Once Upon a King
Holly Jacobs
Prince Antonio Michael Paul Mickovich Dillonetti blew in and out of our ibeloved Perry Square at record speed (three months ago. We all thought he'd come to visit his sweet sister, Parker, but instead he was spotted strolling arm in arm with her best gal pal, Cara Phillips.The quiet bookstore owner might keep it all bottled up but the expressions on both their faces said it all! Well, now the kismet couple is about to be reunited in the future (king's homeland…. And, according to our source, Cara has some "news" that sure explains the king-to-be's swift departure….
“You’ll have to admit that the night we met neither of us was particularly cautious.”
Some emotion the prince couldn’t quite identify passed over Cara’s face as she nodded.
“I guess you could say that.”
“About that night, I’d like to—”
“Sorry, Michael. No time to reminisce. I’ve got to plan these weddings and there’re only a few weeks left.”
“We’re going to have to talk.”
“I don’t see why. It was a passing fling. A one-night stand. There’s nothing to talk about or analyze. It was over almost before it started. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to freshen up before my next meeting.”
This time Michael took the hint.
Cara looked pale and a bit shaky and he didn’t want to upset her further.
“Fine, I’ll let it go for now. But you’re here at the palace for these next few weeks, cara mia. You won’t be able to run from me forever.”
Dear Reader,
To me, September is the cruelest month. One minute it feels like just another glorious summer day. And then almost overnight the days become shorter and life just hits. It’s no different for this month’s heroes and heroines. Because they all get their own very special “September moment” when they discover a secret that will change their lives forever!
Judy Christenberry once again heads up this month with The Texan’s Tiny Dilemma (#1782)—the next installment in her LONE STAR BRIDES miniseries. A handsome accountant must suddenly figure out how to factor love into the equation when a one-night stand results in twins. Seth Bryant gets his wake-up call when a very pregnant princess shows up on his doorstep in Prince Baby (#1783), which continues Susan Meier’s BRYANT BABY BONANZA. Jill Limber assures us that The Sheriff Wins a Wife (#1784) in the continuing BLOSSOM COUNTY FAIR continuity, but how will this lawman react to the news that he’s still married to a woman who left town eight years ago! Holly Jacobs rounds out the month with her next PERRY SQUARE: THE ROYAL INVASION! title. In Once Upon a King (#1785), baby seems to come before love and marriage for a future king.
And be sure to watch for more great romances next month when bestselling author Myrna Mackenzie launches our new SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE miniseries.
Happy reading,
Ann Leslie Tuttle
Associate Senior Editor
Once Upon a King
Holly Jacobs
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
This one’s for Haley. I hope you’ll always find the magic in books!
You’re such an amazing young woman!
For Dr. Baxter and Carolyn Flear…there’s no Philharmonic
or bowling here, but still, thanks for the inspiration!
And for Peter…hope you’ve enjoyed the series!
Finally, for Dort. You had the biggest heart and
such a gift for blarney. We all miss you every day.
Books by Holly Jacobs
Silhouette Romance
* (#litres_trial_promo)Do You Hear What I Hear? #1557
* (#litres_trial_promo)A Day Late and a Bride Short #1653
* (#litres_trial_promo)Dad Today, Groom Tomorrow #1683
* (#litres_trial_promo)Be My Baby #1733
† (#litres_trial_promo)Once Upon a Princess #1768
† (#litres_trial_promo)Once Upon a Prince #1777
† (#litres_trial_promo)Once Upon a King #1785
HOLLY JACOBS
can’t remember a time when she didn’t read…and read a lot. Writing her own stories just seemed a natural outgrowth of that love. Reading, writing, chauffeuring kids to and from activities makes for a busy life. But it’s one she wouldn’t trade for any other.
Holly lives in Erie, Pennsylvania, with her husband, four children and a 180-pound Old English mastiff. In her “spare” time, Holly loves hearing from her fans. You can write to her at P.O. Box 11102, Erie, PA 16514-1102 or visit her Web site at www.HollyJacobs.com (http://www.HollyJacobs.com).
Dear Reader,
When I brought royalty to Perry Square and planned a trilogy, I knew I wanted Cara’s story to be last. Of the three friends who make up PERRY SQUARE: THE ROYAL INVASION!, Cara’s the true center of the trio. And as a tried-and-true bookworm, she’s a woman after my own heart. She believes in love and has cheered on Parker and Shey in Once Upon a Princess and Once Upon a Prince. Now it’s her turn to take a journey of the heart as she leaves Perry Square to travel to Eliason to plan Parker and Shey’s secret double wedding. There she meets her own Prince Charming. Well, not exactly meets. You see, one night, three months ago she found, then lost, the man of her dreams. But Cara never imagined her mysterious Prince Charming was in fact a prince!
Perry Square’s going on the road…going international! I hope you enjoy the trip and this final book in my Perry Square royalty trilogy!
Enjoy!
Holly
Contents
Prologue (#u407ca821-795f-5f52-9463-b46a3c2d4550)
Chapter One (#u5c1dea58-e298-5f06-a9a1-ac91f23a019b)
Chapter Two (#u015bf44c-b909-5ee8-9282-fe62ffa82d4a)
Chapter Three (#u03d01958-dfbf-5ba9-99cd-7e1641613ed2)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue
Cara Phillips looked out the window of the plane as it made its approach to Eliason, a small European country that most of the world overlooked.
But to Cara, Eliason was magical.
A real-life kingdom.
For a minute she wondered what it would be like to know an entire land was yours…your responsibility, handed down generation after generation. To protect, to guide, to cherish.
Cara’s best friend, Parker Dillon, had been born here. Parker was a princess. Princess Marie Anna Parker Mickovich Dillonetti of Eliason.
But Parker had traded away her legacy and chased after her dreams…dreams that had led her to Perry Square in Erie, Pennsylvania, and to Jace O’Donnell, the man she was going to marry in just a month.
Four short weeks.
Their friend Shey Carlson and her fiancå, Tanner Ericson, were going to be married as well.
A double ceremony.
Cara’s romantic heart gave a small twist.
Truly, Parker and Shey’s romances were more than sigh-worthy.
Shey hadn’t been looking for love. Especially not with a prince. Prince Eduardo Matthew Tanner Ericson of Amar had come to Erie to claim his bride—Parker. But instead he’d claimed Shey’s heart.
Shey was rock hard on the outside, but that was just a veneer. On the inside she was caring, concerned and so deserved having a prince.
Cara sighed again. It was all so wonderful.
Her two best friends had found their other halves, men whom they loved and were willing to commit their lives to.
Once upon a time, Cara had thought she’d find a similar path.
For one brief moment three months ago, she thought she had.
Mike King.
He’d appeared in her life, bringing with him a whirlwind of emotion and hope…hope that she’d found what she’d been looking for. But he’d disappeared, leaving behind a longing for what-might-have-been.
She’d had just one night, one special night when she’d believed all her fantasies could come true. On that night she’d believed in love at first sight and happily-ever-after.
Then it was morning and Mike was gone. In the light of day, Cara had awoken to the reality with a thud.
She and Mike had been just a hazy dream, a misty longing she had thought could grow into something solid. But, like a mist, the morning sun had burned her dream of him away. All she had left was a memory of the dark-haired man whose deep blue eyes had seemed to touch her soul, and the knowledge she’d deceived herself into thinking he’d felt a connection, too.
But he’d left her something tangible. Something solid and oh-so-real.
The plane touched down and Cara allowed herself one last wistful sigh.
She was going to see to it that Parker and Shey and their grooms had the most perfect fairy-tale wedding ever.
They’d have someone to love forever.
And in the end, so would Cara.
Not Mike King. He had come and gone. No, she was going to have a real someone.
She was going to have Mike’s baby.
One
“Michael, stop your pacing. You look like a nervous bride on her wedding night rather than a commanding prince of the land.”
Try as he might, Michael couldn’t help but smile. “A bride, Marstel? You couldn’t at least have said bridegroom?”
“A figure of speech,” Marstel Marriott said with a smile.
Michael gave his childhood friend a lot more latitude than most employees had. As Michael’s personal assistant and right-hand man, Marstel was privy to many things, but as a lifelong friend, he knew even more.
All joking aside, Marstel suddenly looked serious. “Just take a deep breath and settle down.”
“Settle down?” Michael raked his fingers through his dark hair in utter frustration.
“Settle down?” he repeated. “I shouldn’t be here playing host to my sister’s friend. I shouldn’t be playing surrogate wedding planner.” His sister, Parker, was getting married soon and was sending her friend ahead to help finalize the plans. “I should be back in Erie, looking for her.”
Her.
He didn’t even know her name.
Cara mia, he’d called her.
He remembered the way she’d smiled when he’d murmured the endearment in her ear the first time.
Cara mia.
That’s how he thought of her.
A chance meeting, a brief tryst…she’d altered the very fabric of his life.
“I should be out there looking for her, instead of chauffeuring around this Cara.”
Just saying the woman’s name grated on him, multiplying his level of frustration.
A Cara, but not his cara mia.
“Your soon-to-be brother-in-law has been looking for your mystery woman, but without a name…” Marstel let the rest of the sentence trail off.
He didn’t need to finish it.
Michael understood that the odds were stacked against him. That night, she’d simply been cara mia. He’d planned to find out her real name in the light of day, but hadn’t wanted to ruin the spell of that night. But in the morning she was gone. And without a name his chances of finding her were slim.
Erie, Pennsylvania, wasn’t a huge city, but finding one unnamed woman in a city of one hundred thousand people was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
More than one hundred thousand people.
Michael had looked up the number online.
He was a firm believer in facing the odds, in looking obstacles square in the face…103,717 according to the last census figures.
And that didn’t even take into account the outlying communities. He’d researched that as well. Mill-creek, North East, Wesleyville, Harborcreek, Girard, Fairview…she could be in any one of those townships that surrounded Erie.
Somewhere among all those people was his cara mia.
As soon as the double wedding was over, he was going back to Erie and find her himself, even if he knew it would be like looking for that proverbial needle in the haystack.
Michael knew in his gut that, despite the odds, their one night together couldn’t be the end of it. That it wasn’t all they would ever have.
He’d known the minute he’d seen her that she was it for him. At that first combustible meeting, he’d been too consumed by feelings to ask the questions that had needed asking. And once he’d had rational thinking return, she was already gone.
He’d let her slip from his fingers. And because he was on a diplomatic mission, he’d had only a few hours to search for her. A search that had proved futile.
As soon as he’d taken care of this last duty, he was going back, and he wouldn’t leave Erie, Pennsylvania, until he’d found her.
Michael wasn’t some hopeless romantic who fell in love at the drop of a hat. But the moment he bumped into her on the street he’d known in his gut that she was it. She was the one.
His father had found his mother in such a lightning-strike manner—found her in Erie as well, as a matter of fact. And his sister Parker had done the same when she’d fallen for the man their father had hired to find out why she wouldn’t come home. Jace O’Donnell, a private detective.
Love at first sight.
He’d doubted it could happen. He hadn’t been able to believe in that type of love even though he was the product of such a union. Michael was the type of man who needed more than someone else’s say-so for it to be true.
So he hadn’t believed…until it had happened to him.
And every day he delayed finding her was one day too many.
One more month and he’d go after her. As soon as he’d honored his obligation to his family, to his sister, Parker, he was going back to Erie and he wouldn’t come home without his cara mia.
“They’re here,” Marstel announced.
The plane drew closer to the runway and touched down lightly.
Most people had to wait at luggage claim to greet the travelers. So much in the world had changed in recent years, even here in Eliason. There were new rules and restrictions designed to make air travel safer. But there were a few perks to being a prince.
Very few.
Michael and Marstel stood in the security doorway and watched as the passengers began to deplane.
Families.
Businessmen and women.
About a dozen people had come out of the doorway when he saw her.
He sucked in his breath, sure he was hallucinating.
“Michael, are you all right?” Marstel asked, concern in his voice.
“Her,” he murmured, studying the woman. “It’s her. Cara mia.”
“Your mystery woman?”
Three months ago, on his trip to Perry Square, Michael was supposed to have convinced his sister to come home. He could have told his father that there was no convincing Parker of anything when her mind was made up.
When he’d gotten to Erie, he’d found it wasn’t just her mind that was made up, but her heart was as well. He’d seen how she’d looked when she spoke of Jace O’Donnell and he’d known that even though she might come home to visit, Parker’s future was no longer in Eliason.
He’d had to leave before he’d met her friends. One friend, Shey Carlson, was marrying Tanner Ericson, the prince of neighboring Amar.
And then there was Parker’s other friend, Cara Phillips.
Cara who was coming to arrange a small, private wedding ceremony for her two friends. A celebration for just family and those closest to both couples. Later there would be a more public celebration for both couples, but in one month, they’d have a secret, double ceremony.
Cara Phillips was here to help plan it.
Parker and Shey wouldn’t arrive until the last minute, hoping to keep the paparazzi off the scent of what would eventually be a very big story.
It all made sense.
He’d met his mystery woman, his cara mia, in the park across from the shops his sister owned with her two friends. Parker’s friend Cara would have been in that area frequently.
And the way his mystery woman had laughed when he’d called her cara mia.
Cara Phillips.
He’d known her name without knowing he’d known it. Just another indication that he was right—that this woman was his destiny.
And now she’d come to him.
What more proof did he need?
“Michael?” Marstel asked, concern still filling his voice.
“It’s fine. Everything’s fine now,” he assured his friend.
Everything was fine.
He didn’t have to find his cara mia.
She’d found him.
Cara got off the plane and breathed deeply. Parker used to say no place smelled quite the same as Eliason.
Maybe she was right. But at the moment, all Cara could smell was the plane’s fuel. It made her stomach move a bit south of where it belonged.
She forced herself to ignore the feeling. She didn’t have time to be ill. She was about to meet Parker’s family—to meet royalty.
She shouldn’t be nervous. After all, Parker was royal. Tanner was royal. And with their marriages, even Jace and Shey would be royal.
Through her years of friendship with Parker, Cara had learned that royalty wasn’t always all it was cracked up to be. As a teen, Parker had been tabloid fodder, hounded and exploited. But through all of it, she’d had the support of her parents. Two people who put their family before their royal duties. And despite wishing their daughter was coming home to stay, they put her happiness first as well.
They’d always sounded wonderful to Cara, which was why she refused to be nervous about meeting Parker’s very royal family and staying in an honest-to-goodness castle. Parker had shown her pictures, and Cara had memorized them. Not really a moat-and-turret sort of castle. It looked more like a huge, gigantic mansion. Gray stone, ornate gardens and one small tower off the west wing.
Parker said she’d never visited all the rooms.
Cara wondered if she could manage it during her month-long visit.
Probably not. She had her work cut out for her. She was here to be a voice, to see to it the double wedding didn’t become a sideshow, that it remained the small intimate ceremony her two best friends envisioned.
She was a woman on a mission. There was no time for exploring. And there was certainly no room to be nervous, she warned the butterflies in her stomach. After all, if she wanted to be nervous about something, she had bigger worries ahead of her.
She walked off the ramp and scanned the area, looking for someone who looked like they were looking for someone they didn’t know. She wasn’t sure who was picking her up. Parker just said someone would meet her.
She hefted her carry-on over her shoulder and started following the crowd.
“Cara mia,” came a voice from behind her.
Cara stopped in her tracks and stood stone-still. She felt a jolt pulse through her body, weakening her knees. All the oxygen whooshed from her lungs.
Could someone asphyxiate from surprise?
No, this was more than surprise.
Shock.
Could she asphyxiate from shock?
She didn’t want to look, couldn’t stand to be disappointed, but somehow she managed to turn, to see for herself.
Mike.
Mike King in Eliason?
“You?” she said, her voice soft because, after all, it was hard to speak when you had no air in your body.
“Me,” he said with a huge smile.
It almost looked as if the fink was happy to see her.
“I found you,” he said.
The sense of hope disappeared in an instant as Cara remembered what Mike King had done.
The jerk.
The creep.
The love-’em-and-leave-’em cad.
Cara knew she was a quiet woman, reserved and shy. But she forgot for a second as she publicly snubbed the smiling Lothario.
“Leave me alone,” she said and then turned on her heels and marched away.
She wasn’t sure where she was going, but it didn’t matter. She just wanted to get away from Mike King, the man who’d shown her one amazing night of passion.
Mike King, the father of her baby.
“Cara, where are you going?” he asked, obviously ignoring her command.
Maybe she hadn’t been clear. She whirled around and faced him.
“Where I go is none of your concern. I want you to forget you ever met me, because believe me, I forgot you the morning I woke up alone in that hotel room.”
Okay, so that was a lie.
Not just some little white lie.
A whopper of a lie.
But for the first time in her life, Cara didn’t feel guilty about avoiding the truth. After all, she was crossing her fingers as she said the words, and the creep deserved to think he was so easily forgotten.
She’d never tell him that not a day went by that she didn’t think of him. Not a night went by that she didn’t dream of him.
“I can’t forget,” he said.
She kept walking.
“Go away or I’m going to call security. They’ll arrest you for sure. I’m a guest of this country and I have friends in high places.”
Okay, so Parker’s parents weren’t really friends, but she imagined they’d help protect her from a lunatic ex-lover.
“Tell me where you’re going,” Michael ordered, still walking by her side. His legs were much longer than hers, so she had to take about a step and a half to every one of his long, loping strides.
“None of your business,” she said, trying to lengthen her own step, not wanting to be at a disadvantage. “Leave me alone, you cad.”
“Cad?” he said, his smile quirking sort of sideways with amusement.
“You gigolo.”
“Gigolo?” He chuckled.
That soft, throaty laughter had haunted her dreams for three months.
He placed a hand on her shoulder, as if to slow her down.
She shrugged free and tried to walk even faster. “Stop that, and stop following me.”
“I can’t stop following you. I was sent here to pick you up and take you to the castle, Cara Phillips.”
“You work for the king?” she asked, feeling as if a lightbulb had gone off over her head. “That’s why you were on Perry Square, in Erie. He sent you to try and make Parker go home, didn’t he? Then you met me, figured you could have a bit of fun before you ran back to Eliason. You figured you’d never see me again. Well, let’s pretend it worked, that you never met me back on the square. You can take me to the castle, then get on with your duties and forget we ever met.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, cara mia.”
The endearment whipped at her tenuous self-restraint. “Don’t call me that,” she said, hoping he couldn’t sense the emotion that was riding ever closer to the surface.
“I can’t do that either. You are my cara mia, my beloved,” he said.
He reached out as if he were going to touch her again, but drew his hand back. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“Ha.”
“And I can’t leave you alone because my father asked me to assist you in whatever way suits your needs.”
“Your father?” she asked. A sudden sick pitch settled in her stomach as a glimmer of an idea struck her. An unsettling, horrible, the-fates-couldn’t-do-it-to-her kind of idea.
“Your father?” she repeated.
“My father, King Antonio Paul Capelli Mickovich Dillonetti of Eliason.”
This time Cara didn’t just feel weak-kneed, she actually sort of sagged.
Mike caught her elbow and steadied her.
An immediate awareness slammed through her system.
“What’s your real name?” she asked weakly, though she knew.
“I’m Antonio Michael Paul Mickovich Dillonetti. There are a lot of titles that come after that. But my friends call me Michael.”
“Well, Your Highness—”
“Michael,” he corrected.
“Your friends call you Michael, and I assure you I am not your friend. I’ll stick with Your Highness.”
“You’re right of course,” he said, using what he must have thought was a soothing tone.
In reality, it was too husky, too enticing to be soothing.
“You’re not a friend….” he began. “You’re more.”
Cara couldn’t stand it.
She knew that Parker and Shey were counting on her to keep this wedding intimate and not a circus like so many other royal weddings were. But she couldn’t do this.
She couldn’t be here, working with him every day.
Parker and Shey would understand. They’d have to.
She turned and headed for the ticket window.
“Where are you going now?” he asked, once again on her heels.
This time she realized there was a small group of men trailing after Michael as he followed after her.
Bodyguards?
Probably. After all, a prince had to have his entourage.
A prince. The rat.
“To buy a ticket home,” she said without turning around to look at him.
“You’re running away again?” he asked, his voice much softer now.
She whirled around and found herself face-to-face, just inches separating them. “What do you mean again? I woke up and you were gone. There was nothing to do but go. I left, but I certainly didn’t run away.”
Had he been there, she was certain she’d have stayed as long as possible.
“I went to buy us breakfast only to return to the room and find you’d left,” he said softly.
Cara felt light-headed.
“You were coming back?” she whispered.
“Of course. You were in my room, after all.”
Oh, no. He hadn’t left her. He hadn’t used her then discarded her. Her hand fell to her stomach. Her baby’s father wasn’t a scum-sucking Casanova.
Another thought occurred to her.
Her baby’s father was a prince.
Even worse, he was the heir to the Eliason throne.
Cara groaned as she realized that her baby was, in fact, royalty as well.
Oh, no, what had she done?
The blood rushed from her head and Cara did something she’d never done before. She fainted.
Two
There wasn’t much in life that scared Michael.
All right, he wasn’t overly fond of heights. But although he always avoided the window seats in planes, he dealt with the fear and never let on that he was bothered.
But at this moment, he didn’t know how to hide his fear, much less deal with it. Cara collapsed in his arms and it was a thousand times worse than any height he’d ever experienced.
He eased her down on the ground without releasing his hold on her.
“Call an ambulance,” he barked.
Marstel was on his mobile before he even finished the sentence.
Satisfied help was on the way, he focused all his attention on Cara. Her eyes fluttered and then opened.
He inhaled deeply and finally felt as if he could breathe again.
“Cara,” he whispered.
“What happened?” she said, trying to sit up.
“Stay still. You collapsed. Marstel is calling for an ambulance.”
“No. I don’t need an ambulance, I’m fine. It was just a long flight. I’m sure that’s all.”
“If your collapse was due to just a long flight, I suspect more of the people on the plane would have collapsed. But as far as I can tell, yours is the only body on the floor. You need to see a doctor.”
“I don’t,” she said, sitting up, even though he tried to keep her down. “Let go.”
“Cara, you’re seeing the doctor.”
She struggled to her feet, looked a bit unsteady for a moment, then stood firm and glared at him. “I won’t.”
Michael stood as well and faced her.
This Cara, spitting mad and glaring at him, didn’t quite match the mental image of the sweet woman who’d spent one passionate night in his arms. It was clear Michael had things to learn about Cara.
“You will see the doctor,” he said just as firmly. It was a tone he rarely used, but it had always produced the desired result, in the past.
Obviously, not this time.
Cara crossed her arms over her chest and said, “Listen, Your Highness, just because you’re a prince, doesn’t mean I’m going to play the loyal subject. I’m not seeing a doctor.”
She glanced past him and noticed Marstel, phone still in hand. “Call off the ambulance, I won’t get in it. They’d be wasting a trip, and it could endanger someone who really needs help.”
Marstel looked from Cara to Michael, who just shrugged. “Fine, call it off. I’ll have Dr. Stevens meet us at home.”
Cara shot him a small, brittle smile. “I hope you’re having him meet you for tea, because he’s not touching me.”
She whirled around and started down the hall toward baggage claim.
“Are you always so stubborn and argumentative?” Michael asked, easily matching her pace.
Her expression softened. “Believe it or not, no. I’m generally quiet and easygoing.”
“So, it’s only me who is blessed with seeing this side of you?” He shot her a grin.
She shrugged. “Guess so.”
She wore a small smile, though he could see her struggle against it.
It wasn’t much of a smile, just a brief upturn of her lips, but it was a start. A quick reminder of the woman he’d known.
“Lucky me,” he said in a teasing voice.
“Why are you following me?”
“I’m your ride home, remember?” he said. “You have decided to come home, right? I mean, you don’t want to let your friends down, do you?”
The smile was gone now along with his gentle cara mia. The real Cara Phillips was back and said, “I am going to the castle, but only because I love Parker and Shey. But I’m not going with you. I’ll take a taxi.”
“There you go, being argumentative again.”
“I wouldn’t have to be argumentative if you weren’t annoying.”
“And I wouldn’t seem nearly so annoying if you weren’t so stubborn and argumentative.”
“I guess we have a stalemate,” Cara said.
“So, why don’t you simply get in my car and let me take you home?”
“If I do, will you leave me alone once we get there?”
“I can’t promise that, but I will promise to give you some time to settle in before I start annoying you again.”
She sighed. “Fine.”
“Then come with me. Marstel will arrange to have your luggage delivered.”
“Whatever.”
Looking more like a woman on her way to the gallows than a woman who’d just found out she was being pursued by a prince, Cara came along quietly, but the petite brunette’s flashing green eyes seemed to radiate all the words she was holding back. They were seething just beneath the surface, ready to explode at any moment.
He smiled and admitted to himself, he liked that she wasn’t intimidated by him.
Too many of the women he’d dated had either been awed by his position, or had sought him out hoping to capitalize on it. That one night with Cara he’d known that she’d seen him…just Michael, not the prince. She didn’t look overly awed by the fact he was royal. And she certainly didn’t seem intent on capitalizing on it.
As-a-matter-of-fact, she was put out by it.
“Come with me, sweetheart,” he said, taking her arm, feeling as if everything in his life were suddenly on track.
She jerked her arm away, sent him a scathing look, then followed him as he made his way toward the car.
Michael wasn’t sure if round one of their first fight was a win, a loss or a draw, but he was looking forward to seeing what happened in round two.
Cara glanced at the man standing next to her in the hallway of the castle. Parker’s home was as grand and wonderful as she’d pictured it. Unfortunately, some of her pleasure at arriving was diminished given the company she was keeping.
To think, she’d had fantasies for the last three months about finding her Mike. Fantasies where she’d run into him on Perry Square. Just bump into him. He’d look at her and whisper, cara mia and pull her into his arms. He’d profess his undying love and apologize for leaving her that morning. She of course would forgive him and when she told him about the baby he’d cry with happiness. A manly sort of crying. Really only a tear or two in his eyes as he professed to love her and their child forever.
She’d never have that particular fantasy again.
Now all she wanted to do was get some distance from Mike…Michael. The prince. Maybe once she got out of his vicinity she’d be able to think again.
She scanned the grand entryway. Her whole apartment would fit in it. Parker’s and Shey’s as well.
She’d been so excited to be visiting a castle, staying in one. And the impressive gray structure had barely blipped on the radar of her thoughts. All she could do was wonder what on earth she was going to do.
Her fantasy lover hadn’t deserted her. He claimed he’d been looking for her.
Her Prince Charming was a prince.
And she was carrying his child.
She had to tell him. She knew that much. But not quite yet.
Soon.
As soon as she figured out just what she was going to do.
Maybe she’d better wait until she was back in the States to tell him. Maybe he’d want to keep the baby. After all, the child growing in her womb was his heir.
What were the laws regarding parental rights in Eliason? And did a prince have to follow them?
She didn’t know.
Cara had thought being a single mother was as complicated as her life could get.
She was wrong.
“Cara Phillips, may I present my mother, Her Royal Majesty—”
“Cut it out, Michael,” his mother said sternly.
Michael and Parker’s mother didn’t look queenly at the moment. As a matter of fact, she was wearing a battered pair of jeans and a Mercyhurst sweatshirt.
“Cara, dear, I’ve heard so much about you. Call me Anna.” She enveloped Cara in a hug. “I’ve so longed to meet you. You’ve been such a good friend to my Parker.”
“Your Majesty—”
The queen cleared her throat.
“Anna,” Cara corrected herself with a sheepish smile. “I’m the lucky one. Parker’s the best.”
“Is she truly happy with her private investigator?” the queen asked with a motherly concern.
“Yes, I believe she is. When Parker and Jace look at each other, you can see…” She stopped. She wasn’t sure how to put it without seeming like a hopeless romantic.
“You can see the love?” the queen asked.
“Yes.” Cara couldn’t resist a small sigh.
“That’s all I ever wanted for her. That she’d find a place to belong and someone to belong with.” The queen looked toward a dark-haired man in crisply creased Dockers and a dark blue polo shirt striding toward her. “There’s nothing more important.”
“Is this her?” the man asked.
“Yes. Paul, this is Parker’s friend, Cara. She’ll be working with Michael and me on the wedding details.”
Paul.
The king.
Darn. Cara wished she’d asked Parker the proper protocol. Should she bow, curtsy?
She was saved trying to figure it out when the man thrust his hand in her direction. “Cara, we’ve heard so much about you from our wayward, stubborn daughter.”
Cara shook his hand and smiled. “And I’ve heard a lot about you.”
He chuckled. “I imagine you have.”
From what she’d heard from Parker over the years, she knew any stubbornness Parker possessed was genetic, inherited from her father.
“Now, Cara, let’s get you settled and then I’ll show you what I’ve already accomplished,” the queen said. “Michael’s been my errand boy, and we’ve really made some progress. We’ll—”
“I think,” Michael said, interrupting his mother, “that it would be better for Cara to take a rest rather than jumping into work. She passed out at the airport.”
“What?” the queen and king said in unison.
“I’ve sent for the doctor,” Michael assured them.
Cara caught the look of triumph he shot her. The ha-ha-I-won-this-battle sort of look.
“It was simply a long flight,” she said. “I don’t need a doctor. I don’t need to rest. I just want to get down to the details.”
The queen shook her head. “Oh, no. Not until you’ve been checked out. What would Parker say if she arrived and found you ill?”
“I—”
“Don’t argue,” the king instructed. “My daughter would blame me if something happened to you, and I can get in more than enough trouble with her without your assistance. So, you’ll see the doctor and get his clearance before you lift a finger or look at one wedding plan.”
“Really, I’m fine,” Cara protested, though no one seemed to notice.
“Dr. Stevens will be the judge of that. Now, come with me, dear. We’ll get you settled,” the queen said, putting an arm over her shoulder and leading her down the hall.
Michael, the big tattletale, smirked at her as they walked past him, as if he’d gotten one over on her.
Cara had the overwhelming urge to stick her tongue out, but she resisted. She was a grown-up, after all.
She’d see their doctor. He’d give her a clean bill of health, of course, then she’d get on with planning the wedding of the century, then go home to Perry Square.
Parker’s mother led her through a maze of halls and up a set of stairs.
“I may need a map,” Cara murmured.
The queen laughed. “I felt the same way when Paul first brought me here, but you’ll get the hang of it soon enough.”
She stopped in front of a door. “This will be your room.” She opened the door with a flourish.
“Oh, my.” Cara tried to take it all in.
It was the room every little girl dreamed of. A room fit for a princess.
A canopy bed, a huge bay window, complete with window seat…and a wall full of bookshelves. For a lifelong bookworm who owned a bookstore, it was the perfect room.
She just stood in the doorway and took it all in.
“Parker suggested you might enjoy this room the most,” the queen said.
“It’s lovely.”
“Your luggage has already been sent up.” She gestured to Cara’s suitcases that were sitting next to the bed. “I can help you unpack, or send someone to help you if you prefer.”
“No, really, I’m fine, no matter what Michael says.” Some of her pleasure over the room faded as she remembered the total mess she’d gotten herself into.
“If you’re fine it won’t hurt to let the doctor take a look, will it?” the queen asked gently. “It will ease my mind.”
Cara admitted defeat. She could fight Michael, but not his mother.
“I’ll see him,” she said. “But only if we can get to work after he laughs at all your worries and assures you I’m fine.”
“You’ve got a deal,” the queen said with a smile. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve missed my daughter and hope you’ll fill me in on her life and about this man she’s so taken with.”
“I’ll tell you what I can,” Cara promised. “You’re going to love Jace, I promise. When you see them together, it’s so obvious that they’re right for each other. It sort of shimmers there for anyone to see. She’s happier than I’ve ever seen her.”
The queen smiled. “Her happiness is all I ever wanted. Now, go rest and I’ll send the doctor up as soon as he arrives.” She left and closed the door softly.
Cara took in the room.
It was beautiful. She walked up to the shelves and admired the books. Leather-bound volumes that begged to be held and admired for the sheer beauty of their construction, as well as their content.
Normally Cara wouldn’t be able to wait to get her hands on them. But right now she had too much on her mind to enjoy them. She sat down gingerly on the bed. It was warm and inviting. Too inviting to resist. She lay back and closed her eyes.
How on earth had she gotten here? The small-town daughter of two academics was now in a castle, surrounded by luxury.
A castle that was the family home of her own child’s father.
A loud knock on her door awoke Cara with a start.
She had a momentary attack of where-the-heck-am-I? before she remembered she was in Eliason to plan Shey’s and Parker’s weddings.
And that she had found Michael, or rather, he had found her.
Someone knocked on her door again.
She sat up, smoothed her hair as best she could and said, “Come in.”
A man with beachboy-blond hair that looked as if it could use a cut, bright blue eyes and a ready smile rolled a very sporty wheelchair into the room.
“Cara Phillips?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m Dr. Stevens. Tommy Stevens.” He wheeled right up to her bed and extended his hand.
Cara took it and shook. He had a firm grip.
“Nice to meet you,” she said. “And I’ll apologize up front for the inconvenience. I’m absolutely fine, Doctor.”
“Call me Tommy. And I’m sure you’re right, but why don’t you let me do a brief check just to put your hosts’ collective minds at rest. Additionally, you’re doing me a favor. I love having a reason to make a house call to the castle. They always offer me something to eat on my way out, and if you’ve ever eaten hospital food, you’d know what a perk having access to the royal kitchen is. Marta, the cook, has a crush on me, and spoils me with treats.”
Despite her annoyance at being forced to see a doctor, Cara couldn’t help but laugh. “So, basically you work for food?”
He grinned. “Exactly. And you wouldn’t want to deprive me, would you?”
“No,” she assured him. “You don’t work exclusively for the family?”
“No. They’re a very healthy bunch. I have a private practice. I make house calls because it’s easier than having their security clear my office for a visit. So, now that I’ve charmed you with my winsome bedside manner, do you think I could convince you to have a seat over here, please.”
Giving in to the inevitable, Cara sat in the chair next to the bed, which placed her eye to eye with the doctor.
Not sure how intensive his exam would be, Cara had a sudden worry and asked, “Before we start, I need to know that patient-physician privilege works the same here as it does in the States? I mean, you can’t go divulging my health concerns without my permission, right?”
Tommy smiled reassuringly. “Yes, we do have the same rules here. I won’t say a word about you or your health without your permission. So, I take it that you have a condition I should know about?”
“Yes,” she said, hesitating, not sure how to say it. She hadn’t told anyone yet, not even Parker and Shey. She wanted them both to enjoy their weddings without worrying about her. And she knew they’d worry a lot.
“Well, you see, I’m pretty sure I know why I fainted, and it really isn’t anything to worry about. I’ve had periods of light-headedness the past few months, and I think this one was worse simply because of the length of the flight.”
He waited, not pushing or prodding, just waited for her to finish.
Cara had always trusted her gut feelings. She’d trusted them when she’d met Parker and Shey. She’d trusted them when they’d decided to open Titles and Monarch’s, their bookstore and coffeehouse respectively, after graduation. She’d trusted her feelings the night she’d met Michael.
And she realized she liked this doctor and once again relied on her gut feeling. “I’m pregnant.”
Tommy Stevens didn’t even blink an eye with surprise. “About how far along?”
“Three months. I saw my physician before I left Erie and she said there was no reason I couldn’t make the trip. She put me on a prenatal vitamin and I promised to see her again as soon as I get home next month.”
“Well, that could explain things, but I’d rather take your pulse, blood pressure and such, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t,” Cara said, realizing that having some assurance that everything was all right would be a relief. “Whatever you think is best. But I’d prefer that no one knows about the pregnancy. I haven’t even told the father yet. And I didn’t want to take anything away from the wedding.”
“Mum’s the word,” he said, actually making the motion of twisting a key over his lips, then tossing it over his shoulder.
Cara laughed. “Thanks so much.”
As the doctor opened his bag and took out a stethoscope, he said, “Did you ever hear the one about the doctor and the porcupine…”
Michael stood outside Cara’s room his hand poised to knock, when a loud peel of laughter rang out. There was a murmur of voices, then more laughter.
He knew his mother wasn’t in the room with Cara. He’d just talked to her and she’d said the doctor had arrived.
Cara was laughing with the doctor.
Michael didn’t like it.
The doctor was supposed to be checking her over, not doing a stand-up routine.
Michael had imagined finding her. The slow smile he’d witnessed their one night together would again light her face and she’d welcome him with open arms. Instead, the woman laughing so easily next door with the doctor had been distant and wary when he’d found her at the airport.
Dating women had never proven to be much of a problem. Finding the right woman had been next to impossible.
Other than a short stint at a university in the States, where he’d got a taste for what Parker had had, Michael spent his adult life dating as a prince. His title was the first thing women knew about him. He frequently felt like more of a trophy than a person. Something they could show off to their friends. But Cara had only seen him as Mike, and he knew in his heart of hearts she’d felt something that night, just as he had.
Cara had wanted just plain old Mike King. Not Michael Dillonetti, future king of Eliason.
He’d never before felt anything like his reaction to her. There had been an instant connection. He wanted a chance to allow it to grow. He wanted to get to know more about her, and to share himself with her. He wanted Cara to continue seeing him, not the prince.
Parker had chosen a different way of life than what she’d been born to. As the heir to the throne, Michael didn’t have that luxury. As much as he had grand plans for his country—increasing tourism and technology being two of his highest priorities—he had much smaller personal goals. Someone to love, who would love him in return—him, not his title nor his wealth. A relationship like the one his parents had. A family.
They seemed like small goals—ones most people had. But for him they had seemed out of reach until he met Cara Phillips.
The low murmurs in the room were punctuated by another burst of laughter.
He knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Cara called out.
Michael walked into the room and was unprepared for the emotion that poleaxed him as he spotted Dr. Stevens and Cara sitting together.
Cara’s smile died immediately when she saw who had entered.
“What do you want?” she asked, no smile or sign of greeting.
“I just came up to check on you.”
Her eyes darted toward the doctor then back to him. “I’m fine.”
“Dr. Stevens?” he asked, not quite believing her.
The doctor shot Cara a strange look, then turned to Michael. “She’s absolutely fine, but I’m running a few tests just to be sure.”
“What kind of tests?”
Cara thrust out her arm and he noticed the smiley-face bandage in the crook of her arm. “He drew some blood and is going to test for anemia. That could explain my light-headedness.”
There was something the two of them weren’t telling him. Michael could sense it.
“What else?”
“Nothing else,” Cara said. “Now that you’ve satisfied your curiosity, if you don’t mind…”
She left the sentence hanging, an obvious invitation to leave her room.
“I don’t mind at all,” he said, taking a seat in the armchair. “Thank you for coming over so soon, Dr. Stevens.”
The doctor took the hint and packed his bag. Before he left, he took a card from his pocket and handed it to Cara. “If you need anything, have any problems at all, call me. The top number is my office, the bottom number is a private line. Call anytime of day or night.”
“Thank you, Tommy.”
“It was my pleasure,” he assured her, then gave Michael a quick nod and left the room.
“It was my pleasure,” Michael mocked.
“You’re the one that forced me to see him,” she said. “I enjoyed meeting Tommy.”
“That’s another thing. Tommy. Not even Tom. I’ve known the man for at least five years and have always called him Dr. Stevens. You’ve known him half an hour and he’s Tommy. What was going on between the two of you?”
“I was assured that doctor-patient privilege is the same here in Eliason as it in the U.S., so I guess that makes what was going on between the two of us my business, doesn’t it?”
“I’m concerned, Cara.” Michael knew that was an understatement. Concerned didn’t even begin to define the heart-stopping fear he’d felt when she’d fainted. And though she seemed fine, the fear hadn’t abated much.
Her look softened a little and for a moment he thought she was going to be reasonable. Instead, she said, “Don’t be concerned. You heard the doctor, I’m fine.”
“I don’t think he’d be doing more tests if he was one hundred percent sure of your fineness.”
“He’s just being cautious. I think it must be a trait of your country.”
“And you say you’ve met my sister, Parker?” he teased. “If caution is a national trait, it’s one that totally passed her by.”
Cara laughed, much to Michael’s delight.
“Maybe it’s a trait that’s connected to the Y chromosome?” she asked.
“Maybe. But you’ll have to admit that the night we met neither of us was particularly cautious.”
Some emotion he couldn’t quite identify passed over her face as she slowly nodded.
“I guess you could say that.”
“About that night, I’d like to—”
She sprang from the chair. “Sorry, Michael. No time to reminisce. I’ve got a clean bill of health and need to find your mother and talk about the wedding. Two ceremonies in one and only a month to plan them. I’ve got lots and lots of work to do.”
“We’re going to have to talk about that night.”
“I don’t see why. It was just a night. A passing fling. A one-night stand. There’s nothing to talk about or analyze. It was over almost before it started. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to freshen up before the meeting with your mother.”
This time Michael took the hint and stood.
Cara looked pale and a bit shaky and he didn’t want to upset her more than he suspected she already was.
“Fine, I’ll let it go for now. But you’re here for a whole month, cara mia. You won’t be able to run from that night forever.”
“I’m not running. I’m simply stating the truth. I’d prefer keeping my visit to your country on a completely professional level, if you don’t mind.”
“Ah, cara mia, I do indeed mind.” He took her hand and before she could pull it away, he planted a light kiss on it. “I’ll see you tonight at dinner.”
He left her standing in the middle of the room looking a bit shell-shocked, and still far too pale for his peace of mind.
He knew there was more to the tests Dr. Stevens—Tommy—was running. He hurried to try and catch the good doctor before he left.
Michael wanted answers and he wanted them now.
Three
Cara had planned to avoid Michael, at least until she figured out what to do. But avoiding the determined prince wasn’t easy.
Three days after her leave-me-alone request, she had to admit a momentary defeat, but she didn’t accept it gracefully. She glared at him as he sat across from her in the limo, his assistant next to him.
Michael’s mother was by her side, talking excitedly about the double wedding, oblivious to any tensions in the car.
“…Morgan has been designing my clothes for years. I think you’ll like her plans for Shey’s gown and Parker’s. And of course, as bridesmaid, she’s got something very special in mind for you.”
“I can’t wait to see it.” Cara tried to sound enthusiastic for the queen’s sake, but wasn’t sure she quite pulled it off.
It was all Michael’s fault. He was staring at her with an intensity that made even a normal conversation difficult.
“Thanks so much for letting me tag along,” Michael said. “It made sense to carpool. And I won’t need the car long. When would you two ladies like to be picked up?”
“About two hours should allow us enough time to look over all Morgan’s sketches, and permit her to take Cara’s measurements.”
Cara knew it was ridiculous, but she found herself blushing anyway as Michael grinned and raised an eyebrow at the mention of her measurements.
His assistant, whether by chance or design, changed the subject from Cara’s fittings to guards.
“They’ve already cleared the building?” he asked the queen.
“Yes. There are two guards already there, and another two in the car behind us.”
“The king asked that I request you don’t try to elude them today.” Marstel glanced nervously in the queen’s direction, as if he were afraid of her response.
“I promise,” she told the dark-haired man. She turned to Cara and explained, “When I first arrived in Eliason, I found having bodyguards extremely difficult to deal with. On occasion, I would lose them. Even after all these years, my husband still feels the need to remind me to behave.”
“All these years?” Michael asked. “I believe just last month you lost your guards and—”
“Spent the afternoon at the children’s shelter. Bodyguards make the children nervous. They’re intimidating.”
“But they’re a way of life,” Michael maintained. “Just another part of our position.”
“Do you like being followed?” Cara asked Michael, even though she’d told herself she was going to totally ignore him.
“No, I can’t say I enjoy being watched so closely, but it’s just another facet of my life. And Marstel, in addition to being my assistant, also doubles as security, and he’s not overly intimidating.”
“Hey,” Marstel protested with a laugh.
“You intimidate me,” Cara assured him sweetly.
He grinned. “Thanks.”
She turned her attention back to Michael. “Parker hated this kind of thing.”
He nodded. “Yes, she did. And I’m truly glad she’s found a life, found someone who makes her happy.”
“What about you?” Cara asked. “Does this life make you happy?”
The question sort of slipped out, but she wasn’t sorry she’d asked. She wanted to know. Was this life—a life her child might someday become a part of—one that a person could find happiness in?
“There are facets that provide me with a sense of accomplishment and a great deal of gratification. There are others that are hard to bear, the restriction on my freedom is one of them.” He paused and seemed to weigh her question. “On the whole, yes, I’m happy. Could I be happier?” He looked directly at her. “Yes.”
Cara’s breath caught for a moment with the intensity of Michael’s gaze. When he finally blinked, she felt herself pulled back into focus and pressed. “But if you had a choice, would you choose this life?”
“Unlike Parker, I don’t have a choice. This is the life I was born into. I have a duty to my country, one I wouldn’t set aside even if I could.”
Êîíåö îçíàêîìèòåëüíîãî ôðàãìåíòà.
Òåêñò ïðåäîñòàâëåí ÎÎÎ «ËèòÐåñ».
Ïðî÷èòàéòå ýòó êíèãó öåëèêîì, êóïèâ ïîëíóþ ëåãàëüíóþ âåðñèþ (https://www.litres.ru/holly-jacobs/once-upon-a-king/) íà ËèòÐåñ.
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