Hudson (Anderson Billionaires #4) - Melody Anne Page 0,43

in trouble . . .

Chapter Fourteen

It had been three days since Hudson’s encounter with Daisy. During those three days, he hadn’t stopped thinking about her. He was confused, but intrigued. She was on his mind more than his work — that was a true feat.

He’d thought about women before, even days after seeing them, but he couldn’t recall ever thinking about one who’d come up with fire in her eyes ready to take him down. And even if a woman was on his mind for days, it wasn’t all-consuming. It was sporadic, and never lasted for a month. But that hadn’t been the case with Daisy Green.

He moved through the small town he’d be calling his home for quite a while. He didn’t believe there was a better place in the United States than the outskirts of Seattle. He loved big cities: the pulse, the nightlife, the diversity, and the options. But he loved stepping out of the city and finding the jewels surrounding the hugely populated areas even more.

Seattle was surrounded by a lot of small towns. And within those communities there was so much to be done. There were large bodies of water, mountains, trails, and recreation galore. A person could boat, hike, ski, hunt, dive, and on and on. Whatever activity a person was interested in could be found in the incredible Northwest.

He turned onto the small main street of the community he was considering buying a home in. He could live in one of the condos he was building, but it would take a while to complete that project, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to be quite that close to his neighbors. He loved people, but he also loved privacy. And if the other tenants knew he was the builder, he’d probably not be allowed a moment’s peace.

It was a warm, sunny day and tables were set out on the sidewalks, the main street closed down as tents lined the area with a Saturday market that was crowded without being swamped. Adults and children walked about, eating, laughing, shopping, and enjoying the warm afternoon.

He was hungry but unsure what he was in the mood for, so he glanced at the different booths. Did he want to go healthy or greasy? Probably greasy. It felt like that kind of a day.

Hudson moved forward . . . then stopped in his tracks as he spotted a familiar blonde sitting at a table, her hair flowing free unlike the other day, her lips turned up in a smile as she laughed at something a dark-haired woman sitting across from her said.

He could turn around and walk away, and she’d never know he’d been there. But Hudson wasn’t the type of man to retreat when he wanted to move forward. And he was wondering what her grandfather had said to her. Had she given up? That would be a shame. He wanted more time with her, even if that meant possibly losing his property. Was a woman worth that? He surprised himself when the answer wasn’t a solid no.

She’d been on his mind for too long for him to walk away. Besides that, the woman had caused him to have a lot of restless nights lately. He wanted to know if that it was simply a fluke or if there was something about her that needed to be resolved.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” Hudson said as he pulled out a chair and sat at their table.

Daisy looked at him as if he were a fly she wanted to swat. Her friend, on the other hand, looked interested. He decided to focus on the friend. If they were close and he could charm her, Daisy would have zero choice but to be nice — or so he hoped.

“I’m Hudson Anderson,” he said, holding out a hand. “Nice to meet you.”

The friend smiled. “Ah, you’re the one Daisy’s been ranting about for quite some time now,” the woman said with a chuckle as she took his hand. “I’m her best friend, Darla.”

Hudson gave the friend a mega-wattage smile. “So, what you’re telling me is I made an impression,” he said, liking Daisy’s choice in a best friend. She was charming, beautiful, and obviously had a sense of humor. Though their looks were different, they were both stunning. Even so, Hudson was only attracted to the feisty blonde, not the friendly brunette. That was interesting.

“I think you most definitely left her thinking about you. I can’t say that’s necessarily a good thing,” Darla said,