Prince and Single Mom (3 page)

Now, however, she understood. Another moment, another kiss in those shadows last night and she’d have been rolling naked on the sand with Alex.

He seemed intent that they would be lovers soon. She thought he could be right.

Who would have ever guessed that I could be horny?
A giggle escaped her lips, and although no one could hear through her closed bedroom door, she covered her mouth. Horny? She’d been so hot, for the first time in her life she’d soaked her panties.

She hadn’t traveled half a world away to indulge in a vacation fling. The idea had never crossed her mind. But now it hadn’t just crossed her mind, it had settled in to roost.

Alex had invited her to go sailing today, and she’d accepted. They’d sat and shared drinks last night in the lounge, and she had enjoyed every moment spent with him. He’d listen to her and responded in a way that made her feel her thoughts and opinions were important. Though they came from different backgrounds, different parts of the world, they’d connected. She wasn’t fooling herself into thinking this the beginning of any grand romance. But an affair—and how odd for her to even
think
in those terms—was definitely a possibility. Why not?

She’d spent her life always meeting her responsibilities, denying herself. Whenever there had been a moment to choose between what she wanted to do and what she ought to do, her wants had always taken a backseat. And now, far from home, in the most exotic of locales, a handsome, intriguing,
sexy
man wanted to…well, he wanted to
fuck
her.

She giggled some more, her other hand joining the first over her mouth. She had never had thoughts like these in her entire life! And really, wasn’t that a damn shame? Seriously, Hannah thought wildly, she wanted to
fuck
him, too.

Turning her head she checked the bedside clock. She had plenty of time to shower, and have breakfast with Catharine and Jamie before it would be time to meet Alex. She would stop at that small boutique off the main lobby on the way to the dining room and see if she could buy a box of condoms, first.

* * * *

“Mom, do you have a headache?”

“No, sweetheart. Why would you ask?”

Catharine tilted her head slightly and looked hard at her mother. Now that she thought about it, her mother had been acting a bit, well, peculiar since she’d emerged from her bedroom, showered and ready to get started on the day.

“You made a detour to the drug store. I thought you had a headache and needed aspirin.”

“No.”

Something’s going on here, Catharine thought, for her mother seemed nervous, and the same light pink color that had graced her cheeks the evening before bloomed there now.

The waiter delivered their glasses of juice, and in the next instant a tall man appeared at her mother’s elbow. Catharine recognized him as the same “sinfully sexy man” her mother had pointed out the evening before.

“I hope you will forgive the intrusion, my dear Hannah. I didn’t want to wait until later to begin our time together.”

The soft inflection in the man’s voice made Catharine’s eyes go wide.

“Oh. Well. Of course. Ah, Catharine, Jamie, this is Mr. Cross. Alex, my daughter Catharine Jones, and my grandson Jamie.”

Catharine nearly gasped when Alex picked up her hand, kissed it, and murmured something that sounded like
Enchante
. She didn’t take it personally, though, for she could see Alex’s attention was completely on her mother.

“Won’t you join us for breakfast, Mr. Cross?”

“Oh, well, now Catharine, maybe Alex has…” her mother sputtered.

“Alex, please,” he replied to Catharine. “And I would be delighted to join you.”

Catharine felt herself grinning like a fool, but the very fact that her mom knew Alex by name this morning told her volumes of what had gone on the night before, and even some of what her mom had been pre-occupied with earlier.

Catharine thought it indicative of excellent training that the staff of the dining room quickly made accommodation for another person at their table. “Where are you from, Alex?”

“I am a native of Boisdemer, Mademoiselle Jones. My family has been here many generations.”

“And what do you do for a living?”

“Catharine!”

Catharine appreciated this grand moment of role reversal, with her mother looking mortified as they waited for Mr. Cross’ answer. Then Alex smiled at her mother, and touched her hand gently. “It is all right, Hannah. Since you will be spending the day with me, entrusting your safety to my abilities as a sailor upon the water, your daughter has a right to assure herself that you will be in good hands.”

To her, he said, “I have an administrative position with the government. My sailboat has sufficient room if you and your son would like to join us?”

Catharine knew at that moment if she accepted Alex’s invitation, he would be nothing but gracious to them all—despite the fact that his plans for the day would certainly have been ruined. A tiny part of her worried about her mother being alone with a strange man in a strange country. But the fact that the waiter had just delivered Alex a cup of espresso without being asked told her he
was
known here. And she thought it would be wonderful for her mother, who hadn’t dated at all in more years than Catharine could remember, to have the chance to go sailing with a handsome,
sinfully sexy
man.

“Thanks, but Jamie and I are going to join the Children’s Club today.”

The waiter chose that moment to deliver their breakfasts. Catharine grabbed the syrup before her son could, pouring a judicious amount on his waffles.

“We’re going on a bus ride to a place where they have horses!” Jamie announced. Catharine smiled because her son’s excitement about the pending excursion overruled his usual fuss about the syrup restriction.

“Do you like horses, Jamie?” Alex asked.

“I sure do. Grandma took me horseback riding in June and we had so much fun! My horse wasn’t as big as Grandma’s, but if I take lessons then when I’m ten I can ride a bigger horse, too.”

“So you ride as well,” Alex said to Hannah. “Dressage?”

“No, I use a real saddle—a western one.”

Alex’s warm chuckle had a definite affect upon her mother, and Catharine thought she had never seen anything nicer than her mom’s schoolgirl blush. The sparkle in her mother’s brown eyes when she looked at Alex decided Catharine on her course.

“It seems like a grand day for sailing. I’m sure you’ll both have a wonderful time. I thought that after Jamie and I finish with the Children’s Club, I’d rent a car, and the two of us would see what we can of this beautiful country.”

“There is a medieval fair set up just north of Cardinia. No more than a half-hour’s drive from here. I think you would enjoy it immensely.”

Catharine smiled at Alex. “I read about it in the brochure in our suite, and thought we’d check it out.” Actually, she’d thought it would be something her mother might enjoy, too.

Checking her watch she saw it was time to go. Jamie fairly bounced out of his seat, but she knew that had more to do with the impending visit with his favorite animals in the world than it did the sugar he’d just consumed.

Hugging her mother, she whispered, “I like him,” and was delighted to hear her mother’s equally soft, “So do I.”

* * * *

Philip de la Croix felt his tension easing, and knew coming here to the ranch today had been the right choice. As a pediatrician in the only hospital of his country’s capital city, he dealt with more than just healthy children coming in for vaccinations and check-ups. He’d dealt with all manner of trauma in the four years he’d been a doctor. And sometimes—blessedly rare times—he lost patients.

Yesterday had been such a day, and the sorrow of the child’s death cut deep.

So today he’d traded hats, as he liked to call it. Today he was not on call, nor acting in the capacity of doctor—although that is how most of the children, especially from the orphanage, thought of him. Today he wore the hat of his father’s son, using the family farm as a means of outreach to children from all walks of life. Some would be from the schools, some from the orphanage, and even some from the resort.

Despite the fact that he preferred his role as doctor, sometimes being the Prince helped to recharge his batteries.

Philip didn’t know what made him look up right then. He’d been focusing on helping Anna, one of the little girls visiting from the orphanage, find a comfortable seat on the horse’s back. But he did look up, and felt his pulse begin to race. The minibus from the resort had arrived, and the children and counselors from the day camp began getting off. He noticed a blond-haired little boy, whose eagerness communicated itself in the way he hopped from foot to foot. Then a pretty auburn-haired woman got off the bus, ruffled the boy’s hair and took his hand. Her hair wasn’t professionally cut or styled. She wore very little makeup, and he didn’t think her clothes were designer quality. She was, in fact, so completely not the sort of woman he would normally notice. But he not only noticed, he was instantly attracted in a way that went beyond the physical. Something about her, about the way she smiled at her son as if he were the center of the universe, touched Philip in a unique way.
Madonna and child
, he immediately thought. Shaking his head at the fanciful notion, he smiled and returned his attention to Anna.

“How does it feel now, petite?”

“All right, Doctor. But…what if he decides to run off with me?”

Philip chuckled, then held up the reins. “I won’t let him, Anna. Do you want me to lead you around the paddock?”

“Well, I guess just one time will be all right.”

Philip gave her his best smile, and slowly began to lead the animal in a wide circle. Anna had been coming on outings to the farm ever since she had been orphaned five months before, but this was the first time she’d been lured into participating in anything. Although physically healed, he knew it would take a long time for her to recover emotionally from the car crash that had killed the rest of her family, leaving her alone in the world. But the staff at the orphanage, from his sister Sophie, the home’s administrator, down, loved and cared about the children who lived there. Anna would be well again, in time.

He completed the circuit of the pen and brought the horse to a halt.

“Thank you, Doctor. May I please get down now?”

“You may. Did you like that, Anna?” he asked as he lifted her down from the animal.

“Yes, thank you. And now I must say thank you to Francois.”

He continued to hold the animal still as Anna gravely walked to its head and thanked it for the privilege of riding it. Then she turned and walked to the gate, going through when a young man opened it and then proceeded slowly to the porch. Once there, Philip knew, she would sit quietly and wait until it was time to board the bus to return to the Home. He looked forward to the day she felt free enough to run and laugh and play with the other children.

The skin along his arms pebbled with goose bumps, stirring him away from his contemplation of the little girl. He had actually forgotten about the woman as he’d been helping Anna. But now he could see her and her son leaning against the railing of the paddock. Or rather, the little boy was leaning, verging on climbing up and over, and the woman simply stood there, her eyes scanning the area carefully. Watchful, he thought with approval. With her cub in a strange place, she was on alert.

At that moment, he impulsively decided to give her something to be on alert about.

Clicking his tongue at Francois, he led the horse to the pair at the railing. After assuring himself that she knew he’d really looked her over, he turned his attention to the little boy.

“Can I go next, Mom,
please
?”

“There are other children waiting, Jamie. They should have their turns first.”

Philip looked around. He’d thought there’d been other children waiting, too, but they all seemed to have taken themselves off to other activities.

“It looks like you and Jamie have jumped to the head of the line.”

He watched as wide-eyed, she looked around and saw the truth for herself.

Philip crouched down and met Jamie eye to eye. “Hi Jamie. I’m Philip.”

“Hi. How come that girl called you ‘Doctor’?”

“Well, because I am one. So, your mom doesn’t have to worry about you coming into the paddock and riding Francois, here. All right, Mom?”

When he looked up, her rueful expression told him she knew he’d boxed her in. He grinned, hoping she would take that as a sign that he hadn’t done so maliciously.

“I guess it would be all right. I’ll be right here.”

Philip pointed to the gate, and Jamie ran to it. As he slowly got to his feet, some inner demon had him wink at the woman. “Do not fear, madam. I am very experienced at giving a good ride.”

“Does someone need to hold
your
reins, too?”

“Cherie, your hands look more than capable of the task.”

Catharine blinked.
Had that sexual innuendo come from her? And had he just implied what she thought he had?

Before she could think of a better comeback, the man had turned and walked away.

Catharine took another visual scan of the farm. She thought there had been other children lined up to ride when they’d approached the fence. Children abounded, certainly, but all seemed occupied elsewhere. Shrugging, she wondered if something in the food and water of this European country disagreed with her. She could have sworn the air had been…sparkly, earlier, too.

She turned her attention to the man she’d heard the little girl call “doctor.” Lean, with sandy brown hair and twinkling blue eyes, Catharine had admired his gentle, friendly way with the child as he’d led the horse around the corral. She would have bet he had children of his own.
Hell, he still might at that
. Just because he’d flirted with her didn’t mean he wasn’t married. Men, in her limited experience, rarely concerned themselves with the vows they had spoken, or the promises they had made. In fact, with the possible exception of her eldest brother, she bet every last one of them was a lying, cheating, son-of-a-bitch. Likely Philip was no different.