The stakes are high for this would-be dad...
CAUTION: TROUBLE AHEAD
Contractor Dillon Fortune wasn’t always so cautious. But as a teenager, impulse led to an unexpected pregnancy and a daughter he was never allowed to know. Now he guards his heart against all advances. If only free-spirited spa manager Hailey Miller wasn’t so hard to resist! Her sunny optimism is contagious, making Dillon dare to dream about a happily-ever-after for himself. When his secret child resurfaces, however, all bets may be off...
USA Today bestselling author Marie Ferrarella
MEET THE FORTUNES!
Fortune of the Month: Dillon Fortune
Age: 29
Vital Statistics: Dirty-blond hair, blue eyes, miles of muscles. He’s very private, maybe a little shy. And he’s got a secret.
Claim to Fame: One of the Florida Fortunes, recently relocated, he’s a wealthy contractor with a lot to lose.
Romantic Prospects: If you ask him, he’s not in the market. His life is complicated enough already.
Rambling Rose was supposed to be just another stop on the road for the Fortunes—and, to be honest, I feel we have already overstayed our welcome. I’ve tried to convince my brothers it’s time to go.
But now there is Hailey. She’s...an angel. And she wants me. It would be so easy to say yes. But she has no idea what the world can be like, how you can start out with the best of intentions and everything can still go so wrong. I should go before things get complicated. Before I have to choose between the perfect woman and the secret daughter I would do anything for...
Dear Reader,
Once upon a time there was a shy little Polish girl in Salvation Army shoes who loved to read. Books (and old movies on a black-and-white TV) were her best and only friends. Because of them, she learned how to speak English (not her first, or her second, language). Since she loved Westerns, she twanged a little when she spoke, something the other kids made fun of. They also made fun of her secondhand clothes. Even so, she was determined to get other kids to like her, but she didn’t know how. All she had were her books and the stories she made up to entertain herself—and her determination to make friends.
One spring day in the schoolyard at recess, the little girl started telling a story about a large family in the 1800s traveling west in a covered wagon, and something wonderful happened. The kids around her started to listen. Not only that, but when recess was over (and the story was far from through), they asked if she was going to continue telling the story the next day! Suddenly, she knew what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. She wanted to entertain people because they not only noticed her then, but they seemed to like her, as well.
And that’s how my career path came about. That was in the fifth grade. I still remember the title of that “epic” story (although very little else), Anna Marie Anders: Adventurous Girl. It’s been a long road from there to here, but I am very happy I never gave up. I still love telling stories.
As always, I thank you for picking up one of my books to read, and from the bottom of my heart I wish you someone to love who loves you back.
All the best,
Marie Ferrarella
Fortune’s Greatest Risk
Marie Ferrarella
USA TODAY bestselling and RITA® Award–winning author Marie Ferrarella has written more than two hundred and fifty books for Harlequin, some under the name Marie Nicole. Her romances are beloved by fans worldwide. Visit her website, marieferrarella.com.
Books by Marie Ferrarella
Harlequin Special Edition
Forever, Texas
The Cowboy’s Lesson in Love
The Lawman’s Romance Lesson
Matchmaking Mamas
Coming Home for Christmas
Dr. Forget-Me-Not
Twice a Hero, Always Her Man
Meant to Be Mine
A Second Chance for the Single Dad
Christmastime Courtship
The Fortunes of Texas: The Lost Fortunes
Texan Seeks Fortune
The Fortunes of Texas: The Secret Fortunes
Fortune’s Second-Chance Cowboy
The Montana Mavericks: The Great Family Roundup
The Maverick’s Return
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.
To
Charlie
Whose Kisses Still
Make the World
Fade Away.
Contents
Prologue
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
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Excerpt from The Texan Tries Again by Stella Bagwell
Prologue
If anyone would have said to him seven months ago that twenty-nine was far too old for someone to actually feel homesick, Dillon Fortune would have laughed them off. In his opinion, being homesick was an emotion associated with preteens who were spending a month or so away from home surrounded by a bunch of strangers at a sleepaway camp for the very first time.
And yet, here he was, a grown man, feeling a deep, penetrating wave of homesickness.
Granted, he had been in Texas for more like seven months. And, yes, instead of being alone amid a bunch of strangers, he’d come out here with two of his brothers, Callum and Steven, as well as one of his sisters, Stephanie. But, when all things were considered, he had to admit, if only to himself, that he was most definitely homesick.
Very homesick.
Yes, Rambling Rose, Texas, was a beautiful place as well as an up-and-coming, flourishing town. A town that he and his brothers were heavily involved in building up, thanks to the construction company that the three of them owned. But if anyone would have asked him, Dillon would have had to say that his heart was back in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Dillon wished that the rest of him could be back there, as well.
But he had always been raised to believe that commitments, especially to family, came first and he couldn’t very well just take off for Fort Lauderdale now, even though he really wanted to. He was committed to these various projects. His brothers were counting on him and he knew he couldn’t just leave before all the projects were completed and up and running.
Granted, the new pediatric center and the veterinary clinic were now both open and successful. The pediatric center had even been christened,
