Guarding His Fortune

At least someone thinks so, Savannah thought. “I feel honored to be included. It’s something I’ve been wanting and working toward for a long time.”

“What are you studying?”

“Epidemiology.”

“Sorry, you’ll have to explain that a bit more. I’m not a science person.”

She wanted to ask what kind of person he was, but quickly decided that would be too obvious. The last thing she wanted this man to think was that she was flirting with him. For heaven’s sake, she didn’t flirt with anyone. It wasn’t her nature. Besides, she didn’t have time for such nonsense.

“Don’t feel badly. Most people aren’t familiar with the word. It’s a study of diseases. Why people get them and what we can do to prevent them—as in finding the biggest risk factors. There are different fields to study in epidemiology. For instance how certain diseases affect society and the workplace and the cost of caring for such illnesses.”

“And what field are you focusing on?”

No doubt, he was asking just to make polite conversation, Savannah decided. Most men around her age were turned off by the subject. He might be truly interested if she were discussing quarterbacks in the NFL, or point guards in the NBA, but not medical science.

“I’m concentrating on the branch that studies why people get diseases and certain illnesses and what we can do to prevent them.”

“An admirable profession, I’d say.”

“I like to think so. My studies—” She broke off as she realized she was about to say her studies consumed her life. For some reason she didn’t want this sexy man to think she was little more than a brain in a white lab coat. “They’re very important to me. So that’s why I’m here in Austin.”

He glanced in her direction and Savannah got the strange impression he was something more than just a driver for the university. The notion shook her, until he smiled and then suddenly everything felt right again.

“Well, welcome to Texas, Miss Fortune. I hope you enjoy your time here.”

“Thanks. I hope I do, too.”

* * *

This was going to be much harder than he’d ever anticipated, Chaz decided, as he braked the car to a stop in front of the luxurious gated apartment building where Miss Savannah Fortune would be living until she finished her stint at the university.

Obviously, her father had told her nothing about hiring a bodyguard to protect her while she was here in Austin. And Chaz had yet to find the right moment to tell her exactly why he’d intercepted her at the airport.

If she’d hadn’t looked so damned beautiful when he spotted her emerging through the doors of the terminal, his brain might have remained focused on his job. And if she hadn’t been so open and warm when he’d introduced himself, he might’ve been able to come right out and inform her that he was working for her father.

But the sight of Savannah had thrown him for a loop. She’d scarcely resembled the foggy pic Miles Fortune had texted him earlier this morning. It was a good thing the man had warned Chaz she’d be dressed in a cream-colored pencil skirt and a pale pink blouse; otherwise, he would’ve missed her entirely.

Damn the man! When Miles Fortune had first contacted Chaz about providing security for his daughter, he’d described Savannah as the studious sort, who rarely took her nose out of a book. According to him, she had a very limited social life and made a point of avoiding men entirely. She’d be easy to keep an eye on, Miles had told him.

Hell, the man was either blind or knew very little about his own child, Chaz thought with a heavy dose of frustration. Keeping his eyes on Savannah Fortune was going to be easy. It was keeping his hands off her for the next few weeks that was going to pose the problem.

Chaz had assumed he was going to be guarding a meek young woman, whose idea of an exciting evening was to watch an educational channel on TV. This young beauty looked as though she’d be very much at home on the dance floor and in the arms of a very attentive man.

Trying not to dwell on that image, he peered across the narrow console to see she was leaning slightly forward, peering through the windshield at the entrance of the apartment. The movement caused a long curtain of smooth brown hair to slip forward and partially hide her face. Chaz wanted to reach over and tuck the silky strands behind her ear. Not because he needed to see her lovely features. No, the image of her face was already burned into his brain. He simply wanted to touch her and discover for himself if she felt as soft and womanly as she actually looked.

“That’s the correct number,” she stated happily. “And the outside certainly looks pretty.”

Chaz pulled his gaze away from her long enough to study the entrance to the redbrick apartment. A dark green door with a brass knocker was shaded by the overhang of a square concrete porch. On one corner, a huge planter spilled over with red and pink geraniums.

The apartment was definitely not typical budget-friendly housing, he decided. It was for the elite class and more like a fancy townhouse than an apartment. But then, he’d not expected anything less from a Fortune.

“I’d say it appears to be exceptionally nice. Did you rent it sight unseen?”

She nodded. “Live Oak Lane is supposed to be one of the best gated communities in Austin and I studied photos on their website before I signed the lease. But sometimes pics can be doctored. I’m hoping that’s not the case when I see the inside of the apartment.” She unlatched her seat belt and pulled the strap of an expensive leather handbag over her shoulder. “If you’ll be kind enough to help me get my bags to the door, I’ll let you be on your way.”

“My pleasure,” he murmured.

After pushing a button to release the trunk, he skirted the hood to help her out of the car. When she placed her little hand in his, Chaz was instantly swamped with all sorts of protective feelings. Most of which had nothing to do with his job.

Once she was standing next to him on the concrete drive, she looked up at him and smiled and though he was cursing at himself to step back and wedge a respectable amount of distance between them, all he could do was hold on to her fingers and stare into her hazel eyes. Green, blue or brown, he wasn’t sure which color was dominant, but he was quite certain he’d never seen anything so sparkly or full of life.

“Thank you, Chaz.”

“You’re entirely welcome, Miss Fortune.”

Clearing his throat, he forced himself to drop her hand and turn to the task of lifting her bags from the trunk. As soon as he had them on the ground, she grabbed up a floral tote and a midsized suitcase with wheels.

“I can manage these two,” she said and headed to the entrance of the apartment.

As Chaz followed with two bags stuffed under each arm, he glanced furtively around the apartment complex. There were five tenants to the right of Savannah’s flat, four to the left and no second floors to any of them. At least that was a plus for security, he thought. But the beautiful landscaping separating the lawns of each apartment could create a nightmare if anyone decided to hide behind the giant blooming oleanders or bushes of Texas sage.

When he reached the door, Savannah was already digging through her handbag for the key.

“Just put them anywhere,” she told him. “I’ll get them inside.”

He set the bags down and took a deep breath. His time had run out, he decided. There was no more delaying the inevitable.

“Uh—Miss Fortune, I think—”

Before he could push the remaining words past his lips, she smiled and offered him her hand in a gesture of farewell.

“I know what you’re going to say. It was nice meeting this way.”

“It couldn’t have been nicer,” he agreed, while thinking he could stand here holding on to her hand for hours and never get tired of looking at her plush lips, or short little nose, or those luminous eyes fringed by the longest lashes he’d ever seen.

“Perhaps I’ll see you around campus sometime,” she said. “But then, I suppose you’re always busy carting people to and fro.”

He tried not to wince at the deduction he’d allowed her to make of him. “Actually, Miss Fortune, you’re going to be seeing quite a bit of me.”

Her eyes suddenly wary, she purposely pulled her hand from his. “Oh? I don’t understand.”

“I’m sorry. I should have explained the moment I introduced myself at the airport. But I...thought it might be nicer if the two of us got to know each other a bit before I sprang the situation on you.”

She was shaking her head now and Chaz saw a look of confusion and something close to fear fill her eyes.

“Situation? What are you talking about?”

“My name is Chaz Mendoza, but the university didn’t send me to collect you at the airport. Your father did.”

She took a step backward. “Excuse me?”

“Your father is Miles Fortune of Fortune Investments in New Orleans, right?”

Although her nod was an affirmative, her eyes were glazed with shock. “Yes, he is my father. But why—”

Before she could question him further, he said, “He’s hired me as your bodyguard, Miss Fortune.”

She gasped with disbelief. “Bodyguard! You must be joking!”

“Hardly. I don’t joke about providing security. From what Mr. Fortune tells me, you could be putting yourself in quite a bit of danger. My job is to see that danger doesn’t get anywhere near you.”

* * *

So this was why her father hadn’t spoken to her before she’d departed New Orleans, she thought. He’d believed he’d taken control of the situation by hiring her a bodyguard.

“This is incredible! I can’t believe my father would go so far as to—” Her gaze swept over him as though she were seeing him for the first time today and then her head began to swing back and forth. “Hire a man to follow me around! It won’t work. It simply won’t work. As of this moment, you can consider yourself relieved of your duties.”

During the brief ride over from the airport, Chaz had made the mistake of thinking she was different from the wealthy people who often visited his family’s businesses, Mendoza Winery and La Viña restaurant. As they’d made conversation, she’d not come across as a spoiled little rich girl. But she was certainly coming across as one now.

“Sorry. You didn’t hire me, Miss Fortune. So you can hardly terminate my services.”

To underscore the fact that he wasn’t going anywhere, Chaz pulled a key from his jeans pocket and unlocked the door.

Her mouth fell open. “Where did you get that key?” she demanded. “And don’t tell me you’re planning on staying here! In my apartment!”

Smiling smugly, he pushed the door open and gestured for her to precede him into the building.

“Don’t worry about how I got a key. And don’t be thinking you can run to the building manager and complain. Your father has already taken care of everything.”

“That’s what he thinks! There’s no way in hell I’m going to share my living space with a man!”

Her plush lips flattened to an angry line as she brushed past him, but Chaz was paying very little attention to her outrage as she marched ahead of him. No, he was much more focused on the sweet flowery scent of her perfume and the evocative sway of her round little bottom.

“Don’t worry, Miss Fortune. You’ll get used to me.”

Looking over her shoulder, she glared at him. “Never!”

Something about her ruffled feathers made her even more attractive than when she’d been making polite conversation and Chaz couldn’t stop himself from smiling at her.

“Never say never, Miss Fortune. It might come back to haunt you.”

She stomped out of the foyer and as Chaz followed after her, he realized his job as a bodyguard had just taken on a new meaning.

Chapter Two

Savannah hardly noticed the plush furnishings of the living room or the beautiful bay window overlooking a landscaped walking path on the opposite side of the street. At the moment, she couldn’t have cared less about her surroundings. She was more than angry. She was in panic mode.

Dropping the bags she’d been carrying onto the hardwood floor, she plucked her cell phone from her handbag and punched in her father’s private number.

As she waited for him to answer, she heard Chaz Mendoza’s footsteps entering the room. A second later, he walked past her and she watched him place her suitcases near a doorway leading out of the spacious living area.

She was trying to pull her gaze off his bulging biceps when her father’s voice suddenly sounded in her ear.

“Hello, Savannah. I’m assuming that you’ve landed safely in Austin and have met Mr. Mendoza.”

Savannah wanted to yell at him. But the anger coursing through her was not enough to override the respect she’d always shown her mother and her father.

Shoving out a long pent-up breath, she unconsciously gravitated toward the window. “Yes, I’m safely here in Austin. At my apartment. I’m calling because I want to know what you were thinking, Dad. I can’t have a bodyguard tagging along after me! Not only would it be embarrassing, it’s impractical, illogical and—”

“And very necessary, Savannah.”

Savannah never cursed, but she found herself having to bite down on her tongue to keep from spouting a few choice words into the phone.

“Necessary? I hardly think so, Dad! My time here is going to be very low-key. How—”

“Low-key or not, I want Chaz with you. And no amount of arguing or pleading is going to change my mind, Savannah.”

“But, Dad, I can’t—”

“Look, Savannah, you are the one who went ahead with this trip in spite of my disapproval. You want to be independent? Then act grown up and accept that having protection close by is a smart thing, not an encumbrance.”

For the past four years, ever since Savannah had turned twenty-one, she’d wanted her parents to see her as a self-sufficient adult, a smart woman who could handle the daily problems that life threw at her. Since then, she’d acquired her bachelor degree and moved on to her graduate studies. Yet, in spite of those hard-earned achievements, her father believed she still had a lot to learn.

She drew in a deep breath and blew it out, while from the corner of her right eye she watched Chaz come to stand at the opposite end of the large window. He was either taking in the view or listening in on her conversation, she thought crossly.

“Dad, I want my privacy. It’s essential that my studies not be distracted—”

“I’m positive that you and Mr. Mendoza will work out some type of house rules to suit your needs.”

House rules! She wanted to ask him how he’d like some stranger creeping through the house while he tried to focus on his work. Instead, she said, “Listen, Dad, I’m going to tell Mr. Mendoza that his services aren’t needed. I—”

“I’m the only person who can fire the guy,” Miles bluntly interrupted. “And right now, I have no intentions of doing such a thing. So make the most of your time there, Savannah. It could end sooner than you think.”

She started to ask him what he meant by that remark when the doorbell suddenly rang. Completely exasperated, she said, “There’s someone at the door, Dad. We’ll talk about this again. Soon!”

By the time she ended the call, Chaz had already left his spot at the window to go answer the door. Savannah followed, while trying to imagine who at the university might’ve taken it upon themselves to visit her today.

As she turned the corner leading into the foyer, she could see Chaz pushing the door wide and her brother Nolan stepping over the threshold. Since he was dressed in a business suit, Savannah assumed he’d taken a break from work to see her. But why? He could’ve waited until tonight, or any opportune time to welcome her to Austin.

“Hello, Chaz,” her brother greeted the bodyguard. “Nice to see you again.”

The two men finished shaking hands and from the easy way they greeted each other, it was obvious they’d met before. Which only proved that Nolan had to be in on this whole bodyguard matter.

Just great, she thought angrily. Her family was ganging up on her.

Spotting her, Nolan moved away from Chaz and walked over to where she stood at the end of the foyer. A wide smile creased his handsome face. “Hi, sis.”

“What are you doing here?” she asked bluntly.

“Wow! That has to be one of the nicest greetings I’ve ever received,” he joked. “Especially from my little sister.”

“I’m not exactly feeling nice.” She glanced at Chaz to see he was busy bolting the door behind him. Apparently, security was always on his mind.

“I assume you’re not happy about Dad supplying you with a bodyguard.”

She rolled her eyes. “How would you feel about someone invading your privacy? I was so looking forward to this time here in Austin and now I—”

Nolan held up a hand. “Whoa, sis! Just a minute. I think we need to talk this out calmly and rationally.”

Savannah drew in a deep breath and blew it out. “I am calm! Or at least I will be as soon as you tell Mr. Mendoza his services aren’t needed.”

His expression stoic, Chaz strolled up to them. “I don’t think your sister understands the risk she’d be taking by running around Austin on her own,” he said to Nolan. “Maybe if you explained it to her, she might realize I’m a friend, not a foe.”

“I think you’re right,” Nolan said to him, then wrapping a hand around Savannah’s upper arm, urged her out of the foyer. “Come on, sis, let’s go sit down and talk about this.”

“I don’t want to sit. I don’t want to talk. I want to be alone! Can’t you, or Dad, or—” she turned a glare on Chaz Mendoza “—or you understand that?”

“I do understand. More than you think.” Nolan shook his head. “This isn’t how you pictured your stay here in Austin. But since you received the invitation from UT, our family situation has changed.”

In the living room, Savannah allowed Nolan to lead her over to a beige leather couch. As she took a seat close to her brother’s side, Chaz eased into a matching armchair directly across from them. Obviously, he had no intention of allowing her to have a private conversation with her own brother, she thought crossly.

Doing her best to ignore Chaz’s huge presence, she said to Nolan, “I haven’t noticed anything changing with our family. It’s the other Fortunes who are having problems. We’re not a part of them. We never have been.”

Nolan let out a weary sigh, while Chaz appeared unfazed by her protest. No doubt, both of them thought she was behaving in a childish fashion, Savannah thought. But at the moment, she didn’t care. This was her life. And she had a right to live it her way. Not the way her father wanted or expected.

“Nolan, contrary to what Dad might think of me, I am a grown woman. I know how to take care of myself,” she argued. “It’s not like anyone has been threatening me personally. Or even stalking me. Just because I happen to have Fortune for a last name doesn’t mean I’m in some sort of dire danger.”

As soon as her words died away, Chaz spoke. “Your father seems to think so.”

Nolan quickly supported Chaz’s claim. “That’s right, Savannah. Dad is very concerned. Not only about you, but about the entire family.”

Unconvinced, Savannah looked at her brother. “And what about you, Nolan? Are you concerned that Lizzie and little Stella might be in danger? Have you hired a bodyguard for them, or yourself?”

“Not yet. But I’m seriously thinking about it. Your situation is entirely different, though. My wife and child aren’t alone. They have me.”

And Savannah now had Chaz. So according to Nolan, and her father, that fixed everything. The idea had Savannah groaning out loud.

“To me, this all seems blown out of proportion. Why would a crazy ex-wife of Gerald Robinson have anything against me? She doesn’t even know me. Besides, has anyone really proved that these unfortunate occurrences are connected to her?”

“I’m not sure if there’s enough proof for a prosecutor to convict her in court,” Nolan answered. “At least, not yet. But Connor Fortunado has managed to connect enough dots to tell us that she’s the one behind these criminal incidents. And the mere fact that she’s been digging into our family background should be enough to scare you into wanting a bodyguard.”

Maybe. But the thought of being in close proximity with Chaz on a daily basis was just as scary. She was a cerebral person and that was the sort of man she’d always been attracted to—the sort that would be compatible with her life. Even so, just looking at Chaz set her nerves on edge and pushed her pulse to an unhealthy rate. Her reaction to the man was silly and there was no way she could admit such a thing to her brother. She didn’t even want to admit it to herself.

“When an evil person is out for revenge, he or she will usually start with the easiest, most vulnerable target. And I’d put you in that category, Miss Fortune,” Chaz said.

“Chaz is one hundred percent right,” Nolan agreed. “And surely you’ve not forgotten what happened here in Austin earlier this year, Savannah. We were attending Schuyler Fortunado’s family reunion party when the fire broke out at Gerald Robinson’s estate. Ben was seriously injured.”

How could Savannah have forgotten the reunion? In spite of their parents choosing to stay behind in New Orleans, she and her six siblings had decided to attend. All seven of them had traveled to Austin, believing they’d be meeting many of the Fortune family, particularly Gerald Robinson’s children, who were theoretically cousins to Savannah and her siblings. Yet, none of that branch of the family had shown at the party that night. Not until Olivia had come bursting in with the shocking news that a fire had broken out at the Robinson estate.

“No. I’ve not forgotten. After the fire, we all went over and helped as much as we could with the cleanup.” The memory of that chilling incident caused some of the anger to drain out of her. “Everyone feared that Ben was going to die from the injuries he’d sustained in the fire.”

“It’s a miracle he didn’t,” Nolan replied.

As the details of that night replayed in Savannah’s mind, another thought suddenly struck her. One that should have registered with her the moment Chaz had introduced himself at the airport.

She turned a curious look on Chaz. “If I remember correctly, Schuyler married a man by the name of Mendoza. Carlo Mendoza, I think. The reunion was held at a winery by the same name and some of his family were in attendance that night. Are those your relations?”

He inclined his dark head. “That’s right. Carlo is my brother. My family owns and operates the Mendoza Winery.”

“And the La Viña restaurant. Which, by the way, serves delicious food,” Nolan spoke up. “Maybe you can talk Chaz into taking you there some evening. Trust me, sis, it would be a treat.”

A treat? Savannah stared at her brother, while wondering what he could possibly be thinking to suggest such a thing. In the first place, Savannah rarely went out on dates. Period. And even if she did decide to have dinner with a man, it certainly wouldn’t be with Chaz Mendoza. He was a bodyguard! A big hunk of muscles with a dazzling smile. He wasn’t her type at all!

Rising to her feet, Savannah began to move restlessly around the room. Learning that Chaz was her cousin Schuyler’s brother-in-law made things even more awkward. Had her father been aware that Chaz had a connection to the Fortune family? Was that why he’d hired him to be her bodyguard?

“There’s a troubled frown on your face, Savannah,” Nolan remarked after a moment. “And it doesn’t look good on you.”

She paused to glance at her brother. “Exactly why are you here? Dad send you to bolster his case?”

Nolan grimaced, then made a palms up gesture with both hands. “Dad figured you were probably going to give Chaz a few problems. And he wanted me to be here to point out the reasons you need to have a bodyguard around.”

Her father had definitely figured right, Savannah thought. For a number of reasons, many of which she didn’t want to examine, she wanted to usher Chaz right out the door and out of her life.