Royal Holiday Baby (6 page)

“She's not riding,” Zach said from the other end of the barn.

Her heart jumping in her chest, Tina whipped her head around to stare at him. He wore jeans, a T-shirt, a hat, a pair of boots and a frown.

“I wasn't planning on riding,” Tina said defensively. “I was just exploring.”

“Just don't get into trouble,” he said.

Tina frowned. “What kind of trouble? I'm just walking around
your
ranch. I can't stay cooped up in the house forever.”

“I guess not,” he said as he moved toward her. “Hildie told me you went for a walk.”

“Why doesn't that surprise me?” Tina murmured.

“And a good morning to you,” Eve said. “Samson's making progress.”

Zach nodded. “Good to know,” he said. “I hope he hasn't been too much of a pain in the butt.”

“No more than his owner,” Eve said.

Zach shot her a withering glance. “Anyone ever tell you that you look like your aunt?”

“Bite me,” Eve said and turned her back to him.

“How's the job going?” he asked.

“It's going,” she said. “I don't love it. I don't hate it.”

“Just haven't found what you're looking for,” he said.

“It pays well,” she said over her shoulder. “That's good enough for me. And, hey, don't be so hard on your visitor. She's polite, which is more than you can say about yourself.” She stomped out of the barn.

Feeling Zach's gaze on her, Tina wondered about the relationship between Zach and Eve. Antagonistic, yet vaguely caring.

“Don't even think about riding a horse,” he said.

“I didn't,” she said. “In more than a fictional sense,” she added, seeing a flash of alarm on his face. “When I walked into the barn, I remembered how much I enjoyed riding. How much I missed it, but now isn't the time to—”

“Exactly,” he said in a crisp tone. “Now is not the time to start this particular hobby again. It's too dangerous for you and the baby.”

She saw a darkness deepen in his eyes and wondered where that originated. She thought about what Hildie had said to her. She thought about how much she didn't know about him.

Lifting her chin, she narrowed her eyes at him. “Part of the reason I came here was because you and I should get to know each other because you're the father of my child. We need to start that process. I'm not going to be here forever.”

“You're not,” he said, lifting a dark brow. “Is there somewhere you'd rather be?” he asked.

The south of France, a small town in Italy, a Greek island.
Somewhere she could rest, somewhere she wouldn't have to
answer to her brother, somewhere she could plan her and her baby's future. Somewhere she could disappear for a while. At the moment, Zach's ranch was perfect. That would change as soon as the paparazzi showed up.

“I haven't had time to make plans,” she said. “I need to figure out what's best for my child and for me.”

“Is it not best for your child to have access to his or her father?” he challenged.

“In most circumstances, that would be best,” she conceded. “But the longer I stay here, the more I realize I don't know that much about you.”

He lifted his lips in a dangerous grin. “Are you afraid I'm a bad influence?”

Her heart fluttered at the bad boy expression on his face, but she refused to give in to his charm. “As you Americans would say, the jury is out. I need to know more. You haven't been around much.” She couldn't resist a wicked urge to goad. “Do I frighten you?”

Flames lit his eyes and he held her gaze as he moved closer to her. “Frighten?” he echoed in a low, deliberate voice.

She felt a twist of fear wrench through her, but she refused to give in to it. She gave the shrug that had been bred into her through generations of royals. “What else should I think?”

Stepping closer, close enough to lower his mouth to hers, he continued to hold her gaze as he gave a husky laugh. “I was giving you some space,” he said. “If you're sure you're ready to take me on, I'm here, Princess.”

Her stomach dipped at the sensual attraction echoing from him to her and back again. She cleared her throat. “Perhaps after you're finished for the day,” she suggested.

“Dinner,” he said. “I'll have Hildie fix something for us. We can have dinner in my suite so we won't be interrupted.”

Her heart fluttered. “I'm not sure that would be a good
idea,” she said, feeling a strong urge to back track, but trying to hold firm.

“Do you need a chaperone?” he challenged.

She stifled her protests. “Of course not,” she said. “I'll see you tonight.”

Z
ach sat across from Tina in what she assumed was the outer room of his bedroom suite. Although the door was closed, she couldn't help feeling curious about what his bedroom looked like. She wondered if she could learn more about him by seeing more of his most personal space.

This room appeared to offer a combination of business and pleasure. They sat at a small dark wood table by one of the large bay windows. The view featured rolling hills of land that stretched as far as the eye could see. It occurred to Tina, that in a way, Zach could survey his kingdom from this window every day.

On the other side of the room sat a large desk with a flat-screen monitor, computer and other electronic equipment. In the center of the room, a plush brown leather sofa sat across from a flat wide-screen TV mounted on the wall.

“Missing the palace?” Zach asked as he stabbed a bite of steak.

“Not really,” she said.

He lifted an eyebrow in doubt. “You sure about that? I wondered if this place might seem a little rustic in comparison.”

“Well, it's not full of French antiques and the floors aren't marble, but it's far from rustic. You need to remember that I lived in Texas while I went to college. My first two years, I stayed in a dormitory. Not exactly the lap of luxury.”

“True enough,” he said.

“Plus, I've traveled all over the world and have stayed in places without air conditioning or with limited heat and water.” She frowned. “I'm not a total sissy.”

He paused, surprise glinting in his eyes, then he gave a low laugh. “Okay,” he conceded. “No sissies in this room.”

Mollified, she relaxed slightly and picked at her food. “I have enjoyed the quiet,” she said. “And the lack of paparazzi has been wonderful, although I'm sure that won't last when they find out where I am.”

“They already know,” he said. “I've closed the gates and put a couple of men with rifles at the edge of my property.”

“Really? I had no idea.”

“No need for you to know. You're recovering and—” He shrugged. “Gestating. Those Europeans back off when they've got a rifle pointed in their direction.”

“I'm not really that fragile,” she protested.

“Hey, you just said it was great to get a break from the paparazzi.”

“True,” she said and took a bite. The steak was delicious, but her appetite had been iffy lately. She took a sip of water to wash the bite down and studied the hard planes of Zach's face. There was so much she didn't know about him.

“Well, I suppose this is a good time for us to get to know each other better. Although, you could do an internet search on me and find out quite a bit,” she added wryly.

“Yeah, age, education, pedigree. Gossip about potential marriage partners.”

“Trust me, that was only gossip. Only speculation. At one time, my brother was hoping I would accept a proposal from—” She broke off, remembering she should keep that information private, at least for the time being.

“From who?” he prompted.

“State business,” she said. “My brother would consider it confidential.”

“And you?” he asked. “What would you consider it?”

“Horrifying,” she said. “Impossible.”

He chuckled and lifted his beer to his lips. “I can see why it didn't work out.”

“Well, enough about me. What about you? Any former loves in your past?”

A shadow crossed over Zach's face, and his expression immediately closed. “I don't discuss that part of my past. You want to know about my sister and brother, my business, my ranch, I'll tell you everything you want to know.”

“But—” she said. “You just asked about mine.”

“I wanted to know if there is anyone else in the picture with you. I can tell you I'm not seeing anyone. That's all you need to know.”

Frustrated, stymied, she stared at him. “How am I to know what kind of father you would be?”

“I can ask the same question. How do I know what kind of mother you would be?” he countered.

“Well, that's different,” she said, flustered by how he'd turned the tables on her. “You know I'd already begun to make plans to take care of the baby, to raise the child on my own.”

“Without letting the child know about the father,” he said, a bit of steel slipping into his voice.

“Yes, but I already explained why. It was a one-night stand. It didn't seem fair to hold you responsible.”

“Well, there's where you're wrong. I never back down from my responsibilities.”

“I can see how you would feel that way,” she conceded. “But what I really want to know is your attitude toward children. What are your thoughts about raising them?”

“Children are to be nurtured and protected. I don't believe in raising a hand against a child. There are other ways to teach them, if that's what you're asking. I will be involved with this child,” he said. “You can count on it. And if you really want to know what I think about raising a child, I think the parents should do it together,” he said, his gaze meeting hers dead-on. “As husband and wife.”

Tina's stomach clenched. “Of course, that doesn't apply to us,” she said.

He took a slow swallow from his beer and she couldn't help watching his throat work. The sight was surprisingly sensual. Her thoughts caught her off guard.

“Yet,” he said and set down his glass.

Shock raced through her and she couldn't keep her eyes from rounding. “Oh, no. You can't be serious,” she said. “You don't really think you and I should—” She shook her head.

“Get married,” he finished for her and she marveled at how easily the words slid off his tongue. He didn't appear the least bit troubled by the prospect.

“We don't even know each other,” she said, desperation growing inside her. “We don't even know if we like each other.”

“We can take some time to find out,” he said. “You're early in your pregnancy.”

Alarm buttons went off inside her brain and Tina stood. “I'm sorry, but I hope I haven't misled you into believing I have any intention of marrying you. I agree that it's a good
idea for us to know each other, but—” She shook her head, her throat closing at the very thought.

He stood and reached for her hand. “Stop panicking. We don't do shotgun weddings around her anymore. Well, not often,” he amended with a rough chuckle. “I'm not going to force you to do anything. But don't you think our baby deserves to know that we explored the option of marriage? Years from now, when our child asks why we're not married, and he or she will. You can count on it. Don't you want to know, in your heart of hearts that you have tried to give your child everything they could want? Including an on-site father?”

Her heart still frozen in her chest, she bit her lip.

“Breathe,” he said.

She forced herself to do as he said. She shook her head and closed her eyes. “Since I found out I was pregnant, I always pictured myself as a single mother, handling this by myself,” she whispered.

“Paint a different picture,” he said.

She opened her eyes and looked into his.

“One with me in it,” he said. “Because whether we get married or not, you're not doing this alone.”

 

The next morning, Zach rose early and drove his jeep out to a fence that needed to be repaired. He stripped down to his T-shirt and got down to work with the sun blazing down on him.

The menial work usually soothed him, but today he couldn't help thinking about Tina. He wondered if he had scared her away. He wondered if she would still be there when he arrived home today.

Couldn't worry about that, he told himself as he strung new wire to fix the fence. He hadn't been deceptive, he'd been
real. She would have to choose her course based on what he'd told her and her own thoughts.

He couldn't blame her hesitance. After all, she was a princess. He would never have bedded her if he'd known. That said, she'd bedded him knowing he was a rancher/businessman. What did that say about her?

He liked that she wasn't prejudiced. Despite his pride, he liked that she was determined to vet him. He wished she wasn't so determined
not
to marry him.
That
struck at his pride. What did she find so offensive about him?

He worked nonstop until lunch and finally glanced at his watch. Pulling a bottle of water from his backpack in the car, he noticed a car coming toward him. He squinted his eyes, trying to recognize the driver.

At first, he thought it was Hildie as he identified her car. The car screeched to a stop in front of him and a brunette exited the vehicle with a basket. He immediately identified Tina.

“What are you doing here?” he asked as she walked toward him.

“Bringing lunch,” she said. “Hildie told me you're awful about taking a break.”

“Hildie's a tattletale,” Zach said with a scowl.

“But she tells the truth,” Tina said, looking around. “Is there any shade around here?”

“The car is the best bet,” he said. “Did you have the AC on during your drive?”

Tina laughed. “In this heat? Of course.”

“Good,” he said. “Part of surviving our Texas heat is relying on air-conditioning. Don't try to tough it out.”

She glanced at his sweat-stained T-shirt. “Looks like you toughed it out. Hope you want a sandwich.”

“I'm in,” he said, surprised and pleased that she'd found
her way to him. He walked to the car and got inside. “How did you find me?”

“Hildie gave me directions and I have a GPS,” she said. “It's an amazing tool. My sister sent me a box with some of my clothes, laptop and other stuff. I'd recently bought a GPS.”

“I'm impressed,” he said. “I wouldn't have thought a princess would have driven on dirt roads to deliver a sandwich.”

She gave him a withering glance. “You clearly need to revise your ideas of what a princess does and doesn't do.”

He accepted the sandwich she gave him and took a bite. “Touché,” he said after he swallowed.

She took a sip of her water and studied his face. “What made you fix the fence? That task is pretty low on the totem pole.”

He shrugged. “I have a ranch manager and I sometimes do the menial stuff to free him up to stay on top of other tasks. I also often have to go into Dallas for our other companies, so I can't commit to ranch duty all the time.”

“You sound like a busy man,” she said.

“I'm lucky to have several successful businesses,” he said with a shrug of his powerful shoulders that distracted her.

She shook her head. “I don't know how you do everything,” she said.

“You do what you need to do to get the job done,” he said and remembered what he'd learned about how much of the load Tina had carried for the rest of her family. “Maybe you do know what that's about.”

Seeing the light of recognition in her eyes, he felt his gut lift a little. “I'm just about finished here. If you like I can take you for a tour of the ranch when I'm done.”

“I'd like a tour of your kingdom,” she said with a smile that flashed a dimple at him.

He couldn't help grinning in return. “Kingdom?” he echoed. “That's a pretty term for a few acres of scrub and brush.”

She shot him a look of disbelief. “You're doing that thing Americans do so well,” she said. “Understate. Play humble.”

“No play,” he retorted. “I'm humble.”

She gave a low, not-quite-ladylike chuckle that got under his skin. “And I'm a runway model.”

“You could be. With your body,” he said.

Her eyes widened in astonishment. He liked that he'd taken her by surprise.

“You are full of—” She took a breath and her lips twitched. “Flattery.”

“Not really,” he said. “Meet me back at the house.”

“I'd rather watch you finish the job,” she said.

He felt a forbidden thrill at the idea that the princess wanted to watch him flex his muscles. He wanted to flex a lot more with her. “Go right ahead,” he said and stepped out of the car.

Deciding to give her a show worth watching, he stripped off his shirt and finished the repair job. Fifteen more minutes and he was done. He sucked down the rest of his bottle of water.

Strolling to the driver's side of her car, he tapped on the window. “Did I do an okay job?” he asked.

She pressed the button to lower the window and shot him a look of grudging appreciation. “You should leave your shirt on,” she said. “It protects you from the sun.”

“Are you saying you don't like my body?”

She gave a huff of impatience. “You're insufferable and not at all humble.”

Zach chuckled. “You still want to see the ranch?” he asked.

“Yes. I'll meet you at the house,” she said and the window slid upward. Seconds later, she spun away, leaving him in her dust. Her speed made him a little nervous, though he wouldn't tell her that. Winning over a princess wasn't going to be the easiest job he'd undertaken, but he was determined.

 

Zach grabbed a quick shower after he returned to the house and Tina took the apples and bottles of water Hildie offered. Zach descended the stairs with damp hair and wearing fresh clothes.

Her heart stuttered at the sight of him so strong, carrying his muscular frame with confident ease. He was so different than every other man she'd ever had in her life. He wasn't at all intimidated by her position, but he also seemed to respect her as a person. He was protective, but he hadn't forced her into anything. True, he'd pretty much told her he wanted them to get married, and she'd nearly lost her dinner afterward.

The truth was he still hadn't tried to force her. He'd just stated his case and let the truth sit between them. Terrifying, but in many ways, valid. Too valid.