mention her name when you are here with
me!”
    Cody turned to Rosamund. “Rosamund,
when you asked me to accompany you on the picnic, I explained to
you very clearly that I was happy to accompany you, but that you
were not to read anything into it. I shall be marrying Miss
Misty.”
    At that, Rosamund giggled
spitefully.
    Cody simply shrugged and kept on
walking along the banks of the creek.
    “ Those cattle do no smell
appealing,” Rosamund snorted in disgust.
    Cody smiled to
himself. Perhaps that wasn’t what she had
in mind when she thought she’d get some alone time with
me , he thought.
    Rosamund looked as if she was about to
have a temper tantrum, and as Cody had been on the receiving end of
more than one of her infamous tantrums before, he thought he should
change the subject. “Buffalo Bill Cody…”
    “ I know who he is,”
Rosamund snapped. “I am well studied, if you recall.”
    “ Oh yes,” Cody said,
speaking quickly as if that would somehow placate her. “There is
talk that his show will be starting up again soon.”
    “ Did you make that up?”
Rosamund asked accusingly.
    Cody was taken aback. “No, of course
not.”
    “ Oh,” she snapped, jutting
out her chin in an aggressive manner. “Well, I’ve only heard that
Annie Oakley has recovered well.”
    Cody nodded. Conversation with
Rosamund was always difficult, and this was the case now. “Yes,” he
said.
    “ Hmpf!” was Rosamund’s only
reply, and she walked away, in the direction of the creek. Cody
watched her as she walked, wondering if she was storming off or
simply walking. He hoped she was simply walking.
    The lingering tension hung in the air.
Cody thought of Misty.
    They walked along the creek
bank in silence. Rosamund nearly slipped and Cody reached out his
hand to steady her. When she had regained her balance, he tried to
let her hand go, but she clung to it. He gave his hand a little
shake but she clung even harder and dug in her fingernails. She should be a rancher ,
Cody thought, with such a strong
grip .
    Finally, Cody managed to shake her
off, but he felt quite ungentlemanly in doing so. Nevertheless, he
could not in all good conscience walk around holding hands with
Rosamund Swire.
    They reached the top of a grassy hill
and paused to catch their breath. Cody looked down and surveyed the
sweeping view. Below him stretched contented cows grazing on the
rich, fertile soil, and beyond, mountains on the
horizon.
    Cody realized that Rosamund had been
speaking. “Oh sorry, what did you say?”
    Rosamund glared at