Judy Duarte: Mendoza's Miracle

She had to get out of there before she said something she regretted.

Or before he did, because the intensity of his gaze was almost… unnerving. Just the sight of Javier lying in bed, watching her like that, as if he was going to slide over to make room for her to join him…

Oh, for the love of Pete. The man was recuperating from near-fatal injuries. He certainly wasn’t having those kinds of thoughts.

So why in creation was she?

Dear Reader,

I hope you like this new FORTUNES OF TEXAS series as much as I do. It was fun to return to Red Rock and revisit old “friends” as well as meet some new ones.

In A Real Live Cowboy , JR Fortune fell in love with Isabella Mendoza. I’d mentioned that she had a brother, Javier. So you can imagine how exciting it was to be able to tell Javier’s story and help him find his own happy ever after.

Of course, the poor man nearly died when the tornado struck Red Rock two months ago. The near-death experience and the long road back to recovery have taken an emotional toll on him, and the only bright spot in his day is when Leah Roberts, a lovely auburn-haired Florence Nightingale, enters his room.

As Leah’s handsome patient heals, he begins to revert back to the man he once was—the kind of man who could prove to be the worst thing to ever happen to her… or the best.

So sit back and enjoy the romance that’s about to unfold.

Happy reading!

Judy

JUDY DUARTEalways knew there was a book inside her, but since English was her least-favorite subject in school, she never considered herself a writer. An avid reader who enjoys a happy ending, Judy couldn’t shake the dream of creating a book of her own.

Her dream became a reality when Mills & Boon released her first book, Cowboy Courage. Since then she has published more than twenty novels.

Her stories have touched the hearts of readers around the world. And in July 2005 Judy won a prestigious Readers’ Choice Award for The Rich Man’s Son.

Judy makes her home near the beach in Southern California. When she’s not cooped up in her writing cave, she’s spending time with her somewhat enormous but delightfully close family.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To the other authors who took part in this series:

Karen Templeton, Marie Ferrarella, Susan Crosby,

Nancy Robards Thompson and Allison Leigh.

Javier Mendoza might have been a little irritable and short-tempered with his family just moments ago, but all he really wanted was for them to go home and leave him alone.

When they finally got the hint and left his hospital room, he was relieved. That is, until they gathered out in the hall and began to whisper.

“Maybe it’s time for us to call in a psychologist,” his father said.

Luis Mendoza might have lowered his voice, thinking he couldn’t be overheard, but Javier wasn’t deaf.

He glanced at Leah Roberts, who stood at the foot of his bed. From the expression on his personal Florence Nightingale’s pretty face, he realized the comments they’d both overheard had struck a sympathetic chord in her.

“They mean well,” Leah said, her own voice lowering to a whisper so the family members who’d gathered in the hall couldn’t hear her words.

She was right. His father and siblings had held prayer vigils while he’d been in the ICU and had continued to visit regularly, even after his condition had been upgraded and he’d been moved to a regular room. He was grateful for their love and concern, of course, but there wasn’t anything wrong with his mental state. Dragging this whole thing out any longer than necessary wasn’t going to get him back on his feet any sooner.

Two months ago, a tornado had struck Red Rock, and in the blink of an eye Javier’s life had been permanently altered.

Of course, all he knew about that fateful day—and for the next three to four weeks after—was what others had told him and what he’d read in the old newspapers Leah had brought for him to read.

In fact, there was very little he recalled after the December day his brother Marcos had married Wendy Fortune. The two families had celebrated the Christmas holiday together, then the Atlanta-based Fortunes had planned to fly home to attend a New Year’s Eve party.

It had taken several vehicles to deliver them all to the airport, and Javier had been one of the drivers. The wind had kicked up and the clouds had grown dark, threatening to ground all the flights. So the travelers had hoped to get out of Red Rock before they were forced to wait out the storm.

Then the unthinkable happened. A tornado struck, killing several people and injuring others.

Javier, who’d almost gotten a one-way ticket to the Pearly Gates, had been one of the “lucky ones,” which was what more than one medical professional had told him. In fact, his injuries had been so serious that it had been weeks before anyone knew if he’d pull through or not.

He supposed he had his family’s prayers and the skill of one of the top neurosurgeons in the country to thank for that.

Still, he’d been in a coma for over a month, which had been medically induced for part of that time, and had finally regained consciousness in February.

His family and the many specialists who’d treated him had been relieved to learn he hadn’t suffered any lasting brain damage, although he’d suffered a lot of confusion those first few days.

His recovery was going to be far from easy. He still faced some physical hurdles, since multiple fractures in both of his legs would require extensive rehab in the facility attached to the hospital, but at least he’d be able to walk again. For a while, doctors hadn’t been sure.

Jeremy Fortune, Javier’s orthopedic surgeon, as well as a longtime family friend, had been honest about what the future would bring. The physical therapy would be grueling, but it was necessary for Javier to regain full body function.

“You’re young,” Jeremy had said. “And you’re strong. With rehab, you’ll eventually be as good as new.”

But Javier wasn’t convinced of that. He’d lost a lot of time, not to mention a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity that had slipped through his fingers while he’d been out of commission. And thanks to the blasted confusion—which was better but still lingered—there’d been countless other details and opportunities lost to him.

Sure, the brain fog had cleared some, and with time, he’d probably regain his physical strength. But deep inside, where no one could see, something had changed.

Javier was different.

His family seemed to think he was depressed. Okay, so maybe he was—a little. Who wouldn’t be?

For all of his thirty-one years, he’d relied on quick wit and keen business savvy to see him through. But after the injury and weeks of recovery, he feared the healing had stopped.

What if he never got his mental mojo back?

The question itself struck fear deep into his battered bones. And it was something he’d never admit to anyone, not even to a shrink.

Javier again looked at Leah, whose long, auburn hair was pulled back with a clip, whose expressive hazel eyes seemed to know what he was thinking and feeling most days without him ever having to say a word.

She was the only person whose presence didn’t make him want to scream. Maybe that was because she hadn’t known him before and didn’t have any preconceived notions of how he “should” react to things. Or maybe he just appreciated the fact that she didn’t walk on eggshells around him and act cheerful when she wasn’t.