Anyone But a Fortune

Auteur

Judy Duarte

Lezers

16,2K

Hoofdstukken

Auteur

Judy Duarte

Lezers

16,2K

Hoofdstukken

Harlequin🌸 Clean & Wholesome

Chapter One

A light breeze rustled the trees as Beau Fortune headed toward the Rambling Rose Dog Park, his grip tight on the leash tethered to a happy-go-lucky shepherd mix. He’d rather be running along the bike trail up ahead, but at least, his biceps were getting a workout, thanks to the strength and energy of his neighbor’s nine-month-old rescue.

Beau liked animals well enough, but it had never seemed the right time to bring a pet into his life. That’s why he didn’t mind looking after M.P., Dan Gallagher’s overgrown pup. Dan’s wife had passed away six months ago, and he’d told Beau that though he kept busy during the day, the evenings often dragged on, long and lonely. Beau had suggested that he get a pet, and damned if Dan didn’t jump on that idea.

An Army vet who’d been part of the military police, Dan had dubbed his new dog M.P. But what a misnomer. Following rules and obeying his master didn’t come easy for the goofy mutt. Still, he was likable. There was an innocent sweetness about him, much like a well-meaning but impulsive child.

M.P. stopped to sniff a small shrub along the pathway, so Beau took a moment to shrug his shoulders a couple of times in an attempt to work out the knot that had grown tight during a trying day at Fortune Investments.

A bird chirped in a nearby maple, and the cool breeze kicked up a notch. It was good to be outdoors this afternoon. There was nothing he needed more than some fresh air and a relaxing walk that would allow him to leave a stressful day behind.

M.P. barked at the chirping bird, then tugged hard at the leash. So much for expecting to have a leisurely stroll in the park.

“Settle down. You’re no bird dog.” Beau pulled back on the leash just as his cell phone rang.

It was probably Draper, his brother, who was also his business partner and housemate. Draper hadn’t been happy about the surprise meeting their father had sprung on them this afternoon. Those video conference calls with the home office could be long and dreary, but Draper had agreed to stay and let Beau cut out early as long as he took M.P. with him.

Draper hadn’t objected to having Dan’s dog at the house or at the office, since the Fortune brothers had been trying to create a sense of belonging in their new community. And that meant being good neighbors.

As Beau pulled the smartphone out of his back pocket, M.P. lunged forward again, this time hard enough to loosen Beau’s grip on the leash and the phone. The latter landed facedown in the dirt.

“Crap.” Beau stooped to grab it just as M.P. let out a yip and sprang ahead. The leash slipped free of Beau’s fingers, and the rascally mutt took off like a shot, loping across the park. He appeared to be heading toward a woman and a fluffy white dog with a red banana tied around its neck. The woman spun a blue plastic disc into the air, and her talented pet took off after it, leaping up and making a great catch. Then, while holding the disc in its teeth, it trotted back to its owner.

Apparently, M.P. wanted to get in on the doggie fun and games. Beau cursed under his breath and declined the call before he had a lawsuit on his hands.

“Come back here,” he called out, but M.P. continued to run forward, his tail wagging like mad. “Crazy mutt.”

The Frisbee-flying woman quickly reached for her smaller dog, lifting it into her arms to protect it. Too bad she didn’t realize that M.P. was all yip and no bite.

“Don’t worry,” he called out to the attractive, dark-haired woman who was wearing a pair of black yoga pants and a red top. “M.P.’s too friendly and way too energetic, but he wouldn’t hurt a flea—and certainly not your dog. Or you.”

He continued his approach, but when her big brown eyes met his, recognition slammed into him and he damn near froze in his tracks.

It was her. The stunning brunette he’d met last month at the Valentine’s Day party at the Hotel Fortune. She’d been rocking a sexy red dress, and he’d been instantly drawn to her. Unlike Draper, who didn’t have a problem approaching an attractive woman he’d like to get to know, Beau tended to be more reserved. But he hadn’t been that night. He’d thrown back the last of his first glass of merlot, then crossed the dance floor, intent on introducing himself.

He’d barely said hello and managed a little small talk when a tall, slender man interrupted them and gave Beau a cold, threatening stare. Beau had immediately backed off. Not that he’d been intimidated. He just didn’t like public drama.

Now, as luck would have it and thanks to M.P.’s overly friendly nature, he had an opportunity to approach her again.

“Sorry about that.” He snatched the leash off the grass and pulled the dog back into some degree of submission as he straightened. “You may not remember me, but we met. Sort of.”

Her brow lifted, and a grin tugged at her pink-glossed lips. “Actually, I do remember you.”

Before he could come up with a clever response, an odd expression crossed her face and she flushed as if he’d caught her doing something unexpected or inappropriate. But she quickly recovered and offered him a full-blown smile that kicked up his heart rate and warmed his blood.

“It was on Valentine’s Day. At the Hotel Fortune.” She studied M.P. for a moment, clearly concluding that he wasn’t a threat to anyone. Her white fur baby had come to the same conclusion, because it began to squirm in her arms, clearly wanting to get down.

Beau cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about M.P.’s interference. He means well, but he’s a rescue and still learning his manners.”

She glanced at the fluffy dog in her arms. “This is Pepe. He’s a rescue, too.” Then she placed Pepe on the grass, where the two dogs began the let’s-sniff-each-other-and-make-friends routine, making an unexpected meet-and-greet look easy.

“Impy is a good name for him,” she said. “I can see he’s a bit mischievous.”

“He definitely has an impish side, but his name is actually in reference to the military police. His owner was in the service.” Beau glanced down at M.P. “He isn’t mine, though. I’m dog sitting for my neighbor.” He nodded toward Pepe, who appeared to have a little spaniel in its family pedigree. “Do you two come here often?”

“I try to. I work crazy hours, so I like to spend as much of my free time with Pepe as I can. In fact, I have a dog sitter, too. Two of them, actually. My mom and my grandmother.” She nodded to the right, toward a small neighborhood of Spanish-style, white stucco condominiums with red brick roofs. “They live in that complex over there and keep him when I’m at work or away from home.”

“Sounds like the perfect setup.”

“It works for us.”

They’d just spoken longer to each other this afternoon than they had at the party, yet he knew more about her dog and her family than he did her. “We never got a chance to exchange names that night. Mine’s Beau. And yours...?”

She paused for a moment as if she wasn’t sure whether to offer him an imaginary moniker or her real name. “It’s Sofia.”

He decided she’d given him an honest answer, because the name suited her. She had a striking look about her, with an olive complexion, high cheekbones, a slender nose and full, kissable lips.

She also had a figure that was curved to perfection. Damn, she was attractive. Too bad she was taken.

Or was she?

“I, uh...” He cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean to upset your boyfriend at the party.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. He’d jumped to conclusions, and I set him straight.”

She made it sound simple, but there had to be more going on than that. Beau hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off her the rest of the night, and he’d noted the tension in her stance and the serious expression she’d worn. She hadn’t been happy, and the boyfriend had been clearly pissed about something.

Beau hoped it hadn’t been him. He probably ought to let the subject drop, but he shrugged. “Even so, I’m sorry if I created any problems for you.”

She tucked a long strand of dark hair behind her ear, revealing a diamond stud and a lovely neck. “There isn’t any need to apologize. In the long run, you did me a favor.”

At that, Beau’s interest piqued and his attraction stirred. “I did? How so?”

She paused for a couple of beats. “Let’s just say relationships are complicated. And some aren’t supposed to last.”

Aw. So they broke up.

Before Beau could say a word, his cell phone rang. It was probably Draper again. And since the call could be important, he shouldn’t let it roll over to voice mail. “I’m sorry, Sofia. I don’t want to be rude, but I need to take this.”

As he reached into his back pocket to retrieve the phone, she said, “No problem. Go ahead. I need to go.”

His cell continued to ring, but he couldn’t let her walk away like that. “Wait a minute.”

She turned to face him, and her gaze locked on his. “Yes?”

“Do you come here often?”

“Almost daily.”

“About this same time?”

She nodded, then pointed at the ringing smartphone in his hand. “You’re going to lose that call.”

He tossed her a grin. “Then, maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She returned his smile. “Maybe you will.”

He certainly hoped so. At least, he knew where to find her.

“Come on, Pepe.” She snapped her fingers, and as she headed toward the bike path, the dog pranced along beside her, following her lead, even without a leash.

Beau swiped his finger across the screen, then pressed the phone to his ear. “I’m sorry I missed your call, bro. How’d that meeting go? Just the usual monthly update?”

“Yes, but there’s a problem. The website crashed.”

“Uh-oh. Did we get hacked?”

“No, there isn’t any evidence of that. Looks like it’s a bug in the app. The tech guys are working on it. They hope to get it up and running again soon.”

“Good.” Beau glanced over his shoulder and spotted Sofia and her dog nearing the bike path.

M.P. let out a whine, clearly unhappy to see his new friend leaving. Beau knew how he felt.

“But I do have some good news,” Draper added. “I just got word that Fortune Investments was nominated for a Lone Star Best Award.”

At that, Beau’s focus returned to the call. “No kidding?” The Lone Star Best was a prestigious award given to the movers and shakers in various industries in the state, not just finance. “That’s great news.”

“I agree. People have really begun to take notice of us.” Draper sounded as excited as a Little Leaguer who’d just hit a walk-off grand slam. “They invited us to a luncheon on Friday in Austin for the nominees. The next round is some kind of community competition—whatever that means. We’ll get further instructions then. Are you free on Friday?”

“Yeah, even if I have to reschedule things. How about you?”

“Not really,” Draper said. “Belle has already asked me for the day off, and I told her it was okay.”

Their sister had been working as their office manager, although she planned to start her own retail business in the near future.

“Did she tell you why she wanted the time off?” Beau asked.

“She and Jack are checking out a few properties that might be suitable for her boutique. So why don’t you go and represent Fortune Investments? I’ll hold down the fort at the office.”

“We both ought to attend. I’d suggest that we call a temp service and get someone to come in and answer phones.”

“You know Belle does a hell of a lot more than just answer the phones. And there’s a lot going on at the office now. I’ll cover for Belle. Besides, I have plans to go out of town this weekend. I’m flying to Vegas, and I don’t want to get tied up in Austin and risk missing my flight.”

Beau slowly shook his head, a grin tugging at his lips. Draper had always been able to manipulate things in his own favor. “Looks like I drew the short straw. Again.”

“Don’t look at it that way. That nomination is an honor. And you’ll make Fortune Investments look good.”

Draper was right. The home office was in New Orleans, and the two brothers had recently opened a branch in Rambling Rose. The recognition was going to provide them with valuable promotion.

“All right,” Beau said. “I’ll go on my own. Text me the details, and I’ll get it on my calendar.”

Once the call ended, he glanced down at M.P., who was looking up at him with sad, puppy-dog eyes that said he wasn’t happy to lose his new friend.

“Yeah, I hear you, buddy.” Beau took one last look at the bike path Sofia and her dog had taken just moments ago. She was out of sight now, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t see her again.

And if all went as planned, their next meeting would be tomorrow afternoon.

You may not remember me...

Sofia De Leon certainly had remembered him. The tall, dark-haired stranger had approached her at the party and tossed her a charming smile that nearly stole her breath away. From the first moment he said hello, he’d kind of reminded her of Cary Grant, or another of those polished 1940s movie stars. She’d found him both handsome and charming.

If truth be told, she’d felt more than a stir of attraction that evening. But at the time, she’d been committed to Patrick, so she wouldn’t have pursued anything.

Apparently, Patrick didn’t know her well enough to realize that, because when he interrupted them, he immediately gave Beau a death stare, and Beau had gracefully sauntered away. Patrick accused her of hooking up with another man while she was on a date with him, which she’d never do.

Since Sofia hadn’t even learned Beau’s name at that point, she didn’t think she’d ever see him again. So, needless to say, running into him at the dog park had taken her by complete surprise. Amazingly enough, she found him just as appealing in a casual setting as she had at a formal event. Maybe even more so.

While continuing to walk toward the bike path, she glanced over her shoulder to sneak one last glimpse of him. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt, the soft cotton fabric stretched just snug enough to outline broad shoulders, a hard chest and muscular biceps.

In addition to having a well-toned body, expressive brown eyes and a dimpled smile, he was also an animal lover. Well, maybe he didn’t exactly love them, but he obviously didn’t mind taking someone else’s rascally dog for a walk. And that was a good sign, a reason to believe that not all good-looking men were lying, cheating jerks. Right?

Her steps slowed, and she lingered a moment, watching him as he spoke on the phone. That is, until Pepe let out a little bark as if saying “Come on. What are we waiting for?”

“Okay. Let’s go.” Sofia headed to the condo complex, but her thoughts remained on Beau and what little she’d just learned about him.

He was just as nice and polished as she’d found him before. He was also direct, which she appreciated even though she’d felt a bit awkward when he’d addressed head-on the embarrassment and discomfort they’d both felt that night. I didn’t mean to upset the guy you were with at the Valentine’s party.

She didn’t doubt that. She and Beau had only been mingling and chatting, just like the other people at the party, but Beau’s presence had definitely set off Patrick.

Beau had been refined and polite. After he turned and walked away, Patrick had glared at her. “What was that all about?”

“Nothing.”

“I’m not blind. Or stupid. He was hitting on you. And you liked it.”

“Keep your voice down,” Sofia said. When he chuffed at the admonition, she added, “Believe it or not, I don’t even know his name. We were just making small talk. You didn’t have to be so rude.”

It had been the second time in their short, two-month relationship that Patrick had made something out of nothing. And when he apologized after the first blowup, he’d seemed remorseful, and she’d given him the benefit of the doubt. But she wasn’t up for any repeat performances, especially in a social setting.

As the night unfolded, he continued to remind her that she was out with him and that she ought to stop flirting with other guys. Finally, she’d had enough and insisted on leaving the party early.

Once in the hotel parking lot and standing beside his red Porsche with the driver’s door open, Patrick was all smiles again and produced a Tiffany box. “A Valentine’s gift,” he’d said.

She’d softened a bit, almost forgiving him. Then she read the card that had been addressed to someone else. “Who the hell is Stephanie?”

He’d stammered for a moment, then recovered. “The store made a mistake.”

Yeah. Right. “And you implied I was cheating?” She’d thrown the box at him and told him she never wanted to see him again.

“Your loss,” he said.

As she whipped out her cell phone and called an Uber, he’d peeled out of the parking lot.

All the way home, she’d kicked herself for not seeing the red flags and ending things sooner. But it was over now. And she’d learned from it. Trust was something to be earned.

She blew out a sigh, and glanced at Pepe, who was happily trotting at her side. “I should have kicked Patrick to the curb when he told me he didn’t like dogs. Sheesh. Who wouldn’t love a sweet boy like you?”

Pepe wagged his tail as if in total agreement.

“And as luck would have it,” she told the sweet dog, “I’ve crossed paths with Beau again.”

She glanced over her shoulder to take one last look at him, but the path had curved and she could no longer see him.

She hadn’t noticed his soft Southern drawl at the party, but she’d certainly caught it today. She found it utterly charming. Do you come here often? About this same time?

It didn’t take a mind reader to know what Beau was getting at. He planned to run into her again—and soon. Her heart spun at the thought.

Wait a second. Thoughts like that were sure to take her down a treacherous rabbit hole that would lead to nowhere good.

Beau was handsome and charming, just like Patrick had been at first. So she’d better be careful. She wasn’t about to get carried away by another pretty face. It might be better if she kept her interactions with him contained to the dog park.

Regardless, it was Wednesday evening, and she needed to get home. As usual, her grandmother was making their weekly family dinner. And tonight, she’d promised to make Sofia’s favorite meal—chile verde, rice, calabasitas, homemade flour tortillas and flan for dessert.

Sofia reached down and clipped on Pepe’s leash. She didn’t mind letting him run free at the park and on the bike trail, but she wasn’t taking any chances near the highway.

Minutes later, she arrived at 120 Guadalajara Court, the home she’d purchased for her mom and her paternal grandmother a couple of years ago. It had been the least she could do for the two women who’d loved her unconditionally and had sacrificed so much for her.

After Papa died, Abuelita had moved in to care for Sofia, while Mama worked two jobs to support them.

Pepe let out a little bark and wagged his tail, clearly glad to arrive at his second home. Sofia knocked lightly, then opened the door and stepped into the cozy living room with its polished hardwood floors and white walls adorned with brightly colored Southwestern artwork.

“It’s me, Mom.” Sofia unhooked Pepe’s leash. “We’re back.”

“Your mama’s not here,” Abuelita called out. “But she’ll be back soon.”

Sofia followed her grandmother’s voice to the kitchen, relishing the aroma of pork simmering in tomatillos and spice. There she found her grandmother checking a pot on the stove.

“Yum,” Sofia said. “Dinner smells good.”

“It’s almost done, mija.”

Sofia took a seat at the kitchen table, where the small family of three often gathered for meals, board games and pleasant conversation. “Where’d Mama go?”

Abuelita replaced the lid on the pot, then turned away from the stove. “She went to that little wine shop on the corner. She wanted to buy a bottle of champagne so we could toast your good news.”

Sofia broke into a grin. Her news was so much better than good. It was great. Amazing. She’d gotten the call right after she and Pepe arrived at the dog park. As soon as she could catch her breath and contain her excitement, she’d called her mother to tell her that she, Sofia De Leon, the owner and CEO of De Leon Financial Consulting, had been nominated for a Lone Star Best Award. She and the other nominees would be honored at a luncheon in Austin on Friday. There they would receive the instructions on the next round of competition.

She had no idea what to expect, but whatever she had to do, she was going all-in. The publicity for her investment firm would be priceless. As far as she was concerned, that award belonged to her, and she wasn’t about to let anyone get in the way.