Tiffany sniffled, but smiled. “This is Aubrey, and over here is Carter, Jr., but we call him CJ.”
“Will she come to me?” Melody reached out.
Nodding, Tiffany held the little girl out to Melody. She took the child in her arms and stood. Melody breathed a sigh of relief when the little girl didn’t make a fuss. “Hi, Aubrey. Would you like to visit with Ms. Sharon this morning?”
The little girl nodded and smiled shyly at Melody. Her heart melted as the child snuggled close. She hadn’t thought about having children since Christopher had died. She swallowed hard as a powerful longing inundated her. She shoved the thought from her mind. This wasn’t the time to be thinking about herself.
Hudson scooped CJ up in his arms. “You ready to go with Uncle Hudson?”
CJ giggled as Hudson bounced the boy in his arms.
Melody looked over at Hudson. “You’re going with me?”
Hudson nodded. “At least to the car. You can’t manage two kids and this mammoth diaper bag all by yourself, can you?”
Melody wasn’t going to argue with him. “I suppose not.”
Hudson grabbed the bag, then turned to Tiffany. “Be back in a few minutes.”
Melody followed him as he trotted to the car. He helped her put the kids into their car seats and placed the diaper bag in the front. He handed her the keys and the directions to the babysitter’s house as she got into the car.
The whole scene screamed of family.
Hudson. Her. Kids.
She pushed that thought away. There were so many reasons she couldn’t go there. Pretty soon her mind would be a blank if she kept banishing her thoughts.
Hudson stood for a moment by the open door. “I’ll call you if I learn something new before you get back. Thanks for your help.”
Nodding, she started the car and Hudson closed the door. He stood there and watched as she drove away. His caring heart for the man who worked for him brought a lump to Melody’s throat. It would be so easy to care about him.
A few minutes later Melody delivered the children to their caregiver. With the kids safely in Sharon’s care, she made her way back to the hospital. Please, Lord, spare Carter’s life. She repeated the prayer over and over as she drove.
While Melody walked through the parking lot to the emergency room, she could see Hudson on the phone and Tiffany in a nearby chair. As Melody stepped through the door, Hudson ended his call and came her way. “Carter’s still in surgery.”
Melody looked Tiffany’s way. Worry still clouded the other woman’s features. “How’s she holding up?”
“As good as can be expected. She’s talked to her parents and Carter’s parents. They’re on their way to the hospital from Dalton, where they all live. No matter what happens, I plan to stay until they get here.” Hudson looked as though he wanted to say something else, but he remained silent as he stared at her.
“That’s good. I’m sure she’ll appreciate your support.” Melody looked toward the parking lot. “I have to get back because I have a meeting with some of my ladies in a half hour.”
“Sure. I can’t expect you to stay. Thanks for coming and helping out.” A muscle worked in his jaw. “I’ll call with any news.”
“Thanks. I’ll be praying.” Melody said her goodbyes to Tiffany, giving her a hug.
On the drive back to The Village, Melody continued to pray. The situation had stirred up a lot of emotions for her. She couldn’t shake the hurt in her heart. She prayed that Tiffany wouldn’t have to deal with the loss of her husband. These circumstances made Melody more determined to keep Hudson at a distance, even though his goodness invited her to let him into her life.
Chapter Seven
Carter had come through the surgery and would eventually recover, but it would be a long process. Hudson didn’t know what he would do without the man who knew the ins and outs of the projects they had going, especially the one at The Village. Carter would be absent from work for months. Those months would test Hudson in more ways than he’d ever expected.
Searching for a replacement would take time he didn’t have right now. Responsibility for Conrick Construction and its survival lay solely in his hands. A lot of people were counting on him, and he had to come through for all of them.
The image of Melody’s face floated across his mind. Her willingness to help out today made him wish he hadn’t given her the promise not to ask her out again. He had to be patient and do his best to show her he was a man she could count on—a man she wanted to get to know and spend time with. And so he could get to know her, too, and find out if his impression that she was different from the other women he’d dated was right. He wondered if Melody could be the one woman who could erase the bad memories and hurt that Nicole had left behind.
Would Carter’s accident help Melody see that life was uncertain and that playing it safe didn’t always result in security?
With these thoughts swirling through his mind, Hudson parked his car near the administration building. He had to keep his mind on the business at hand—the road rally. Melody had offered to talk to him about his plans during her lunchtime. Grateful that she’d agreed to let him bring her lunch, he grabbed the bag containing sandwiches from his favorite deli. Despite the burdens that weighed him down, he had no doubt seeing Melody would lighten his heart.
As Hudson made his way through the reception area, Lovie greeted him. “I’m so sorry to hear about your friend Carter. I’ll be praying for him.”
“I appreciate that.”
Lovie gave him a speculative look. “Are you here to see Ms. Melody?”
“Yes, we have a fund-raising idea to discuss.”
Lovie wagged a finger at him. “You should be discussing more than fund-raising. You got to get busy on the romance front. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.”
Hudson couldn’t help laughing as he shook his head. “Lovie, what am I going to do with you?”
“Follow my advice and romance that woman.”
Hudson wanted to tell Lovie that it was easier said than done in Melody’s case, but he wasn’t about to admit to this grandmotherly matchmaker that he was a flop in the romance department. “Some things can’t be rushed.”
“I don’t know what it is with you young people these days. When I was a girl, we didn’t waste time thinking about love, we did something about it.”
“I’ll consider your advice.” Hudson chuckled as he started down the hall.
“Don’t consider it. Act on it,” Lovie called after him.
Hudson knocked on Melody’s door and wondered whether Lovie had given Melody the same little talk. No matter what Lovie said, he wasn’t about to jump into any relationship without making sure there would be no repeat of his former experience with love. At this point, working with Melody would have to suffice for getting to know her and judging whether she was the kind of woman he believed her to be—someone who cared about people, someone who didn’t use people for their own advantage.
Melody opened the door. “Are things still okay with Carter?”
“They are, but he’ll be in intensive care for a few days.” Hudson set the bag of food on Melody’s desk. “They’re grateful that he’s going to pull through, but they know it won’t be easy. Tiff’s mom will stay with her for a while. That’ll help.”
Melody nodded. “You were a big help to them today.”
“I did what had to be done. Carter and I have known each other for a long time. I helped him get a job with Conrick Industries after we graduated from college.”
“He’s blessed to have a friend like you.” She opened the bag and peered inside. “What did you bring me?”
Hudson tried to digest the compliment from Melody. “I’m doubly blessed to have a friend like him. I brought you a turkey on wheat with tomato, lettuce
and provolone cheese, just like you requested.”
Opening the container, Melody sat behind her desk while Hudson sat on the chair on the other side. “You want to give thanks?”
Hudson nodded and bowed his head. He thanked God for Carter’s good prognosis and prayed for his recovery, then gave thanks for the food and asked a blessing on their meeting. When he said amen, he looked up to find Melody blinking back tears. He frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Your prayer touched me. It’s been an emotional morning for me.” She tried to smile while she wiped at her eyes. “This whole thing with Carter reminded me of losing my fiancé, Christopher, and losing my brother and dad. I’m so glad Carter’s going to be okay.”
“I don’t want you to be sad.” He reached across the desk and touched her arm. “I know it must have been hard to lose your fiancé in such a horrific manner. The wars in that area of the world have brought sorrow to the military and civilians alike. I appreciate your sharing with me. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes.” She tried to smile but wound up pressing her lips together obviously trying to ward off more tears. “It’s been hard to talk about Christopher, but things get better every year. Thoughts of him still pop into my mind unexpectedly. Carter’s accident was a trigger for those sad memories.” She picked up her sandwich and took a bite as if to signal the end of the conversation.
For a few moments they ate in silence while Hudson let her admission roll through his mind. He didn’t want to press her for details. This was the first time she’d ever mentioned Christopher in his presence. Was it a good sign that she could talk about the loss of the man she had loved? Melody’s reference to this tragedy made Hudson see more clearly her reasons for not wanting to date him.
Maybe he did take chances when he raced cars or jumped from planes, but he wasn’t ready to give up those things. Wasn’t life itself one big chance? A person never knew what the day would hold.
He wished he could convince Melody that her worries were unfounded. He wasn’t going into a war zone when he participated in the activities he enjoyed. Could he insinuate himself into her life until those things didn’t matter to her anymore? He didn’t want to cause her more hurt, so talking about something else was the wise thing to do.
“How’d your meeting go?” Hudson took a bite of his sandwich as he listened to Melody talk about her work. Her enthusiasm touched him deep inside. Everything about her touched him. While they ate, they also talked about the Valentine banquet and discovered that Ian had them working together in the kitchen. Hudson wondered whether she recognized the matchmaking efforts behind their assignments.
Their food gone, Melody brought up the information about road rallies on her computer. “I’ve read this, and I agree that it sounds like a good idea. Who will determine the route and the time?”
Hudson pointed first to her and then at himself. “We will.”
“Us?” Melody’s mouth formed a grim line.
“Yes. Adam gave me the go-ahead to help you plan this.”
A flicker of annoyance crossed Melody’s face. “I wish Adam had consulted me, too. How do we do this?”
“We plan out the route, then we drive it and generate the clues and instructions. After we’ve determined that, we drive it again and time ourselves. That’ll be the official time that someone has to match or come closest to in order to win. We’ll also have prizes for gathering certain items along the route—all donated, of course.”
“Are you going to solicit them?”
Hudson nodded. “I will.”
“Great. When do you plan to drive the route?”
Hudson took a deep breath. “When we have a day off. Maybe this coming Saturday.”
She leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed, but she didn’t look happy. “There’s no racing involved, correct?”
“Correct. We’ll drive the speed limit. Variables will be traffic lights and the time it takes each team to interpret the clues, collect any items listed and perform any requested tasks.” Hudson raised his eyebrows as he looked at her. “So is this Saturday good?”
“I guess it’ll have to be.” She let out a long sigh. “When will we hold the event?”
“Sometime in late March or early April. We should allow enough time to get the word out and have people sign up.”
“We need to run the dates by Adam, so he can coordinate the calendar and get it in the newsletter and out to area churches and civic groups.”
“That sounds like a good strategy.” He wasn’t going to make a comment on her less-than-enthusiastic acceptance of the plan. He would be thankful that she had agreed. This was as close to a date as he could get without actually asking her to go out with him. Would this time together do anything to cut through the barrier she’d erected to shut him out and put to rest any of his own doubts?
* * *
Ferraris sat in Melody’s driveway. The car and the man. She stared out the window as Hudson came up her front walk. She was going to spend the day with him in the close confines of that car. Could her resolve not to let him into her heart survive this scenario?
As soon as Hudson stepped onto her porch, she opened the door. “I’m ready. Got my map and a notebook.”
“Let’s get started.”
He opened the passenger door for her and, as she slid onto the seat, the feel and the smell of leather reminded her of their date. Sitting in this fancy vehicle with its low-slung bucket seats made her heart race. He said they would travel at the speed limit. She clung to that promise.
Hudson folded his lanky frame into the driver’s seat. She buckled her seat belt, almost expecting the car to launch itself from the driveway. When the engine thundered, her heart did, too. She shouldn’t be afraid to live a little.
He looked her way as he pulled out of her neighborhood onto the main road. “Since we’ve got the route highlighted on your map, we need to notice landmarks, parks or places of interest where we can ask the participants to collect an item or take a photo of something to bring back. We also want to give some of the route instructions in clue form.”
Melody wrinkled her brow. “Are you good at that kind of thing?”
He laughed. “You have to ask?”
She held up her hands in surrender. “The job’s yours.”
“Of course, I need your final approval.”
“Of course.” She couldn’t hold back her laughter. “I doubt there are too many times when you have to ask for that.”
“Then, you’ve never met my dad.” Hudson shook his head. “I call him the lovable tyrant. I do love him even though he insists on having his way.”
Melody wondered about their relationship. Judging from these comments, it sounded somewhat troubled. “Thankfully, we don’t need to get his okay.”
Hudson let out a belly laugh. “I think he’d like you.”
Melody wasn’t sure what to make of that statement as a follow-up to his previous one. “I hope so, if I ever meet him.”
“There’s no doubt you would charm him.”
“Thank you. I guess.”
“I mean it.” Hudson gave her a quick look before focusing on the road. “Let’s concentrate on the task at hand. I’ve contacted some local businesses on the route, and they’re willing to provide clues.”
“Wonderful!”
Hudson turned onto a less-traveled road running through a wooded area. “I talked with Jordan Montgomery earlier this week. He said we could use their church parking lot for our starting and ending point. We should limit the entries to one hundred cars. What do you think?”
Melody took a deep breath. “Okay.”
“Jordan said the church is willing to provide a meal at the end of the rally.”
She looked over at him with a smile. “You’ve been busy. When did you have time t
o do this and your other work, too?”
He shrugged. “What can I say? I’m amazing.”
Melody was beginning to think he was. How long could she continue to hold him at arm’s length? The question bombarded her mind more and more frequently. “Since you’re so amazing, have you come up with some fabulous prizes?”
“Of course. When you’re as amazing as I am, what can you expect?”
“Okay, amazing man, tell me what you’ve got.” Melody knew he was joking, but every time he said it she found herself thinking that very thing.
She couldn’t deny that he was a remarkable man. The work on the women’s shelter was humming right along despite Carter’s absence. Hudson charmed the older ladies at the senior center whenever he ate lunch there. Even though the thought of it curdled her stomach, she had to smile when he told them he’d take them on a tandem jump when the weather got warmer. Melody could almost see some of them taking him up on the offer.
“I don’t remember everything. Lots of gift certificates. The big one is a free tandem jump from the place where I work as a part-time instructor.”
“You mean as in skydiving?” Melody couldn’t keep the frown out of her voice. “Not everyone thinks that’s a fabulous prize.”
“I know, so I got some for the less adventuresome folks. How about a day at a spa?”
“Now, that sounds like something I’d like to win.”
“I figured as much.” He flashed a grin. “Don’t worry. There are prizes to suit every age and every taste.”
“How will you determine who gets what prize?”
“We’ll have a big board at the end of the rally, and the winners of different categories will get to choose what they want. So it’s not as if the big winner will be stuck with something they don’t like or can’t use.”
“I’ll need a list of the prizes to put in the advertising.”
“I’ll have it to you Monday.”
Falling For the Millionaire Page 10