The Taming of Delaney Fortune

Delaney came down the steps from her bedroom two hours later, putting her still-wet hair into a braid that trailed past her shoulders. The barbecue was already in full swing. As usual, there had been plenty of ranch chores to sidetrack her. After helping her mom she’d found her father in the barn feeding afternoon hay to the horses. Delaney loved nothing more than spending time with her dad, especially with the sweet, musty scent of the barn surrounding them.

Deke Jones was a quiet, sometimes crusty rancher and his relationships with his children, especially Delaney’s brother Christopher, hadn’t always been easy. But Delaney felt like she understood her dad and his stoic devotion to the land and his work, so his long silences and gruff tone had never bothered her much. So many of her good memories from childhood centered around life on the ranch. She knew that was part of the reason she felt so strongly about creating her own life in and around Horseback Hollow.

But as her gaze trailed across the crowd of family and friends gathered in the house and spilling out to the back porch and yard, her breath caught in her throat. There was no doubt she loved her large, boisterous family, and her brothers and sister had all made excellent matches in love. But the overabundance of couples and kids made her feel the tiniest bit wistful for a love of her own. It was silly, she knew. Delaney had always been the bubbly, happy-go-lucky kid in her family. She was in no hurry to settle down, but she’d always been a part of a group. As the youngest of seven, she’d never truly been alone. While her brothers and sister focused on their new families, she was suddenly left on her own and it didn’t sit well.

“Would you take this plate of fruit out to the tables?” her mother’s voice called from the kitchen.

Delaney made her smile especially bright, although she didn’t think for a moment that fooled Jeanne Marie and her laser-sharp instinct for her children’s moods.

“I remember the year Stacey finally went off to kindergarten and you were left alone here,” Jeanne Marie said as she handed Delaney the ceramic platter. “You got into more trouble that school year than all the other kids combined when they were little.”

“I’m not a little girl anymore,” Delaney offered. “I can handle this.”

“I know you can, sweetheart.” Her mother absently touched the turquoise pendant around her throat. “But you have a tendency to get reckless when you’re bored. I wouldn’t be doing my job as a mother if I didn’t worry over you.”

“I love you, Mom.” Delaney placed a light kiss on her mother’s cheek. “You go enjoy the party. I’ll take this plate out and make sure everything else is running smoothly.”

Jeanne Marie nodded and Delaney followed her into the backyard. She greeted her brothers and their wives and girlfriends, plus Stacey and her new husband, Colton, on the way. After she set down the fruit, several of her nieces and nephews came running up and she was once again lost in the happiness of her large family. She forgot about her restlessness and feeling alone in the midst of so much love and affection.

“These gatherings just keep getting bigger.”

She turned as her brother Liam walked up. He was followed by another brother, Toby, who handed her a glass of lemonade.

“It makes Mom and Dad happy to have all the kids running around again.”

“It makes me happy to have mine occupied by something other than making a mess for Angie and me to clean up.”

Delaney punched him lightly on the shoulder. “You’re not fooling me,” she said. “You’re the biggest softy in the world and those three kids are amazing.” Toby had taken in three foster children last year and then adopted Brian, Justin and Kylie, making a home for them along with his new bride, Angie. They were a wonderful family. Delaney loved seeing her brother so content.

“It’s a good life,” he agreed, grinning. “And between us, Angie left a special plate of brownies on the kitchen counter for you.”

“She’s the best sister-in-law ever.”

“Don’t let the others hear you say that,” Liam warned in a teasing tone.

Delaney laughed. “They’re all the best,” she amended quickly. “I’ll deny to my grave that I ever said anything else.”

It was a beautiful evening, the warmth of the day cooling to the perfect temperature as the sun began to set. The expansive Texas sky turned brilliant shades of orange and pink across the pasture behind her parents’ house. Once everyone ate and the food was cleared, her father turned on a movie for the kids and they snuggled up together on the comfy couches and chairs in the large family room. The adults drifted between the kitchen and the back patio, where the talk centered around calving season and the Texans’ chances in the upcoming baseball season.

Delaney grabbed a denim jacket off the hook near the kitchen door but found herself lingering at the edge of the gathering as she came back outside. For once, she was almost happy being alone, until a deep voice spoke at her shoulder.

“What’s a pretty lady like you doing out here by herself?”

She whirled around to find Cisco Mendoza staring down at her and fought the urge to fidget. Of course she recognized Cisco, since his sister, Gabriella, had married her brother Jude only a couple of months ago. Cisco had come to Horseback Hollow for the wedding and decided to stay in town. She’d met him briefly at the reception, making a complete fool of herself thanks to her body’s reaction to all that male perfection. But she couldn’t quite figure out why he was still here, since he clearly belonged in trendy South Beach more than her hometown. Even tonight he projected an air of cool sophistication at odds with his relaxed button-down shirt and dark designer jeans. No Wrangler jeans for this guy. It annoyed Delaney that her stomach did a tiny two-step at the way his lean shoulders filled out the expensive silk of his shirt. No one could deny Cisco was gorgeous, but Delaney wasn’t interested in a too-hot-for-words guy. She wanted someone strong and steady and doubted Cisco fit the bill.

“I’m not by myself,” she countered, trying not to sound breathless. “I’m surrounded by my entire family.”

His dark eyes flicked to the people gathered on the farside of the patio. “It was generous of your parents to include me in the party. My sister is lucky to have married into the Fortune family.”

“I’d think someone like you would find us a little country bumpkin.”

“Like me?”

She waved her hand in front of him. “You’re a sophisticated city slicker. All smooth angles and—” she leaned in to sniff him “—expensive cologne.”

“You think I smell good?” He gave her a cocky grin.

Delaney huffed out a breath. “Not. The. Point.”

“What makes you think I’m such a city slicker? My sister fits in here in Horseback Hollow just fine. My father loves it here.”

“You’re nothing like Orlando.” She touched the tip of one of her red cowboy boots to his. “Your boots aren’t even scuffed.”

“They’re new,” he argued.

“That’s the point,” she agreed.

Cisco rocked back on his heels. To Delaney’s surprise, instead of looking offended at her comments, he seemed to enjoy her remarks. “Are all the Fortunes as opinionated as you?” he asked, his smile now genuine.

“I’m sorry,” she said, surprised to realize she was. Delaney was a positive person, always wanting to see the best in people. She didn’t normally give grief to someone she’d just met. “I don’t mean to get all up in your face. My mom tells me I seem restless. Maybe that’s making me a little prickly.”

Cisco stifled a groan as he watched her take a sip of lemonade, her soft pink mouth pressing against the straw. Delaney Fortune Jones could get all up in his face anytime she wanted, he realized with a start. It was strange. Gabriella had been right—the petite blonde in front of him wasn’t his usual type. He couldn’t deny she was attractive, but it was definitely in a more wholesome way than he was used to. She wore a floral-patterned dress with a wide leather belt cinched around her tiny waist. The collar of the colorful fabric was ruffled and soft, giving him tiny glimpses of the pale skin at the base of her throat. She wore red cowboy boots but even with the heel on them, she was almost six inches shorter than him. A tiny, adorable package of a woman with her long blond braid draped over her shoulder and clear blue eyes. She looked like the kind of woman you took home for Sunday dinner, not wined and dined the way he was used to.

He knew his sister would have his head if he made any wrong moves with Delaney but he couldn’t seem to walk away. He told himself it was because he needed to reel in a Fortune for his job with Moore Entertainment. That was simpler than examining any other possibility.

“I don’t mind prickly.” He took a slow pull on his beer and let his eyes wander up and down her petite figure. “Especially not when the lady in question is as pretty as you.”

To his surprise, she poked him in the chest with one slender finger. “Don’t do that. Don’t try to smooth-talk me, Cisco Mendoza. You might be God’s gift to women but that doesn’t mean I’m practicing your particular brand of religion.”

His mouth dropped open in shock for a moment before he managed to snap it shut again. He rubbed the center of his chest and placed his beer bottle on a nearby table. It was only his second drink, but maybe the alcohol was hitting him harder than he thought. Never in his life had Cisco had a problem charming a woman. Even when he was a boy, his brothers would be angry with him for sweet-talking himself out of class assignments. The fact was Cisco had a way with the ladies, and he didn’t mind exploiting that gift when it suited him. But now he needed to get in Delaney Fortune Jones’s good graces and was making a total mess of the conversation.

He decided his only choice was to lay the truth on the line and go from there. “You are pretty,” he began, holding his hands up, palms forward, when she narrowed her eyes. Even if Delaney was immune to his charm, her natural beauty couldn’t be ignored. “But the fact is I need a Fortune. The kind with a capital F. And I need one yesterday.”

She waved toward her parents’ back patio. “There are plenty to choose from. Why is a Fortune so important to you?”

“I’m working on a business deal,” he said, giving her the truth even if it wasn’t the whole story. “I can’t share details yet, but we need investors. My bosses know I have a connection to the Fortune family through Gabriella.”

“The Fortune Jones family,” Delaney clarified. “There’s a big difference.”

“How big?”

“A-lot-of-zeros big.”

He tried not to look shocked but must have failed, because she chuckled. “James Marshall Fortune, my mother’s long-lost brother, tried to give her money, but she returned it. We Jones kids had a totally normal life here in Horseback Hollow. My dad is the best. He works hard and made sacrifices for his family, but no one in my branch of the family has the money of the Red Rock or Atlanta Fortunes. We took the Fortune name to honor my mom and her connection to her relatives, not to cash in on their wealth.”

“That’s...honorable,” Cisco told her, suddenly wishing he had done a bit more research into the Fortunes of Horseback Hollow before making promises to Cowboy Country.

“But if you need a Fortune for a meeting, I might be able to make some time in my schedule. Jude is definitely out because of calving season, even if Gabi asked him for the favor. I’m not sure any of my other siblings would be up for it. You’d be stuck with me.”