Page 43 of A Fortunes of Texas Christmas (Fortunes of Texas)

By the time he arrived at Sterling’s Fortune later that day, he had almost convinced himself that he was going to tell her that. He’d had many long and lonely hours to dwell on her rejection, and he didn’t like how it made him feel. Angry, for starters. And foolish.

“I look forward to signing the contract for this deal,” Kate said to him. He’d been at the ranch for ten minutes and was so agitated he could barely sit still. He didn’t want an earnest conversation with Kate about business. Because his head wasn’t up for business when he was consumed by thoughts of Robin and how she’d looked racing from his hotel suite as though her heels were on fire.

“Yes,” he said blandly. “I’m sure we’ll be able to come to an agreement and let the suits on either side sort through the details.”

She nodded. “We can start working on the fragrance immediately. I was speaking with Robin about it only this morning. She’s so insightful when it comes to mixing scents and finding just the right balance with plant ingredients. I’d give her a job in the lab in a heartbeat if I believed I could get her out of the garden.”

Amersen didn’t flinch. He sensed Kate was deliberately provoking him by mentioning Robin. But he wasn’t about to get drawn into a conversation about Robin’s career goals. “Can I ask where she is?”

“The orchard, I believe,” Kate replied, smiling just a little. “If you walk around the rotunda, you’ll find it easily enough. Goodbye, Amersen. Thank you for stopping by before you left. It was very unexpected.”

He felt about sixteen years old under the older woman’s scrutiny. Because Kate Fortune knew exactly why he’d stopped by, and that the reason had nothing to do with their impending deal. But it had everything to do with Robin Harbin.

He said goodbye and left, heading outside. He walked around the gazebo and through an old timber gate and then stepped into the small orchard. He spotted Robin instantly. She was by one of the fruit trees, scraping pieces of bark into a small jar. She wore denim overalls, a long-sleeved red T-shirt, work boots and a purple hat. Her hair was tied up, but that still didn’t stop the mental image of her tresses draped over his thighs.

She was so engrossed in her chore that she didn’t appear to hear him approach. “Kate said I would find you here.”

She jumped and stepped back. “You startled me,” she said, scowling. “I was collecting samples.”

“So I see.”

She placed the jar alongside several others in a carrying case. “The trees aren’t fruiting like they’ve done in the past, and one of the neighboring ranches has had the same problem, so I’m checking for diseases.”

Amersen ignored her rambling, because he couldn’t have cared less about the trees. He only cared that she was in front of him, within touching distance. He reached out and grasped her hand, rolling out her fingers before placing the unicorn necklace into her palm. “You forgot to take this.”

She looked at the trinket. “I didn’t forget.”

Something uncurled in his gut. A kind of uneasy annoyance that he was unused to. “You don’t want it?”

For a moment he was sure he saw her hand tremble. But she then clasped her fingers around the necklace and smiled. “Sure. Of course. It’s very pretty and a nice memento of our time together.”

Amersen found himself frowning. Something was off. Not right. “Are you angry with me?”

“No,” she replied. “Of course not. Why would I be?” She let out a shrill laugh. “It’s been a fun week getting to know you, and last night the sex was great.”

“Yes,” he said quietly, looking for something he couldn’t define in her expression. “It was.”

She smiled again and met his gaze for just a moment. “So, I guess this is it, then. The final goodbye.”

“I guess so.”

She picked up the bag beside the tree, shoved the pruning shears into her back pocket and smiled widely. “Okay, take care of yourself, Amersen. Or as they say, au revoir!”

He watched as she turned and walked off, hips swinging, shoulders back. No recriminations. No big scene. No asking him when he would call. He should have been relieved. That was how he’d always wanted it in the past. Love them. Leave them. And don’t look back.

Now the tables had been well and truly turned. Before he’d had a chance to make some well-practiced speech about timing and it’s-not-you platitudes, she’d made the decision for him.

She’s done you a favor.

The thing was, he realized as he headed back to the waiting limo and endured the drive to the airport and then the long flight home, it didn’t feel like a favor.

It felt like a brush-off.

The first of his life.

Chapter Nine

The thing with taking the high road, Robin discovered as the following week turned into another, was that it could be a lonely place. Really, really lonely. Thank heavens she had her family and her work to keep her mind occupied. Which she did. She played the role of a happy twenty-four-year-old to perfection and fooled everyone.

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