“Are you there yet?” Tess voice came through the speakers in Eliza’s car.
With the road practically to herself, Eliza sped past open fields dotted with mesquite and oak trees. A pale yellow and orange morning sun lit up the canopy of blue sky.
“Almost.” She pulled ahead of the car in front of her, then settled back into the right lane.
“It already feels weird not to see you at your desk,” Tess said.
“It feels the same not to be there.”
For the past twelve months working with Tess, Eliza had spread her wings and honed her skills as an agent while connecting with people from all walks of life. Some of them she now counted as friends. And in the process of helping others find their perfect spot in the world, she’d fallen even more in love with her job.
And Max.
They’d rarely spent more than a week apart with him coming to see her in San Antonio and her returning to Chatelaine. What they shared was one of the reasons why moving back felt so right. Along with another hugely important decision.
Two months ago, Reggie Vale had decided to retire. She’d wanted to leave the business in good hands and had reached out to Eliza. Her answer to Reggie had been an immediate yes. And Max had been fully supportive.
“Hey,” Eliza said. “I left some of my new business cards on your desk before I left. Did you see them?”
“I’m looking at them now, and I’m envious, but in a good way. You’ve really captured something with that logo you designed. You’ll definitely catch people’s attention.”
Tess’s compliment brought a smile to Eliza’s face, but she couldn’t take all the credit. The graphic designer she’d hired had been the one who had skillfully combined the medieval flare of Fortune’s Castle with a modern twist, creating the vision she’d hoped for Eliza Henry Real Estate Group.
“Well, I guess that’s it then.” Tess mocked disappointment. “Now that you have a killer logo with your name on it, I have no chance of luring you back.” She laughed. “But seriously, I’m glad you’re happy. I better go. I have a meeting in ten minutes. But we’ll talk again soon. If you need anything, call me. I’m here for you.”
Gratefulness expanded in Eliza’s chest. Her friend wishing her well meant so much. “Thanks, Tess.”
“Oh, and say hello to Max for me.”
“I will.”
Eliza eased down on the accelerator a tad more. The moving van with the bulk of her things had been sent last week. She was traveling light, just her and a suitcase.
A few miles later, she pulled into Max’s driveway.
He opened the front door and her heart flip-flopped in her chest.
She got out of the car. This last time around, not seeing him for ten days had felt like forever.
Max’s gaze stayed connected with hers, and he smiled.
Resisting the urge to rush over to him, she savored the view. He’d welcomed her plenty of times dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, but she wanted to catalog today. The moment she came home to him, permanently, and they moved to the precipice of something more.
She reached him, and Max cupped her face, delivering a tender kiss that made happiness rush through her and her toes curl.
A long moment later, they eased out of the kiss.
Max studied her face. “Hello.”
The aftereffects of the kiss and his sexy smile made her breathless. “Hi.”
As he stroked his hands down her arms then grasped her waist, his gaze dropped to her lips. “I really want to kiss you again.”
“I really want you to kiss me again.” Eliza looped her arms around his neck. Melded against him, his body heat seeped through her burgundy sweater and jeans, but it still didn’t feel close enough.
Max leaned in, then paused. “I better not.” He gave her waist a squeeze and let her go. “Otherwise, we won’t make it to what I need to show you.”
She couldn’t imagine anything that could top what the look in his eyes had promised would have happened if he’d kissed her again.
“You need a coat.” Max reached inside and snagged two of his jackets from the hooks in the entryway. He helped her into one of them.
“Where are we going?”
“Not far.” Max took her hand and led her to the UTV on the side of the house.
He got in the driver’s side, and she got into the passenger seat.
“One more thing.” He took a bandanna from his pocket. “I need to blindfold you.”
“Blindfold me?” What was he up to? “This sounds mysterious.”
He smiled. “It’s a surprise.” After blindfolding her, he started the vehicle.
Eliza’s excitement mounted as they dipped and bounced over the terrain. Soon, the earthy smell of hay and horses grew more pronounced.
Too easy. She knew where they were going.
Max kept driving and the smell faded.
If they weren’t headed to the horse barn, where were they going?
Max stopped the UTV. “Don’t get out. I’m coming to you.”
Eliza shivered more from the excitement than the cold. “Max, what are you up to?”
“You’ll see.” His warm hands gripped hers as he helped her out of the vehicle and led her forward.
A soft whinny reached her ears.
“Is that what I think it is?”
“See for yourself.” Chuckling, he slipped off the blindfold.
She blinked, adjusting to the sunlight. A small gasp escaped her. A temporary paddock was set up in the field. Inside it wasn’t just any horse. Her heart leaped.
Max hugged her from behind. “Eliza, meet Lucy Belle the second.”
Emotions stole words as she stared at the dappled gray horse. “Where did you find her?”
“At a ranch in Oklahoma. Do you like her?”
She and Lucy Belle II hadn’t been formally introduced yet, but something inside Eliza told her they would become fast friends.
She turned and faced him. “Oh, Max, I love her.”
As he stared at her, he shook his head as if making some internal decision. “I can’t wait.”
“Wait for what?”
Just as she went to lay her hands on his chest, Max took a knee. “More than anything in this world, I want you to be happy. I want us to be happy.” He held up a diamond ring that winked in the sunlight. “Eliza, I love you. Will you be my wife?”
As Eliza looked into his gorgeous blue eyes, she saw more than a dream of a future. She saw the promise of trust and devotion and his belief in forever.
Her heart swelled with so much joy, she could barely speak. She held her left hand out to him. “Yes.”
Max slipped the ring on her finger. As soon as he stood, he took her in his arms, and they shared a long kiss. As he pulled a fraction away, she could feel his smile on her lips. “Welcome home, Eliza.”
Look for the next installment of the new continuity The Fortunes of Texas: Hitting the Jackpot
Don’t miss
Winning Her Fortune
by Heatherly Bell
On sale March 2023, wherever Harlequin books and ebooks are sold.
And don’t miss the previous titles in The Fortunes of Texas: Hitting the Jackpot
A Fortune’s Windfall by USA TODAY bestselling author Michelle Major
Available now!
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Cowboy’s Mistaken Identity by Melissa Senate.