Fortune's Forbidden Woman

Using his pass key, he opened the electronic gate of the underground garage at the Dakota Fortune office building and pulled his dark-blue Mercedes S-class into his personal parking spot near the elevators. His brother Case had a reserved space right beside his own, but except during business hours, it mostly stood empty these days.

The same could be said of Case’s apartment, across the hall from Creed’s. The top floor of Dakota Fortune had been split into two separate living areas, which the brothers had occupied after moving out of the Fortune Estate and taking over as copresidents for the family company.

Of course, Case was now happily set up in a house just outside Sioux Falls with his wife, Gina. She’d inherited her childhood home when her father died, and after living in an apartment in town for a while, they’d moved onto the larger estate and begun a few renovations. They were also expecting their first child at the end of the year.

Creed was happy for them, truly he was, but he had to admit he missed running into his brother in the hall between their two front doors. Or only having to cross that small space in order to talk to him.

His brother’s willing ear and sage advice would certainly come in handy at the moment, though he imagined Case’s response to Creed’s dilemma would be much the same as he’d already concluded on his own.

Stay away from Maya. Chalk up tonight’s activities to scratching a long-standing itch, then put it behind him and move on.

Not a problem. He’d pretty much made that decision even before he’d rolled off the bed at Maya’s house and made his hasty exit.

And a few shots of scotch could only bolster his determination, he thought, as he let himself into his apartment and headed straight for the liquor cabinet.

Three

The Fortune Estate was about the last place Maya wanted to be right now. But it was Nash’s birthday, and even though he’d insisted he didn’t want to celebrate—in fact, that he was in no mood to celebrate while his beloved Patricia’s whereabouts were still unknown—the Fortune children had been adamant about getting together.

They were keeping the so-called party low-key. No decorations and no guests other than immediate family, just a relaxed cookout and a few understated gifts for the man of the hour.

Maya parked along the side of the wide circular drive at the front of the mammoth, gothic-style stone mansion. The trim light gray with wrought iron accents and a black roof. It sat on a hundred and seventy-five acres about twenty miles west of Sioux Falls, just outside the plush suburb of Colonial Pine Hills.

The main house consisted of seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms, but there was also a pool, guest house, stable and the cottage where Skylar and her new husband, Zack Manning, were living until their baby was born. After that, they planned to move back to New Zealand, where they would work together on the horse breeding venture they both had dreamed of.

The property also boasted a small lake and numerous trails that Maya and the Fortune children had all made great use of when they were younger.

Her shoes crunched on crushed stone as she made her way over the drive, beneath the porte cochere and across the wide verandah to the front door, her gift for Nash clutched in her hands. She was wearing a simple yellow sundress and her hair was pulled back in a French braid.

If it weren’t for Nash, she wouldn’t be here at all. Being around the Fortune siblings made her uncomfortable enough under normal circumstances, but it had been only a week since her ill-fated decision to give herself to Creed, and she had no desire to see him again so soon. Or ever, if she could have managed it.

But the only thing worse than seeing him again was letting him think her a coward, and that’s exactly what would happen if she begged off attending Nash’s party.

Taking a deep breath, she squeezed the latch on the front door and let herself into the large marble foyer with its grand, double staircase and giant chandelier twinkling overhead.

Everything about the Fortune Estate was both comforting and daunting. She’d grown up in this house, so she felt a certain connection and warmth, yet she’d also always felt out of place within the family, and suffered a sense of detachment whenever she found herself once again inside the vast, artfully decorated walls.

That was part of the reason she didn’t return home very often, and hadn’t since she’d left for college.

The other part was her deep-seated reluctance to run into Creed.

She laughed silently to herself, the mocking sound reverberating through her brain. How ironic that she’d spent years avoiding the man as often as she could, only to find herself even more desperate to do so now that they’d slept together.

The front of the house was empty, but she heard voices coming from the back and knew everyone was already gathered out on the west verandah, overlooking the pool.

She moved to the right through the cavernous foyer and west gallery area to the hallway leading past the dining and gathering rooms.

Most of the house was decorated in shades of pale gold and deep red—her mother’s choice when she’d redone the interior of the estate soon after marrying Nash. The kids, including Maya, had of course been allowed to decorate their own private living quarters when they’d gotten old enough.

The Fortunes also boasted an impressive collection of modern art and sculpture, some of it lovely, some slightly obscure. For the most part, Nash and Patricia added pieces that caught their fancy, and for no other reason.

Above all, the one thing that could be said for the house—which could have easily come across as showy and pretentious—was that regardless of the extravagant decor, it was comfortably livable.

The closer she got to the verandah, the louder the voices grew. There was laughter and merriment, but it was more subdued than usual. No matter what they were doing or what the conversation might be, there was no denying that Patricia’s absence was foremost on everyone’s mind, weighing down their hearts.

Maya wished, not for the first time, that there was something she could share, some snippet of information she knew or remembered that would help to find her mother. But no matter how hard she concentrated, nothing came to mind.

Standing in the doorway leading outside, she observed the entire Fortune clan in action.

Nash and the women of the family were seated at a large round patio table. The two Fortune daughters, Eliza and Skylar, sat closest to their father. Case’s wife, Gina, Blake’s fiancée, Sasha, and Max’s wife, Diana—the two were back in town—made up the rest of the circle, with empty chairs in between for the missing men. They sipped lemonade from tall, hand-painted glasses and munched on potato chips and an assortment of vegetables surrounding a large bowl of dip.

A couple of servants bustled around them unobtrusively, topping off drinks, making sure the platters of food never emptied and providing anything else the family might need.

Across the verandah, at a shiny silver gas grill the size of a small car, Case, Blake, the Australian cousin, Max, Eliza’s husband, Reese, and Skylar’s New Zealander husband, Zack, stood together. The men were holding frosted mugs of frothy, imported beer and arguing good-naturedly about how well-done the steaks sizzling on the hot rack should be.

And, of course, there was Creed. He stood out from the rest, seeming taller, darker, more handsome. He was also the one manning the grill, holding the others at bay with a long metal spatula that he wielded like a sword before turning to flip the big chunks of browning meat.

Maya’s stomach tightened at the sight and at the memories that flooded her of their single night together.

Creed, she was sure, would be plagued by no such thoughts or memories. He was over her, remember? Now that he’d had her, she was out of his system.

That’s what he’d said, his parting shot as he’d turned and walked out of her bedroom, out of her house.

Too bad he hadn’t also walked out of her life. She wouldn’t be standing here, struggling for breath and feeling like she might throw up, if he had.

She didn’t know which was worse—having to attend a Fortune family gathering when she wasn’t a part of the family…or having to face Creed so soon after her intimate humiliation at his hands.

Without her mother there to make her feel more at ease, she almost wanted to turn around and leave before anyone noticed her, especially Creed. But she knew how much Patricia loved Nash, and that she wouldn’t want him to be unhappy. Maya also knew that her mother would want her to do whatever she could to try to ease Nash’s burden.

That meant attending this party, in spite of her personal reservations.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out onto the verandah with a smile on her face, hoping no one would notice how forced it was.

Nash spotted her first and rose from his place at the table to greet her.

“Maya, sweetheart! You’re here.”

He hugged her and kissed her cheek, and at least a portion of her grin turned genuine.

“Happy birthday,” she told him, handing him the beribboned gift, a gold money clip engraved with his initials.

“You didn’t have to do that,” he said, but the corners of his eyes crinkled with pleasure. He took the present and set it with a pile of other brightly wrapped boxes of varying sizes on a low cedar bench along the outer wall of the house.

“Come sit down,” he invited, taking her hand and leading her over to the table. The women smiled in greeting, the men waving and calling out from the other side of the verandah.

Only one person failed to say hello and looked less than pleased by her arrival. From the corner of her eye, she saw Creed’s expression tighten, his hard gaze on her as he lifted the mug of beer to his lips and took a long swallow.

He certainly wasn’t looking at her like a man who’d recently shared her bed…or wanted to repeat the experience. In fact, she couldn’t say he was looking at her any differently than he ever had.