Falling for the Millionaire(9)

An hour later, completely absorbed in her paperwork, Melody jumped when a knock sounded on the door. "Come in."

Ian poked his head around the door. "I need a witness while Hudson signs the papers."

"Sure." Melody moved with deliberate slowness as she prepared to meet  Hudson. When she walked into Ian's office, her calm preparation fled.  Hudson's handsome face and lazy smile made her pulse thunder just like  the night of their date.

"Hello, Melody."

She took a deep breath. "You got here quickly."

"Would I be in trouble if I told you I was in a hurry to see you?"

"You would probably be better off if you told me you were in a hurry to sign the contract bond."

His smile spread into a grin. "That, too."

Not daring to look at Ian, Melody headed toward her desk and wondered  what he thought of Hudson's comments. "Okay. I'm ready to witness."

Hudson looked so at ease, and she was tied in knots for no reason at  all-at least, any reason that made sense. Why was she letting him make  her so nervous?

In a matter of minutes he'd put his signature on the front page and  initialed the remaining ones. She signed, and Ian put his notary seal on  the document.

"We're official." Ian shook hands with Hudson. "Congratulations again."

Ian pulled his cell phone from his pocket and looked at the screen.  "It's almost time for lunch. Join me, and we can discuss the Valentine  banquet."

"Sounds good." Hudson glanced in her direction. "You'll be coming, too, won't you?"

Melody let the invitation roll through her mind. She would look bad if  she declined. She couldn't avoid interacting with Hudson in the days to  come, so she might as well get used to having him around. Thankfully  today Ian would act as a buffer. "Certainly. Let me get my purse and  jacket in my office."

As Melody met the two men in the hallway, she said another prayer for  peace of mind. When she looked up, Hudson was smiling at her as if he  knew this lunch meeting wasn't to her liking. Or was that her  imagination? The future was going to be filled with a lot of prayer if  today was any indication. "I'm ready."

Hudson fell into step beside her as she headed for the door. "Are you a runner?"

"No. Why do you ask?" She scooted through the door he held open.

"You're always in a hurry." He gave her a wry smile.

"I'm usually racing from one part of the campus to another. So I tend to walk fast."

"Yeah, I can hardly keep up with her." Ian chuckled. "Lovie's nicknamed her the Roadrunner."

"Do you like hiking?" Hudson asked.

"I've never hiked."

"You should try it."

"No time. We've got a women's shelter to build." Melody wondered whether  Hudson was trying to draw her into some group activity that she  couldn't bow out of gracefully. She kept hearing his words. I won't  press you anymore tonight, but you haven't heard the last of me, Ms.  Hammond. He was true to his word. Could she be true to hers? Hudson  pointed toward the fountain as they walked by it. "What's the deal with  the green water and balloons?"         

     



 

"We have a sponsor for the fountain today." Melody stopped and looked up at the purple balloons waving in the breeze.

"What does that mean?" Hudson asked.

"Last year when The Village was in financial distress, we decided to  offer people the opportunity to make a donation in order to decorate the  fountain for a special occasion." Melody started walking again.  "Today's sponsor is Brady Hewitt. You met him at the fund-raiser. He's  engaged to Adam's daughter, Kirsten."

Hudson nodded. "I remember them."

"It's his grandmother's birthday. She's a resident in the assisted living facility, and she loves green and lavender."

Opening the door to the senior center, Ian eyed Hudson. "You should get  to know Brady. You two have a few things in common. He was in the army  and is a big car buff."

"Yeah, good to know another army guy. I could arrange a guys' night out-maybe a Hawks game."

Ian nodded. "I could go for that."

Melody took in the men's conversation with interest. Ian treated Hudson  like any other guy he knew-not like someone who came from wealth and  privilege. She ought to take a lesson from her friend and remember that  God looked at the heart, not on the outward appearance or one's bank  account.

"So I could sponsor this fountain if I wanted to?" Hudson looked her  way, a twinkle in his eyes, as they made their way to the registration  desk.

"Sure. Make a donation and one of the maintenance staff will decorate  the fountain per your instructions." Melody refused to speculate about  Hudson's thoughts. "You have something in mind?"

"I might. I'll think about it."

After the threesome signed in, they made their way through the cafeteria  line, the two guys talking about cars and sports. When they reached the  table, Hudson set his tray down, then pulled out a chair for her and  helped her out of her jacket. Was he working to impress her? No. She  already knew the answer.

He was a gentleman. She'd seen the evidence during their date. He didn't  have to impress anyone. When he walked into a room, people took notice.  The cafeteria ladies couldn't wait to serve him. Even the senior ladies  smiled at him as he went by. Well, he could bask in the admiration of  those other women. He didn't need hers.

"When do you plan to start the work?" Ian put his plate on the table.

"Carter's working on the permits." Hudson turned to Melody. "Would you like me to give thanks?"

"Go ahead." Melody bowed her head.

As soon as he finished the prayer, he looked up at her. "I'd like to  have you show me that construction entrance before I leave if you have  time."

"I can do that after lunch." Melody wasn't sure she was dressed for the  trek to their emergency gate, but she would make the best of it. She  wished she could push the job off on Ian, but he had a client coming  after lunch.

"Great. If you have time, you could show me the rest of the campus, too."

"That's a good idea." Ian took a bite of his burger.

"One campus tour coming right up." Melody produced another smile that  she was sure didn't disguise her displeasure at Ian's suggestion. Was he  trying to push Hudson and her together? The answer was obvious. She  should be used to this scenario by now. For the past two years, everyone  on campus had been trying to match her up with every single guy they  encountered. She thought if she agreed to these dates that people would  quit finding them for her, but things had only gotten worse.

"Great." Hudson smiled. "I'm eager to get this project started. We're  using a lot of veterans on the crew. Too many of them get out of the  service and can't find good-paying jobs. So I want to help."

"How were you able to arrange this when you've been out of the country?" Ian asked.

"The construction division of Conrick Industries has always been where  my heart lies. I've kept in touch with Carter, especially when I became  aware of guys and gals coming home and not being able to find decent  wages. I wanted him to hire as many of them as he could. It's been a  bonus for both of us."

Melody digested Hudson's statement. He sounded more and more like a  regular guy instead of an heir to a multimillion-dollar fortune. Had she  been looking at him with a jaundiced eye? Yeah, but she'd seen how  folks with money could pretend to be your friend, then stab you in the  back. Her prior experiences made her wary, but she knew she shouldn't  paint Hudson with the same broad brush.

Throughout the rest of the meal, the men fell into a discussion about  Hudson's plans to take over Conrick Construction. Would she see him out  in a hard hat, or would he sit back in a cushy office and give orders?  Instinct told her he wouldn't be sitting behind a desk. When Hudson  glanced her way, she didn't have to guess why he'd insisted she come  along. He wanted her to know his plans.

She did. She would meet him coming and going for the foreseeable future.  And he wasn't about to let her forget that date he wanted.         

     



 





Chapter Four

Hudson joined Ian as he cleared his dishes from the table. "We got  sidetracked talking about other things and never did discuss what I can  do for the Valentine banquet."

Nodding, Ian chuckled. "We certainly did. Stop by my office after your  tour, and we'll talk about it. I should be through with my client by  then."

"Thanks. I will." They shook hands, then Hudson turned to Melody as Ian headed toward the door. "Ready?"

Melody gazed up at him, her face an emotionless mask. He liked it better  when he could read her expression. Her quietness during lunch signaled  her reluctance for this task. What could he do to put her at ease?

She waved her arm in a sweeping gesture. "Since you've seen the senior  center, women's shelter and the administration offices, where would you  like to start?"