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just a little over five feet tall it was hard to imagine this tiny woman giving birth to three hulking sons, but all the Ortega boys had her slightly tilted dark eyes and dimples. The youngest, Huston, was away at college, but Amanda had met him earlier in the year and he was just as good-looking and charming as his older brothers, but with a bit more mischief in him.
    Amanda had met Mrs. Ortega plenty of times when the woman came to visit her son at work, and had even bought her birthday present for her when Dallas had forgotten it until the last minute. The older woman would always stop to talk to her and she was always kind. So when Mrs. Ortega grabbed her in a hug Amanda easily returned it.
    “Amanda!” the other woman said in thickly accented voice. “When Dallas said he had a lady friend for me to meet I had no idea it would be you. But I must say, I am so glad to see that you are dating my son. He needs a good woman in his life.”
    Still hugging the Ortega matriarch, she shot Dallas a dirty look, which he ignored, pretending to pick through the ingredients spread out on the huge tan granite kitchen island. “Well, I don’t know if we’re exactly dating. More like just friends.”
    Mrs. Ortega stepped back and gave Amanda a critical look. “Has he been treating you like those chucha cuereras he usually dates?”
    “Mom!” Dallas said in a horrified voice while Austin burst out laughing.
    She wasn’t sure what a chucha cuerera was, but from the flush heating Dallas’s face she was pretty sure it wasn’t complimentary. Deciding she liked seeing him off balance like this, she gave Mrs. Ortega a mournful look and decided to make Dallas pay for putting her in this situation. “Did you know for our first date he took me to a fast food joint? And that he forgot his wallet so I had to pay?”
    Mrs. Ortega whirled on Dallas and picked up a kitchen towel, whacking him while Dallas gave Amanda a look that promised retribution. “Dallas, how could you?”
    The older woman went off in a fluid stream of Spanish while Austin was practically peeing himself laughing, sliding down the side of the cupboards until he sat on the floor. Dallas fended off his mother before grabbing the towel from her and placing a kiss on her forehead.
    “Mom, calm down. For our second date I took her out on the yacht to that restaurant off the ocean you love. I showered her with roses and treated her like a queen. Come on, you know I don’t think Amanda’s like those other girls. She’s a lady, through and through, and you’ve raised me well enough that I know how to treat a lady. She’s special.” He gave Amanda a quick glance that baffled her almost as much as his words. “You know what she means to me. And when’s the last time I introduced you to anyone I was dating?”
    Mrs. Ortega huffed, then returned to the stove. “I’m just glad you finally got up the nerve to ask her out.”
    Amanda frowned, looking between Dallas and his mother. “What do you mean?”
    Before Mrs. Ortega could respond, Dallas was there, holding his hand over his mother’s mouth. He said something to her in Spanish while Amanda watched with narrowed eyes. When he removed his hand his mother chuckled softly. “Why don’t you get your lady something to drink? I left the pitcher of sangria on the back porch. Austin, set the table for us.”
    Standing, Austin shook his head. “Why do I have to set the table?”
    “Because your brother has better things to do with his time.”
    Dallas took Amanda’s hand in his and led her into his palatial backyard with its view of the ocean. An infinity pool sat at the edge of the property and his yacht blocked the sunset to the left. She waited until they were away from the open doorway leading to the kitchen, then jerked Dallas close and whispered. “What the hell is going on?”
    “What?” he asked with an innocent look that totally didn’t work on his tough guy face.
    “This, your mother, dating ? What the