by Leanne Banks
THE RELUCTANT ROYAL
Ever-practical Maxwell Carter was used to designing highways and streets for VIP motorcades—not waving from the head limo! So when he discovered he was actually a prince of Chantaine by birth, he wasn’t impressed—or interested in getting to know his royal family. But his assistant, Sophie Taylor, insisted he give the royals a chance—and Sophie was usually right!
As soon as she stepped into paradise and into the hands of Maxwell’s matchmaking half sisters, staid Sophie became sexy Sophie. It wasn’t long before a strictly business relationship became personal...as personal as another royal-baby-to-be! Would Maxwell’s sense of duty doom their new love from the start, or could this reluctant prince fling caution to the wind and give his heart to his Cinderella?
Thank goodness he’d never given into any errant urges to have sex with her, because he was certain that would have ruined the best relationship he’d ever had with a woman.
If Sophie weren’t his assistant, she might have been the perfect woman for him. Low-maintenance, undemanding, not at all clingy. Max, however, had Sophie’s number. Underneath that practical veneer, she was a romantic at heart. With his past disastrous relationships with women, he’d learned to steer clear of ones who wanted romance and home and hearth. Even though she’d followed him around the world, Max had an itchy, uncomfortable feeling that Sophie wanted a husband and a baby—to go along with that dog she was always talking about getting.
And the romantic in Sophie was now pushing him to go to the land of his newly revealed royal relatives.
“You’re never going to stop with this until I visit Chantaine,” he said. “Are you?”
She looked at him with unapologetic determination. “Never. Ever.”
“Okay, I’ll go,” he said, trying to avoid her slight smile.
Because she looked as if she knew something he didn’t. That wasn’t a good thing.
Dear Reader,
Welcome to Chantaine, a lovely Mediterranean island where the royal Devereaux rule and fall in love. When Max Carter learns his biological father was Prince Edward Devereaux, he’s not impressed. Adopted as a baby, Max has been raised to make his own way. These days, he’s known for the impressive bridges and roads he constructs all over the world, and he couldn’t care less about any biological ties he may have to a bunch of royals.
When his longtime assistant, Sophie Taylor, guilts him into meeting his new half siblings, he learns how much the Devereaux care for their country and their people. He finds himself drawn into using his expertise to help improve Chantaine.
More important, Max learns he may need to rethink his attitude about keeping his distance from people, especially when his assistant, Sophie, gains the attention of a palace advisor. Sophie was the best assistant Max had ever employed and he’d always been careful to keep their relationship friendly, but not romantic.
On the other hand, Sophie has hidden her mile-wide crush from Max from the first day she fell for him. As she’s grown to know him more throughout the past few years, she despairs that he’ll never return her feelings.
Feelings can change in lots of ways when Sophie and Max give in to their passion and Sophie gets pregnant. Max may be ready to make a commitment, but Sophie wants more than papers. She wants love!
I would love to hear from you if you get a chance to read How to Catch a Prince. You can email me at [email protected].
Happy reading,
Leanne
Leanne Banks
How to Catch a Prince
Books by Leanne Banks
Harlequin Special Edition
The Prince’s Texas Bride #2115
The Doctor Takes a Princess #2127
§A Maverick for Christmas #2151
††The Princess and the Outlaw #2198
††A Home for Nobody’s Princess #2216
§§A Maverick for the Holidays #2222
††How to Catch a Prince #2247
Silhouette Desire
*His Majesty, M.D. #1435
The Playboy & Plain Jane #1483
*Princess in His Bed #1515
Between Duty and Desire #1599
Shocking the Senator #1621
Billionaire’s Proposition #1699
†Bedded by the Billionaire #1863
†Billionaire’s Marriage Bargain #1886
Blackmailed Into a Fake Engagement #1916
†Billionaire Extraordinaire #1939
From Playboy to Papa! #1987
**The Playboy’s Proposition #1995
**Secrets of the Playboy’s Bride #2002
CEO’s Expectant Secretary #2018
Silhouette Special Edition
Royal Holiday Baby #2075
*The Royal Dumonts
†The Billionaires Club
**The Medici Men
§Montana Mavericks:
The Texans Are Coming!
††Royal Babies
§§Montana Mavericks:
Back in the Saddle!
Other titles by Leanne Banks available in ebook format.
LEANNE BANKS
is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author who is surprised every time she realizes how many books she has written. Leanne loves chocolate, the beach and new adventures. To name a few, Leanne has ridden on an elephant, stood on an ostrich egg (no, it didn’t break), and gone parasailing and indoor skydiving. Leanne loves writing romance because she believes in the power and magic of love. She lives in Virginia with her family and a four-and-a-half-pound Pomeranian named Bijou.Visit her website, www.leannebanks.com.
This book is dedicated to my husband, Tony Banks, for his unswerving belief in me and for all the take-out food he has brought me during deadlines.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
Excerpt
Chapter One
“You have to go,” Sophie Taylor insisted for the tenth time.
Glancing out the window of his temporary office trailer, Max Carter felt a sense of satisfaction at the sight of the finished bridge project. The new construction gleamed in the Australian sun as if it were shouting success.
“I’ve got too much to do,” he said, turning to face his assistant of four years. “Paperwork, then it’s on to the next project.”
Sophie scowled at him. “You could take a short break. It’s near the holidays. It wouldn’t kill you. I can’t believe you’re dismissing this without giving it a second thought. They’re your family.”
Max rolled his eyes. There were few people he’d allow to argue with him this much, but Sophie had proven her value to him time and time again. He couldn’t think of another woman he respected more. Even now as she frowned at him with softly accusing chocolate-brown eyes from behind her smudged glasses, he felt compelled to listen to her. He knew that beneath that curly mass of hair, she had a quick and fair mind.
“Why do you care so much about this? It’s not your family,” he said.
“I don’t want you to have any regrets.”
He sighed, remembering the day the two representatives of the Royal House of Devereaux had hunted him down on the job site. The words they’d said t
o him had been stuck in his brain like the annoying refrain of a song he couldn’t make go away.
Your biological father was Prince Edward of Chantaine.
“They’re not my family, Sophie. I can’t believe these royals are thrilled with the news that their father hatched a couple of extra children with a B-movie actress in America.” Although Max had always known he was adopted, he never would have dreamed his biological parents were a prince and actress!
“What about Coco Jordan?” Sophie asked, referring to the other child the prince and actress had produced. “She’s your sister. Don’t you at least want to meet her? And, who knows, maybe she wants to meet you. You might try thinking about the feelings of someone other than yourself. Didn’t you say both of your parents had passed away? She has no one now. No one except you.”
“She doesn’t have me,” he retorted, but he felt an itchy sensation of obligation. “I wouldn’t be able to pick her out of a crowd of two.”
Her frown deepened. “Maybe you should just give her a chance.”
Max sighed and glanced around the trailer that had become his temporary office and home. The LEGO rendering of the bridge sat next to his desk. A small Christmas tree blinked in the corner. Two stuffed puppies sat next to Sophie’s desk. Sophie had complained many times over that she wanted a dog, but there was no way she could drag a pet to all the places Max had taken her for projects, many of which were international. From the first time she’d assisted him on a job, he’d learned she was the best assistant he could possibly have despite her complaints. He grumbled and she helped fix things. She anticipated his needs. Thank goodness he’d never given into any errant urges to have sex with her because he was certain that would have ruined the best relationship he’d ever had with a woman.
If she weren’t his assistant, she might have been the perfect woman for him. Low-maintenance, undemanding and she wasn’t at all clingy. Max, however, had Sophie’s number. Underneath that practical veneer, Sophie was a romantic at heart. Even though she’d followed him around the world, he had an itchy, uncomfortable feeling that Sophie wanted a husband and baby to go along with that dog she so desired.
And with his past disastrous relationships with women, he’d learned to steer clear of women who wanted romance and home and hearth. “You’re never gonna stop with this until I visit Chantaine,” he said. “Are you?”
She looked at him from behind her glasses with unapologetic determination. “Never. Ever.”
“Okay. I’ll go,” he said. “For one day. Just one day and then you don’t get to look at me with that guilty face.”
Sophie gave a slight smile. “One day will be enough.”
Max felt a sinking feeling at her expression. She looked like she knew something he didn’t. That wasn’t a good thing.
Max left the following day for the island country of Chantaine to meet his new relatives while Sophie wrapped up the loose ends of the contract. Terri Caldwell, one of the other assistants on the project, walked into the trailer.
“How’s it going?”
“I’m halfway through a million pages of paperwork,” Sophie said without looking up from her laptop.
“That’s what you get for being so efficient and devoted,” Terri teased. “And head over heels for Max Carter.”
Sophie grimaced. Nearly a decade older than herself, Terri was a good woman from Arkansas, honest to a fault. Her husband was a truck driver back in the States, but they visited every chance they got. Terri had started taking the long-distance work to pay for her twin boys’ college tuition. She had become a good friend to Sophie especially during the last couple of months. Terri was intuitive enough to spot Sophie’s unrequited feelings for Max, and Sophie had grown to trust the woman’s discretion. It had been a relief to have the older woman’s sympathy. “Don’t rub it in. I’ll get over him someday. Maybe someday soon. I really want a King Charles spaniel and there’s no way I can do that if I allow him to keep dragging me all over the world.”
“What amazes me is that he doesn’t seem to notice your feelings for him when everyone else can see it as plain as day,” Terri said, leaning against Sophie’s desk.
Sophie felt a jagged twist inside her. “He doesn’t see me as a woman. He sees me as the ultimate assistant.”
“Well, you are the ultimate assistant,” Terri agreed with a nod. “But you’re also a woman. Ever thought about giving him a clue about that?”
Sophie stopped keying in the final construction details and glanced up at Terri. “I’m not exactly sure how. I’m not the type to wear low-cut shirts or short skirts. Or lots of makeup. But I’m still feminine.”
“Of course you are. I wonder if Max might belly up to the bar if he had a little competition.”
Sophie shook her head. “That’s not my way.”
“Sometimes men need a little push. You may have to think outside the box. Unless you’re okay with having unrequited love for the rest of your life.”
Sophie sighed, remembering the first time she’d met Max. She’d been bowled over. He was the Indiana Jones of road construction. She’d quickly learned how to anticipate his professional needs. He’d learned, not quite as quickly, how valuable she could be to him. Though her feelings for him had deepened over the years, only his professional respect had grown for her, and nothing more.
Sophie had hoped and wished, but nothing romantic had developed between them. She’d watched Max engage in several quickie affairs that had brought her enormous pain. Somehow, his relationship with her had turned out to be his most long-lasting one with a woman. Except, he didn’t really view her as a woman.
“Maybe with the holiday break, I can go back home and get my King Charles spaniel. Maybe then I’ll get over him,” Sophie said. “Not being around him could help me get over him.”
“It would help if he weren’t so good-looking,” Terri said.
“I can get over the good-looking part, but he can be charming,” Sophie said. “When he wants to be, he can be so damn charming.”
“He can also be a toad. He’s fine about making us all work long hours” Terri said.
“True, but he works longer than anyone else. And everyone is well-compensated. The real trouble for me is that he is charitable. He puts on this front about only caring about himself, but everywhere we go, he gets the crew involved in some kind of charity project.” She pointed at the pile of wrapped gifts next to the Christmas tree. “For children stuck in the hospital over the holidays. If only he were as selfish and uncaring as he says he is.”
“Have you gone out with another man since you’ve met Max?” Terri asked.
Self-consciousness burned through her. “Yes, I have,” she said. “Four times. All during my vacations.”
“Woo-hoo. Four times in four years.” Terri shook her head. “I dare you to meet six new men over your holiday.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“Online. You can arrange meet-ups in no time.”
“I think I’d rather poke out my eye with a pencil,” Sophie said under her breath.
“You gotta do something,” Terri said. “You either need to pull that pony in or let him ride.”
* * *
Max couldn’t see much of the island country of Chantaine while soaring in the sky since he was arriving after dark. He’d run a computer search and caught a few images. Beautiful country that seemed to combine Greece’s Mediterranean views, France’s sophistication and Italy’s charm. While he’d run the search, he’d also looked into his new so-called siblings. The eldest, Crown Prince Stefan, came across as a hard worker, more serious-minded than their biological father, Prince Edward. It appeared that their father had enjoyed yachting and living like a playboy, much more than ruling.
Max figured that his adopted parents’ failed marriage was one more reason for him to never get marr
ied. They had fought more than they hadn’t when his father had been around. When things got tough, which was quite frequent, his adoptive father would leave the house and desert Max’s adoptive mother. He’d always been grateful for the home and opportunities his parents had provided for him, but their discord had bothered him the first time he’d heard them screaming at each other and doors slamming at night.
Now, Max not only had been given a bad example of marriage, he had the genetic material of a philanderer from Prince Edward.
He’d briefly checked out the rest of the Devereaux clan. The eldest sister, Valentina, lived in Texas with her rancher husband and their daughter. The second sister, Fredericka, lived in France with her movie producer husband. Princess Bridget was married to a doctor from the States and Princess Pippa had just married an international businessman. The youngest brother, Jacques, attended Oxford and played soccer.
Once he’d told the palace he would be coming, Prince Stefan’s wife, Eve, had sent him a message asking him to keep his visit secret because she wanted his presence to be a surprise for Coco Jordan’s wedding. The idea that he would be a surprise for anyone’s wedding, let alone his full-blooded sister, made him squeamish, but he agreed to the plan.
The plane landed with a jolt, reminding him he was about to put himself in an insane situation. He thought of how Sophie had hounded him. After this brief visit, she wouldn’t be able to look at him with her guilt gaze. Lord knew, he hated that guilt gaze.
A man approached him at the luggage carousel. “Mr. Carter? Mr. Maxwell Carter?”
Max nodded slowly. “Yes, and you?”
“I’m Mr. Bernard, an assistant to His Highness, Prince Stefan. We’re happy that you’re visiting Chantaine. Welcome to our country. If it pleases you, I have a driver ready to take you to a villa just outside the palace grounds. We would normally invite you to stay on the palace grounds itself, but with Miss Jordan’s wedding taking place in a few days, Princesses Eve and Bridget have requested to keep your presence secret until the nuptials.”
