Alejandro watched in a state of semi-shock as the woman he'd spent untold hours a week with for the past few years allowed herself to be led away. What in God's name had just happened? Who on earth was Robert Ashton? And, far more to the point, what had happened to the Graciela that he thought he knew so very well?
Chapter 3
"You missed a spot right there. No, to the left. Wait, just a bit to the right." Princess Josephine studied the fourteen-foot Christmas tree she was in charge of decorating. "Let me think for just a minute."
Graciela, who stood near the top of a twelve-foot ladder, looked down at the youngest Aidinovian princess. "Josephine, I might never have mentioned this before, but I'm not great with ladders. So, the sooner you decide exactly where you'd like this ornament, the happier I'll be."
"Okay. I'm thinking maybe we should take the crystal carousel horse from near the top and move it down to the middle. What do you think, Mr. Ashton?"
"I think that Graciela needs to be rescued." Robert, who'd been standing at the bottom of the ladder, climbed up three steps. "Hand over that poor, unfortunate horse and I'll re-home him."
Graciela glanced down, which she immediately regretted when her stomach dropped. "Robert, shouldn't you be holding the ladder?"
He laughed. "Don't worry, just hand me the horse."
This she happily did in the hopes that it would mean she'd be off the ladder that much sooner. Not that she wasn't grateful that Robert and Josephine had been keeping her company for the last two days. Although it hadn't been easy, she'd done everything she could to avoid spending time with Alejandro. Unfortunately, this meant missing outings with her friends, but it was the only way she could figure out to protect her heart and preserve her sanity. The fact that she missed him, well, that was something she was going to have to get used to.
"There," Robert said. "Check that horse, Princess, because Graciela and I are taking a break." He stepped down and held onto Graciela's arm as she followed suit.
"Thank you." She smiled her gratitude.
"My pleasure."
"Pardon the interruption," a voice called from just inside the doorway.
Startled, Graciela took a guilty step away from Robert. "Alejandro."
In lieu of an answer, he raised an eyebrow. "Might I have a moment alone with you, Graciela?"
Her mind raced for an excuse to avoid a private encounter, just as her traitorous heart began to race at the sight of him. Thankfully, Josephine provided interference. "But, Prince Alejandro, we're decorating the tree," she protested.
Alejandro looked down at the girl for a long second before he reached into his pocket, pulled out his cell phone, and handed it to her. He was willing to pay the price and buy some silence. "Fifteen minutes."
That was all it took for the young princess to skip out of the room, the fate of the dangling carousel horse already forgotten.
Graciela met Alejandro's gaze head on. His inscrutable expression she knew well. He was obviously upset. With her. She waited for him to speak first.
But it was Robert who broke through the tense silence. "Good afternoon, Your Highness. Are you here for our little tree trimming party?"
"No. It appears that you have that well in hand, Ashton."
"Call me Robert, please." He winked at Graciela. "It's not very formal where I'm from."
"Napa Valley? Is that correct?" Alejandro folded his arms across his chest.
"Very good, I see you've done your homework."
Graciela looked between the two men. They couldn't be more different. Robert's stance was relaxed, his tone of voice light-hearted. Alejandro, on the other hand, wore a scowl and his words were so clipped they were barely civil. She sighed. "Robert, would you be good enough to excuse us?"
"Of course." He leaned in and brushed a kiss lightly across her cheek. "Find me when you're ready to head into town for lunch." He nodded to Alejandro as he passed him. "Your Highness."
Alejandro's response was nothing more than a guttural sound.
Graciela waited until the door clicked closed before she spoke. "Really, Alejandro? That had to be the most miserable display of manners I've ever witnessed. Unless someone back home has died, or the winery has burned down, I can't think what would excuse such a lapse in common courtesy."
Alejandro closed the distance between them, stopping a few short feet in front of her. "I didn't come here for an etiquette lesson."
"Then why did you come?" Graciela stared into his eyes, wishing she would see longing or desire in them, but his emotions were too heavily guarded for even a glimpse into what he was feeling. Standing this close to him, without being able to touch him, or to tell him how she felt about him, was like putting her heart through an old-fashioned wringer. It hurt. "What do you want?"
He took a step forward until he was close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. The aroma of his aftershave, a gift she gave him every year at Christmas, stirred an all too familiar longing for his touch.
"I want to-” he hesitated, his eyes never leaving hers. "I want you to-"
Graciela longed to reach out and soothe his brow, to cup his face between her hands and kiss his forehead, anything to remove the anguish she saw in his eyes. But, of course, this was impossible. "What is it that you want from me, Alejandro?"
"I don't know."
His whispered words killed whatever tiny flicker of hope she'd kept alive within her heart. She turned to go but he reached out and held onto her arm.
"Wait."
But she shook her head. "No, Alejandro. I can't wait. Not any longer." And then, before whatever reservoir of strength she'd tapped into ran dry, she walked past him and out of the room. Out of his life.
"What on earth is the matter with you, Alejandro?" Phoebe Marlowe, Prince Eduardo's fiancée, set her coffee mug down with a decided thump. "You've been stalking around the palace like a tortured soul ever since you arrived. Unless you're rehearsing for a live action version of 'Beauty and the Beast' and you're getting into character, I'd like to know what's wrong."
Alejandro resisted the urge to scowl, knowing that one of his other friends would call him out on it. He looked from Simon to Helena, to Eduardo and then back at Phoebe. "I don't know what you're talking about."
A howl of laughter escaped Eduardo's lips. "Seriously, man?"
This time, Alejandro didn't bother to hide his vexation. He pushed away his coffee mug and stood. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be in the west tower sharpening my claws."
Prince Simon joined in Eduardo and Phoebe's laughter. But Helena, who sat next to him, reached up and laid a gentle hand on his arm. "Don't go, Alejandro. We just want to know if we can help with whatever's wrong."
Defeated, deflated, Alejandro sank back into his chair. "I don't know what's the matter with me."
"Might it have something to do with the fact that we haven't seen almost anything of Graciela this trip?" Phoebe asked. Although she was far more forthright than Helena by nature, she too appeared concerned. "What's going on?"
"A lover's spat?" Eduardo asked.
"We're not lovers," Alejandro all but growled. He heard how churlish he sounded, which wasn't at all fair to his friends. He knew that. Their only crime was expressing concern for him. Hardly a punishable offense.
"Maybe that's the problem," Simon said, his expression thoughtful. "That you're not lovers, I mean. Isn't it about time that you and Graciela stopped playing this game?"
"What game?" Alejandro glanced around the table, startled by the looks he was getting. "No, really, I don't know what you're talking about."
Phoebe leaned forward. "Let me help clarify things for you, then. I speak for all of us when I say that the attraction between you and Graciela is patently obvious."
"Well, she's an incredibly beautiful woman. Any man would be attracted to her."
"That's not what Phoebe's talking about," Helena said, her voice soft. "You love Graciela."
Alejandro was too stunned to immediately reply. He looked
at each of his friends in turn but it wasn't their faces he was seeing. Instead, a montage of the years he'd spent with Graciela played before his eyes. There had been such good times, he could see the sparkle in her eyes when they'd laughed together. There'd been sad times too, the image of himself at his father's funeral materialized in his mind. Graciela had quietly stood by his side throughout the memorial service, the funeral, and the ensuing days when his heart had ached. She'd been there. For him. She'd asked nothing in return. And, as much as the realization pained him, nothing was all he'd given her.
"I love her."
"Are you asking us or telling us?" Phoebe demanded.
"I'm telling you that I love Graciela. I think I have for a very long time."
Helena's eyes were moist but her smile was wide. "It's wonderful to hear you say it."
"How could I have been so blind?" For years now, his brother Luis had told him that he believed Graciela was the perfect woman for him. But he'd refused to entertain the thought.
Simon reached over and laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "What matters now is what you do with the knowledge."
Alejandro got to his feet but then sat right back down when a horrible thought struck him. "What if she doesn't care about me?"
Helena's laughter was not unkind. "Trust me, I don't think that's something you need to worry about. She's stood by your side all these years, hasn't she?"
That thought gave him heart. "You're right. It's not too late." But then a flash of their earlier conversation came back to him. 'No, Alejandro, I can't wait. Not any longer.' The hurt in her eyes had been clear for him to see. Even if he'd been blind to his own feelings, he wasn't to hers. But maybe it wasn't too late. "I have to go to her."
"Hold on, Alejandro. Where do you think you're going?" Phoebe asked.
"To find Graciela." He'd wasted enough time.
"What do you think this is, a romance novel? You're going to rush to Graciela's side and profess that you suddenly realize that you love her?" She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. "That's a bit much, don't you think?"
"I don't understand." He looked to Eduardo. "Can you translate?"
"Sit down." Eduardo waited until Alejandro did as he bid before he continued. "I think what my lovely fiancée is trying to say, is that if Graciela has been going out of her way to avoid you on this visit, it must mean she's hurt, and possibly vulnerable. Rushing to her side and pouring out how you feel might make you feel better, but what about how she feels?" He leaned forward and looked at his fiancée. "How did I do?"
Phoebe beamed. "I couldn't have said it better."
Alejandro turned to Simon, a man with a big heart and a level head. "What do I do?"
"You woo her. Gently and patiently. You put her feelings first," he replied.
A stab of shame ran through Alejandro as he realized he didn't know how to accomplish this. But for Graciela, he would find a way.
Chapter 4
Overnight a fine layer of powdery snow dusted the palace grounds. The effect was utterly charming. Graciela thought it gave the royal residence an even more fairy-tale appearance than usual.
"It's like something out of a storybook." She inhaled the crisp winter air, finding it a balm to her bruised spirit. "I love it."
"It's beautiful." Robert looked around. "I'll give you that." He stopped walking and dropped the ropes to the sleds he was dragging uphill. "Now where on earth is Josephine? Didn't she just tell us half an hour ago that she was going to burst into flames if she didn't get to go sledding?"
Graciela laughed. Robert wasn't exaggerating. Josephine had insisted that she couldn't possibly go on if she didn't go sledding. Hence the fact they were now on top of the hill looking down on the palace. "She was right behind us." She looked around but the girl was nowhere in sight.
"You know the Tollvi family far better than I do," her companion said. "What do you think the punishment will be for losing their youngest child?"
"Banishment from the kingdom, would be my guess."
Robert laughed aloud. Graciela appreciated his sense of humor and ready laughter. He was so easy to spend time with, so easy to like. This was the kind of man she should have fallen in love with. But she couldn't imagine loving anyone other than Alejandro.
"Do you think Josephine's alright?"
Graciela nodded. "Just because we lost track of her doesn't mean that her security detail did the same thing."
"I forgot about the bodyguards." He gave a low whistle. "Crazy life for a kid."
Her response was drowned out by the roar of approaching snowmobiles. They both turned as two vehicles drew up alongside them.
Luis took off his helmet and waved a cheery hello. Madison was driving the second snowmobile. "I'm glad we found you," she said.
"Is something wrong?"
"No," Luis' wife reassured her. "It's just that someone from California has called several times to get a hold of Robert. Apparently it's not an emergency but they want to talk to you, Robert."
"Hop on," Luis motioned to the back of his snowmobile. "I'll give you a lift back."
"Go ahead," Graciela encouraged Robert when he hesitated. "I'm going to track down our little runaway princess."
"You're sure?" he asked.
She waved toward Luis' snowmobile. "Yes, absolutely. I'll catch up with you later."
No sooner had Luis and Madison's snowmobiles taken off than Graciela heard another one approaching. She whirled around, expecting to see Josephine with her security detail. Indeed, Josephine was on the vehicle, but the man with her wasn't her bodyguard. It was Alejandro.
As soon the engine cut out, the little girl hopped off and ran over to hug Graciela. "Did you go down the hill without me?"
Graciela returned the hug. "Where have you been? We were waiting for you."
Josephine's smile was apologetic. "I forgot to give Prince Alejandro back his cell phone yesterday so I went to find him. When I told him that we were going sledding he asked if he could come too. Was that wrong?"
"No, of course not. I just didn't know that the prince liked sledding."
"Everyone likes to go sledding." Josephine ran over and settled herself on the smaller of the two sleds. "Okay, let's go."
"Hello, Graciela." Alejandro set his helmet on the snowmobile seat. He ran his fingers through his hair as he made his way over to her. "Where's your American shadow?"
"Very funny." She tried to hide her smile. "He's gone to make a call to the States." Her eyes greedily drank in the sight of him. "Thank you for bringing Josephine up here."
"I was happy to." He took a step closer. "You remember our last conversation? When I was trying to tell you what I wanted?"
Her breath caught in her throat. She nodded.
"I figured it out."
"You did?" she managed to say.
He nodded. "I want to spend the afternoon sledding with you."
Because this was the last thing she expected him to say, she couldn't help but grin. She should be annoyed that he was making light of what had happened earlier, she should also tell him to get back on his snowmobile and hit the trail, but irrationally, she wanted to be with him. She shrugged in what she hoped was a casual manner. "Suit yourself."
He smiled and reached for her hand. "Come on, let's show this little lady how it's done."
Graciela threw all caution to the wind as she followed him. She watched as he gave Josephine a push down the hill. She took her place in the front of their sled. When Alejandro sat behind her, he pulled her back toward him until she was nestled in his arms.
"Ready?" he asked, his warm breath grazing her ear.
She nodded, unable to speak. His proximity was intoxicating. She would think later, right now she was happy to feel the wind on her face and Alejandro's arms around her as they raced down the hill.
The sound of Graciela's delighted laughter stayed with Alejandro long after the trio had reluctantly trudged back to the palace, their sleds in tow. If h
e'd had any doubt when he'd gone in search of her that he loved Graciela beyond reason, he no longer did. She was the sun to his earth. He couldn't exist without her.
Not wanting their time together to end, he'd elicited a promise from Graciela that she'd join him for dinner that evening, just the two of them. Her reluctance had been clear but finally, to his relief, she'd acquiesced.
But now she was late. Alejandro glanced at his watch. A full ten minutes late, which was highly uncharacteristic of her. He paced the length of the private dining room, his mind racing through the possible reasons she was going to stand him up. If it had anything to do with that blasted American, he'd personally escort the man back to California himself.
Surely Graciela couldn't have feelings for Robert. Could she? He frowned. For so very long he'd taken her almost constant presence by his side for granted. Now he realized what a true gift it was that she'd bestowed on him. But what did he have to offer her? Besides his heart?
He whirled around as the door opened. A footman held the door open so that Graciela could enter.
"I'm sorry I kept you waiting, Alejandro." She crossed the room but stopped a few feet from him.
He took in her appearance, hardly able to find the words to express how incredible she looked. Her soft brown curls tumbled around her shoulders. She'd chosen a black gown with long lace sleeves. He knew little about fashion but he appreciated her elegance. He took a step toward her, grateful that she didn't back up as he brushed a kiss across both of her cheeks. "You are worth waiting for, my dear. You look exquisite."
To his amusement, she appeared slightly flustered. "I'd love a glass of champagne," she said, in what he took to be a rather obvious effort to change the subject.
"In a moment. First, I want to give you something." He reached into his tuxedo jacket pocket and pulled out a green leather jeweler's box with the name of a prominent Aidinovian jeweler embossed in gold on the top. "Merry Christmas, Graciela."
She stared down at the box for a moment and then lifted her gaze to his. "Alejandro, no."
A Royal Christmas Wish Page 2