MEET THE ⦠FORTUNES?
Fortune (?) of the Month: Ben Robinson. Ben Fortune?
Age: 33
Vital statistics: Six foot two, eyes of blue, and nerves of steel. You donât want to get in his way.
Claim to Fame: He is COO of Robinson Techâ and quite possibly a legitimate heir to the Fortune dynasty.
Romantic prospects: He could have almost any woman he wants ⦠except the one he wants.
âI knew Ella would make the perfect assistant, even when she was mixing lousy drinks at Kate Fortuneâs birthday party. Ella is bright, sensitive and discreet. Sheâs also gorgeous and sweet and all wrong for me. I am a work-obsessed, bottomline manâand Iâm selfish. Maybe too selfish to walk away, even when I know I should â¦â
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The Fortunes of Texas: All Fortuneâs Childrenâ Money. Family. Cowboys. Meet the Austin Fortunes!
Prologue
A strong arm came around her from behind, sliding comfortingly and familiarly around her waist. âAre you sure about this, sweetheart?â
She smoothed her hand over his and the charms on her bracelet jangled softly. Also familiar. Also comforting. Seeming to remind her of all that had gone before.
She leaned her head back against her husbandâs chest and nodded. âAbsolutely certain.â
She felt, more than heard, his low laugh. âI neednât have asked. When are you ever uncertain?â
Her lips twitched. She pulled his warm hand up to kiss before moving out of his arms. Careful not to disturb any of the wrapped gifts piled high around its base, she stepped close to the massive Christmas treeânearly fifteen feet of perfectly fresh Fraser firâand automatically adjusted the hang of one of the glass globes. Custom-made during one of her trips abroad, it was gloriously beautiful. But the angel hanging above the globe that had been handmade by one of her great-grandchildren just a few years ago meant just as much to her. So many memories. Every ornament on the fragrant tree held a memory. A history. And in her family, there was a lot of history.
For a momentâonly a momentâa sliver of uncertainty burrowed under her skin. That wasnât familiar at all. Whether her plan would be greeted by cheers or jeers when her family soon arrived and she shared it with them, it nevertheless had a purpose. And given everything theyâd lived through, accomplished and triumphed over, particularly in the past twenty years, she knew there was no point in hesitation. Sheâd been on this earth nine decades.
She touched the handmade angel, marveling a little at that very fact.
Definitely no point in hesitation. Not at her age.
So, regardless of their reactions, it was time to act. Time to move forward. It was the right thing for the family. The right thing for the company. If she had any dissenters, theyâd soon see things her way.
Uncertainty yanked out by mental tweezers as if the sliver had never been, she continued to the side table, where sheâd left the invitations. She didnât bother fanning through the elegantly addressed linen envelopes. Sheâd already checked them, twice, against her carefully prepared list. She could only imagine the responses theyâd elicit when they were opened by their intended recipients.
If she was in the same position as her guests, she wasnât sure she would bother to attend a gala if she didnât know its purpose or even the identity of the person whoâd issued the invitation. Why should they? But then, everyone was usually intrigued by a little mystery. On that, she was counting. That, and the financial incentive of donations being made to their favorite charities if they intended to attend. And at this point, it was paramount that word not get out. Lord only knew the chaos that could ensue.
She left the stack of invitations untouched and picked up the two plane tickets sitting beside them, then looked over her shoulder at her husband. A day never went by when she didnât take pleasure in the sight of him. So dear. So distinguished. Her other half, though sheâd lived two thirds of her lifetime before realizing it. âYou with me?â
He gave her a look. âAlways.â
She smiled fully then. Not just because she couldnât resist the way his eyes crinkled when he gave her a smile like that, but because she heard the sound of a door opening followed by voices and laughter and excited footsteps racing across the marble-floored entry.