Royal Holiday Baby (5 page)

“Maybe,” he said. “But it's pretty clear your family doesn't put your health or your need to take a break first. Now that you're pregnant, that needs to change. I can make sure that will happen.”

“What about the paparazzi? They always show up,” she said, her eyes darkening with fear.

“I have electric fences and gates. I don't usually have to close those gates, but I can and I will. Plus there's Hildie. She took on a brown bear one time. The bear turned tail and ran.”

Tina stared at him for a long moment, then laughed. “Oh, my goodness, I can easily visualize that.”

The sound of her laughter eased something inside him. He smiled. “I'm not stretching the truth. The only thing that scares Hildie is the dentist. I had to take her to fix a broken tooth. That's how I found out you were pregnant.”

Tina lifted her hand to her throat. “At the dentist's office?”

“I was in the waiting room killing time. I saw your photo in one of those gossip sheets.”

She winced. “The bump article,” she said. “I received an anonymous tip from someone that the article was going to be published and left Chantaine just before the story hit. I was hoping to avoid the first wave from the media while I figured out how to handle everything.”

“France wasn't far enough,” he said.

“Nowhere is far enough,” she said woefully. “I'm afraid you don't know what you've gotten yourself into by bringing me to your home.”

“I've been through worse,” he said, his own personal tragedy never far from his mind.

She widened her eyes. “With the media?”

He shrugged. “With life,” he said. “Don't worry about me. The media is the least of my concern. Get some rest. If you need anything, let Hildie or me know. I'll let her take you into town so you can get what you need tomorrow.”

She still looked vulnerable. His hands ached to pull her against him, but he resisted the urge. She wasn't exactly the same woman who had gone to bed with him months ago. Back then, he hadn't known she was a princess. Back then, she hadn't wanted him to know. She'd wanted one anonymous night just as he had. Now, everything was different. In a way, they were strangers more now than ever before.

She licked her lips and a flash of that dark night of need snapped through him. “Thank you for taking me away. For bringing me here.”

Zach gave into the urge to stroke her hair and cup her head. “I know you're still wound tighter than a spring, but you're safe here. Soon enough, you'll realize you can relax.
And no thanks are necessary. I wouldn't have it any other way. 'Night Tina.”

She took a deep breath that seemed to tremble out of her when she exhaled. “Good night, Zach.”

W
hen Tina awakened the next morning, the sun slithered through the curtains covering the windows. She heard a vague vibrating sound, but couldn't quite place it. Glancing at one side of the bed then the other, she squinted at the clock on the nightstand. 10:30 a.m.

Embarrassment rolled through her. Oh, my Lord. She'd slept for twelve hours. Everyone would think she was the clichéd princess, accustomed to rising late, when that couldn't be further from the truth. The soft buzzing sound continued and she finally placed the noise. Her cell phone. Blinking, she pushed her hair from her face and slid out of bed. Where had she put the darn thing?

Following the sound, she finally found it beneath her discarded clothes from the night before. At the moment, she wore one of Zach's T-shirts and the well-worn cotton felt delicious against her skin. She pulled out her cell phone and surveyed the recent calls. Her brother, her sister in Paris, her
next youngest sister, her assistant, her brother, her brother, and her sister in Paris.

Sighing, she mentally formed a strategy for each call and pushed speed dial for her brother.

“How long are you planning on staying there?” her brother demanded as he picked up the phone.

“I'm not going to have a long discussion. As I told you before, I'm here in Texas of my own free will. Not sure when I'll return. I'm figuring things out.”

“Figuring things out?” her brother echoed. “And how are we supposed to deal with this? I'm shocked at your lack of consideration.”

“Consider it belated rebellion,” she said. “I'll be in touch when I can give you more information.”

“But Tina, how are we to explain this to the press?”

“I don't really care,” she said. “You have professionals on staff to take care of this. Let them do their job.”

“And what about your appearances?”

“Either cancel them or let my sisters step up. Take care, sweetie,” she said and disconnected the call.

She called her sister in Paris to reassure her that she hadn't been abducted. Ericka was shocked that Tina was pregnant out of wedlock, but recovered enough to offer Tina any and every assistance.

“How could you do this to me? I've only been out of college for two years and just when I'm enjoying life in Florence, Stefan insists I move back to Chantaine?” her younger sister, Bridget, said when Tina called.

“That's two more years than I had,” Tina said, more blunt than she'd ever been with her younger sister.

“But this is a terrible scandal,” Bridget said. “There will be questions every which way I turn. How will I answer them?”

“That's what the palace PR is for. They will help you,”
Tina said, feeling the urge to return to bed and pull the covers over her head.

“But Tina, how could you do this? Everyone was counting on you to be the normal one,” her sister huffed.

Tina sighed. “Maybe that's why it happened. I just couldn't be normal and dutiful anymore. I'm sorry. I—” Her voice broke and she swallowed over the lump in her throat. “You'll do fine. Maybe better than me,” she said. “Love you. Bye for now.”

She disconnected the call and turned off the phone. She couldn't bear hearing the disappointment in her family's voices one more minute. Her eyes burned with unshed tears and she tried to hold them back, but they seemed to well up from her belly to her tight chest and tighter throat. A sob escaped and then another. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She couldn't remember the last time she'd cried like this. When her mother had died? When her father had passed away?

A sharp rap sounded on the bedroom door, startling her. She sniffed and swiped at her wet cheeks.

“Hildie here. I have breakfast for you,” the housekeeper said and opened the door.

Horrified, Tina groped for something to cover herself. In her world, staff never entered without receiving confirmation from her.

Hildie bustled around the room. “I don't often get a chance to deliver breakfast in bed, but since you're here I do. Lord knows, Zachary never sleeps past dawn,” she said with more than a twinge of disapproval as she placed the tray on a table. “It's a good thing you rested well, being pregnant and all. I read that it takes a day to adjust to each time zone change, so you've got a few days to go. And according to what Zachary said, they've been running you like a mule during harvest. A woman with child needs her rest. I hope some of this will
suit you. Scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, grits, fruit and toast.”

Hildie finally glanced at Tina. The woman narrowed her gaze as she studied her then caught sight of the phone in Tina's hand. “You've been crying. Has someone been bothering you?”

Tina sniffled but shook her head. “Not bothering. I had to return a few calls.”

“To who?” Hildie asked crossing her arms over her chest.

“Just a few members of my family,” Tina said, wondering why she felt the need to answer questions from staff.

“Humph,” Hildie said. “Well, if they're upsetting you, it just won't do. Zachary won't allow it.”

Taken off guard by the woman's suggestion that Zachary would somehow be able to control or even influence her family, she shook her head. “Excuse me? Zachary won't allow it? My family doesn't operate by everyone else's rules.”

“Neither does Zachary Logan,” Hildie said flatly. “But I imagine since he got you out of France in no time flat, you got a taste of what he's capable of. If not, you'll see soon enough. Go ahead and eat. Zachary tells me you need to go to the store. It takes about a half hour to drive to town and I suspect you'll tire quickly.”

“I'm really not that fragile,” Tina insisted, moving to the table where Hildie had placed her breakfast.

“Uh-huh,” Hildie said. “That's what a lot of moms-to-be say. Then all of a sudden they're passing out or crying because they haven't had enough rest.”

Offended, Tina lifted her chin. “I wasn't crying because I hadn't had enough—”

“With all due respect, Miss Highlyness,” Hildie interjected. “Please eat your breakfast. We're wasting daylight.”

Thirty minutes later, Tina joined Hildie in a black Ford
truck. Tina was clean, but her face was stripped clean of cosmetics except for lip gloss and a little powder. Her hair was still damp as Hildie barreled down the road.

Tina gripped the door with one hand and the edge of her seat with the other. “Are we in a hurry?” she asked.

Hildie shrugged and turned the country radio station to a higher decibel. “Not really. I just don't like to waste time getting where I want to go.”

Tina swallowed over a knot of panic in her throat. “How far to the store?”

Hildie waved her hand and guided the steering wheel with her knee. “Not long,” she said and cackled. “You can be sure I'll get there in no time.”

If we don't meet our maker first,
she thought and continued her death grip. Hildie gave a running commentary on the history of the area and talked about her niece, Eve, apparently her pride and joy.

When Hildie pulled into a parking lot and screeched to a stop, Tina breathed a sigh of relief.

“Here we are,” Hildie said and winked at her. “They have a maternity department here.”

Tina walked into the store and felt as if she'd stepped into a foreign country. The truth was that her assistant often shopped for her. Tina rarely visited retail stores. She was too busy.

She felt Hildie studying her. “What's wrong?” she asked. “Don't they have what you want?”

“They seem to have everything. I just don't know where to start. I'm overwhelmed,” she said.

Hildie laughed. “Okay, let's start with the basics, then. Underwear,” she said and led her to the intimates department.

Tina chose several pairs of stretchy panties and a couple bras.

“You'll get bigger there, too,” Hildie warned.

Feeling self-conscious, Tina shrugged. “I'll deal with that later. I'd like to get a couple of skirts and a few tops.”

“The maternity department is over—”

“I'm not quite ready for that,” Tina said. “I'll just buy a size larger than usual.”

“If you're sure,” Hildie said.

“I'm not that big yet,” Tina whispered. “I'm not that far along in my pregnancy. I'm not ready for everyone to know—”

“Your Highlyness, if Zach noticed your baby bump in that newspaper, then everyone knows,” Hildie said dryly.

“Everyone doesn't know at first sight, though. I could just use a little breathing room,” Tina said.

Hildie studied her for a long moment. “I can understand that. Let's find you a nice little skirt or two.”

Less than fifteen minutes later, they left the store with toiletries, underwear, two skirts, three tops and a dress.

“You won't be able to hide it much longer, dear,” Hildie said.

Tina's stomach knotted. “I know. I'm just buying a little time.”

“Are you ashamed?” Hildie asked.

“Well, you have to admit it's not the optimal situation,” Tina said, gazing out the window as they whizzed past the barren landscape.

“Are you ashamed of Zach?”

Tina whipped her head around to look at Hildie. “No. I'm embarrassed because I should have been more careful, more responsible. It's not as if I were a teenager.”

“From what Zachary told me, you were busy being an adult when you were a teenager. No time for impulsiveness or getting into trouble.”

“That still doesn't excuse—”

“Pardon me, Your Highlyness, but nobody's perfect. Even
princesses aren't perfect. You're just lucky Zachary was the man who got carried away with you. He's a good man,” she said. “And it's time he got past…” Hildie's voice trailed off and she sighed.

“Got past what?” Tina asked.

Hildie frowned. “It's not my place to say.”

Tina blinked, shocked that Hildie would consider any subject outside propriety. After all, Zach's housekeeper had freely given her opinions on underwear, pregnancy and marriage. What subject could possibly be so forbidden with Zach?

Glancing at Hildie's implacable expression, she felt a strange sense of forboding. What did she really know about Zachary Logan? Had she made a mistake by coming here?

 

For the next two days, Tina didn't see Zach. Although she appreciated the opportunity for extra rest and quiet time, she felt frustrated about the lack of opportunity to get to know him better. After all, wasn't that part of the reason she'd come to his ranch?

Donning tennis shoes her sister had included in a package she'd sent her, along with a loose pair of jeans and blouse, she decided to go for a walk. The heat and humidity were already intense, even at nine thirty. Tina wished she'd risen early but knew she was still adjusting to the change in time zones. Pregnancy exacerbated her jet lag, but she felt herself getting stronger.

Spotting a barn with a fenced pasture and a couple of horses, she walked toward it. When she was a teenager, Tina had loved horseback riding. Unfortunately she'd had little time for it once she'd left for college.

She walked into the cool barn and peeked into the stalls. Two quarter horses roomed next to each other, then a gorgeous palomino and black gelding. She wandered toward the
pasture and saw a tall, slim, dark-haired woman talking to a colt. The young horse's ears twitched.

Curious, Tina continued to watch in silence.

The woman must have felt her presence, however, because she turned to look at her. “Hello, I'm working with Samson right now. There's no other riding.”

Surprised and impressed at the woman's assertiveness, Tina shook her head. “I wasn't planning to ride,” she said. “I'm a guest of Mr. Logan's and I was just taking a walk. Pardon me, I didn't mean to intrude.”

The woman nodded. “No problem. You can watch if you like. This colt of Zach's is a little ornery, so I'm working with him.”

Tina watched as the woman led the colt in a series of walking and stopping around the corral. Constantly cooing, she put a saddle on the colt. He gave a half-beat of a pause then allowed her to lead him again around the corral.

She gave the young horse an apple and praised him effusively then returned him to his stall, which was waiting with fresh oats and water.

Finally, she turned to Tina. “I'm Eve, Hildie's niece,” she said.

Tina nodded and extended her hand. “I'm Tina. Hildie has talked about you. She's so proud of you,” she said.

Eve nodded, giving a self-conscious smile as she shook Tina's hand. “Hildie's wonderful, but she's a little over the top sometimes.”

“In your case, it's over the top in a good way,” Tina said.

“Ah,” Eve said. “You've obviously spent enough time with her to understand her.”

“It didn't take long. She definitely speaks her mind,” Tina said.

Eve laughed. “That's an understatement. How do you know Zach?”

“Mutual friends,” she said. “I met him several months ago. I could have sworn Hildie told me that you worked for an international hotel chain as a regional manager.”

“That's right,” Eve said. “This is my fun time. My day off. I used to do more training and Zach made me promise that I would always come back in case he had any problems. Samson here is a problem.”

“How did he wrangle that agreement out of you?”

“Paid for all my education that wasn't covered by scholarships,” she said then shrugged. “But I don't mind. I really do enjoy my time with horses. They're lots more fun than corporate meetings.” She glanced over her back at the stalls. “I should have asked after I finished with Samson. Do you ride? Would you like to ride today? Candy's a nice ride—”

“No, that's okay,” Tina said. “I ride, but it's been a while….”