“Uh, sure.” By the stupefied tone of his voice, he was still stunned she had game.
“Cool.” She led the huddle. Led them to score by running in a touchdown on the third down. Fist bumping a prince was definitely one of her favorite things ever.
Theo wrapped his arms around two of his young teammates’ shoulders as they took to the defense. “I know you guys have got this, so where do you want me?”
“You’re good with kids,” she whispered to him as they lined up in the side-by-side formation the boys suggested.
“I like them.”
She knew that from the googling she’d done on him. Theo wasn’t only a prince, but a pilot who gave countless hours to flying kids and their families to his family’s private island and resort. The destination was a free vacation spot for children suffering from illness or tragedy.
“Twenty-seven, thirty-four, seventeen hike!”
Rowan pulled her gaze off Theo and placed it back on the game. No way would she be able to get by Hawk to tag the quarterback, so she took off in pursuit of one of the young receivers.
“Man down!” one of the boys shouted not two seconds later.
She whirled around to find Theo sitting in the snow. Oh no. Her breath caught in the back of her throat. Please don’t let him be hurt.
“It’s just a twisted ankle,” he was saying as she reached his side.
“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to trip you,” sweet Hunter Zabrinski said.
“Hey.” Theo put his hand on the boy’s shoulder as Hawk helped the prince to stand. “You didn’t do anything wrong. My footwork is to blame. I was so busy trying to copy your awesome moves that I fouled up. I do believe I’m done playing for today, though.”
Theo exchanged one-armed hugs with the boys. “Thank you” and “that was fun” were said numerous times. Rowan grabbed her things and hurried over to hook her arm around Theo so Hawk didn’t have to carry all his weight. By the way the prince limped, he’d more than twisted his ankle.
His beautiful blue eyes met hers when she ducked and put his arm over her shoulders. “How bad is it?” she asked.
“Not bad.”
“You always wince when it’s not bad?”
Hawk chuckled.
Theo scowled at him. “It’s a little overly sensitive because I broke it six months ago.”
“I guess grace doesn’t come with the royal package,” she teased.
“My royal package is better than anyone else’s. Trust me.”
Hawk barked out another laugh. Rowan’s mind went straight to the gutter. Show me. Whoa. Put on the brakes, Miss Hard Up. She was not allowed to think anything inappropriate with regards to the prince. From now on, if her thoughts ventured to Theo naked, or half-naked, or even flashing a smile, she’d think about scary clowns instead.
“You know what I mean,” Theo grumbled. His grouchy tone was cute. And indicated he was definitely in more pain than he wanted to let on.
“I don’t think she does,” Hawk offered, hilarity in his voice.
“Some things are better left to the imagination.” She did not just say that. She pressed her lips together. Maybe they didn’t hear her.
“Not this time,” Theo said, regaining his composure and sliding her a look that was impossibly sexy.
“Okay, enough, you two,” she said as they reached the steps of the B&B. “Let’s check out this injury, and then I’ll be on my way.”
“Thanks for helping get me here, but I’m fine.” He removed his arm from her shoulders and opened the over-sized wooden front door for her. Hawk kept a hold of him until they reached the couch in the sitting room.
The scent of gingerbread filled the air, and Rowan’s stomach grumbled. Eliza, manager of the inn with her husband, Marshall, baked the best gingerbread cookies.
“Be that as it may, I need to take a look.” She knelt beside him, carefully pushed his jeans up to his shin, and removed his sock and shoe. She didn’t know when it started, but she felt responsible for him. “It looks a little swollen.”
“I’ll grab some ice,” Hawk said.
Theo didn’t take his eyes off her as she cradled his foot in her hand. “How did you break it?” she asked.
“Water skiing.”
“I’ve broken my hand and two fingers.”
“At the same time?”
She shook her head. “Different times, different hands. Both when I was young. In fact, your grandmother was the nurse who took care of me in the ER. I remember our first meeting vividly. She was much more sympathetic than my parents were.”
“Really? Why?”
“Because I broke my hand punching Billy Pruett in the face.” She grabbed the blanket from the arm of the couch and put it on the coffee table. With a gentle touch, she put Theo’s leg atop it.
“Thanks,” he said, relaxing against the couch cushions. He pulled off his beanie and ran his fingers through his hair.
Was his hair as soft as it looked? Scary clown. Scary clown.
“What did Billy do to deserve a punch in the face from a young Rowan Palotay?”
“He was bullying my best friend Cassidy, calling her names and telling his friends things that weren’t true. He wouldn’t listen when I asked him stop.”
“Seems to me a good reason to hit someone.”
“Yes, well, my mom and dad were of the use your words philosophy. They were proud of me for standing up for my friend, but wished I used different means. Billy and I were both suspended from school for the rest of the week.”
“Did he bother your friend again after that?”
Rowan smiled. “No.”
“You’re a good person to have on their team.” The compliment, combined with his warm gaze, was her cue to get her butt out of there pronto.
She stood at the same time Hawk entered the room with an ice pack. “I’ll check in with you later.”
“About that.” Theo put the ice on his ankle. “I’ve been interviewed plenty of times and wondered what your angle was. My main reason for being here is to get to know my grandparents and this town.”
“I know,” she said. “So how about I play tour guide slash reporter slash”—she hesitated—“friend. I’ve lived here my whole life and have known your grandparents almost that long.”
“Okay,” he said simply.
“But everything we say to each other is on record. Nothing is off limits. If we can agree to that now, we don’t have to worry about any miscommunication later.”
“Agreed.”
“Great.” Getting that out of the way lifted a weight she hadn’t realized sat on her shoulders. “Take care of your ankle and I’ll start thinking about things for us to do. I’ll touch base with your grandparents, too. I don’t want to interfere with anything they might have planned for you.”
“Thank you. I’m sure they’ll appreciate that.” He was looking at her weirdly, so she said a quick goodbye to him and Hawk and hurried out the door.
She welcomed the crisp, clean air into her lungs with a deep breath. Theo made her nervous, no doubt. But what prince wouldn’t make a country girl a little restless? Those eyes, that mouth, the broad chest, were a royal combination unlike any other. He only held power over her if she let him, though. He brushed his teeth just like every other person. Put on his shoes one foot at a time.
Prince Theo was just extraordinarily normal.
And she could handle him and her story.
Probably.
*
The first word to come to Theo’s mind when he saw the picture in front of him was “unbelievable.” The next word was “feisty,” followed by “beautiful.” He didn’t say any of them out loud. He put the car in park in front of his grandparents’ house, hopped out, and jogged over to help.
“Hey there, Super Girl,” he said to Rowan. “I’ll get this side.”
She stopped pulling the fresh-cut Christmas tree that was taller than her up the steps and released a deep breath. “Hey.”
“So
I should add tree delivery to your list of attributes?”
“I didn’t realize how big it was when Carson helped me with it.”
“Carson?” he asked, wondering for the first time if Rowan had a boyfriend. But if this Carson person were with her, surely he’d be here to help.
“He runs the tree farm on the outskirts of town. Your grandparents were going to head there in the next few days, but I thought to surprise them instead. This year is…” She dropped her head and sat down on the top step.
Theo walked around the tree and got comfortable beside her. He had a feeling she was going to say “harder” given they’d lost their only child. It didn’t matter the years and distance that had separated them. He knew the second he’d met his grandparents that they’d never stopped loving their daughter. He also knew his mom wanted her family happy by the life she’d gotten to lead, not saddened.
He bumped his knee against hers. “Did you know I have a Marietta fan club? As my go-to person here, I think that’s something you should have given me a heads-up on.”
She lifted her chin. Her intriguing, and grateful-he-changed-the-subject, blue eyes sparkled. “I did hear about that. How does it feel to be adored by kindergartners?”
“It’s not the first time young ladies have declared their love for me,” he teased.
Rowan pressed her lips together, but the corners of her mouth lifted. Against her will, he imagined. “Yeah, I bet. And now that pretty much everyone knows you’re here, it’s only going to get worse.”
“Is that why you’ve kept your distance the past two days? Strategizing on how to get your story and stay out of the limelight?”
“Actually, I wanted to give you time to rest your ankle. How is it feeling?”
He straightened his leg and made a circle motion with his foot. “Great. It’s like I never tripped and embarrassed myself in front of a beautiful girl.”
Her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink. He didn’t think she had a blush in her, given the tough, spirited vibe she gave off, but it pleased him that he was wrong.
“In that case, let’s get this tree inside.” She jumped to her feet. Wiped her hands down the sides of her jeans.
They proved to be a good team, hoisting the tree into the house and standing it by the window in the front room. That is, until they both let go at the same time. The fragrant pine started to topple before he pulled and Rowan pushed it back to an upright position.
“Okay, who’s holding on and who’s letting go?” Rowan asked through a chuckle.
“I’ll keep it standing,” he said.
“You sure?” she teased.
“Grab that metal base thing. Don’t worry; I’ll get the tree in it.” The tree wobbled as Rowan let go, his grip not as secure as he’d thought. In his defense, the tree had a good two feet on him.
“Theo?” She grabbed the tree again. Then, in some crazy tug of war between the two of them, the tree teeter-tottered. “Maybe I should hold on to it,” she said.
“No, I’ve got it,” he countered.
“I don’t think so,” she argued.
“Really, I do,” he confirmed. Pine needles were dropping like snowflakes during a blizzard with all the back-and-forth movement. And the tree’s girth was proving to be quite problematic, but he had it. If she’d just let go already.
Rowan cracked up—a loud and joyful life-is-good laugh that fit her dynamic, upbeat personality to a T. The sound echoed off the walls. Rang in his ears like an unforgettable song. He made it his secret mission to hear it more often.
“Okay, okay,” she said, her laughter falling away. “I’m backing away from the tree.”
“Excellent.”
“So, I’m guessing you’ve never put up a tree before. Probably had staff that did it for you?”
Theo heard Rowan shuffling about, but he couldn’t see her around the bulk of the tree. “What gave me away?”
“Your very clever use of the term ‘metal base thing.’”
“Clever is part of my charm.”
“Have you ever decorated a tree?” she asked, ignoring his comment. The sound of her voice came from the vicinity of the floor this time.
“That I have done, yes. My mom made it a tradition. We had a private tree in the family quarters. Every year, she would put on holiday music and we’d decorate it.”
“That’s nice. I’ve got the base ready,” she said near his feet. “If you can lift the tree for a few seconds, I’ll slide it under the trunk.”
“Let’s do it on three. One…two…three…” He did his part, heard the scraping of metal on the hardwood floor as he tried to keep the tree balanced, and blindly fit it into the base.
“Shoot. We need to try again. It’s going to be a tight fit.”
“No worries. I’m an expert at getting into tight spots,” he said, his voice a little husky.
Rowan cleared her throat. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”
“You did.” That she called him out on his flirting made her even more appealing. This attraction to her was damn inconvenient. He couldn’t act on his feelings. Not when he promised his father he’d marry Elisabeth. In a month’s time, his engagement would be worldwide news.
“All right, Your Highness, let’s do this.” It didn’t go unnoticed that she called him “Your Highness” whenever she needed to put some distance between them.
Which meant she wasn’t as unaffected by his nearness as she wanted him to believe.
He wished that didn’t please him so much.
Chapter Four
Theo stared at the Christmas tree ornament in his hand, at a loss for words. People had shown him kindness his whole life. He chose to believe it was him and not his royal bloodline that warranted attention. But the reality was, he could never be sure.
He felt sure now.
As he stared at the white dog with a football in his mouth and “Theo” written across the dog’s chest, he realized this gift was the realest thing he’d received from anyone outside his immediate family. He lifted his eyes to Rowan.
She sat across from him in his grandparents’ house, the fireplace glowing behind her, the Christmas tree to her right. She wore jeans, a form-fitting, emerald-green sweater, and a wide smile. “It’s kind of perfect, right?”
“It is. Thank you.”
“The first honor is yours,” his grandmother said, indicating he should stand up already and put the ornament on the tree.
When he’d helped Rowan with the tree yesterday, he hadn’t imagined sitting here tonight carrying on a tradition his mother had stamped on his heart. Holiday music played on an old-fashioned turntable. Boxes of ornaments were open and waiting to be hung.
He had no idea if it was the right thing to do, but he went with the strong compulsion to thank Rowan again. On his way to the tree, he bent and kissed her cheek. “Thank you,” he whispered.
To say the brief, innocent contact made him crave more would be an understatement. Her soft skin, her feminine scent, the hitch in her breath, all conspired to make him glutton for punishment.
He’d only known her a week, spent a handful of hours with her, yet he liked her more than he’d liked anyone else in a very long time.
He aimed for the center of the tree and hung the ornament by the red ribbon attached to it.
“David, you go next,” his grandmother said to his grandfather as Theo turned around.
For the next thirty minutes, they shared stories, laughed, and Theo drank his first Irish coffee. The easy way the four of them got along made him very happy he’d decided to visit during the holiday.
“Um, no,” Rowan said out of the blue, removing the purple-and-gold ornament ball he’d just placed. “You can’t put that there.”
“Why not?”
“Because there’s another one like it right there.” She nodded toward a similar ball.
“There are three different types of ornaments in between.” He’d done this enough times to know ornament etiquette.<
br />
“Still too close.” She reached up with the ornament in her hand, stretching her arm as high as she could. His gaze fell to her waist, where a patch of smooth, creamy skin was now visible. Too quickly, she lowered her arm. “There. Much better.”
“You’re messing with me.” In more ways than one.
“What? No, I’m not,” she said defiantly, but he heard the goad in her voice. She picked up the last two ornaments, handed him one.
He watched her hang the gold-and-white star.
Then he hung his gold-and-white star right next to hers, close enough that their points touched.
She eyed him. He eyed her back, hoping she got the message. They’d draped well over a hundred ornaments. Ornaments his grandparents had accumulated over fifty years of marriage. This was his way of leaving evidence of his friendship with Rowan. If he’d had glue on him, he would have bonded them together for future Christmas’s when they were far apart.
“You’re too much, you know that?”
He frowned. “Too much what?”
“Just too much.” She stepped around him to help clean up the empty ornament boxes.
“Anyone for another Irish coffee?” his grandfather asked.
“Yes, please,” Rowan answered. “And could you make mine a double?”
“I’ll help,” Theo said, following his grandfather into the kitchen. He wasn’t sure what had just happened with Rowan, but he had the feeling she’d appreciate his absence for a few minutes.
“Your mother loved drinking coffee when she was a teenager,” his grandfather said, sharing more private thoughts. Theo was grateful his grandparents seemed to very much enjoy reminiscing about their daughter.
“She loved it as an adult, too.” Theo watched his grandfather mix heavy cream, sugar, and coffee liqueur into the topping for the coffee. “But she never let my brother or me have even a sip when we were growing up. She said it would stunt our growth.”
His grandfather laughed. “Your grandmother used to tell your mom it would keep her hair from growing. I told her while I loved her mother very much, I respectfully disagreed, and so it became our little secret that we drank coffee together.”
Once Upon a Royal Christmas Page 4
