LITMIR.BIZ

      To Allison Leigh, Stella Bagwell, Karen Rose Smith, Michelle Major and Nancy Robards Thompson. And to the fabulous Marcia Book Adirim, who has those amazing stories of the Fortunes dancing in her head.

      Thanks for working with me on the 2016 Fortunes of Texas Anniversary series and for making this book a pleasure to write!

      Contents

       Cover

       Introduction

       Title Page

       About the Author

       Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

       Endpage

       Extract

       Copyright

Chapter One

      Graham Robinson had spent the morning working up a good sweat, thanks to a drunken teenager who’d gotten behind the wheel of a Cadillac Escalade after a rowdy, unsupervised party last night.

      The kid had apparently lost control of the expensive, late-model SUV and plowed through a large section of the fence at the Galloping G Ranch, where Graham lived. Then he left the vehicle behind and ran off.

      Both Graham and the sheriff who’d been here earlier knew it had been a teenager because on the passenger seat a frayed backpack, as well as a catcher’s mitt, sat next to an invitation with directions to a ranch six miles down the road.

      Sadly, the same thing could easily have happened to him, when he’d been seventeen. That’s why he and Roger Gibault, his friend and the owner of the ranch, were determined to turn the Galloping G into a place where troubled teenage boys could turn their lives around.

      Back in the day, both Graham and Roger’s late son had what Roger called rebellious streaks. Graham’s dad, the patriarch of the famous Austin Robinsons—and an alleged member of the Fortune family—wasn’t so open-minded.

      But after Peter’s tragic death, things had changed. Graham had changed. Now, instead of creating problems for others to clean up, Graham was digging out several damaged posts and replacing broken railings.

      After he hammered one last nail into the rail he’d been fixing, he blew out a sigh and glanced at the well-trained Appaloosa gelding that was grazing nearby on an expanse of green grass. He’d driven out here earlier in the twelve-year-old Gator ATV, but the engine had been skipping. So after unloading his tools and supplies, he’d taken it back to the barn, where Roger could work on the engine. Then he’d ridden back on the gelding. Hopefully, Roger had the vehicle fixed by now. If not, they’d probably have to replace it with a newer model.

      When the familiar John Deere engine sounded, Graham looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, Roger had worked his mechanical magic and was approaching at a fairly good clip.

      Moments later, the aging rancher pulled to a stop, the engine idling smoothly.

      Glad to have a break, Graham winked at his elderly friend. “Did you come out here to check up on me and make sure I wasn’t loafing?”

      “I knew better than that. I’d be more apt to make sure you hadn’t worked yourself to death.” Roger lifted his battered

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