Her Secret Texas Valentine. Helen Lacey
Twenty-four-year-old real estate agent Valene Fortunado had no illusions about her love life.
She didn’t have one.
One lousy date after another over the past six months had made that abundantly clear.
It wasn’t like she needed a man to complete her. After all, she wasn’t the kind of woman to get caught up in grand gestures or romantic nonsense. Okay...maybe she was. Maybe she only acted as though she was a career woman, first and foremost.
Still...a good date every now and then would fill some of her lonelier nights.
And not that she was really lonely, either. It was just that since both her sisters and two of her brothers had found love, they kept insisting that her white knight was around the corner. Valene wasn’t so sure. Maybe her white knight had galloped past on his way through her neck of the woods and failed to notice she was standing there. Maybe she had been too wrapped up in her latest open house or contract negotiation to spot him riding by. She had been known to have blinders on when it came to the opposite sex.
Which was why she decided to log into My Perfect Match and let an app find her a date.
How bad could it be?
That was the question she should have asked herself two disastrous dates ago.
Date number one was so dull he could have been a cardboard cutout. And he spent the whole two and a half excruciating hours talking about himself, his license plate collection and his beloved mother. Date number two barely said a word and was so scruffy he looked like he’d been wearing the same clothes for a week. Not that Valene was hung up on appearances...but at the very least she expected her date to wear a clean shirt and take off his baseball cap during dinner. Novice mistake—first dates should be over coffee, not dinner. There was no easy escape during a three-course sit-down meal that might include a bottle of wine and several hours of conversation. Next time, she would meet someone over coffee and make sure she had a quick exit strategy in case it turned into a disaster.
Because there would be a next time.
Valene wasn’t about to give up simply because she’d made a few rookie errors.
She was mostly well behaved and did the right thing. Her parents adored her, and she wanted to make them proud. Plus, she’d always endeavored to be a proactive kind of girl and had never been accused of lacking gumption or courage. But she was determined to be more prudent in her choices. If both her sisters, Schuyler and Maddie, could find love with the men of their dreams, Valene expected nothing less for herself. As long as he ticked all the right boxes.
Looks...well, she wasn’t too fussy, but nice eyes and broad shoulders would be a bonus.
Money...enough that he didn’t expect her to pay for every meal and had a nice car.
Smarts...a college education and a good job were a must.
How hard could it be? Her sisters had managed it—so could she. Not that she was going to let the whole idea take up too much time or attention. She had more important things on her mind.
It had been a busy few months with way too much drama for her liking. And too much family. Hers and everyone else’s. Fortunados. Robinsons. Fortunes. Mendozas. Family life wasn’t simple anymore. She had relatives coming out of the woodwork. And things to do.
Like saving the family business.
Too many things had gone pear-shaped at Fortunado Real Estate in the past couple of months. Too many deals had been lost for it to be simple coincidence. And she loathed thinking it was merely bad judgment on their part. Sure, they’d lost sales and contracts to other real estate agents before, but this felt different. It felt...personal. As though someone was specifically targeting her family’s business. And Valene wouldn’t sit by and allow that to happen—not on her watch.
Still, she needed to make time for herself. Which was why she was on her way to meet date number three.
As she headed for the Houston coffee place, she caught a glimpse of herself in a flower shop window, pleased that she’d worn a dress and heels that flattered her curves and made her look taller than her five foot three. She glanced at her expression. Not too eager. Not too resistant, either. Just ready for whatever happened. And she was ready. She had her sister’s number on speed dial in her cell phone and knew every exit in the coffee place to escape in two seconds if need be.
Valene took a deep breath that added some resolve to her suddenly dwindling courage.
Third time lucky, she told herself.
She remained in the doorway and looked around. Blue shirt, she reminded herself. Look for a man wearing a blue shirt. That was the text message she’d received. She spotted three potentials. The first was a guy at the counter paying for two tall frappés. Right age. Tallish. Dark hair. Then she heard him haggling with the barista about a tip before he grabbed the drinks and walked directly past her without her being so much as a blip on his radar. Not him, thank God. Valene took another deep breath. She looked toward the second blue-shirted candidate. Not as tall, and thicker set. But he had a nice face and actually looked up and smiled at her. Okay...he looks normal enough. She was about to smile back when another woman passed her and headed for his table. The pair kissed briefly and then the woman sat down. Right. Not him, either.
She glanced toward the booth seat and saw candidate number three had his back to her. Broad shoulders and short blond hair, and a nice blue shirt. He looked so good from the back, she hoped it was him. From his online profile, she knew her date’s name was Jake and that he worked outside the city. The few texts they’d exchanged had been articulate and humorous enough to pique her interest and make her want to meet him.
Nothing ventured...nothing gained.
She’d always had gumption, according to her family. Now was the time to show some. And if it didn’t work out, so be it.
Valene pushed back her shoulders and walked through the coffeehouse.
* * *
Dating apps.
Jake Brockton figured that signing on to one was up there as one of the stupidest things he’d ever done. But he’d promised his sister he’d try it, and he was a man of his word. And it was just coffee. Not a date. Nothing that required too much time or attention. And he could bail as soon as felt the interaction going south.
He glanced at his watch. She was late. He hated that.
Jake had no tolerance for tardiness. He hadn’t gotten to where he was by being lazy or disorganized. It had been through grit and a steely determination to be the best version of himself he could possibly be.
Too bad his ex-wife hadn’t thought so.
He pushed the memory from his mind and tapped his fingers on the table. He really didn’t have time to waste on romantic entanglements. The ranch kept him busy 24/7 and he wasn’t about to get seriously involved with anyone. Still, he’d promised Cassidy, and he always kept his promises to his baby sister.
Conscious that someone was standing by the booth seat, Jake turned his head and quickly sucked in a sharp breath.
A woman stood