скачать книгу бесплатно
Sarah smiled, her face creasing in a thousand wrinkles. “Well, thank you very much, your royalness.”
Coco laughed. “You know I’ll be changing a dirty diaper within thirty minutes.”
Sarah nodded. “You’re a good girl. You’re better than any princess—I’ll tell you that much. And you work magic with that baby. It’s no wonder Benjamin is willing to do almost anything to protect you. If you ever meet those royal people, you remember they’re not better than you. Hear me?”
Coco’s heart twisted and her throat swelled with emotion. “I hear you.”
“Good, and don’t forget what I said,” Sarah said.
* * *
Later that evening, Benjamin found Coco wading through the flowers and messages she’d received during the day. She pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and shook her head in frustration. “This is ridiculous,” she muttered.
He took a drink of water from his glass. “Long day? You didn’t have any visitors, did you?”
She shook her head and looked up at him. “No visitors. Just deliveries and the phone ringing off the hook. It’s these crazy requests. These men don’t even know me, but they’re asking for dates, offering to take me on trips. I feel like I need to put out a press release saying, I’m broke. You can stop calling now.”
Benjamin chuckled at her, but at the same time, he felt sorry for her. She hadn’t asked for any of this. He admired her for keeping her feet on the ground. Many women would have been demanding a tiara and breakfast in bed if they’d learned they had royal blood in them. But not Coco.
“You don’t have to answer them,” he said. “These offers you’re getting are completely unsolicited.”
“I know,” she said. “I just wish I wasn’t getting them at all.” She shrugged. “If I were engaged or married, these men wouldn’t be making all these offers.”
“True,” he said and his mind wandered to his assistant foreman, Jace. Jace would be more than happy to act as Coco’s love interest. He scowled at the thought.
“Why are you frowning?” she asked.
“Just thinking,” he said and took another drink of water. He walked to the other side of the room then walked back. It wouldn’t be a bad idea if Coco had someone looking out for her. She was a smart girl, but probably too sweet and trusting for her own good. If people knew they would have to deal with a protective man in her life, they might be less likely to try to take advantage of her.
He watched as Coco opened another card. She sighed.
He gave in to his curiosity. “What’s that one?”
“A mother wants money for her sick child,” she said, her voice miserable.
“It could be valid, but it may not be,” he said.
She looked at him in shock. “You mean, you think someone would lie about that?”
He nodded. “Oh, yeah. Especially in this situation.”
“That’s—that’s—horrible,” she said. “I mean, what if I were a real princess and I got these kinds of requests?
“They would be screened by your staff,” he said.
“I don’t have staff,” she said. “I am staff.” She opened another envelope attached to a bouquet of roses. “Oh, goody, another invitation. This one from David Gordan in Dallas inviting me to a Christmas ball?” She lifted her hands helplessly.
He frowned. The name rang a bell. “Let me see that,” he said and she handed him the typed note. “David Gordan. That’s my stockbroker’s son.” He shook his head. “This is out of control.” He sighed. “Well, damn. I guess I’m gonna have to be your fiancé.”
Coco dropped her jaw. “What?”
“It won’t be real,” he said quickly, as much for himself as for her. After the debacle of his relationship with Brooke, the idea of an engagement nearly gave him hives. “It’s just for the sake of appearances until the insanity dies down. This way it won’t look like you’re all alone and ready to have someone take advantage of you. If someone approaches you, they’ll have to deal with me, too.”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “I’m stronger than I seem,” she said.
“I know you’re strong. After what you went through for your mom and helping Emma to settle down, I know you’re strong. But it’s gotta be damn tiring to feel like you’ve always got to be on guard.”
Coco sighed and her shoulders slumped. “You’re right about that.” She met his gaze with a wince. “Are you sure you don’t mind doing this?”
“It’s just for a little while,” he said. “You mentioned that a fiancé would fix things a few minutes ago. I had to run it through my brain. It seems like the right thing to do.”
She gave a slow nod and bit her lip. “Hmm. But it would cut into your dating time,” she ventured.
He laughed. “That’s not a big focus at the moment,” he said.
“It would be a huge relief for me,” she admitted. “If you’re sure you don’t mind. And we’ll break it off the second you feel inconvenienced,” she said with a firm nod.
“All right,” he said. “I’ll give Sarah the news in the morning. Should be all over the country by lunchtime.”
Her lips twitched. “She seems pretty discreet to me.”
“Trust me, if I tell her that she can share the information, she’ll take off like a runaway horse. And she will love having this kind of scoop.”
“Are you going to tell her the truth?”
He shook his head. “No one except you and I can know the truth. That’s the only way it will work.”
Coco took a deep breath and squished her eyes together as if she was preparing to take a jump into deep water. “Okay,” she said and opened her eyes. “Let’s do it.”
* * *
Two days later, Benjamin, Emma and Coco boarded a flight with a connection in England that would land in Chantaine. Coco was so anxious that she feared she would explode during the flight. Plus she was hyperaware of Benjamin now that they were supposedly engaged. She noticed that he treated her a little differently in front of people. Even in front of Sarah, he’d touched her arm and put his hand at her waist a couple of times. It had caught her off guard, but she realized they needed to appear as if they were romantically involved. She hadn’t considered that when he’d offered to be her fiancé.
Coco had thought Benjamin was attractive before the engagement thing, but she’d pushed it aside and focused on Emma’s adjustment. She would have to be blind to be totally immune to his tall, wide-shouldered frame and rugged masculine features. Now she was going to have to work twice as hard not to give in to her attraction to him. The fact that she’d been sitting mere inches away from him for hours wasn’t helping her, either.
“Go to sleep,” he said, cracking open one of his eyes.
“But Emma,” she said, even though the baby was so deep in sleep she was drooling on Coco’s sweater.
“She’ll let us know if she wants something. Here,” he said, extending his arms. “I’ll take her.”
Emma was out, so she probably wouldn’t wake up even with the transition.
“Come on,” he said. “You’re wound way too tight. You need to close your eyes for a few moments.”
Coco gingerly handed the baby to Benjamin, and saw that Emma barely stirred. She nestled against her daddy’s chest and gave a soft baby sigh. The sight made Coco smile. “Maybe something good will come of this trip after all,” she said.
“Go to—”
“Okay, okay,” Coco said. “I’ll rest my eyes, but I won’t fall asleep.”
One moment she was thinking about Benjamin. Then next she was thinking about meeting her half brothers and half sisters. The next moment, she heard a baby babbling. Blinking her eyes, she glanced over at Benjamin. Emma, who was sitting on his lap, was having a baby conversation with him.
Shaking off her sleep, Coco stretched and smoothed over her hair. “How long was I asleep?”
He glanced at his wristwatch. “About two hours,” he said.
“You’re joking,” she said.
“Nope,” he said. “Emma woke up and started screaming bloody murder, so I had to walk her up and down the aisle.”
Chagrined, she bit her lip. “And I slept through her screaming?”
“No,” he said and his mouth stretched into a sly grin. “I was joking about that part, but I did walk her up and down the aisle a few times. She’s gonna be a talker, isn’t she?”
“I think so,” Coco said, smiling at Emma and him. “I’ll change her diaper. I’m sure she’s due.”
An hour later, they landed in Heathrow and grabbed a bite to eat. Soon enough, it was time to board the flight for Chantaine. Coco’s nerves returned. She watched out the window as they drew close to the Chantaine airport. The island country was beautiful. The white sandy beach around the island was broken by jutting outcrops of rocks. The vivid blue of ocean contrasted sharply with the shore. She couldn’t believe that she was connected to the island in any way. As the jet managed a three-point landing, she felt herself swell with anticipation. Soon, very soon, she would meet her half brothers and half sisters.
Benjamin carried Emma as they departed the plane, and after they collected their luggage, they left the airport to find a limo waiting for them. Coco met Benjamin’s gaze. “Is this a big mistake?”
He chuckled. “We’ll find out.”
She smiled. “Thanks a lot.”
“You wanted to come here,” he pointed out.
“I know. I know,” she said.
“Just think of it as a nice vacation,” he said and leaned his head back against the seat.
“I’ll try,” she said and took a deep breath.
“Do you think they’ll like me?” she asked him.
“If they don’t, they’re nuts,” he said.
“Why?” she asked then shook her head. “Don’t answer that. I’m just being weird and insecure.”
“You’re a damn good woman—princess or not,” Benjamin said. “I’m not flattering you. Just telling the truth.”
“Thank you,” she said, but she was still nervous. “This is a little crazy.”
“Roll with it,” he told her. “When have you ever visited a Mediterranean island where the ruler was determined to meet and greet you?”
She took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll work on it. Our Emma sure was a good traveler, wasn’t she?” she said in a low voice.
“Yeah, we’ll see what happens tonight,” he said. “The time change could be hell for all of us.”
Coco was surprised when the limo drove past the palace gates. “I thought they would put us in a hotel outside the palace complex,” she said to Benjamin.
“You underestimated yourself,” he said.
She struggled with doubt. “We’ll see.”
Moments later, the chauffeur unloaded the luggage and carted it to a small villa with three bedrooms. Emma began to wake up as they stepped inside. Coco jiggled her as she walked into the villa.
The chauffeur guided her and Benjamin through the small building. “A cook is available to you. A nanny is available to you,” he said. “Whatever you need, just dial this code,” he said and wrote down a series of numbers. “Is there anything you need right now?” he asked.
Coco glanced at Benjamin.
“A few sandwiches would be nice,” he said. “We need a little rest. Don’t expect any of us to make an appearance before tomorrow.”
The chauffeur nodded. “As you wish, sir.”
The man left and Coco and Benjamin looked at the den of the villa. “This is nice,” she said.
“Not bad. And we have a cook and a nanny at our disposal,” Benjamin added.
“Yeah. Good luck with that nanny thing with Emma,” she said and jiggled Emma again.
“You never know,” he said. “She let me hold her for hours today.”
“True,” Coco said. “Sometimes babies grow and change when they visit different environments and have new experiences. So we’ll see. Let’s start with a blanket on the floor so she can stretch out and wiggle.”
“Works for me,” he said and pulled a blanket out of his backpack. He put it on the floor and she placed Emma on it. The baby immediately began to lift her head and feet. And wiggle. Emma made groaning sounds as if she were doing an aerobic workout.
“Go, girl,” Benjamin said.
Coco laughed at his low-voiced cheer. “I just hope she’ll expend enough energy to sleep in an hour or so.”
“If she doesn’t, we’ll take turns,” he said.
Coco wandered through the villa again, noticing the fine linens on the beds and in the bathrooms. “I’m surprised at how nice it is.”
“What did you think? They would put you in the dungeon?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “Well, maybe. After all, I’m the illegitimate spawn.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “I know this is strange for you, but you may as well roll with it. In the scheme of things, how many people get a call telling them their father was a ruling prince?”
“True,” she said. “I’ll work on it. Which bedroom do you want?”
“Any room where my dear daughter is not sleeping,” he said.
She laughed. “The good news is she can have her own bedroom and I brought monitors so we know if she’s crying.”
“Works for me. I could use a beer. You could use some wine. Let me see if I can find something for both of us,” he said and opened the refrigerator. “We’re in luck. German beer,” he said with a snicker. “White wine?” he asked her.
