Indie frowned. Nothing good ever happened when Tessa got that excited look.
“Where?”
“In a church, where else? Men of the cloth – not priests, of course – are always looking for good women to marry. And the men in the congregation, too, they're looking for wives, aren’t they?” She began to push the trolley toward the cashier’s counter. “Come on. We’ve got some church services to crash.”
At that point Indie knew Tessa had finally gone off her rocker. “Stop.”
That brought the little blonde dynamo to a halt. She looked back with an expression that said Indie was the one who had gone bonkers. She put her hands on her hips. “Okay, that’s it. I’ve been the one coming up with all the ideas and you’ve killed every one of them. There’s got to be even one man in this whole world who you like. Come on, woman. Give me something to work with. Anything.”
That made Indie pause and think. One man who she liked…
“Well,” she began, her voice uncertain, “there is one man…”
“Thank you, Jesus.” Tessa raised her hands in an expression of praise then she ran to Indie. “So, who is it? Tell me who you like and I’ll pull out all the stops to help you reel him in even before the thirty days are up. Who is he and where can I find him?”
“I remember his name,” Indie said with a chuckle, “because it’s real funny. Gladstone Hudson. Gladstone. Can you believe it?" She was grinning now. “Although he calls himself Stone so he can sound more macho. I have his address in my notebook. It’s in the car.”
Tessa frowned and cocked her head to one side. “Something's fishy here. It sounds like you hardly know this Gladstone fellow.”
Indie shrugged. “Just met him today. In the car accident.”
Tessa opened her eyes wide. “No. He’s the one who ran into the back of your car this evening?”
“The same.”
“And he’s the one you like? But how do you know you like him? You spent all of ten minutes together.”
Indie shrugged again. “All I know is, he’s the only man I’ve ever met who made my heart race just at the sight of him.” Then she laughed. “Of course, I never let on that he had any effect on me. I was cool as cucumber.”
Tessa nodded as she stared at Indie. “I can bet.” Then slowly her dazed look melted and the old Tessa was back. A mischievous grin tickled her lips. “Okay, Miss Indiana Moon Lane, let’s get on home and start planning Operation Catch Mr. Gladstone Hudson right away."
And as she headed off to the cashier, pushing the trolley as she went, Indie could only shake her head and smile. With Tessa Tyndale on the case Stone Hudson was going to be in for a bumpy ride.
******
“Indiana Moon Lane.” Stone said the name softly to himself as he stared down at the blank page on which he’d written the information. A day had passed since he’d run into her – literally – and he was just as intrigued now as he’d been when he first laid eyes on her.
And he was determined to see her again.
It wasn’t just that he found her fascinating – her boldness, her exotic look, her name. For some reason he felt that their meeting, although not under the most ideal condition, was meant to be. For a long time he’d been looking for someone like Indiana Lane and just like that, when he hadn’t even been looking, she’d fallen right into his lap. Of course, he had no idea if she would agree to work for him but he intended to make the proposal and do his best to convince her to come on board.
But first he had to call his project manager. Although it was just one-thirty in the afternoon in Ontario it was already seven-thirty in the evening in South Africa. He knew Jenna had already signed off for the evening and he hated calling her so late but she was so easygoing. She never complained. In fact, if he would be perfectly honest, she spoiled him.
Jenna picked up on the third ring. “Yeah, boss?”
Stone chuckled. “Didn’t I tell you to stop calling me that?”
“Can’t help it,” she said, laughing into the phone. “I happen to enjoy teasing you. What can I help you with, Stone?”
“Good news. I’ve finally found the perfect person to replace you.”
He heard Jenna’s happy gasp then the words came tumbling out in a breathless stream. “Oh my Lord, that’s great news. Who is it? When can he start? Or is it a she? Get them on the plane right away because this baby is not gonna wait-”
“Hold on, not so fast.” He practically had to shout to get the words in above hers. “It’s a her and I haven’t hired her yet.”
Silence on the other end of the line. A full five seconds passed before Jenna spoke again. “What do you mean you haven’t hired her yet?” Then, before Stone could respond she continued. “Oh, you’ve done the interviews but you just haven’t told her she’s hired.”
“No,” he said, dragging out the word. In her state he didn’t want to give her too many shocks. “I haven’t actually asked her yet.”
“What? Stone, I’m going to have this baby any day now. You need to find me a replacement. Like yesterday!”
“I know, Jenna.” He rubbed the back of his neck. Damn him for being such a perfectionist. There were so many other people he could have hired to cover for Jenna but no, he had to find the perfect one. And it had taken him this long to identify her. He'd be up the creek if he reached out to Indiana Lane and she said no.
“Don’t you worry your little head,” he said, his voice sounding a whole lot more confident than he felt. “I’ll be back on a plane to South Africa in no time and I’ll have your replacement with me.”
CHAPTER THREE
“Oh… my…gosh.” Tessa stared at the computer screen, her mouth falling open. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh.”