Hudson (Anderson Billionaires #4) - Melody Anne Page 0,61

and her running shoes. The temperature was in the high sixties, but she tended to run a bit cold, so this should be fitting if they were out and about. She ran a brush through her hair, threw on a tiny bit of makeup, and returned to Hudson in fifteen minutes.

“Wow, I thought I’d be waiting for at least an hour. You get ready fast,” he told her as he looked her over. “You look perfect and beautiful as always.”

She hadn’t been trying to impress him, or at least that’s what she’d told herself, but she had worn her pink lip stain that Darla said gave her kiss-me-lips and she’d added mascara and eyeshadow, which she rarely ever used. Maybe she was slightly trying to impress him. But her clothes definitely didn’t scream seduction, she assured herself. She decided not to acknowledge his compliment. They were supposed to have a professional relationship. That was all.

“I’m ready if you are,” she said.

“Perfect. After you, my lady,” he said as he moved to the front door and opened it. Daisy didn’t want to carry a purse, so she slipped her phone into her back pocket, her credit card and some cash in her front, and followed him out the door.

“Where are we going?” she asked after he opened her truck door, shut it, then climbed in on the other side. He insisted on opening and closing her doors. She’d never thought she was one of those women who wanted that, but oddly, after a few times with this man, she liked it. She might want to put a lid on that real fast. She wasn’t a damsel in distress who needed saving. She was the one to save others.

“I love blue sky days,” Hudson said as he turned on the radio then put the truck into gear and began driving.

“Are you going to refuse to tell me where we’re going because I didn’t tell you?” Daisy asked. She deserved it, but she really wanted to know.

“Nope, I’m not as mean as you,” Hudson told her as he turned down a main road and sang along to the radio for a minute while Daisy tapped her fingers against her thigh and waited for him to keep talking. She refused to beg. He laughed after a few more seconds. “I have to admire your patience.”

“I can’t complain,” she said. Maybe she couldn’t out loud, but she certainly could internally.

He laughed again, obviously in a great mood. She had to admit his good humor was infectious.

“I’m taking you to one of my favorite places. It’s what inspired my vision for what I wanted to do someday. It’s a little different than my plans, but then again, if I wanted to make a carbon copy it would be someone else’s dreams, not my own.”

“How far is it?” Daisy asked. She was curious to see what he found inspiring. She didn’t think they’d agree on a perfect use for the land she’d called home her entire life, but she might find some beauty in what he liked.

“Not far.” They chatted some more as they made their way through the backroads east of Seattle, and sooner than she was expecting, they pulled off into a large parking lot.

Hudson jumped down from the truck, came to her side, and opened her door just as she finished unbuckling. He grabbed her hand before she could even think of stopping him. She thought about pulling away from him, but it felt too nice to have her fingers clasped in his as they moved away from the parking lot onto a trail. It didn’t mean they were a couple. They were just starting some sort of strange friendship, she assured herself.

They moved forward, and Daisy looked around, feeling carefree as they walked along a cushioned path, runners and walkers moving past them. To their left were lots of trees and shrubbery, the sounds of birds and squirrels singing and foraging easily heard without the sound of traffic to drown them out. To their right was a huge grassy field with people sitting on benches and at tables, and a group of kids playing volleyball in one area, and a group throwing a frisbee in another.

There were people walking their dogs, sitting off alone speaking on cell phones, and others sipping coffee together as they strolled along. The park wasn’t overly populated, but it was a nice little haven, she had to admit.

“This isn’t much different than the vision I have planned,” Daisy