Nancy Robards - Taming A Fortune

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As the meat sizzled on the grill, setting off the aroma of barbecued burgers and hot dogs, Toby stood next to his father and Colton Foster, Stacey’s fiancé.

Deke had roped his future son-in-law into helping him man the grill, and the two ranchers had been discussing the rising cost of feed corn, as well as the new bull Deke intended to purchase.

But Toby couldn’t seem to focus on the discussion at hand. Instead he kept thinking about the one going on in the kitchen, where the women had gathered with Angie.

“Excuse me,” he said, as he stepped away from his dad and Colton.

The two men continued to talk while Toby strode across the patio to the insulated cooler that held a variety of drinks, including the ice-cold bottle of beer he snatched for himself.

So far, the family dinner at his parents’ house seemed to be going well. The women had begun to carry out the food and place it on tables that had been set up on the lawn, which meant it would be time to eat soon.

Jude, Liam and Galen had gathered near the tree house, where they were probably still reminiscing about their childhood or predicting the likelihood of the Rangers making it to the World Series this year.

But Toby’s mind was on the kids and the fear that he might lose them. He could honestly say that if Barbara were a loving and maternal woman who’d made a few mistakes and was trying hard to straighten her life out he wouldn’t be so uneasy. After all, he probably valued family ties more than anyone. It was just that he’d never seen a maternal side to Barbara.

He thought about sharing his worries with his family, but he didn’t want to talk about it in front of the kids. Maybe it was best to wait until after he’d talked to Ms. Fisk on Monday—assuming she’d return his call the day she returned to the office.

Either way, he couldn’t very well stew about it all weekend. So he’d better shake it off for now and start mingling before people started asking him what was bothering him.

As he stood in the center of the yard, a beer in hand, debating which of the two male groups to join, a squeal of feminine laughter rang out from the kitchen.

What in the heck were the women talking about in there? He hoped the topic of conversation wasn’t on him and Angie.

Should he check? Did Angie need him to bail her out?

No, they were all laughing, so it had to be something else. His presence would only remind them of the questioning they’d planned upon his and Angie’s arrival. So it would be best—and safer—if he hung out with the men.

Opting for the rowdier group near the tree house, Toby returned to the cooler, reached in for a couple more Coronas and carried them out to his brothers.

Upon his approach, a big ole grin stole across Galen’s face. “You’re just the guy I wanted to talk to.”

“What about?” Toby asked.

“About you and Angie. I hear things are heating up.”

Toby wasn’t sure where Galen had come up with that. He glanced at Jude and Liam, both of whom were smirking, and realized it was now his turn to get the third degree. But there wasn’t much to tell—or much he was willing to talk about.

He offered up the extra two Coronas he held instead. “You guys want a beer?”

Liam and Jude both took one.

Galen crossed his arms, his grin bursting into a full-on smile. “Don’t change the subject, little bro. We just want to know what’s going on with you and Angie, especially since Justin told us you two had a sleepover last night.”

Aw, hell. Toby had been afraid that was going to happen.

He blew out a sigh. “As nice as that might sound, I’m afraid Justin blew that all out of proportion. Angie stayed over, but it’s not what you’re thinking.”

“Hmm.” Liam crossed his arms. “So if it would have been nice, does that mean you’re interested in her?”

So what if he was?

Still, Toby wasn’t going to admit anything. If he did, he’d never hear the end of it. And besides, he and Angie hadn’t even talked about whether they wanted their relationship or friendship or whatever the hell it was to progress to a level like that.

“You know what I think?” Toby said to Liam. “You guys have fallen in love, so you think everyone else ought to be feeling the same way.”

“I’m still single and unattached,” Galen said. “And I think there’s definitely some big-time sparks going on between you and Angie.”

“Okay,” Toby said. “I’m attracted to her. She’s fun to be with. But that’s about all there is to it.”

“Why aren’t you pursuing anything more?” Galen asked.

All kinds of reasons. The kids, for one. Angie’s inability to commit to anyone or anything, for another. But then again, that hadn’t seemed to matter when they’d woken up in each other’s arms this morning.

Of course, there was also the matter of Jude dating her in the past. And Toby didn’t want to cross any weird fraternal boundaries or become romantically involved with a woman his brother had once been...intimate with.

Wouldn’t that be one huge disappointment?

“Speaking of Angie,” Toby said to Jude, “you dated her, didn’t you?”

“I guess you could call it that. We only went out a couple of times. It ended pretty abruptly.”

“What happened?” Toby asked.

“When Angie’s mom saw her out with me one evening, she flipped out. Apparently, she thought Angie could do a whole lot better. Doris tried to lower her voice, but I overheard her refer to me as a ‘Horseback Hollow Casanova’ and ask if I’d gone through all the women in my own age bracket and had started on a new generation.” Jude blew out a sigh. “Okay, granted, there was a six-year age difference, but come on. A whole generation?”

Knowing her mom, that didn’t surprise Toby. So if he and Angie ever did start dating, he and Doris would have to set some definite boundaries.

“So it ended quickly,” Toby said. “But how serious were you?”

“It never would have gotten off the ground. She was a little too indecisive for me.” Jude laughed. “Don’t get me wrong. She’s a nice girl, and we had fun. But I made the mistake of asking her which movie she wanted to see. If I hadn’t picked one myself and taken her by the hand, we probably would have stood outside the theater all night.”

Toby had never really seen that side of Angie. She always seemed to know just what she wanted when she was with him and the kids.

Feminine voices grew louder as the women gathered outside and his mother announced that it was time to eat.

“Brian and Justin,” she called to the boys in the tree house, “go on in the house with Kylie and wash your hands.”

As the boys hurried to do as they were told, Jude asked Toby, “Has Angie decided upon a career yet?”

“No, she hasn’t.”

“Don’t let that stop you,” Galen said. “Look at her. She’s smoking hot.”

His oldest brother certainly had that right. Toby studied the lovely brunette crossing the lawn in that white sundress. She had on the denim jacket now, as well as those cowboy boots. So she’d covered up her arms and shoulders. But she still looked good.

In fact, she looked amazing in whatever she wore—especially a wet yoga outfit.

“Let me know if you’re not interested in her,” Galen added. “If that’s the case, I might ask her out myself.”

Just the thought of Galen moving in on Angie sent Toby’s senses reeling.

“All right, I’m interested,” he admitted. “So back off.”

Before his brothers could tease him further, he headed for the tables and found seats for him, Angie and the kids.

As was typical of a Fortune Jones dinner, everyone ate their fill, including the variety of desserts. All the while, they told stories about growing up together, sometimes teasing, usually smiling or laughing.