by Cindy Kirk
While a serious relationship with marriage in mind might not be possible, that didn’t mean she’d cast aside her moral compass and sleep with someone she didn’t know and trust. Easy-breezy, yes. But only with a healthy dose of true friendship and mutual respect tossed into the mix.
The niggling thought that Jude couldn’t truly know her until she told him about the transplant was shoved aside as she considered what to wear for an evening of poker. When she played with her brothers, it was comfort clothes; yoga pants and a T-shirt. But then, she’d never cared about impressing them.
By the time the pile of clothes on her bed outnumbered those in her closet, Gabi had settled on tan pants and a royal-blue cotton sweater. Dangly earrings with brightly colored stones added a festive touch.
Since the other players were men, Gabi figured the refreshments would be salty snacks and beer. Before she left the house, she stashed a couple of bottles of water and a bag of baby carrots into her favorite grocery bag.
If the guys commented on her healthy snacks or the fact she wasn’t drinking alcohol, she’d tell them she was staying sharp so she could take their money.
Her painted lips curved. The men would soon discover that wasn’t far from the truth. From the time she’d been little more than a child, her analytical mind had embraced numbers and probabilities. When she reached middle school, her father reluctantly admitted he had nothing more to teach her about the game of poker. It was around that same time that her brothers began to refuse to play cards with her if money was involved.
Gabi wondered how Jude would react when he lost. Her father said you could learn a lot about a man playing cards with him, especially if you beat him. Which meant she was going to know Jude Fortune Jones a whole lot better by the end of the evening.
After parking in front of his home, Gabi sat for a minute. She let her gaze linger on the old farmhouse that Jude called home. The one-and-a-half-story white clapboard structure had a fresh coat of paint, a new green roof and a gorgeous wraparound porch. Half-moon pieces of stained glass over the front windows gleamed in the yard light’s glow.
The warm, friendly aura emanating from the structure enveloped her when she finally stepped onto the porch and rang the bell.
When the door opened, Gabi’s smile froze. Instead of Jude, his father stood in the doorway, tall and broad-shouldered in a Western shirt and jeans.
“The token female has arrived,” Deke called over his shoulder, then flashed Gabi a grin and motioned her inside. “I bet you’ve come hoping to clean the boys and me out of our hard-earned cash.”
“Ah, I guess that’s the plan.” Gabi roused herself from her stunned stupor. “It’s good to see you again, Mr. Fortune Jones.”
A pained expression skittered across his face. It was gone so quickly, Gabi wondered if she’d imagined it.
“Deke, please.” He reached around her and pulled the door shut. “If you’re going to make a valiant attempt to take my money, we might as well be on a first name basis.”
Gabi had liked Jude’s father from the moment she met him. There was no subterfuge in the man, none of the posturing so prevalent in South Beach men. Just like his son, what you saw in the rugged rancher was what you got.
“I thought I heard the door.” Jude appeared in the doorway, looking positively delectable in worn jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt the color of oatmeal. “Hey.”
“Hey back at you.” Gabi glanced around, taking in the ceilings with rough-sawn cedar beams, the cream-colored plastered walls and the textured rag rug on the shiny hardwood floor. On one side of the living room, plaid fabrics on wing chairs and an old deacon’s bench added color and warmth. The other side of the room held a table surrounded by Windsor chairs. “You have a lovely home.”
“Thank you.” Jude took Gabi’s hands and gave them a squeeze. His eyes never left her face. “It’s good to see you.”
The warmth of his gaze chased away the last remnants of the chill from the outside wind. “I’m happy to fill in.”
“I was looking forward to winning some money this evening.” Deke’s deep voice pulled Gabi’s attention back to him. “Until my son told me you’re a cardsharp and I’ll be lucky to have my pants when I walk out the door.”
Gabi felt her cheeks pink. She shot Jude a censuring look. “I don’t know where he got that idea.”
“I recognized the gleam in your eyes.” Jude’s teasing tone made it hard for her to hold on to her irritation. “But win or lose, you’re still my girl.”
Jude moved to her side, and for a second Gabi feared he meant to kiss her, right in front of his father. Instead he extended his hand. “May I take your coat?”
Feeling foolish, Gabi shrugged off the jacket. She glanced around. “Have the other players arrived?”
“Dustin and Rowdy showed up about ten minutes ago.” Deke’s easy manner reminded her of his son. “They’re in the kitchen trying to wheedle Jeanne Marie out of another brownie.”
“Your mother is here?” Gabi glanced at Jude. She thought she’d known what to expect this evening. Now she was thoroughly confused. “Is she filling in, too?”
“My parents came for dinner.” Jude paused. “I’d have asked you to join us but you mentioned you had plans with your father.”
“You fixed dinner for them.” Gabi widened her eyes. “I’m impressed.”
Deke gave a snort of laughter.
Jude shot a quick glance at his father, whose grin only widened. After placing her coat in the closet, he ushered Gabi into the living room. “My mother likes to make sure my kitchen gets some use.”
Deke nudged Jude with his elbow. “What the boy is trying to say is Jeanne Marie made the meal.”
“The boy is a man.” A muscle in Jude’s jaw jumped. “And I can speak for myself.”
His father only chuckled.
“Coming over and insisting on fixing a meal is something my mama would have done.” Gabi’s voice softened the way it always did when she thought of her mother. “She loved to putter in the kitchen.”
Deke’s eyes turned dark with sympathy. “I heard you lost her several years back.”
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Gabi forced a lightness to her tone she didn’t feel, then sighed. “Or so everyone says.”
“I told you she wouldn’t give us another one,” a male voice groused.
“She might have if you hadn’t—” The dark-haired man stopped speaking when he saw Gabi. “Well, hel-lo, pretty lady.”
Jude placed a proprietary hand on Gabi’s arm as the two men trooped into the room, cowboy boots clicking on the hardwood.
“Dustin, Rowdy, this is Gabriella Mendoza,” Jude began.
“Gabi, please,” she said quickly.
“She’s filling in for Ryan this evening,” Jude said, then continued with the introductions.
“Pleased to meet you.” Dustin, sandy-haired with a broad smile and a baby face, pumped her hand.
Rowdy had a shock of dark hair and a gap-toothed grin. His gaze settled appreciatively on Gabi. “You’re much better-looking than Ryan. If we’re voting, I say he’s out, you’re in.”
“If I take your money, you might not feel the same way,” Gabi teased back.
They spent the next few minutes bonding over light banter about poker prowess. Jude had just finished explaining that his father was filling in for Liam, who’d come down with the flu, when Jeanne Marie appeared in the doorway.
“Gabriella.” Jude’s mother smiled broadly. “I thought that must be you at the door. You simply have to try one of my chocolate hazelnut cheesecake brownies.”
Gabi hesitated.
“If she doesn’t want it, can I have it?” Rowdy’s question earned a scowl from Dustin, who obviously also had his eye on the sweet treat.
“She wants it.�
� Jeanne Marie crossed the room and extended the plate holding a large chocolate square to Gabi. Though he was at least fifteen hundred miles away, Gabi swore she heard her cardiologist gasp when her gaze settled on the decadent brownie.
“My mother’s brownies are legendary in this area,” Jude told Gabi.
Not seeing another option, Gabi graciously accepted the treat. Before she could succumb to temptation, she broke off a bite-size piece then let Dustin and Rowdy devour the rest.
As the savory blend of chocolate, cream cheese and the faint hint of Nutella melted against her tongue, Gabi nearly moaned aloud. She found herself wishing she’d broken off a bigger piece. “That was simply heavenly.”
“Won a purple ribbon at the State Fair in Dallas.” Jude’s mother smiled indulgently as the ranch hands once again began to pester her for more then disappeared into the kitchen when Jude announced it was time for the game to begin.
While Jude teased Gabi about not giving him any of her brownie, everyone took seats around the table. Deke picked up a deck of cards and began to shuffle. Dustin collected the money from all the players while Rowdy divvied out the brightly colored chips.
Ignoring the bowls of snack food already on the table, Gabi slipped carrots and bottles of water from her bag. When the urge to munch hit, she’d be ready. For now, her focus shifted to the cards she’d been dealt. Gabi fingered the slick surfaces and experienced a familiar thrill.
It quickly became obvious to Jude that Gabi not only knew how to play, but play well. He could tell she’d grown up around men by the easy way she teased the others at the table.
Dustin and Rowdy treated her like a sister, not a woman they’d like to date. If they had, he’d have had to make it even clearer that his friend, Gabriella Mendoza, was off-limits.
The final hand was dealt, and Jude stifled a low whistle when he set his gaze on his hand. Three aces. Smug satisfaction settled over him even as he kept his face impassive.
Rowdy dropped out first, then Dustin. His father held on a little longer before folding.
Gabi chewed her bottom lip, a clear indication she wasn’t nearly as confident of the cards in her hand as she appeared. Still, with a toss of her head, she shoved all her chips into the center of the table. “I call and raise you.”
It took everything Jude had to keep a grin from his lips. If she thought she could bluff a master like him, she was mistaken.
Once his chips were in the center of the table, he laid down his cards, fanning them out. “Three aces.”
He started to pull in the pot, when he felt her hand on his sleeve.
“You haven’t seen my cards.” Her voice held cool amusement.
Dustin and Rowdy glanced at each other. Deke took a long pull of beer.
Dustin grinned. “This is going to be good.”
“Show us what you got, honey,” Rowdy said with a wink.
With great precision, Gabi laid out her cards. “I believe a straight beats three of a kind?”
Though she posed it as a question and her innocent expression gave nothing away, Jude wasn’t fooled. He’d been taken by a master.
Dustin whooped. “It’s your pot, Ga-bri-ella.”
Jude cocked his head. “How long did you say you’d been playing?”
Gabi shrugged and pulled the chips to her. “Since I was, oh, eight or nine. My father says I have a knack.”
“We’ve been snookered.” Rowdy choked back a laugh before pushing his chair aside with a clatter.
Gabi looked startled when Dustin and Deke also rose to their feet. “You’re leaving?”
“Gotta get a little shut-eye. Sun will be up before we know it.” Dustin’s gaze locked on Gabi’s. “Come back and play anytime.”
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Gabi.” Rowdy tipped his hat then shifted his gaze to Deke. “See you in the mornin’, boss man.”
Deke patted her on the shoulder. “It was a pleasure, little lady.”
Gabi rose to her feet. “It was nice meeting you both. And seeing you again, Mr. Fortune Jo—”
She stopped at the look on his face. “Ah, Deke.”
While the older man headed to the kitchen to fetch Jeanne Marie, Gabi walked the two cowboys to the door, the men in a jovial mood despite leaving with empty pockets.
Once the two cowboys were in their vehicles and she and Jude were cleaning up, he cast a sideways glance at her and made a confession. “When I saw you chewing your lip, I was certain you were bluffing.”
She couldn’t quite suppress a smile as she pocketed her winnings and put the chips back in the carrier.
“That was deliberate?”
Gabi laughed. “I love a good game of cards.”
Was that what he’d been meant to learn this evening? That she was not only pretty, fun and sexy as hell, but possessed a mind that would constantly challenge him?
Though at the moment it was her pretty face and those full, pouty lips that called to him. He tugged her close, pleased when she melted against him. His mouth had just begun its exploration when the kitchen door swung open.
“I heard the vehicles leave—” Jeanne Marie, with her husband behind her, came to an abrupt halt in the doorway. One brow winged up.
Gabi shoved tousled hair back from her face and flushed. “I was just leaving.”
Deke’s gaze shifted from his wife to Gabi and Jude. “What’s up?”
Ignoring her son’s dark look, Jeanne Marie smiled at her husband. “I interrupted your son saying good-night to Gabi.”
“Don’t hurry off on our account,” Deke told Gabi. “Jeanne Marie and I are heading home.”
“I really have to go.” Two bright dots of pink colored Gabi’s cheeks.
“Don’t forget this.” Jeanne Marie crossed the room and lifted the market bag with a bold paisley print from the floor. “This one has to be yours. My son doesn’t own anything this stylish.”
During the course of the evening Jude had watched Gabi pull bottles of water and baby carrots from the brightly colored sack. Because he sensed drawing attention to her choice of snacks might bring her some good-natured ribbing from Rowdy and Dustin, he’d kept silent.
“Thank you.” When Gabi slipped the now-perfectly folded bag into her purse, Jude realized she really did mean to leave before they had a chance to say good-night properly.
“Stay a little longer,” Jude said in his most persuasive tone.
She may have shaken her head, but he found himself encouraged by the regret he saw in her eyes. “I promised to have breakfast with my father tomorrow morning. That means getting up extra early.”
“How is Orlando doing?” Jeanne Marie asked over her shoulder as she retrieved her and Deke’s coats from the closet.
“Better.” Relief skittered across Gabi’s face. “The orthopedic surgeon will be stopping by tomorrow. We’re hoping to learn when he’ll get a walking boot.”
“Once that happens—” Deke pointed a finger “—you’re going to have your hands full keeping him down.”
Gabi smiled. “That’s a problem I’d love to have.”
“I’ll be in Lubbock tomorrow, both at the hospital and the rehab center,” Jeanne Marie announced as she slipped on her coat. “Do you think your father would like company?”
“You’re going to the hospital?” Concern sharpened Jude’s voice. “Why?”
“No worries.” Jeanne Marie patted her son’s arm in motherly reassurance. “I’m simply filling in for Halcion. She’s visiting her new grandbaby in Arizona.”
Gabi inclined her head. “Halcion?”
“One of my mother’s many friends,” Jude responded before Jeanne Marie had a chance to open her mouth. “Hal grew up in Horseback Hollow, but moved to Lubbock several years ago.”
“She and Abe volunteer a
t the hospital and rehab center every week,” Jeanne Marie explained.
“How nice that she and her husband—”
Deke gave a snort of laughter.
“Abe is her golden retriever,” Jude clarified, shooting his father a dark look.
“He’s a certified therapy dog,” Jeanne Marie added. “The animal has a real talent for bringing comfort to the patients.”
“I’ve heard of therapy dogs.” Interest sparked in Gabi’s eyes. “But I’ve never seen one in action.”
Jeanne Marie looped her arm through Gabi’s and gave it a squeeze. “Looks like tomorrow may be your chance.”
Chapter Eight
As oatmeal went, the sticky substance in the bowl in front of Gabi fell into the pitiful range. The golden raisins and walnut topping, however, were excellent.
Her father looked up from his poached egg and toast. “How’s your cereal?”
“Good.” Gabi took a big bite, forced it down with a sip of juice when it attempted to stick. “The doctor seemed pleased by your progress.”
“I’m doing splendidly.” Orlando rolled his eyes at the word the surgeon had used more than once during his early-morning visit. “What he doesn’t get is that until he gives the okay to put weight on this leg, I’m not going to be able to take care of myself.”
They’d both hoped a walking boot would be prescribed, but the doctor had only said soon.
“Give it time, Papi. It hasn’t been all that long.” Even as she spoke the words, Gabi knew that to her active, vibrant father the weeks since the accident had been an eternity.
“Feels like forever.” Orlando stared glumly down at his rubbery egg.
“When I spoke with Jeanne Marie last night, she mentioned coming by today.” Gabi hoped the news of an unexpected visitor would lift her father’s mood.
Orlando looked up, more curious than enthused. “Why?”
“Her friend, Halcion, is out of town, so Jeanne Marie is making the rounds with Hal’s therapy dog.”
Gabi handed the half-finished bowl of oatmeal to a nursing assistant picking up the dishes.
“Dogs come through here all the time,” her father informed her. “I may know this woman’s animal.”
