Allison Leigh: Taming A Fortune: A House Full of Fortunes!

As she pushed back her chair, he couldn’t help noticing those long, tanned legs emerging from the skirt that no longer seemed too short.

“What about the drunk and disorderly?” he asked. “Is that from a job or from firsthand experience?” Please don’t let her be a party girl, he found himself thinking.

“Do I look like the drunk-and-disorderly type?” She turned back to Toby. She must have noticed his gaze on her legs, because she crossed her arms and said, “Don’t answer that.”

“Sorry.”

She didn’t seem to be actually annoyed, though, because there was a spark of humor in her voice when she added, “Before that temp agency folded, they sent me to work at Señor Paco’s Bail Bonds for a few weeks.”

That was a relief. Not that he planned to actually date her.

Or did he?

“Aren’t you going out with the kids to see the new plane?” she asked.

He’d much rather learn about Angie’s control panel than some stupid airplane’s, especially since it was four o’clock and she was leaving.

Who knew when he’d see her again, which brought out an unexpected sense of urgency, prompting him to blurt out, “Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?”

* * *

Dinner? At the Double H Ranch? With Toby and the kids?

The invitation had come out of the blue, and judging from the expression on Toby’s face, Angie suspected that the question had surprised him as much as it had her.

“I’m not sure what we’ll be having,” he added. “I’ll have to stop by the Superette and pick up something. But the kids need to eat tonight. And if you’re not busy...”

“Actually, I have to stop by there to pick up my paycheck anyway. Do you want me to do the shopping for you?”

“That would be great.” Toby reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet and peeled out a couple of bills. “Here’s forty bucks. Pick up whatever you think the kids will like.”

Great. The choice was hers, then?

Not only had she agreed to have dinner with him and the kids, she’d also agreed to plan the menu, which meant she’d be stuck trying to decide what to cook for a hungry man and three picky children.

What had she been thinking?

At least he’d given her the money to pay for the groceries. She wasn’t sure how she would have been able to afford them if he hadn’t.

“Do you know how to get to the ranch?” he asked.

She tossed him a smile. “I’m sure I can find my way there.”

Ten minutes later, she was walking up and down the aisles of the Superette, grabbing packages and cans in record time.

Julia Tierney, who’d been working the check stand, laughed when Angie started laying items out on the conveyor belt.

“What’s so funny?” Angie asked her friend and boss.

“Girl, I haven’t seen you make such quick decisions on what to buy since that time you came running in here after that chili-pepper-eating contest with Mr. Murdock. You grabbed the first bottle of Mylanta you could find and drained it right in the middle of aisle three.”

Sometimes, when Angie didn’t have time to think about it, she could be rather decisive. And her tummy had been on fire that day.

She shook off Julia’s teasing. “I’m picking up dinner for Toby and his kids this evening. And since I’m sure everyone’s probably hungry, I don’t have time to roam the aisles, stewing about what to cook.”

Julia glanced at the items she rang up. “Pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni slices, mushrooms, ham, peppers, onions, ice cream, strawberries, instant bread mix. Looks like you’ll be having homemade pizza.”

“I figured it would be safe, especially if the kids can make their own.”

“That’s clever,” Julia said. “I couldn’t have come up with a better idea myself.”

That was quite the compliment. Julia had always dreamed of going to culinary school or maybe getting a degree in restaurant management, but when her father suffered a heart attack, she’d decided to stick close to home and help out her parents with the store. So she’d given up her dream.

However, now that her father was better, it looked as though her dreams would finally come true. When Wendy and Marcos Mendoza finally opened up The Hollows Cantina in the next month or so, Julia was going to manage it.

“Yeah, well, I’ve learned that if you can’t choose just one thing, it’s best to have plenty of options available.”

“Good idea,” Julia said, as she totaled Angie’s purchases.

“How are things going with the new restaurant?”

“Great. I love what Marcos and Wendy have envisioned, and it’s really coming together. In fact, I was going over some of the job applications we’ve gotten and saw yours. We won’t be scheduling interviews yet, but I wanted you to know that you’re at the top of the pile.”

“Thanks. That’s nice to know.” Angie helped Julia bag her purchases. “Who’s going to take over for you here?”

“My mother’s sister just retired from a cable-television company in Lubbock. So she’s going to move in with my folks and help out for a while. I think it’s all going to work out nicely.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“So tell me,” Julia said. “This thing with Toby and the kids... That’s a little intriguing.”

Only because Julia was in love with Liam, Toby’s brother. And she had stars in her eyes and thought everyone else should, too.

“We’re just friends,” Angie said.

Of course, she’d caught Toby staring at her legs a few times earlier today. And unlike a lot of other men she’d caught gawking like that, he’d seemed to be interested in more than just her appearance.

“Didn’t I once hear you say that you never liked limiting your options?” Julia asked.

Yes, that was Angie. Her father had always told her that life wasn’t an Etch A Sketch. That she ought to weigh each decision carefully, especially when it came to choosing a career—or a spouse.

Otherwise, she could find herself stuck in a really bad place.

She supposed that was why she’d never been able to settle on a college major or to find a job that interested her for very long—or a man worth making any kind of commitment to.

Angie didn’t respond to Julia’s question. Instead, she thanked Julia, took the two bags of groceries and headed for her car.

No, Toby Fortune Jones wasn’t in the running when it came to considering romantic possibilities.

But if he wasn’t an option, then what was he?

The answer came to her as she placed the pizza fixings into her car and prepared to head for the Double H Ranch.

Toby Fortune was one fine cowboy who was far too attractive for her own good.

Chapter Four

After Toby finished overseeing the homework hour, he told the kids they could watch television before dinner. Then he went into the kitchen to check the pantry. It wasn’t as though his cupboards were bare. He could certainly rustle up something to add to whatever Angie planned to cook.

He’d no more than scanned the canned goods in the pantry when he heard a car pull up. Knowing it had to be her, he went outside to greet her.

As she climbed out of the driver’s seat of a black Toyota Celica that had seen better years, let alone days, she reached into the back for the first of two eco-friendly bags. Her hair had been pulled back in a ponytail when she’d been at Redmond-Fortune Air, but it hung loose around her shoulders now—soft, glossy and teased by a light evening breeze.

She wasn’t wearing anything different—just that black skirt and white blouse. Yet tonight, for some crazy reason, he found himself a wee bit... Hell, he didn’t know what to call it—starstruck, stagestruck, dumbstruck...?

“Here. Let me help you with those.” He reached for the bags, and she handed them over.