by Gemma Hart
“Xander, back again!”
“Xander, the usual, right?”
“Look at that tan there, Xan! Haven’t been sneaking off to the Bahamas again, have you?”
“Who’s the pretty girl?”
As soon as we sat down in a booth, a waitress stepped up to take our order. She looked over Sofia curiously. “Hi,” she said to Sofia. “I’m Angelica. I’ll be your waitress.”
Angelica, who I had known since she was ten, ignored me completely as she stared at the newcomer.
I cleared my throat. Angelica gave me a passing glance and said, “Oh, hey, Xan.”
I raised a brow, a little annoyed at her lack of attentiveness. I saw Sofia’s lips twitch in amusement at the casual dismissal I was receiving compared to the deferential and curious stares she was receiving.
Well, we can’t have that, now can we?
“Angelica, have you met my girlfriend, Sofia?” I asked, raising a brow at Sofia. Let’s share that attention.
Angelica’s eyes widened in surprise. The sixteen year old stared at Sofia. “Wow, Xander finally brought home a girl!” she said in a voice that sounds like the event was something of a miracle, irking me.
Sofia’s lips twitched again and she raised her own brow at me. If the Big Baby needs the attention, sure, why not?
“How did y’all meet?” Angelica asked, totally forgetting her job in taking our orders.
Before I could ask her if she cared that a starving man was sitting in her booth, Sofia piped up, surprising me.
“Oh well that’s an interesting story,” she started, her eyes sparkling with mischief while mine narrowed in a warning. “You see, I’m from California. And one day, I was out hiking in Runyon Canyons in L.A. when I heard a cry from below one of the passes.”
Angelica’s eyes were enraptured as she listened to the beginnings of our fake romantic meet cute. “A cry?” she asked.
I reached out with my foot from beneath the table and placed it gently over hers. A warning.
Sofia betrayed no worries as she nodded. “Yes, kind of like the cry baby birds make for their mamas.” And unbelievably, Sofia cupped her mouth and made a pathetic little whimper. “Like, ahhh! Ahhh!”
Clearly, this brat planned to take full revenge of me manhandling her through L.A. and into Wyoming.
Angelica nodded, eagerly. “And was it a baby bird?”
Sofia shook her head gravely. “No, in fact, it wasn’t a baby bird. It was a full grown man. And it looked like he was caught in some of the brush.” Sofia gave a meaningful nod towards me, ignoring my warning glare.
Angelica turned to me in shock. “Xander was caught in some brush?!” she cried out hysterically. She looked over at all six and a half feet of me and nearly howled with laughter.
I pressed down on Sofia’s foot, giving her a warning.
“Oh not just stuck,” Sofia continued smoothly as she tried to pry her foot out from under mine but she was going nowhere. I was making sure of that. “Apparently he had tumbled down the hill and his shorts had gotten caught up in the brush.”
I intensified my glare, warning her. You better not.
Sofia’s eyes twinkled merrily. Or what?
Angelica was nearly crying with laughter. “No way!” she cried.
“And in the tumble, one of the large branches had torn his shorts! Right down the middle of his butt!” Sofia finished triumphantly, her eyes blazing with repressed laughter. I firmly pressed my foot down on Sofia’s. She kicked me with her other foot and got me good on the shin, making me grunt.
“So there he was, up in the hills of L.A., his bare bottom flying in the wind for all of the city to see!” Sofia continued, having too much fun to stop.
Angelica wiped her eyes. “Oh man, Xan! How could you be so clumsy!”
Sofia grinned at me. “Exactly my thoughts.”
I wanted to keep my stony expression and anger but I was momentarily stunned by Sofia’s grin. It was the first time she had smiled at me without reserve. Without hesitation. And I was blown away by its brilliance.
“How about taking some orders so people can eat?” I said gruffly to Angelica, to cover my momentary surprise.
Angelica ignored me and pressed, “Then what? What happened then?”
I rolled my eyes at this teen’s persistence.
Sofia smiled again, a softer smile this time. Her eyes were bright with successful mischief and she couldn’t have looked more beautiful.
“So I went down, wrapped my jacket around his waist and told him my name was Sofia and that it was nice to meet him,” she finished.
Angelica clapped her hands as if she had just finished watching a play. And I had to admit, Sofia did have a nice speaking voice. She knew just where to emphasize her words and just the right tone to hit to tell the story. I supposed being a public figure, that was a necessary skill to have. But I figured that somebody who had had as little political experience as Sofia had had, wouldn’t have such skills.
The girl was a constant ball of surprises.
Just like when I had thought her life had all been champagne and roses, she reveals the incredible abuse she had suffered as a child. Just when I thought she was too prissy to endure thrift store shopping, she befriends the shopkeeper and bonds over make up. And just when I thought her too haughty to joke and tease anyone who wasn’t royalty, she comes out with some ridiculous and insane story that is told with such panache, you’d think she was a trained actress.
As Angelica finally took our orders, I had to remind myself that no matter how casual the setting, I was still on a mission. I was working. Sofia, despite her thrift store jeans and flannel shirt, was still a runaway princess.
I had to remember that.
But seeing her raise those sparkling blue eyes at me, humor still lighting them up like stars, I wasn’t so sure I’d be able to.
Chapter Seven
Sofia
I stretched in bed, still reveling in the novelty of the soft cotton sheets that surrounded me. I looked across and saw the pillowcase worn and pilled. I looked up and saw the sturdily built walls of the guest bedroom. Actually the whole house was sturdily built.
It had been odd when Xander had told me he had helped design and build this house. I knew Dukes and Earls who liked to say they had just “built” a new summerhouse. But what they meant was they had hired a bunch of people to do all the work for them, and what they did at most was decorate.
But Xander had built his house with his own two hands and I could tell he took pride in it. The way he cared about his land and home and the way he took pains to keep it fixed up spoke volumes.
I imagined it must be hard to take care of a place like this if he was always away.
Easy Team.
I still wasn’t exactly sure what the organization was. It sounded to me like a group of mercenaries, from the conversations in Commander Wolffe’s office. But mercenaries always brought such negative images to mind. Xander didn’t seem like someone who would ruthlessly kill anyone because he got paid to. He seemed to have morals and high ethical standard he kept himself to.
But that had to be hard.
The better your morals were, the more difficult it must be to go out on missions. After all, no mercenary can be called mercenary if he never spilled blood.
Shaking the dark thoughts away, I jumped out of bed and looked in the closet at my new wardrobe. Well, new in the sense that I’d never owned these clothes before even though clearly other people had.
But even though I had been initially hesitant about thrift store clothing, I had noticed that all the clothes were in good repair and had been washed well. And plus, I thought as my cheeks warmed, the clothes were worth their weight in gold if it could make a man speechless like it did Xander yesterday.
I still remembered that look as Jeannie revealed me to him. Being so tall, he stood like a rugged mountain in the middle of the store. Tall, solid, strong, nothing could move a man like that.
And then
he took one look at me and I saw that slow burning look of not just approval but…desire. I had seen it enough in my days to recognize that look. But more surprising than his reaction was mine.
Before Jeannie had opened the door, I had actually felt shy about having him see me. I found myself wanting to make sure I really did look good for him. I had smoothed down the shirt and had finger combed my hair, making sure I looked presentable. I had hoped he’d give me some kind of nod of approval upon seeing me.
That dark, melting look he gave me was a complete but welcomed surprise.
Keeping that memory in mind, I picked out a pair of dark jeans and a loose gray sweater. I loosely braided my hair to the side before heading out the door. I was heading down the stairs towards the kitchen when I froze midway down.
A chill ran through me and I stared at the beast at the bottom of the stairs.
Staring straight up at me was a wolf. At least, I was pretty sure it was a wolf. I’d never seen one in real life. It was massive and its thick bristly gray fur made it look even bigger. I was pretty sure that he and I would be the same height if knelt. And he stared up at me with those unnerving yellow eyes that didn’t blink.
Cold sweat started to trickle down my back. I debated whether I should run back up the stairs and lock myself in my room or scream for help. How had a wolf gotten into the house?
Just as I was about to scream, regardless of whether or not help came, I heard Xander shout from the back of the house, “Sof! Are you up yet?”
I wanted to wave a hand frantically at him to shush him! Did he want to get eaten!
“Sof!” he shouted again, his voice drawing closer.
I squeezed my eyes shut, thinking this was the end for both of us. The wolf would eat Xander and then me. A hysterical thought ran through me about how I might be the first of the Loranzian monarchy to die by wolf.
“There you are!” Xander said, standing off to the side of the stairs. He looked at me, perplexed. “Why are you just standing there?”
I stared at him in desperation as I gave a small jerk to the wolf. Was he blind? Xander stared up at me, confused. “You got some kind of tic there?” he said, blinking at me.
“The wolf, you moron!” I hissed through my teeth, not wanting to make too much noise or too many movements in front of the wolf. I didn’t want to die any faster than I had to.
Xander looked down at the beast and then back at me. He gave me a curious stare before walking over to the animal. I gasped in horror as he knelt down right next to the wolf’s face before he gave the head a loving stroke.
“You don’t like dogs?” he asked.
I stared as the wolf closed his eyes in obvious pleasure as Xander scratched behind his ears. “That’s not a dog!” I rasped, still afraid to move. “That’s a wolf!”
Xander gave the animal a careful study. “I guess he kind of does look like one. I was told he was probably a wolf mutt. But I dunno, I’ve had him for so long I sometimes forget that he looks like a wolf. Right, you little goofball?” he teased, grabbing the dog around the neck and play wrestling him.
My jaw dropped as I watched Xander literally play with death. Goofball? That beast? A goofball?!
“Didn’t you ever have a dog growing up?” Xander asked, still wrapped around his dog.
I swallowed as I kept my eyes on the animal. “No. Lady Angstrom had a strict rule against pets.”
Xander eyes flashed for a moment and I was sure I had caught a look of pity but he quickly covered his expression and stood up. “Pluto here is a good boy. He’s well trained and only bites small game.” He saw me still not making a move down the stairs and gave a little lopsided smile as he sighed at my distrust. He turned Pluto down the hall towards the back door and said, “Get on, boy!”
Pluto rushed down the hall, his heavy pads hitting the wooden floors in a quick even rhythm.
Xander looked up at me just as my shoulders slumped in relief. “Better?” he asked.
I nodded weakly, energy entirely spent on the ordeal. I managed to come down the stairs where Xander made me a quick omelet. For a man, he was quite an adept chef.
I looked over and saw that he was only making one plate. “Aren’t you eating as well?”
Xander grinned. His face had the shine of excitement on it. “I already did, sleepyhead. I’ve been up and about since six this morning.”
My fork paused before I scooped a bit of egg. So he had been up all this time but had come back inside around the time he figured I’d be waking up to cook me breakfast. He had learned quickly that I had no idea how to cook and had taken on the task of feeding me with nothing more than a teasing admonishment of what a lousy wife I’d make for a farmer.
Unexpectedly touched by his casual and effortless considerations for me, I swallowed the egg against the hard emotional lump in my throat. It was an unusual feeling. Most people always wanted things from me.
Minister Pryto wanted my complete obedience.
Lady Angstrom wanted my complete misery.
Celebrities wanted publicity with me.
Photographers wanted photos with me.
Billionaires wanted my title.
And the rest wanted my body.
Uncle Gregory loved me but he had always only been able to love me from afar. Minister Pryto had made sure I didn’t have too many opportunities to meet with the only family I had left.
I was so used to people trying to take something from me, of me, that it threw me off balance to have someone so easily give for me.
I stared at Xander from beneath my lashes.
Who exactly was this mercenary?
“Once you’re done eating, we need to get started,” Xander said, chugging down a glass of water before refilling it again. He looked like he had been busy working out in the field.
“Get started? On what?” I asked in surprise.
“Work,” he answered as if that was obvious. “There’s a lot of stuff to be done since I’ve been away for awhile and we need to get a move on.”
“Work? Me?” I asked in complete surprise. I was no farmhand. I had no knowledge that could possibly suitable for a place like this! “What am I supposed to do? Plant vegetables? Dig a well?”
Xander gave me a sardonic look. “Okay, first off, this is a ranch, not a farm. So we don’t need you to be planting anything. And a well? What’s the first step in digging a well, princess?”
I shrugged. “Dig?” I ventured.
Xander raised a brow. “Yeah, so we’re not going to go dig a well if you’re entire knowledge of well making is: dig.”
I shrugged as I took another bite of the omelet. “Well then I guess I’m no good to you as a ranch hand. Oh well. Broken hearted,” I said flippantly as I took another bite, feeling better about getting off on the work.
Xander’s lips twitched. “Well let me unbreak that heart then,” he said. “There’s definitely a job that you can do and you are perfect for it.”
I narrowed my eyes. I had been tricked by him before. Last time he had pasted on a smile like that, I had ended up at a thrift store. And not that that hadn’t actually ended up working out well, but I could tell Xander enjoyed surprising me. I can only imagine what he intended this time.
“You better not be joking,” I said.
Xander shook his head, making a solemn vow with his right hand raised. “Never,” he said. “This job is something only you and you alone can do.”
***
“Sort nails?” I repeated incredulously.
Xander nodded, pretending not to notice my incredulous expression. He made a gesture towards the thick burlap bags of nails and several small wooden drawers pulled from a chest of assorted nails.
“I’m getting an order of some supplies coming in soon for some of the repair work I’ll have to do around here. So I need to get all the stuff that’s already here organized.” He pulled out the wooden drawers. “There’s the different nails in each drawer. I need you to sort the nails in the bags and separate
them into the drawers.”
I looked over the bags. They weren’t large but nails weren’t huge items in general. Even a lunch bag of nails would be a hell of a lot of nails and I was looking at several large burlap bags of nails.
“And then what?” I asked, feeling a little dejected by the menial task.
Xander quirked a brow. “Then nothing,” he said. “I don’t think you’ll finish this sorting for at least a few days.”
I plunked my hands on my hips. “Are you giving me busy work just so that I stay in one place all day?” I demanded, starting to realize just what he was doing.
Xander grinned and chucked me on the chin. “That’s right, sweetheart,” he said, giving me a wink that made my heart thud way too hard. Then he gave me a sudden mock look of stern warning. “But that doesn’t mean you can just slack off. I really do need those nails organized so hop to it!”
I watched him walk out of the shed, leaving me alone with the stupid pile of nails. And as I watched him go, I couldn’t help but feel a warm tingle where he had touched my chin.
What was this?
I had literal princes and Hollywood stars woo me over the years and not once had I ever felt such a sudden and intense heat for them the way I did whenever Xander was near me. It was so instinctual and primal that if defied any logic or reasoning. It was as natural a reaction as sneezing or breathing. I just had to do it.
I slowly turned around and looked at my task. The shed had wide double doors that Xander had opened up. I could see the sprawling wide lands of Devil’s Horn and imagined what it would be like to live in such a free place.
But suddenly, I stared out at that wide space with fear.
This was the first time in several days that I was finally alone. Alone and out in the open.
Although I knew, I knew, that I was in the middle of nowhere in an isolated ranch in Wyoming, I had a sudden fear of a mob descending on me, calling for my head.
The echoes of the angry protestors rang through my ears and suddenly, I felt way too exposed. All this flat, wide country provided no coverage! I remembered the shouts and calls for my abdication and my trial. Although Uncle Gregory had tried to shield it from me, I had seen the effigies they had made of me, swinging from ropes or burning from stakes.
