Page 53 of A Fortunes of Texas Christmas (Fortunes of Texas)

“Amersen, please let me—”

“I don’t need to be coddled, Robin. The inhaler did its job and I am back to normal. Stop fretting.”

She opened her mouth to speak again, but Amersen gently placed a finger to her lips.

“I assure you, I am quite fine now. Please don’t worry.”

Her eyes glittered. “Okay.”

He managed to control his breathing as he drove her back to her ranch, knowing she would say something when she realized they weren’t headed to his hotel in the city.

“Oh...I thought...”

“I have some international calls I have to make tonight,” he said, trying to keep his voice as light and unaffected as possible. Trying not to let her see that he was coming apart at the seams. “Sorry, Robin, I should have said something earlier.”

“Oh, well...okay. I understand.”

But he knew she didn’t. She would be hurt and confused and rightly so. But he couldn’t say anything else. It was too much. Too hard. Too...close to her potentially seeing him in pieces.

“I’ll drop your things by tomorrow, if that’s okay?” he suggested when he pulled up outside her small house.

She nodded, her hand on the door handle. Then she stilled. “Amersen...have I done something to—”

“No,” he said quickly and grabbed her other hand, raising her knuckles to his mouth. “I genuinely don’t feel well and don’t think I will be any kind of company tonight. I will make it up to you, okay?”

She nodded a little but didn’t look convinced. “Okay.”

Amersen got out and walked her to the door, kissed her softly and then left before he changed his mind. He waited until she was inside and the door was closed before he headed back to the car. He took a slow, deep breath, and then another, trying to focus, trying not to think about Robin, or the fact he wouldn’t be making love to her that night, since he’d cut their evening short. Because he couldn’t think of anything other than the one truth that was churning through his blood.

That barely an hour earlier, he’d come face-to-face with Olivia Fortune Mendoza.

His sister.

* * *

Robin woke up Monday morning with a head full of conflicting emotions. Including anger and a whole load of confusion. What had started out as a romantic, wonderful day had ended so abruptly she was trying to work out what had gone so disastrously wrong.

It didn’t make sense. Amersen had pursued her. He’d flown back to Texas, he’d arrived at her family home and endured the scrutiny of her parents and brothers. He’d insisted they spend the day together. And the night. They’d flirted and touched and she’d believed they would make love. But...no. Because instead of the dreamy, passion-filled night she’d anticipated, he’d dropped her off at her doorstep with little more than a perfunctory kiss and then bidden her good-night with some vague indication that he’d see her soon.

Hot and then cold.

As though something had happened to change his mind about them. Which made her replay the entire day and evening over and over in her head. And every time she got to the point where Alejandro introduced his wife to them, Robin came up with the same answer. Amersen had shut down the moment he came face-to-face with Olivia Fortune Mendoza.

Because he knew her. It was the only possible reason. He knew her and didn’t want anyone to know it. Including Robin and Alejandro. Olivia was a beautiful woman. A beautiful married woman. And both Olivia and Amersen had looked like they wanted to be somewhere else the moment Alejandro made the introduction.

She felt sick to her stomach the moment she suspected it. It couldn’t possibly be true, could it?

Amersen had insisted he knew no one in Austin. Every possible scenario raced through her head as she got dressed in jeans and a sweater and pulled on her purple boots. Did they know each other from some old acquaintance? Was it a new relationship? Was it serious? Was it intimate?

She spent the whole day making herself crazy with possible scenarios. And ignored the call and two text messages he sent her around lunchtime. Because what she had to say to him, she wanted to say face-to-face.

She left work early, and by the time she drove to his hotel, it was close to three o’clock and she sent him a text message as she strode across the foyer.

We need to talk.

Her cell dinged barely seconds later.

I know. I’ll come to your place.

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