“It was a blow,” she said morosely. A dry chuckle left her throat. “At the time, I thought my life was over, but I picked up and moved on,” she said practically. “Since then, I’ve dated lots of guys but never have found anyone I could really click with.”
His gaze locked with hers. “I plan to change that.”
He caught her flicker of surprise before a smile spread over her lips. “You keep kissing me like you just did, and you might be right.”
He let go of her hand. The moment slowed as the air sizzled with attraction. Judd leaned in to kiss her again but stopped short of touching her lips when his stomach growled. Sniggers gurgled in her throat. It was infectious. He clutched his stomach, laughing. “Oops. Well, that was awkward.”
“You hardly ate two bites of your dinner, and I don’t blame you one bit. Remind me to get onto Cassidy for her choice of catering.”
“It’s cool how you and Cassidy have remained friends all these years.”
“The way we fight we’re more like sisters. But, yes, we are close.”
“I owe her one for seating us next to one another tonight.”
She grinned. “So do I.”
“You wanna run to Pinky T’s Pizza House and grab something to eat?” The restaurant was a staple in Laramie that had been around for as long as Judd could remember. He often stopped by to grab his favorite pizza—ham and pineapple—when he came to town. When Whitney didn’t answer right away, the words rattled out of his throat. “I know it’s hokey to go to the place where we hung out as kids,” he began with a laugh. “But the food’s really good, rivaling many of the upscale restaurants in Jackson.”
An amused smile played at the corners of her mouth. “You don’t have to sell me on Pinky T’s. I grew up here too, remember?”
Heat blasted him. “I knew that.” Geez, Louise, he needed to keep a lid on his rambling tongue. It was just freaking him out, in a good way, that he was here with Whitney Fox. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined when he was a teenager that he would have a chance with her. Now, here they were.
“I’ll grab a milkshake while you eat.”
He scooted back over to the driver’s seat. This time, Whitney moved to sit next to him. He felt like a king with her by his side. Judd started the engine, put it in reverse, and was about to back out when he glanced over his shoulder and realized there was a car behind him, preventing him from getting out. For a second, he thought the car might be waiting for other cars but nope. It was just the one car. “That’s odd.”
“What?” Whitney turned to look. “Why’s that car blocking us?” she asked, irritation coating her voice.
His brows creased. “I have no idea.” Judd sat for a minute, trying to figure out what to do. Finally, he put the truck into park. “Hang tight. I’ll be right back,” he said as he opened the door and got out. He walked over to the driver’s door and rapped on the window with his knuckles. The window rolled down. His pulse missed a beat when he realized who was behind the wheel.
Andy Roberts.
5
“I need you to move your car,” Judd commanded.
“Make me,” Andy sneered.
For a second, Judd didn’t think he’d heard the man correctly. “Excuse me?”
“I said make me,” Andy repeated.
An incredulous laugh rippled through Judd’s throat. This guy was unbelievable! He balled his fists as his muscles tightened. “Whatever it takes,” he barked.
Andy threw open the door and stepped out of the car. He was nearly Judd’s same height. The two stood face to face. In the old days, Judd would’ve been quaking in his boots. Right here, right now, he was ticked! It took all the fortitude he could muster to keep from popping Andy in the face. He winced at the sweet, rancid stench of liquor on Andy’s breath. “You’re drunk.” Andy Roberts was pathetic.
“Do you really think you’ve got what it takes to snag Whitney Fox?”
Judd straightened his shoulders. “I’m not snagging anyone. But if you’re asking if I think I have what it takes to date Whitney, the answer is yes. I know I do.”
Malice twisted over Andy’s face as he let out a string of expletives. “You think your money makes you invincible? You’re still the same sniveling piece of crap you’ve always been!”
Judd laughed. Andy was calling him a ‘sniveling piece of crap’? “This has nothing to do with money. It’s about class and refinement. Two things you obviously know nothing about.”
An unhinged look of rage burned in Andy’s eyes as he drew back his fist to strike.
“What’s going on here?” Whitney demanded, her voice shrill. “Andy, what’re you doing? Have you lost your freaking mind?”
Andy turned his venom on Whitney. “I never pegged you as a gold digger, but I guess I was mistaken.” His voice was taunting, derisive, as his head swiveled back and forth. “I’m disappointed.”
“What’re you talking about?” Whitney looked at Judd through stricken eyes. “Money has nothing to do with my feelings for you.”
“I know that,” Judd responded. In that moment, he hated Andy Roberts for wrecking everything. He felt Whitney’s insecurity crawling up from the pavement like a thirsty monster intent on sucking all possibility of happiness from them.
Andy belted out a raucous laugh. “Of course, it does.” He raised his index finger and circled it in the air. “Money’s what makes the world go round. You figured you’d show up tonight in that tight dress and flounce around your assets. A great way to catch a billionaire, huh, Whit?” His words were slurred as he staggered.
“You’re drunk,” Whitney said in disgust.
“Yes, I am, baby. Yes, I am,” Andy laughed.
“I’m not your baby,” Whitney countered.
He pointed at her, a hard edge coming into his voice. “Oh, it’s on. The two of us are on. Once I get rid of this pansy, you’ll see the kind of man I am.” Andy took a swing, but Judd blocked it before grabbing Andy’s arm and using it to turn him around. Andy grunted and swore as Judd held him fast. Judd had every right to beat the tar out of this bully, but what would be the victory in that? The idea was to end this as quickly as possible while making sure that Andy got the message to stay away from Whitney.
With a quick show of force, Judd thrust Andy forward where he landed on his hands and knees. He scrambled and fell before he got back up on his feet. He turned and lunged at Judd again. This time, Judd stepped aside so that Andy punched his fist into his car. The sickening sound of a cracking bone wrenched the night air as Andy yelped. “My hand,” he whimpered, cupping his injured hand with his other. “You broke my hand.”
“No, you broke your own hand,” Judd countered. He stood in a crouched position, ready to react if Andy came at him again. His voice was deadly calm as he spoke. “Let me tell you how this is gonna go. You will stay as far away from Whitney as you can get.”
“Or what?” Andy fired back.
A dangerous edge slipped into Judd’s voice. “Or I’ll put my money to good use. I’ve got an army of attorneys who would gladly file a stalking injunction and countless other charges against you.” He leaned forward, tightening his fists. “I’ll never stop.”
Fear crept into Andy’s eyes. His back was pressed against the side of his car as he edged his way to the open driver’s side door. He jumped in and slammed the door. The engine roared to life as he backed up. Squealing off, he thrust his middle finger out the open window, shooting Judd a bird.
“Well,” Judd said pleasantly, “at least we know that finger’s not broken.”
Whitney’s jaw dropped, and then a high-pitched giggle bubbled in her throat. A second later, she doubled over, balls of laughter rolling out.
Laughter gurgled inside Judd’s chest then took over. He was grateful for the laughter and how it broke up the tension, restoring everything back to its rightful order.
“That was awesome,” Whitney breathed, mopping her eyes. “The way you handled yourself … that sidestep
thing, and then pinning his arm behind his back. All of it.” She shook her head. “Wow, you are something.”
“Thanks.” A grin tugged at his lips. “You know, there’s something to be said for coming home and taking care of old business.”
“I’d say so.” She scrunched her nose. “It’s embarrassing to know that I ever dated that Neanderthal.”
Judd pinned her with a look. “Why did you?”
“Because I was young and stupid.” She shrugged, giving him an apologetic look. “Why did we do half the things we did at that age?”
Judd couldn’t argue with that. How many times had he raked himself over the coals for marrying Dominique? He nodded in understanding. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about Andy Roberts bothering you anymore.”
“Thanks to you.”
He rubbed his neck. “In retrospect, I don’t know that it was wise to let a drunk just drive off. I should’ve confiscated Andy’s keys.”
Her eyes rounded with concern. “Oh, shoot! I didn’t even think about that.” She tipped her head. “I have an idea. I’ll call 911 and report it. Then, the police will be on the lookout for him.”
After the phone call was made, Judd looked at Whitney.
“You still up for that milkshake?”
“Let’s do it,” she sang exuberantly.
To their disappointment, Pinky T’s Pizza House was closed. There was a note on the door that said it was closed due to a family event. It boggled Judd’s mind how businesses could stay open with such haphazard practices. Then again, the food was delicious. Judd and Whitney ran through a drive-thru instead. They pulled into a parking space at the fast food restaurant. Judd ate his burger and fries while Whitney sucked on a vanilla milkshake.
Judd stuffed the last fry into his mouth before wadding up his napkin and depositing it into the empty bag. “Maybe it’s being back here, but I kind of feel like a kid again.”
“I know what you mean.” She used her straw as she noisily slurped the last of her milkshake. They both laughed.
Before starting the engine to take her to her parents’ home where she was spending the remainder of the weekend, Judd turned to face her. “So … can I take you out on a date?”
“I’d like that.”
He had to fight to keep the eagerness out of his voice. “How about tomorrow?”
She shook her head. “Sorry. No can do.”
His stomach dropped.
“It’s my dad’s birthday tomorrow,” she explained. “All of the family is getting together. I’m going back to Jackson Sunday after church is over. Would you like to get together Monday evening?”
An idea rolled around in his mind, tickling his fancy. “Could you get together earlier in the day on Monday?”
“Sure.”
“Alright.” He smiled broadly. “It’s a date.”
As they drove, Whitney turned on the radio. When a popular rock song came on, they started singing along. On the chorus, Whitney belted out the lyrics at the top of her lungs. Judd joined in. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had this much fun, and they were doing simple things—driving down a country road in his dad’s broken-down truck.
He could hardly wait until Whitney found out what he had in store for her on Monday!
“Are you kidding me?” Cassidy’s high-pitched cackle trilled through the phone. “I would have paid money to watch Judd whoop Andy Robert’s butt.”
“Oh, he could’ve done some real damage if he’d wanted. Judd took it easy on Andy, but he let him know in no uncertain terms who was boss. I have to admit, it was a beautiful thing.” Whitney frowned. “Andy had it coming, especially considering all the turmoil he’s put me through the past few weeks.” She tightened her hold on the cell phone pressed to her ear. “I can’t even walk out of my car into the grocery store or anywhere else without fearing that Andy’s lurking somewhere nearby, watching me.” She brushed off the shiver that ran down her spine.
“Do you think Andy will leave you alone?”
She thought for a minute. “You know, I think he will.” It was a relief to have the ordeal behind her.
“So, are you going out with Judd?”
A large smile tipped Whitney’s lips. “Yep. He’s picking me up at eleven a.m.” Tingles tap danced down Whitney’s spine. It was nine a.m., and she could hardly wait. Ever since they’d reconnected on Friday evening at the reunion, she’d been counting the days until she could see him again.
“Where’s he taking you?”
“I have no idea.”
Cassidy’s voice went juicy. “You’ll have to tell me all about it, so I can live vicariously through you. To think, my bestie ending up with a dreamboat billionaire.” A low, velvety laugh sounded in her throat. “Who would’ve thought?”
Whitney’s stomach tightened into a hard fist as Andy’s taunts came rushing back, bringing stinging heat to her cheeks. “My dating Judd has nothing to do with his money,” she said tartly.
Cassidy clicked her tongue. “Why’re you being so sensitive?”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“Am not!”
“Are too.”
Whitney huffed out a breath. “I just don’t want anyone assuming I’m after Judd’s money.”
“Alright. Take it down a notch. Sheesh, I was just joking.”
“Well, it wasn’t funny,” Whitney grumbled. “I’m not a gold digger.”
“I never said you were a gold digger.”
“Huh?”
Cassidy’s voice grew louder. “I never said you were a gold digger.”
That’s right. Andy had said that. Whitney had tried to erase the hateful words from her mind, but they kept coming back like tortuous echoes, reverberating through her brain and making her question everything.
“Hey, are you doing okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Judd’s an awesome guy, and he’s obviously crazy about you. Don’t blow it by second-guessing everything.”
“I won’t.”
“Make sure you don’t.”
Whitney rolled her eyes. “Okay,” she grumbled. “I’ve gotta let you go.”
“No worries,” Cassidy said casually, “my break’s almost up. I’ve gotta get back to work anyway. Have fun,” she chirped as she made a kissing sound into the phone. “Love you.”
“Thanks. Love you too.” Whitney ended the call with a long sigh. She knew she was being overly sensitive about Judd. His wealth and prominence were just so dang intimidating. And, then there was his drop-dead gorgeous ex-wife. Whitney nearly flipped when she looked up Dominique online. She felt so dowdy and ordinary compared to the sophisticated glamour girl. Dominique was so different from Whitney that it left her questioning why Judd was interested in her. Dominique was a rare, expensive flower, whereas Whitney was the everyday, common variety.
Whitney didn’t have to be a psychiatrist to know that her hang-ups about money stemmed from her childhood. Money had always been tight in the Fox household. Her dad worked as a salesclerk in an auto parts store, and her mom babysat kids. Even though she was popular in school, Whitney always felt like she was living a bit of a double life. She’d taken great pains to make sure that her friends, even Cassidy, didn’t know that her family was living paycheck to paycheck. Whitney had wanted to get a job when she was in high school, but her mother wouldn’t hear of it, saying that she didn’t want Whitney or her two younger sisters missing out on their childhoods. Whitney was grateful for the sacrifice of her parents and how they’d worked extra hours to make sure the family had everything they needed.
When Whitney graduated from high school, she received a local scholarship, which paid for her first year at a community college. Whitney got a part-time job as a receptionist for a tire company during the fall and winter terms. She worked full-time in the summer and saved every penny she could. She transferred to UCLA for her last two years of college and worked as a teacher’s assistant to an English professor.
/> Her dream had always been to become a children’s book author and illustrator. Her road to success had been long and arduous with many setbacks and rejections. Finally, she was now earning a living by doing what she loved. For the first time, Whitney felt like her life was on track with where she wanted it to be. Did she want to muddy everything up by getting involved with Judd?
No sooner had the question run through her mind when the memory of his coaxing kisses pulsed quivers of heat through her. She touched her lips with the tips of her fingers, remembering the passion that had evoked an aching need inside her. The feeling was more than purely physical. She and Judd had really connected. They sang together, laughed and talked. He’d been amused by her slurping the milkshake. If she’d done something like that in front of Tim, he would’ve been appalled.
Despite his wealth and status, Judd was so down-to-earth, so unassuming. He could’ve done some real damage to Andy Roberts if he’d wanted. Yet, Judd merely wanted to contain the situation and make sure that Whitney was protected. She appreciated Judd standing up for her, something Tim hadn’t been willing to do because he was too worried about his image as mayor. She made a face. Speaking of Tim, she wished he’d quit texting her. He apologized profusely for not helping her with the old boyfriend situation, as he called it. Tim kept asking if he could stop by, but Whitney just ignored his texts. The two were no longer a couple. There wasn’t much else she could say to Tim that she hadn’t already said.
Her thoughts went back to Judd. He wasn’t classically handsome in a pretty-boy way like Tim but was more of a rugged Liam Neeson type whose demeanor exuded character. His tall athletic body moved with an easy grace. Ribbons of warmth stirred through her stomach like warm caramel as she thought of how Judd’s strong body had felt against hers when he held her in his arms. His clean, masculine scent had enveloped her senses.
Long story short, she had it bad for Judd Hoffman. Maybe that’s why she was so touchy about his wealth … because she knew that this relationship was going somewhere. When she was dating Tim, Whitney had known in the back of her mind that the two of them wouldn’t end up together. This thing with Judd was different.
Saving the Billionaire's Daughter Page 5
