MEET THE FORTUNES MENDOZAS!
Mendoza of the Month: Matteo Mendoza
Age: 28
Vital statistics: Brown bedroom eyes and a quiet soulfulness that could melt a lady’s heart.
Claim to fame: So far, the Miami-born pilot has been flying under the radar. But not for long!
Romantic prospects: They’d be a lot better if his flirtatious brother Cisco wasn’t around. The two of them always seem to be in competition—especially for the heart of gorgeous and elusive Rachel Robinson.
“To my brother, love is just a game. But for me, the stakes are much higher. I will fight for Rachel if I have to. She’s the one I’ve been waiting for. So far, she’s been holding back. Why? Could my radar be that far off? Is she really interested in Cisco? Or is there something else she could be hiding?”
The Fortunes of Texas: Cowboy Country Lassoing hearts from across the pond
Mendoza’s Secret Fortune
Marie Ferrarella
USA TODAY bestselling and RITA® Award-winning author MARIE FERRARELLA has written more than two hundred books for Mills & Boon, some under the name Marie Nicole. Her romances are beloved by fans worldwide. Visit her website, www.marieferrarella.com.
To Marcia Book Adirim, whose mind works on many more levels than mine does
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
“Hey, Rach. Nice to see you again!” the regular lunch customer at The Hollows Cantina called out as he walked into the dining area with several friends.
With a compliant smile, the hostess drew several menus into her hands and led the rather vocal men to table number four, listening to them as they swapped stories and laughed.
She was getting pretty good at this, Rachel Robinson silently congratulated herself, especially since nothing in her previous life could have prepared her for doing something like this. Back then, she’d been accustomed to being the one who was served, not the one doing the serving.
Poor little rich girl.
That was the title, Rachel thought, that probably would have best described her as little as five years ago, but not anymore. She had taken great pains to hide any hint of her past life. No one in this tiny, one-horse town nestled approximately four hundred miles away from Austin had any idea that she was one of Gerald Robinson’s daughters. They had no clue that her father was a wealthy computer genius who had more than left his giant mark on the tech world.
Her father had left his mark in other places as well, places she’d learned about only when she had accidentally stumbled across the truth five years ago. Her discovery had prompted her sudden exodus to Horseback Hollow, a place she had found by closing her eyes and then jabbing her index finger at a map of Texas.
A place where she was hoping to get a completely new start and be herself rather than Gerald Robinson’s daughter.
It seemed rather ironic to her to be here at this point in her life. She had already reinvented herself once. Her childhood had been spent mostly on the outside looking in.
Odd girl out, that was her.
She was always the tallest girl in her class, at times taller than all the boys, as well. Tall and thin as a rail, which made her an easy target for other girls who felt their own stock was enhanced if they could bring hers down by several notches.
So they did.
Though she had thought of herself as an outcast, her father, in one of his rare times at home rather than at work, insisted that she was “special.” To that end, he saw to it that she was enrolled in a number of different classes—dance, tennis, piano, whatever it took—and Rachel discovered that she was good at all of them.
That discovery fueled her confidence, and Mother Nature stepped in to take care of the gawky, awkward issue. Thinking she was doomed to go through life all knobby knees and elbows, Rachel was delighted to find herself transforming from a plain duckling to a lovely swan.
It was a transformation that did not go unnoticed by the local males. Suddenly the center of attention, she continued to be so through her college years. She was flying high when her entire world came into question at the end of her senior year, courtesy of a former friend turned jealous rival. A rival who chose the dance floor at the senior-week dance to humiliate her by making certain allegations and so-called secret facts about her father public.
That was when Rachel’s world came crashing down around her. A short time later, she arrived in Horseback Hollow.
Though done in haste, it had turned out not to be such a bad move after all. She didn’t mind hard work. It brought her a sense of satisfaction. And here she wasn’t anyone’s daughter or sibling. She was just Rachel Robinson, hardworking restaurant hostess.
And she liked it that way, Rachel thought as she deposited the menus on the table, presenting each of the three men with the daily-special cards.
As she distributed them, she became acutely aware that one of the men was sizing her up closely. He leered at her. Rachel quickly looked away.
“Your server will be right with you, and let me know if there’ll be anything else you need,” she said, addressing the trio.
“Maybe