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The words had barely left his lips when door chimes sounded. Laurel turned, but Sawyer gave her hand a squeeze. “Take care of Gabi. Introduce her around. I’ll get the door.”
“Don’t worry about me—” Gabi began.
“It’s my pleasure.” Laurel sounded sincere. “We want you to have a good time this evening. You and your father are special to us.”
Gabi let her gaze linger on the pretty, self-assured woman who’d been such a good friend to Papi. “I appreciate all you’ve done for him.”
“Orlando is a great guy,” Sawyer said, returning from the door.
“He’s part of our family now,” Laurel added.
“The Fortunes are a big family,” Sawyer said. “But there’s always room for one more good man.”
Gabi blinked back unexpected tears. This connection was what she hoped her father would find when he’d moved so far from family. She swallowed against the lump in her throat and glanced around the room. “Are there a lot of Fortunes here?”
“My aunt and uncle and their children—my cousins—are with us this evening,” Sawyer responded, before he turned to respond to a young boy’s tug on his sleeve.
A big family. Children. Gabi had once thought that would be part of her future. Until the doctor had sat her down and laid out the risks....
“Most of the guests are back here.” Laurel led her to the edge of a great room.
The line of windows flanking the back of the home gave an open, airy feel to a room that was even more spacious than the one they’d passed. A buffet table topped with a red-and-white-checkered cloth along one wall drew her eye.
Mason jars tied with red bandannas sporting yellow daisies were strategically placed between platters of barbecue pork, smoked ham and Texas beef brisket. From where she stood, Gabi could see bowls of baked beans, black-eyed peas and Brunswick stew.
On the hearth of a massive stone fireplace, galvanized washtubs filled with ice, bottles of beer and cans of soda beckoned.
At the moment Gabi couldn’t decide if she was more interested in eating, drinking or socializing. The food looked terrific, but the laughter and chatter filling the air called to her. As she swept the room with her gaze Gabi noted all ages were represented from a baby held in the arms of a pretty young woman with long, tousled blond hair to a man and woman who appeared to be in their sixties. She wondered if they were Sawyer’s aunt and uncle.
Despite considering herself a fairly social creature, Gabi liked having Laurel at her side. The sight of so many loud and boisterous individuals in one room was a bit overwhelming.
A burst of laughter sounded by a bar set up in an alcove had Gabi turning toward the sound. Her breath caught in her throat.
It was him. Her handsome cowboy from the Superette.
He might be standing with his back partially to her, but she’d recognize the disheveled dark blond hair and muscular build anywhere. Even dressed simply in jeans and a long-sleeved Henley, he looked every bit as yummy as he had that morning.
As her gaze lingered, the air began to sizzle. As if slapped alongside the head by a ball of charged molecules, the cowboy broke off what he was saying and shifted his stance.
When his eyes met hers, everything in Gabi went weak. She barely heard what Laurel said. Something about introducing her around?
With great effort she pulled her attention away from those mesmerizing eyes. “I’d like that.”
Would Laurel introduce her to him? If not, from the gleam of interest she’d seen in his eyes, she knew her mystery man would make sure their paths crossed this evening.
Their first stop was in front of an attractive older woman with pale blue eyes and long silver hair fastened in a low bun. Her turquoise jewelry accentuated the Southwestern flavor of the simple flowing dress she wore. Despite the fact she wore flats and Gabi’s boots had three-inch heels, the woman was still several inches taller than her five-two.
The look in her eyes was kind, her smile warm, and Gabi liked her instantly.
“This is Sawyer’s aunt, Jeanne Marie Fortune Jones,” Laurel was saying, “and her husband, Deke.”
Gabi widened her smile to include the rugged man with a thatch of thick gray hair.
As Laurel introduced her to the older couple, mentioning her connection to Orlando, the woman took her hand and pulled Gabi close.
“I’m so sorry about your father.” Jeanne Marie’s low soothing voice was a thick balm on Gabi’s tattered spirit.
The solace she’d found in the woman’s arms made Gabi realize just how much she missed her mother. Like Jeanne Marie, Luz Mendoza had been a demonstrative, affectionate woman who dispensed hugs freely and often.
“It’s not right.”
Gabi turned to Deke, surprised at the anger in his voice.
His eyes flashed. “Sabotage doesn’t happen in this community.”
“They don’t know if it was sabotage. My father says the NTSB is still investigating.” Gabi repeated what Orlando had told her. “It may have just been an unfortunate accident.”
“More likely someone who doesn’t like the Fortunes,” Deke said loudly.
“Now you just hush.” Jeanne Marie put a hand on her husband’s arm. Her tone might be light but her eyes were steady and firm.
“Laurel mentioned your children are here tonight.” Gabi spoke, eager to change the subject and ease the sudden tension in the air. “How many do you have?”
“Seven.” A pretty young woman with a spray of freckles across her nose and tousled blond hair, who Gabi had noticed earlier, strolled up and answered for Jeanne Marie, then extended her hand.
“I’m number six, aka Stacey Fortune Jones.” She gestured to the young woman next to her, so similar in appearance Gabi knew they must be sisters. “This is Delaney, the baby of the family.”
Gabi introduced herself as Laurel stepped away to consult with the caterers and Jeanne Marie and Deke were pulled away by another couple.
“Stacey.” Gabi tilted her head. “Are you by any chance the Stacey who administered first aid to my father after his accident?”
The woman nodded. “I stayed with him, did what I could until the rescue squad arrived.”
Her father had called the nurse an angel sent from above. Gabi grasped Stacey’s hands and emotion surged, clogging her throat. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you. We lost my mother a couple years ago. I—I don’t know what I’d have done if I’d lost him, too.”
Gabi’s voice broke. She paused, took a steadying breath.
Stacey’s eyes, as blue as her mother’s, filled with understanding. “I was happy to help.”
“Since my mother died it’s just been me and my dad. My brothers aren’t around much.”
“Brothers?” Light danced in Delaney’s pretty eyes. She stepped forward like a hound catching a scent. “How many do you have?”
“Four.” Gabi counted them off on her fingers. “Matteo, Cisco, Alejandro and Joaquin.”
“Older? Younger?” Delaney pressed.
“All older.”
“We’ve got you beat.” Delaney glanced at her sister. “We have five older brothers. Then our parents’ luck changed.”
“I broke the curse,” Stacey said modestly.
“I arrived a year after Stace.” Delaney flashed a smile. “They saved the best for last.”
Gabi chuckled. “I always wanted a sister. Brothers can be nice but—”
“They can be a real pain,” Stacey and Delaney said at the same time then laughed.
“Mine used to do all sorts of horrible things.” Gabi shuddered, remembering. “Matteo once dropped a frog down my shirt. And Joaquin put a snake in my bed.”
“If you think that’s bad—” Delaney went on to share some of the trials she’d endured at her brothers’ hands with Stacey chiming in with another long-ago incident her sister had forgotten.
“The strange thing is, now that they’re grown and gone, I miss them,” Gabi said, feeling a bit melancholy.
“We don’t have a chance to miss ours.” Delaney expelled a long sigh. “They’re all still around.”
Across the room a baby’s voice shrieked with the gurgling laughter of the very young.
Gabi pulled her brows together and fixed her gaze on Stacey. “Didn’t I see you holding a baby earlier?”
Stacey smiled. “That’s my little girl, Piper. Colton has her now.”
“Her fiancé.” Delaney emphasized the word, gesturing to where a slim man with brown eyes and brown hair stood, holding the baby and talking to Gabi’s mystery man. “Isn’t he handsome?”
Gabi pulled her gaze from the cowboy she’d begun to think of as hers to Stacey’s fiancé. “He is a cutie.”
“I think so.” The older sister’s red lips curved. “But then, I’m partial.”
“Colton isn’t just good-looking, he’s super nice.” Delaney shot her sister a warm smile of approval.
“Who’s he speaking with?” Gabi asked in what she hoped was a casual tone.
“That’s Jude.” Delaney rolled her eyes. “One of our crosses to bear.”
Gabi inclined her head.
“A brother,” Stacey clarified. “Number three of our seven. I’ll introduce you.”
Before Gabi could respond, Stacey called out, “Colton. Jude. Over here.”
The two men turned together. Gabi swore she saw a light flare in Jude’s eyes. Jude. She rolled the name around on her tongue, liking the feel of it.
He crossed the room with a rolling, confident gait and a lazy smile on his lips.
“Hey, pretty lady,” Jude said immediately upon reaching her side. “Can a cowboy buy you a drink?”
Delaney and Stacey looked at each other and burst into laughter.
“With lines like that, no wonder you’re not dating anyone,” Stacey teased.
Delaney made a gagging noise, worthy of any younger sister.
Jude ignored them both, keeping his eyes firmly focused on Gabi.
“I wouldn’t mind a ginger ale,” she told him.
“Be right back,” he said with a wink.
“He’s got you in his crosshairs.” Delaney spoke in a theatrical whisper.
“Run,” Stacey urged, her eyes dancing, “while you still have a chance.”
Colton shook his head. “Women.”
“Hey!” Stacey gave her fiancé a playful punch. “You’ve got two women in your life now, remember. Me and Piper?”
He brushed his lips across her cheek. “And I’m extremely glad of it.”
Jude returned with a beer in one hand for himself and a ginger ale in the other for Gabi.
“Thank you.” Gabi took the glass, her hand brushing his. Electricity traveled up her arm at the contact. But if he’d experienced a similar jolt, it didn’t show.
Once again, Gabi suffered through introductions and expressions of sympathy for her father.
“I wouldn’t have left him in the rehab center alone,” Gabi explained, “but he’s watching the ball game with another patient.”
“I bet it makes him feel good to know you’re out enjoying yourself.” Colton looped an arm around his fiancée’s shoulder when she moved to his side.
“I hope so,” Gabi said, then made a fuss over Piper, rather than focusing on Jude, which is what she wanted to do. Though she was definitely in the mood for a little fun flirting, there was no need to be obvious.
She’d barely lifted Piper from Colton’s arms when several more handsome cowboys stopped over. None of them made her pulse skip a beat like number three of seven but Galen, Liam, Toby and Christopher Fortune Jones were all fine specimens.
When Piper began to fuss, Gabi handed the baby to Stacey. Without missing a beat, Jude took Gabi’s arm and announced he was giving her a grand tour of the buffet.
Before she knew what was happening, she was halfway across the room with the charming cowboy.
“A grand tour of the buffet?” Gabi slanted a playful glance in his direction. “Seriously?”
“Improv isn’t my strength.” Jude looked faintly embarrassed. “But sometimes there’s only so much family a man can take. I’d like us to get better acquainted. We can’t do that with everyone listening to our every word.”
“Or your sister making gagging noises?”
He laughed. “That can be a deterrent.”
“It’s strange.”
“What is?”
“Running into you this morning.” She kept her tone light. “Now here.”
“Fate,” he said.
“Perhaps.” She traced a finger around the rim of her glass and watched his eyes darken.
Without a word, he took her elbow, maneuvered her around several older couples sharing appetizers and conversation.
By the time he spoke again, the darkness in his eyes had lifted. “How is your father?”
“Much better,” she told him. “Thank you for asking.”
“It was a sacrifice for you to come all the way to Texas to be with him.”
It was a statement, not a question.
“Nothing could have kept me away.”
“As it should be” was all he said.
The conversation shifted to her life in Miami. Gabi kept it brief when telling him about her job at the bank. Though she enjoyed her work, she’d learned real estate lending wasn’t all that interesting to those outside of the industry. She sipped her ginger ale. “What is it you do, Jude?”
“I have a ranch not far from here.” Jude took a pull from his beer. “I do whatever needs to be done.”
Though he shrugged, the pride in his voice told her he was one of the lucky ones who’d found his passion.
She’d opened her mouth to ask about his duties when one of his brothers—Christopher?—walked by and deliberately pushed Jude against her.
Jude’s arm shot out, slipping around her, steadying them both.
For a second Gabi thought she heard Christopher laugh, but then the outside world disappeared as she gazed into Jude’s eyes.
“Sorry ’bout that,” he said, his gaze never leaving hers.
She swallowed and found her voice. “I’m not.”
He grinned. “Hell, I’m not, either.”
Yet she noticed he took a step back.
Gabi tried to collect her rioting thoughts. Say something, she told herself, get the conversation back on safe ground. She found herself blurting out the first thing that came to mind. “You grew up in Horseback Hollow?”
“I did.” A twinkle filled his eyes, as if he could read her mind and found her unsteadiness amusing.
“Do you plan to stay?” Her tone held a hint of coolness. Gabriella Mendoza drooled over no man, at least not so he could notice.
“I like it here.” He took a barely perceptible step forward. “Lubbock is close and with the recent growth in Vicker’s Corners, there’s enough to do.”
“I guess I’ll have to take your word. I haven’t had the chance to do much exploring.”
“I’d be happy to show you around.”
She gave a little laugh, took another sip of her drink. “I wasn’t hinting for a tour guide.”
“I know.” His eyes met hers and then slid downward to linger on her mouth. “But since I’m already taking you on a tour of the buffet, why stop there? Let’s take it a step further.”
Gabi arched a brow, touched the tip of her tongue to her lips and watched his eyes change. “A step further?”
“Have dinner with me tomorrow night.” Although his eyes burned, his smile was easy. “I’ll introduce you to Horseback Hollow’s culinary delights.”
“I appreciate the offer.” Gabi hesitated, sorely tempted. While it would be fun to spend time with Jude, the reason she was in Texas was to be with her father.
For a second the cowboy looked nonplussed. She guessed he wasn’t used to being turned down. Not that she’d said no. She just hadn’t said yes.
“You have to eat.” His tone turned persuasive. “Surely you can spare an hour to become better acquainted with our town?”
With me.
Though he didn’t say the words, Gabi knew what he was asking. She had to admit the short time she’d spent with Jude had only whet her appetite for more.
It wasn’t as if she had to spend every waking second at her father’s bedside, Gabi reminded herself. Taking a bit of time to get better acquainted with the town where her father lived might be a good idea.
But when she smiled and gave Jude Fortune Jones her answer, it wasn’t getting acquainted with the town on her mind, it was getting better acquainted with her Texas cowboy.
Chapter Three
“I’m going to marry her,” Jude told Liam, pointing across the room with his bottle of Dos Equis. “She’s The One.”
His older brother glanced out over the crowd, settling on...Delaney. “Uh, you’re marrying our sister?”
“Not her.” Jude spoke through gritted teeth. “The one next to her.”
“The pretty Latina.” Interest filled Liam’s eyes. “She’s a looker, all right. I wouldn’t mind getting her between the sheets—”
Jude punched his brother in the shoulder. Hard. “Watch it. That’s my future wife you’re talking about.”
Liam snorted. “Heard that one before.”
“Heard what?” Sawyer sauntered up and handed Liam a beer.
“Jude says he’s found The One.” Liam laughed. “More like The One This Week.”
Sawyer looked perplexed, but Jude saw no need to enlighten the cousin he’d only recently met. By the gleam in Liam’s eyes, his brother didn’t feel the same constraints.
“My brother here—” Liam gestured with his head toward Jude “—falls in love with every pretty filly that crosses his path. And just as quickly out of love. A guy could get whiplash watching him.”
Obviously intrigued, Sawyer cocked his head. “Who is it this time?”
“Gabriella Mendoza.” Jude let the name roll off his tongue. The name was as pretty as the woman. “I’m going to marry her.”
“Ah, didn’t the two of you just meet tonight?” Sawyer asked cautiously.
“Actually we ran into each other at the Superette this morning.” Jude smiled, recalling how pretty she’d looked with the sun glinting off her walnut-colored hair. “Love at first sight.”
“It’s a little faster than normal,” Liam informed Sawyer as if Jude wasn’t standing right there. “I’m figuring it’s the hearts and flowers in the air, what with Stacey getting engaged and Valentine’s Day drawing near.”
“Scoff all you want,” Jude told his brother. “She’s The One.”
“She’s a nice woman,” Sawyer said cautiously. “And very attractive.”
“I’m taking her to dinner tomorrow.”
Surprise flicked across Sawyer’s face. “You move fast.”
“I figure why waste time?” Jude took a long pull of beer. “When you know what you want and you find it...you go after it.”
* * *
Gabi spent most of the next morning at the rehabilitation hospital, observing her father’s therapy sessions. With an arm broken on one side and a leg broken on the other, it was difficult for Orlando Mendoza to even get up from the chair much less manage what the nurses called his ADLs—activities of daily living.
But her dad was tough. A man didn’t survive all those years as an air force pilot and raise five kids without survival instincts. Gabi had lunch with him in the dining room down the hall from his room. Apparently the nurses believed in keeping the patients out of their rooms as much as possible.
“This is tasty.” Gabi glanced down at the grilled chicken breast, brown rice and asparagus spears.
“It’s exactly what you should be eating.” Orlando spoke in the fatherly tone he took on when he was poised to lecture. “I hope you didn’t have alcohol last night.”
Gabi thought of the blended margaritas, the fine wine, even the bottles of Dos Equis. She shook her head. “You know I don’t drink.”
“You had a cup of coffee with you when you came yesterday.”
“It was decaffeinated.” Gabi held on to her growing frustration with both hands, reminding herself that her dad had a lot of time to worry. Even when he’d been busy, worrying about her and her health had been his favorite pastime.
“Oh,” he said. “Good.”
“I know how to take care of myself, Papi.” She kept her tone gentle as she brought her hand to her chest. “This heart was a precious gift. I don’t take it for granted.”
“You were so sick.” Her father’s dark eyes took on a distant look. “Your mamma and I thought we were going to lose you. Barely more than a baby and we thought we would lose you.”
Those dark days had occurred when Gabi was nineteen, hardly a baby by anyone’s standards, unless by overprotective parents.
“You always pushed yourself too hard.” He shook his head. “I told you many times to slow down but you wouldn’t listen.”
“It was a virus. From the stomach flu,” Gabi reminded him. “It didn’t have a thing to do with my college schedule or my extracurricular activities.”
The virus had attacked her heart. She thought she was on the road to recovery after a particularly bad few days of a GI bug that was making its way across campus until she became short of breath. The next day she landed in the ICU.
She almost died. That’s what her parents told her. The doctors said her heart was so badly damaged a transplant was her only hope. Because of her grave physical condition she’d moved to the top of the transplant list.
Miraculously a heart had come her way. Now a heart that had once beat in another young person’s chest pumped in hers. She meant it when she told her father she didn’t take it for granted. Not for one second. When her cardiologist had told her no drinking, smoking or caffeine, she’d listened.
She knew other transplant patients who rebelled against the restrictions, but Gabi felt best when she ate right, exercised and followed doctor’s orders. Still, her parents worried. Now that it was just her father, he worried double.
“I love you, mija.”
The emotion so evident in his voice, in his eyes, melted away the annoyance. “Ditto. Now, if you’re not going to eat that green Jell-O, hand it over.”
Her father laughed and pushed the gelatin in front of her. “Hopefully they’ll have red this evening. That’s my favorite. And yours, if I remember correctly.”
Gabi paused, a forkful of chicken hovering just outside her mouth. “About tonight. I plan to stay most of the day, but I won’t be eating dinner with you.”
Her father lowered his glass of milk.
“I’m going to check out The Horseback Hollow Grill this evening,” she told him.
“I’ve eaten at The Grill,” Orlando said slowly.
“What’s it like?” Gabi kept her tone light and offhand.
“Like King’s,” he said, referring to a hamburger and hot dog place not far from his home in Miami. “Their specialty is grilled cheese sandwiches. I like them with jalapenos.”
“Guess what I’m wearing will be good enough.” Gabi glanced down at her jeans and sweater. As her father continued to stare, she forced a chuckle. “I’m excited about the prospect of becoming better acquainted with Horseback Hollow. That way, when I go back to Miami and you talk about different places, I can visualize them.”
The tight set to her father’s shoulders eased. “That makes sense. But eating alone can’t be fun for you.”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t eaten alone since moving here?”
“I have,” he grudgingly admitted. “Perhaps Laurel could—”
“Laurel is busy with her new husband and the flight school.” Gabi spoke quickly before her father could pull out his phone and call his boss. She lowered her fork to the plate. “Besides, I’m not going alone. Jude Fortune Jones, Sawyer’s cousin, generously offered to show me around town.”
For several long seconds, accompanied by the thumping of her heart, Orlando said nothing. He chewed, swallowed then took another sip of milk. “I’ve met Jude.”
Gabi lifted a brow. “And?”
“He appears to be very popular with the ladies.”
The sharp stab of jealousy that struck Gabi took her by surprise. But she merely smiled. “Good. Then he should be an excellent dinner companion.”
“I don’t want you getting involved with him.”
Her father’s vehemence surprised Gabi. “Why? Is there something you haven’t told me?”
“You have a job in Miami. A good one.”
“That’s true,” Gabi agreed. “And once you’re better, I’ll be returning to that good job. In the meantime, I’d like to do a little exploring. With someone local.”
Gabi finished her lunch and stayed for several more hours, watching her father work with the physical therapist on transferring from the bed to the chair. She listened as the occupational therapist showed him ways to use his left hand to do everything from getting toothpaste on his toothbrush to slipping on a shirt.