Expecting...in Texas

“It’s the dress.”

“You can put a beautiful gown on a warthog,” he pointed out. “But in the long run, you still have a very ugly animal in a dress.”

She laughed. “You’re very colorful.”

If the compliment pleased him, he gave no indication. “I read.”

The admission caught her interest, appealing to the teacher within her. “A lot?”

He shrugged, perhaps uncomfortable at the confession. “Whenever I get the chance.”

It wasn’t something he often admitted, but he read everything he could get his hands on, determined not to just work with his hands, but with his mind as well. He couldn’t afford to go to college, the way Ryan Fortune’s children had, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t continue learning.

He looked around at the others dancing around them. “I want to know as much as these hidalgos do. More.” That was the whole point of it. They took their education for granted, something that was handed to them. To him, knowledge was a special thing, even if he didn’t readily talk about it.

“Hidalgos?”

“It means—”

“I know what it means,” she interrupted, wanting to get at the heart of his feelings before he changed the subject. “Do you see them that way? The Fortunes?”

He began to laugh off his words, then stopped abruptly. Maybe the role of the smiling, easygoing cowboy was getting to him. God knows he was tired of it, of its confining web.

“There is no other way to see them. Some are kinder than others, to be sure, but all of them see themselves as above the people who work for them.” Chunks of memories crowd his mind. Memories that weren’t always pleasant. Memories that would probably surprise someone like Savannah Clark with her education and her upper crust private school. “When I was growing up, my mother took care of the Fortune children, and my sisters and I played with them. But their father made sure that none of us would ever forget that there was a line between us.” Bitterness infused his smile. “Master and servant.”

“But Vanessa’s not like that,” Savannah protested. She couldn’t picture Vanessa ever putting anyone in their so-called place. Especially not because of the whimsy of fate and financial circumstances. And Vanessa’s brother Dallas wasn’t like that, either. She knew that for a fact.

“No,” Cruz agreed. “She is not. But she is different from them.” He looked pointedly at Savannah. “And different from me.” After a small pause, a smile teased his mouth. “Come, this is far too serious a topic for a wedding, and you are here to have fun.”

But her eyes held his. “That doesn’t mean I can’t learn something.”

“Maybe we can both learn something,” he remarked playfully as he whirled her around the floor once more.

Savannah had the uneasy feeling that she’d just been put on notice.

Three

“Mind if I cut in?”

Cruz looked over his shoulder to see Dallas Fortune standing behind him on the dance floor.

It was on the tip of his tongue to say, yes, he did mind. Because it was, Cruz swallowed the words, a little disturbed that they should have been the ones to rise in response. After all, it wasn’t as if he had any claims on Savannah, or even wanted any. She had just aroused his interest—temporarily.

They’d spent the last few hours together, dancing and talking. He had to admit that he hadn’t realized just how much time he had spent in her company; it had passed so quickly. They had even discussed his plans for a ranch of his own, something he wasn’t in the habit of talking about with anyone outside the family. Even with his family, he remained guarded, using his words sparingly.

But talking to Savannah had been different. Easy. The plans, the dreams, had somehow just been coaxed out by the expression on her face, the light in her eyes.

He’d talked too much. It was high time for him to turn his attention elsewhere, Cruz decided. There were a great many other attractive single women at the party besides Savannah.

There was really no reason for him to stagnate here. No reason at all.

“Be my guest.” Cruz released Savannah’s hand from his and stepped away, giving Dallas a clear field.

His intention was to turn immediately away and seek out the first pretty, unattached woman he came across. But something held him where he was. He watched as Dallas slipped his hand around Savannah’s waist and drew her to him.

A strange, hot feeling rose quickly in Cruz’s chest. He waited for it to fall back down, to fizzle out.

When it didn’t on its own, Cruz banked it down, and was surprised at the effort it took. He didn’t know just what the hell was going on, but he wasn’t about to waste time mulling over it.

He looked around—everywhere but where Dallas and Savannah were dancing—searching for his next companion. Seeing a woman who he thought might provide him with a little diversion, Cruz lost no time crossing to her.

Looking in his direction, the woman smiled a warm invitation.

Cruz returned it. He was glad Dallas had come along to free him up when he did. Maybe Cruz had lost track of time there for a little while, but he was back on track now. It was way past time to change partners.

The song was slow, and Savannah let herself drift with it. The tingling sensation had disappeared. At least her body would have a chance to get back to normal, now that Cruz was no longer holding her.

She rested her head against Dallas’s shoulder. Vanessa’s older brother had always been kind to her, and she liked him. When she and Vanessa had attended college together and Dallas had come up for visits, he’d always made a point of treating her as if she were his sister, too. It had earned him a permanent soft spot in her heart.

“Are you having a good time?” His voice drifted into the contented haze forming around her.

Savannah didn’t bother lifting her head. “Very.” For perhaps the first time in three months, she mused. Since the last time she’d been here.

“I wanted to make sure you weren’t overwhelmed by everything.”

Savannah raised her head to look at him. “Overwhelmed?”

Dallas nodded. “We Fortunes have a habit of steamrollering over people—quite unintentionally. Vanessa tells me that you’ll be staying on at the ranch as a bookkeeper.”

How much did he know about that? Self-conscious, Savannah looked away, avoiding his eyes.

She saw Cruz dancing with another woman. Disappointment mushroomed through her even as she tried to subdue it. Cruz was free to do whatever he wanted, be with whomever he wanted. She had no claims on him. None, at any rate, that she was willing to make.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Vanessa didn’t talk you into it, did she?”

The question caught her attention, and Savannah looked at him, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

Dallas laughed softly. “Well, I know you’re a teacher at that private school. Pierce Academy, isn’t it?”

So he didn’t know that she’d been asked to leave. Relieved, Savannah nodded. This put an entirely different light on the conversation.

“I just wanted to be sure that Vanessa hadn’t twisted your arm to get you to agree to work on the ranch. I know she wasn’t happy that you were so far away.” He smiled at her. “She missed you a lot.”

It was nice to know that someone did. Savannah supposed it was the state she found herself in, but of late she’d felt part misfit, part outcast—and completely vulnerable.

“And I’ve missed her,” she confided. A smile bloomed as she looked up at him. He really did act like a big brother sometimes. She appreciated that the way only an only child could. “That’s very sweet of you, Dallas, worrying about me. But Vanessa didn’t talk me into anything. There have been…cutbacks at the school,” she said evasively. Right now, she didn’t really feel like admitting the truth. She’d have to deal with that soon enough if things worked out and she remained. “I just discovered that I was being let go a few hours before I flew out. Your sister was kind enough to offer me a position here. Luckily, I had some bookkeeping experience in college.”