Fortune's Fresh Start

by Michelle Major

  Callum wanted to offer to do something to help with the twins and their stroller, but he felt like he needed to keep his distance. He’d been totally astounded by this woman today, but he had no place in her life and nothing to offer her. If his ex-wife had accused him of working too much, what would a single mother think of his crazy hours?

  It didn’t matter, he reminded himself as Becky turned to him with a tentative smile. “Are you sure there’s no way I can thank you for today?” she asked. “I’m a pretty good cook and—”

  “It’s fine,” he said, realizing how harsh he sounded only when her brows furrowed. “It was nice to meet you, Becky.” He made his tone friendly but neutral. “You have cute kids.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.

  * * *

  Becky finished with her final patient of the day, a three-year-old with double ear infections, and glanced at her watch as she walked toward the nursing station.

  “Girl, you’ve been holding out on us.” Sharla, one of the medical assistants in the primary care wing of the pediatric center, wagged a finger in Becky’s direction. “We just heard Callum Fortune was your babysitter when that pregnant lady came in during the ribbon-cutting shindig.”

  Becky willed her face not to heat, but felt a blush rising to her cheeks anyway. This was her third shift at the center, and so far she’d loved every minute of it. Dr. Green, or Parker, as he insisted she call him when they weren’t with patients, was an intelligent and caring physician. He had a rapport with both children and their parents, and Becky could see he took the utmost care with every patient.

  Sharla and the other two nurses, Kristen and Samantha, were friendly and easy to talk to, and they all had good things to say about the doctors at the center. Becky had worked in enough different offices to appreciate the setup here.

  “He offered to help,” she said with what she hoped was a casual shrug. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

  “Are you blind?” Kristen asked. “That man is ten kinds of a big deal.”

  “His brothers are just as hot,” Samantha added.

  “They aren’t as handsome as Callum.” Becky couldn’t help the comment. Yes, the Fortune family had won the genetic lottery, but only Callum made her heart race. Every time she thought of the intensity of his dark gaze, her body seemed to heat from the inside out.

  Sharla let out a peal of laughter. “I knew you had to notice.”

  “I’m a single mom,” Becky muttered. “Not dead.”

  “So what are you going to do about it?” Kristen asked.

  “There’s nothing to be done.” Becky placed the digital device she used for electronically entering patient data on the charging station. She wasn’t going to admit to these three women that she’d offered to repay him for his kindness and he’d all but bolted from her.

  Maybe it had been the minivan or her silly musings about the pregnant stranger or the reality of a woman with two toddlers in tow. Any one of those would have been a turnoff to a man. Add to that her reputation in town as the grieving widow and it was no wonder Callum had made a quick exit.

  She’d obviously mistaken the intriguing thread of attraction between them or it had been all one-sided. No one would blame her for harboring a few harmless fantasies about a man like Callum, but that’s all they were.

  “My brother’s insulation company is working on all of the Fortune Brothers Construction projects.” Kristen tapped a finger to her chin, her green eyes sparkling. “I could get him to tell me when Callum is at one of the job sites and you could make an appearance there. He said all three Fortune brothers are really hands-on.”

  Sharla laughed again. “I’d like some Fortune hands on me.”

  Becky shook her head while the other two women joined in the joke. “I can’t just show up at some construction site. What am I going to say? Remember me and will you hold one of my babies while I change the other one’s dirty diaper?”

  “Not the best pickup line I’ve heard,” Samantha admitted.

  Becky hadn’t ever used a line on a man. Rick had been her first boyfriend. They’d met at freshmen orientation and dated through college, waiting to get married until after graduation because that’s what her family wanted. He’d been an only child and not really close to his parents, who lived on the East Coast. Her mom and dad had expected her to hold off on marriage even longer, and their constant reminder that she and Rick had their whole lives to settle down had irritated Becky from the start. If she knew then what she did now, she would have married him right away so that they could have had more time together as a family.

  No one could have predicted the car accident that had killed him, and Becky would always be grateful for the years he’d been a part of her life. But often she stayed busy, gave everything she had and more, because she was afraid if she ever stopped moving it might be too difficult to get up again.

  “I’m not interested anyway,” Becky lied. “I have too much going on to think about—”

  “He’s here,” Sharla whispered.

  All three of Becky’s coworkers glanced at a place directly behind her, then quickly busied themselves.

  As the fine hairs along the back of her neck stood on end, Becky turned around and came face-to-face with Callum Fortune.

  “Hello,” he said, running a hand through his thick mane of wavy dark hair. “I hope I’m not interrupting.” He was dressed more casually today in a blue button-down shirt, dark jeans and cowboy boots. Callum looked perfect and she was painfully aware of her messy bun and the shapeless scrubs that were her work uniform. She glanced down to see some sort of crusty stain—probably baby spit-up—on her shoulder. Great. He looked like he owned the place, which he sort of did, and she was a scattered mess.

  “Nope.” Becky cleared her throat when the word came out a squeak. “I’m just finishing my shift and about to pick up the girls from day care.”

  She gave herself a mental head slap. Like he needed a reminder that she was a single mom with two young daughters.

  “I’ll walk with you,” he offered.

  “Oh.” She stood there for a moment, trying to remember how to pull air in and out of her lungs.

  “You remember where the day care’s located, Becky?” Sharla asked from behind her. “Far end of the building and to the right.”

  She narrowed her eyes as she glanced at the other woman. “I remember. Thanks.”

  Callum offered a friendly smile as they started down the hall. “How’s work going?”

  “It’s great,” she said. “The facility is really great. The staff has been—”

  “Great?” he asked with a wink.

  “Sorry,” she said automatically. “I’m always a little brain dead at the end of the day.”

  “Understandable. I can’t imagine balancing everything you handle.”

  “It’s not a big deal.” She hated drawing attention to her situation. Becky found that the best way to stave off being overwhelmed was not to think about it. “I like to stay busy. What brings you to the center?”

  She frowned as Callum seemed to stiffen next to her. Had she said the wrong thing again?

  “Um... I needed to check on...some stuff.”

  “Sounds technical.”

  That drew a smile from him, and she felt inexorably proud that she’d amused him, even in a small way.

  “I didn’t mean to rush off the other day after the ribbon cutting,” he told her as they approached the door that led to the child care center. “I think I interrupted a potential invitation for dinner, and I’ve been regretting it ever since.”

  Becky blinked. In truth, she would have never had the guts to invite Callum for dinner. She’d been planning to offer to cook or bake for him and drop it off to his office as a thank-you. The idea of having him to her small house did funny things to her insides.

  “Oh,” she said aga
in.

  “Maybe I misinterpreted,” Callum said quickly, looking as flummoxed as she felt. “Or imagined the whole thing. You meant to thank me with a bottle of wine or some cookies or—”

  “Dinner.” She grinned at him. Somehow his discomposure gave her the confidence to say the word. He appeared so perfect and out of her league, but at the moment he simply seemed like a normal, nervous guy not sure what to say next.

  She decided to make it easy for him. For both of them. “Would you come for dinner tomorrow night? The girls go to bed early so if you could be there around seven, we could have a more leisurely meal and a chance to talk.”

  His shoulders visibly relaxed. “I’d like that. Dinner with a friend. Can I bring anything?”

  “Just yourself,” she told him.

  He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and handed it to her so she could enter her contact information. It took a few tries to get it right because her fingers trembled slightly.

  He grinned at her as he took the phone again. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow, Becky.”

  “Me, too,” she breathed, then gave a little wave as he said goodbye. She took a few steadying breaths before heading in to pick up the twins. Don’t turn it into something more than it is, she cautioned herself.

  It was a thank-you, not a date. Her babies would be asleep in the next room. Definitely not a date.

  But her stammering heart didn’t seem to get the message.

  Chapter Three

  Callum stood outside the soon-to-open veterinary clinic the following afternoon, frowning at the open back of the delivery truck.

  “It’s all pink,” Stephanie reported.

  “I see that,” he answered, then turned to the driver. “We ordered modular cabinets in a pine finish.”

  “I just deliver what they give me,” the man responded, scratching his belly. “Where do you want ’em?”

  “Not here.” Callum looked toward Steven, who was on his phone, pacing back and forth in front of the building’s entrance.

  His brother held up a finger and then returned to the phone call.

  “This is a vet clinic.” Stephanie gave a humorless laugh. “Not an ice cream parlor.”

  The cabinetry for the exam rooms and clinical areas had been ordered more than a month earlier. They needed it installed soon in order to keep the project on time and within budget. Callum and his brothers were sharing the responsibility of the vet clinic renovation, working with the staff of the local practice to design the space.

  A moment later, Steven joined the group. “Take it back,” he told the delivery driver before turning to Callum and Stephanie. “It was a clerical error. They typed in the wrong color code.”

  “Whatever you say, boss,” the driver answered and pulled shut the overhead door of the delivery truck.

  “It would have been my dream come true when I was eight,” Stephanie said as the driver climbed into the vehicle and pulled away. “Working in a pink vet clinic.”

  “Where does that put us as far as the schedule?” Callum asked.

  Steven’s mouth tightened into a thin line. “I can get it done.”

  “I know that.” Callum nodded, understanding that his older brother didn’t appreciate being doubted. “I’m asking because if you need me to shift resources from other projects or change subcontractor timelines, we can make it work.”

  Steven’s shoulders relaxed under his Western-style button-down shirt. “It’s going to be tight. The supplier is putting a rush on the order so the cabinets should be here in two weeks. I can have the crew work on the flooring and finish the exterior. It’s not ideal, but we’ll make sure nothing falls behind.”

  “Let me know if we need to change our move-in date.” Stephanie addressed them both. She not only worked at the current location of the vet center, but also acted as the liaison with the construction crew. “It’s going to be all hands on deck at Paws and Claws to make it a smooth transition for our patients.”

  “Got it.” Steven chuckled, then muttered, “Pink cabinets. We’ve had some strange setbacks, but that one might be the most colorful.”

  “If that’s the worst unforeseen stumbling block in this whole process,” Callum said, “I’ll take it.”

  “The pediatric center opened without a hitch.” Stephanie scrunched up her nose. “Other than a woman almost giving birth in the lobby.”

  Callum nodded. “I stopped by today, and the facility is already busy. Clearly there was a need for a children’s health clinic in Rambling Rose.”

  “It feels like the town grows every day,” Stephanie observed. “Have you noticed the new houses being built down the road from the ranch?”

  Steven rubbed his thumb and fingers together. “Lots of money coming into the community. Hopefully that will mean plenty of business for each of our new ventures.”

  “Who needs a margarita?” Stephanie asked. “The pink cabinet fiasco made my head hurt, but it’s nothing a salted rim along with a big plate of enchiladas won’t cure.”

  “I’m in,” Steven said.

  Callum pulled out his phone and checked the time on the home screen. “I’ll have to take a rain check. I have dinner plans tonight.” He responded to a text from his foreman, then glanced up to find his brother and sister staring at him with equally curious expressions.

  “Spill it,” Stephanie said.

  Callum feigned confusion. “What are you talking about?”

  “He’s evading answering.” Steven elbowed their sister. “My money’s on the cute nurse from the other day.”

  “He bombed out with her before he even got a chance,” Stephanie said. “Tell me it’s not that barista at the coffee shop in town who always flirts with you. She has crazy eyes.”

  “Enough with the inquisition.” This was the issue with coming from such a close-knit family. Since they’d moved to Rambling Rose, he and his siblings had mostly hung out together. Sure, each of them had made a few casual friends. But they stuck together. The ranch they’d purchased just outside town had a sprawling main house as well as several guesthouses on the multiacre property.

  He figured if his brothers and sister ever wanted more privacy in Rambling Rose, he’d buy out their portion of the ranch. But none of them seemed inclined to move out on their own anytime soon. It worked for Callum. He’d needed space after going to school at a local college in Florida. That was part of the reason he’d started looking for projects to take on in other areas of the Southeast. Coming from such a big family and growing up with so much responsibility for Stephanie and the triplets on his shoulders, he’d needed a break.

  But after the wreck of his short marriage and subsequent divorce, life had become too quiet. Now he liked being close to his siblings. It had made the move to Texas not so daunting and gave him a sense of confidence, which was probably why he’d taken on a slate of so many ambitious projects.

  “Then tell us,” Stephanie prodded. “Don’t think I won’t follow you. Remember when I was in eighth grade and crashed your date with Ava Martin after you snuck out to meet her?”

  “How could I forget?” he replied, trying and failing to hide his smile. “I got grounded for a month.”

  “You were already grounded, which is why you got in even more trouble.”

  “No one is going to ground me now,” he told her.

  “Come on, Callum. Just spill it.”

  “I’m having dinner with Becky from the pediatric center.”

  “Called it.” Steven did an enthusiastic fist pump. “You were so obvious the other day.”

  “I wasn’t obvious,” Callum said through clenched teeth. “I was helpful, and she’s thanking me with dinner.”

  “How romantic,” Stephanie said in a singsong voice.

  “Her twins will be sleeping in their bedroom. It’s hardly romantic.”

  �
�Mom and Dad had four boys under the age of five when they were first married,” Steven reminded them. “They still managed to find some time for romance.”

  “This isn’t anywhere near the same thing, and you both know it. You’re just trying to get under my skin.”

  Stephanie wiggled her eyebrows. “It’s working, too. I can tell.” She leaned closer. “I can also tell you like her. You were pretty obvious at the ribbon cutting.”

  “Go back to Florida,” he told her, deadpan.

  “I’m like a rash,” she countered. “You can’t get rid of me.”

  Steven laughed. “You do realize you just compared yourself to a bad skin condition.”

  “Fitting,” Callum said.

  Stephanie only rolled her eyes at their gentle ribbing. “What are you bringing?”

  Callum shrugged. “Nothing. She said she’d handle it all.”

  She groaned. “Don’t be an idiot right out of the gate. What about flowers or wine or chocolate?”

  “You sound like Marci,” Callum told her. “Enough with the matchmaking.”

  “Li’l sis is right,” Steven said. “Step up, Callum. Your pretty nurse has been through a lot. Even if it’s just a thank-you, make her feel special.”

  “She’s not ‘my’ anything,” he protested, although his heart seemed to pinch at the thought of a woman like Becky belonging to him. He should listen to that subtle sharpening and not get any more involved with her when it could only end badly. “But she is special.”

  “Then show her,” Steven urged, laughing when Stephanie gave him a playful slap. “Hey, what was that for? It’s good advice.”

  “I’m just shocked it came from you.”

  “Remember, I’m the oldest.” Steven pointed a finger at each of them. “That also means I’m the wisest.”

  “Hardly,” Callum said on a half laugh, half cough. But his brother had a point. He didn’t know much about Becky Averill, but it was obvious she worked hard, both at her job and taking care of her girls. She deserved to have someone treat her special. Despite knowing he could never be that man, he couldn’t help wanting to ignore the truth—even for one night.