by Leanne Banks
He gave in to his curiosity. “What’s that one?”
“A mother wants money for her sick child,” she said, her voice miserable.
“It could be valid, but it may not be,” he said.
She looked at him in shock. “You mean, you think someone would lie about that?”
He nodded. “Oh, yeah. Especially in this situation.”
“That’s—that’s—horrible,” she said. “I mean, what if I were a real princess and I got these kinds of requests?
“They would be screened by your staff,” he said.
“I don’t have staff,” she said. “I am staff.” She opened another envelope attached to a bouquet of roses. “Oh, goody, another invitation. This one from David Gordan in Dallas inviting me to a Christmas ball?” She lifted her hands helplessly.
He frowned. The name rang a bell. “Let me see that,” he said and she handed him the typed note. “David Gordan. That’s my stockbroker’s son.” He shook his head. “This is out of control.” He sighed. “Well, damn. I guess I’m gonna have to be your fiancé.”
Coco dropped her jaw. “What?”
“It won’t be real,” he said quickly, as much for himself as for her. After the debacle of his relationship with Brooke, the idea of an engagement nearly gave him hives. “It’s just for the sake of appearances until the insanity dies down. This way it won’t look like you’re all alone and ready to have someone take advantage of you. If someone approaches you, they’ll have to deal with me, too.”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “I’m stronger than I seem,” she said.
“I know you’re strong. After what you went through for your mom and helping Emma to settle down, I know you’re strong. But it’s gotta be damn tiring to feel like you’ve always got to be on guard.”
Coco sighed and her shoulders slumped. “You’re right about that.” She met his gaze with a wince. “Are you sure you don’t mind doing this?”
“It’s just for a little while,” he said. “You mentioned that a fiancé would fix things a few minutes ago. I had to run it through my brain. It seems like the right thing to do.”
She gave a slow nod and bit her lip. “Hmm. But it would cut into your dating time,” she ventured.
He laughed. “That’s not a big focus at the moment,” he said.
“It would be a huge relief for me,” she admitted. “If you’re sure you don’t mind. And we’ll break it off the second you feel inconvenienced,” she said with a firm nod.
“All right,” he said. “I’ll give Sarah the news in the morning. Should be all over the country by lunchtime.”
Her lips twitched. “She seems pretty discreet to me.”
“Trust me, if I tell her that she can share the information, she’ll take off like a runaway horse. And she will love having this kind of scoop.”
“Are you going to tell her the truth?”
He shook his head. “No one except you and I can know the truth. That’s the only way it will work.”
Coco took a deep breath and squished her eyes together as if she was preparing to take a jump into deep water. “Okay,” she said and opened her eyes. “Let’s do it.”
* * *
Two days later, Benjamin, Emma and Coco boarded a flight with a connection in England that would land in Chantaine. Coco was so anxious that she feared she would explode during the flight. Plus she was hyperaware of Benjamin now that they were supposedly engaged. She noticed that he treated her a little differently in front of people. Even in front of Sarah, he’d touched her arm and put his hand at her waist a couple of times. It had caught her off guard, but she realized they needed to appear as if they were romantically involved. She hadn’t considered that when he’d offered to be her fiancé.
Coco had thought Benjamin was attractive before the engagement thing, but she’d pushed it aside and focused on Emma’s adjustment. She would have to be blind to be totally immune to his tall, wide-shouldered frame and rugged masculine features. Now she was going to have to work twice as hard not to give in to her attraction to him. The fact that she’d been sitting mere inches away from him for hours wasn’t helping her, either.
“Go to sleep,” he said, cracking open one of his eyes.
“But Emma,” she said, even though the baby was so deep in sleep she was drooling on Coco’s sweater.
“She’ll let us know if she wants something. Here,” he said, extending his arms. “I’ll take her.”
Emma was out, so she probably wouldn’t wake up even with the transition.
“Come on,” he said. “You’re wound way too tight. You need to close your eyes for a few moments.”
Coco gingerly handed the baby to Benjamin, and saw that Emma barely stirred. She nestled against her daddy’s chest and gave a soft baby sigh. The sight made Coco smile. “Maybe something good will come of this trip after all,” she said.
“Go to—”
“Okay, okay,” Coco said. “I’ll rest my eyes, but I won’t fall asleep.”
One moment she was thinking about Benjamin. Then next she was thinking about meeting her half brothers and half sisters. The next moment, she heard a baby babbling. Blinking her eyes, she glanced over at Benjamin. Emma, who was sitting on his lap, was having a baby conversation with him.
Shaking off her sleep, Coco stretched and smoothed over her hair. “How long was I asleep?”
He glanced at his wristwatch. “About two hours,” he said.
“You’re joking,” she said.
“Nope,” he said. “Emma woke up and started screaming bloody murder, so I had to walk her up and down the aisle.”
Chagrined, she bit her lip. “And I slept through her screaming?”
“No,” he said and his mouth stretched into a sly grin. “I was joking about that part, but I did walk her up and down the aisle a few times. She’s gonna be a talker, isn’t she?”
“I think so,” Coco said, smiling at Emma and him. “I’ll change her diaper. I’m sure she’s due.”
An hour later, they landed in Heathrow and grabbed a bite to eat. Soon enough, it was time to board the flight for Chantaine. Coco’s nerves returned. She watched out the window as they drew close to the Chantaine airport. The island country was beautiful. The white sandy beach around the island was broken by jutting outcrops of rocks. The vivid blue of ocean contrasted sharply with the shore. She couldn’t believe that she was connected to the island in any way. As the jet managed a three-point landing, she felt herself swell with anticipation. Soon, very soon, she would meet her half brothers and half sisters.
Benjamin carried Emma as they departed the plane, and after they collected their luggage, they left the airport to find a limo waiting for them. Coco met Benjamin’s gaze. “Is this a big mistake?”
He chuckled. “We’ll find out.”
She smiled. “Thanks a lot.”
“You wanted to come here,” he pointed out.
“I know. I know,” she said.
“Just think of it as a nice vacation,” he said and leaned his head back against the seat.
“I’ll try,” she said and took a deep breath.
“Do you think they’ll like me?” she asked him.
“If they don’t, they’re nuts,” he said.
“Why?” she asked then shook her head. “Don’t answer that. I’m just being weird and insecure.”
“You’re a damn good woman—princess or not,” Benjamin said. “I’m not flattering you. Just telling the truth.”
“Thank you,” she said, but she was still nervous. “This is a little crazy.”
“Roll with it,” he told her. “When have you ever visited a Mediterranean island where the ruler was determined to meet and greet you?”
She took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll work on it. Our Emma sure was a go
od traveler, wasn’t she?” she said in a low voice.
“Yeah, we’ll see what happens tonight,” he said. “The time change could be hell for all of us.”
Coco was surprised when the limo drove past the palace gates. “I thought they would put us in a hotel outside the palace complex,” she said to Benjamin.
“You underestimated yourself,” he said.
She struggled with doubt. “We’ll see.”
Moments later, the chauffeur unloaded the luggage and carted it to a small villa with three bedrooms. Emma began to wake up as they stepped inside. Coco jiggled her as she walked into the villa.
The chauffeur guided her and Benjamin through the small building. “A cook is available to you. A nanny is available to you,” he said. “Whatever you need, just dial this code,” he said and wrote down a series of numbers. “Is there anything you need right now?” he asked.
Coco glanced at Benjamin.
“A few sandwiches would be nice,” he said. “We need a little rest. Don’t expect any of us to make an appearance before tomorrow.”
The chauffeur nodded. “As you wish, sir.”
The man left and Coco and Benjamin looked at the den of the villa. “This is nice,” she said.
“Not bad. And we have a cook and a nanny at our disposal,” Benjamin added.
“Yeah. Good luck with that nanny thing with Emma,” she said and jiggled Emma again.
“You never know,” he said. “She let me hold her for hours today.”
“True,” Coco said. “Sometimes babies grow and change when they visit different environments and have new experiences. So we’ll see. Let’s start with a blanket on the floor so she can stretch out and wiggle.”
“Works for me,” he said and pulled a blanket out of his backpack. He put it on the floor and she placed Emma on it. The baby immediately began to lift her head and feet. And wiggle. Emma made groaning sounds as if she were doing an aerobic workout.
“Go, girl,” Benjamin said.
Coco laughed at his low-voiced cheer. “I just hope she’ll expend enough energy to sleep in an hour or so.”
“If she doesn’t, we’ll take turns,” he said.
Coco wandered through the villa again, noticing the fine linens on the beds and in the bathrooms. “I’m surprised at how nice it is.”
“What did you think? They would put you in the dungeon?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “Well, maybe. After all, I’m the illegitimate spawn.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “I know this is strange for you, but you may as well roll with it. In the scheme of things, how many people get a call telling them their father was a ruling prince?”
“True,” she said. “I’ll work on it. Which bedroom do you want?”
“Any room where my dear daughter is not sleeping,” he said.
She laughed. “The good news is she can have her own bedroom and I brought monitors so we know if she’s crying.”
“Works for me. I could use a beer. You could use some wine. Let me see if I can find something for both of us,” he said and opened the refrigerator. “We’re in luck. German beer,” he said with a snicker. “White wine?” he asked her.
“I’m good with water. The flight was exhausting,” she said. “I need to be ready when Emma wakes up after we put her to bed.”
“You could call the nanny they offered,” Benjamin said.
“Not tonight. Maybe another time,” Coco said.
Moments later, sandwiches were delivered and Coco devoured hers. She diapered Emma, put her in the crib and fell asleep in the bedroom next to the nursery. With her clothes on.
Dead to the world, Coco awakened to the sound of a baby screaming. Blindly, she scrambled out of bed and rushed out of her bedroom toward the screaming. She bumped into a large, strong frame.
“Benjamin?” she murmured.
“Yeah,” he muttered in return.
She stumbled into the nursery and pulled Emma up into her arms. “You’re okay,” Coco cooed.
Emma screamed in protest and Coco cuddled the baby closer. “You’re okay,” Coco said.
In short order, Emma calmed down. “Bet you need a diaper change,” Coco said. “I can do that in no time.” Finding a flat surface, Coco set the baby down. Emma fussed, but Coco quickly changed her wet diaper and picked her up.
“Good girl,” Coco said.
“That was fast,” Benjamin said.
“It’s all instinct when you do it every day,” she said. “She’s awake now. It may take a while for her to go back to sleep.”
“I can stay up,” he offered.
She shook her head. “I want you awake when I’m not,” she said. “I’ll take this shift.”
“You’re sure?” he asked.
“More than,” she said. “Besides, you’re due the rest since you walked her up and down the aisle while she was screaming on the plane,” she said, lightly mocking him.
He chuckled. “Yeah. Well, let me know if you need me,” he said and gently touched the tip of her nose. “Tomorrow’s going to be a busy day for you.”
Her stomach danced with nerves. “We’ll see.”
* * *
The next morning, a staff member from the kitchen delivered a basket of bread, butter and jellies along with coffee and hot tea. “This is breakfast?” Benjamin said, biting into a roll. “At least there’s coffee,” he said and poured a cup.
“Maybe this is all they eat for breakfast,” she said as she gave Emma her bottle. “Or they’re hoping they can starve us into leaving early.”
He tossed her a sly look, and it occurred to her that the man was too good-looking for her own good anytime day or night. “No need for paranoia yet. You haven’t even met them,” he said. “You look tired. Did Emma go back to sleep?” he asked.
“After about an hour, but then I was wound up and couldn’t. I think my internal clock is messed up.”
He nodded. “Plus you’re meeting your royal relations today.”
“True,” she said and the phone rang.
“I’ll get it,” he said and picked it up. “Benjamin Garner,” he said. “Yes, Miss Jordan is here.” He nodded. “Afternoon tea,” he said, waggling his eyebrows in Coco’s direction. “And this morning, a royal representative would like to take Miss Jordan for a tour of the palace grounds.”
“What time?” she asked because she hadn’t showered yet and knew she looked like something the cat dragged in.
“What time?” he repeated and waited for the answer. “In an hour?”
She nodded. “Yes,” she said and put Emma on her shoulder to burp her.
Chapter Six
Promptly one hour later, a knock sounded on the front door of the villa. With Emma in one arm, Benjamin opened the door to a slim, middle-aged, balding man wearing a suit.
“Hello,” the man said, his gaze sweeping the small foyer. “I’m Peter Bernard for Miss Coco Jordan. I presume you are Mr. Garner,” Peter said. “You and the baby are more than welcome to join us.”
“I’d like for her not to be distracted by the baby during the tour,” Benjamin said, towering over the man as he extended his hand. “Miss Jordan is very important to me. I trust you’ll take good care of her.”
Coco grabbed her jacket and walked toward the door. Benjamin caught her arm before she could leave and she met his gaze. “Have fun, sweetheart. Emma and I will be waiting for you,” he said and lowered his head to kiss her.
Coco stared at him for a long moment, stunned that he’d kissed her, then she reminded herself that this was part of their ruse. She finally managed to take a breath and nodded. “Thanks. I hope she’ll take a little nap. I’ll see you later, um, honey.” She nearly choked on the word. This was going to be more difficult than she�
��d anticipated.
“Miss Jordan,” the man at the door prompted.
“Yes,” she said, relieved to have her attention diverted from Benjamin. “Mr. Bernard.”
He nodded and escorted her to a car parked in front of the villa. “We shall tour the grounds first and I’ll provide you with a history of the Devereau family,” he said as the driver opened the door for her and Mr. Bernard.
“Although our gardens and vegetation are always lovely here in Chantaine, unfortunately, due to the time of the year, most of our flowers are not in full bloom. As you can see, however, we have several green courtyards that provide the royal family with opportunities for moments to ponder and escape the pressures of their responsibilities.”
Coco drank in the sight of the lush, green palace grounds. She could only imagine how stunning they would be with colorful flowers and foliage. As Mr. Bernard continued to give her a running commentary on the various buildings, including guest cottages, staff quarters and stables, she wondered what it would be like to grow up in a place like this. She thought of her own childhood home in a rural town in Texas and smiled.
“Do you have fishing ponds?” she asked.
Mr. Bernard blinked at her. “Fishing ponds?”
“Yes. Large ponds where you can swim and fish,” she said.
Mr. Bernard gave a slight smile. “We have a pool and ocean for swimming. Likewise, the royal yacht can be used for fishing expeditions. There are a few stocked ponds on the property that feature mostly garibaldi fish and carp. Do you have more questions?”
She shook her head. “Not right now.”
“Very well, we shall now proceed to the palace,” he said.
Mr. Bernard began to share the history of the Deveraux family and Chantaine. The family, of course, went back centuries and representatives of the crown had conducted a series of negotiations with both France and Italy in order for the royal family to remain in power and for Chantaine to maintain its independence.
“Some men are born to rule and some are determined to make a difference. Chantaine is proud that with this new generation, the royal family actively seeks to improve the quality of life for all of Chantaine’s people. Within the last several years, His Royal Highness, Stefan, has invited a limited number of cruise ships to our port. He and the rest of the royal family have instituted art, music and film events with percentages donated to Chantaine’s charities. And, of course, Her Highness Bridget married a highly credentialed American doctor, who now serves as our chief medical officer. Prince Stefan is always looking for ways to improve Chantaine.”
