Expecting a fortune, p.18
Expecting a Fortune, page 18
Bea laid her hand on his chest. “You can’t take all the blame. I added stress to our relationship, too. I gave in to focusing on my past experiences instead of what was standing right in front of me. You.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Breathing away anxiety, he dived back in. “But there’s something else you should know. I’m falling in love with you—and not just because we’re having a baby together. It started the moment we danced at the reception.”
“That’s good to know.” She met his gaze. “Because that’s when I started falling in love with you.”
Happiness fueled Devin’s smile. Leaning away, he glanced down at her stomach. “Did you hear that? Your mama’s falling in love with me.”
Bea laughed. “If my growling stomach is the answer, they heard you.”
“Then we should eat. Where do you want to go?”
“What about your place or mine? We can talk things through...and see where it leads.”
The look of desire in her eyes made his heart leap. He brought her closer. “Should I clear my calendar for the rest of the day?”
Bea leaned more against him. “That’s what I planned to do.”
“I like that plan...a lot.” Devin kissed her, grateful for a second chance at love and a bigger life.
Epilogue
Five Months Later
Bea woke up to her back being spooned against Devin’s front. As he stretched his strong arm around her, he curved his hand over the swell of her baby bump, enveloping her in a hug.
He brushed a kiss along her temple. “Good morning.”
A contented sigh escaped from her. “Good morning.” As she pushed back against him, instead of his bare legs and chest, she encountered clothing. “Why are you dressed?”
“I’m going downstairs to make breakfast with Carly. Do you need anything?”
Bea turned in his arms. As he rolled to his back, she rested her head on his chest. He wore a T-shirt and sweatpants. The softness of the fabric, his warmth, and the light, appealing fragrance of the aftershave lotion he used prompted her to snuggle against him. “Just you.”
“Too easy, sweetheart. You’ve already got me.”
His soft kiss to her forehead and the slight tightening of his arms around her suddenly made her want to cry with happiness and pee at the same time. Bea managed to hold back the water works on both ends, wanting another minute or two in his arms.
She’d never felt so cherished and cared for in her life as she had these past few months with Devin. He’d kept his word about cutting back on his schedule, especially on weekends. She looked forward to spending these early morning hours together.
“Do you want anything special for breakfast?” he asked. “We still have fresh peaches left over from yesterday. I can make pancakes with peaches and cinnamon again.”
As much as Bea loved snuggling with him, hunger for food suddenly moved to the top of her list of needs. Her mouth watered. Pancakes sounded great but... “Is a breakfast pizza too much to ask for?”
He chuckled. “Not at all. Carly guessed that was probably what you’d want. She already made the dough. Eggs, cheese, and turkey bacon okay?
“Perfect.”
Devin gave her a quick kiss, then went to the kitchen.
After taking care of the essentials in the bathroom, Bea headed downstairs.
Devin and Carly were talking.
“What about Baxter or a cool name like Hipparanamus?” he said with humor in his tone. “We could call him Bax or Harry for short.”
Carly laughed. “Seriously, Dad? Those aren’t close to cool names for my baby brother. What about Nick or Jaeden? Or Francis?”
The mixed terrier, who was now a permanent part of the family, barked as if he understood.
Baby brother... It was so good to hear Carly make that claim. Day by day they were growing closer, especially since she’d been spending the summer with them and was working at the Cowgirl Café.
Over the past few months, the restaurant had become popular not only in Chatelaine but also the surrounding area. So many good things were happening in their lives. Sometimes it felt like a dream, but it wasn’t. This was her life now and Bea was grateful for all of it.
As she walked into the kitchen, Devin and Carly both looked up from where they were adding toppings to pizza dough in a pan on the counter.
Grinning, he pointed to the small, black dry-erase board on the front of the refrigerator. “You’re just in time to give an opinion on the latest baby names to add to the list.”
“I heard.”
“So are you on board with Hipparanamus?” He wiggled his brows playfully.”
“Yeah...no. I think I’m with Carly and Francis on this round. And I have another one to add.”
As Bea made her way to the refrigerator, Francis followed. His tail thumped on the ground as he sat beside her.
“Hey, cutie.” She gave him a head rub before sliding the marker from the holder on the door and adding Nick and Jaeden to the list plus one more.
Carly went to Bea. The teen smiled as she saw what Bea had written. “I actually kind of like it.”
“I...” A small fluttering like butterfly wings spread just below Bea’s belly button, and she released a surprised gasp.
“Are you okay?” Carly asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. It’s the baby.” Laughing, she took Carly’s hand and placed it where she’d felt the baby kick. “I think he likes the name, too.”
“I feel him.” Awe and excitement filled Carly’s expression. “Dad, come here—you have to feel this.”
“On my way.” Devin quickly put the pizza into the oven.
Carly glanced down at the dog who was fidgeting around them. “It’s time for his potty break. Come on, Francis.” She ushered the dog out the kitchen.
Devin reached Bea. He did a double take at what she’d written on the board. Smiling, he embraced her from behind. “Are you sure?”
The baby kicked again.
As Bea looked over her shoulder and met his gaze, her heart swelled with happiness and the same love she saw in his eyes. “I think it’s decided. In a few more months, Devin Street Jr. will make his appearance.”
Devin smiled. “I can’t wait to meet him.”
She turned in his arms to face him. “Neither can I.” Bea met Devin for a kiss, excited for the future ahead of them...as a family.
* * *
West Fortune is back from the dead!
Don’t miss
Fortune’s Lonestar Twins
By Teri Wilson
Available May 2024 wherever
Harlequin books and ebooks are sold!
And until then, catch up with the whole Chatelaine Fortunes clan:
Fortune’s Baby Claim
By Michelle Major
Fortune in Name Only
By Tara Taylor Quinn
Available now!
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Maverick’s Marriage Deal by Kaylie Newell.
Family is everything in the Lone Star State
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The Maverick’s Marriage Deal
by Kaylie Newell
Chapter One
Shep Dalton held the small present in his hand and glanced around. The room was packed. Actually, packed was an understatement. Everywhere he looked there were people—drinks in their hands, laughing and talking underneath balloons and streamers and two giant disco balls that tossed chaotic twinkles of light over them like confetti. Over the top, but not surprising. His old high-school classmate Janet Halstead, the birthday girl, was one of the first of his friends to turn thirty, and Janet had always leaned toward being a little extra. So, disco balls? Absolutely.
Shep didn’t mind though. This party had gotten him away from the ranch in Bronco on the very same day they were worming and inoculating the cattle, which meant he was in a good mood. In fact, he was ready for a beer or two.
Adjusting his Stetson over his eyes, he scanned the room for the gift table. He needed to deposit this thing and find Janet and her husband, Frank, to say hello. He hadn’t seen her since she’d moved to Wonderstone Ridge. Frank was well-off and had connections, which was why he’d been able to rent this place out for the party. The Wonderstone Ridge Indoor Theme Park and Aquarium. Quite a mouthful, but it was quite a place. It had been under construction for a while and hadn’t even officially opened yet, so this event was a big deal. The entire county had been wanting to get a look inside for months. Now, thanks to Janet, her friends and family, at least, were getting their wish.
Narrowing his eyes, he spotted what looked like the gift table not too far from a floor-to-ceiling aquarium full of tropical fish. The table was overflowing, of course, and topped with a fancy-looking, three-tiered cake.
Muttering his apologies and touching the brim of his Stetson, he brushed past a group of twentysomething women drinking champagne and giggling at who knew what.
“Don’t be sorry, cowboy,” a pretty brunette said, giving him a wink as he walked by. “I’m not.”
Shep smiled but didn’t stop. She was wearing a huge rock on her ring finger that was hard to miss. In fact, most of the people here seemed to have shown up with their better halves. He guessed that was what happened when you were nearing thirty. Marriage, kids, a house with a white picket fence that was mortgaged to the hilt. Maybe that was generalizing, but it sure seemed accurate from where he stood. And all of a sudden, he felt like a damn fish out of water surrounded by all these happy couples.
“Shep Dalton? Is that you?”
Looking up, he saw Janet making her way toward him, weaving gracefully in between her guests. She wore a silver sequined dress that sparkled and flashed, and was giving the disco balls above her a run for their money.
He grinned. It was good to see her. He’d always liked Janet, who was obviously living the dream, complete with three adorable kids. At least, according to her Facebook pictures.
“I was hoping you’d come,” she said, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. “But I know how hard it is to tear you away from that ranch.”
“Happy birthday, Janet. I wouldn’t have missed it.”
“It’s been a long time.” She pulled away and smiled, rubbing her lipstick from his jaw. “Handsome as ever, I see. When are you going to settle down with some lucky lady?”
A distinctive warmth crept up his neck. Here we go. What was so wrong with being single, anyway? Janet sounded exactly like his mother, who couldn’t wait to marry him off, just like his brothers. Still, even as he thought it, he remembered a promise he’d made years ago. And remembered the girl he’d made it to as well.
He cleared his throat. “This is a good turnout. You always knew how to throw a party.”
She laughed, looking around. “Yes, well. A lot of these people are Frank’s business associates, so I don’t even know them that well. He saw an excuse to schmooze and took it. But some friends from high school came, so that makes me happy.”
“Oh yeah?” A waiter walked by with a tray of champagne glasses, and Shep grabbed one with a nod. He’d never been much for champagne, but when in Rome... He took a sip, the bubbles fizzing on his tongue. “Who showed up from high school?”
“Oh, my old cheerleading friends. Anna Delgado from the drama club—remember her? She moved away from Tenacity about the same time I did. She lives up north and just had a baby.” Janet tapped her lips with a manicured index finger. “Who else... Oh! Rylee Parker is here. You should be happy about that. You two were thick as thieves.”
Shep had been taking another sip of champagne, but at the sound of Rylee’s name, he swallowed with some difficulty.
“Rylee’s here?” he managed.
“She was over by the aquarium, the last I saw her.” Janet gazed up at him. “You know, I was always kind of surprised you two didn’t end up together. You would’ve made a cute couple.”
Shep’s gut tightened at that. Nobody in his small hometown of Tenacity had known how he’d felt about Rylee back then. Least of all Rylee. But Janet was right about one thing—they had been thick as thieves. Which probably wasn’t the right way to put it because the most trouble they’d ever gotten into was skipping class to go swimming in the river every now and then. And he’d had to twist her arm to do that. Rylee had always been a little shy, a great student, definitely a rule follower. Despite Shep trying to corrupt her in the best way possible.
Thinking about her now, he felt his lips stretch into a smile. He winked down at Janet, wanting to keep her guessing. Maybe this party was going to be more interesting than he’d thought.
“You never know, Janet,” he said.
Her delicate eyebrows rose at that. “Well, what—”
She didn’t finish her sentence because an older woman appeared out of nowhere and tapped her on the shoulder.
“Janet, honey, the caterer has a question about the crab cakes. I wasn’t sure what to tell her.”
“Oh, thank you, Linda. I’ll be right there.” She turned to Shep again and pointed to his chest. “Don’t think we’re done with this conversation, mister.”
He nodded. Then watched her make her way toward the presumed crab cake problem as the thumping music overhead changed to something softer.
Looking down at the drink in his hand, he frowned. So, he was going to see Rylee again. With her auburn hair and those beautiful blue eyes. He imagined her on the banks of the river all those years ago, the water droplets on her shoulders sparkling like diamonds. He’d felt so protective of her back then. She was too good for him. Too good for anyone, as far as he was concerned.
Nope. Champagne wasn’t going to cut it. He definitely needed a beer.
* * *
Rylee took a sip of her champagne and wrinkled her nose. She hated champagne. It always gave her heartburn. But that was Rylee in a nutshell. Not exactly super comfortable at parties like this.
Actually, scratch that. She didn’t used to be comfortable at parties like this. But that was before. Before she’d grown into a confident, capable, educated woman with an MBA who also happened to be the recently named director of marketing for the Bronco Convention Center.
She swallowed hard. If she had to repeat it over and over again, that’s exactly what she’d do. Even though her days of being the shy, studious type were long behind her now, that little girl tried to resurface sometimes, which was inconvenient at best.
Gazing at the colorful fish making circles in the aquarium, she took a deep breath. She’d stay until Janet cut her cake, and then she’d head home. Aside from a few high-school acquaintances, she really didn’t know anyone here, and there was a pint of Ben & Jerry’s mint chocolate-chip ice cream with her name on it back at her apartment.
She took another sip of champagne, not letting herself think too much about the fact that leaving a party to go chow down on ice cream at home was exactly what a shy, studious type would do.
“Well, if it isn’t my old swimming buddy...”
Startled, she turned at the sound of the gravelly voice behind her.
And then she stood there, unable to say anything at all. Her heart beat like a drum as she stared up at the handsome cowboy in the red plaid shirt a few feet away. He was grinning at her. A familiar, mischievous sparkle in his blue eyes.
Shep Dalton...
She could hardly believe it. It had been so long since she’d seen him that she had to blink to make sure she wasn’t imagining this. Of course, she shouldn’t be surprised. He’d been friends with Janet, too. And thanks to the local grapevine, she knew he lived in Bronco as well. His family had moved a few years ago after his father had gotten lucky at the slots in Las Vegas. They now owned a sprawling ranch in Bronco Heights called Dalton’s Grange.
Still, she’d never run into him in town, even though she’d expected to these last few years.
She felt her lips tilt into a smile, warmth spreading across her chest. It was the way he was looking at her. It was the same way he’d looked at her in high school—like she was different from all the other girls. At least, that was how he’d always made her feel. Not that Shep would be remotely interested in someone like her. Rylee knew that without a doubt. He was much too spirited and adventurous. He always had been.
“Shep?” she managed.
“The one and only.”
He stepped forward and wrapped her in a bear hug. Then lifted her completely off the ground until she laughed breathlessly.
Setting her down again, he pushed his off-white Stetson up on his forehead and grinned down at her.
“It’s been a long time, Rylee,” he said. “I don’t think I would’ve recognized you if Janet hadn’t told me you were here.”
She touched her hair. “Do I look that different?”
“Just more mature,” he said. “That’s all. But still pretty as a picture.”
Her cheeks heated. She’d always nursed a terrible crush on Shep for this exact reason.
“You’re still a charmer, Shep.”
He leaned against the wall and put his hands in his jeans pockets. His shirt stretched over his broad shoulders, and it wasn’t too hard to imagine what he looked like without it. Shep was a rancher, after all, and his body was long and lean. Muscular from working long hours outdoors.
Rylee’s throat felt dry all of a sudden, and she shifted on her feet. She could still smell his scent from when he’d wrapped her in his arms a minute ago. Musky, leathery. Very, very male.
“So,” he said. “Tell me everything. What have you been up to? I haven’t seen you since you left for college. That’s a long time to be going to the river by myself.”
