Snowed In With The Prince (Forest Grove Series Book 1)

by E. C. Fountain

  “I don’t like where I think this may be going.”

  Genevieve looked down at her hands. “You apparently catch on faster than I do. I decided one weekend that I would surprise him. I searched for his home address online, you know, so I didn’t ruin the surprise.” She paused. “Imagine my surprise when his wife answered the door.”

  Gabe winced. “Oh, Gen... are you serious?”

  She blinked back tears. “Yeah, unfortunately I am.” She shrugged her shoulders. “So, basically my dream guy was a complete fraud. He had a wife and a kid.” She looked away. “And I had been looking at wedding dresses.” There’s the look. That pitying look everyone gives me. Genevieve hung her head. "Don't look at me like that."

  "Look at you like what?”

  "Like you feel sorry for me."

  "I do feel sorry for you, and I really want to punch that guy in the face. Who does that to someone?"

  "Apparently he does." She pursed her lips. “Of course, he had this long drawn out story about how his marriage was over, and he just didn’t have the means to leave his wife yet.” She rolled her eyes. “How stupid did he really think I was? Like I would be with him after that?” She paced the floor. “I'm over him. I'm just not over the shame and embarrassment of what happened. To top it off, I went around bragging to everyone in town about my sweet, loving boyfriend that I thought I would marry. I should have just taken out a notice in the paper rather than having to constantly explain to everyone what happened."

  "I'm so sorry that happened to you. I think you win the crappiest relationship award." He frowned. "I guess the worst breakup I had was when my girlfriend of over a year dumped me because I said I might not want to take over the family business."

  “Are you serious?”

  "Yeah, pretty shallow. But she was a pretty shallow girl, and I was too stupid to see it.”

  "You aren’t stupid. Love makes us blind sometimes."

  He nodded in approval. “That’s the funny thing. I’m not even really sure I loved her. I think I just wanted to believe that she really loved me.”

  “Everyone wants to feel loved and needed. I think that’s why we often settle for less." She placed her hand on his briefly. His fingers laced with hers.

  "You have no reason to be ashamed. He should be ashamed of himself. I hope his wife kicked him to the curb.”

  She laughed. “I hope so too.”

  "If there's one thing I learned from my business, it's that today's headline is usually forgotten by tomorrow. Even though this was big news for the town, everyone will forget soon. I’m sure most people are more concerned about your feelings than the actual situation.”

  "I hope you’re right. Sounds like you’ve had a lot of drama for a shipping company.”

  He chuckled. "You wouldn't believe it."

  The wind howled outside. Even with the fire burning, the outside chill was creeping in now that the power was off. She shivered.

  Gabe smiled at her. “Do you think it would be okay if we sleep close?” He gave her a devilish look. “Don’t want us to get frostbite or something.”

  She smirked. “I think that would be all right. Just for tonight.”

  Gabe curled around her. She fit against him perfectly. She listened until his breathing was smooth and even, indicating that he’d fallen asleep. It was only then that she allowed herself to drift off. For the first time in a long time, she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

  Chapter 11

  Gabe woke up to sun streaming in the window. He eased his arm out from under Genevieve's shoulder and crept quietly to the window. The world sparkled white as far as the eye could see. He smiled. We made it. Before too long, the road would be plowed, and they could get out of the cabin. He glanced at Genevieve. She looked peaceful, still curled up on her side. I’m no better than Jeffrey. He’d led her to believe he was the owner of a shipping company. She had no idea that he was the Prince of Delnovia. Why didn’t I just tell her last night? I had the opportunity.

  He padded to the kitchen and poured a glass of orange juice. He flicked the light switch for good measure but still no power. He wanted to tell her the truth. But will she believe me? And if she does, will she hate me for lying to her? The bedroom door opened. He turned to see her standing there with ruffled hair and sleepy eyes.

  "Good morning." She yawned. "Looks like it stopped snowing."

  "Good morning. I think we are in good shape. Looks like the storm wasn’t as bad as they thought. Now we just wait for the roads to clear, and the power to come back on.” He sipped his juice. “Did you sleep all right?"

  She smiled shyly. “Very good." She blushed. "Thank you for last night. For listening and well... just being there."

  He couldn’t make eye contact with her. I’m lying to her too. “You're welcome. I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me what happened."

  She sat down on the sofa and wrapped a plaid throw around her. "I guess so much for coffee this morning, huh?"

  He raised his glass of orange juice. "No coffee, but orange juice, if you want some."

  “I would love some." He poured her a glass of the orange juice they’d squeezed the night before in preparation for the power being out. He handed her the glass and sat down beside her on the sofa. "I really enjoyed you being here. It would've been so lonely without you.” She smiled her radiant smile. His heart fluttered.

  "I'm glad I was here, too." Genevieve looked at him with those big brown eyes, and Gabe leaned forward. His pulse beat in his ears. He touched her cheek; his thumb stroked the hollow of her neck. She tilted her head back, looking up at him with slightly parted lips. He hesitated only a moment before pressing his lips to hers. Kissing her felt easy, as if they’d done it a million times before. He ran his hands through her long dark hair and breathed in the smell of peaches from her shampoo. Pulling her closer, Gabe deepened the kiss, until she placed a hand on his chest and pulled back.

  “That was a bit of a surprise." Genevieve smiled. "But a good surprise."

  “Yes, a very good surprise.” He tried to clear his head. He took a deep breath. Now, if only I could tell her the truth without her hating me for lying. He took her hand in his. “Looks like we’ve got a while before we can go anywhere. How about I fix us a fancy breakfast of granola bars and apples?”

  Genevieve laughed. “So fancy.” She squeezed his hand. “Sounds good. And after breakfast, if you’re really nice, I might let you challenge me to a rematch of gin rummy. You know, so you can redeem yourself.”

  “Redeem myself?” He rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I think you may have cheated yesterday.”

  She threw her hands up in the air. “Cheated? I didn’t even have to think about cheating because you are so bad at the game.”

  Gabe smirked. “I just let you win. Trying to be a gentleman and all that.”

  Genevieve’s face reddened. “If you let me win, I...” She stopped. “You are such a liar.” She swatted his arm. “Why don’t you fix my breakfast, and then we’ll see who wins again?”

  She turned and walked back to the bedroom. She thinks I’m lying about a card game. What am I going to do when she finds out that I’m lying about who I am?

  Chapter 12

  Genevieve proved that she was by far the better card player beating Gabe handily in five games. After a lunch of sandwiches, Gabe threw a few more logs on the fire. “I keep thinking we’ll see the snowplow,” he said.

  “It may take a while for them to work their way up here. I’m sure they started downtown and worked up the mountain.” That means my house and the library will be clear. Maybe the power will be back on by the time I get home.

  “I’m so glad the storm wasn’t as bad as they thought.”

  “Me too. I wonder if it was moving faster than the meteorologist expected, since it came in much earlier that afternoon instead of at night.”

  “Maybe so.” Gabe smiled. “I’m glad it did though, or you wouldn’t have landed at my doorstep.”

  She grinned
. “You need to put a shirt on when you answer the door. That’s a good way to get sick.”

  He leaned over and lightly kissed her lips. “You liked it.” Genevieve laughed and pressed her lips to his again. A wave of warmth washed over her. She ran her fingers through the soft dark hair at the back of his neck. I could do this forever. The thought scared her. She pulled back, wiping a hand over her mouth. “I, umm, I better get dressed to go outside, so I’ll be ready when the roads clear.”

  “Yeah, okay.” He gestured toward the bathroom. “Take your time. I may take a little nap, anyway.”

  Genevieve retreated to the bathroom with her overnight bag. She looked in the mirror. I need to back off. I said after Jeffrey that I was done with men. She splashed her face with water. But he’s so handsome and nice. Maybe this could really be something. She put on the same outfit she’d had on the day she arrived and spent some time trying to make her hair look decent. When she opened the bathroom door, just as he’d said, Gabe was curled up on the bed napping. He looked so peaceful. Genevieve just looked at him for a while before tiptoeing out to the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of water and a magazine from the coffee table to read. A dull roar outside caught her attention. A snowplow. Looks like I will be out of here in no time. She couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing.

  Chapter 13

  Genevieve waved to Gabe as she pulled her car away from Bramblewood. The roads were finally clear enough for her to make her way down the mountain back home. Her mind went back to the events of the nights before. She’d had so much fun with him cooking and preparing for the storm. And cuddling throughout the night... well, that was just perfect. The only thing better was the kiss that morning. She sighed. So, what now? I don’t know what he wants or even how long he will be in town.

  As soon as she got cellphone service, she called Tilly to check on her.

  “Hello?” Tilly sneezed loudly in her ear.

  “Tilly? You okay?”

  “Gen! I’m so glad to hear from you. I tried calling you several times last night, but you must not have had service. I was so nervous that you didn’t make it home. I called the police to see if they could patrol all the way up here, but they said they couldn’t get up the mountain for the storm.”

  “Yeah, I’m okay. Boy, do I have a story for you.” She filled Tilly in on all the details of the night before.

  “So, you kissed?” Tilly squealed. “You lucky duck. He is so dreamy.”

  “You think so?” She smiled. I think he’s pretty dreamy too.

  “Heck, yes. I’m so excited for you. So what do you think will happen next?”

  “I have no idea. I don’t know how long he will be in town. He runs his family’s company. Sounds like he’s traveled a lot for that. I’m sure we are just a stop on the road for him.”

  “Not necessarily. I mean, he’s renting a cottage here. Not staying in a hotel or something.”

  “True. I don’t know, Til. I like him. A lot. But after Jeffrey...”

  “Forget Jeffrey. He was a jerk. Wait. Jerk is too weak of a word. He was scum. That wasn’t your fault. It could have happened to anyone.”

  “I don’t know about that. I’m too trusting.”

  “Well, now you aren’t trusting anyone, and you might miss out on an amazing person if you judge everybody by Jeffrey.”

  Genevieve sighed. Tilly’s right. I’ll have to try to move past that. Not everyone is a lying, cheating pig.

  “I know you’re right. Look, I’m about to pull up at the house. Call me tomorrow, okay? And get some more rest.”

  “I will.” Tilly sneezed again. “Don’t worry. I’m not moving for the rest of the day.”

  * * *

  Gabe flipped his phone back and forth in his hands. Should I call her? I want to see her. I need to tell her the truth about who I am. He punched in her number, which he’d gotten before she’d left that morning.

  “Hello?” She sounded sleepy.

  “Genevieve?” He paused. “It’s Gabe. Did I wake you?”

  “Gabe, hi. No, you didn’t wake me. I was just catching up on some television shows.”

  “I know you haven’t been gone that long, but I....well, I miss you. I wanted to see if I could see you again?”

  “Sure. Of course. When?”

  He hoped that was excitement that he heard in her voice. “Tonight?”

  “Tonight? Ummm... okay. Yeah, that would be great. I don’t know if there is much to do in town since a lot of the businesses are still closed.”

  “That’s okay. How about we just hang out? I can make you a grilled cheese.”

  She laughed at that. “Fancy. Sure, sounds good. How about you come over around six?”

  “See you then.”

  * * *

  On the drive to her house, he’d rehearsed his speech again. I didn’t plan to let anyone know who I was. I panicked when you told me about Jeffrey and that I should have admitted the truth then. He took a deep breath. She’ll forgive me. She has to.

  Gabe straightened his shirt as he stepped out of the pickup truck in Genevieve’s driveway. He carried the plastic bag that contained a loaf of bread, butter, and cheese. He knocked on the door, shifting back and forth, trying to calm his nerves.

  She opened the door and greeted him with a bright smile. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” He wrapped her in a big hug, circling her small waist with his arms. He lightly kissed her cheek. His pulse hummed being so close to her.

  She giggled. “Come in from the cold.”

  Her house was her style. The small brick bungalow was decorated in soft, warm colors. Books were piled up everywhere- on shelves, end tables, corners of the room. A fire glowed in the living room, giving the whole place a cozy warmth. His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he hit the silence button without even pulling it out of his pocket.

  “I love your place.” He held up the bag. “Dinner awaits. Show me to my workspace.” They laughed, as she directed him to the kitchen.

  He made up two grilled cheeses, while she poured two glasses of wine. She’d set the table with pretty white plates and blue cloth napkins. His phone vibrated again, but he continued to ignore it. Whatever it was could wait until he was back home alone. Right now, he wanted to focus on Genevieve and get this business of telling her who he really is over.

  He bit into the sandwich. Cheese oozed out, making him work to catch it in his mouth. “Not too shabby.”

  Genevieve bit into her sandwich, nodding in agreement. She sipped her wine, then tipped her head to the side. “I have to say it surprised me you called so quickly.”

  “Was that a good surprise?”

  “Yes, of course.” They finished their meal then retreated to the living room. They sat facing each other on the sofa, a blanket draped over their legs. Gabe ignored his buzzing phone. It buzzed again.

  Genevieve gestured toward his phone. “Do you need to get that?”

  “No, whoever it is can wait.” He leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. He breathed her in and let himself get lost in her. A sharp knock on the door made him pull back.

  “Is someone at the door?”

  Genevieve waved a hand in the air. “Whoever it is can wait. At least for another minute.” She kissed him again before getting up to answer the door. Gabe leaned back and sipped his wine.

  She leaned her head in the doorway. “Ummm... Gabe? It’s for you.” He turned to see Gerald, his father’s valet, staring back at him.

  Chapter 14

  “Gerald, what are you doing here?” Gabe scowled. “How did you find me?”

  “I’m sorry, sir.” He walked over to Gabe and leaned over to where only he could hear. “I had a tracking device placed on your truck, of course. For security purposes.”

  Gabe started to say something along the lines of this is why he had to leave Delnovia because there is absolutely no privacy, but Gerald cut him off.

  “It’s your father, sir. He’s been in an accident. You need to get back home as s
oon as possible.”

  His heart leaped in his chest. “Father? Is he all right?”

  “It’s critical, sir. The car carrying him to a meeting in Truance was sideswiped on your father’s side. We need you back in Delnovia.”

  “What about the monarchy? Am I now the acting king? What is to happen if he....”

  “Sir, maybe now is not the time...” Gerald glanced at Genevieve.

  Oh no. I completely forgot where I am. “Genevieve, I’m sorry I must go...”

  “Monarchy? King?” She frowned. “What in the world are you talking about, Gabe?”

  “It’s a really long story. I must go now. I’m so sorry. I will call you as soon as I can.”

  He kissed her quickly on the cheek and raced off with Gerald.

  * * *

  Genevieve sipped a cup of tea, trying to calm her racing mind. It had been eight hours since Gabe had left. She couldn’t sleep. All she could think about was what she’d heard. Who was Gabe Roberts? Who was that guy who knocked on the door? Obviously not who he said he was. Tears pricked her eyes. It’s happened again. What is wrong with me? Why do I keep falling for the wrong men? Tea sloshed out of the cup. She sat the cup down and clasped her shaking hands. She jumped when the phone rang. She glanced at it. Gabe.

  Genevieve cleared her throat and tried to sound natural, relaxed. “Hello?”

  “Hey, it’s Gabe.”

  He sounded strained and tired. Genevieve bit her nails and didn’t even admonish herself for it. “How’s your father?”

  She heard Gabe take a deep breath. “He just went in for a second surgery. I’m sorry I’m just now calling. There was so much going on... my mother... my mother is having a really hard time with this.”

  She wasn’t sure if it was the connection, but it sounded like his voice cracked. Her heart hurt for him and his family. “I’m sure she is. I’m so sorry about your father.”