Fortune of the Month: Zoe (Fortune?) Robinson
Age: 25
Vital statistics: She is the beautiful, sheltered daughter of computer guru Gerald Robinsonâ who just might be Jerome Fortune.
Claim to Fame: Zoe handles marketing for Robinson Tech. She is also a pro at âhandlingâ some challenging family members, including her dear old dad.
Romantic prospects: Sheâs the bossâs daughter, which some might find highly appealing. For Joaquin Mendoza, it means sheâs wearing a big sign that says Keep Off.
âThey say women of my generation donât believe in fairy tales. We are not sitting around waiting to be rescued by a handsome princeâwe take care of ourselves.
âThat may be true, but I still believe in love at first sight. And in recognizing your One True Love when he comes along. For me, thatâs Joaquin Mendoza. Heâs gorgeous and sexy, but heâs so much more. I feel as if I can see straight into his soul. He wants me, tooâI just know itâand I want him to be my first. My first, my last, my only. But my strong, silent hero is holding back. Joaquin has no idea how alike we really are â¦â
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The Fortunes of Texas: All Fortuneâs Childrenâ Money. Family. Cowboys. Meet the Austin Fortunes!
Chapter One
âZoe Robinson, you could have your choice of any man in this restaurant. Why must you fixate on the one guy you canât have?â
Zoe pursed her lips and tested her friend Veronicaâs theory, letting her gaze do a quick sweep of the people in the Gilded Pigâs dining room. The rustic joint was jam-packed with its usual lunchtime clientele. Strains of a heartfelt country tune set the backdrop for the sceneâmostly businessmen of varying ages, shapes and sizes who pushed up their shirtsleeves and tucked paper napkins into their collars to protect their white button-downs from what was arguably Austinâs finest barbecue. Even though the room contained an appetizing smorgasbord of men, not a single one in the large barn-turned-restaurant piqued her interest. Each and every one of them probably had fine qualities and was certainly worthy of someoneâs love, but not a single one did anything for Zoe. Not even the cute guy who was grinning at her over his pulled pork sandwich.
As the musicâTim McGraw maybe?âasserted something about being a real bad boy who at the same time was a real good manâshe flashed a noncommittal smile at the guy and turned back to Ronnie.
âWhy fixate on Joaquin Mendoza? Because I canât get him out of my mind. Thatâs why.â
Ronnie scrunched up her face the way she always did before she stuck a big fat reality-check pin in Zoeâs balloon of possibility. âThat would be very romantic, Zoe, if only he would ask you out. Or even better, if he would talk to you about something other than business.â
Okay. So, maybe Ronnie had a point.
Still, Joaquin Mendoza had swept her off her feet from the moment heâd first walked into Robinson Tech several months ago. Actually heâd captivated her the first time sheâd met him when her sister Rachel married his brother Matteo, last year. Theyâd been paired as maid of honor and best man, but the focus of the weekend had been on the bride and groom and, at the time, Zoe had no idea her father would end up hiring him as a programmer at Robinson Tech to work on a special project.
It wasnât simply that he was older and tall and good-lookingâno, scratch thatâthe guy was gorgeous. There was something about the cool way he held himself, and he had the strangest ability to put all of her senses on high alert the minute he ventured within five yards of her. It was like his superpower. Zoe had been ruined for other men since Joaquin Mendoza had walked back into her life three months ago. It was too bad he seemed more interested in work than in getting to know her better.
He hadnât messed with her equilibrium on purpose, of course. In fact, even after all this time, he didnât seem to recognize she was a woman who was interested in a man.
A very specific man.
âOkay, if youâre going to be stubborn, maybe you need to take things into your own hands. Who says you have to wait for him to ask you out?â Ronnie continued, straining so that her voice was heard above the music. âI mean, if you like him, maybe youâre the one who needs to break the iceâmake sure he knows youâre interested in him. In the past, youâve never had a problem with making your intentions known.â