The Taming of Delaney Fortune (The Fortunes of Texas: Cowboy Country)

by Michelle Major

  This was what he wanted. The thought dawned on him suddenly. It wasn’t just Delaney and the chance to have her fit into his world. He wanted to be a part of her life, to build a future with her that included laughter and tears, kids and pets underfoot. He wanted what his sister and brother had found in Horseback Hollow. This town could be home to him, too—as long as he had Delaney by his side. All of the things he’d worked for—the money and material success—now seemed so inconsequential in comparison. Resolve filled him, along with a burgeoning sense of excitement. It wasn’t the adrenaline rush that came from brokering a big deal but the anticipation of finally having something real in his life—if Delaney would give him another chance. He could see it all in his mind, raising their family, growing old together.

  A noise sounded behind him and he whirled around. He took an unconscious step forward, still caught up in his daydream, but the look on Delaney’s face halted him in his tracks. She stood behind the couch, her arms crossed over her stomach. His whole body went still at the sight of her. He’d half expected her to come into the room, proverbial guns blazing, ready to put him in his place. At this point, he’d welcome her temper, raging anger—any display of emotion. Because at the moment her blue eyes were dull as they watched him, her beautiful face pale and expressionless. It was as if there was no life left inside her, that he’d snuffed it out by not trusting her enough to tell her the truth.

  And despite all his dreams for their future, he realized he had no idea how to make things right between them again.

  Chapter Fifteen

  If it had been possible to reach in and pull her heart from her body, Delaney would have done it in that second. Because while she might be wrecked to her core by Cisco’s betrayal, her heart still sped at the sight of him. Only now instead of just pleasure it was a mix of sweet memories—the way he’d touched her, the words he’d whispered—corrupted by the knowledge that he’d used her as a means to further his career.

  “I would have helped you,” she said quietly, fisting her hand and lifting it to rub against her chest as if she could ease the ache. “With all of it. The condos, the real estate deal, making inroads with my family...”

  “It wasn’t like that. Put together, it all seems much worse. That isn’t how I meant for—”

  “If only you’d told me the truth,” she finished.

  “I was going to,” he offered quickly. “Last night. My plan was to tell you all of it, every last detail.” He ran his hands through his hair, clearly trying to figure out a way to make her understand. How could she ever understand? “Then you were at the house when I got there and...”

  “I made a complete fool of myself?” Delaney shook her head. “I practically threw myself at you. I was so naive.”

  “No.” He took a step, then seemed to hold himself back. “I was overwhelmed by everything...how beautiful you looked, how much I wanted you, my feelings, touching you—”

  “Stop. Don’t do that, Cisco. I won’t be manipulated by you anymore than I already have.”

  “Is that what you think I did?”

  “You should have told me from the beginning. You used me from the start.”

  “I’m sorry, Delaney. If I’d explained everything up front, before you knew me, would you really have agreed to any of it? You thought I was a player, a city slicker who couldn’t understand everything this town stands for.”

  It was the truth—she’d thought all those things about him. “Apparently I was right.”

  “I do understand. Because of you. You taught me so much, Delaney. You changed me.”

  “The texts I saw this morning tells a different story. You know, I was trying to take care of you the way you had me. When your alarm went off and you didn’t wake up, I took your phone to the kitchen to let you sleep. Then all of those messages came through one right after another. I thought there might be an emergency, so I looked at them.” She shook her head. “Why do I even care that you don’t think I was checking up on you?”

  “You have full access to my phone, cielo. I’m sorry you found out that way, but I don’t want any more secrets between us.”

  “I’m not your cielo. I’m not your anything. Was seducing me part of the master plan for getting in good with the Fortunes?”

  His mouth dropped open and she watched as he sucked in a breath as if her words had knocked the air from his lungs. Good. She shouldn’t be the only one in so much pain.

  “How can you think that? Yes, I wanted information from you and I went about it the wrong way. But I would never have slept with you for any reason other than the feelings between us. You have to believe me, Delaney.”

  Oh, she wanted to. Her whole body ached, wrung out from hours of crying and the stabbing pain of Cisco’s deception. She’d chosen him as her first, and he’d betrayed her. Yet a small piece of her still yearned for him, for the comfort and safety she’d felt in his arms. “Why should I?”

  “I’ve already talked to the other executives at Cowboy Country. They know the Fortunes are off the table. What we had was real, Delaney. It is real. Nothing is more important to me than you.”

  “You told them there’s no deal with the Fortunes?”

  “I did more than that. I admitted I don’t know most of the Fortunes that well. And that the ones I do know, the Horseback Hollow Fortunes, have valid concerns about the theme park.” He shook his head. “I’ve been trying to meet with Alden Moore for over a week to show him my ideas for adding more authenticity to the Cowboy Country brand. I don’t care if I lose my job over this. The time I spent on your family’s ranch meant a lot to me. I learned what makes this community special, the values the town holds dear. I want to honor that. I want to honor you. Give me another chance to prove it.”

  Her body swayed with need and she almost took a step forward. Who was she kidding? She very nearly threw herself across the room and into his embrace. She might be adventurous and occasionally impetuous, but the decision to make love to Cisco hadn’t been a whim. She loved him with all her heart and, as much as she might want to, couldn’t turn off those feelings so easily. Standing in front of her, waiting for an answer, he looked as awful as she felt. That was some small comfort.

  But she couldn’t trust him again so easily. What if this was simply more maneuvering? Her biggest fear about Cisco was that she wouldn’t be enough for him. He loved a challenge and the thrill of the chase. What if she let him back in and he hurt her again? The stabbing pain in her heart this morning had been agonizing. She wasn’t sure if she could take another round of that.

  It was time to grow up. Delaney had little experience with men, but she knew herself very well. Their relationship had a chance only if she could truly put the pain he’d caused behind her. And she wasn’t going to forgive him until she was certain she could trust him again.

  “Thank you for trying to make this right, Cisco.” She closed her eyes. “But I need more time.” Her voice caught on the last word, her heart fighting against her mind’s resolve.

  “Delaney—”

  She held up a hand. “I need time,” she repeated, and turned to walk away.

  * * *

  “You’d better not get chocolate on my seat.”

  Delaney climbed into Galen’s truck two days later, her fingers wrapped tightly around her favorite candy bar. “I’m not a kid anymore, Galen. But just for fun I might smear a little along the dash.”

  “Not funny, Flapjack. Aren’t we going to lunch at the Grill?”

  She nodded, fastening the seat belt as he pulled out of the driveway. “Yes, I’m starving.” She popped the last bite of chocolate into her mouth.

  “But you just finished—” he took the wrapper from her hand, glanced at it, then dropped it in one of the cup holders between them “—a king-size bar of chocolate.”

  “That was an appetizer,” she told him
. “Don’t judge. It’s been a tough week.”

  “I thought a broken heart was supposed to kill your appetite.”

  “Who said my heart is broken?”

  Galen gave her a sympathetic smile. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked cautiously.

  “You’re the best brother ever.” Delaney patted his arm, feeling emotion clog her throat. It was true she didn’t have much appetite, but eating was the only thing that seemed to keep her tumbling emotions in check. “But right now I just want to have lunch and forget everything else. Okay?”

  “Music to my ears.” Galen’s relief was obvious.

  They drove in silence the rest of the way to town. Delaney kept her gaze on the scenery going by, although she could feel Galen look over at regular intervals. She appreciated the concern, but she couldn’t take any more coddling. Her ankle had healed but she was still taking it easy, leaving her far too often in her parents’ house.

  Word of Cisco’s betrayal had sped through the Fortune Joneses like a flash flood. Each member of her family seemed to be taking a turn with her, as if she might crumble if she was alone for too long.

  That didn’t seem a likely possibility and it barely surprised her to see Stacey waiting on the sidewalk in front of the Grill when they parked.

  “What are you doing here?” Galen asked as the lock button on the truck beeped.

  “Taking my sister to lunch,” Stacey answered, wrapping an arm around Delaney’s shoulders.

  Galen held the door for Delaney and Stacey to enter the popular restaurant. “Then what am I doing here?”

  “Picking up the tab,” the sisters answered in unison.

  “Glad I could be useful to the two of you.”

  The hostess seated them at a booth near the back and a waitress appeared within moments to take their orders.

  “Have you talked to Cisco again since he came to the house?” Stacey asked when the three of them were alone.

  Delaney shook her head at the same time Galen said, “You better not talk to him again.” He pointed a finger at Delaney. “Ever again. I’d like to run that no-good city boy out of town.”

  “Galen, don’t say that.”

  “It’s true. If it wasn’t for Gabi and Orlando, I’d have had words with Cisco already. Out of respect to the rest of the Mendozas, I’m letting it go. For now. But if I hear he’s not leaving you alone, all bets are off.”

  “No need for the chest thumping, Galen.” Stacey took a sip from the iced tea the waitress had brought her. “If Delaney wants to talk to Cisco, that’s her choice.”

  “I hope you’re not encouraging her...” Galen broke off as the waitress set three plates of food down in front of them. Out of habit, he handed Delaney the ketchup bottle first but kept his gaze on Stacey. “After what he did to her, that jerk should be strung up by his expensive loafers.”

  “He wears cowboy boots when he’s helping on the ranch,” Stacey countered. “And a hat just like yours.”

  Galen ran a finger over the brim of his cowboy hat, then picked up a fry. “Just because he dresses the part doesn’t mean he has the first clue about life in Horseback Hollow. Or what it takes to make Delaney happy.”

  Delaney opened her mouth to tell her siblings what would make her happy, but Stacey spoke first.

  “You didn’t see him when he came to the house.” Stacey cut her hamburger in half as she spoke. “He made a mistake, a big one. But he’s genuinely sorry and wants to make it right. I think she should give him a chance.”

  “I think you’re crazy.”

  Finally, Delaney’d had enough of their bickering. She slapped her hand on the table. “I think you both need to remember that I’m sitting right in front of you.” She stabbed a French fry into the ketchup on her plate. “You’re supposed to be taking my mind off things with this lunch.” Her gaze narrowed on Galen. “I heard Mama call you this morning. Don’t pretend you’re here out of the goodness of your heart.”

  He shrugged but looked slightly guilty. “She’s worried about you. We all are.”

  “I’m not the first girl to be hurt by a man.” Delaney bit down on the fry. “Don’t tell me you’ve never broken a girl’s heart.”

  “I— You— Don’t— This isn’t about me,” he stammered.

  “Do you want to give Cisco another chance?” Stacey asked softly. “Do you still love him?”

  “I don’t know. He’s called every day, left the sweetest messages, sent flowers to the house each morning. But I don’t know how I feel right now.” She moved her food around on her plate, keeping her gaze averted from either of her siblings. Because she did know and if they looked her in the eye, they’d know, too. She loved Cisco now, maybe even more than she had before. Which made her quite possibly the biggest fool on the planet.

  The fact that he’d kept the details of his work from her still stung, but now that the sharpness had dulled, she could begin to understand what had kept him from sharing everything. It was true, she wouldn’t have trusted him and despite what she’d said, there was no way she would have agreed to help him when they’d first made their agreement. It was only getting to know him better, understanding that he was more than his big-city reputation, that had given Delaney enough faith in him to believe he wasn’t out to make a fast deal.

  She’d been able to look beyond his mask to see the man he was underneath his polished facade. She understood why that was important better than most. As much as she wanted to find a local cowboy to share her life with, no man before Cisco had seen her as an individual and not just the baby of the Fortune Jones family. But could she risk trusting him again?

  A shiver ran up her back just as Stacey whispered, “Uh-oh.”

  Delaney didn’t need to look up to know that Cisco had walked into the Grill. She did anyway, unable to stop herself. Their gazes met and her heart stammered at the pain in his eyes, at her body’s reaction to him. She was at once hot and cold, struggling to remain seated and not go to him.

  He took a step toward her, but she saw his father put a hand on Cisco’s shoulder, holding him back. At the same time, Galen pushed aside his plate and made to stand. “I can’t believe he has the nerve to even look at you. I’m going to—”

  “Do nothing,” Delaney interrupted, grabbing her brother’s wrist in her fingers before he could move away. “Leave him alone, Galen. Stacey’s right. This is my choice.”

  “Then you do still love him?” Galen settled back in the booth reluctantly.

  She glanced at Cisco again. He continued to stare at her until Orlando pulled him away, toward a table at the other side of the restaurant. Delaney swallowed. “I never stopped loving him, although I don’t know if that’s enough to make things better between us.”

  “If the way he looks at you is any indication,” Stacey said, “his feelings are just as strong. People make mistakes.” She gestured to their brother. “Men especially. Sometimes a second chance is a good thing.”

  “And sometimes,” Galen answered, “you’re just asking for more trouble.”

  Delaney closed her eyes for a moment, still not sure whether she agreed with her brother or sister.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “She’s gone, so you can settle down a bit.” Orlando watched Cisco over the brim of his coffee cup.

  Cisco didn’t need his father to tell him that Delaney had left the restaurant. It was as if the connection he felt for her had only grown stronger since they’d been apart. The energy in the room changed, deflated, when she left. The flash of pain to his heart at seeing her and being reminded of how he’d hurt her subsided once again to a blunt ache.

  “She still won’t take my calls,” he muttered.

  “Do you blame her?”

  “How can I fix this if she won’t talk to me? I need to make her understand why I did what I did.”r />
  “Maybe she understands more than you think.” Orlando shrugged. “That could be part of the problem.”

  “What does that mean?”

  His father waited to answer until the server had set down their food, but Cisco had no appetite. He hadn’t been able to sleep, had barely been able to eat, since Delaney had sent him away from her sister’s house.

  “You’re successful and driven, son. That’s no secret. But a girl doesn’t want to worry that you’re going to put your career before her. So far you haven’t given Delaney a reason to believe you’ll do otherwise.”

  “Is it a bad thing to be successful? I’ve worked hard for my career, Dad. You did the same thing with the air force. I’m not trying to excuse the fact that I didn’t tell Delaney everything when I should have. I was wrong, and I want to make it up to her.”

  Orlando shook his head. “Work isn’t bad, but if you let the work consume you, there’s so much you’ll miss in life. You’ve always been focused on your goals, Cisco. But I have a feeling your priorities are changing, and I want to make sure you honor that. Yes, I had a good career, but your mother was always number one for me. Nothing was as important as her.”

  Cisco ran his hands through his hair, frustrated that there was no easy solution to this situation. “How did you know Mom was the one? What made it so different with her?”

  “Who she was made it different,” his father answered, leaning back in his chair, a wistful smile curving his mouth. “She was beautiful, of course, plus smart and funny. She was patient with me, too. Things weren’t always easy between us, especially at the beginning. There were... Well, I’ll just say that a love worth having is worth fighting for. Your mother made me a better person. Just being around her changed who I was on the inside. Do you understand what I’m talking about?”

  Cisco didn’t answer for several moments. He thought about his parents, how he’d known them only as a rock-solid partnership. Their love had been the foundation of the Mendoza family, and he never would have guessed they’d ever struggled to make it work. But now he saw them beyond the lens of his happy childhood. Their willingness to do the work it took to make their marriage last was what made their love so strong. If there was one thing Cisco had never shied away from, it was hard work.