Читать книгу Flirting with Fortune - Leanne Banks, Allison Leigh - Страница 31
ОглавлениеGabi and Sweet Betsy reached the big red barn shortly before eleven. After the ranch hands took the horses, Jude invited Gabi into the house. He promised coffee to go with the slices of banana bread they had yet to eat.
A desire to stay warred with Gabi’s need to leave and make sense of what had happened today. She was relieved she could honestly say her father expected her to join him for both lunch and dinner.
Disappointment skittered across Jude’s face, but he walked her to the Buick like a gentleman, their interlocked fingers swinging easily between them.
The simple act only intensified the conflicting emotions battling inside her. She wanted to see Jude again, wanted to touch and be touched by him. But considering the intensity of the emotions and desires he engendered, being close didn’t seem wise.
She worried this was all a game to him. Yet, wasn’t that what she wanted? She felt dizzy as possibilities spun and swirled in her head. Could she do easy-breezy with no strings? Did she have a choice?
Thankfully she had the hour drive to Lubbock to think, to plan, to decide where they went from here.
But when she tried to slip behind the wheel of the LeSabre, Jude blocked her with his arm, a pleasant smile on his lips, a watchful look in his eyes. “I want to see you again.”
“I’m sure you will.” She lifted a shoulder, not wanting to commit to any course of action until she’d thought things through. “Horseback Hollow is a small town. Our paths can’t help but cross.”
Confusion blanketed his face. It was obviously not the response he’d expected. “Are you angry with me about something?”
“No.” She briefly rested a hand on his arm. “I like you, Jude. What woman wouldn’t? You’re a handsome, sexy cowboy.”
To her surprise, he didn’t appear particularly pleased by the compliment.
“That liking goes both ways.” He spoke cautiously as if feeling his way over unfamiliar terrain. “But I think there’s more between us than sexual attraction.”
A chill traveled up Gabi’s spine. “More?”
“Friendship for starters.”
He looked sincere, even sounded sincere. But her antennae were quivering. “Friendship is all there can be.”
Jude rocked back on his heels, shoved his hands into his pockets. After a moment, a boyish grin tipped his lips. “Would that friendship be served with or without benefits?”
When she didn’t immediately answer, he continued, the words coming fast. “I’m open to either possibility. If you want sex to be a part of the friendship, great. If you prefer to keep it at a good-night kiss, that’s fine, too. If you don’t want any physical contact—” a pained look crossed his face “—I’ll respect your wishes.”
“That seems a bit extreme.” Gabi laughed. Then, without a thought for the wisdom of her actions, she brought her mouth to his in a light kiss. “Thanks for a wonderful morning.”
As she slid behind the wheel, his eyes met hers. “Are you free tonight? After the dinner with your dad?”
Jude reminded her of a tenacious terrier. The voice of reason in her head urged her not to make any commitment to see him again until she’d had time to think.
Stall. That would be the smart thing to do. She’d tell him she had plans for later tonight. She’d—
“What do you have in mind?” The question slipped past her lips before she could stop it.
His slow smile did funny things to her insides. “Do you know how to play poker?”
“I’m proficient.” She quirked her lips in what her father called her Mona Lisa smile.
“Some guys and I get together once a month for Texas Hold ’Em,” she heard him say. “I’d like you to fill in. Ryan’s wife had a baby last week, so we’re a man short.”
“In case you haven’t noticed—” she gazed at him through lowered lashes “—I’m a girl.”
“Oh, darlin’—” Jude took off his hat and swiped his brow in an exaggerated move “—believe me, I’ve noticed.”
Gabi laughed, as pleased by the easy camaraderie as she was flattered by the sexual overtones.
“Do you play for money?” Even as she asked, she told herself this wasn’t a date they were discussing. It was simply cards. She’d been on a tight budget since coming to Horseback Hollow and could stand to pull in some extra cash.
“Fifty is the buy-in.” He brushed a strand of hair back from her face. “I can front you the—”
“Not necessary.”
Hope flashed in those brilliant blue eyes. “Does this mean you’ll come?”
With poker on the agenda? Gabi grinned. “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away.”
* * *
Gabi’s car had barely disappeared down the lane when Jude’s mother appeared on the porch and invited him inside. Over thick slices of banana bread and strong black coffee, Jude mentioned Gabi would be filling in for Ryan tonight.
Jeanne Marie cocked her head. “I don’t recall you ever inviting a woman to play before.”
Jude paid close attention to the bread he was slathering with butter. “With Ryan sitting out, we’re one short.”
His mother topped off his coffee then resumed her seat across the table. “One of your brothers could have taken his place.”
Breaking off a piece of bread, Jude shook his head. “I look at their ugly faces enough during the day.”
“You like this young woman.” A smile blossomed on Jeanne Marie’s lips. “Really like her.”
Denying it would be pointless. Hadn’t he already declared his feelings to his family at the barbecue? He only hoped his friend Gabi didn’t hear he loved her from one of his relatives before she was ready to accept they were meant to be together forever. “I knew Gabi was The One from the first moment I saw her.”
Unlike Liam, Jeanne Marie didn’t scoff. Instead her eyes turned dreamy. “It was that way between your father and me. Forty years of marriage later, we’re more in love than ever.”
“Gabi just wants to be friends.” Jude decided he might as well lay it all out. But simply speaking the words brought back the confusion.
His mother cut her slice of banana bread precisely in half then picked up the small square, her blue eyes fixed firmly on him. “How do you feel about that?”
“It’s okay.” Jude shifted his gaze away, knowing his mother would be able to read the truth in his eyes. “For now.”
There was no way he was telling his mother that Gabi thought he was sexy. That while all signs indicated she’d be amenable to a friends-with-benefits arrangement, she didn’t appear to want more. At least not from him.
The bottom line—she’d sleep with him, but not love him. That was a kick in the ass.
“She’s being smart.” Jeanne Marie punctuated the words with a decisive nod. “The best relationships are built on a firm foundation of friendship and mutual respect. Love won’t survive the ups and downs of life without a sturdy base.”
Jude took a bite of bread, chewed, considered.
“You thought you were in love before,” his mother gently pointed out. “Those relationships didn’t last.”
“This is different,” he insisted. “Gabi is different.”
“She very well may be.” The matter-of-fact manner was as much a part of Jeanne Marie as her wide-brimmed summer gardening hats. “If she is, if what you feel for her is the real thing, becoming friends will only strengthen the bond between you. That’s a good thing.”
Jude took a drink of his rapidly cooling coffee, considered what he’d do if Gabi refused to move past the friendship stage. There was no alternative. If that happened, he’d simply find a way to change her mind.
“Honey, if the two of you are meant to be together, it will happen,” his mother assured him, her voice softening. “In the meantime, inviting her to your home tonight was a smart move.”
Startled, Jude inclined his head.
Jeanne Marie’s smile widened. “Believe me. How a woman plays poker can tell you a lot about her.”
* * *
During the drive back from Lubbock, Gabi had come to a decision. While in Horseback Hollow she’d accept Jude’s friendship. “Benefits” might eventually be part of that friendship, but not until she knew Jude better and he knew her.
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 at 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.”
