Michelle Major - Fortune's Special Delivery

Fortune of the Month:Charles Fortune Chesterfield

Age:29

Vital statistics:Dark, sexy hair women love to tousle, seductive blue eyes. Six feet plus of honest-to-goodness princely charisma.

Claim to fame:“Bonnie Lord Charlie” is an international hottie whose TV adverts for British tourism promise visitors to England “the royal treatment.”

Romantic prospects:Are you kidding?

“Social media would have me as some kind of lothario. This is not strictly true. I do enjoy feminine attention. I can’t help it if women find me irresistible. I do not fear commitment; I simply choose to avoid it.

But now there’s Alice. And Flynn. My son! From the moment I found out he was mine, everything changed. I’ve promised to do everything in my power to be a good father to my boy, and that means keeping my hands off Flynn’s mum. Strictly friends, she says. It’s what she wants. It’s the right thing to do. And I’m bloody certain it’s going to kill me.”

* * *

The Fortune’s of Texas: All Fortune’s ChildrenMoney. Family. Cowboys. Meet the Austin Fortunes!

Fortune’s Special

Delivery

Michelle Major

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MICHELLE MAJORgrew up in Ohio but dreamed of living in the mountains. Soon after graduating with a degree in journalism, she pointed her car west and settled in Colorado. Her life and house are filled with one great husband, two beautiful kids, a few furry pets and several well-behaved reptiles. She’s grateful to have found her passion writing stories with happy endings. Michelle loves to hear from her readers at www.michellemajor.com.

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To all the Fortunes readers. I’m thrilled to be celebrating the 20th anniversary with you!

Contents

Cover

Introduction MEET THE FORTUNES Fortune of the Month: Charles Fortune Chesterfield Age: 29 Vital statistics: Dark, sexy hair women love to tousle, seductive blue eyes. Six feet plus of honest-to-goodness princely charisma. Claim to fame: “Bonnie Lord Charlie” is an international hottie whose TV adverts for British tourism promise visitors to England “the royal treatment.” Romantic prospects: Are you kidding? “Social media would have me as some kind of lothario. This is not strictly true. I do enjoy feminine attention. I can’t help it if women find me irresistible. I do not fear commitment; I simply choose to avoid it. But now there’s Alice. And Flynn. My son! From the moment I found out he was mine, everything changed. I’ve promised to do everything in my power to be a good father to my boy, and that means keeping my hands off Flynn’s mum. Strictly friends, she says. It’s what she wants. It’s the right thing to do. And I’m bloody certain it’s going to kill me.” * * * The Fortune’s of Texas: All Fortune’s Children Money. Family. Cowboys. Meet the Austin Fortunes!

Title Page Fortune’s Special Delivery Michelle Major www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author MICHELLE MAJOR grew up in Ohio but dreamed of living in the mountains. Soon after graduating with a degree in journalism, she pointed her car west and settled in Colorado. Her life and house are filled with one great husband, two beautiful kids, a few furry pets and several well-behaved reptiles. She’s grateful to have found her passion writing stories with happy endings. Michelle loves to hear from her readers at www.michellemajor.com .

Dedication To all the Fortunes readers. I’m thrilled to be celebrating the 20th anniversary with you!

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

“A toast to your marriage.”

Charles Fortune Chesterfield lifted his glass of deep red cabernet, unable to hide the smile that curved one corner of his mouth. “Or should I call it your unmarriage? Your remarriage?” He winked at his sister Lucie, sitting across the table from him in the trendy Austin restaurant. It was early April and the weather in Central Texas was quite fine, a welcome change from the dreary rain of a London spring. He would rather have been sitting at a table on the restaurant’s spacious patio, enjoying the fresh air and the sound of the city passing by them. Unfortunately, the paparazzi hounded his family wherever they went, so Charles and Lucie were huddled in a quiet booth in the back of the restaurant.

“Don’t be cheeky, Charles,” Lucie answered in a clipped tone, her hazel eyes flashing. “If you came all the way to Texas to tease me, you should have stayed in London.”

“I’m happy for you, Luce.” Charles set down his wineglass and grabbed his younger sister’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “Truly I am. That’s why Austin was my first stop on this trip.”

“And...” she prompted, her smile returning.

“You and Chase make a lovely couple,” he offered. “It’s obvious how much he loves you.” Charles hoped his sister realized he was sincere. He hadn’t seen her as happy as she was now, reunited with her first love and husband, Texas oilman Chase Parker. Few had known about Lucie’s impulsive wedding when she was only seventeen until the fact that she and Chase were still married came to light last month. Charles had hated watching his younger sister hounded by the press, but true love had triumphed in the end.

He’d flown in yesterday from London and gone straight to dinner with Chase and Lucie at the sprawling Parker ranch outside town. Even jet-lagged, he’d been able to see how much they loved each other. His family had wasted no time in filling him in on the news from Horseback Hollow, the small Texas town the rest of his siblings called home. Lucie had also informed him that family matriarch and cosmetics mogul Kate Fortune was still in Austin and apparently meeting with their generation of Fortune children to look for someone to take over the empire built on her Fortune Youth Serum.

“Chase is perfect,” Lucie agreed now, “although I wouldn’t recommend calling him ‘lovely’ to his face. A native Texan won’t appreciate that description, Charles. But I’m talking about you.” She punched a few keys on her cell phone and lifted it for a better view. She’d gone to one of the online tabloid sites so popular in Britain.

The headline displayed on the small screen read Is the Third Time a Charm for Bonnie Lord Charlie? An obvious reference to Charles’s two previous broken engagements. Below the headline was a grainy photo of Charles and a beautiful, thin and very regal-looking brunette.

“Lady Caterina Hayworth?” Lucie asked, her brow puckered. “Tell me you’re not engaged to Conniving Cat. I know you like your women brainless and beautiful, but she’s a social climber of the worst sort. You must know she wants your celebrity status as much as she wants you.”