A Sweetheart for Jude Fortune. Cindy Kirk

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СКАЧАТЬ she’d been notified the small plane her father had been flying had crashed, Gabi had hopped the first flight to Texas. With her mother dead and her brothers unable to make the trip for various reasons, she’d come alone.

      Gabi hadn’t minded the sacrifice. Her father had always been there for her. All she wanted was him to be independent once again. His transfer from the hospital to rehab yesterday had been a positive first step.

      Hopefully with her father doing better, she’d have the opportunity to meet a few people in town. Like now, she could spend a few minutes flirting—er, becoming acquainted with—the handsome hunk who stood before her, without feeling she was neglecting her dad.

      Unfortunately, before Gabi could formulate something smart and witty to say, his phone rang. The cowboy glanced at the screen, grimaced and answered.

      “Have a fabulous day,” she said softly, regretfully, wiggling her fingers goodbye.

      He shot her a wink. Even as he listened intently, phone pressed to his ear, those clear blue eyes remained fixed on her. The scrutiny made her glad she’d taken a few extra minutes this morning to dab on some makeup and curl her hair instead of pulling it back like she’d been doing all week.

      As Gabi entered the Superette, she almost called back that it had been nice to meet him. She stopped herself just in time.

      They hadn’t met, not really. They’d merely run into each other—literally—and exchanged a handful of words. She didn’t even know his name. Of course, that didn’t mean she hadn’t liked what she’d seen, and it certainly didn’t stop her from hoping he’d be there when she came out.

      But, by the time she returned with a twenty-ounce cup of decaf in hand, he was gone. Heaving a sigh of regret, Gabi slid behind the wheel of her father’s boat-of-a-Buick and turned toward the highway leading to Lubbock.

      The car obediently settled into a smooth cruise, allowing her brain to shift to autopilot. She’d made this trip to see her father more times in the past few weeks than she could count.

      When the landing gear on the plane he’d been flying had failed to engage, the experienced aviator had been forced to belly-land. Most of his injuries had been incurred when the plane broke apart on impact. She’d seen pictures of what was left of the Cessna.

      What had the doctor said? It was a miracle he’d survived.

      Gabi rolled up the window all the way, suddenly chilled to the bone. But she reminded herself that was the past. Today was her father’s first full day in the rehabilitation center and a cause for celebration.

      By the time Gabi pulled into the parking lot of the facility, her mood was as sunny as the cloudless sky. She headed toward the front door of the facility with a bounce in her step.

      Once inside, she quickly located the stairs. Seizing opportunities to exercise came so naturally Gabi never considered taking an elevator. She jogged up the steps two at a time, pleased her heart rate remained steady and her breath even.

      Six years ago she hadn’t been able to make it across even the smallest room without needing to sit down. Now her heart beat strong in a body as toned as an athlete’s.

      The walls lining the hallway leading toward her father’s room were filled with pictures and inspiring stories of rehab center “alumni.” With splashes of bright colors throughout and rooms with state-of-the-art equipment discreetly out of sight, the facility had a cheerful feel.

      Doing her best to ignore the faint medicinal scent hanging in the air, Gabi stopped in front of room 325 and gently rapped her knuckles against the closed door.

      “Come in,” she heard her father say.

      She paused. Did he realize it was her and not a nurse or therapist? Pushing the door open only a couple of inches, she paused. “It’s Gabriella. Are you decent?”

      Orlando Mendoza’s deep, robust laugh was all the answer she needed. She pushed open the door and stepped inside.

      Her father sat in a chair by the window, wearing a blue shirt with thin silver stripes and the navy pants she’d altered a couple days ago to accommodate his left leg cast. While the past few weeks had added extra streaks of silver to his salt-and-pepper hair, Orlando Mendoza remained a strikingly handsome man.

      He lifted his right hand in greeting, drawing her attention to the cast that encased the arm. Seeing it brought back memories of the day in the intensive care waiting room when the doctor had sat down with her and detailed the injuries: fractured left leg and right arm, bruised kidneys, fractured rib, concussion.

      But her father was tough. And determined. Perhaps it was the sight of him dressed in street clothes or the bright smile of greeting on his lips, but for the first time since the accident, Gabi truly believed he’d make it all the way back.

      “Papi.” She crossed the room, placing her coffee cup on a tray table before leaning down and wrapping her arms around him. “You look like yourself.”

      “As opposed to looking like someone else?” he asked with a teasing smile.

      She laughed and pushed back to hold him at arm’s length. If not for the arm and leg cast, Gabi could believe her father was simply enjoying a cup of coffee before heading to the Redmond Flight School where he worked. As a retired former air force pilot, flying had been his life for too many years to count.

      When he’d gotten the opportunity two months ago to help run a flight school in Texas, he’d been as excited as a graduate landing his first job. While Gabi had been sad to see him leave Florida, she’d also been happy for him. The position was exactly what he’d been looking for since he’d retired from the air force.

      And since the crime rate in the area of Miami where he lived had skyrocketed in recent years, she’d found comfort in the knowledge he was now in a small rural community.

      “What are you thinking, mija?” her father probed, his tone gentle.

      Gabi expelled a heavy sigh. “I thought you’d be safe in Horseback Hollow.”

      “He should have been.”

      Gabi turned toward the masculine voice to see her father’s two bosses standing in the doorway. Sawyer Fortune had met her at the airport when she’d flown in from Miami after getting news of the accident. His new wife, Laurel, had remained by her father’s side at the hospital.

      In the difficult days that followed, they’d been her rock.

      “Are you feeling up to company?” Laurel asked Orlando. She was a tall, pretty blonde with long hair pulled back in a ponytail. “If not, Sawyer and I can stop back later.”

      “You’re not company.” Orlando motioned them into the room and gestured to the small sitting area near his bed. “Please, sit.”

      After exchanging greetings and hugs, Gabi also took a seat and let her father direct the conversation. She could tell it made him feel good to have Sawyer and Laurel stop by on a workday to see him.

      She sipped her coffee, offering a word now and then when appropriate. When the talk turned to sabotage, Gabi straightened in her seat. She fixed her gaze on Sawyer. “Are you saying someone deliberately messed with the landing gear?”

      Sawyer СКАЧАТЬ