12 Stocking Stuffers

by Beverly Barton

  There was a long silence. “You took that child home with you?” she finally cried in shock.

  Eric realized he’d done something totally unprecedented. “Yes.”

  “What happened? Did she become difficult when she found out I couldn’t be there?”

  “At first, but then she settled down and was perfect. You’ll see it all on the six o’clock news. Maren—I need a favor from you.”

  “Of course,” she said in a quieter tone. “Anything—”

  “I’d like Sonia and Kristin to meet you. If we leave here now, we could be at the palace within forty-five minutes.”

  “Kristin?”

  “She’s the little girl’s aunt. I don’t have time for more explanations. We’ll watch the telecast together. Make sure you’re wearing your crown when we get there.”

  “But Eric—” she blurted. “What about your trip with Bea?”

  “It’s been canceled.” At least it would be as soon as he got off the phone with his sister. “I’ll see you shortly.”

  He hung up and rang Bea. While he waited for her to answer, he found Sonia’s parka laid over a chair.

  “Eric? When I didn’t hear from you, I was beginning to worry something was wrong.”

  “I’m sorry. The favor I had to do for Maren has turned out to be more complicated than I thought. I’m afraid we won’t be able to go to Kvitfjell.”

  “If you mean this evening, I suspected as much. We can go in the morning.”

  “I think we’ll have to put it off.”

  “But Eric—”

  “I’m sorry, Bea. The last thing I want to do is disappoint you, but a situation has arisen I have to see through. It might take me more than a few days to deal with it. By then Maren’s baby will probably come. The family will want me around.”

  “Will we at least be able to see each other Christmas Eve?”

  He could hear the edge in her voice, but something had happened to him today. Something he couldn’t explain. All he knew was that he didn’t want Sonia or her aunt to disappear from his life. Not yet…

  “Maybe.”

  “Is this your way of saying goodbye to me?”

  I don’t honestly know.

  He took a deep breath. “Bea—this is about a little blind girl with a deep psychological problem.”

  “Blind?”

  “Yes. I’ll tell you about it later. If you watch the evening news, you’ll see her. I promise I’ll call you.”

  He heard her hesitancy before she said, “I’ll be waiting.”

  After ringing off, he hurried to his bedroom to change into informal clothes, then he strode swiftly to the front of the house with Sonia’s parka.

  Once back in the living room his breath caught to see the way the firelight outlined Kristin’s exquisite profile. His gaze fell lower to the shape of her lovely body clothed in the stunning red wool dress. Her hair gleamed like spun gold.

  She turned at his approach and stood up. Those light blue eyes held a shimmer more bedazzling than any crown jewels.

  Whether young or old, the Remmen women were incredibly attractive. It was the reason Sonia had been chosen to represent the Chocolate Barn’s latest export.

  What kind of fool was the man Kristin was involved with? Eric couldn’t fathom it.

  “It looks like you two have finished eating. Now we can leave.”

  Sonia had been rubbing Thor’s ears. When she heard Eric’s voice she lifted her head, startled. “Where are we going?”

  Purposely ignoring Kristin, he sat down next to Sonia and helped her on with her parka. “To see the Princess.”

  “At the palace?” she cried out in ecstasy.

  “Yes. She’s waiting for us.”

  “Can Thor come too?”

  “I don’t see why not.”

  “That’s very kind of Your Highness, but we have to return to the hotel,” Kristin protested just as he’d expected her to.

  Sonia immediately started to cry that she wanted to see the Princess. Eric gave her a hug. “Wait here, Sonia.”

  He stood up to meet her aunt’s anxious gaze. “Could I speak to you in the foyer please?” he whispered the words.

  Though he sensed she wanted to refuse him, her good manners prevailed. She followed him out to the hallway.

  “Before you say anything,” he began, “I thought that arranging a meeting with my sister would satisfy Sonia so she’ll be easier to manage for the trip back to the States.”

  That was the best excuse he could come up with for the moment. He hoped she would buy it because there was no way he was ready to let her and Sonia go.

  Her classic features looked pained. “It isn’t that I don’t appreciate all you’ve done, Your High—”

  “Eric,” he cut in on her.

  “E—Eric,” she stammered. Her fingers looked white as they clutched her handbag in what looked like a death grip. “But it wouldn’t be right to impose on your sister, not as this stage in her pregnancy.”

  He stared into her anxious eyes. “Kristin,” he addressed her by her first name. Whether she liked it or not, it felt good to get on a more personal basis with her. “Maren wants to meet Sonia.

  “When she called me earlier to ask me to stand in for her, she said that if I couldn’t do it, she would go against doctor’s orders to keep that appointment with Sonia.

  “Even if it meant she went into early labor, that’s how important it was to her. She can’t wait to be introduced to your niece.”

  Kristin’s breathing seemed to be more shallow all of a sudden. “How long do you think it will take?”

  No woman of his acquaintance had ever run the other way from him before. Anything but. This was a new experience for him.

  He didn’t know if Sonia’s welfare was the sole reason Kristin was so reticent to spend more time with him, but he was determined to find out, even if he had to lean on his title to press his advantage.

  “If we leave now, I can have you back at your hotel by eight o’clock. Sonia had a dream to meet the Princess. I’m not willing to take that away from her. Neither is my sister. So I guess the decision is up to you whether we leave for the palace or the hotel.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “PLEASE can we go see the Princess? I promise to be good.”

  Kristin twisted her blond head around to discover Sonia standing in the doorway, clinging to Thor’s collar.

  The pleading expression in her eyes defeated Kristin who was struggling to get on top of an impossible situation.

  “Do you promise that after you’ve met her, there won’t be any more tears when you have to go back to the hotel?”

  Sonia nodded.

  Her niece meant it right now, but Kristin knew that when the moment came to say goodbye to Eric, the hysterics would start up again much worse than before.

  “All right,” her voice shook. “I tell you what. I’ll stay behind at the hotel and start packing while you go with the Prince.” She’d made the suggestion for her own self-preservation.

  “But I don’t want to go without you!” Sonia cried out in absolute panic.

  The dark frown that broke out on Eric’s face was equally disconcerting. Thor’s low moan seemed to second their feelings.

  “If we don’t leave now, we’ll miss watching the telecast with the Princess,” Eric persisted. At this point, he held Sonia in his arms.

  “She’s waiting for us, Aunty Kristin.”

  Kristin’s mouth had gone dry. “Does your sister know I’m coming too?”

  Maybe it was a trick of light but Eric’s eyes looked more black than brown. She’d angered him when it was the last thing she’d wanted to do.

  “Of course.”

  She expelled a deep sigh. “Then we’d better go so we don’t keep her up any longer than necessary. I don’t want to be the reason she goes into premature labor.”

  With a satisfied smile, Eric ushered them out the front door to the waiting limo. Thor climbed in last and lay down next to the Pri
nce who held Sonia on his lap. They sat across from Kristin who stared blindly through the glass.

  The drive to Thorsvik only took a half hour.

  Eric gave her niece his complete attention and acted as a tour guide at the same time, rendering fascinating facts only someone in the royal family would be privy to.

  Sonia was in heaven.

  Kristin’s heart ached for her sister’s child because this adventure would be over in a few hours, never to be repeated. They would return to Chicago, a world far removed from the Prince and Thor. Sonia’s heart would be broken.

  The only thing Kristin could see that might help mend it would be to buy a pet for Sonia. A Seeing Eye dog would be the answer for her in the future. But that required time and money.

  For the moment she needed a devoted dog like Thor on whom she could lavish her affection and receive love in return. Just watching her interact with Eric’s dog had convinced Kristin it would be a wonderful idea.

  The manager of the apartment where she lived didn’t allow pets either. When Kristin had given the ring back to Bruce, she’d decided it would be best if she and Sonia moved in with her father until Sonia started school at the blind center the next fall. It would give Kristin time to find an apartment that was friendly to children and animals.

  She knew her dad was lonely without her mom, and still grieving for the loss of his elder daughter. He would love it if Kristin and Sonia lived with him for a while, dog and all.

  While her mind was busy planning for the future, she hadn’t realized they’d already reached the heart of the city. The huge, wide yellow and white three-story palace built in the mid 1800s sat on a hill at the end of Thorsvik’s main thoroughfare.

  Its lighting against a dark velvet sky brought out the unique architecture, making it look as fantastic as the day itself had been.

  Drawn by a compulsion stronger than her will, she found herself studying the wonderful man who was telling her niece about his childhood. Worlds apart from Sonia who’d been born to parents who could only afford a small apartment, he’d been the offspring of royalty. This magnificent palace was his earthly home.

  Yet inside the limo, dressed in charcoal trousers and a light gray cable knit pullover, she could pretend he was simply a man whose heart had been touched by a little girl’s inability to see. He was a brother who’d taken time out of his busy life to help his sister and had gone the extra mile to make a difference in Sonia’s life.

  If Kristin were to give the press a headline, it would state that despite Eric’s reputation as a playboy, he was a prince of a man, title or no title.

  “We’ve arrived, Sonia. We’re going to enter the palace through a side entrance. There’s a staircase that leads to my sister’s apartment on the second floor. Are you ready?”

  “Yes.” She looked excited enough to burst. What child wouldn’t be overjoyed that she was about to meet a real princess?

  Eric captured Kristin’s gaze, reading her mind. Her heart turned over before she looked away.

  “Do you want me to carry you, or would you like to walk?”

  Sonia flung her arms around his neck. “Will you carry me please?”

  He laughed gently. “I was hoping you’d say that. Come on, Thor.” The three of them got out of the limo first.

  There were several security people in another limo behind them. One of them helped Kristin from the back seat and up the steps into the palace where staff stood in attendance.

  Once inside the doors, the interior was more sumptuous than Kristin had imagined. But even if her niece could see everything, Kristin had an idea she wouldn’t be looking at anything or anyone except the man who was treating her like she was a fairy princess.

  A third of the way down the gilded corridor of the second floor and the Prince opened one of the double doors. He was greeted by a dark blond man Kristin recognized from pictures as Stein Johansen, the husband of Princess Maren.

  After introductions were made, they proceeded to a small drawing room which had been personalized with the conveniences of modern living.

  Kristin spotted the lovely brunette Princess in a maternity nightgown half lying on a couch in front of a television set with a quilt thrown over her.

  The resemblance to Eric was uncanny.

  To Kristin’s surprise, his sister was wearing her tiara. That meant Eric had told her to put it on for Sonia’s sake.

  Kristin’s feelings for him were growing stronger by the second.

  He waited for her to catch up with him. With Sonia in one arm, he placed his other hand at the back of Kristin’s waist and urged her forward.

  The gesture was far too personal. His touch sent a lick of flame through her sensitized body, but she didn’t dare try to break away from him, not in front of his family.

  “Maren? I’d like you to meet Sonia Anderssen, the new poster girl for the Chocolate Barn, and her aunt, Kristin Remmen.”

  The two women shook hands while they eyed each other for a brief moment. No doubt the Princess was wondering what on earth was going on.

  “How do you do, Your Highness. This is a great privilege. Please forgive us for disturbing you.”

  “I’m thrilled you did. It’s wonderful to meet you, Kristin. Please call me Maren.”

  “Thank you.”

  The Princess was as down to earth and gracious as her brother.

  She switched her attention to Sonia. “Come here, darling.” She held out her arms. Eric lowered Sonia to the Oriental rug covering the conversation area of the room, then removed her parka.

  “Sonia had an accident two months ago and can’t see.”

  The Princess underwent a transformation not unlike her brother’s when he’d first found out Sonia was blind.

  She sat up and reached for Sonia’s hands, drawing her close to her. Tears spilled down her flushed cheeks. “I’m so happy to meet you, Sonia,” she said in a husky voice. “Will you forgive me for not being there today?”

  “Yes. Eric said you had to rest cos you’re having a baby boy.”

  “That’s right. Do you want to feel him?”

  “Can I?” Sonia’s eyes lit up in wonder.

  “Here.” She put Sonia’s hand on her protruding belly and moved it around. “Maybe he’ll kick for you.”

  Sonia jumped when a little foot jabbed at her hand. “That’s the baby prince inside?” she squealed incredulously.

  “Yes, darling,” Maren murmured.

  “What’s his name?”

  “We haven’t decided yet.”

  “I think you should call him Eric. That was my daddy’s name.”

  At the unexpected bit of information, Eric darted Kristin a searching glance. It was one more reason why Sonia had felt an affinity to the Prince, Kristin was certain of it.

  “Does he have a crown?”

  The Princess let out a laugh. Sonia had a charm that infected everyone. “Not yet, but I’m wearing mine. Would you like to try it on?”

  “Could I?”

  “Let’s take off your cap first,” Eric said. As if he did it every day, he proceeded to undo the bobby pins so he could remove it. Kristin put everything in her purse.

  “There,” he said, smiling down at Sonia. “Are you ready to be crowned?”

  Sonia giggled. “Yes!”

  He lifted the tiara from his sister’s hair and placed it on Sonia’s head. She felt it for a moment, then turned to Kristin with a smile that took up her whole face.

  “How do I look, Aunty Kristin?”

  “Just like a princess. I wish I had a picture to show your grandpa.”

  “No problem,” Maren’s husband interjected before several flashes went off in succession.

  Eric got down on his haunches beside her. “Does it hurt?” he teased.

  “No,” she said in frustration, “but it keeps slipping.”

  His laughter was so infectious and male, it sent a shiver of delight through Kristin’s nervous system.

  Just then another flash went off.<
br />
  Kristin caught the jeweled tiara before it reached Sonia’s nose. “That’s because this was made for the Princess. I think it’s time to give it back. Don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  Kristin handed it to Eric who’d leveled his gaze on Kristin and refused to look away.

  “Thank you,” she mouthed the words.

  He put the crown on a nearby table before whispering in her ear, “The pleasure’s all mine.”

  The feel of his warm breath made her insides quiver.

  “I hope the news hasn’t started yet—”

  The sound of a rather breathless female voice caused Kristin to tear her eyes from his. Another surprise awaited her to see Sofia, the brunette wife of Eric’s elder brother, enter the room with her two boys.

  They ran over to Eric and practically jumped on him and Thor. Obviously he was a favorite with them.

  “Easy, boys,” he said in English. “We have guests. Sofia, may I introduce Kristin Remmen and Sonia Anderssen from Chicago, Illinois, in the United States.”

  Everyone shook hands.

  “Jan and Knute? Meet Sonia. You can try out your English on her.”

  “How do you do,” they both said.

  “Hi!” Sonia answered back. She turned in Eric’s direction. “Who are they?” she asked in a loud whisper that made everyone chuckle.

  “My nephews, my brother’s boys. Jan is six and Knute is eight.”

  Kristin could hear Sonia’s mind working. “Their daddy’s the king?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do they have to bow in front of him?”

  Eric laughed hard. “No.”

  “You speak Frijian?” Knute asked in stilted English.

  “I know some words. Broe, vann, kjott and potet.”

  At her response everyone chuckled again.

  Sonia’s lower lip trembled. She turned to Eric. “Why are they laughing?”

  He swept her up in his arms. “Because you’re so smart and pronounced the words for bread, water, meat and potatoes perfectly. Not many visitors from America can do that. With those four words, you’ll never starve while you’re in Frijia, elskling.”

  Out of the corner of her eye Kristin saw the way both women stared at Eric as if they couldn’t believe his behavior.