The Prince's Royal Dilemma

by Brenda Harlen

  “Does she love you?”

  One side of his mouth kicked up in a half smile in response to the reporter’s question. “I can only hope that she does, because I’m going to feel like a royal idiot otherwise.”

  Laughter rippled through the crowds, another question was asked, this one inquiring about the specific provisions of the legislation, and as Rowan began to respond, the local broadcast cut away.

  “There you have it,” the perky news anchor told her viewers. “After months of public speculation, Prince Rowan has finally made an announcement about his intention to take a bride. The only question now is, will Lara Brennan take him?”

  The phone started ringing immediately after the broadcast. Some of the calls were from friends and neighbors who wanted to know if it was really true that Prince Rowan had proposed to Lara; more of the calls were from various media wanting her reaction to the prince’s press conference. David ended up taking the phone off the hook so that he could get the real story from her, which she managed to spill along with more than a few tears.

  “You’re in love with him,” David said, not questioning the fact.

  “More than I ever thought I could love anyone,” Lara admitted.

  The man who had been a surrogate father and friend for so long and only recently an uncle, smiled. “Then why the heck didn’t you say ‘yes’ when he asked you to marry him?”

  She sighed. “Because this is exactly the situation that I was hoping to avoid. I know Rowan wants to believe that the citizens of Tesoro del Mar will support him, but what if they don’t? What if they can’t stand the thought of their prince marrying an illegitimate, untitled commoner. And a foreigner, no less?”

  “You’re an incredible woman and any man—even a prince—would be lucky to have you,” David said loyally.

  Lara managed to smile at that, but when she thought of what might happen, the smile faded and her eyes filled with tears again. “He could lose the throne.”

  “He seems well aware of the risk he’s taking,” David assured her. “And more than willing to take that risk because he knows you’re worth it. Now you need to realize it, too.”

  The referendum was set for July 9, two weeks after his press conference. During that time, the story of the prince’s public proposal remained a hot topic in the media, but Lara didn’t hear from Rowan at all. She tried not to let the media attention wear on her, certain that once the results of the referendum were in, the fervor would fade.

  But with each day that passed without any word from Rowan, her own trepidation grew. She kept herself busy at the lake with the children and tried not to be conscious of every passing minute of every hour.

  Finally it was referendum day. The polls opened, the polls closed, the ballots were counted. But the results were given only to Prince Rowan, for him to reveal to the people presumably after he shared them with the woman he hoped to marry. Still he didn’t make any effort to contact her, and Lara found herself wondering if somewhere along the way he had changed his mind.

  “He hasn’t changed his mind,” Tanis assured her after calling Lara to learn the results of the referendum—only to find out her friend didn’t know.

  “Then why hasn’t he called?”

  “Maybe he has laryngitis.”

  Lara tried to laugh, but it came out sounding more like a sob. “Or maybe the vote failed and he can’t face the thought of losing everything that matters to him.”

  “You matter to him,” Tan told her. “If you didn’t, he wouldn’t have put everything else on the line.”

  She hoped her friend was right, though there was part of her that feared the prince was, even now, with Lady Victoria Barrow, begging the other woman to forgive him for being a fool and asking her to be his wife.

  “I should let you go,” Tanis said, “because he’s probably trying to call with the good news right now. I just have one more thing to say first.”

  “What’s that?”

  “No pink ruffles for me, either.”

  Lara managed to laugh as she said goodbye to her friend. Then she turned to place the phone back in its cradle and saw Rowan standing in the doorway.

  Her heart leaped, her breath caught, and when she finally managed to speak, his name was barely a whisper from her lips.

  “Rowan.”

  “Hello, Lara.”

  She couldn’t believe it. He was here. Standing in front of her. In the flesh—and as breathtakingly handsome as always.

  “I didn’t know—Did you tell anyone you were coming?”

  “I spoke to Brian before I flew out…to make sure you were still here.”

  “He didn’t tell me you’d called.”

  “I asked him not to. I wanted to surprise you.” His lips curved just a little. “Or maybe I wanted to make sure you didn’t have a chance to run again.”

  “I was trying to save you—from yourself.”

  He smiled a real smile this time, tender and warm and just for her. “You did save me,” he told her. “The minute you walked into my life. It just took me a while to realize it.”

  “And the vote?” she prompted, not wanting him to see how effectively he was seducing her with nothing more than the heat in his eyes and the soft cadence of his voice.

  He moved closer now, close enough to touch her. And he did. He cradled her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing over her cheeks in a feather-soft caress that made her tremble and yearn. She forgot that he had yet to answer her question as his head dipped toward her and her eyes drifted shut. But he didn’t kiss her. At least not the way she expected he would, not the way she needed him to.

  There was no fiery heat or stormy passion but simple tenderness in the touch of his lips to her brow, then her eyelids—first one then the other, the tip of her nose and finally her lips.

  It had been weeks since she’d been in his arms, a seeming eternity since she’d felt the press of his body against hers, the pounding of his heart in rhythm with hers. It was as glorious as she remembered and somehow, so much more.

  When he ended their kiss, her mind was misty with hopes and dreams, and it was several minutes more before they finally cleared away and she remembered the question she’d asked.

  “The vote,” she said again.

  “Does it matter?”

  She could only stare at him. “How can you even ask that question? Of course it matters.”

  “I love you, Lara. That is what matters.”

  “Tell me,” she demanded.

  “Do you love me?”

  She dropped her head against his chest, shaking it from side to side in frustration. “Would I be agonizing over this if I didn’t?”

  “I wouldn’t have thought so,” he admitted, amusement evident in his tone. “But I’d kind of like to hear you say the words, anyway.”

  She tipped her head back. “I love you, Rowan, but if you tell me that you lost the vote, I’m going to kill you.”

  “Then my life is safe—and I’m trusting it will also be blissfully happy with you by my side.”

  “They voted yes?”

  He smiled and nodded.

  “And you really want to marry me?”

  “I really want to marry you,” he said. “And not because I need to get married to secure the throne, but because I love you so much more than I ever thought I would love anyone.

  “I’m not trying to change your life—I’m only asking you to share mine. I’m asking you to be my wife and my partner, to be part of the family that includes my brother’s children and any that we might have together, to go to sleep beside me at night, wake up with me in the morning and love me forever.

  “Now, in case all of that wasn’t specific enough, I’m going to ask just one more time.” And then he did something she’d never expected—he got down on one knee.

  “Lara Brennan, will you marry me?”

  She could hardly speak, her throat was so clogged with emotion, so she nodded.

  He shook his head. “I’ve proposed to y
ou twice now, put my heart on the line in front of the whole world. I want to hear you actually say ‘yes’.”

  “Yes,” she finally said. “Yes, I will marry you.”

  This time when he kissed her, there was fire and passion and an almost desperate need to be together after so long apart.

  He tore his mouth from hers to ask, “Where are the kids?”

  “They went to a music festival in town with their grandparents.” She yanked his shirt out of his pants. “They won’t be home until late.”

  “Gracias, Dio,” he said.

  Then he was kissing her again.

  He had her blouse undone and was reaching for the button of her pants when his hands suddenly froze. “Wait.”

  “Wait?” She was sure she would explode if he wasn’t inside her in about thirty seconds. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  He pulled away from her, digging into his pocket. “I have a ring. I can’t believe I forgot the ring.”

  “I can wait until later for the ring,” she assured him.

  He pulled out the small velvet box. “I can’t. Throughout the flight, all I could think about was putting this ring on your finger and making love to you while you were wearing nothing else but the symbol of our promise to each other.”

  The words—and the heartfelt emotion in them—had her tearing up again. Then he flipped open the lid and the tears spilled over.

  “It’s a natural yellow topaz. Fifteen carats, circled by three rows of round pavé set diamonds. It reminded me of the earrings you were wearing the first night we made love—and of you.”

  “It’s stunning.”

  He took the ring from the box, slid it onto her finger.

  “And heavy.”

  “That’s so you’ll never forget you’re wearing it,” he told her. And now that it was on her finger, he made quick work of getting her naked, then helped her strip away the last of his clothes and lowered her to the bed. “So you’ll never forget you’re mine.”

  “And you’re mine.” She wrapped her arms around him, drew him down with her. “Mi amor está por siempre.”

  “As my love for you is forever,” he told her.

  Epilogue

  Prince Regent Weds Royal Nanny

  by Alex Girard

  It was the wedding that many thought would never happen.

  For those who had an invitation to witness the marriage of Prince Rowan Santiago and Lara Brennan at the Cathedral of Christ the King, it was a momentous occasion that will not soon be forgotten.

  The bride wore a custom-made taffeta gown and carried a cascading bouquet of lilies as she walked down the aisle on the arm of her uncle, David Mitchell. She was attended to by longtime friend Tanis Rowlands, with Princess Alexandria as her flower girl and Prince Damon carrying the rings. The groom was in military uniform bearing his rank and royal insignia. He was joined at the altar by younger brothers, Prince Eric and Prince Marcus, along with his eldest nephew, Prince Christian.

  The couple exchanged their vows before approximately three hundred guests, then made a brief appearance on the front steps of the church where they were presented to the crowd as Their Royal Highnesses Prince Rowan and Princess Lara of Tesoro del Mar.

  The thirty-five-year-old prince regent might have succumbed to the pressures of tradition and Parliament when he set the date for his wedding six months ago, but if there is anyone in the country who still has doubts about the genuineness of his affection for his bride, he didn’t see the kiss the prince planted on the lips of his new princess in front of the church yesterday afternoon.

  There was enough spark and sizzle in the air after the passionate embrace to convince even the biggest skeptic that this royal wedding will lead to a very happily ever after.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-1670-3

  THE PRINCE’S ROYAL DILEMMA

  Copyright © 2008 by Brenda Harlen

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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