by Judy Duarte
“One o’clock. It shouldn’t last too long—an hour or two at the most. And if we don’t dawdle over dinner, we should be back in Rambling Rose before it gets too late.”
“Sounds good.” Steven scanned the nearly empty parking lot. “Where’s your car?”
“It’s just to the right, next to the gray Lexus.”
“I’ll walk with you,” he said.
When they reached her trusty Honda, she thanked him again for dinner and a nice evening.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I hope you’ll help Carla out by spreading the word about her restaurant at Mariana’s Market.”
“Will do.”
Ellie was about to turn away to reach for the door handle when Steven cupped her cheek. His gaze locked on hers like a laser, startling her. Tempting her.
He leaned forward, and while she ought to stop him, she couldn’t seem to move. Her lips parted, and her heart raced. He kissed her lightly, sweetly—almost like a friend—at first. But as his tongue slipped into her mouth, seeking and finding her own, her hormones spun out of control.
Thankfully, after a surreal moment of sexual bliss, her brain kicked into gear. She placed her hand against his broad chest, felt the strong, steady beat of his heart, and pushed back, breaking the kiss almost as quickly as it started.
“We can’t,” she said. “I can’t...”
“Why? Are you worried that someone will see us?”
“There’s that. Yes.”
And so much more.
It was too much. Too fast. Too soon.
“Ellie,” he said, “you didn’t do anything wrong. If you’re worried about appearances, you shouldn’t be. Even public figures are allowed to have a private life.”
“It’s not that simple.” She stepped back and lowered her voice. “It’s one thing to be an unwed mother, but I don’t want to be one that’s dating.” Talk about flitting from one man’s bed to another. Not that she’d planned to jump into bed with Steven, but she’d certainly kissed him. And she’d liked it. A lot.
“This is the twenty-first century, Ellie. People have children out of wedlock all the time. It’s not a big deal.”
“I know. But to me, it is.”
“What makes you different?” he asked.
“It’s hard to explain. I guess you could say that, try as I might, I still carry a little baggage from my early childhood years.”
“Like what?” he asked.
The question sparked memories she’d like to forget. The shabby apartment where she once lived. The stained, threadbare green carpet. The knocks at the front door. The men who stopped by daily to visit her mother, a woman she’d dubbed Liz once she’d gotten a real mom.
Child Protective Services had taken her out of that apartment and that life when she was six, but she still recalled the neighbors’ disapproving whispers and felt her mother’s shame as if it had been her own.
That’s why it mattered what people thought of her and how they’d react to her news. What would they say if she were to date a man who wasn’t her baby’s father, a man who bore the Fortune name?
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I really like you, Steven, but under the circumstances, I think we should remain friends. At least for the time being.”
He studied her for a moment, as if he hadn’t heard her, then he tossed her a carefree grin. “Okay. Friends it is. I’ll meet you at city hall a little before one on Tuesday.”
Stunned that he still intended to go with her to San Antonio, she merely nodded as she climbed into her car and closed the door.
Steven Fortune was the last man in the world she ought to be attracted to, especially now.
Just friends, he’d said. And that sounded good. But how was that ever going to work when she couldn’t deny his strong sexual appeal?
Chapter Eight
I really like you, but...
Some might consider a comment like that to be a brush-off, a way for a woman to let them down easy, but Steven knew Ellie had feelings for him. He’d seen it in her eyes, heard it in her laugh and felt it in her touch.
He liked her, too—as a verbal sparring partner and as a friend. And he certainly found her attractive. It was too early to tell if anything romantic would develop, but he felt drawn to her, and the chemistry was definitely there. Oddly enough, her reluctance to date or to be seen with him in public made him all the more determined to see her privately.
The way he saw it, the only thing standing in their way was political in nature. That’s why it had both surprised and pleased him when she’d asked him to go with her to that event in San Antonio.
Now that Tuesday had rolled around, he took a cue from her and arrived at city hall at a quarter to one, which was on time by her standards. Rather than enter the building and ask for her, which seemed like the proper thing to do, he opted to respect her privacy and call her cell.
When she answered, he said, “I’m in the parking lot.”
“I’ll be right there.”
And she was. He’d hardly shut off his ignition when he spotted her coming out the door and striding toward his SUV.
She was dressed in her typical business attire—a black suit and heels. She hadn’t buttoned the blazer, nor had she tucked in the white blouse. Probably to hide her baby bump, which seemed a bit pronounced today. A good sign that her son was growing, that she had a healthy pregnancy.
As she climbed into the passenger seat, the hem of her skirt lifted and provided him with a glimpse of her shapely legs. The alluring sight didn’t surprise him. His visceral reaction did.
“You look nice.” He tossed her a smile. “As usual.”
“Thanks.” She adjusted her seat belt and tugged at her blouse.
As he pulled out of the parking lot and headed out of town, he said, “So tell me. What kind of event is this?”
“It’s a gathering of mayors and other city officials from several nearby counties. The idea is for us to join forces in a cooperative effort to increase tourism in this part of the state.”
“That’s interesting. And a little ironic, don’t you think?” A smile tugged at his lips, and he stole a glance across the seat. When he caught her eye, he winked. “Do you plan to join that effort or oppose it?”
“Very funny. But I suppose that’s a fair question, since I haven’t given you any reason to think I’m pro-tourism. Actually, I am. I just don’t want to draw in the wrong kind of tourist to our town. I’d like to hear what they have to say, but don’t worry. After the initial speeches, I’m going to leave. That way, we can have an early dinner.”
Just as Ellie predicted, the few speeches didn’t last much longer than an hour or so, although Steven suspected that he’d found them to be more interesting than Ellie had.
At the end of the presentation, the San Antonio mayor thanked them all for coming. “If you’ll step through the open door into the adjoining room, you’ll find several displays of various businesses within our counties and interesting places that visitors might like to see while in the area.”
Steven leaned toward Ellie and whispered, “I know you said you’d be ready to cut out early, but would you mind if I took a look in that room?”
“Not at all. I’d like to see the displays, too.”
As they entered what appeared to be a small exhibition hall, one business caught Steven’s immediate attention. The Mendoza Winery out of Austin had set up four wine-tasting booths in each corner of the room. “Well, I’ll be darned. I didn’t expect to see any of my relatives here. Come on, I’d like to introduce you to my cousin Schuyler and her husband, Carlo Mendoza, the vice president of the Mendoza Winery. I met them last year, when we attended a wedding.”
“Who got married?” Ellie asked, as she followed Steven to one of several wine bars.
“Jerome Fortune, once known as Gerald Robinson. He finally mar
ried the love of his life, a woman he’d dated forty years earlier. It’s a little complicated. I’ll explain more later.”
When Steven and Ellie approached the booth where Carlo and Schuyler had displayed several bottles of red wine, Steven called out, “Fancy meeting you two here.”
Carlo looked up, and when he spotted Steven, he flashed his trademark grin and extended his hand. “Our new motto is ‘Have winery, will travel.’”
Schuyler, who looked especially pretty today in a classic red dress, smiled brightly. “Hey, Steven. It’s good to see you. I didn’t realize you were involved in politics.”
“Only by association,” he said. “Let me introduce you to my friend Ellie Hernandez, the mayor of Rambling Rose.”
After the three took turns shaking hands, Steven turned to Ellie and said, “Before Schuyler married Carlo, she was a Fortune, although her family went by the name of Fortunado.”
“We’re offering each city official a case of Mendoza wine,” Carlo said. “So Ellie, if you’ll let me know when you’re leaving, I’ll have it carried out to your car.”
“Thank you,” Ellie said. “That’s very generous.”
Carlo placed his hand on his wife’s back. “I wish I could take credit for the brilliant promotional idea, but Schuyler is always coming up with new ways for us to spread the word about our wines.”
“When Carlo and I met last June,” Steven told Ellie, “we found out we had a lot in common. We both hail from Florida.”
“They also love wine,” Schuyler added. “And they’re huge Miami Dolphins fans.”
Ellie let out a little gasp, feigning surprise at the audacity. “Keep your voices down. Everyone here is either a staunch fan of the Dallas Cowboys or the Houston Texans. I’d hate to see y’all get thrown out of here.”
“Speaking of getting thrown out,” Carlo said to Steven, “or rather cuffed and dragged out of town, what’d you think of Charlotte Robinson’s final act at Jerome and Deborah’s wedding?”
“What a wedding crasher.” Steven let out a little whistle, then offered an explanation to Ellie. “Charlotte is Jerome’s ex-wife. She was an angry, deceitful woman before they divorced, but she became completely unhinged afterward and took out her vengeance on a lot of people in the Fortune family.”
“That’s right,” Carlo said. “In fact, now that I think about it, Ellie, you probably either know or have heard of Paxton Price. He used to be the sheriff, but he was recently elected mayor of Paseo.”
“We’ve met a couple of times. He’s a nice guy. I believe he was once a Dallas detective.”
“That’s right,” Schuyler said. “During the ceremony, Charlotte came in screaming and waving a gun. After firing it in the air, she took Pax’s future wife, Georgia Fortune, hostage.”
“Oh no.” Ellie’s eyes grew wide. “That’s horrible.”
“It truly was,” Schuyler said. “But luckily, Georgia was rescued unharmed, and Jerome and Deborah were able to get married the next day.”
“I hope Charlotte is still in that psychiatric hospital,” Steven said.
“I’m sure she is.” Carlo reached for an uncorked bottle of merlot and poured a couple of ounces into each of two wineglasses. “After the fire, vandalism, cut brake lines and then a kidnapping, she’ll probably remain there or in prison for a very long time.”
Schuyler took the wine and handed it to Ellie. Steven expected her to decline, but she took it. Probably to be polite—or to put up a facade. He didn’t think she’d drink it.
“That wedding was very nice,” Schuyler said, “but it was the craziest one I’ve ever attended. And the biggest. Each and every known Fortune was invited to a two-week-long celebration leading up to the ceremony in Paseo.”
“Seriously?” Ellie took a sip of wine, although she barely made a dent in the small pour. “Where’d they all stay? I mean, Paseo isn’t a large town.”
“Believe it or not,” Steven said, “we camped out in a field on Deborah’s ranch. You should have seen all the travel trailers, tents and luxury motor homes.”
Schuyler handed Steven a glass of merlot. “Wasn’t it cool to meet all the Fortune relatives?”
He wouldn’t call it cool. There’d been a lot of them, and it had taken a while to learn their names and connections, especially since he and his family had always kept to themselves.
“It was definitely interesting,” he said.
“Have you heard anything from Gary Fortune’s side of the family?” Schuyler asked.
“I’ve been approached by Adam and Kane, two of his sons. They’re hoping to get involved in some of the projects my brothers and I are spearheading in Rambling Rose.”
Moments later, Paxton Price approached the wine bar. The tall, broad-shouldered man with a stocky build first greeted the Mendozas, then Steven. When he spotted Ellie, he grinned. “How’re things going in Rambling Rose?”
“Other than being a little overrun by the rich and the famous?” She gave Steven a playful nudge. “We’re hanging in there.”
Pax chuckled. “I hear you. Same thing happened in Paseo, but it’s not so bad, especially when you fall in love with one of them.”
Ellie, who’d never seemed to be at a loss for words, flushed, her cheeks a pretty shade of pink.
“If I’d known this was going to turn out to be a family reunion,” Pax said with a grin, “I would have asked Georgia to come with me.”
Before anyone could respond, a couple others moseyed up to the wine bar, and Schuyler gave them her full attention.
Steven placed his empty glass on a tray set off to the side and then addressed Carlo. “Ellie and I had better move on and let you two get back to work. But you can expect a call from me next week. I’d like to order a case of that merlot. It was amazingly good.”
“You got it,” Carlo said.
As Steven and Ellie turned to walk away, Schuyler called him back. “Steven, why don’t you plan a visit to Austin one of these days?”
“I just might do that. I’d love to tour the winery.”
“And bring Ellie,” his cousin added. “I’ll take her around the city and show her all the hot spots.”
“Sounds like fun. I’ll talk to you later.” Steven stole a glance at Ellie. He wondered how she felt about being included in the invitation. He couldn’t tell by looking, but there’d be time for them to talk about it over dinner—or on the way home.
As he scanned the city officials studying the displays that had been set around the room, he realized Schuyler wasn’t the only one who’d assumed Steven and Ellie were a couple.
Unlike Schuyler, who seemed so accepting, the two women standing near a display of the San Antonio River Walk were eyeing them a little too carefully, a hint of disapproval in their expressions.
* * *
As Ellie and Steven walked around the room, she clutched the stem of her wineglass, pretending that she was actually drinking when she’d only taken a single sip. The merlot was good, though. Very good.
It might be fun to go with Steven to Austin and tour the Mendoza Winery. But being the mayor kept her busy. Her calendar was pretty full. And once the baby came...well, she wouldn’t have much free time at all.
She took another scan of the displays that had been set up around the room and headed toward one that highlighted San Antonio’s famous River Walk. She wanted to check out the nearby restaurants. It would be nice to eat near the water.
As she crossed the room, she spotted two well-groomed women looking at her and whispering. She recognized the snooty brunette wearing black slacks and a red blazer, although she couldn’t remember her name. They’d probably run across each other a couple of times but had never been formally introduced.
“Like I told you before,” the middle-aged brunette said to the blonde standing beside her, “she might be young and pretty, but no one takes her seri
ously.”
Blondie let out a little snort, then lowered her voice, but she didn’t speak quietly enough. “The men do, but for all the wrong reasons. All they can talk about is how beautiful she is, how sexy they find her. And they seem to agree that it’d be worth a move to Rambling Rose, just to see her more often.”
Ellie’s hearing had always been good, which had come in handy more times than not. Steven wasn’t too far from the women. Had he picked up their conversation?
“She’s not that sexy anymore,” the brunette added. “Check out her waistline. She’s getting thick in the belly.”
“You’re right. She didn’t tuck in her blouse. Probably because she can’t button her pants these days.” Blondie covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. “Too much fast food. Or too many trips to the bakery.”
Ellie’s cheeks warmed, and her stomach clenched. Normally she had pretty thick skin, but pregnancy hormones must have gotten the better of her, pushing her to react. Instead of letting the rude comments pass, she approached the two catty women.
“Body shaming is frowned on these days,” she said. “It actually makes those doing the shaming look bad. And that’s not wise, especially if either of you has political aspirations. I suggest you take a class on how to be more PC. And while you’re at it, you should learn how to conduct yourselves at public events. A little tact and kindness goes a long way.”
“I’m sorry,” Blondie said. “We didn’t mean for you to hear that. We thought we’d kept our voices down.”
“You didn’t. But that’s not the point. You shouldn’t judge a person’s character on their outward appearance. You’re more apt to be wrong than right.”
Ellie was about to turn away when Steven placed his hand on her shoulder, bolstering her with his presence, providing his support.
“Ellie Hernandez is the most beautiful woman in this room,” Steven said, “inside and out. Unlike you two, she doesn’t have a mean or jealous bone in her body.”
Blondie seemed noticeably chastised—and perhaps a bit sorry.
On the other hand, the brunette lifted her finger and pointed at Ellie as if she were a parent scolding a child. “You’re not going to be able to hide it forever, Ms. Hernandez. I can see the signs. How long before Rambling Rose realizes that the mayor has a bun in the oven?”