Once Upon a Royal Christmas

by Robin Bielman

  “Are you okay?” She reached out to put her hand on his chest. By her knit brows and pursed lips, he thought she might be checking to see that his heart was still beating.

  “I’m fine. You?” He covered her hand with his.

  “I’m good.” She pulled her arm back. Jumped out of the car.

  He met her at the hood, the smell of burned rubber immediately hitting his nose. They bent at the same time to look under the car and knocked foreheads. “Ow,” they groaned at the same time.

  Rubbing her temple with a half smile on her pretty face, she pointed to the snow behind him with her free hand and said, “You. Over there, out of harm’s way.”

  “What are you planning on doing?”

  “Seeing if I can pull this rubber road hazard out.”

  “I can help.”

  “No. You can’t. Do you know how many vehicles are hit when they’re stuck on the side of a road? Too many, and I refuse to have an international incident arise if you get hurt while with me.”

  Theo laughed. “International incident? I think you’re giving me too much credit.”

  “Whatever. Please just go make a snow angel or something.” She waved him away.

  “No can do.” He knelt to check out the damage under the car. “I don’t know much about cars, but I think we’re going to need some help here. We don’t want to do damage to the undercarriage by trying to pull this out.”

  She huffed out a breath as she crouched down beside him. “Crap,” she said again. “Okay, let me grab my phone and call roadside assistance, and then we’ll both wait off the road.”

  That he could agree to. He kept an eye on her—and oncoming cars—as she retrieved her cell and flipped on the hazard lights. She had the phone to her ear walking back to his side.

  “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” she asked, tucking and zipping the phone into her jacket pocket while she ushered him into the snow. Her concern made the center of his chest warm.

  “The bad news.”

  “It seems today is a busy day for our towing department, so it’s going to be about an hour wait.”

  An hour stuck with Rowan was anything but bad. “And the good news?”

  “My NASCAR driving skills somehow dislodged the top off the trash can and it’s sitting right over there.” She nodded over his shoulder.

  Sure enough, the lid sat a couple of car lengths behind him. “That’s good news because…?”

  She eyed him like, seriously? But then said, “That’s right. Snow is a foreign substance to you.” She put her hands on his upper arms and turned him so his back was to her. “Tell me what you see.”

  They’d landed on a stretch of deserted road, so there was nothing but snow and trees. He told her as much.

  “There’s something else.” Her breath feathered across the back of his neck, making him hot on this very cold winter afternoon.

  When he didn’t answer right away, she said, “A hill. Come on.” She strode to the garbage can lid, picked it up, and trekked toward the giant slope perfect for sliding down.

  Now he got it.

  “Have you ever gone sledding before?” she asked.

  His boots left deep prints while they slogged up the small hillside. “I haven’t.” He’d skied a few times in Switzerland but preferred activities in warmer weather.

  “I’ll go first then. I think if you watch me once, you’ll have no trouble. Not that this is difficult or anything. You just sit and slide.”

  “I’m familiar with the concept,” he said lightly. “But rather like the idea of watching you.”

  She turned her head down and away from him, a shy reaction he hadn’t expected from someone so at ease with herself. He hoped she wasn’t also bothered. Shit. He really didn’t need to say everything he thought out loud.

  “Be sure you don’t put your legs out and try to stop with your feet,” she said after a few moments of quiet. “I don’t want you to twist your ankle again or anything.”

  “Noted.” He thought about taking the rubber lid from her, for no other reason than to be a gentleman, but she’d probably get mad at him and tell him she was perfectly capable of holding the thing and walking at the same time.

  They arrived at the top of the hill. While not very high, Theo still enjoyed the view. He lifted his face to the cloud-covered sky. Even devoid of the blue he was used to, he found its expanse breathtaking. The air fresh and pine scented.

  “I like to go really fast so would you mind giving me a push?” Rowan asked.

  Theo twisted around to find her sitting cross-legged on the saucer. She was gathering her hair and tying the long strands into a knot. “I’d be happy to.” He put his hands on her back. “Ready?”

  “Ready.”

  The joy and excitement in her voice reminded him of when he was a boy and he and his brother rolled down grassy hills in the countryside. Otis would always wait for him to say “ready” before they took off like logs down the hill, racing to get to the bottom first, but laughing the entire way, too.

  “Have fun,” Theo whispered in Rowan’s ear, his mouth just below her earlobe. Then he gave her a sturdy push.

  “Woo hoo!” she yelled, flying down the hill, her hands gripping the lip of the garbage top. The saucer spun, taking her for a backward ride, and blessing him with a view of her gorgeous grin. She leaned back slightly, lifted one side of the rubber, and whirled back around. The girl knew the fine art of sledding.

  She continued to fascinate him with her intelligence, liveliness, and desire for fun.

  “That was so fun,” she shouted from the bottom, as if she’d read his mind.

  He couldn’t pull his gaze off her as she made her way back to him. Her nose and cheeks were pink. Wisps of hair fell around her face. She carried herself with a grace he found appealing on so many levels, but mostly because she didn’t take herself—or him—too seriously.

  When she stood in front of him, slightly out of breath, it took all his strength not to wrap his arms around her waist, haul her close, and kiss the hell out of her.

  “What?” she asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

  “Nothing.” He took the offered trash lid, set it down. He couldn’t fold himself onto it quite the same way Rowan did, but at the moment, all that mattered was getting some distance from her. Hands in the snow, he pushed himself off.

  And had a blast “sledding” down a hill for the first time.

  Time seemed to stand still after that as he and Rowan alternated turns down the slope, teasing each other about form and giving out scores of one to ten like it was an Olympic event.

  She’d just gotten situated for another ride when a tow truck pulled up in front of her car. Had it been an hour already? Quickly, and without thinking, he sat down behind her, cradling her between his thighs and wrapping his arms around her waist. They both needed to get down the hill and this seemed like the best solution.

  Her breath hitched, her body tensed.

  “I thought we could do this last run as a team,” he said quietly. “But if you’d rather—”

  “It’s okay.” She relaxed against him. “This is good.”

  Having her in his lap felt better than good. Even with a bulky jacket on, she was soft. Her hair smelled like citrus shampoo. And she fit.

  “Here we go.” He shoved them off. They gathered speed quickly. Rowan’s sounds of glee made him smile inside and out as the wind rushed their faces.

  They started to slow, the slope evening out. Theo shifted slightly and the heel of his boot got stuck in the snow for a second. They spun out of control, pitched to the side, and crash landed. Their bodies tangled, rolled as one, and came to a stop with him on top of her.

  Worried he was crushing her, he quickly pushed up onto his elbows. Her eyes were closed and her long, black lashes almost reached the tops of her pink cheeks. Snow clung to her hair. He gulped. She was beautiful. “Sorry about that. Are you okay?”

  He was acutely aware of her chest
rising and falling as she tortured him with silence for several seconds before finally opening her baby blues and saying, “That. Was. Epic.” Then she broke into a fit of laughter.

  And God, it made her even more beautiful. She wasn’t irritated or flustered by their crash, but tickled by it. He stared down at her, enjoying her sound and the crinkles in the corners of her eyes. His body covered hers, making contact in so many good places, making him hungry for more. He hadn’t meant to like Rowan as much as he did, but she was great, and every interaction elevated his attraction to her.

  Any affection had to be buried, though. He had a life waiting for him back home.

  The thought bothered him more than he cared to admit.

  How could it not when she stopped laughing and any pretense of this being a simple friendship vanished? The way she looked up at him, with desire and playfulness, was one hell of an aphrodisiac. He imagined she saw the same expression mirrored back at her.

  He slid one hand in her hair to cradle the back of her head. With his other hand, he cupped her cheek. He’d never wanted to kiss someone so badly. At the moment, he didn’t care about the consequences. If he didn’t get to make her lips sore, suck her tongue into his mouth, and find out what she tasted like, he’d regret it.

  “Rowan,” he whispered.

  She reached up and brushed the hair off his forehead. “Yes, Theo.”

  Was that a question or an answer? It sounded like an answer. A yes, please kiss me before I lose my mind, too. But he had to be sure. He didn’t want to ruin the connection they’d already established.

  “I want to—”

  “Hey, Ro! You going to play in the snow all day or come tell me what happened?” a man shouted good-naturedly from behind them. The interruption had Rowan fisting the front of Theo’s jacket and pushing him off her like he was breathing fire.

  “On my way,” she called back, jumping to her feet. She brushed the snow off her jeans, then gave him a look of regret. Over being interrupted, or letting something almost happen between them, he didn’t know. “We… That… I can’t…”

  He was at a loss for words as well.

  “I’m going to head back to the car now.” She motioned with her thumb over her shoulder and took off toward the road.

  Theo watched her go, tied up in knots he had no idea how to let go of.

  Chapter Seven

  Rowan couldn’t stop thinking about Theo almost kissing her. Their mouths had been mere inches from each other and his incredible blue eyes had gleamed with desire focused entirely on her. A small-town girl more tomboy than girly-girl and who had to be a million miles away from the women he usually gave attention to.

  She leaned against the hospital wall and remembered his body heat, the feel of his hard angles against her soft ones. She’d never wanted a kiss as much as she’d wanted his. But it was wrong. Unprofessional. These feelings of longing and adoration were unacceptable and a sure way to lose more respect.

  “Rowan?”

  She startled at the sound of her name and turned her head to find the man from last night—Annabelle’s father—checking out her mural. “Hi,” she said.

  “You finished it.”

  “Yes.” She’d stayed all night to do so, too keyed up from her day with Theo to even think about sleep. In the quiet late night and early morning hours, the deserted hallway had been a refuge from unwanted thoughts. Completely lost in painting, she forgot all about the world outside. For a little while at least.

  “It’s going to be a big hit.”

  “I think so, too.” She had a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach that made her think this mural was going to be well received. She’d never worked harder at something or cared more deeply. Relief washed over her.

  He chuckled. “Good to know you don’t lack confidence.”

  “I’m good at faking it, but my older brother did drill conviction into me. If I wanted to beat him at something, I had to go in thinking I could.”

  “How’d that work out?”

  “If you ask him, he’ll tell you he let me win, but I know better.” She pushed away from the wall. “How’s Annabelle?”

  “She’s doing better, thanks.”

  “I’m happy to hear that.” Rowan peeked at his left hand. No wedding ring. Which didn’t mean he wasn’t married, but if he was, where was his wife? It was on the tip of her tongue to ask, but it wasn’t her business. She just hoped he had someone to lean on while his daughter was hospitalized.

  “Congratulations on a job well done,” he said, moving down the hallway.

  “Thanks and best wishes to your daughter.”

  Rowan watched him disappear around the corner. When she turned around, Bea stood beside her, the older woman’s attention on the mural. “Hey, what are you doing sneaking up on me here?” Ro asked.

  “A little birdy told me you decided to pull an all-nighter, and I wanted to be one of the first to see the finished product.”

  Bea knew about the mural? The only people Ro had told were her parents and Cassidy.

  “I may be retired, but I’ve still got eyes and ears all over these hallways,” Bea said. “Now c’mere so I can give you a congratulatory hug. It’s spectacular.”

  Rowan stepped into Bea’s open arms. “Why did you keep this magnificent mural a secret?” Bea asked.

  “It’s not like it was a total secret,” Rowan said, releasing her hold on Bea. “I’ve just always been private with my artwork.” She pictured her closet where several paintings were tucked behind her jeans.

  “Your holiday cards beg to differ.”

  Bea had her there. “Those are small tokens of friendship. This is the biggest thing I’ve done and I didn’t…I was a little nervous about it.” She didn’t want a lot of attention for this. Not this hobby that felt super personal. Her writer’s voice was much different than her artist’s brush stroke, and if she hadn’t loved the way the mural turned out, she wanted to fail without spectators this time. Or pity.

  She’d had enough of both the past few months.

  “You know what I think?” Bea said.

  “No, what do you think?”

  “That we need some baked apple-cider donuts and coffee.”

  “I like the way you think.” Ro stuck her elbow out and the two of them made their way to breakfast arm in arm. Bea was like a grandmother to Ro and sharing this time together meant a lot. “It was really sweet of you to come down here. Thank you.”

  Bea bumped Rowan’s hip. “I love you like a granddaughter, you know.”

  “The love flows both ways,” Ro said, bumping her back.

  A little while later, after a short walk with the dogs (she promised them a longer one tomorrow), quick shower, and change into comfy warm clothes, Rowan sat in Bea’s kitchen eating homemade apple-cider donuts and drinking her second cup of coffee. She needed the caffeine if she planned to stay awake for the rest of the day. She had a date with her laptop this afternoon to work on her story for the Courier.

  “What’s David up to this morning?” The retired engineer usually didn’t stray far from Bea. He loved to dote on her.

  “He and Theo went to do some Christmas shopping,” she said happily.

  “You guys are loving having him here, aren’t you?”

  “It’s been wonderful. I’m going to miss him terribly when he goes home.” Bea lifted her coffee cup, but paused before taking a sip. “He told me he asked you to be his date for the Ball.”

  “Yeah, I figure this is my only chance to be a prince’s plus one.”

  “Is that all it is?”

  “Have you seen him?” Ro said flippantly. She hoped that diffused any notion that Bea might have about this being anything other than a superficial date. Bea chuckled. “Plus, someone needs to protect him from the single women of Marietta.”

  “Is that so?” Bea asked with a tilt of her head.

  Rowan almost choked on her donut. Bea had stars in her eyes. Matchmaking stars. It wouldn’t be the first time Bea
had suggested—translation: fixed Rowan up—with a nice, single young man. A NSYM was not on Ro’s to-do list.

  Not that Theo fell into that category exactly.

  “The two of you have been spending a lot of time together,” she added.

  “Yes, because of my story for the Courier. No other reason.” No reasons she would voice out loud, anyway. Reasons like she found herself wanting to be around him all the time.

  “Has he mentioned Elisabeth?”

  “A little.” We’re friends. Elisabeth and I, so I suppose that’s something, he said that night they’d danced.

  A melancholy expression passed over Bea’s kind face. “They don’t know each other very well, and what they do know is purely on an acquaintance level. It makes me sad that he doesn’t get to marry for love.”

  “They could grow to love each other,” Ro offered. Her stomach jumped at the suggestion.

  “I suppose, but I find it heartbreaking that I lost my daughter to Theo’s father and yet the king doesn’t want his son to experience that same kind of love affair.” Bea took a shaky breath. “Theo deserves someone special. He’s such a caring, loyal, exceptional young man.”

  Spoken like a true grandmother.

  Rowan glanced at the clock on the wall. Almost eleven-thirty. “He is,” Ro said, “and that won’t change once he’s married.” She started to gather her plate and mug. “Thank you for breakfast.”

  “You’re not leaving, are you?”

  “I should. I’ve got a lot of writing to do today.” She owed Emmaline an article for the pet column, too.

  “Have one more donut,” Bea insisted as she put another on Ro’s plate.

  “Hello!” David called out. “Sorry I’m late.”

  Bea quickly got to her feet. “Oh, shoot. I forgot David has a dentist appointment. No need for you to rush out, though.”

  Rowan studied Bea. The woman didn’t forget anything. She also conveniently turned around to pick up her purse so Rowan couldn’t consider her any further.

  David and Theo strode into the room, lots of shopping bags in their hands. Surprise registered on both men’s faces when they saw her. “Hi,” she said.