Fortune's Texas Surprise, page 11
Scowling, Steven said, “As the mayor, you should be proud that your town can boast of such improvements. Don’t you believe the people of Rambling Rose deserve to have nice businesses and buildings?”
The woman snorted. “I happen to believe if an election was held tomorrow, most of the citizens would vote to run Fortune Brothers Construction out of town on a rail!”
Callum chuckled. “Steven, I think Mayor Hernandez has been watching too many old Westerns. Maybe we should be worried about getting tarred and feathered, too, before they put us on the rail,” he joked.
Stephanie cringed. “He’s hardly winning any points with her,” she whispered to Acton.
“From what I know about the lady, she’s no pushover,” Acton whispered back.
As if on cue, the mayor retorted, “I hardly think this is anything to joke about, Mr. Fortune. It’s also obvious to me that neither of you understands what it means to be Texan. We don’t take kindly to outsiders moving in and trying to change our towns, or our lifestyles.”
Steven said, “I can’t believe that any true Texan would be opposed to progress. And that’s what my brothers and I are trying to do here. Make improvements to Rambling Rose.”
“You’re not being honest, Mr. Fortune. You’re trying to make money. That’s what you and your brothers are all about. And I don’t like the idea of your profit coming at the expense of my citizens.”
“Really, Mayor Hernandez, we’re not vultures. We want what’s good for the people of Rambling Rose just as much as you do,” Callum said, attempting to assure her. “And the last I heard, capitalism isn’t a crime. That’s how this great country of ours was built.”
“I’ve studied history, Mr. Fortune,” the mayor said in an icy voice. “Especially Texas history. The battle of the Alamo exemplifies how Texans fought and died for what they wanted. Maybe the both of you should take a lesson from that. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have other people to see.”
The mayor walked away and so did Stephanie’s brothers. Once all three were out of sight, Acton whistled under his breath. “Man, oh, man, steam was coming out of her ears.”
“She was seething, all right,” Stephanie agreed. “This reminds me how glad I am that I’m not a part of Fortune Brothers Construction. I don’t think I could sleep at night. I can already imagine what kind of obstacles the mayor is going to throw up when they start making plans for the hotel and all the other things they want to build around town.”
“Well, Callum might joke about the mayor watching too many Westerns, but they need to realize if they get her riled up enough she might just turn into another Annie Oakley.”
Regret turned down the corners of Stephanie’s lips. “I wish my brothers could be...a little more Texan. Like you, Acton. Then I think they’d understand what people around here really want for their town.”
“Hey, you two, I think Dr. Neil wants to start wrapping up this shindig.”
They both looked around to see Carla popping a chocolate Hershey’s Kiss into her mouth. The receptionist looked exceptionally pretty tonight, Stephanie thought. Her dress was blue velvet and her brown hair, which she normally wore in a bun, rested in soft curls upon her shoulders.
Carla was far more suitable for Acton, Stephanie thought. She came from a ranching family. The two of them had much more in common. And yet, Acton didn’t seem to pay any more attention to Carla than he did the other women on the Paws and Claws staff—a fact that still amazed her. Why had he singled out Stephanie? Because he honestly thought she was special? Or because her last name was Fortune?
When are you going to get that out of your mind, Stephanie? Not everybody gives a damn about your last name. Not everyone cares about your money. And if that’s what you think about Acton, you need to walk away from him right now.
Ignoring the mocking voice in her head, Stephanie said to Carla, “I think everyone has donated that’s planning to. So it probably is time to get everything loaded and back to the clinic.”
“I see Grizabella is the only animal left,” Carla said, glancing in the direction of the cat cage. “Too bad no one wanted her.”
Stephanie smiled proudly at Acton. “But someone did want her,” she told Carla. “Acton is adopting her.”
Surprised, Carla looked at him. “Really? I’m glad you felt sorry for her.”
Acton frowned. “But I don’t feel sorry for Grizabella. I don’t believe she needs my sympathy. She needs my love.”
Clearly embarrassed, Carla said, “Excuse me. I never thought of it that way. You’re a nice guy, Acton.”
She turned and walked away and Acton let out a long sigh. “Sometimes I can be a real jerk. I should’ve never said that to her. At least, not in that way. She meant well. It’s just that it annoys the hell out of me when people dwell on the wrong instead of the right.”
“I wouldn’t worry about Carla. She’ll think about what you said and in the long run it will help her. Now me, I’m the one who’d like to slither out of here without being seen. I can only hope the rest of the room didn’t hear the things being said between my brothers and the mayor. But I have the feeling most of the guests did hear their conversation. My family is going to be the gossip around town,” she said, then let out a caustic laugh. “What am I thinking? They already are the town gossip.”
Draping his arm around her shoulders, he urged her over to Grizabella’s cage. “Come on, forget all that. Let’s tell Grizabella she’s finished with that nerve-wracking cat room at the clinic. From now on, she’s going to be a ranch cat.”
Stephanie laughed and thought how she’d never met any man that made her feel so good—until Acton had walked into her life.
* * *
The hands on Acton’s watch were nearing midnight when he finally pulled the truck to a stop in front of the massive Fortune estate.
After helping Stephanie out of the truck, he walked her to her private wing and stood to one side, holding the bouquet of tulips, while she unlocked the door.
“Would you like to come in for a few minutes?” she asked. “I can make coffee...or something.”
Acton was sorely tempted to accept her offer, but tonight he couldn’t trust himself. Tonight, something had happened to him and he couldn’t yet figure out what it was or why it was making him feel so differently. He only knew that being alone with Stephanie might change everything between them and he wasn’t sure if he, or she, was ready for that.
“Thanks, Stephanie, but I think I’d better get on home.” He handed her the vase of flowers. “I don’t want to leave Grizabella in the truck too long. She’ll think she’s being deserted.”
“Oh, that’s right. You have Grizabella. She was so quiet on the ride over here that I almost forgot about her.”
She smiled tentatively at him and Acton inwardly groaned as his gaze focused on her moist lips.
“I, uh, had a great time tonight,” he said. “And Paws and Claws raised more money than any of us expected. That’s a good thing.”
“I had a great time, too.” She touched one of the purple tulips. “And I was given a lovely Valentine. Thank you for the bouquet, Acton. And thank you for wanting to love Grizabella. I’m learning you’re a real softy.”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “There’s a lot you haven’t learned about me...yet, that is.”
She drew in a deep breath and Acton got the impression that she was nervous about something. Him? He hoped not. He wanted her to feel very much at home with him. He wanted her to feel like being with him was as right as him taking Grizabella.
“Really?” she asked. “Like what?”
“Like how much I’ve wanted to do this—for a very long time.”
“This?”
His hands curved over her shoulders and the warmth radiating from her body urged him to draw her closer. “Taking you in my arms and kissing you.”
She sucked in a breath, but he didn’t wait to see if she was going to make any sort of reply. Instead, he pulled her into the circle of his arms and lowered his lips to hers.
Acton had meant to keep the kiss short and sweet. He’d simply wanted a brief taste of her, just to let her know where his thoughts were headed.
But it didn’t work out exactly that way. As soon as their lips made contact, some sort of explosion detonated inside him. And inside Stephanie, too, apparently. Before he recognized what was happening, their mouths were fused together and his hands were tugging her forward until the tulips were very nearly crushed between their bodies.
Kissing Stephanie was like dipping his tongue into a pot of wild honey. The smooth sweetness clung to his lips, making him want more and more.
It wasn’t until he heard a tiny moan in her throat that reality returned. And even then it took a mountain of strength to tear his mouth from hers and set her back from him.
“I, uh, think I’d better be going, Stephanie.”
“Going?”
She sounded just as dazed as Acton felt, and for a split second he wondered if he’d gone crazy. He wasn’t built to ignore the passion in a woman’s kiss. Everything inside his body was screaming at him to kiss her again, to take her into her fancy house and make hot, wild love to her.
But Stephanie wasn’t just any woman. And he wasn’t the same man who’d taken a woman to bed just because it felt good. No, somewhere in the past week, she’d changed him, and now all he wanted was to cherish and protect her.
Oh, damn.
Those were the things a husband wanted to do for his wife—for the woman he loved! The idea that Acton was falling that hard for Stephanie, rattled his senses.
“Yes. Going,” he repeated huskily. “Tonight—at this moment—I think that’s best for both of us.” Bending his head, he brushed a kiss to the corner of her lips, then another one on her cheek.
Her hand latched on to his arm as though she didn’t want to let him go. But then her eyes slowly opened and a tempting little smile curved her lips.
“Yes. Best for both of us. That’s what I want, too,” she whispered. “Good night, Acton.”
She turned and entered the house and Acton stood there staring at the closed door, and wondered how long it was going to take his senses to come back to earth.
Chapter Eight
“Mom, do you have any sardines or tuna?”
Standing at the kitchen sink, Faye Donovan, a tall woman with short blond hair and a gentle face, turned away from the pot she was scrubbing to cast a concerned look at Acton.
“Son, are things getting so tight that you’ve run out of groceries and resorted to eating peanut butter and crackers?”
Acton laughed. “No, Mom. I have enough to buy myself a cabinet full of groceries. I just haven’t taken the time to go to the supermarket. Dad has kept me and Shawn pretty tied up with that new cross fence we’ve been building.”
“Yes, once your father makes up his mind to do something, he wants it done yesterday. But maybe that’s a good thing. I never could stand procrastination. Especially in a man.”
Was that what Acton was doing? He wondered. Three days had passed since the night of the Paws and Claws Valentine’s party and he’d not seen or messaged Stephanie even once.
Oh, he’d wanted to. Everything inside him was aching to see her again. To kiss her and allow the passion he’d felt budding between them the other night to burst into full bloom. But he’d turned into a coward. What if he did make love to Stephanie? Where was that going to lead them? As far as he could see, it was going to lead to heartache. And then he’d end up being one more name on that list of no-accounts who’d already broken her heart.
Acton chugged down the last of the ice water he’d poured for himself. “The sardines and tuna aren’t for me, Mom. I guess I forgot to tell you. I have a cat now. I adopted her the other night at the Valentine shindig.”
Faye turned back to the saucepan soaking in the sink of sudsy water. “Oh, yes, I meant to tell you that I sent a donation to them through the mail. After wrestling around with that two-year-old colt all afternoon, your father was just too tired to get dressed up to go. To tell you the truth, I was a little disappointed. It was Valentine’s Day and we haven’t gone anywhere dressed up in a long time.”
“Aww, Mom, that’s awful.” He walked over and wrapped an affectionate arm around her shoulders. “You should’ve let me know. You could’ve gone with me.”
“It wouldn’t have been the same. And, anyway, your father made it up to me. Look at this.”
After wiping her hands on a dish towel, she lifted the right one and flashed a ruby-and-diamond ring at him.
“Isn’t that something?”
Acton whistled. “I’ll say. That must have cost Dad a couple of calves!”
“Oh, you!” She poked a finger in Acton’s midsection. “A woman doesn’t want a man who’s always practical. She needs romance once in a while.”
Would a ring from him put a smile on Stephanie’s face? Not an engagement ring, but one that meant she was more than a friend? No. A ring would just complicate things, he thought. Besides, she’d probably laugh at any gemstone he could afford.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Mom. Now what about the sardines or tuna? I’m desperate. Grizabella is hiding under the bed and the only way I can tempt her out is with fish. I’ve used every can I have.”
Faye walked over and opened the door to a floor-to-ceiling pantry. “Was she a feral cat or something?”
“No. At Paws and Claws she didn’t seem timid at all. But when I got her home and she took one look at Seymour walking through the house, she was traumatized. Now I can’t convince her that he’s harmless.”
She carried three cans of tuna over to where he stood next to the cabinet. “Well, I’m not so sure this is going to convince her. But you’re welcome to it. Maybe she just needs a female voice to coax her out. I’d come down and help, but Gina wants me to do some mending for her tonight.”
A female voice. Yes, Acton knew exactly what female voice Grizabella needed to hear to calm her fears. But that meant inviting Stephanie over to his house. He wasn’t sure he was ready for that.
Coward. Since when has a woman caused you to develop a yellow streak down your back? You’re acting like an idiot!
“Thanks, Mom, but I’ll manage somehow.”
As he started out of the room, Faye called to him.
“Acton, speaking of the Valentine’s party, I heard you were seen with a pretty young lady with the last name of Fortune.”
“Who told you that?”
“Joyce Crandall. You know, the woman who plays piano at church.”
“I’ve never said more than two words to her in my life. What is she? A busybody or something?”
“No. She just thought I might want to know that you’re associating with the Fortunes. It’s not like everyone in the county hasn’t been talking about the rich family that’s moved in and started taking over the town. Frankly, your father and I are a little surprised you haven’t said anything to us about this young woman.”
Acton should’ve known this was coming. Living in a small town, people talked—even when there was nothing to talk about. In this case, Joyce and every other guest at the Valentine party had probably noticed the way Acton had been glued to Stephanie’s side the entire evening.
“Why should I have said anything? Stephanie is just a friend. A good friend. There’s nothing more to tell.”
Faye was unconvinced, which hardly surprised Acton. When it came to her sons, she’d always been able to read between the lines.
“So you two are just friends. Looks like I’ve been concerned about nothing.”
Acton walked back to the center of the kitchen. “Concerned? Why would you be concerned that I’m friends with a member of the Fortune family?”
She grimaced, then made a helpless gesture with her hands. “I didn’t mean it exactly like that. But there’s been so much talk about the family and I remember reading about the trouble up in Austin with that bunch of Fortunes who have the tech business. His ex-wife was trying to kill him. She burned down part of their house and injured her own son.”
Stephanie hadn’t mentioned anything like this to Acton and he wasn’t one to keep up with that sort of news. He did well to tune in to the market report when he drank his first cup of coffee in the morning. And the only reason he bothered with the market news was to keep account of cattle and hay prices.
He told his mother, “That has nothing to do with this family of Fortunes.”
“Probably not,” Faye agreed. “But I guess my concern is...well, none of you kids ever associated with a family who had that kind of drama connected to it. Or was worth the kind of money they’re worth. They’re just not your style, Acton. And I don’t mean that in an insulting way. I mean it as a compliment. You’re too good for them.”
Acton groaned. “Oh, Mom, you’re biased. And for your information, Stephanie isn’t what you think. She’s kind and sweet and very down-to-earth. She works as a vet assistant, for Pete’s sake.” He kissed her cheek and started out of the room. “I’ve got to go. Grizabella is under the bed.” Pausing at the doorway, he added, “And don’t worry about me. I’m not being sucked in by a diabolical family.”
Groaning, she waved him toward the door. “Get out of here. Go charm your cat.”
* * *
“Stephanie, are you feeling sick?”
The sound of Dr. Neil’s voice interrupted her thoughts and she glanced around to see the veterinarian had finished removing a large cyst from a cat and was in the process of taking off his gloves. At some point during the surgical procedure Stephanie’s mind must have wandered.
She blinked her eyes and mentally shook herself. “I’m fine, Dr. Neil. Did I do something wrong?”
The kind vet gave her a reassuring smile. “I don’t remember you ever doing anything wrong, Stephanie. And you’ve never gotten sick at the sight of blood. But you look a little pale and strained. I hope you’re not coming down with a virus. There are several strains running rampant around town right now.”
