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.