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www.millsandboon.co.uk
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Charlene Sands for her contribution to the DAKOTA FORTUNES miniseries.
To the V-alley Girls, Carol Pettis, Ellen Lacey
and Charleene Feldman, dear friends and striking women who
roll with the punches making my Tuesday mornings a real blast.
Your love, friendship and openhearted support bowl me over!
CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Coming Next Month
One
“It’s a stroke of brilliance, Eliza. The place looks great. Nobody does a fund-raiser like you,” Nicole Appleton whispered into Eliza’s ear.
From up on stage, Eliza Fortune smiled with satisfaction as her gaze traveled around the large ballroom filled with invited guests, the men dressed in authentic three-piece suits and the women in elegant gowns of the Old West. She’d designed and decorated the ballroom for the event. “Thanks, Nic. It was a labor of love.”
“Well, you’ve outdone yourself this time. Everyone is having a wonderful time and your Basket Dinner Auction idea is going over well. You’re raising thousands of dollars for the reparations to the Old West Museum.”
The auctioneer announced another dinner basket to be auctioned off. Chloe McMurphy stepped up to the podium and lifted the flap on her basket, retrieving a pledge card to give to the auctioneer. “This lovely young lady will provide dinner for two, three or four. Her specialty is fried chicken and the best dumplings in Minnehaha County. And an added bonus of home-baked apple pie. Now that’s what I call a real fine South Dakota meal.”
Eliza tensed suddenly and glanced at her friend with apprehension. Only she and Nicole remained up on stage. All the other dinners had been auctioned off. “I hope someone bids on my basket.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. Who wouldn’t want to have a dinner cooked expressly by Eliza Fortune? At the Fortune estate, no less. I bet your dinner pledge goes for the highest bid of all.”
Eliza scoffed. “Only if my father or brother decide to take pity on me. My family’s out there somewhere and they know I’m not the best cook.”
“Won’t matter,” Nicole said adamantly. “You’re gonna raise a lot of money tonight—and not from Nash or Creed Fortune. Everyone knows how dedicated you are. They saved the best for last. And that’s you.”
She mouthed a silent thank-you to her friend, then took note of Mr. Phillips at the podium crooking his finger at Nicole. “Oh, look. It’s your turn to go up to the podium, Nic. Good luck.”
And as her friend approached the auctioneer carrying a white wicker basket adorned with a large red taffeta bow, Eliza settled back on the wooden bench seat to wait her turn.
Being a benefactor, as well as Sioux Falls Historical Society chairwoman, she’d had no trouble convincing Siouxland’s Old West Museum’s president to donate some of their Western gear to help her transform a chandelier-ensconced ballroom into a springtime scene straight out of the Old West. Lariats, silver saddles and wagon wheels filled the perimeter, while bound sheaves of grain and husks of corn draped the walls. The dinner tables, though set with elegant china, rested on blue gingham tablecloths with tall, lumbering sunflowers as vibrant centerpieces. A sunrise backdrop and a large buckboard wagon filled with straw sat upon the stage just behind Eliza.
When all was said and done, Nicole’s bid ranked up there with the highest so far. Her dinner pledge of roast lamb and potatoes with carrot soufflé and crème brûlée for dessert garnered over three thousand dollars. Eliza joined the group in applauding the generous bidder.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, you have the distinct honor of bidding on Miss Eliza Fortune’s dinner basket. As you all know, Miss Fortune has worked tirelessly to put on this fund-raiser and it looks like she’s made it a tremendous success.” Mr. Phillips reached for Eliza’s hand and guided her to the podium. Eliza handed him her pledge card from her gold-trimmed basket and stood as he read her offering. “Ah, I see the winner will have a great treat in store for them. Eliza has pledged to cook any meal of your choosing, beginning with hors d’oeuvres and ending with a decadent dessert with as many courses as you desire. So let’s begin the bidding at five hundred dollars.”
Eliza stood smiling at her guests, while inside a tremor of apprehension coursed through her body. And only once the first bid was announced for five hundred dollars—not by her father or brother—did she finally relax. As the bidding continued, she grew more and more confident.
“We have a bid for thirty-five hundred dollars. Do I hear four thousand? Anyone for four thousand dollars?”
Pleased that she’d garnered a respectable sum of money, Eliza was ready to walk away from the podium. She needed to coordinate the country band’s performance on stage so the dancing could begin.
“Going once, going twice for thirty-five hundred dollars and…”
“Thirty-five thousand dollars.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” the auctioneer said, “we already have a bid for thirty-five hundred dollars.”
“I said thirty-five thousand dollars,” a commanding voice echoed from the back of the room.
All conversation stopped in the grand ballroom, as heads turned in the direction of the voice.
Eliza stood perfectly still. Her smile faded, while her heart pounded up in her ears. She knew that voice. She would never forget the low, raspy timbre that would send her nerves spiraling out of control. She shut her eyes briefly, willing her body to calm.
It couldn’t be, she told herself.
But she knew better.
She had always known that this day would eventually come.
Mr. Phillips glanced at Eliza with a baffled expression, but when she offered no help, he turned back to his task. “Uh, sorry, sorry, indeed. The bid stands at thirty-five thousand dollars,” he emphasized. “Going once, going twice, sold to the gentleman in the back of the room!”
Just like that, Reese Parker stepped into her line of vision.
And back into her life.
After six years.
Their gazes locked from across the room. For a long moment they just stared at one another. His eyes held no warmth, his face no joy. He hardly looked like the gentle jeans-clad rodeo rider she’d met one summer in Montana.
Oh, he was as handsome as she remembered. Maybe more so now, with a chiseled jawline and dark, piercing eyes. But this man looked as though he belonged here amid South Dakota’s wealthiest patrons, dressed in a dashing ink-black Western tuxedo with lines cut to perfection. A golden nugget clasped the bola tie that lassoed his neck and settled into a single-breasted brocade vest. A black felt Stetson covered shocks of short-cropped sandy hair and, as if he needed it, snakeskin boots added flair to the whole look.
Heavens, he could have stepped off the pages of GQ.
Eliza was aware of the hush that settled onto the crowded room. But she couldn’t tear her gaze away. She simply looked at the man she had once loved.
Goose bumps erupted on her flesh.
Memories poured in, and her breath caught as myriad emotions ran havoc through her system, but the one that remained, the one she couldn’t banish, washed over her like a deluge of rain.
Anger.
Mr. Phillips took his cue then and concluded the auction, asking that the bidders make good on their bids at the reception table, while the HoneyBees made their way on stage.
Eliza was grateful for the reprieve. She broke eye contact with Reese and scurried off backstage. A gentle hand grabbed her from behind, startling her.
“Eliza, where are you running off to?”
Eliza turned around, relieved to see that it was Nicole. She blinked and couldn’t formulate an answer. The last few minutes had seemed like a dream. No, she corrected, a nightmare.
“That gorgeous guy bid a ton of money on you, Eliza.”
Eliza couldn’t fake a smile. “I know.”
“And you two couldn’t take your eyes off each other.”
“I know that, too.”
“So? Are you going to tell me who he is? You must know him. Either that or he’s flirting big-time.”
“No, trust me, he wasn’t flirting.” The very thought was absurd. She didn’t know exactly why Reese had come to Sioux Falls, but she couldn’t entertain any warm thoughts about him. He had nearly destroyed her with his betrayal. No one knew the whole truth, and she’d hoped to keep it that way for as long as possible.
“Who is he, Eliza?” Nicole pressed. “Please tell me.”
Eliza had kept her secret for six years. Her own humiliation aside, she hated to think of the damage her revelation might do to the Fortune good name.
Good Lord, but she’d been a fool in the past. If the truth got out, Eliza would lose all credibility with her numerous charitable organizations, not to mention the headlines it would cause. One scandalized romance was enough in a girl’s life. She’d managed to survive it, but this one she doubted she would ever live down.
She heaved a sigh. Keeping this from her best friend had been hardest of all. She stared into Nicole’s earnest amber eyes.
“Something’s going on, Lizzie,” Nicole whispered, using her childhood name, reminding Eliza that she and Nicole had a long history of devoted friendship. They’d been close for more than half of Eliza’s thirty-one years. Eliza had wanted to tell her countless times. She decided she’d kept her emotions bottled up long enough. Besides, if the manure were destined to hit the fan, at least she’d have an ally in Nicole.
She spoke the words she’d never said aloud to anyone in Sioux Falls, especially her family. “His name is Reese Parker and…he’s my husband.”
The South Dakota air made Eliza shiver, but she put up with the nighttime chill in order to catch her breath. She’d hurried out of the grand ballroom after speaking briefly with Nicole, finding this little hideaway terrace high atop the Fortune Seven Hotel to collect her thoughts. The magnificent view of the landscape had always helped put her at ease. But tonight it wasn’t working.
Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.
Reese was in Sioux Falls.
She doubted it was a coincidence that he’d shown up in her hometown.
I was passing through town so I thought I’d look up my…wife.
She shivered again.
And felt a wealth of warmth swarm her body as a man’s jacket enveloped her shoulders. She turned quickly and came face-to-face with her husband. “Reese.”
“Eliza.” He stepped away from her as if he couldn’t stand to be near her, yet he’d just seen to her comfort. The tuxedo jacket smelled of him, an erotic mix of musk and pine.
“You…look different,” she said, fumbling for words.
“I am different,” he said curtly as he removed his Stetson.
His hair was just as she remembered—thick, short and neatly groomed. How often she’d run her fingers through those locks just to muss up those perfect strands.
Eliza’s heart hammered again. Even with this awkwardness, Reese held true to his manners. But he didn’t look like a rugged rodeo rider right now, the man whose dimpled smile could send her body humming. There was nothing soft or gentle in the way he looked at her.
But he did look his fill, his gaze traveling over her body with a laziness that could be mistaken for arrogance. Suddenly Eliza was aware of the revealing gown she’d had designed especially for tonight. In keeping with the Western theme, the creamy satin gown dipped low in the front, the bodice forming her figure and cinching in at her thin waist. Shiny golden threads created an intricate pattern throughout and gilded wide lace teased her bosom and wrists. To match the golden highlights in your blond hair, Eliza, the dress designer had said.
Now, with his eyes upon her, Eliza felt exposed and vulnerable to his scrutiny. His gaze lingered on her chest, making her think back to a time when more than his eyes had devoured her.
She trembled again, and this time the night air wasn’t the cause.
“It’s not that cold, Eliza. Ice must be running through your veins.”
Eliza had almost forgotten herself. She wouldn’t let Reese get the better of her. She’d walked out on him once and she’d do it again. “What are you doing here?”
He smiled then, but not the gentle smile that softened his eyes. No, this smile was thin-lipped and hard. “We have to talk.”
Eliza began shaking her head. “No. We can’t. I have to get back inside.”
“Tomorrow, then. During the dinner you’re going to cook me.”
Eliza removed his jacket and tossed it to him. “You’re joking.”
He caught the jacket with a nonchalance that angered her. Reese had always been fast with his hands. “I seldom joke.”
But he had, years ago. They’d spent one glorious summer laughing and joking and making love. It was his quick wit and ease of manner that had attracted her to him initially. That and his hard, lean, gorgeous body.
“I can’t possibly cook you dinner, Reese. I’ll have someone else…”
“No. It’s you or nobody.” His dark eyes held hers firm.
Eliza thrust her chin up. If he wanted a battle of wills, then she’d oblige. “Then I’m afraid it’ll be nobody. I have to get back inside.” She turned to leave, but his hand snaked out to catch her wrist. He spun her around, and she faced narrowed eyes and a set jaw.
“You’re bought and paid for, darlin’. To the tune of thirty-five thousand dollars.”
Eliza’s eyes widened with surprise. She’d been so distraught at seeing Reese again she’d forgotten all about the enormous donation he’d made. “You don’t have that much—”
His brows shot up. “I do.”
He caught her staring at the fine cut of his tuxedo, his tie clasp made of solid gold and his handcrafted snakeskin boots. She wiped the curiosity off her face, wishing he would leave. She didn’t care how much money he had now. Seeing him hurt too much. She’d managed to tuck away reminders of his betrayal, but now that he was so near, all of it came rushing back with frightening force.
“Let go of me,” she said breathlessly.
He released her immediately.
“I’ll be over tomorrow night at eight.”
She shook her head again. “It’s not a good idea, Reese.”
“They don’t know, do they?”
He was smug enough not to have to explain. Eliza knew that he spoke of her family and the secret marriage she’d kept from them. She shook her head slowly.
“Six years, and you still haven’t owned up to the truth. You must have really been…hell, never mind.”
“Reese, you can’t come over tomorrow night.”
He scowled. “Would you rather I went to the press? News of the Fortunes was splashed all over the Tribune this morning. You’d think this damn charity event was the second coming or something. Wouldn’t they just love to hear about the sainted Eliza Fortune’s misfortune one summer in Montana? How she got down and dirty with a local cowboy?”
It hadn’t been like that. That summer had been magical until…She drew oxygen into her lungs. “Is that a threat?”
He jammed his Stetson back on his head. “Damn straight, darlin’. I don’t make them lightly.”
Eliza pursed her lips to keep from lashing out. She’d lost this round with Reese. She couldn’t afford for him to make good on his threat. It had taken several years to live down her last romantic debacle with a man who had aspirations of becoming Sioux Falls’ youngest mayor. She’d been engaged to Warren Keyes for six months and broke off the engagement two weeks before the wedding.
Local news stations and leading headlines in the Tribune had kept a running tally on their breakup for weeks, and Eliza had come out the loser. Her head throbbed as she recalled the pain she’d endured finding her fiancé in bed with his campaign manager. No one knew the entire truth except her family. She’d kept quiet about his infidelity, not out of any concern for him or his campaign but because she hadn’t wanted the public humiliation. Pity was the last thing she’d needed. It was bad enough that she’d suffered public scrutiny, being described as “flighty,” “fickle” and “confused” when she’d walked out on him.
But what she’d really been was hurt, the injury to a young girl’s heart almost too painful to bear. Warren had used her and her family’s name to attain status in the community for political gain.
She’d run away then to Montana and had met Reese Parker. The ruggedly handsome cowboy had swept her off her feet. She’d fallen hard for him, and they’d had a summer affair that led to a quick wedding. Now, if the truth got out about her marriage, the term rebound would take on a whole new meaning.
“Dinner at eight,” he said without compunction. “I doubt you remember my favorite meal, but this really isn’t about food, is it?”
With that, he strode purposefully off the terrace. Eliza watched the glass door slam shut in his wake.
“Pot roast and potatoes with creamed spinach,” she muttered softly.
Then trembled again.
Reese paced his penthouse suite, striding back and forth with suppressed rage. Eliza Fortune Parker, his wife, had tried to cast him off once again tonight. This time he wasn’t having any of it. She’d see him on his terms, whether she liked it or not. And she hadn’t liked it.
No, his appearance at her fund-raiser tonight had put a wrench in her nicely tuned life. Reese could take some satisfaction in that. He’d seen fear in her eyes, and that suited him just fine. Let her fear him and what havoc he could cause her.
She’d caused him enough grief to last a lifetime. Reese shoved his hand into his pocket, coming up with the note she’d written him six years ago, the crinkled, worn parchment he’d been given by a hotel desk clerk a constant reminder to him to succeed in life. Hell, he’d practically used the note as his bible, his guide to never give up. To never let anyone best him again.
He glanced down at the delicate writing, smudged now and bleeding blue ink.
The marriage was a mistake. I’m going home. I don’t want to see you again. Ever.
Ever.
Damn her. He’d stayed away long enough.
He knew every cold, harsh word of that note by heart. It was time to end it all, and too bad if it didn’t fit into Eliza’s plans.
Before his father died last month, he’d made Reese promise that he’d get his affairs in order. With unspoken words, he’d immediately known what his father had meant. Normally, Cole Parker didn’t pull punches. He’d been one up-front tell-it-like-it-is kind of man. But his father had known that Eliza Fortune Parker had been Reese’s one weak spot so he’d trod carefully.
It’s time, Reese, he’d said, almost on his last breath. Take hold of your life, son.
His father had been right. It was time.
But Reese would take his time, making Eliza squirm, upending her perfect little world, showing her that he wasn’t the sweet-natured, bronc-busting cowboy she could tie up in knots, anymore.
God, he’d been a fool thinking that the rich, pretty socialite would be happy with a down-on-his-luck cowboy.
Reese winced and crumpled the note, shoving it back into his pocket.
Man, but he’d loved her. She’d come to Montana and he’d seen something unique in her, something beautiful in her heart. She’d turned him on with that body of hers, wearing clothes that hid her perfection. His imagination had taken wild rides, until he’d known he had to have her. And once they’d made love, it had been better than good. So damn much better than anything he’d ever experienced.
When Reese’s cell phone rang, he checked the number, then smiled. “Hey, Garrett.”
“Where are you, bro?”
“In the Providence Hotel.”
“Top floor?”
“Penthouse.” Reese could picture his brother’s grin. They’d often joked that once they struck it rich, they’d never stay in anything but the best—a result of too many sleazy motels with torn sheets and rodents as bed partners.
“I take it that’s not a Fortune acquisition?”
“Hell, I had to drive across town to find a decent hotel they didn’t own.”
“You’re home early. I take it the night didn’t go well?”
“On the contrary. I accomplished my goal.”
“Which was?”
“You wouldn’t approve, Sir Galahad.”
His brother sighed. “So, how is Eliza?”
Beautiful, sexy, cold as ice. “She hasn’t grown fangs or anything.”
“Ah, still a knockout.”
Reese didn’t answer.
“Hey, I’m on your side, Reese. We’re family. But I liked Eliza from the moment I met her.”
“You only met her one time.”
“True, but I could tell she was crazy about you. I thought you were a lucky man. And Pops, well, he wanted you to sort out your life, Reese.”
“That’s what I’m doing. I plan on getting her out of my life.”
There was a long pause. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
Reese let out a bitter laugh. He knew his brother only meant well, but what option did a man have when his wife walked out on him without any explanation. She’d kept their marriage a secret because she’d been ashamed of him and his status in life and feared her family wouldn’t approve. She didn’t care enough about him to fight for what they had. He’d been broke, making his way through the rodeo circuit and pouring all of his money into his venture. But Eliza hadn’t stuck around long enough to see his dream come true. When she’d had enough, she’d simply walked out. Without taking a backward glance. Well, he’s making her take a good long look now. “I’m sure.”
“Okay,” Garrett said quietly, and Reese knew his brother only had his welfare at heart. “Hey, want some good news?”
“Shoot.”
“We had a blowout in Cinder Basin. A real gusher. Your instincts were right on. That makes seven straight oil strikes, Reese.”
Reese’s mood lifted. “Pops would’ve liked to hear the news.”
“He knows, Reese. He’s overseeing our operation from up above.”
“Yeah.”
Reese had ridden the rodeo circuit to sustain his dream, using his winnings to help finance his venture as a wildcatter. He’d worked long and hard coming up with nothing but dry holes his first three years. The standing joke was that he couldn’t find oil in a gas station. But then his luck changed and his rigs started paying off. He became a respected oilman, hitting five straight blowouts that year, and his success continued to mount every year, his ratio of blowouts to dry holes ten to one. It hadn’t taken him long to form his own company—Parker Explorations being one of the most prosperous oil companies in Montana.
“Thanks for the call, Garrett. I’ll be dreaming of black gold.”
“You’re going to need it with that house you’re building.”
Reese agreed. “Yeah, it’s a money pit, but it’ll be perfect when I’m through.”
“Perfection has its drawbacks at times.”
How well he knew that. At one time he’d thought he’d found the perfect woman, the perfect wife. They were to have the perfect life. Eliza had crushed that idea and left him a broken man. It had taken him a long time to dig himself out of that hole. But now he was back on top and nothing was going to stop him. He had the perfect plan for getting back at his wife.
“Yeah, but when you get it right, there’s nothing that compares to it.”