“Oh?”
“I’m leaving the clinic. I’ve been offered a position in the ER.”
She gave his arm a squeeze. “Congratulations, Riley. I’m so happy for you.”
“It’s strange. I should be happy, too.”
She pulled back and looked up into his face. “You’re not?”
“I wasn’t unhappy when the offer was made,” he said. “But something was missing.”
His gaze was on her then, intense with concentrated emotion.
“I’ve figured out that the something was you.”
Her only thought was to kiss him. But when she leaned in, he tenderly captured her jaw between his fingers.
“This won’t work.” Regret clouded his gaze. “You don’t want to disappoint your father. You don’t want your family’s name splashed all over the tabloids by marrying beneath you.”
“‘Beneath me’? That sounds horrible. You don’t honestly believe that, do you?”
His smile was sad. “I don’t, no. But your father would never accept a son-in-law with a criminal record.”
“I don’t see how he can complain,” she quipped, “since his own daughter has one, too.” The utter surprise on his handsome face made her chuckle.
“I told you I was a lonely, wretched teenager,” she explained. “I was overweight and had few friends. Well, I was approached by a group of popular girls who promised to make me a member of their club. However, I had to fulfill a dare. I was caught red-handed. Literally. The policeman walked right up to me while I was spray painting the club insignia. I had the paint can in hand, wet red paint running to my elbow.” She screwed up her nose. “The nozzle got stuck.
“Father was livid,” she continued. “I’ve never seen him so angry. An article had just run in the newspaper suggesting corruption in our judiciary system. Father felt he had no recourse but to hold a special counsel, which he presided over. The place was packed, reporters everywhere. I was only sixteen. And talk about mortified.”
She shook her head. She could laugh about it now, but at the time it had been a nightmare.
“Father sentenced me to five hundred hours of volunteer service.”
Riley whistled. “Stiff sentence for a little graffiti.”
“I defaced a national memorial.”
“Catherine!”
“I know. I was terrible.”
He laughed, and her brows arched high.
“I’m sorry.” But he didn’t sound it. “It’s funny. You have to admit it. A princess with a criminal record.”
Her mouth split into a grin, and then she, too, chuckled. “I know. It is funny. Now. But I did learn a huge lesson…”
In unison, they said, “Don’t get caught.” Their laughter rang into the night.
“Seriously, though,” she told him, “it might have been a difficult time, but my volunteer service exposed me to the needs of the children in Lextanya. Since then I’ve been building community centers all over my country. It’s very rewarding work.”
Sometime during their conversation, they’d cuddled close, their fingers were laced, and it seemed the most natural thing in the world for Catherine to rest her head on his shoulder.
She wanted this man. Loved him with every fiber of her being.
Niggling doubt had her changing the subject and she asked, “Do you think we’d have made love without the NoWait?”
Riley twisted to face her, clasping his hands on her upper arms. “I completely forgot to tell you. The oil in that vial wasn’t NoWait. It was nothing more than vitamin E. That’s the placebo they’re using for the testing.”
Her eyes widened. “You mean that was…”
“Just us,” he provided.
A wicked grin curled her lips. “Wow,” she said, her tone throaty with sudden sensuality, “I can’t wait to try that again.”
Desire lit his dark eyes. “That’s what I’m thinking.”
“Let’s fly to Rio, Riley,” she said. “Or let’s drive to Vegas. I don’t want anything to keep us apart. I want—”
“Hold it,” he snapped, and for a quick instant she thought he was angry. But then he calmly said, “Are you asking me to marry you?”
“Well, I’ve been sitting here forever waiting for you to pop the question.” She shrugged.
He didn’t laugh as she’d expected. Instead, he soberly asked, “But what about that guy over there who’s waiting for you? And what about your father?”
“I’m not saying there aren’t problems. But if we’re together, there’s no problem we can’t overcome.” She reached up and slipped her arms around his neck.
He kissed her then, his lips urgent and demanding.
Breathlessly she whispered, “Is that a yes?”
He smiled against her mouth. “That, my love, is a yes.”
Epilogue
Catherine accepted the helping hand of a footman as she stepped down from the majestically decorated horse-drawn carriage. Faye Lassen, looking lovely in her narrow-cut bridesmaid dress, held Catherine’s massive white rose bouquet while attendants scurried to straighten her gorgeous wedding gown and unfurl the yards of lacy fabric that made up her train. The crowd outside the cathedral cheered and, as was customary during a royal wedding, tossed fresh flowers in her path.
“I know I’ve already said this at least a dozen times today,” Faye said, “but you look beautiful. Are you nervous?”
“Actually,” Catherine whispered so as not to be overheard, “I’d just like to get this over with. I’ve been an old married woman for four months now.”
Although they hadn’t been the easiest four months, she could honestly say she’d never been happier in her life. Needless to say, her father had been less than pleased to learn that she and Riley had eloped to Vegas where they’d pledged their vows in a cozy little wedding chapel. She’d heard that her father had commented that such a wedding could be nothing but tacky, but he couldn’t have been more wrong.
Her father had eventually come around to the idea of having Riley as a son-in-law, however. He’d had no choice, really. Catherine was pleased with her own quick thinking; she had called Max and had him deliver the news personally. Prince Wilhelm couldn’t very well rant at his sovereign, now, could he?
By the time Catherine and Riley had flown to Lextanya for a visit a few days later, her father had calmed down enough to speak civilly. The Prince had insisted on a formal wedding. When Catherine had suggested she share the day with Yvonne in a double ceremony, her father had actually seemed pleased with his older daughter.
Not even a double wedding could surpass Max’s coronation, but the Prince intended to make the day a lavish celebration. The event would be archived as Lextanya’s only double royal wedding to date. Or would that be the only royal double wedding?
“Besides,” Catherine complained to her friend, “I miss Riley.”
Faye and Catherine had flown to Lextanya early for the traditional bridal trousseau shopping expedition. And although Catherine had talked to Riley every day, she hadn’t seen him since she’d left Portland a whole week ago. She wanted her man—in every sense of the word!
Just the thought of the steamy nights she and Riley had spent in each other’s arms made her ache with need.
The carriage that had transported her from the castle pulled away from the cobblestone curve. Catherine glanced down the street to see Yvonne’s carriage approaching. Prince Wilhelm wouldn’t have been happy unless his daughters rode in separate royal coaches.
“Well, Riley’s in the church waiting for you,” Faye told her.
Catherine smiled. “There’s someone in there waiting for you, too.”
Joy brightened Faye’s face. “Mark? You flew Mark over?”
Faye and her husband were slowly working out their problems. And Catherine was happy to have had a hand in getting them back together.
Changes had started taking place back in Portland almost immediately after Riley and Catherine had returned from Las Vegas. David Graham
had been forced into retirement, Riley was once again working in the ER and Faye had taken over the running of the clinic.
The staff had organized a reception for Faye, and Catherine had done a bit of research to find Mark Lassen. Catherine had slipped an invitation in the mail for Mark, and he’d shown up at the party. Faye and Mark had been together ever since.
The NoWait testing was still going on, and probably would be for years yet. Carrie Martin had moved to Portland to be with Richard Strong, and in addition to working at the clinic, Dr. Richie had launched a self-help talk show on a local cable channel. He hawked videos of himself on a wide variety of topics from weight control to addictions to sexual dysfunction. However, the man had changed drastically. He was less focused on fame and fortune and more concerned with helping people.
Catherine continued to attend seminars at the clinic and work out at the gym there. The community of Portland General Hospital and the Healthy Living Clinic seemed to have settled back to normal. But she continued to hear fantastic stories about the aphrodisiac side-effects of Dr. Richie’s miracle oil. Several couples had met and married because of NoWait, and everyone was waiting to see just how many babies might be born because of the stuff.
Faye handed Catherine her bouquet just as the second carriage pulled to a stop in front of the ancient cathedral. Yvonne stepped out, a grand vision in her pristine white gown. The sisters hugged and then proceeded up the steps to where their father waited to lead them down the aisle.
When the women reached him, Prince Wilhelm blessed both his daughters with a bright smile. The three of them entered the church.
The pews were packed with family, friends and important dignitaries, and hauntingly beautiful music from the pipe organ filled the lofty space. Catherine wanted to race up the aisle, but forced herself to behave with the decorum that would make her family proud.
Then she saw him. The man she loved. The man of her dreams. The man of her heart.
He looked good in his royal garb. The scarlet waistcoat was complete with shiny gold buttons and fancy epaulets especially made for Lextanyan royalty. After today Riley Jacobs wouldn’t be a regular Joe any longer.
Thankfully, the people of Lextanya had welcomed and accepted Riley from the first moment he’d stepped off the plane. This was a country of romantics, thank goodness. Keeping their elopement a secret from the tabloids had been impossible, but that hadn’t seemed to matter. Apparently, all of this was a beloved fairy tale to her people, an enchanted love story that they simply could not get enough of.
Having the chance to remarry the love of her life was like being handed a luscious dessert after she’d already binged on a scrumptious meal.
Dipping her chin, she zeroed in on Riley and did her best to communicate to him silently her every desperate longing. It felt as if she hadn’t seen him for a solid month rather than a mere seven days.
Love glittered in his brown eyes, and she could tell that he, too, had been missing her. Elation filled her heart, setting it pattering, as each step took her closer to her happily ever after.
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Donna Clayton for her contribution to the Logan’s Legacy series.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-6958-7
ROYAL SEDUCTION
Copyright © 2004 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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