“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