Revelations of a Secret Princess

by Annie West

  Because he was drawn to her?

  Jake forced the notion away.

  Because of her patent wariness around him?

  At first he’d assumed she suffered from interview nerves but it was more than that. He felt she watched each word, each nuance, always on guard. Did she have a problem with men in general or him in particular?

  Yet she wasn’t scared of him. She was...cautious. And he couldn’t shake the idea that she wasn’t all she seemed.

  Jake frowned. Should he delve deeper? Get a comprehensive investigative report?

  Or was he overreacting because she kept her distance despite the way she looked at him sometimes? As if she were fascinated, as inexplicably drawn to him as he was to her. Yet she avoided him when she could. It wasn’t a response he was used to in women.

  He huffed out a laugh. Was his ego so big he imagined a mystery because a woman didn’t try to snare him? He should be glad. He didn’t need that complication in his home.

  He’d been cooped up inside too long, working on this deal. That was what made him stir crazy, not Caro Rivage. Maybe Ariane wasn’t the only one needing fresh air.

  Fifteen minutes later he approached a little valley on the far side of the castle. The air was so sharp he tasted it with every inhalation. Above was the wide blue bowl of sky and before him a cleared slope surrounded by trees.

  It felt good to be outside. Especially when he heard childish giggles.

  Jake’s chest tightened. How long since he’d heard Ariane happy?

  It unlocked memories of the last time he’d visited his sister on St Ancilla. They’d eaten outdoors under a vine-draped pergola. Connie and her husband had been the same as ever, the most content couple he knew, and little Ariane had been in high spirits, laughing at some nonsense game her father had invented with her. It had been idyllic and Jake had been glad to see Connie enjoying such happiness. She deserved it after those tough early years devoting herself to her difficult kid brother.

  The sound of a husky voice interrupted his thoughts. It tickled its way through his belly then up his spine, drawing his shoulders tight.

  Caro. Even if he didn’t know the voice he recognised his response. The eddy of heat down low and the teasing prickle of awareness across his nape.

  How was it a woman so prim and buttoned up had such a seductive voice? Last night he’d woken in a tangle of sweaty sheets, the echo of that throaty voice in his head. It had murmured an explicit invitation that made him feel as if it had been six months, not six weeks since he’d kicked Fiona out of his bed.

  Scowling, he strode towards the sound.

  To his surprise Ariane was on the lightweight toboggan alone, sliding down a gentle slope to where Caro waited on a broad flat area, arms wide in welcome.

  It should have been his niece who captured his attention. Instead it was her nanny’s amazing smile. Even from this distance it delivered a punch straight to his belly.

  The sunlight on her hair picked out warm auburn highlights he hadn’t noticed before. Suddenly she looked less staid and more vivacious.

  She wasn’t beautiful but still she was stunning. Jake frowned. It wasn’t merely her hair and the colour whipped into her cheeks by the cold, but her look of sheer joy. Her smile was infectious. His mouth curled up at the corners.

  Heat beat at his throat, his chest and lower. He wanted to see her smile at him that way instead of pretending his collar or the view past his ear was more fascinating. He wanted to see her flushed with pleasure and exertion, beaming up at him.

  The realisation corkscrewed through him, jagging his libido and setting off alarms.

  She was his employee. He still had reservations about her, nothing he could put his finger on but still...

  ‘Well done,’ he called out, heading towards them. ‘You didn’t tell me you were so good on the snow, Ariane.’

  ‘Uncle Jake! Did you see? I slided all by myself.’

  Her grin was the one he remembered from St Ancilla, from before the accident. It made his breath catch in his lungs. She’d always been a sunny child and he’d told himself she would be again. Yet seeing proof that with time and care she could recover from the recent trauma perversely reminded him again of how much they’d both lost, and how precious she was.

  Nothing, he vowed, would upset her world again if he could help it.

  ‘I saw. I’m very impressed. Was that your first time by yourself?’

  She nodded so vigorously a bright coppery curl that had escaped her woolly hat danced around her face.

  ‘Want to see me do it again?’

  He nodded. ‘I sure do. Then you could teach me.’

  For answer she looked at Caro as if seeking permission.

  The nanny nodded. ‘Remember, not too high, Ariane.’

  Jake watched his niece climb off and head back up the slope, dragging the lightweight toboggan behind her. He was tempted to intervene and carry her burden, or offer to accompany her but he held back, seeing the determined thrust of her small chin.

  He turned to find Caro watching him, an unreadable expression in her eyes. Instantly he felt that clenching awareness low in his belly, that hot swirl in his blood. Her arms were wrapped defensively around her middle. Did she too feel the tug between them, or was she just cold?

  ‘I’ll go and help her.’ She made to turn and follow Ariane up the slight slope.

  ‘No!’ At his command she stopped, brows raised at his urgent tone. ‘Let her do it herself.’ Jake told himself he wasn’t prompted by the need to keep the woman near him.

  Caro looked over her shoulder at Ariane then nodded. ‘You’re right.’ She slanted a look at him then away.

  ‘What?’

  She shrugged then met his stare. ‘I might be wrong but I think, as well as the sheer fun of the slide, it’s that sense of being in charge that she’s enjoying.’

  ‘Because everything in her life has upended?’

  Caro nodded. ‘All the things she could depend on have gone or changed. And though you’ve done what you can to establish a home and a routine, she probably feels the world is a scary place.’

  The air Jake drew into his chest seemed thick and rough. She was right. Ariane had been through so much. She must feel powerless and adrift. Which was why it was important she have stability.

  ‘You like working with her?’ He hadn’t consciously formed the question but suddenly he had to know. Providing the right carer for Ariane wasn’t just a matter of him approving someone, but of that someone wanting to stay. Given how Ariane responded to Caro Rivage it appeared that someone was standing before him.

  Caro’s eyes widened. ‘Of course! Why? Aren’t you satisfied with—?’

  Jake raised a placating hand. ‘I’m satisfied. So far,’ he amended. ‘I wanted to hear your perspective.’

  Relief drifted across her face, making her expression unusually easy to read. It was another reminder of how rarely she let down her guard with him. So she really was invested in this job. ‘I love caring for Ariane. I—’

  She swung her head around at the sound of the toboggan approaching, then froze. A second later she was sprinting away from him across the flat little plateau towards the steeper slope at the edge of the clearing.

  Jake looked up the hill, his gut curdling.

  While they’d been talking Ariane had taken the toboggan high up the slope. Far higher than the track of her previous run. Now, with the added momentum, she was skidding downhill dangerously fast and at an angle that took her in a collision course with a stand of trees.

  Jake’s legs were already pumping, driving him through the snow towards the far side of the clearing, even though his brain told him he’d be too late. He was too far away.

  His heart sank. So was Caro. She was stumbling, trying to make headway in the snow, but, as in a nightmare, seemed to be moving in slow moti
on.

  His ears rang when Ariane’s squeal of delight turned into a cry of fear as she torpedoed towards danger. He pushed himself faster, lungs burning, but knew it was impossible he’d make it in time.

  The toboggan flew towards the trees and unspeakable visions filled his head. As a one-time soldier and peacekeeper he’d witnessed terrible injuries. But this was Ariane...

  At the last moment, as impact with a tree seemed inevitable, there was a blur of blue as Caro threw herself at the toboggan. Snow sprayed as it spun, there was a resounding thump and a fall of white from the branches, obscuring his vision.

  As he covered the last couple of metres Jake found himself praying.

  * * *

  Caro lay winded, her arms wrapped tight around the small, still body.

  ‘Ariane! Talk to me.’ The deep voice was raw with fear. A fear that matched her own. For the life of her she couldn’t open her eyes and face what awaited her. Had she lost her daughter again? Permanently this time?

  Anguish tore at her soul.

  She thought she’d known fear before but it was nothing to the terrible yawning blackness that threatened to engulf her.

  All she could do was hold on, willing her little girl to be all right. A tightness in her chest reminded her to breathe. She drew a ragged breath that sounded like a sob. Caro should never have taken her eyes off her, not for a second.

  ‘Ariane!’ The deep voice sliced the frigid air.

  Large hands covered Caro’s, pried them loose. She tried to resist, opened her mouth to cry out, when a little voice said, ‘Uncle Jake?’

  Caro’s eyes snapped wide. Above her Jake Maynard filled her vision, surrounded by cerulean sky, like an angel in a painting. Except this dark angel’s face was distorted with fear and, as she watched it transform, relief. Caro felt the same emotions unfurl within, so strong nausea punched her.

  Her embrace weakened as her arms turned to water. Ariane moved out of her hold.

  ‘Are you okay, Ariane? Where does it hurt?’ That resonant voice was stark with emotion.

  ‘I don’t hurt anywhere.’

  Caro could swear her heart dipped and lifted on the words. Ariane was okay, she was all right.

  Her own eyelids flickered shut as emotion rose like a tide, filling her chest, closing her throat, forcing her to bite her lip against the sudden, appalling urge to cry.

  ‘Caro?’ That large hand was back again, this time lingering on the pulse at her throat then skimming up to her cheek and forehead. It was hard and surprisingly callused but incredibly gentle. Who’d have thought a man with such cold eyes could have such a tender touch?

  ‘Is she...dead, Uncle Jake?’

  The fear in Ariane’s voice snapped Caro out of her reverie. After what had happened to Ariane’s adoptive parents her fear of death wasn’t surprising.

  ‘I’m very much alive, sweetheart.’ Even if Caro’s voice didn’t sound like her own, far too raspy and uneven.

  When she opened her eyes this time two faces peered down at her. Dazed, she took in her daughter’s hopeful expression and smiled. Her skin felt stiff, as if drawn too tight, but seeing Ariane smile tentatively back was worth the effort. Her heart thudded a double beat.

  Then her gaze shifted to the broad-shouldered figure beside her daughter. Had she really thought Jake Maynard’s eyes cold? They flared with a heat she felt all the way to her bones. For one suspended instant everything inside her stilled then burst into flame.

  ‘Are you injured? Can you move?’ His eyes belied his terse tone.

  ‘Give me a minute.’ She drew another quick breath, pressing the heel of her hand to her sternum, trying to force her lungs into action. ‘I’m just winded.’ Or too euphoric to feel pain. ‘You’re sure you’re okay, Ariane? You didn’t hit your head?’

  Her daughter shook her head as tears filled her bright eyes. ‘I’m sorry, Caro. I didn’t mean to hit you.’

  As if that wasn’t exactly what Caro had aimed for. Better her than a tree.

  ‘Why did you disobey Caro and climb right up the hill?’ Jake’s voice was low but steely and Ariane flinched. Caro told herself it was the voice of a man reacting to fear. They were lucky Ariane had escaped serious injury.

  Seeing Ariane’s tears spill, Caro found the energy to sit up, curling her legs under her and pulling Ariane to her. Her daughter burrowed close, her arms creeping around Caro’s neck. Caro had never experienced anything like the burst of glorious happiness that exploded inside her.

  This. This was what she’d missed all these years.

  For so long Caro had been tempted to fantasise that her child hadn’t been stillborn. But the fantasy was too dangerous and she’d forced herself to put it aside and face reality. Then, discovering Ariane was alive, Caro had been so focused on tracking her down that she hadn’t allowed herself to imagine this moment. It had seemed like tempting fate into stealing away her daughter again.

  She rocked Ariane, breathing in the scent of snow, pine trees and little girl. It was a perfume she’d remember for the rest of her days.

  ‘Shh...it’s okay, sweetie. No one’s hurt.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ Jake Maynard frowned down at her, apparently still concerned about her. But Caro couldn’t feel anything but the precious bundle in her arms.

  ‘I’m fine.’

  Ariane lifted her head. ‘I won’t do it again, Caro, I promise. I just wanted...’ Her gaze flicked towards her uncle.

  Suddenly Caro understood. ‘You wanted to show Uncle Jake how well you could slide?’

  Her ribs squeezed her heart. She’d seen Ariane’s shy regard for the big man who was so concerned about her.

  Ariane nodded. ‘But I hurt you.’

  ‘You must never do that again, Ariane,’ Jake interjected, his voice gravelly. ‘It’s dangerous to go so high.’

  Her little girl’s head drooped lower and Caro rushed into speech.

  ‘Ariane’s promised never to do it again, haven’t you, sweetie?’ She watched her daughter’s silent nod. ‘And we’re both okay.’ Though Caro was beginning to feel an ache slide around her ribs and her shoulder throbbed. ‘So why don’t you show Uncle Jake how good you are at tobogganing? You could go together.’

  Jake looked at her as if she’d sprouted another head and she hurried on. ‘They say that if you come off a horse you should get on again straight away.’ She met his stare, willing him to understand. There were enough scary things in Ariane’s world without adding to them. ‘I can vouch that it works.’

  Caro had taken a toss off a pony as a kid and her father had insisted she get back on. It had stopped her developing a fear of horses, though they discovered later she’d fractured her wrist in the fall. She’d been more afraid of disappointing her disapproving father than of the pain.

  But watching Ariane jump to her feet when Jake finally agreed there was time for one slide, Caro knew she was okay.

  He pressed Caro again about injuries, but finally he was satisfied and she had time to gather herself, watching Jake and Ariane share the toboggan.

  One slide turned into three, though at the end of each Jake strode across to check on her, his concern warming a part of her that had been frozen for a long time. Caro couldn’t recall the last time any man had been genuinely concerned for her well-being. Not her father or brothers. Definitely not her ex-boyfriend who’d sold her out for personal gain.

  By the time Jake announced it was time to go back, that he didn’t want Caro waiting in the chill air any longer, Ariane was gleeful and her uncle’s eyes had lost that stormy light.

  Caro hoped that within a few days Ariane might forget how close to disaster they’d come. But her own spirits, after that initial burst of euphoria, plummeted.

  It was clear Jake Maynard didn’t merely feel obligated to look after his niece. He cared for her. And little Ariane beamed with prid
e and delight in his company.

  What would happen when Caro claimed her daughter?

  She had every right to do so. She’d been denied so much it hurt to think about the years of Ariane’s life she’d missed. Even her name wasn’t one Caro had chosen!

  Once more she was tempted to come clean about her identity. Except Ariane was fragile and bewildered after losing her adoptive parents and Caro didn’t want to add to her stress. She’d wait at least till she and Ariane had a good, strong relationship.

  Plus there was another reason to delay. Jake Maynard was wealthy and powerful. If she went in assuming that because she had right on her side everything would be okay, things could go horribly wrong. Caro had been victim to the machinations of manipulative men. First Mike then her father. She’d be a fool to think Jake was any less dangerous.

  He’d move heaven and earth to stop her claiming her daughter. Caro had little money of her own and her father would never support her in a court case. He’d do everything in his power to avoid scandal.

  But that wasn’t all. She drew a shuddering breath as she watched Jake, powerfully built and agile, utterly, fascinatingly masculine as he climbed the slope hand in hand with her daughter.

  No, the worst of it was that Jake Maynard awoke something within her, a longing, that she’d never expected to experience again after years of numbness.

  Desire. Not some vague sweet yearning but a piercing stab of need for his touch, his powerful body.

  She sank her head in her hands. Was there any way out of this tangle?

  CHAPTER SIX

  JAKE COULDN’T STOP thinking about Caro Rivage. She was in his head every time he tried to read the report before him.

  It wasn’t figures he saw. It was Ariane’s nanny, earlier today, throwing herself across the snow at risk of life and limb. Then later, limp and pale, making him curse himself for taking her word that she was uninjured.

  He’d leaned down, about to lift her into his arms and carry her. For an instant he’d seen hunger in her expression. An answering beat of need had pulsed through his blood, but a second later her expression had morphed into something like fear.