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  Ford recognized he had no traction with her. So he pulled himself together, grabbed his hat and coat, and started to leave. With little hope left, he went for a last ditch effort. He walked over to the bar where she had resumed cleaning, set a business card on the bar, and wrote his cell number on the back. “If you change your mind and maybe want to talk or even give us another try while I’m here through New Year’s, call me. Anytime.”

  He moved his truck to the far corner of the lot into the deep shadows where he could watch her get safely into her car. She may not be willing to let him into her life again, but it didn’t mean he stopped caring.

  Chapter Four

  With her heart in her throat, Mel watched Ford leave. Damn him. Damn him for walking into her bar. Damn him for reminding her what she had missed for ten years. And damn him for making it so hard for her to stick to her plan. She hadn’t expected him to say those things. To want to try again.

  She threw down the bar rag, crossed her arms on the bar, and dropped her head in defeat. A single tear trickled down her cheek. Any other time of year and she would have been strong enough to walk away and never look back. But he had to come back at Christmas. Had to apologize with such sincerity that she wanted to forgive him and fly into his arms. But she couldn’t do it. Couldn’t trust him with her heart again.

  Tears rolled down her cheeks and a sob tore from her throat. She ached for the chance to find love again, to maybe fill that gaping void in her life. Instead she let the tears fall until her throat ached and her head pounded. Then she straightened up, finished closing the bar, and went home.

  In her apartment with the little Christmas tree on the table, she tried to watch TV, but couldn’t get through It’s A Wonderful Life. Instead she picked up her laptop and looked at her email. She hadn’t checked it in days since she mostly got newsletters and spam mail. The first email that caught her eye made her swallow around a lump in her throat. After everything that had happened that day, of course the dating service Carla had convinced her to sign up for sent her an email.

  Needing a little fortification, she got up, grabbed a beer, and headed back to her couch. She clicked on the email and waited for the message to pop up. She skimmed through it.

  Dear Ms. Adams,

  I am delighted to tell you that your date has been arranged for two days from now. You will arrive at The White Rose promptly at seven in the evening where a man in a black Stetson will await you. We would appreciate it if you would wear a red dress so that he may know you are the woman he is looking for. Please allow twenty-four hours’ notice if you feel you cannot meet this gentleman. Enjoy, and remember to make the most of this chance.

  Selena Markam

  President and CEO

  Soul Mates Dating

  Mel sipped her beer. Ill-prepared to deal with everything floating in her head, she shut the computer down. Thoughts of Ford were all tangled up in her negative feelings about her mother, and then there was her pain from his own actions. It sucked that together they had managed to ruin Christmas for her. It had always been her favorite holiday. Now it was simply a reminder that the man she loved didn’t love her, and the mother who should have loved her died at the bottom of a bottle long before her body ever left the earth.

  Mel turned off the lights and headed to bed. She was doing nobody any good sitting around with her depressing thoughts.

  ❄ ❄ ❄

  Mel stared at the card he’d left on the bar all the next day. For some reason she’d picked it up on her way out the door —she couldn’t explain why, and frankly didn’t want to think about it. The small white card with simple black lettering sat on her counter, taunting her.

  Then she thought about her Christmas Eve date. She pulled up the email from Ms. Markam and reread it. No name was listed. How did she think Mel would know which cowboy in the black Stetson was the right one?

  She looked at the card again. Should she call him? Was she crazy? People changed. She’d changed. She’d grown stronger, more self-sufficient. She hadn’t had a damn choice.

  The phone was in her hand before she could think about it too much. She punched in the number and let it ring. She had given up and moved to end the call, when someone picked up.

  “He-whoa?” A little boy greeted her.

  Her head spun and the reality that everything had changed overwhelmed her. He had a son? Her stomach heaved. She couldn’t do this. Single parents were not to be trifled with. Their children should be the most important thing in their lives, and she couldn’t make that kind of commitment. Not right off the bat.

  “He-whoa?” The sweet voice penetrated her panic.

  “I’m sorry. I have the wrong number.” She disconnected the call and looked at her email again. Did she have a red dress? Hell, did she have any dress? It seemed she’d better figure it out. There was only one day left to go shopping.

  ❄ ❄ ❄

  Ford tried to grab the phone from Justin, but whoever called had already hung up. “Who was it, Just?”

  “The lady said she had the wrong number.” His nephew crushed his heart and dreams in a matter of eight words and then dashed off to go find his brothers.

  Shit. His gut told him the woman had been Mel, and his nephew’s voice had spooked her. He looked at the cell phone to see if her number was there. Maybe he could call her back? The last call showed an unknown number. He sighed. Guess he needed to let it go. Let her go. Not that he’d ever had any real success with doing that.

  Selena had emailed him unexpectedly with a date for Christmas Eve. Apparently, she’d finally found a match for him. All the signs said he should let Mel stay in the past and move on. If she wasn’t willing to try, he couldn’t force her. Looked like he’d be dusting off his black Stetson for a dinner date.

  ❄ ❄ ❄

  Mel sat in her car and gripped the steering wheel with both hands. She could do this. She could let Ford go, push him back into the past despite his recent intrusion into her present. She grabbed her phone from the center console to climb out of the car when a wave of emotion swamped her. The horrible sense of wrongness compelled her to call him again. A kid didn’t have to be a no-go for a single date. Single parents dated all the time, just look at her friend Carla.

  She found the number she had dialed the day before and hit send. The phone rang and rang until voice mail picked up. Ford’s warm, rich voice teased her through the receiver. He was away, blah, blah, blah. Should she leave a message? She wanted to, but the vulnerability of it, the raw exposure, scared the hell out of her. Last time it had taken two years to let go of her hope. Could she survive if this didn’t work out?

  She tuned back in to the message explaining how to reach him. Then he stopped talking and she expected a beep to sound. But it didn’t come.

  “And if this is Tuckerville, I still love you.”

  Beep.

  Her heart raced as her hand trembled. She hung up the call and tried to remember back to the other night. She flipped through bits and pieces she had stored for lonely nights to come, and found the moment she was looking for. Curled up on his lap in the club chair, he’d tried to tell her how he felt as the Blake Shelton song, “Austin,” filled the background. In that moment the sentiment of the song had hit way too close to home. Could she be Tuckerville? A welling of emotion told her yes. Besides, how many women could he have professed his love for in the last three days?

  She couldn’t go through with her date. No way, but she also couldn’t leave the poor guy sitting there alone and waiting. That would be wrong. Shit. She had to walk in there and tell him tonight wasn’t happening. Yes, it was past time she took responsibility for her happiness. No blaming others. No playing the victim. No excuses. She had a choice to make—and she chose Ford.

  ❄ ❄ ❄

  He sat at the bar of The White Rose and waited. He’d turned his phone off since every call he received had him damn near stroking out. Not to mention, he would not be rude to the woman he was meeting tonight. Even if he
knew this would go nowhere and he might, as a result, miss the only call he wanted to get. A lone woman walked in—black dress. Not red. He glanced at his watch. Just past seven o’clock. He took a sip of the small batch bourbon sitting on the bar and then set the glass down while a party of ten or so came in. After a few moments, they cleared out of the foyer. As they followed the hostess into the restaurant, a woman alone by the door was revealed. She wore red. Red-hot red.

  Their gazes locked across the space and his heart thundered in his chest. It couldn’t be coincidence Mel stood in The White Rose wearing the very color dress he had been told to look for. Selena was a crafty witch. How had she managed this?

  Ford rose as Mel sauntered over. The other night she’d been sexy as hell in a tank top, shorts, and boots. Tonight, well…tonight she was stunning. His mouth dried up like dirt at the peak of a Texas summer. His cock stood up and took notice as well, making its preference uncomfortably clear.

  The red material hugged every dip and curve of her feminine form. The vee of the neckline cut low enough to entice, to tease, but not be vulgar. The slinky fabric stopped at her knees, while her legs continued on for days. His gaze landed on her trim ankles and pretty feet tucked into the sexiest pair of stilettos he’d ever seen.

  “Ford?” Her soft query drew his attention back to her face.

  “Hi, Mel. Fancy meeting you here.” He tried for casual, but he was pretty sure he missed it by a country mile.

  She blushed, a pale pink compared to her dress. “I suppose you’re my date?”

  He touched the brim of his hat. “If you’re looking for the man in a black Stetson.”

  ❄ ❄ ❄

  Holy hell, was she. Tight, dark denim hugged his long muscular legs and only emphasized his other endowments. Images of him sliding into her body two nights ago assailed her. She refused to look down and confirm her nipples were hard as a result.

  His black shirt, boots, and blazer completed his dark and intriguing look, which challenged her ability to focus. “You used a dating service?” Damn. The words spilled out of her mouth and now she wished she could call them back. So what if he had? She’d used the same stinking service.

  Thank God I didn’t leave. The sudden thought sliced through the swirl of emotion whirling out of control inside her head.

  “Why don’t we have a drink, and I’ll tell you how I found Soul Mate Dating.” He stepped to her side and placed a possessive hand on her lower back. With his free hand he indicated the open bar stool beside the one he’d recently occupied.

  “Sure.” She slid on to the padded seat and the bartender approached. “Bourbon and Diet Coke, please.”

  They angled toward each other and waited for her drink to be delivered. “In order to explain how I found Soul Mates, I have to tell you what happened after I broke things off.” He pulled his drink toward him, caressed the curves of the glass, and traced the rim nervously. All Mel could think about was how those same strokes had felt against her skin.

  “A few months after I broke it off with you I realized how stupid I was, and I dug up the gumption to go home and beg your forgiveness. I couldn’t imagine you’d be willing to, but I hoped.” He took a sip while the low hum of voices filled the gap in their conversation.

  “I stopped in town to buy some flowers and ran into Elmer Leighton. He couldn’t wait to tell me how you two had a date that night.”

  She practically sprayed her drink across the bar. “What? He offered to come help me with some repairs around the trailer. I was broke and desperate with Mom living in a bottle, so I accepted his offer of help. Shit, we hadn’t had running water for three days. I should have been smart enough to see through his offer. It wasn’t until he tried to kiss me that I figured out how naive I had been. I had to get Daddy’s old shotgun to chase him off.”

  “Yeah. By the time I figured out he was dreaming, it was Christmas again. A whole year since I’d dumped you, so I told myself to let it go. I got so good at pretending I didn’t care, I started to forget how much I actually did.” He wouldn’t meet her gaze, and she ached for him. “So, I hunkered down and focused on school and football. Not that it meant I could let you go. You were always on my mind. Every triumph in school or on the field had me wanting to call you.”

  “If only you had.” Her heart hurt knowing how much they wanted each other, yet they both let foolish pride and fear stand in their way.

  “If only.” He lifted his gaze to lock with hers. His eyes brimmed with emotion and longing for her. “Then your mom died. I found out and drove straight back to Tuckerville, but I was too late. Too late for the funeral, and too late to be there for you. Always too late. I went straight to your trailer, but when I pulled up Jimmy’s truck was parked in front and the windows were all fogged up.” He shrugged. “I turned around and went back to school. I knew then my last chance had passed me up.” He tossed back another slug of bourbon.

  “That was when I gave up, too. I got drunk and ended two years of celibacy. My heart kept telling me we had been good together, but my body and my head couldn’t hold out any longer.” He reached over and squeezed her hand sending a barrage of shivers across her skin. Her pussy softened and heated, ready for him. The man owned her, even after so long.

  “Damn. I feel like an even bigger fool. But one good thing came of it all. I met Selena when we tried to date. We were both nursing broken hearts for the ones we believed were our soul mates. Of course we quickly figured out we were better as friends. So, after graduation I came into the trust fund from Grandpa Grayson. She pitched me a start-up idea for a dating service. I’d seen her ability to set people up all through college. She had a real knack for it, and I figured why not? I became a silent partner in Soul Mates Dating.”

  “Wow. So you…what? Saw my application—” holy crap, how pathetic had she come across in that form? “—and set up this date?”

  “No. Silent partner, remember? I don’t even visit the headquarters when I’m in Houston unless Selena asks me to come in, let alone review applications. No, she’s been after me to let her set me up. So, I finally gave in and filled in a form of my own—a year ago.” He lifted a brow to make his point.

  “Wow. Shit, I keep saying that, but I’m just so surprised by all this.” She reached for her drink and took her first sip. “I filled mine in a few weeks ago. One of the bartenders at The Silo sent me the link and talked me into trying it. Who could have predicted this?”

  Chapter Five

  Ford might have if he’d thought about it. Somehow Selena had an almost otherworldly knack for finding other people’s soul mates. Her ninety percent success rate was unparalleled in the industry. “Selena’s good.” He took a breath and decided to plunge ahead. “Did you happen to call yesterday and hang up as a wrong number?”

  She sighed and nodded. “I did.”

  “Can I ask why you hung up?”

  “The notion of taking on a single parent scares the hell out of me. Taking us on again is scary, but knowing you have a little boy who might be affected really threw me. It was so unexpected.”

  “Us scares me, too. But Justin’s my nephew, and his parents are very much alive. He just beat me to my phone.” It made him happy to know she had stayed there and heard him out while still believing Justin was his son.

  “Oh, thank God.” Her exclamation rushed out and then she blushed red enough to nearly match her dress. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love kids. I just need some time to figure out what’s happening between us before I worry about anyone else.”

  Ford couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “So does that mean you’ll give us a chance?”

  She lifted her pretty blue eyes to meet his gaze and smiled. “Yes. I’ve missed you for so long. I’m not sure what it’s like to function and not have that chronic pain, but I damn sure want to find out.”

  “Me, too. Do you think we could maybe get out of here?” Ford stopped and mentally cursed himself. “What I meant was, I’d really like a chance to tal
k somewhere more private.” He gestured to the crowded bar by way of explanation.

  “Talking is good. Other stuff might be better.” She grinned at him. “Besides, my roommate is out all night.” She slid off the barstool and ran her hands over her hips.

  Ford’s mouth dried up again. He quickly paid their tab, gathered their coats, and led her outside. She gave him her address and then he tried his damnedest to keep up with her. Some things sure hadn’t changed. Mel was still a speed demon behind the wheel.

  ❄ ❄ ❄

  Ford parked near her and they walked into the building together. Her apartment was on the fifth floor and had a nice view of Austin, but all she really wanted was to see Ford Grayson naked. She locked the door behind them and turned to find him staring out the window.

  “So, Ford, how would us work since I assume you still live in Tuckerville and run your parents’ ranch—well, your ranch. I have a good job here, but it doesn’t exactly lend itself to flexibility.” She walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle. “Beer?”

  “Thanks.” He took the cold bottle from her. “I suppose I can try to spend most weekends here and leave my foreman in charge. He’s a good man and I trust him to get things done without me there. Or, if weekends are too busy, I can cut out a few days a week here and there. I guess we’ll have to work it out as we go.”

  He took a long pull on the bottle, his neck muscles working to pull the beverage down. Something about watching him swallow like that was damn sexy. “Okay. I’ll see if I can finagle the schedule a bit better so I can have a weekend off every now and then to come to your place. I’ve been meaning to start training Carla as an assistant manager. Guess I should get on that.” She grinned.

  He lowered the bottle and met her gaze. “Guess you’d better.” He set the bottle down and crooked his finger at her. “Come here, Mel.”