Her Texan Tycoon by Jan Hudson

Author:Jan Hudson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2002-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

The weather turned from bad to terrible. Rain, whipped by chill winds, poured down on them as they inched their way to the Mileses’ house. The temperature hovered just above freezing. Smith had bought a golf umbrella in the hotel gift shop, and when they reached their destination, they huddled together under it and made a dash for the front door.

Shirley, a dark-haired gamin with an infectious smile, met them with towels. She hugged Jessica, then turned to Smith.

Her smile died. “Dear God.” Clearly stunned, Shirley tried to cover her reaction. “Come in. Come in. Let me take your umbrella. Isn’t this rain awful? Mack’s not home yet. He should be here any minute now.”

Jessica had explained the relationship between Smith and Tom in her phone calls to Shirley, but she well understood the initial shock of seeing a man thought to be long dead. “Shirley, this is Smith Rutledge.” She smiled. “It’s amazing how much he and Tom look alike, isn’t it?”

“Amazing doesn’t cover it.”

Gracious, Smith chuckled. “At least you didn’t faint into your mashed potatoes. Shirley, I’m happy to finally meet you. Jessica talks about you and Mack all the time. And the kids.”

“Where are the rug rats?” Jessica asked. “We brought presents.”

“Upstairs, doing their homework,” Shirley said. “They’ll be down in a minute. May I get you something to drink?”

“I’d love a cup of coffee,” Smith said.

“Me, too,” Jessica added.

They both followed Shirley into the kitchen and sat on island bar stools, drinking coffee and chatting about business while Shirley slipped a casserole into the oven and prepared vegetables for salad.

Mack, a bear of a man with thinning sandy hair, soon joined them. After his initial shock seeing Smith, they all settled into a comfortable conversation.

A few minutes later, Jessica suggested that she and Smith go look through the boxes stored in the shed out back. They took the umbrella and slogged through puddles to the storage shed.

The light was dim, and the space was crammed with not only Jessica’s boxes but also with lawn mowers and water hoses and scores of assorted outdoor toys and cushions and gardening tools. It was soon evident that going through boxes in the cold, cramped conditions was impractical.

“Mark the ones you want to check,” Smith said, “and I’ll put them in the car before we leave. Or better yet, we can get them in the morning. The rain is supposed to clear tonight. We can take the boxes home with us and take our time sorting through them.”

“Sounds good to me. My fingers are freezing and my nose is past numb. Is it still there?”

He laughed and rubbed her nose with the flat of his hand. “Let’s go get you dry and warmed up.”

Back inside, they shucked their wet shoes and toweled off again. Jessica borrowed a pair of Shirley’s socks while Smith wore some of Mack’s. Ricky and Megan, who were nine and seven, were thrilled over the computer games that Smith had brought them. The kids joined the grown-ups for dinner, eating quickly and begging to be excused to play the new games.

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