A SWEETHEART FOR JUDE FORTUNE

by Cindy Kirk

  “It certainly does.” He stroked her hair with the palm of his hand. “I’m taking you to an old-fashioned soup supper.”

  She lifted her head. “Soup supper?”

  God, she was beautiful.

  “All kinds of homemade soups as well as breads and desserts.”

  “How often are these soup suppers held?”

  “Usually they have them when they need to raise money for some community cause. The one tonight is to fund a high school band trip.”

  Gabi straightened, shifted on the couch to face him. “Were you ever in the band?”

  Had she realized that this easy conversation continued to help him relax? Or was she simply interested?

  Jude shook his head. “Back then I was big into sports—football, basketball and baseball. How about you?”

  “I was in the band.” Her lips curved. “I attended a large high school. The band was like a big family. It gave me a real sense of belonging.”

  “I bet I can guess what you played.” Jude cocked his head and thought for a minute. “Flute.”

  “What makes you think I played the flute?”

  “That’s what my sisters played.”

  “Actually I played the trumpet.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “You’re kidding me.”

  “I’m not.” She grinned. “My parents bought a trumpet for my brother Cisco, but he gave it up almost immediately. They didn’t want to waste it, so when I told them I wanted to play an instrument, that was my only choice.”

  Jude pictured her with a trumpet against those full lips and felt a stirring of desire. “How’d you like it?”

  “It was good.” She gave a little laugh. “All my fellow trumpet players were boys.”

  “Sounds like you had fun in high school.”

  “I did,” she said. “I was constantly on the run. My father was always telling me to slow down.”

  “Let me guess.... You didn’t.”

  “No.” A shadow crossed her face. “I didn’t. What about you?”

  Jude smiled. “I enjoyed high school. The sports. The parties.”

  “The girls,” she added.

  “There were a few,” he admitted.

  “Quite a few would be my guess.”

  “I imagine you had more than a few boyfriends.”

  “Not as many as you’d think. Four older brothers,” she reminded him.

  “That’s right.” He thought for a moment. “Of all the guys you’ve dated, who was the biggest disappointment?”

  When her smile faded, he wished he could pull back the question.

  “There was a guy I dated in college,” she said finally. “I was going through a rough period and he just...disappeared. That’s why I know that Roy will appreciate your visits.”

  “Jerk.” Jude spat the word. “If he was here, I’d punch him for you.”

  “Not worth it.” Her gaze met his. “If I’d stayed with him, I wouldn’t be here now.”

  He closed his hand over hers, interlocked their fingers. “Then I’m grateful.”

  “Is there someone I need to punch for you?” she asked with a light, teasing smile.

  “I’ve dated lots of women,” Jude admitted. “But no one who got close enough to hurt me. There wasn’t anyone who captured my heart.”

  He brought her hand to his lips. “Until you.”

  Chapter Nine

  Though Jude had been mesmerized by Gabi since that first intoxicating glance outside the Superette, his feelings had begun to grow roots and deepen. Granted, just looking at her now brought to mind tangled sheets and sweaty limbs. But he found the woman beneath the beautiful and sexy exterior equally compelling.

  Gabi hadn’t even laughed when he told her his surprise date was attending a soup supper with a couple hundred of his closest friends. He took her arm as they navigated the gravel of the church parking lot. “In a small town, events like these soup suppers are part of who we are and the life we live.”

  “You like Horseback Hollow.”

  “I do.” Jude glanced at the small church with its doors propped open in welcome. “I went away to college, enjoyed the clubs and nightlife then came back. This is home.”

  “That’s how I used to feel about Miami,” Gabi said with a sigh.

  “Past tense?”

  He slowed his pace while lifting a hand in greeting to a harried-looking couple hurrying after three towheaded boys streaking up the church steps.

  “My brothers got busy with their own lives. Friends married and left Florida.” Gabi expelled a ragged breath. “My mother died.”

  “And your father moved halfway across the country.”

  She nodded, bit her lip. “I was happy for him. Thrilled he’d found a job that was such a perfect fit. But—”

  “You were alone.”

  “That was when I realized it’s a close network of family and friends that gives you that warm, contented feeling, not a city.” Gabi paused at the foot of the concrete steps leading up into the church then glanced down the block to the heart of the small, sleepy town. “I can see why you love it here.”

  “Could you love it here?” It was something he needed to know. “Could you see yourself moving to a place like this?”

  Gabi didn’t appear to find the question strange. “I’ve actually given that some thought.”

  “And?” Though a hard knot had formed in Jude’s gut, his voice remained steady.

  “I believe I could,” she said.

  He expelled the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “Good.”

  Gabi lifted a brow.

  “I’m sure your dad would like having you nearby.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “I would, too.”

  She flushed and started up the steps. “It’s not like I’m ready to quit my job and pack my bags.”

  “But it’s a possibility,” Jude said as they reached the open doors. “Down the road.”

  “Yes,” she said. “A possibility.”

  Jude smiled. For now, that was good enough.

  * * *

  “Do you think people will find it odd we’re here together?” Gabi’s brows knit together in a slight frown. She stood beside Jude at the entrance to the large social hall in the church basement. “I hope they don’t think we’re a couple.”

  Jude knew that was exactly what everyone would think, and it was okay with him. “It’s hard to control impressions,” he said lightly, then changed the subject. “Wait until you taste the soup.”

  “If it tastes half as good as it smells in here, it’s bound to be wonderful.” She glanced around the crowded room and her eyes widened. “Look, there’s Dustin and Rowdy.”

  The two cowboys, dressed in jeans, boots and Western-style shirts stood blatantly flirting with two young women in their twenties, one of whom Jude had dated last year.

  “Are those their girlfriends?”

  “I believe they’re just friends.” Jude smiled slightly when the brunette, Tiffany, glanced in their direction. She tossed her head and placed a hand on Dustin’s arm.

  Catching sight of them, Rowdy waved.

  “We should say hello.” Without warning, Gabi began weaving her way through the crowd. He caught up with her just as she reached the foursome.

  Jude made quick work of the introductions.

  Caroline, blonde and perky, asked about Gabi’s father and her life in Miami.

  Tiffany’s cool gaze continued to shift between him and Gabi until there was a lull in the conversation.

  “So.” Tiff’s shrewd blue eyes narrowed on Gabi. “I take it you’re Jude’s new flavor-of-the-day?”

  Gabi’s lips quirked upward. “Flavor-of-the-day?”

  “Okay, maybe not the day.”
Tiffany’s laugh held an edge. The schoolteacher slanted a glance in Jude’s direction, brought a finger to her lips. “How long does it usually take for you to get tired of a current squeeze? Days? Weeks? If I remember correctly, we lasted a whole month.”

  When Jude scowled and shot her a warning glance, Tiffany responded with a sugary-sweet smile. He thought things were cool between them, that she appreciated him being up-front and honest when he’d felt ready to move on. Apparently he’d been wrong.

  “Actually, Jude and I are simply friends,” Gabi responded before he found his voice. “He’s been kind enough to introduce me to the community while I’m in Horseback Hollow seeing to my father’s recovery. Everyone has been extremely nice. It’s easy for me to understand why my father likes living here so much.”

  Tiffany had the decency to look slightly abashed.

  “Come on, Tiff.” Caroline grabbed her friend’s arm. “I want to get some of Mrs. Hansen’s pasta fagioli soup before it’s all gone.”

  “Rowdy and I’ll come with you.” Dustin cast an apologetic look in Jude’s direction before the foursome disappeared into the crowd.

  Gabi turned to Jude. Instead of jealousy, a teasing glint sparkled in her brown eyes. “Flavor-of-the-day? You never mentioned you were running an ice-cream shop of women.”

  “I’m not.” Jude shoved his hands into his pockets. “Tiff’s obviously out of sorts this evening and not making sense.”

  “The two of you dated.”

  Though it was said as a statement, not a question, Jude felt obliged to respond.

  “For a short time.” He rocked back on his heels. “Last fall.”

  “It ended badly?”

  “I didn’t think so,” Jude said honestly. “We went out for several weeks. The initial attraction faded quickly.”

  “You broke up with her.”

  “I told her it wasn’t working for me.” He hadn’t wanted to leave Tiff hanging, so he’d been honest. After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat. “Does it bother you?”

  She met his gaze. “That you used to date her?”

  He nodded.

  “Not at all.” She waved a hand in the air. “Why should it?”

  He didn’t care for the flippancy of Gabi’s response or the way she appeared to take Tiffany’s comments in stride. Other women would have been all over him, crazy jealous.

  Maybe she simply didn’t care enough to be jealous. The thought stabbed like a rusty spur.

  “The flavor-of-the-day thing, though,” she continued, bringing a finger to her lips. “That’s intriguing.”

  “I don’t know where she got that—”

  “If you were a flavor of ice cream—” a thoughtful look crossed her face “—what would you be?”

  “What’s your favorite flavor?”

  “Rocky Road.” For a second a dreamy look filled her eyes. “I don’t have it often now, but when I was younger, I could eat a big bowl of it all by myself.”

  “Then I’m Rocky Road.” Jude wiggled his brows, a trick he’d perfected when he was thirteen and hadn’t much cause to use since. “That makes me your favorite.”

  She laughed softly, patted his cheek. He waited for her to ask what his favorite ice cream was, but instead her gaze focused across the room on the long tables holding numerous slow cookers. “Let’s check out the soups.”

  Squelching his disappointment, Jude strolled with her to inspect the selections.

  After a few minutes of sampling and deliberation, he chose a spicy Tex-Mex chili that made his tongue sizzle. Gabi picked a sedate tomato-based soup loaded with vegetables.

  While their selections were being dished up, Jude whirled at a sudden slap on the back. The tall man with a receding hairline paused only long enough for Jude to introduce him to Gabi.

  “I played football with him in high school,” Jude told Gabi as his former classmate hurried off. “He’s married now with four kids.”

  A look he couldn’t decipher crossed Gabi’s face.

  “You need to quit slacking,” she told him, sounding surprisingly serious. “Go forth and find yourself a nice woman. Settle down. Populate the earth.”

  “Don’t worry about me. Once I go down that road, I’ll make up for lost time.” Jude grinned. “And have a lot of fun doing it.”

  Gabi took her bowl of soup from an older woman with a helmet of gray hair while Jude grabbed his from the woman’s twin, then led Gabi to a nearby table.

  “You want kids?” she asked in an offhand tone.

  “Sure.” He shrugged. “Don’t you?”

  She dipped her spoon into the soup. “When I was growing up, our neighborhood was filled with large families. I can remember telling my mother once that I wanted a dozen children.”

  “Whoa,” he said.

  “I don’t feel that way anymore.”

  “Thank God.” He pretended to wipe sweat off his brow.

  She gave him a little smile and picked up her whole-grain roll. As he buttered his jalapeno corn bread, Jude’s spirits lifted. Other than the incident with Tiff, this was turning out to be a good night.

  He’d learned Gabi would consider moving to Horseback Hollow and that she wanted children. On those two matters, they were completely in sync.

  At the sound of a banjo tuning up, Jude shifted in his chair toward the stage. A grizzled old man and a teenage boy were setting up. “Looks like we’re in for a concert tonight. I hope you like bluegrass.”

  The boy took out a banjo while the white-bearded man, who Jude recognized as the boy’s grandfather, pulled out a mandolin.

  It wasn’t long until music filled the hall. Gabi was soon tapping her foot and clapping with the rest of the crowd. When they finished their set, she cheered loudly. “They’re good.”

  “Local talent.” He nudged her elbow with his. “I bet you don’t hear that kind of music much in Miami.”

  “Definitely not,” she admitted.

  The tension he’d seen on her face earlier had disappeared. Jude thought about taking her hand but held off. He might end up pushing her away with such a public display of affection. That was definitely not part of his plan.

  He’d found the right woman. He was ready to settle down. And once he convinced Gabi he was the right man for her, they could live happily ever after.

  * * *

  Gabi strolled into the rehab center bright and early the next morning, anticipation quickening her steps. Before she left for Lubbock, she’d received a text from her father telling her he had a big surprise.

  She couldn’t wait to see what had him using three exclamation points. Hopefully the surprise was bigger and better than simply a decent bowl of oatmeal.

  When she reached the dining room, she spotted her father at a table by the window. Gabi started to lift her hand in greeting then rushed across the room.

  “When did they put that on?” she asked, gesturing to the walking boot.

  “The doctor came by at the crack of dawn and gave the okay.” Orlando’s smile flashed then disappeared. “It hurts like a—” He paused, appeared to consider his words. “It’s very uncomfortable when I put weight on the foot.”

  “The therapist is going to work with him later today on using a platform walker.” Obviously overhearing the conversation, Carla, her father’s pretty, red-haired primary nurse, stopped beside the table.

  Gabi had spoken with Carla many times about her father’s progress, and she’d always been helpful. The RN never acted as if her questions were an imposition. In fact, several times their conversations had ventured into the personal realm. Gabi knew Carla had grown up in Horseback Hollow and still lived there, commuting every day to her job in Lubbock.

  “Won’t using a walker be hard with his broken arm?” Gabi kept her tone offhand, not want
ing to worry her father.

  “It’s more difficult,” the nurse agreed, then smiled at Orlando. “But the type of walker the doctor has prescribed is designed specifically for a person in his situation.”

  Gabi glanced at her father then back at Carla. “That’s good news.”

  She found the nurse staring. “Didn’t I see you last night at the soup supper? You were there with Jude Fortune Jones.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Gabi saw her father lower the cup of coffee and fix his gaze on her.

  Busted.

  Gabi nodded, smiled brightly. “Wasn’t the soup spectacular? And I loved the entertainment.”

  “That was my grandpa and brother.” The nurse turned toward Orlando. “Bluegrass music. Derek plays the banjo and my grandfather is a whiz on the mandolin.”

  “I’m sorry I missed it.” Orlando sipped his coffee, the look in his eyes telling Gabi once they were alone she had some explaining to do.

  The phone in the nurse’s pocket buzzed. She pulled it out and glanced at the readout. “I’ll be back in a few minutes with your medications.”

  “No hurry.” Orlando waved a dismissive hand. “My daughter and I have a few things to discuss.”

  The minute the nurse was out of earshot, her father met her gaze. “You were with him again.”

  His tone was as flat as his eyes.

  “It was a fundraiser for a high school band trip.” Gabi could have cheered when her voice came out casual and offhand, just as she’d intended. “Soup, bread and desserts. All for a five-dollar donation.”

  “I don’t have a problem with you supporting local youth groups,” Orlando said pointedly. “I do have an issue with you spending every free moment with that cowboy.”

  “I don’t see why.” Gabi pressed down her irritation. “Jude is a nice guy from a well-respected family.”

  “He’s using you.”

  “As we haven’t had sex, I don’t see how.”

  Orlando winced. “Gabriella.”

  “Let’s call a spade a spade, Papi. You think all Jude wants is to get me into bed, and obviously you believe I’m so weak I’ll do it just because he pays me a few compliments.”