Guarding His Fortune Read online

  Protecting a Fortune is hard work.

  Falling for one is harder.

  Savannah Fortune is off-limits, and bodyguard Chaz Mendoza knows it. The pretty grad student he has been hired to look after is smart, opinionated—and rich. He would lay down his life for her. Still, what would she want with a regular guy like Chaz? Her family has made it clear he has no permanent place in her world. But Chaz refuses to settle for anything less...

  MEET THE FORTUNES!

  Fortune of the Month: Savannah Fortune

  Age: 25

  Vital Statistics: Petite, with long, silky hair and more brains than anyone gives her credit for.

  Claim to Fame: She’s a graduate student...and a millionaire’s daughter. She doesn’t “need” to work—but that makes her work even harder.

  Romantic Prospects: Life could be one big romantic playground for Savannah, but she was never interested. She’s serious about her studies—which means she’s not ready to get serious about a man. She barely dates.

  “There was no way I was going to turn down this research opportunity in Austin. My dad thinks it’s not safe for me here, that my Fortune name will put me in danger. He tried to stop me from coming here, and when that didn’t work, he actually hired me a bodyguard. A live-in bodyguard!

  “Now what is really in danger is my heart. The timing is terrible, and the situation couldn’t be worse. Chaz Mendoza sees me as his responsibility, his job. He seems to think I’m nothing more than the pampered, privileged daughter of a wealthy man. How can I make him see that underneath all those textbooks is a living, breathing woman who might be falling in love for the very first time?”

  THE FORTUNES OF TEXAS: THE LOST FORTUNES

  Family secrets revealed!

  Dear Reader,

  Being a part of the Fortunes continuing saga is a thrill for me, and this time around, I get the special treat of pairing a fabulous Fortune with a member of the dynamic Mendoza family!

  Sounds like an easy feat. After all, the Mendoza men have an eye for beautiful women, especially those with the last name of Fortune. However, when my hero Chaz Mendoza agrees to act as Savannah Fortune’s bodyguard, he plans on keeping their relationship strictly business. Which should pose no problem, he thinks, considering she’s a graduate student with nothing but science on her mind.

  As for Savannah, the last thing she wants is a brawny hunk of man following her around and interrupting her studies. But the illogical magic that occurs whenever a Fortune and a Mendoza get together has a way of changing their minds.

  It was a true joy writing Chaz and Savannah’s love story and I hope you enjoy reading it just as much.

  Best wishes to all,

  Stella Bagwell

  Guarding His Fortune

  Stella Bagwell

  After writing more than eighty books for Harlequin, Stella Bagwell still finds it exciting to create new stories and bring her characters to life. She loves all things Western and has been married to her own real cowboy for forty-four years. Living on the south Texas coast, she also enjoys being outdoors and helping her husband care for the horses, cats and dog that call their small ranch home. The couple has one son, who teaches high school mathematics and is also an athletic director. Stella loves hearing from readers. They can contact her at [email protected].

  Books by Stella Bagwell

  Harlequin Special Edition

  Men of the West

  The Lawman’s Noelle

  Daddy Wore Spurs

  Christmas on the Silver Horn Ranch

  Her Rugged Rancher

  His Badge, Her Baby...Their Family?

  The Cowboy’s Christmas Lullaby

  Her Kind of Doctor

  The Arizona Lawman

  Her Man on Three Rivers Ranch

  A Ranger for Christmas

  The Fortunes of Texas: The Secret Fortunes

  Her Sweetest Fortune

  Visit the Author Profile page at www.Harlequin.com for more titles.

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  To all the Fortune fans out there.

  Thank you for reading.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Excerpt from The Lawman’s Romance Lesson by Marie Ferrarella

  Excerpt from The Austen Playbook by Lucy Parker

  Chapter One

  Savannah Fortune struggled to hide her impatience as she gazed toward the opposite end of the study where her father, Miles, was standing in front of a massive cherrywood desk. Tall and tanned, with short graying brown hair, he made an imposing figure in a gray suit and power-red tie. Next to him in a plush armchair, her mother, Sarah, dressed impeccably in a white dress and pearls, waited for her husband to address the family.

  “This is ridiculous.” Savannah’s hushed voice was directed at her younger sister, Belle. “Why has Dad called this urgent meeting in the middle of the day? Couldn’t he have waited until dinner this evening?”

  Belle slanted her a droll look. “Urgent means he wants his children to focus on him. Not the boudin kolaches and gumbo we’re having for supper.”

  Miles rapped his knuckles on the desktop and everyone in the room turned their attention to the patriarch of the New Orleans Fortunes.

  “I’m glad to see everyone is here,” he spoke, his strong voice reverberating around the room. “I’ll try to make this as concise as possible.”

  A few steps away, Savannah’s older brother, Austin, held up a hand. “Sorry to interrupt, Dad, but Nolan isn’t here. Shouldn’t he be privy to this family meeting, too?”

  “Nolan has already been informed of everything I’m about to relay to all of you.” Turning slightly, Miles picked up a large manila envelope from the desktop and held it up for his family to see. “Earlier this morning I received this detailed report and as much as I hate to alarm all of you, the news is jarring.”

  Jarring? Now that Savannah was taking closer notice, her father appeared drawn and pale. What was in that envelope? As far as she knew, Fortune Investments, her father’s massive banking business, was as lucrative as ever.

  Leaning closer to Belle, Savannah whispered in her sister’s ear. “Has the stock market crashed or something?”

  Belle made a hands-up gesture to say she didn’t have a clue as to what might be going on. Across the room, their older sister, Georgia, was arching a questioning brow at their brother Beau. From the lost expressions on the faces of Savannah’s siblings, it appeared all were a bit mystified by this meeting.

  Miles cleared his throat and continued, “The news is conclusive. The Fortune family is being targeted.”

  This wasn’t exactly breaking news, Savannah thought. Especially the kind that warranted a family meeting.

  Apparently, her brother Draper was thinking along those same lines. He said, “I don’t mean to sound like a snob, but being wealthy has always made us targets, Dad.”

  Miles nodded. “You couldn’t be more correct, son. However, this situation is different. Someone is deliberately trying to harm members of the Fortune family. As you all know, there’s alre
ady been an arson in Austin that came close to being deadly, a cyber-attack at Robinson Tech and a real-estate sabotage in Houston. We have no way of knowing who or what might be next. We do have reason to believe that Charlotte Robinson is behind all these incidents.”

  “Do you know this for certain?” Georgia asked. “It seems strange the woman would want to hurt her own children.”

  Miles pecked a finger against the manila envelope. “As you all have learned, my half brother Kenneth Fortunado in Houston has a son, Connor, who’s a highly skilled private investigator. Connor has continued to dig up information about Charlotte and he’s recently discovered the divorce between her and Gerald recently became final.”

  Austin quickly countered. “Why should we be concerned about this? We’re not a part of the Austin Fortunes or the Houston Fortunes. Undoubtedly, we’re related to them, but we’ve never even met most of them.”

  Austin’s remarks matched the ones going through Savannah’s head. The other Fortunes were strangers. In fact, only a few months had passed since Miles had admitted to his children that he was actually an illegitimate son of Julius Fortune, the man who’d also fathered Gerald Robinson aka Jerome Fortune. At that time, Miles had beseeched his children to keep the secret under wraps. However, it wasn’t long afterward that the long-buried truth had somehow gotten back to the Austin Fortunes and from there it had spread.

  Miles placed a protective hand on his wife’s shoulder as he answered Austin’s question. “Gerald and Charlotte were married for thirty-some years. Plenty of baggage and money has accrued over that length of time. The woman is furious that she’s losing out. Not to mention that she’s been humiliated in public by Gerald’s endless philandering. Make no mistake, she’s seeking vengeance on the Fortune family. And I’m very concerned the woman has most likely learned I am a half brother to her ex-husband, Gerald Robinson. And regrettably, that makes all of us an enemy in her eyes.”

  Everyone began to talk at once, bouncing questions and opinions back and forth until the room sounded like Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras. Savannah was content to stand to one side and wait for the commotion to die down. After all, she was soon going to be off on her own and away from the family. This Charlotte-threat didn’t apply to her.

  Eventually, Miles called for silence. “I’m due back at the office in half an hour, so I need to wrap up this meeting,” he announced. “Are there any last questions before I leave?”

  Belle asked a basic one. “So what does this mean for all of us, Dad?”

  Miles somber gaze encompassed his whole family as he spoke. “It means all of us need to remain on high alert and be vigilant of people, our surroundings and anything out of the ordinary. Meanwhile, if any new information about Charlotte comes to me, it will be passed on to all of you.”

  He assisted Sarah from the chair and as their mother made her way out of the study, everyone followed, including Savannah, who was on the tail end of the group.

  She was about to step into the hallway when Miles suddenly called to her. “Savannah, please remain in the study. I’d like a private word with you.”

  Smiling to herself, she made an abrupt about-face and walked back to the center of the room. Her father was going to congratulate her on being invited to the University of Texas to join an important study group, she thought. No doubt, he was proud to hear his daughter would be studying with one of the most elite professors in the field of epidemiology.

  “Yes, Dad?”

  He gestured for her to take a seat in the same chair her mother had occupied.

  She shook her head. “I don’t need to sit.”

  Actually, she was impatient to get back to her bedroom, where suitcases and garments were laid across every inch of the king-sized bed. By the end of the day, she wanted to have everything packed and ready for the move.

  “Sit down anyway.” He adjusted the knot of his tie, then placed the report about Charlotte Robinson into the leather briefcase he carried to work.

  Biting back a sigh, Savannah eased into the chair nearest to her and smoothed the hem of her mint-green skirt over her knees.

  “Okay, I’m sitting,” she said cheerfully, then shot him a smug smile. “I assume Mother told you my good news.”

  Easing a hip onto the corner of the desk, he said flatly, “She told me. Unfortunately, that’s why we’re having this talk.”

  Instead of sounding like a preening father, his voice was crisp and resolute. It was the same unyielding tone she often heard him use on the phone with a business crony.

  Frowning, she asked, “Dad, aren’t you happy about the invitation?”

  “I’m always proud of my children’s achievements.”

  His response was hardly encouraging. “Being invited to join a study group probably doesn’t sound like much to you. But in my world, it’s quite an honor.”

  He shook his head. “Savannah, I realize the invitation from the university is a big coup for you. And normally I’d be the first to give you a proud send-off to Austin. But considering all the troubles that have been plaguing the Fortunes, I have to insist that you cancel your trip to Texas.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Cancel? You must be joking! You don’t just cancel an invitation to study with a group of brilliant graduate students and a professor who has an impressive reputation as being one of the best in his field. There are hundreds of students who’d kill to be in my position!”

  “And there’s one person out there who might literally want to kill you just because your name is Fortune,” he shot back at her. “No, Savannah, I’m very serious about this. Austin is full of Fortunes. It’s where Gerald’s business, Robinson Tech, is located. Living there would place you in the thick of danger.”

  “But Nolan lives there,” she argued. “If he can, then so can I.”

  Miles muttered something under his breath and Savannah knew better than to ask him to repeat it. Frankly, she’d never seen her father looking so stressed. Not even when the stock market took a wild plunge, or a huge investment had gone bankrupt.

  “Nolan is a grown man with a family,” he reasoned.

  And being twenty-five and a single woman made her incapable of taking care of herself? She wanted to fling the question at her father. But she was smart enough to know that sparring with him in that manner would only send his blood pressure to the boiling point. Miles Fortune was old-school. Women of the family were to be pampered and protected. Men were expected to show strength and wisdom.

  “I’m fully grown, too, Dad. And my career, my education are very important to me.”

  “Your life is more important to me,” he retorted.

  Frustration caused her head to swing back and forth. “But, Dad, I’ve already rented an apartment in Austin and purchased a plane ticket! I’m in the process of packing!”

  “Sorry. Cancel everything. When this ordeal with Charlotte Robinson is over, then you may reschedule your studies.”

  Reschedule? By the time Charlotte Robinson was tracked down and punished for her misdeeds, Savannah wouldn’t be able to fetch herself an invitation to a dogfight, much less to the university study!

  She leaned toward him, her expression beseeching him to understand the importance of her trip to Austin. “Dad, you’ve been a businessman for the major part of your life. More than anyone, you understand that to get ahead you have to strike while the iron is hot. I have to jump at this study now! I won’t have another chance like this.”

  His expression was unrelenting. “I won’t have a daughter of mine running around on her own in Austin! You’d constantly be in the crosshairs! You might as well pin a sign to your back with the name Fortune written in bold letters.”

  “Dad, for heaven’s sake, most of my waking hours will be spent at the university. I’m sure the security there will be more than adequate.”

  Before he could shoot a negative reply at her, Savanna
h rose from the chair and started out of the study.

  “Savannah, I’m serious about this. You’re not going.”

  Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled at him. “This is my life. My career. I am going, Dad. And I hope it will be with your blessings.”

  “That isn’t going to happen, young lady!”

  Her chin high, Savannah walked through the door, then carefully closed it behind her.

  * * *

  Living in New Orleans all her life, Savannah was long accustomed to hot, steamy weather, even for the first day of April, so when she stepped through the glass doors of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the oppressive afternoon heat hardly caught her attention. But a man walking straight in her direction had definitely caught her attention. Somewhere near thirty, he was at least six foot three or four with enough muscles to suggest he spent hours in the gym. His tanned complexion and black close-cropped hair coupled with a neatly trimmed goatee and mustache conjured up an image of dark and deliciously dangerous.

  And the danger grew even closer as he stopped a few steps in front of her. “Miss Fortune?”

  She instinctively glanced around the busy entrance to make sure the dreamy hunk of a man wasn’t addressing someone else. “That’s right,” she finally answered. “How did you guess?”

  A faint, almost cocky grin lifted a corner of his masculine lips and for a brief moment, Savannah couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sexy sight of straight white teeth, an unyielding jaw and chocolate-brown eyes fringed with thick black lashes.

  “I’m Chaz Mendoza and it’s my job to be a good guesser.” He gestured to a sleek black car parked at the curbside of the sheltered portico. “I’m here to take you to your destination. Are those your bags?”

  The question snapped her out of her survey of his chiseled features, and she glanced over her left shoulder to where a valet was pushing a cart loaded with the luggage she’d just collected from the baggage carousel. “Those are all mine.”