Her Texas New Year's Wish
Autore
Michelle Major
Letto da
16,8K
Capitoli
17
Chapter One
“I wouldn’t drink that if I were you.”
Wiley Fortune plucked the glass from his sister’s hand and placed it back on the polished mahogany bar.
Nicole gave him a funny look. “It’s water, Wi. Roja is providing the food for this party. I may be a guest, but I’m also still on the clock.”
“I know it’s water.” Wiley tugged on the end of Nicole’s long blond hair, the way he used to do when they were kids. “That’s my point.”
Nicole, Ashley and Megan Fortune—the triplets—had been born seven years after Wiley, miracle babies in every sense of the word. Their parents, David and Marci, had married after a whirlwind courtship, blending four sons from their respective first marriages in a way that would have made Carol Brady’s head spin back in the day.
The boys had gotten off to a bit of a rocky start as they attempted to figure out their roles in the new family. Everything had changed when his mom gave birth to Stephanie five years later. One thing all four boys could agree on was how much they adored their baby sister. Mom had hoped to add another sibling to the mix right away, but she’d had trouble conceiving. Although she’d tried to hide her emotional pain and physical exhaustion, Wiley knew that season of loss had taken a toll on her.
Wiley loved every member of his family, but he’d been a quiet, introverted kid and it was a lot to grow up in such a big, boisterous family. Maybe that fact had something to do with the distance that had seemed to grow between him and the rest of his siblings.
He was the only one who hadn’t migrated to the quaint town of Rambling Rose, Texas, although they’d convinced him to visit over Christmas and return for his cousin Adam Fortune’s son’s first birthday party.
“What’s wrong with the water in Rambling Rose?” Nicole asked, scrunching her perfect nose.
“It’s obviously tainted,” Wiley said, keeping his features neutral and using the same tone with her that he did for contract negotiations in his law firm back in Chicago. “Look around at all the nauseatingly happy couples here tonight. Something happens when a Fortune drinks the Rambling Rose water. They lose all sense and succumb to Cupid’s arrow.”
Nicole rolled her bright blue eyes toward the tile ceiling that had just been installed in the restaurant. “I guess that explains why you’re on your second whiskey of the night.”
He lifted the etched-glass tumbler in her direction. “Much safer. Can I buy you a drink?”
“I’m running the restaurant and bar tonight,” Nicole said with a delicate sniff. “I don’t need you to buy me a drink.”
She swatted his arm, then grabbed the water and made a show of drinking down half of it in a few gulps. “Besides—” she delicately dabbed at the corner of her mouth with the flowing sleeve of her batik-print dress “—what’s wrong with love?”
“It’s a distraction,” he answered without hesitation.
“That’s cynical, Wiley, even for you.” Nicole climbed onto the bar stool next to him and swiveled so that they were both facing out toward the crowd. “Look at how happy Callum and Dillon are.”
She pointed toward their brothers, who stood near the front of the banquet room greeting guests. Dillon stood close to Hailey Miller, his fiancée, whom he’d met because she worked at the local spa the family had opened in town last year, while Callum and his wife, Becky, held hands. They’d met and quickly married after Callum moved to Rambling Rose and fell in love with the sweet nurse and her adorable twin toddlers, Sasha and Luna.
“It’s the water,” he repeated. “Or they’ve all been stricken by the Texas heat. Even Steven is all googly-eyed for his lady. I barely recognize my own brothers.”
A second sister, Megan, let out a mild laugh as she approached from the other side of him and helped herself to a sip of his drink. “If you don’t recognize your brothers, it’s because you spend too much time on your own.”
“I’m here now,” Wiley muttered.
“Because Mom guilted you into it,” Megan reminded him. She, Nicole and Ashley looked almost identical with their shiny hair and delicate features. They’d followed their brothers to Rambling Rose and opened a farm-to-table restaurant, Provisions, to a great deal of success. Megan was the most serious of the trio and handled the finances for both Provisions and Roja, located inside the Hotel Fortune, which was due to open in just over a month. Nicole was the more flamboyantly creative and was using her culinary skills to create an innovative menu for Roja as the restaurant’s executive chef. Ashley took on the role of bossy micromanager in the best way possible, and as the general manager for Provisions.
“Wiley thinks Rambling Rose is a bad influence on all of us because the Fortunes are falling in love here.”
“You could use some more love in your life.” Megan poked a finger into his biceps. “You work too much.”
“How would you know? I live in Chicago. Don’t tell me you’re keeping tabs on my life from halfway across the country.” Wiley felt heat prick the back of his neck as his sisters exchanged a knowing glance. He didn’t think he’d sounded defensive, but this was the reason he skipped so many family gatherings. There was no privacy to be had once his brothers and sisters got involved.
“All you talk about is work,” Megan answered, smoothing a hand over her cream-colored sweater.
“I like my job.” Wiley took a long drink of whiskey, welcoming the burn of the liquor in his throat. “It’s fascinating.”
“Contract law isn’t fascinating.” Nicole laughed. “The restaurant business is fascinating. It’s always evolving.”
“Not to mention there’s no shortage of yummy food to taste,” Megan added.
“Being an attorney is fascinating to me,” Wiley grumbled.
“Because you need more excitement in your life.” Nicole turned to him. “Don’t you long for a change, Wi? For years, you’ve been at the same firm in the same position—”
“And living in the same condo.” Megan fist-bumped her sister.
“I’m stable and consistent,” Wiley told them.
“Boring,” Nicole countered.
“When was the last time you did something spontaneous?” Megan demanded, placing a hand on his knee and pinching like she used to when they were kids.
“What the hell?” Wiley squirmed and then shooed away her hand.
“You’re still girl-crazy,” Megan told him with a laugh. “You always have been.”
“You just need to improve your taste,” Nicole advised.
Megan nodded. “Maybe then it will last beyond a couple of months.”
Wiley resisted the urge to growl or to stomp away the way he had when his baby sisters bothered him when they were younger. He pointed to their cousin, Kane, who’d joined Callum’s construction company last year once Callum moved the operation to Rambling Rose. “Go bother Kane with your meddling,” he said.
Nicole laughed. “What are we, the Scooby-Doo gang?”
“Those meddling sisters,” Megan said, making her voice low like a cartoon villain’s.
“You have so many choices of Fortunes to annoy here tonight.”
“But you’re our current favorite.” Megan leaned in and placed a smacking kiss on Wiley’s cheek.
“The rest of them aren’t half as much fun now that they’ve found love,” Nicole admitted, resting her head on his shoulder as her tone turned wistful. “They’re all so blissed out from true love.”
“You’re still an easy target.” Megan smiled at him, but it didn’t quite reach her blue eyes.
“Why doesn’t that sound like a compliment?”
“We want you to be happy,” Megan told him, but Wiley wasn’t sure if she was truly talking about him or thinking of herself. He wasn’t about to point out that neither Nicole nor Megan had found love in Rambling Rose.
Nicole handed him her nearly empty glass of water. “You should have some of this. If there really is something in the water, it will be good for you.”
“You know that was a joke.” He took the water from her and finished it in one swallow. “First, I don’t believe in true love. It isn’t pragmatic, and the odds of it being successful are ridiculously bad. Besides, whatever my future holds, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t include finding my perfect match in a town that’s no more than a tiny speck on the Texas map. I’m here temporarily to support all of you. Nothing more.”
“You have to keep your heart open,” Megan told him. “You never know when love will find you.” She gestured toward Callum, who lifted one of the twins into the air. “When Callum and Becky met, he wasn’t looking for love.”
“Now he’d tell you he couldn’t imagine his life without Becky, Sasha and Luna.”
Wiley sighed. His sisters were right about Callum. It still felt strange that his brother had taken on the role of father figure to the pretty widow’s daughters so seamlessly. Not that Callum wasn’t great with kids. He’d had plenty of experience with Stephanie and the triplets. But up until he’d met Becky, Wiley had been certain Callum didn’t want kids. The same went for Dillon and Steven. In fact, it had been the change in each of his brothers that made him feel like even more of an odd man out in his family.
He glanced between Nicole and Megan, at the similar wistful expressions as they surveyed the crowd. No way would he rain on their romantic parade, even if he knew their unwavering belief in true love might have more to do with youth and inexperience than anything else. Wiley had been around the dating block enough to know that some people weren’t cut out for love. People like him.
His siblings had a lot to be proud of. They’d accomplished so much in their time in Rambling Rose. He’d watched from a distance with fascination over the past year and half as they’d transformed the sleepy community into a thriving small town.
Wiley smiled as Ashley, the third triplet, approached, wagging her finger. “You three need to mingle.”
Ashley had always been the bossiest. Now that she was settled in Rambling Rose and happy with her fiancé, Rodrigo Mendoza, and the success of Provisions, she was even more confident in her ability to order her siblings around.
“We’re doing important work here,” Megan told Ashley with an arched brow. “Convincing Wiley to move to Rambling Rose.”
“He’s about to agree.” Nicole nodded.
“That’s wonderful.” Ashley gave Wiley a tight hug.
“And a total lie.” He extricated himself from her embrace and held up his empty glass toward the bartender, silently requesting a refill. He was staying out at the Fame and Fortune Ranch where several of his siblings lived, so Nicole had given him a ride to the hotel tonight. Might as well take advantage, especially with his sisters on a mission.
“Larkin is a cute baby,” he said casually, then smiled to himself as the triplets began to talk over one another, extolling the virtues of the birthday boy.
Nothing distracted them like an adorable kid.
He thanked the bartender when the man brought him a fresh glass and took a step away from the triplets. Time to make a quick exit from that conversation.
Steven waved to him, and Wiley started in that direction, then paused when a flash of blue caught his attention. A beautiful woman wearing a tailored cerulean sheath dress.
The party was being held on the second floor of Roja, the signature restaurant that was part of the Hotel Fortune. The boutique hotel, with its Spanish architecture and Western decor that was a nod to the town’s history, was the crowning achievement for his brothers. Callum, Dillon and Steven had successfully opened various businesses in town over the past year, from the medical clinic to a spa to several upscale retail shops. He knew they’d received the most pushback from the community about the initial plan for the hotel, and it had been Kane who’d smoothed over the waters in town, convincing Callum to rescale the project to be smaller and more intimate.
The Hotel Fortune was set to open in just over a month, and Wiley had no doubt it would be a huge success. His brothers and sisters wouldn’t settle for anything less.
There were at least fifty people in attendance for Larkin’s birthday. In addition to his parents, Adam and Laurel, and his immediate and extended family, the private banquet room on the restaurant’s second floor was filled with friends and hotel employees. The community had banded together last year to support the baby when he needed a bone marrow transplant. Everyone was thrilled to celebrate the little boy who’d overcome so much. And to Wiley’s surprise, based on how his siblings had talked about the celebration, all the different Fortune factions seemed to be getting along.
He turned toward the wall of windows and patio doors that had been opened for the evening. It was unseasonably warm for this time of year, even by Texas standards. In the center of the exterior wall was a stamped concrete balcony with wrought iron railings that overlooked the patio and pool below.
His gaze snagged on the same woman who’d caught his attention a few moments earlier. She had long, bourbon-colored hair, a slender build and creamy skin from what he could see of her arms in the sleeveless dress she wore. She spoke to Callum and Mariana, one of the town’s most illustrious residents, who was working with Nicole as the sous chef in the Roja kitchen. For years, Mariana had run a successful outdoor market in downtown Rambling Rose, with vendors selling all kinds of food and wares. And her food stall had been one of the most—if not the most—popular stand of all. It was in no small part thanks to her influence with the local vendors that the Fortune family had been able to go ahead with some of their most successful new projects, all because Mariana understood that they would bring new life to her hometown.
Wiley didn’t recognize the woman in blue, although he couldn’t help but think they’d met before. There was nothing else that would explain the strange connection when he hadn’t even fully seen her face.
Then she turned, and the breath whooshed out of him on a long exhale. It was like a piece of a puzzle snapping together with its perfect match. His heart seemed to skip a beat. No, that couldn’t be right. The woman was a stranger. There was no question, because he would never forget his reaction to her.
She might be a stranger, but he had to meet her.
He made his way through the crowd. Mariana walked away, but Callum remained in conversation with the woman as Wiley stopped just behind his brother.
“Hey, Wi.” Callum glanced over his shoulder. “Have you met Grace Williams? She’s one of our management trainees. Grace, this is my brother Wiley. He’s our big-shot family attorney visiting from Chicago.”
Wiley barely registered the introduction as Grace smiled at him. Her eyes, the same bright blue of a clear summer sky, crinkled at the corners.
“Hi.” He struggled to regain control over the rapid cadence of his breathing. If he didn’t know better, Wiley would think he was having some sort of heart attack. There was no logical explanation for his reaction. He’d met countless beautiful women over the years and dated his fair share of them. But Grace Williams leveled him with just a smile.
Callum cleared his throat, and Wiley realized Grace had offered her hand to shake.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said softly, a blush staining her cheeks.
He took her hand, almost expecting to feel the zap of an electric current when he touched her. No literal shock, which he realized was a ridiculous expectation in the first place.
“Hey, Wiley,” Steven called from a few feet away. “Come over here for a second. I have a couple hotel employees I want you to meet.”
Wiley had already met a dozen new people tonight, employees, local business owners and members of the extended Fortune family. He’d enjoyed the various introductions until this moment. Now he was done talking to people other than Grace.
“It’s fine,” Callum told him with a dismissive pat on the shoulder. “Grace and I are discussing some hotel business, anyway.”
Wiley wanted to argue, but that would be rude. He looked toward Grace once more and her breath hitched.
“I’ll be around all night,” she told him, darting a quick glance toward Callum before her gaze returned to Wiley. “I hope we can chat some more.”
“Definitely,” he told her, the band around his heart loosening slightly. He had all night to talk to Grace.
That thought calmed Wiley enough so that he could shift his attention to Steven as he walked away. He wasn’t about to lose his chance with Grace when they’d only just met.
Wiley Fortune was quite possibly the most handsome man Grace had ever seen. And in his family, that was saying something.
He shared the same tall, lean build as Steven and that innate Fortune spark, but Grace’s reaction to Wiley had been unexpected. As he walked away, she worked to regain control. The last thing she needed was to make a spectacle of herself in front of Callum.
She did her best not to fidget as she gave an update on the water heater that had leaked in one of the hotel’s main-floor utility rooms. She hated relaying anything that seemed like bad news, especially in the middle of a first birthday party, but hoped the fact that she had a solution for the potential dilemma would help.
“It sounds like you handled it perfectly,” Callum told her, and she let out a small sigh of relief. “Just like tonight. Larkin’s celebration has gone off without a hitch.”
“I can’t take all the credit,” Grace admitted because that was her way. “The Roja staff has done an amazing job. Everyone’s pitched in where they were supposed to. And a roomful of Fortunes isn’t as intimidating as you led me to believe.”
Callum grinned. “We’re on our best behavior.” He leaned closer. “It’s a bit of a surprise, I’ll admit. This night makes me feel like we’re actually on track for the grand opening next month.”
“Definitely,” Grace agreed. “By then, all the details will be ironed out. Everyone in Rambling Rose is going to be talking about the Hotel Fortune.”
“I hope you’re right. This venture has definitely given us the most headaches, although it will all be worth it when we have a full slate of guests.”
“You and your brothers and sisters have made sure every step of the redevelopment plan for the town has been thoughtfully crafted and executed. I’m honored to be a part of it.” Grace inwardly cringed, hoping she didn’t sound like a total suck-up, but Callum smiled.
“We’re glad to have you on the team. I’m sorry things at Cowboy Country didn’t work out, but their loss is our gain.”
Grace forced a smile, although mention of her previous job had her stomach tightening painfully. She didn’t think anyone in Rambling Rose knew the full truth of why she’d left the cowboy theme park run by another branch of the Fortune family in the town of Horseback Hollow. There was no way she was going to share her heartbreak and humiliation, not when her life was finally getting back on track.
“Take a break.” Callum gestured to the row of food tables. “Have a piece of cake or a drink or just enjoy the beautiful night. You’ve earned it, Grace.”
She nodded. “Thanks. I’ll have a piece of birthday cake. I’m glad things are going so well and Larkin’s enjoying the attention.”
Someone called to Callum, and she turned for the cake table but first detoured toward the empty balcony overlooking the hotel’s impeccably landscaped pool area. She needed to cool off as she could still feel her cheeks burning from the way Wiley had looked at her.
She wouldn’t jeopardize her future for any man, no matter how attractive. In some ways, she still felt like pinching herself, because despite all the things that had gone wrong in her life, the three and half months she’d spent in the Hotel Fortune management training program seemed to make all the trouble worth it.
Yes, she’d had to drop out of college to help take care of her older brother after he’d been seriously injured in a car accident almost a decade earlier. Yes, she’d struggled to fit in when she’d finally returned to school, unable to enjoy life in the way regular college students did. She’d been too serious and too focused, determined to get her degree but always guilty that she was able to have a life Jake couldn’t due to his recovery. After finally graduating with a degree in hospitality management, she’d landed a job in the Cowboy Country front office. At that point, Grace thought she was finally on her way. She’d had a good job, a handsome boyfriend and a fresh start in life.
Discovering that Craig had been cheating on her with a fellow employee—and that pretty much everyone at Cowboy Country knew it except Grace—had been a blow she hadn’t expected. One that brought her to her knees, literally and figuratively.
But she was leaving the past behind for her new future with the Hotel Fortune. Although members of the family had been taking the lead on running things during construction, they planned to promote someone from within the training program to the role of general manager as part of the grand opening. There might be other employees vying for the coveted position, but Grace was determined to earn it.
She stepped to the edge of the balcony, running her palms across the smooth wrought iron railing. She couldn’t remember ever feeling such a sense of anticipation as she did at this moment.
Drawing in a long pull of the fresh air from the open patio doors, she turned back toward the party. Pride swelled in her chest at the crowd of happy people. She’d had a lot to do with making this evening a success.
Her gaze snagged on Wiley once again as he moved away from the group where he stood. One corner of his full mouth tugged into a sexy smirk, like he could feel the way her body went on high alert from across the room. Grace felt like she was on a roller coaster, climbing the track of the first giant hill. Her heart raced as she thought about the free fall to come.
When he started toward her, she turned and leaned forward, gripping the railing with rigid fingers. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to meet him. In fact, her body practically yearned to get close to him.
But she’d given herself to a man once before with disastrous results. No way would she fall again.
A loud crack split the air, and she stumbled as the balcony pitched forward. Then she was falling so fast she didn’t even have time to scream.
