A Sweetheart for Jude Fortune. Cindy Kirk

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      Gabi took a step back and gazed in satisfaction at the arrangement. “They’re too pretty to treat in that manner.”

      “They’re pretty.” Jude’s husky voice did strange things to her insides. “But not as pretty as you.”

      She smiled. Oh, yes, he was a smooth one.

      “Do I need a coat?” she asked, looking at his leather jacket.

      “It’s in the forties, so I say definitely.” He paused. “Do you have one?”

      “I didn’t,” she told him. “There was no need in Miami. But I went shopping recently in Vicker’s Corners and picked one up.”

      In fact, that’s where she’d purchased the crimson sweater and black pants she wore now. From all signs, the small town in between Horseback Hollow and Lubbock was experiencing a growth spurt. She’d seen signs advertising new condominiums and touting luxury estates for sale.

      “What’d you think of VC?” he asked as they moved to the living room, where she retrieved her coat from the postage-stamp-size closet.

      “I liked it.” She thought of the cute little business district with all the eclectic shops lining the main street. “But Horseback Hollow is nice, too.”

      “If I had to compare the two—” with well-practiced ease, Jude took the coat from her hands and held it up “—I’d say Horseback Hollow is the Jones family while Vicker’s Corners is more like their gentrified relatives.”

      “Would those gentrified relatives be the Fortunes?” Gabi tried to ignore the brush of his knuckles against the side of her neck as he helped her slip on the coat.

      “Bingo.”

      “Your mother recently found out she was related to the Fortunes, isn’t that right?” Gabi tried to remember what her father had said, but the comment had been something he’d tossed out in passing and she hadn’t given it much thought.

      “That’s right.” He waited for her to pick up her purse then opened the front door and stepped to the side.

      Good-looking. Manners. A powerful combination.

      As she passed him, Gabi caught a faint whiff of his cologne. First he brought her flowers, now he wore the scent that had tantalized and enticed her last night. Jude Fortune would be a difficult man to resist.

      Which she would, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy his company and the way he smelled. “You added Fortune to your name.”

      “My mother asked.” Jude lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “She doesn’t ask for much.”

      Gabi walked by his side to the truck parked in the driveway and tilted her head, thinking of her father. “What did your dad think? Mine is so proud of the Mendoza name that I can’t imagine him being happy if any of my brothers decided to make a change.”

      Jude waited to answer until she stepped inside the truck. “Like most of us, he finds it difficult to deny her anything.”

      As he rounded the front of the massive vehicle, then got behind the wheel, Gabi thought of her mother. Her dad had loved his wife totally, completely. If there had been something important her mother had asked of him, he’d have gone along.

      Jude slanted a sideways look. “Red is definitely your color.”

      A ripple of pleasure passed over Gabi. “I like your style, Jude.”

      He grinned and backed the truck out of the driveway. “Tell me about Gabriella.”

      On the short drive to the café, Gabi filled him in. She talked about her brothers and what it was like growing up as the youngest and the only girl. When he pressed for more, she told him she’d had a love for the business world since she’d opened her first lemonade stand at age five and made ten dollars.

      “It didn’t sink in until years later that my only customers had been relatives and close neighbors.” Gabi chuckled. “I thought it was this great spiel I had going that drew them in.”

      “You enjoy your job.”

      “I do. Though the banking industry has taken some hits, the one I work for has done well.” Gabi rolled her window partially down and let the fresh air waft into the cab of the truck. “It smells so fresh here.”

      “I bet this has been a bit of culture shock for you.”

      “Since I haven’t seen a bodega or a palm tree in weeks, I’d say that’s an accurate statement.” Gabi wondered how she could feel so relaxed around a man she’d just met. She’d been on plenty of first dates, and they were usually awkward, tense affairs. “Still, something about this place feels like home. I had difficulty understanding when my father told me how much he liked it here. Now it makes sense.”

      Jude wheeled the truck into an angled parking spot and cut the engine. “I hope dinner tonight only solidifies that impression.”

      Seconds later, Gabi stood in the doorway of The Horseback Hollow Grill, affectionately called The Grill by locals, and felt the first twinge of unease. Although clean, the tiled flooring had more than a few cracks. Artificial flowers in hammered coffee pots sat on tables. The tables reminded Gabi of the type you’d see in old-time diners, rounded edges encased in silver metal.

      Jude inhaled deeply. “It always smells good in here.”

      Gabi could almost see onion rings swimming in a grease pool and hamburgers being flipped on the grill. Her head may have told her to run to the nearest deli for a turkey sandwich on whole wheat—hold the mayo—but her stomach had other ideas. It growled. Loudly.

      Jude grinned. “Someone is ready to eat.”

      “I may be a little hungry” was all Gabi said as the hostess directed them to a booth by the front window.

      “I can vouch for the burgers.” Jude waited until she’d slid into the booth before taking a seat opposite her. “Half pound of pure Angus. My sisters are especially fond of the grilled cheese sandwich, which is a specialty.”

      Because of her heart, Gabi limited the amount of red meat she consumed as well as avoiding fried foods. She could already see there wasn’t much on the menu that would get a cardiologist’s seal of approval. Tonight she’d simply have to wing it.

      Jude kept the conversation light and entertaining until the pretty blonde waitress arrived to take their orders. He seemed oblivious to the young woman’s attempts to flirt. Fixing his eyes on Gabi’s, he smiled. “Have you decided?”

      “I’ll have the hamburger.” Gabi shifted her gaze to the blonde. “Well-done, please. May I substitute a salad for the fries?”

      When the woman nodded, Gabi smiled. “Vinegar and oil for the dressing, on the side.”

      Jude ordered the hamburger and fries. When the waitress left, he told Gabi, “You can have some of my fries. They’re the best.”

      “I might take you up on that offer,” she said, relieved to have made it through the ordering without a lot of explanation. СКАЧАТЬ