From Fortune to Family Man
Page 1
What To Expect...When You Weren’t Expecting
Kieran Fortune, vice president of Robinson Tech, knows his strengths. He’s good with technology; he’s good at making money and at making love. But he doesn’t know one thing about parenting. And he’s just become a father. To a toddler.
When the ever-so-sexy millionaire agreed to sign on as legal guardian to his best friend’s daughter, he considered it a mere formality. But now Zach is gone and Kieran is...Dad. In a fit of desperation, he reaches out to Zach’s ex-girlfriend. Dana Trevino is a serious-minded graduate student who is great with little Rosie. She is also Kieran’s polar opposite and the very last woman he should be interested in. It isn’t fair. It isn’t right. It’s also just about inevitable...
MEET THE FORTUNES
Fortune of the Month: Kieran Fortune
Age: 31
Vital statistics: Oh. My. Hunk. Smart, sexy and rich.
Claim to Fame: Vice president of Robinson Tech, voted Most Likely to Break Hearts.
Romantic prospects: Excellent. Or at least they were until little Rosie came into his life. A three-year-old is not exactly an aphrodisiac.
“I’ll admit it—I’m not the nurturing type. I should have said no when Zach asked me to be Rosabelle’s guardian if anything should happen to him. But what were the odds?
“Now I’ve got this crazy-cute toddler and no idea what to do with her. I’m lucky that Zach’s old girlfriend, Dana, has offered to help. I wish I had half Dana’s maternal instincts. To be honest, I wish I had Dana in my arms—no, in my bed. But even I have more scruples than that. Zach’s barely cold in the ground, and Dana deserves more than I am able to give her. My fantasies of playing house with her need to remain exactly that...”
THE FORTUNES OF TEXAS: The Secret Fortunes—A new generation of heroes and heartbreakers!
Dear Reader,
You have no idea how happy I am to be part of another Fortunes of Texas series. It’s exciting to receive the story lines ahead of time, to meet the characters and see how each book will unfold. That was especially the case this year in The Fortunes of Texas: The Secret Fortunes.
If you’re following the series, From Fortune to Family Man is the fourth book. I love stories with children, so I was delighted to have the opportunity to create three-year-old Rosie. The precocious child’s mother gave her up at birth, leaving her biological father to raise her. But when her dad is killed in an accident, Kieran Fortune steps up to be her guardian. The handsome vice president of Robinson Tech knows his strengths. He’s good at computers, he’s good at making money and he’s good at making love. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know a thing about parenting.
Fortunately, Dana Trevino, who once dated Rosie’s late daddy, steps in. Dana adores Rosie and is happy to help. But before long, Rosie is referring to Dana as Mommy and Kieran as Daddy. If that wasn’t bad enough, attraction heats up between the mismatched couple. And they soon realize that the sexy businessman, the quirky librarian and their pint-size matchmaker just might become the perfect family.
I hope you enjoy reading Kieran and Dana’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Wishing you romance!
Judy Duarte
PS: I love hearing from my readers. You can contact me on Facebook at Facebook.com/judyduartenovelist.
From Fortune to Family Man
Judy Duarte
Since 2002, USA TODAY bestselling author Judy Duarte has written over forty books for Harlequin Special Edition, earned two RITA® Award nominations, won two Maggie Awards and received a National Readers’ Choice Award. When she’s not cooped up in her writing cave, she enjoys traveling with her husband and spending quality time with her grandchildren. You can learn more about Judy and her books at her website, judyduarte.com, or at Facebook.com/judyduartenovelist.
Books by Judy Duarte
Harlequin Special Edition
Rocking Chair Rodeo
Roping in the Cowgirl
The Fortunes of Texas: All Fortune’s Children
Wed by Fortune
Brighton Valley Cowboys
The Cowboy’s Double Trouble
Having the Cowboy’s Baby
The Boss, the Bride & the Baby
Return to Brighton Valley
The Soldier’s Holiday Homecoming
The Bachelor’s Brighton Valley Bride
The Daddy Secret
The Fortunes of Texas: Cowboy Country
A Royal Fortune
The Fortunes of Texas: Welcome to Horseback Hollow
A House Full of Fortunes!
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.
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To Michelle Major, Stella Bagwell,
Karen Rose Smith, Marie Ferrarella,
Nancy Robards Thompson and Allison Leigh.
I can’t think of a better team of authors to work with on a continuity series.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Excerpt from The Princess Problem by Teri Wilson
Chapter One
As Kieran Fortune Robinson stood with the other mourners at the Oakdale Cemetery, the Texas sky was a stunning shade of blue, the sun was bright and a cluster of birds sang from their perch in the nearby magnolia tree. But the spring day was dismal, the mood somber.
Three weeks ago, Zach Lawson had been thrown from a horse and suffered a skull fracture. As soon as Kieran had gotten word of the tragic accident, he’d rushed to the hospital to visit his best friend and to offer his support to Zach’s parents.
“Only family is allowed to visit patients in the ICU,” a nurse had said.
Zach’s father had slipped an arm around Kieran and clutched him with a firm grip. “This is my second son.”
In a way, that claim had been true. Sam and Sandra Lawson had treated Kieran as a family member ever since Zach had brought him home to visit during their first winter break at college. A born and bred city boy, Kieran had actually enjoyed the time he’d spent at the Leaning L, even though his busy schedule hadn’t allowed for as many visits as he might have liked.
Oddly enough, he and Zach hadn’t had much in common, other than a quick wit, a love of sports and a competitive spirit. They’d met on the football field their first semester at Texas A&M and had become fast friends. Other than that, they were as different as a cowboy and a techie could be.
Zach had been an only child, while Kieran had seven brothers and sisters, although that number seemed to be constantly growing, thanks to his dad’s years of philandering and the illegitimate half siblings who’d increased their ranks.
And there lay their biggest difference of all—the men who’d fathered them. Sam Lawson was a rancher of modest means who owned a small spread outside Austin. On the other hand, Gera
ld Robinson, a quirky tech mogul who’d once been known as Jerome Fortune, had built a computer company into a billion-dollar corporation.
After graduation, Kieran had become a computer analyst and eventually the vice president of Robinson Tech. On the outside, it might appear that he’d done his family proud, and in a sense he probably had. But to this day, he felt a lot closer to Zach’s parents than he did his own. And that was why Sam’s announcement to the hospital staff that Kieran was his second son had touched his heart in a warm and unexpected way.
But nothing had prepared him for what he saw when he approached Zach’s bedside, where his once vibrant buddy lay unconscious and hooked up to a beeping ventilator.
If there’d been a chance that Zach might pull through, that he’d be able to go home to Rosabelle, his three-year-old daughter, they all would have found their hospital vigil easier to handle. Still, Sam and Sandra clung to each other and held on to their faith, praying for a miracle that never came.
Zach had remained on life support for two long weeks before his parents finally accepted the fact that their only child, a son born to them late in life, was virtually dead. And now here they were, at the cemetery, saying their final goodbyes.
Kieran stood beside Zach’s parents, trying to be the second son Sam had claimed he was and to offer his support. But he wasn’t sure how much help he could be. Sandra and Sam, both in their seventies and not in the best of health, were overcome by grief.
What really tugged at Kieran’s heart, though, was three-year-old Rosabelle, who held her grandma’s hand, her little brow creased as if she was trying to understand all that was happening around her. But how could she, when even Kieran found it so unsettling, so unfair?
A monarch butterfly fluttered by, weaving through the mourners as if trying to lift the spirits of those who’d come to pay their last respects.
After the pastor of the community church finished the eulogy, little Rosie pulled her hand away from her grandma’s and reached for Kieran, silently requesting that he pick her up.
He did so, holding her close, wishing what little comfort he had to give would help.
“My daddy went to heaven,” Rosie whispered.
“I know, honey.” Kieran rested his head against hers, catching the light fragrance of her baby shampoo.
“I’m gonna miss him,” Rosie added.
“Me, too.” Zach’s death was a huge loss that would affect them all.
“Look!” Rosie pointed to the orange-and-black butterfly that now landed on a spray of yellow roses. “It’s a flutterby.”
“I see it,” he whispered, not bothering to correct her pronunciation. What did it matter anyway? He was just glad that she had something to hold her interest, to keep her from thinking about her loss, about not ever seeing her daddy again.
Kieran glanced through the crowd and spotted Dana Trevino, the woman Zach had been dating at the time of the accident. Her long, red hair was swept up into a tidy topknot, reminding him of a librarian. In that plain black dress, she looked like one, too.
A grad student and a research librarian at the Austin History Center, Dana wasn’t anything like the women Kieran dated. Not that she wasn’t attractive. She had a pretty face and a warm smile. At five-foot-five, she also had a willowy build, although she tended to hide it behind loose-fitting skirts and conservative blouses.
Still, Kieran had thought the cowboy and the librarian an odd match, although he suspected that Dana had been drawn to Zach’s country charm and his Will Rogers style, which had given him a combination of wisdom, common sense and humor.
To be honest, Kieran wasn’t sure what it was about Dana that had appealed to Zach. They’d never talked about it, but there must have been something special about her.
Still, for some reason he’d never thought their relationship would last. But who was he to judge? He never dated anyone longer than a couple of months, so he had no idea how to even define words like special or long-term.
As the stoic rep from the mortuary thanked everyone for coming, Sandra Lawson turned to Kieran. “Will you come back to the house with us? Sam and I want to talk to you.” Her eyes filled with tears, and her bottom lip wobbled.
“Of course,” Kieran said, although he suddenly felt compelled to pass little Rosie to the couple, hurry to his Mercedes and get the hell out of Dodge. But like Sam had told the hospital staff, Kieran was their second son.
Thankfully, he seemed to have already shed most of his tears in the hospital. By the time Zach’s organs had been donated to give others a chance at a new and better life, Kieran’s grief had seemed to subside.
He stole a peek at Dana, who appeared as prim and proper as ever. She clutched a wadded up tissue in her hands, but no tears filled her eyes.
Had she, like Kieran, done most of her crying in the weeks and days before the funeral? Had she also begun to let go of Zach and move on?
“This concludes the service,” the mortuary guy said. “The family would like to invite you all back to their house for refreshments.”
Kieran wasn’t the least bit hungry, but he could sure use a drink—a stiff one.
Sam slipped his arm around his wife. “You about ready to go, honey?”
Sandra merely nodded, then blotted her eyes with a lace handkerchief.
“Can I ride with Uncle Kieran?” Rosie asked.
“Your car seat is already in our car,” Sandra said. “It’ll be easier if you ride with us.”
Sam placed a hand on Kieran’s shoulder. “You’re coming home with us, aren’t you, son?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll meet you there.” Kieran brushed a kiss on the little girl’s cheek then passed her to her grandparents.
As Sam, Sandra and Rosie walked away from the graveside, Kieran remained a little longer so he could say a final goodbye to his best friend.
The monarch butterfly was still fluttering about. When it landed on top of the spray of red and white carnations covering the casket, he glanced to his right, where Dana continued to stand.
“Are you going to the Lawsons’ house?” he asked.
“Yes, I promised them I’d be there.”
It wasn’t a surprise that Sandra and Sam wanted—or needed—to hang on to everyone and everything that reminded them of Zach.
“How’ve you been?” Kieran asked. “Are you holding up okay?”
Dana turned and caught his eye, a slight smile chasing the grief from her face. “I’m doing all right. After the last two weeks...well, that was tough.”
To say the least.
“I feel so bad for Rosie,” she added.
“So do I.”
“At least she and Zach had been living with Sam and Sandra. That should help her adjust to not having her daddy anymore.”
Kieran sure hoped Dana was right. Again he studied the redhead, noting a simple, wholesome beauty he’d missed seeing before. She’d implied that she was adjusting to her own loss, but he wondered if that was really true or the kind of thing people said when they struggled for the right words.
“Sandra mentioned that you’d been at the ranch with them earlier today,” he said.
“I went to help some of the ladies from her Bible study prepare food for after the service.”
“Do you need a ride back?”
“No, I have my car.” She nodded toward a white Honda Civic parked about ten feet from his black Mercedes. It wasn’t a fancy car or the latest model, but it was clean and recently polished, the wheel rims shiny.
Funny what things a guy noticed at times like these.
“Then I’ll see you back at the house,” Kieran said.
Dana smiled—not a smile that was joyful and happy, but one that was filled with compassion.
Was that what Zach had seen in her?
Actually, st
anding there with her now, the afternoon sun casting a glow on those auburn strands of hair, Kieran noted that she had a natural beauty that was almost alluring. But he shook off the inappropriate assessment as quickly as it awakened. Dana had been Zach’s girlfriend, and even though he was gone now, Kieran wasn’t about to overstep the bounds of male brotherhood.
As he got into his car, he made up his mind to do whatever he could to help the Lawsons move on with their lives.
Growing up in the Robinson family, Kieran had learned that money could fix just about anything. But all the gold in Fort Knox wasn’t going to make things better or easier for him. Not when so many different feelings were in play and he’d always made it a point to avoid any touchy-feely stuff.
Still, while he might fall miserably short in his attempt to offer Zach’s family his emotional support, he’d do his best.
He owed his best friend that much.
* * *
Dana had managed to hold back her tears during the funeral. But once she climbed into her car, her eyes welled.
She reached into the pocket of her skirt, pulled out the wadded tissue she’d stashed there earlier and blotted her tears.
Would she make it through the day without breaking down? She certainly hoped so. She wanted to stay strong for Sam and Sandra.
How are you holding up? Kieran had asked just minutes before. It seemed to be a regular question she’d been faced with...at school, at work and, most recently, at the Leaning L while she’d helped the church women prepare the food for today.
She really didn’t blame people for assuming she’d been devastated by Zach’s loss. She mourned him, of course, but she wasn’t the grieving fiancée they thought her to be. They’d dated six months, but in fact, she wasn’t sure she’d even been his girlfriend. She’d certainly found him attractive, and she’d adored his sense of humor. But it was his family life that had appealed to her the most. That was the reason she’d continued to date Zach after she realized he wasn’t Mr. Right. She suspected Zach had known it, too.