Falling for the Millionaire(7)

Hudson set down his fork. "The residents here seem to be having a good time."

Melody nodded. "We do our best to make this a wonderful place to live. Ian does a great job with the facility."

"That's right," Adam said to Hudson. "In fact, he's got one of the most  anticipated events of the year for the senior center coming up. The  Valentine banquet. We can always use some volunteers for that. Would you  be interested?"

Hudson let the request roll through his mind as he watched the  consternation spread across Melody's face. She wasn't happy about Adam's  suggestion. Was this a chance to prove to her that he was willing to  help others? "What kind of volunteers do you need?"

"Adam, Ian probably has enough helpers." Melody wrinkled her brow. "He  usually invites the youth group from his dad's church to act as servers,  and we always have plenty of people from right here. You don't need to  be bothering Hudson."

Adam nodded. "That's true, but it never hurts to let other folks see what we're doing. What do you say, Hudson?"

"It sounds like a great opportunity. I'll talk to Ian and see where he  can use my services." He'd love to help out where he could, and if this  was another way to spend more time with Melody Hammond, then things were  looking up.





Chapter Three         

     



 

The two-story cream-colored stucco house with the stone accents spread  out across the piney woods landscape like a small hotel. Hudson surveyed  the structure as he parked his car in the circular drive. Melody would  probably consider the residence a place of excess. He'd seen her  reaction when he'd shown up in a limo. But that had been his best  option. He'd thought to spare her from trying to get in and out of his  sports car in a dress or having to clamber over the junk in his SUV. And  after he'd seen her gown, he knew he'd made the right decision.

Melody probably thought he lived a life of luxury and didn't understand  the plight of the people she helped every day. What would it take to  convince her that having money was a good thing? Making money was  something he was good at, and he intended to keep doing it. Did that  make him a bad guy? He wanted to show her how his wealth could help her  beyond her fund-raising.

But first he had to convince his dad that doing the construction for The Village was a valuable thing.

Loping toward the front porch, Hudson formulated the speech he hoped  would convince his father. Hudson strode through the house until he  reached the office at the far end of the first floor. Armed with  Carter's facts and figures, Hudson knocked on the dark oak-paneled door.

"Come in." H. P. Conrick's deep voiced boomed from the other side.

Hudson pushed open the door. "Hey, Dad."

"Hello, son. What can I do for you today?"

"I've got a project to run by you."

H.P. motioned toward the chair next to his cherry-inlaid mahogany desk. "Have a seat."

As he made himself comfortable, Hudson studied his father and tried to  gauge his mood. With his silver-gray hair and trim physique, H.P. was a  commanding figure, even a little intimidating. Hudson took a deep breath  and then started to explain the details of his bid on the women's  shelter project at The Village. His father appeared to be listening  intently but with a skeptical attitude.

"Why is this so important to you? Does it have anything to do with a pretty blonde?"

Hudson knit his eyebrows together. "Why would you say that?"

H.P.'s laughter echoed through the room. "The Clarks mentioned seeing  you with a lovely young lady in a red dress. They were quite impressed  with her."

Had this information reached his mother's ears? She would be all over  it-her matchmaking antennae at full strength. Hudson couldn't deny an  interest in Melody, but when it came to women, caution was his operative  word. He wasn't about to fall into the trap of women who used him for  his wealth again, no matter how appealing Melody Hammond might be. He  wanted to get to know her in his own time and see what kind of person  lay behind her pretty face.

"Melody's in charge of the women's ministries at The Village, and this  is a cause Conrick Industries can get behind-good PR for the company and  a worthy cause, too." Hudson squared his shoulders. "I want to be in  charge of this endeavor."

H.P. wrinkled his brow. "Ridiculous. You've not worked on the  construction side of the business for years. Why would you think you're  qualified to be in charge?"

Doubts crowded Hudson's mind, but he shoved them aside. "It's true I  haven't been involved in that part of the business since before I was in  the army, but it's still my first love when it comes to Conrick  Industries."

"I've nearly decided to divest the construction portion of the business.  It's too volatile and hasn't produced substantial income in recent  years." H.P. stood and pounded his desk, his voice raised. "And now  you're asking me to practically give away our services. I won't do that  no matter how good the publicity."

Hudson hoped his dad wouldn't blow up. "Do you have a prospective buyer?"

"No, but I'll close it down if I can't find one. Better than pouring money into a losing proposition."

"What about the people who work there? They'll lose their jobs."

H.P. knit his shaggy eyebrows. "Hard business decisions must be made."

"Let me take it off your hands."

H.P. sat on the front of his desk and narrowed his gaze. "You want to take over a business that's struggling to survive?"

The consequences of failure swirled through Hudson's thoughts. What  would he prove to his dad if he didn't succeed? Hudson wanted to strike  out on his own, and the perfect opportunity had just materialized. "I  do. I'll take it as my part of the inheritance. You can draw up the  papers, and I won't expect another thing from your will."

His dad pushed himself away from the desk and began pacing back and  forth across the black, gold and cream colored design in the Oriental  rug. Finally, he stopped, disapproval radiating from his eyes. "It can't  happen. That's not what I have planned for you."

Hudson took a deep breath. "Dad, I've told you before. I don't want to take over the family business-"

"You don't have a choice." H.P. glared at Hudson.         

     



 

"Elizabeth wants the job. She's worked at the company and is well  qualified. She has an MBA to go along with her talent. Her kids are  grown, and she could devote her time to the business. She'd be the  perfect one to step into your shoes when you decide to retire."

"No. Do you understand me? You're going to do as I say and take over the company. Your sister's not as well versed as you."

"Only because you resisted letting her learn the ropes." Hudson stood  and went to the window that looked out on the piney woods running up to  the expanse of barely green lawn. What would it take to change his  father's mind? He turned, trying to keep his cool in the wake of his  father's displeasure. "You have a few years to teach her everything you  know. She's smart, and she's good at what she does. It's been her dream  to step into your shoes since she was two."

With a glower on his face, H.P. joined Hudson at the window. "What do you mean since she was two?"

Hudson strode over to the built-in bookcases that covered a whole wall  and picked up a photo frame that contained a collage. He pointed to the  photo in one corner. "See."

A begrudging smile crept across his dad's face as he studied the photo  of his eldest daughter wearing his shoes when she was a toddler. Shaking  his head, he narrowed his gaze as he looked at Hudson. "I don't care  what you say. A Conrick son takes over for the father. That's the way  it's always been done, and that's the way it'll stay."

"If something will work better doing it a different way, don't you change instead of sticking with the old way?"

H.P. gave Hudson a begrudging nod. "I suppose."

"Dad, bring the company into the twenty-first century. Let Elizabeth take over."

"You're wasting your breath if you think you can change my mind." H.P. boomed his annoyance.

"For now, will you at least let me run the construction division?" Hudson held his breath, waiting for his dad's reaction.

"If you do, I'll expect you to make money. I won't tolerate losses."

"And there won't be any." Hudson wished he could be sure of that  statement. Was he stepping out on a limb that wouldn't hold him?

"Are you still involved in that skydiving stuff-a frivolous pursuit?"

"What's a frivolous pursuit?" Hudson's mother walked into the room.

"Susan, talk some sense into your son." H.P. greeted his wife with a kiss on the cheek.

"My son? I thought he was your son, too." Susan gave Hudson a hug.

"Well, right now I'm wondering about that." H.P. looped an arm around his wife's shoulders. "He's bucking the family tradition."