Fortune's Texas Surprise, page 6
“What a loss. For both parents.”
Acton obviously considered a baby to be a precious blessing, which was more than Stephanie could say for the guys she’d dated. Most of them would have bolted at the sight of a baby. Was she beginning to see a sign hanging around Acton’s neck with the word good written on it?
“Well, for now I’m going to do my best to make sure Linus knows he’s wanted,” she said.
He sipped his cola, then shifted around on the seat so that he was facing her. “I’m glad you agreed to have dinner with us, Stephanie.”
“I’m glad, too.” Without even trying, Acton lifted her spirits and reminded her that she needn’t be serious all the time. “On weekdays my brothers often work late, so usually I’m eating alone. It’s nice to have company.”
“So you live with your brothers,” he mused. “How does that work out for you?”
“It’s good. Our house is spacious enough for me to have my own suite of rooms. Which is especially nice now that I have Linus. That way we don’t disturb my brothers.”
His blue eyes were studying her keenly and she figured he was thinking she led a boring life. And compared to his, it probably was.
“It’s good that you have your own space. I’m just now learning what that’s like.”
“You don’t live on your family’s ranch?” she asked.
“I do live on our ranch, the Diamond D. Just not in the big ranch house. A couple of months ago I moved into my grandparents’ old house. You see, Grandmother Hatti has had a few health issues. Nothing serious, but she’s not quite as spry as she used to be, so my parents persuaded her to move in with them. I moved out so that she could have my room and everyone wouldn’t be so crammed in.”
“That was generous of you.”
She watched his lips take on a guilty slant.
“Not really. I got the whole house to myself. Unless Shawn or Danny—my brothers—get the bright idea to move in with me. And I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“You like living on your own?”
“Most of the time. Other times I miss the hustle and bustle in the big house. And to be honest, I’m not fond of cleaning up after myself. But I try to keep things tidy.”
“Who does your cooking?”
He tapped a finger against his chest. “I do all my own cooking. In fact, I’m the only one of my brothers who knows how to cook. Just to prove it, I’ll fix supper for you one night. As long as you don’t ask for gourmet dishes. I’m not into that kind of stuff.”
Supper at his place? With no one else around? That would be a risky temptation—for her. For him it would probably be no more than having a friend over to share a meal. “I might take you up on that...someday,” she told him.
Seeing Linus’s mouth had gone slack around the bottle’s nipple, Stephanie placed the baby on her shoulder and gently rubbed his back until he burped.
“Who does your cooking?” he asked.
Though it shouldn’t have, his question caught her off guard. Mainly because she didn’t like admitting that her family had Manny, the ranch’s caretaker who also did most all the cooking. It bothered her to think the people of Rambling Rose might look down on the Fortune family for being so wealthy.
She said, “We have a great guy who cooks for the family. Which is a good for me. I’ve never been very good in the kitchen. The best I can do is a couple of Cuban dishes. That’s what I liked to eat when we all lived in Fort Lauderdale. Since we moved here I’ve fallen in love with Tex-Mex food.”
As she talked, she’d noticed the look in his eyes hadn’t changed to boredom. He still appeared to be actually interested to hear about her life. The idea definitely warmed her. Most of her past boyfriends would’ve already turned the conversation back to themselves.
“There’s nothing better,” he agreed.
He plucked up a leftover fry and dipped it into a pool of ketchup. Stephanie found herself studying his hand, with its long tanned fingers. When she’d shaken hands with him the day he’d brought Seymour to the clinic, she’d felt hard calluses on his palm. Now she wondered how it would feel to have that work-worn palm rest against her cheek. To have it slide over her bare skin. To have it—
“Do you like living here in Texas? In Rambling Rose?”
The questions pulled her out of the erotic trance and she prayed he wouldn’t notice the wave of heat rushing to her face.
Clearing her throat, she said, “I love it. Rambling Rose is just the right size. Not too big or too small. And I especially like the people.”
To her surprise, he reached for her hand and folded it inside his.
“I hope that means you like me, too,” he said gently.
Stephanie’s heart couldn’t seem to decide if it wanted to skip or do a wild jig.
“I... Of course I like you,” she finally said. “And your little niece and nephew, too.”
His eyelids lowered while the corners of his lips curved into a sexy grin. Just looking at his face so close was causing heat to roar through her like flames in the wind.
Oh, Lord, she needed to free her hand and put some sensible space between the two of them. But how was she going to do that without looking like a prude?
Stephanie’s dilemma was suddenly solved as Elizabeth and Ryan came rushing up to the table. Acton released her hand and turned his attention to the kids.
“We want ice cream, Uncle Acton,” Elizabeth said. “Can we have some?”
“It’s ‘may’ we, Lizzie, not ‘can,’” Ryan corrected her as though he was an expert on grammar.
The girl crossed her arms against her chest as she sneered at her brother. “Know-it-all! You ask for the ice cream! And if we don’t get it, it’ll be your fault!”
With a covert wink at Stephanie, Acton said, “There’s no cause for this kind of commotion. You both ate everything you asked for, so I’m going to say yes.”
He pulled out his wallet and handed a bill to Ryan. “You’re in charge of the money, Ryan. But let Elizabeth order whatever she wants. The money that’s left over you can split evenly between you. Okay?”
“Yeah!” Ryan exclaimed.
Elizabeth gave Acton’s neck a huge hug. “Thank you, Uncle Acton!”
The two kids took off in an excited rush and Stephanie gave him a pointed smile. “I think Gina has a point about you spoiling them.”
His grin was shamelessly guilty. “You’re supposed to have fun when you’re a kid. Come to think of it, you’re supposed to have fun when you’re a grown-up, too. Are you having fun yet, Stephanie?”
Without thinking, she burst out laughing. “I’m having loads of fun, Acton.”
And as the sound rolled out of her, she realized it had been a long while since she’d felt this carefree. And even longer since she’d enjoyed the company of a man.
Chapter Four
The next afternoon, after the clock had passed regular school hours, Stephanie began watching for Acton and the children to show up at Paws and Claws to collect the cats. But as the closing hour neared without any sign of the three, she began to wonder if Gina had changed her mind about letting the children adopt the cats.
Which would be disappointing for two reasons. She wanted the cats to have a real home. And she wanted to see Acton again. It was that simple and that complicated.
Last night, after she and Linus had gone home, she’d spent hours thinking about the man. And today, she’d been trying to convince herself he was just a friend. The problem with that was she’d never felt like this toward a friend.
Knowing her history with men, her brothers would surely advise her to forget about Acton. A young lothario wasn’t what she needed in her life. Especially now that she had Linus to consider. Yet it felt so good and right to be with him.
Pushing the swirling thoughts aside, she walked over to a large kennel where a brown-and-black shaggy dog with a cast on his leg was watching her with pleading eyes. Several days ago, the poor thing had been struck by a vehicle and a Good Samaritan had brought the injured dog to the clinic. Thankfully, Dr. Neil had managed to successfully operate on the leg and so far the dog was recovering at a rapid pace.
“Hi, Buddy,” she said softly. “Ready to try for a little walk?”
Dr. Neil had prescribed the dog three short walks a day and because he’d not yet had his third excursion today, Stephanie attached a leash to the mixed breed’s collar and allowed him to step out of the ground-level kennel.
Wagging his tail with excitement, Buddy, a name the clinic staff had given him, let out a happy bark and Stephanie took a moment to rub his head.
“What a champ you are,” she said to the dog. “Let’s walk down the hall and show everyone how good you’re doing.”
They left the rehab room and started down the long hallway that led to the waiting area. Along the way, Leonard, an older man who’d been a longtime assistant to Dr. Neil, stopped to give Buddy an encouraging pat. “He’s going to get along fine on that leg. Are you going to adopt him, Stephanie?”
Stephanie let out a good-natured groan. “You know me, Leonard. I already have a small menagerie. But my dogs live outside and their fenced-in yard is plenty big enough to accommodate a third. And I confess—I’m getting a soft spot for Buddy.”
“Hey, Stephanie, you have a visitor.”
She looked around to see Dayna and Acton standing at the far end of the hallway, but his niece and nephew were nowhere in sight.
“Excuse me, Leonard, I need to speak with this person.”
Leonard peered down the hallway. “That’s Acton Donovan,” he stated.
“You know him?” she asked.
“Been friends with his family for many years. Fine folks. They raise some of the best Brangus cattle around these parts. Tell him I said hello. I better run. Dr. Neil is waiting on me.”
Leonard hurried away and Stephanie urged Buddy forward. By the time she reached Acton, her heart was pounding and not from the exertion of the walk.
She didn’t understand why, but seeing the man again was like looking at blue sky after a rainstorm.
“Hello, Acton.”
“Hi, Stephanie. Sorry I’m running late.”
They were smiling at each other, a fact that Dayna was clearly taking note of.
“No problem,” she assured him, then asked, “Didn’t Elizabeth and Ryan come with you?”
He shook his head. “They both forgot they had after-school projects this evening. They made me promise to pick up the cats for them. I’ve already filled out the necessary papers and paid the fees.”
“I’m happy for the cats. But I’m disappointed that Elizabeth and Ryan couldn’t be here. I was looking forward to seeing them again,” she said.
He chuckled. “After putting up with those two last night, I’m surprised. They can wear on a body’s nerves.”
Picking up on his comment, Dayna cast a shrewd gaze from Stephanie to Acton. “Last night? What happened with the kids last night?”
“Just a hamburger, that’s all,” he said.
That’s all it had probably been to him, Stephanie thought dismally. To her it had been a special evening. It had given her the opportunity to see Acton in a totally different light than the one Dayna and the other female staffers put him in.
Thankfully, the other woman turned her attention to Buddy, who was standing obediently at Stephanie’s side.
“Look at you, Buddy. You hardly have a limp now. Next thing we know you’ll have that cast off and be chasing squirrels.”
Stephanie explained to Acton how Buddy had wound up at the clinic and ended it with Leonard’s idea that she adopt the dog when he was well enough to go home.
“I really think you ought to take him, Acton,” she suggested. “It would be good for Seymour to have a friend.”
The suggestion caused him to laugh. “Seymour have a friend? He’d try to tear Buddy’s head off!”
“Poor Seymour. You’re underestimating your dog,” Stephanie told him.
Acton laughed again. “Listen, I made the mistake of letting Seymour watch Lassie reruns. Now he thinks he’s just as good an actor as that famous collie. All the nice behavior he shows you is just a big performance. He’s actually Cujo in disguise.”
Stephanie couldn’t stop a giggle. “Oh, stop it, Acton! That’s horrible!”
“Horrible is right. I can’t turn my back on the monster,” he said, then added with a mischievous wink, “Only kidding. Seymour is a loyal mutt. Most of the time.”
Sobering her laughter, Stephanie said, “If you’re ready to collect the cats, I’ll help you. But I need to finish Buddy’s walk first.”
Dayna promptly reached for Buddy’s leash. “You two go on,” she said coyly. “I’ll be happy to take Buddy on the rest of his walk.”
Dayna and the dog turned and headed back down the hallway. Stephanie cast Acton an apologetic look.
“I apologize for Dayna’s little insinuations. She has this silly idea that you like me.”
“What’s silly about that? I do like you.”
Clasping her hands in front of her, Stephanie let out a long sigh. “Dayna means a different kind of like. And it’s embarrassing. So please just ignore her.”
His eyebrows arched upward until they very nearly disappeared beneath the brim of his hat. “It’s embarrassing for you to be associated with me?”
“No! That’s not what I meant. I was afraid all her sly innuendoes were embarrassing you.”
Clearly amused, he said, “I’m twenty-five years old, Stephanie. I suppose by most standards that’s young. But I’m past the age of being easily embarrassed. And for your information, I’m feeling rather flattered that she’s linking you to me.”
Stephanie decided she should’ve never started this conversation. The more he talked, the worse it got.
“I’m glad you feel that way,” she told him, while trying not to melt with pleasure at his compliment. She’d be a fool to let herself swoon over a man who had the reputation of being a cowboy Casanova.
* * *
“Well, that’s that,” he said a few minutes later as he shut the back door of the truck. In the carriers that were safely positioned on the floorboard, the two cats were howling in protest.
“You’re probably going to hear plenty of meowing the whole trip,” she warned. “But they’ll quiet down once you get them to your sister’s place.”
Acton rubbed his palms down the thighs of his jeans and wondered why he was suddenly feeling nervous. He’d never felt anxious about asking a woman to spend time with him. Stephanie shouldn’t be any different. But she was different, he realized. Not because she was a sister to the high-rolling Fortune brothers. But because she was sweet and sincere and being around her made him feel good.
Did that mean he was falling in love with her? Acton didn’t know. He’d never been in love before. But he did know that the warmth she evoked in him was like nothing he’d ever felt before.
Rubbing her hands up and down her arms to ward off the chill of the February wind, she said, “Well, I’d better get back inside.”
“Before you do that I, uh, was wondering if you’d mind riding over to Gina’s house with me? To get the cats settled in,” he explained. “I won’t mind waiting out here until you get off work.”
Her lips parted with surprise and Acton found himself staring at them, imagining how they would feel against his.
“Oh, I don’t know, Acton,” she said in a doubtful tone. “Linus is at day care and—”
“I won’t keep you that long. Promise.” He used his forefinger to make an X across his chest. “I’d really like for you to meet my sister. The kids have been telling her all about you. I think she’s getting the idea that you’re some sort of princess.”
She let out a little laugh and Acton felt something deep inside him go as soft as pudding. He couldn’t deny it was a joy to hear her laughter and see her smile. She needed to do it more, he thought. With him.
“Your sister is definitely in for a surprise,” she said.
“Then you’ll go with me?” he asked.
As she considered his invitation, Acton watched her wrestle with the long strands of hair being whipped about by the wind. Today she was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a canary-yellow blouse that buttoned down the front. The bright color made her red hair stand out even more.
From the time he’d entered his teens, Acton had taken extra notice of pretty girls, and down through the years, he’d ogled plenty of them. But he’d never stopped to appreciate all the tiny things that made them attractive. With Stephanie, every minute detail caught his attention. What did that mean?
“I suppose I could go,” she finally answered. “But I can only stay for a few minutes. I don’t want to leave Linus at the day care any longer than necessary.”
“That’s fine. That’s okay,” he said happily, then gestured behind her to the building. “You go on and finish your work. I’ll wait for you out here with the cats.”
She glanced at her watch. “Give me ten minutes.”
As she hurried back into the clinic, Acton realized he’d give her all night, just to spend five minutes alone with her.
Oh, brother, he was sicker than a calf at weaning time, he thought. And if he didn’t man up soon and get over this constant urge to be with Stephanie, he was going to end up being some kind of whimpering sap.
* * *
Acton’s sister, Gina, lived in a rambling redbrick house on the north edge of town. The yard was perfectly landscaped with shrubs and rose bushes, while most of the house was shaded by the huge, spreading limbs of a live oak tree.
“This is nice,” Stephanie said as he pulled to a stop in the driveway behind a white family-type SUV. “And the roses growing near the house are blooming like it’s the middle of June instead of February.”
