Falling For the Millionaire

by Merrillee Whren

  “Okay. Me, too, actually.” She let out a nervous little laugh as she scurried to the couch and sat down. “Please have a seat.”

  Hudson glanced around the room. He opted for the chair, so he could face her while he heard what she had to say. “What’s this about?”

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She was killing him with this waiting.

  “Don’t be so nervous. Just tell me what’s on your mind. I’m a big boy. I can handle whatever you’ve got to say.”

  Melody’s worried expression morphed into a little smile. “I’ve changed my mind.”

  “About what?” A dozen thoughts zipped through his brain—none of them good.

  She licked her lips again. “You said if I ever changed my mind about going out with you again to let you know. Well, I’m letting you know.”

  Hudson closed the gap between his chair and the couch in a nanosecond. He took her hands and pulled her to her feet. He couldn’t help grinning from ear to ear. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day, all week, all year. There’s only one thing I want to do. Kiss you.”

  She looked up at him as she put her arms around his neck. “I can’t think of anything better.”

  With his heart pounding, Hudson leaned closer. Their lips met, and he wondered how he’d managed to wait this long for this moment. He wanted this relationship to work. She made his life brighter in so many ways, and he wanted to do the same for her.

  When the kiss ended, he held her close and whispered in her ear, “You’ve made me a very happy man.”

  She stepped back and looked up at him. “Me, too. Happy, that is.”

  Hudson chuckled. “What made you change your mind?”

  Melody’s brown eyes widened as if he’d asked her a question she couldn’t answer. Then she lowered her gaze. Elizabeth’s accusation slithered back into his mind. No. Melody wasn’t a gold digger. She was genuine and loving, but her reluctance to give him a reason made the doubts linger.

  Finally, she glanced up and gave him a tentative smile. “I can’t continue to deny the attraction between us, and getting to know you and your family made me realize that. So if you want another date, you’ve got one.”

  Hudson grinned. “Another date it is. What should we do?”

  “Kirsten told me that you’re taking a bunch of guys out to race cars, and the ladies are planning to watch.”

  Hudson leaned forward. “Did I hear you correctly?”

  Nodding, Melody took a deep breath. “Yes.”

  Hudson didn’t miss the determination in her voice. “And to what do I owe this huge about-face?”

  “It’s something you love. It’s part of who you are, and if I want to be a part of your life, I’ll learn to deal with it.”

  “Wow! So you’ve put your fears aside?”

  She shook her head. “No, but I’m going to conquer them. I can’t do that unless I face them head-on.”

  “I’m glad you’re willing to do that.” Her feelings had changed enough to go out with him again. He had to be grateful for that much now.

  “I’m full of surprises.”

  “You certainly are, but we’re not doing the car thing for a couple of more weeks. How about dinner and a movie this weekend?”

  “Absolutely. That’s more my speed anyway.” She lifted her face to him.

  He pulled her closer and kissed her again. She melted into his arms, and he never wanted to let her go. Finally, he held her at arm’s length. She was everything he’d ever dreamed of in a woman, and he couldn’t stop grinning. “Whatever we do, you can count on having the ride of your life.”

  * * *

  The following Monday morning, Hudson awakened to a howling wind rattling at his bedroom window. He jumped out of bed, the wooden floor cold on his feet. He pulled aside the heavy drapery and looked out. A wall of white met his sight. Snow. The spring storm had hit with extra force. He hoped he could make it to The Village.

  He got ready as quickly as he could, thankful when he was able to locate gloves, boots and a stocking cap—things he hadn’t used in years. He donned his cold-weather gear and trudged through a foot of the white stuff. On his way to his SUV, he grabbed a snow shovel that was stuck in the corner of the garage and threw it into the back. He hoped he could make it to the main road without any difficulty, but the shovel could provide some insurance if the going got rough.

  He managed to get to the main road, but the conditions were treacherous as the SUV swerved on the slick roadway. Although officials were telling people to stay off the roads, if at all possible, he had to get to The Village to make sure everything was okay with the construction site. The wind and blowing snow could pose a problem for the temporary coverings on the window openings.

  Everything about the construction had been going well, except the workers at the factory had gone on strike, and only half of the new windows had arrived. They’d been waiting on the rest for several weeks, and when they’d finally arrived, he’d given the go-ahead to remove the old windows and put up temporary coverings. The plan had been to install the new ones today, but he hadn’t planned on the storm being this bad. Now he wondered about the wisdom of that decision.

  With great difficulty, Hudson managed to make it to The Village, but the main gate was closed because the electricity was out. As he stepped out of his SUV, Adam, along with some women he recognized as folks who worked at the senior center and nursing home, arrived in a National Guard vehicle.

  Adam waved as he approached. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here today.”

  “I was worried about what the storm might have done to the building project.”

  “As you can see, we’ve lost power except in the senior center and nursing home, where we have backup generators.” Adam shook his head. “I can be thankful for that, but the rest of the buildings could have problems if the power’s out too long.”

  “Yeah, it’s not supposed to warm up much in the next few days.”

  “Watch yourself when you get near the trees. Some of those tall spindly pines can topple over because of the weight of the ice and snow.”

  “I’ll be on the lookout for them.”

  “After you make your inspection, we can meet in the senior center. We might have a lot of people camping out there if the electricity doesn’t come back on.”

  “See you in a while.” Hudson loped off across the quad, leaving footprints as he went. He passed by the fountain with its water flow stopped in a frozen mound. If it wasn’t for the worry clouding his mind, he might have enjoyed the beauty of everything covered in pure white.

  As he walked through the winter wonderland, he pulled his phone from his pocket and called Melody. He wanted to be sure she had power. When she answered the phone, his heart did a little tap dance. “Hey, you okay?”

  “I’m good other than I’m having to shovel my driveway and sidewalks. Why?”

  “There are a lot of people without power. I wanted to check on you.”

  “Thanks. That’s sweet.” He could hear the smile in her voice. “What about you? Are you okay?”

  “I’m over here at The Village. I was worried about the construction site.”

  “You managed to get there from your place? How are the roads?”

  “Not good.” Hudson’s stomach sank as he drew closer to the building. Several gaping holes where windows used to be greeted him. “And things are not looking so good here, either. A large pine tree has fallen and crashed into one of the temporary window coverings on the second floor.”

  “At least it only damaged a temporary covering and not one of the new windows.”

  “Leave it to you to look on the bright side.” Hudson chuckled. “I’ve got to see what other damage the storm has caused. I’ll call you later. Don’t wear yourself out shoveling.”


  “You be careful, too, and stay warm.”

  “Okay.”

  Melody’s words warmed him. “I’ll try to stop by your place after I get done here. I...I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”

  Hudson ended the call and stared at his phone. He’d almost told her how much he cared about her, but he’d stopped short. How did she feel about him? He knew she cared, but how much? He shook the questions away. He had to concentrate on the problems right in front of him. He looked at the tree sticking through the opening on the second floor and got a sick feeling in his gut. He didn’t want to go inside. He imagined the worst, but he couldn’t put off the inspection.

  He punched in the code, thankful that the coded locks didn’t require electricity. He pushed open the door and looked down the dark hallway. Even in the dim light, the dusting of snow on the concrete floor was visible. He swallowed hard. How much of it had blown into the building? He shivered against the cold and his fear of what he would find.

  He entered the first apartment and saw that like the hallway, the floor was covered with a thin layer of snow. He soon moved on to the others and found them in much the same condition. He was ready to breathe a sigh of relief until he climbed the stairs to the second level. There he found coverings off half the windows. Snow filled the tubs and sinks while an inch or two covered the floors.

  Rubbing a gloved hand down his face, he closed his eyes. He was in charge, and he had to find a way to minimize the damage. As he went back down the stairs, he shivered. The cold wind blowing through the structure went straight to his bones despite his warm clothes. Or maybe the thought of this predicament sent shivers down his spine. There was no time to feel sorry for himself. He had to take action, and that meant returning to his SUV for the shovel, so he could start removing the snow before it melted all over and created a bigger problem. No one would show up for work to help him today. He was on his own.

  What would his father say if he saw this fiasco? As Hudson traipsed back across campus, dozens of what-ifs crowded his thoughts. Had he been distracted by Melody and their budding relationship and not considered the effects of the storm? Possibly, but the forecasters had predicted a couple of inches, not a foot of windblown snow. No matter the reason for what had happened, he had to take care of it.

  After he returned with the shovel, he scooped up the snow and threw what he could into the bathtubs or sinks. He would let it melt and go down the drain. As he finished clearing out the apartment at the far end of the hall, he thought he heard someone calling his name. But maybe the howling wind was playing tricks on him.

  “Hudson, where are you?”

  His heart took a leap as he finally recognized Melody’s voice. He hadn’t been hearing things. Shovel in hand, he stepped into the hallway. She stood just inside the door, but even in the dim light, he couldn’t miss her in that red parka. He loved her in red. “Here I am. How’d you get here?”

  “One of my neighbors has a four-wheel-drive vehicle, and he brought me over. I helped Adam get people settled in the senior center, and then I thought to see if you could use some help.”

  Laying his shovel aside, he closed the gap between them and gave her a hug. The cold fled. She warmed his heart and made everything about his life better, even this trouble. How was he going to keep from telling her how much he cared? He wished he could, but he had to give her time to see where their relationship would take them. And wasn’t that what he should do, too, instead of throwing caution aside?

  She grabbed her shovel and held it up. “I’m ready to go to work.”

  “I’ve finished scooping up the snow on this level. So you can help me upstairs.” He walked with her to the second floor and went into the closest apartment. “Move the snow into a pile, then shovel it into the sink or bathtub, whichever is closest.”

  Melody pointed to one of the kerosene heaters they always kept around during the construction process. “Why don’t you turn it on to warm up the place?”

  “I thought I ought to get the snow out of here first and get the windows covered again before I wasted fuel warming the outdoors.”

  “That makes sense.” Melody pushed her shovel along the floor, gathering snow as she went.

  “I’m going to remove the tree in the next apartment and put plywood back on the windows.” Hudson gave her a peck on the cheek. “We’ll warm up in the senior center when we’re done.”

  “Got it. I’m a lean, mean, snow-scooping machine.”

  Hudson chuckled as he walked out. “Don’t work too hard.”

  Hudson took a look at the tree protruding through the window opening. He needed a chain saw but didn’t have one on hand. He grabbed his phone and called Adam, explaining the situation. Minutes later someone from maintenance brought Hudson the handheld machine, and together they cut the tree out of the window, then cut up the rest of it into smaller pieces for easy removal.

  Finally, Hudson replaced the plywood there and at the other windows. He braced them, praying that the temporary covering would stay in place this time. After he’d pounded the last nail, he poked his head into the room where Melody was working. “Looks as if you’re about done.”

  She looked his way with a smile as she dumped a shovel full of snow into the kitchen sink. “That’s the last of it. Should I turn on the water to melt it?”

  “It should melt on its own after we fire up these heaters, but sure. You can turn it on until I get these started.”

  “Nothing’s coming out.” Melody turned the faucet to the off position and turned it on again.

  Hudson shook his head. He didn’t want to believe the pipes were frozen, but there wasn’t any other explanation. Just one more thing he didn’t need. “I’ll start the heaters, then turn off the main water supply.”

  Melody frowned. “Why?”

  “Frozen lines often result in broken pipes. We’ll have problems when the pipes thaw, but hopefully we can keep the damage to a minimum if we turn off the water.”

  Hudson fired up the heaters, then after finding the blueprints he rolled them out on the nearby kitchen counter. “Looks as if the main valve is at the back of the building. I hope it’s not buried under too much snow.”

  He made his way around the building. The worst of the weather had subsided. Quiet surrounded him as he dug through the snow, searching for the valve. Thankfully, he discovered it without too much trouble. As Hudson started back around, Melody waved as she walked toward him. Before she reached him, a loud crack shattered the quiet, and Hudson looked up just in time to see a tall pine falling toward her.

  “Melody!” Hudson yelled at the top of his lungs. With his heart nearly stopping, he ran faster than he’d ever run in his life. He reached her and tackled her as they both fell into the snow just a few feet away from where the pine landed with a resounding thud. Hudson held her tight as they lay together in the cold. What would he have done if something had happened to her?

  “Are you okay?” His voice sounded shaky in his own ears.

  She nodded but didn’t say anything.

  “Can you get up?”

  “Yes.” She let out a harsh breath as she extracted herself from his embrace and scrambled to her feet, dusting the snow off her coat.

  Hudson popped up and did the same, the whole time thinking that he could’ve lost her. His heart still racing, he didn’t want to let her out of his sight.

  She launched herself at him and hugged him tight. “You saved me. Thank you.”

  He held her tighter. Everything in him wanted to spill out his feelings for her. He’d thought about it all day; the words were on the tip of his tongue. He had to fight not to say them. She’d just agreed to date him. He’d have to take it slow for both their sakes. Reluctantly, he released her. “Let’s go get warm.”

  Hudson and Melody walked arm in arm to the senior center. The cafeteria bustled wit
h young and old as folks from the women’s shelter and children’s homes found their way into the warmth. Adam waved for them to come over to his table, and they soon enjoyed lunch and visited with him and several of the residents, including Brady’s grandmother Cora. Despite the cold and snow, a jovial mood prevailed, and Hudson tried not to think about his own problems.

  After they ate and chatted for a little while, he stood. “I’m going back over to see if the heaters have warmed the building enough to thaw out the pipes.”

  Melody looked up at him. “Do you need my help?”

  “No, you’ve already helped enough today. I’m sure you have things of your own to tend to. I’ll give you a call when I’m finished.”

  She hopped up and gave him a hug before he left. “I’ll be waiting.”

  Still feeling Melody’s embrace, he jogged along the edge of the quad, the air cold even though the sun had chased most of the clouds away. He punched in the code and opened the door. The sound of running water greeted him. Frowning, he ran toward the sound.

  He stopped short when he saw water pouring from a light fixture in the hallway. Where was that coming from? He’d turned off the water valve, or had he? He took the stairs two at a time and found water rolling out of the nearby doorway. Hudson stepped gingerly through the flood and discovered water pouring out of the sink where Melody had turned on the faucet.

  Hudson ran over and turned it, but water still sprayed from the broken pipes underneath the sink. He wondered how many other apartments had broken pipes, but he didn’t waste time looking. He raced back outside to the water valve. He got down on his knees and tried to figure out why the valve hadn’t turned off the water. He grabbed the knob with both hands and gave it a twist. It moved another half turn. The cold had probably kept him from turning it off completely the first time.

  He hurried back inside to see if the water had stopped. He splashed through the puddles and sprinted up the stairs. Nothing was coming out of the faucet. He sank against the wall and let out a harsh breath. He’d thought things were bad before. Now he had double the disaster to deal with.