A Sweetheart for Jude Fortune

The shawl collar of her cherry-red sweater showed very little skin, which meant there was no possibility of her scar showing. She felt like a coward for caring what people thought, but since the horrible pool party incident several months back, she now kept it fully covered.

Gabi drove slowly down the gravel lane flanked by white fence and miles of pastureland. The fact that she hadn’t yet spotted a single cow didn’t surprise her. Sawyer had mentioned their ranch was basically a lot of land with a few horses. Laurel had laughingly added that bovines weren’t their thing.

She wheeled the Buick between two dusty pickups and sat in the car for several seconds. Through one of the brightly lit windows, she caught a glimpse of Laurel, chatting with a guest, a glass of wine in her hand.

She liked Laurel. Liked her a lot. And Sawyer, as well.

Seeing how much her father mattered to them warmed her heart. Even knowing they shared Papi’s passion for flying was a comfort.

After stepping from the large blue car, Gabi cinched the belt of the coat she’d picked up on her shopping trip today tightly around her. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do with the pretty tweed once she returned home, but for tonight, with the wind holding a sharp bite, she was glad she had it.

Experiencing a sudden longing for palm trees and eighty-degree weather, Gabi sprinted to the porch and up the steps. She hunched her shoulders against the wind and punched the doorbell. She immediately shoved her hands into her pockets, regretting she hadn’t thought to pick up a pair of gloves on her impromptu shopping trip.

Thankfully, the door opened before the chimes made it through a single stanza. Laurel stood in the doorway with her husband at her side, broad welcoming smiles on their lips. Gabi breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Sawyer wore jeans and a chambray shirt. Laurel’s skirt and sweater mirrored Gabi’s own attire.

“Come in,” Sawyer urged, ushering her into the warmth. “It’s freezing out there.”

“I’m glad you made it.” Her hostess took both of Gabi’s hands and gave them a squeeze.

“Considering the weather, I wasn’t sure you’d go through with the barbecue.” Gabi resisted the urge to shiver. “I swear the temperature dropped twenty degrees in the past hour.”

“We were forced to make a few adjustments.” Laurel waited while Gabi handed her coat to a young woman dressed in black pants, white shirt and fire-engine-red cowboy boots. Then she looped her arm through Gabi’s and ushered her farther into the house. “The barbecue is now indoors, centered around a crackling fire.”

Happy to hear she wouldn’t have to brave the wind and cold, Gabi took a moment to survey the interior of the large—and comfortably warm—house as they walked.

“You have a beautiful home.” Gabi admired the open-beamed ceilings and dark shiny wood floors. Found the gilt Regency mirror above a Chippendale sideboard backed by timbered walls to be an appealing contrast.

“Thank you.” Sawyer slipped an arm around his wife’s waist. “We haven’t lived here all that long, but it feels like home.”

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.