Guarding His Fortune

by Stella Bagwell

  Unable to keep a grin off his face, he said, “Well, we all have our vices,” he said with a grin. “And yours don’t sound that bad to me.”

  Five minutes later, the car was loaded without any extra space to spare. From the supermarket, Chaz drove them straight to the car rental company where Savannah’s vehicle was waiting for her.

  Apparently, special perks came with having the last name of Fortune. Savannah didn’t have to wait. As soon as she presented her ID, she signed a paper and was handed the key to a small cream-colored luxury car.

  “I’m assuming you have your license and you know how to drive,” Chaz commented, as she slid into the driver’s seat.

  Smiling impishly up at him, she snapped the seat belt in place. “I do. I have a car of my own at home, but Dad didn’t want me driving alone all the way from New Orleans to Austin. I’ll tell you a secret, though. Back in New Orleans, I do ride the streetcar at times.”

  “Why is that a secret?”

  She laughed and the sound was as happy as the expression on her face. It made him want to laugh with her.

  “Because Dad doesn’t want any of his children to use public transportation. It’s too dangerous, or so he says. See, even before this thing with Charlotte Robinson became a problem, Dad was always worried about kidnappers. But I never make riding the streetcar a routine habit.”

  The image of some evil man snatching Savannah and holding her for ransom was enough to make Chaz vow to never take his eyes off her.

  “All I can say is thank God you’re not in New Orleans now.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Nothing.” He shut the car door and leaned his head partially into the open window. “Since you don’t know your way around Austin yet, you’d better follow me. Be sure and stay close to my car. And keep your cell phone handy just in case a traffic light or merging vehicles separate us and you get lost.”

  “I have a navigational system on the dashboard and also on my cell phone. I’m not going to get lost,” she assured him. “But I have my phone and your number—if I need you.”

  If I need you. Obviously, Savannah didn’t feel a bit threatened at the thought of a crazy woman out to harm her or her family. And she certainly didn’t think she would ever need Chaz for any reason.

  Somehow, that didn’t surprise him. But the fact that it bothered him did.

  * * *

  To Chaz’s relief, the drive back to Live Oak Lane went without incident. When they reached her apartment, he allowed Savannah to park her vehicle beneath the protective cover of the carport. He parked directly behind her and opened the trunk to begin the task of transporting her purchases into the building.

  She was all smiles and energy as she joined him at the back of his car. “Now comes the fun part,” she said. “I can’t wait to get all this stuff into place. It should make the apartment feel more like home.”

  Home. Chaz didn’t think of that word very often. The connotation wasn’t the same for him as it was for most people. Maybe that was because he’d spent eight years in the army, where home had meant a bed in a barrack or a sleeping bag beneath a tent. Or perhaps it was because as a boy growing up, his home hadn’t always been a warm, loving environment with two happy parents.

  “I’m sure you’ll make it comfortable,” he replied, then lifted out one of the bigger boxes, containing a set of cookware. “I’ll get the heavy things. Can you handle some of the lighter grocery bags?”

  “Of course I can. I’m not weak or helpless.”

  No. She was rich, and beautiful, and accustomed to having everything done for her, Chaz thought. Still, he had to give her credit. Today, she seemed very eager to do chores for herself.

  “Okay. Let’s get to work.”

  * * *

  Two hours later, Savannah was still arranging things in the apartment when Chaz retreated to the back patio to take a quiet break and enjoy the last of the waning twilight. Yet, no sooner had he taken a seat on the red glider than his cell phone rang.

  Groaning, he checked the caller ID, then seeing it was his older brother, he promptly punched the accept button.

  “Hey, Carlo,” he greeted. “What’s up?”

  “Not much. Schuyler and I are here at La Viña about to have dinner.”

  “Anything wrong? The security systems all on go?”

  Since Chaz had moved to Austin to join his family and the expanding Mendoza businesses, he’d taken on the responsibility of the security for both the winery and the restaurant. So far, he’d installed a sophisticated security system that enabled him to control and monitor everything from his laptop or phone. He’d also hired dependable, experienced guards to keep a human eye on both properties. The expense had been more than his family had wanted to invest in the businesses, but Chaz had argued that a break-in or a tipsy, sue-happy customer would be far more costly.

  Carlo quickly reassured him. “Relax. Everything is fine. No problems. I hadn’t seen you around today and Dad explained that you’d started a new undertaking.”

  At the moment, Chaz felt as though he’d taken on about ten jobs rather than one. And the night hadn’t yet started. He could only imagine what Savannah was going to ask him to do next.

  “That’s right. I’m watching over Savannah Fortune. She’s from New Orleans. And a cousin to Schuyler, by the way.”

  “So I’ve heard. And my wife also informs me that Savannah Fortune is twenty-five and very pretty. Along with highly intelligent. How did you manage to get this gig, little brother? Does Miles Fortune know you’re a danger around women?”

  Chaz chuckled. They both knew that Carlo had been far more of a ladies’ man than Chaz had ever thought to be. But his brother had experienced a complete change once he’d fallen in love and married Schuyler Fortunado. Chaz would be the first one to admit he’d had his doubts about his brother getting married and settling down, but Carlo had proven him wrong. So far, he seemed blissfully happy in the role of a doting husband.

  Chaz said, “No worries there. Savannah is far from my type. Besides, I’m here to protect her. Not seduce her.”

  Chaz could hear soft music and a faint murmur of diners talking in the background. The mental image of the restaurant had him longing for a plate of ravioli or eggplant parmesan and a glass of Mendoza wine.

  Nolan had suggested that Chaz take Savannah for an evening meal, but that wasn’t going to happen. No. While working as a bodyguard, Chaz never mixed business with pleasure. And he didn’t plan on starting now.

  “Not your type, huh? I seem to remember a time when rich and pretty was your type. For several years, in fact.”

  Chaz tried not to wince at his brother’s remark. It was rare that any of his family brought up his broken relationship with Allison. After so many years, Chaz had tried to forget and he wished the rest of his family would keep the past in the past.

  “Allison was a long time ago, Carlo. And I learned that her type wasn’t my type at all.”

  “Damn, Chaz, what’s eating you?”

  Chaz closed his eyes and rubbed a hand against his forehead. “Who said anything was eating at me?”

  “The tone of your voice. You sound like you could bend a crowbar with your bare hands.”

  He bit back a sigh. “Sorry. Today has been—let’s just say it’s been nothing like I expected.”

  “Look, Chaz, I obviously don’t know what’s going on with you and Miss Fortune. But if you feel uncomfortable about this job, then you should let Miles Fortune know you want out. Better now than later.”

  Chaz hated to admit it, but he did want out. Ever since he’d spotted Savannah at the airport, he’d had bad vibes about the whole situation. This wasn’t his usual bodyguard stint where he accompanied a wealthy man on a risky overseas business trip. Or provided security for a banker during his commute to and from work. This was going to be an up close and per
sonal job. He was going to be living with Savannah on a 24/7 schedule. And he wasn’t sure he was capable of resisting that much temptation.

  “I’m not a quitter, Carlo. I started this job and I fully intend to see it to the finish.”

  “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me,” Carlo told him, then added thoughtfully, “Frankly, I’m wondering who put Miles Fortune on to you for this job.”

  “I didn’t ask the man,” Chaz admitted. “I’m assuming it was Connor Fortunado. He’s the one who discovered Charlotte Robinson has been digging around for information about Miles’s family.”

  “Well, with Miles being a half brother to Gerald, there’s definitely a strong connection between the two families. Even if they’ve not associated with each other through the years. I’m telling you, Chaz, the thought of Charlotte out there plotting against the Fortunes—any Fortune—has me worried about Schuyler’s safety. I find myself not wanting to let her out of my sight. And though looking at my beautiful wife is a treat, I can’t follow her around all day and take care of my other duties.”

  Chaz said, “I take it she’s not sitting there at the table with you now.”

  “No. She’s gone to the powder room. Matter of fact, she’s been gone for several minutes now. If she doesn’t return to our table soon, I’m going to have to go searching for her.”

  “Calm down. She probably ran into a friend and got to chatting. As for the uncertainties over Charlotte, I wouldn’t worry, Carlo. Schuyler is a smart woman. She isn’t going to take unnecessary chances. She understands the danger Charlotte poses.” Unlike Savannah, Chaz thought. She considered the problem to be about as serious as a pesky fly at a picnic table.

  Carlo suddenly said, “Ah, I see my wife coming this way. Thank God. I’d better get off the phone, Chaz. Will you be coming by the winery tomorrow?”

  “I’m planning on it. Unless some unforeseen problem pops up.”

  “Okay. See you later, brother.”

  Carlo broke the connection and Chaz was slipping the phone back into the pocket on his shirt when the back door to the apartment opened and Savannah stepped onto the patio.

  For the third time today, she’d changed clothes. This time she’d exchanged the jeans and blouse for a pair of gray jersey gym shorts and a cropped T-shirt of the same fabric. As she walked toward him, Chaz tried not to notice the perfect shape of her legs or how the golden tan of her skin reminded him of creamy caramel.

  She glanced around the small yard enclosed with a wooden privacy fence before taking a seat in the chair opposite him. “This is nice out here. The evening air has actually turned cool.”

  “Yes. It’s pleasant,” he agreed.

  She reached up and adjusted the rubber band holding her brown ponytail to the back of her head. The upward movement of her arms caused Chaz’s gaze to slip to the gentle thrust of her breasts. Even though she was small all over, she was perfectly proportioned and Chaz found himself imagining how she would look wearing nothing at all. He figured her breasts would be firm and perky with little brownish-pink nipples that would fit, oh, so sweetly between his lips.

  The sound of her voice suddenly jerked at his straying thoughts and he hoped the darkening shadows hid the hot color he felt creeping up his neck.

  “Do you like being outdoors?” she asked. “I mean, doing sports and things? Some of my brothers enjoy sports like soccer and fishing out in the gulf.”

  “I’ve played sports before. Mostly baseball. But I’ve not done any of that in a long time. Work and...other things get in the way. What about you? Do you like the outdoors?”

  Her nose wrinkled in an impish fashion. “When I was a girl I loved it. I liked helping the gardener tend the flowers. Mother has always insisted on having beautiful flowers in the yard and I especially loved taking care of the camellias. But as you said, college and other things eventually took over my time.”

  Chaz found it hard to imagine Savannah’s pretty little hands digging into the earth or using a pair of pruning shears. When he’d shaken her hand at the airport, he’d noticed her skin had been as smooth as a satin sheet. And though her fingernails were a short, practical length, they were beautifully manicured and painted a pale coral color.

  He didn’t make a reply, mostly because he knew it wasn’t a good idea to engage in personal conversation with a client. But his lack of conversation hardly seemed to put her off. And a part of him was pleased that she wanted to interact with him.

  She asked, “Do you ever snow ski?”

  “I know how to ski, if that’s what you mean. Do you?”

  “Oh, sure. It’s probably the only sport I’ve learned to do well enough to enjoy. Every winter, my sisters and I try to go to Arapahoe Basin or Telluride.”

  “And your father allows you and your sisters to travel out to Colorado alone?”

  She grimaced. “No. We always have to persuade one brother, at least, into going with us. I imagine with all this worry over Charlotte Robinson, Dad is going to try and curtail all his children’s travels.”

  “Probably. But sooner or later this thing with her will eventually come to an end,” he suggested. “And your lives will return to normal.”

  “I can only hope you’re right.” She wrinkled her nose again and then smiled at him. “Do you know what I’d really like to do in Colorado?”

  Actually, Chaz found it much easier to imagine Savannah on an exotic sandy island wearing a string bikini than in a mountain village bundled against the cold.

  “Other than ski?” he asked. “I couldn’t guess.”

  “Don’t laugh. But I’d like to hike the San Juan Mountains. They’re full of old mines dug by prospectors during the silver and gold rush days. I’d love to see how those adventurous men, and few hearty women, must have lived in those days.”

  She couldn’t have said anything to surprise him more. “That’s history. I thought you were a science person.”

  “Oh, I’m definitely a science person. My main objective in life is to get my doctorate and hopefully someday help in controlling or completely wiping out a disease. But most every person likes to dream about something adventurous and fun. Exploring the mountains is a dream of mine.” She shrugged. “I doubt it will ever come true. But that’s okay. I’ll still have my dream.”

  This was not the person he had been expecting Savannah Fortune to be. All through the day, he’d been waiting for her to break into tears, to admit that she was too overwhelmed with the chore of setting up the apartment to make it livable. He’d thought that once she got into the kitchen, she’d wring her hands together and start an immediate search for a cook/housekeeper. Instead, she’d managed to brew a pitcher of iced tea and make a plate of cold-cut sandwiches. And in spite of Chaz insisting that he would take care of his own meals and didn’t expect her to supply them, she’d made an issue of him joining her for the little lunch.

  “You surprise me, Savannah. Most young women like you wouldn’t be interested in that sort of thing.”

  Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Women like me? What does that mean?”

  How could three little words make a man feel like he was suddenly trying to balance himself on a high wire? In an effort to ease the tension, he crossed his ankles out in front of him.

  “Nothing insulting if that’s what you’re thinking. I only meant that you’re young and wealthy enough to visit any spot in the world. And just looking at you, I’d think you’d be interested in seeing Paris or London, or even Monte Carlo. Not hiking around the San Juans to look at old mines.”

  She smiled and Chaz was relieved that he must have said something right.

  “I’m getting the idea that you don’t know much about women, Chaz. But you’re soon going to learn that I’m not one-dimensional or typical. And being petite and feminine doesn’t make me a softie.”

  No, she definitely wasn’t typical. But she certainly looked
like a softie to him. Soft from the top of her dark brown head all the way to her pink painted toenails.

  Smiling faintly, he said, “Well, you might not believe this, but I like your dream.”

  The pleased look on her face was so charming Chaz found it impossible to tear his gaze away.

  “Really? Then maybe we could make the trip together sometime. You could go as my bodyguard. That should make Dad happy. But I’d really just want you to go as a friend.”

  Chaz seriously doubted Miles Fortune would want him near Savannah in any other capacity than as a bodyguard. And to be honest with himself, Chaz didn’t think he could ever be just a friend to Savannah. So that meant the only choice he had was to keep his distance from the woman. Emotionally and physically.

  “That’s nice of you, Savannah,” he said, making his voice purposely stilted. “Perhaps we could do that. Someday.”

  Her eyes widened just a fraction and then she rubbed her palms up and down her thighs in an awkward gesture. Chaz could see his curt tone had hurt her and he hated himself for using it. But he had to keep her at arm’s length. Even if it meant making her dislike him.

  Rising from the chair, she said, “I—uh, need to be getting back inside.” She turned toward the apartment, then made a swift about-face. “I almost forgot. I came out here to ask you about your bed.”

  He stared at her as his mind leaped in all sorts of crazy directions. “My bed?”

  “Yes. To see if you knew how to put on the sheets. Or would you like for me to do it?”

  She was offering to do the chore for him. He didn’t know whether he wanted to laugh or groan. But he did know one damned thing. And that was how much he wanted to take Miss Savannah Fortune into his arms and kiss those cherry-ripe lips until her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck and he forgot that he was only her protector.