“Welcome, Your Highness. It’s an honor to have you here today!” An older man in a pristine doctor’s coat shook my hand. He smelled faintly of bleach and I had a feeling he’d taken a lot of time to make sure he looked nice. Between that, his bow tie, and the goofy grin on his face, I was instantly charmed. “I’m Dr. McRae.”
“A pleasure.” I shook his hand. “I’m sorry to arrive on such short notice.”
“Completely understandable, ma’am.” He bobbed his head. “I was sorry to hear about your assistant.”
“Catherine, please, and thank you.” I smiled. “I think they want us to take a picture together.”
“Oh! Yes, that would be wonderful.” He turned and stood next to me, his hands held in front of him.
We smiled and looked from camera to camera, letting them all get an image or two before going inside. Thankfully there were only two photographers inside and they were more interested in official pictures of me unveiling the plaque.
“It’s over here, ma’am.” The veterinarian motioned for me to follow him. “Thank you so much for coming to do this. It’s an honor.”
A red velvet cloth covered an easel, and the staff and their families were gathered around in anticipation.
I moved so that I was standing on the opposite side of the plaque and waited, smiling at the cameras as people took my picture or video.
“I’m humbled to have Princess Catherine here today to help celebrate this huge achievement. I owe my staff and their family a million thanks for all they’ve done for the animal community.” He smiled around the room as people clapped. “Even without the plaque, I hope you all know the amount of good you’ve done this year.”
I clapped with the rest of the room, agreeing wholeheartedly with what he was saying. The amount of man-hours they had put into their community was worth more than a plaque, but at least they were being recognized.
“I’m honored to be in a room with so many kindhearted people. I know that what you’ve done to help these animals and their families was a labor of love that required a lot of sacrifice on your part. So on behalf of my family and this community, I thank you.” I tugged the cloth from the plaque in one fell swoop and rolled it up in my arms.
People oohed and aahed. People clapped. And of course there were more pictures. I posed with everyone and took the time to shake the hands of the staff. I ate little sandwiches and drank tea. Not once did I glance at my watch to check the time, despite my desire to be with my friend. By the time Tabitha finally came to rescue me, I had been at the veterinary clinic for four hours. It wasn’t that I regretted the time spent with the people and it wasn’t as if I hadn’t enjoyed talking with everyone.
But I had a friend in the hospital, with no family to keep her company. My need to get back to her was pressing on my chest by the time we got back in the car.
“That went well.” Tabitha smiled at me. “They were so glad to see you.”
I took a deep breath, trying to choose my words so that they didn’t come across wrong. “I’m glad we went, but next time, I need you to step in and get us out of there a little faster.”
“I thought you were enjoying yourself.”
“I was . . . but that’s part of my job—to spend time with people and make them feel important—because they are important. I need you to cut in and keep me on schedule. Otherwise it looks like I’m rude for leaving and I’ll be stuck there for days.”
“Maybe we could work out a signal. That way I know when you’re ready.” She chewed on her lip for a minute. “Maybe you could look at your watch.”
“No, if I do that people will think I’m counting down until I can leave. That would seem rude.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t think about this. I just knew we didn’t have anything else on the schedule.” Tabitha sat back in her seat and played with her phone. I was starting to understand why Selene disliked cell phones. Tabitha never put hers away. It was like part of her body and she couldn’t think without it.
“No, I told you that I wanted to see Selene. She’s been alone for hours now.” I frowned. “Perhaps you should put Selene time into your calendar. That way there are no questions.”
“Of course.” She nodded her head with a smile.
There were reporters outside of the hospital still, but I merely waved and pushed through the throngs. There would be no more official speeches from me today.
The staff smiled at me as I walked through the halls and one of the nurses even gave me a small wave. The fact that they were treating me like someone returning to see a family member warmed my heart. It also went a long way toward easing the tension in my shoulders. It was time to turn Princess Catherine off and just be Cathy for a little while.
“Hello?” I whispered the word quietly as I peeked into the door of Selene’s room.
“Took you long enough.” Chadwick’s voice replied.
I sighed in relief when I realized Selene hadn’t been alone this whole time. “What are you doing here?”
“We had an event in the area for the FBT and figured we would drop by to see how Selene was doing.”
“We?” I turned to look around the room and realized that David was leaning against the wall. “Hi.”
“Hi.” His eyes traveled over my body and I felt it like a hot touch. It didn’t help that the memory of what it really felt like to have his hands on me was seared into my brain.
I turned to look at Selene and smiled when I realized her eyes were open. “How are you?” I moved to her bedside and grabbed her hand.
“Alive.” She squeezed my fingers. “Did you make it to all of the appointments today?”
“No, but we got two in.” I smiled. “Tabitha wouldn’t let me out of all of them.” I turned to see where my temporary assistant was, but she was nowhere in sight.
“They sent Tabitha to help you?” Selene’s brow furrowed.
“Yes.” I watched her closely, surprised by her reaction. I’d always been under the impression that she was grooming Tabitha to be her replacement.
“I’m sure she’ll do a fine job.” Selene closed her eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry. This pain medicine makes it difficult for me to stay awake. I’m tired of being in this bed.”
“And that, my friend, is exactly why they have you on that medicine. To keep your butt in bed!” I shook my head and she laughed gently.
“You’ve been telling them my bad habits.”
“Of course I have.” I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “You have to cut back. You’ve been doing too much.”
“I’m doing the exact same thing you’re doing.” She looked away from me. We both knew that was a lie. She did much more than I did and she was more than twice my age.
“It’s killing you.” I frowned. “We need to find another way of handling things. Perhaps hiring an assistant for you.”
“We’ll talk when I get out of here.”
“And when is that exactly?”
“Maybe a week. Depends on how I’m doing.” She started to shift and her face flinched in pain.
“What about physical therapy?”
“Oh, those bastards were in here earlier. I don’t want to talk about them.” She shook her head.
I laughed. Prim and proper Selene had just called someone a bastard. That was well worth a laugh. Even Chadwick was chuckling.
“Wow. Okay,” I finally responded.
“Don’t tell her that they will be back every day for months,” Chadwick stage-whispered.
Selene whimpered. “Oh, that’s just horrible.”
“It’ll be fine. We’ll get some great ones to come to D’Lynsal to work with you.” I patted her shoulder gently, still bothered by how weak she looked.
“Nonsense. I’ll go back home and they can visit me there.” Her words were a whisper as her eyes fluttered closed.
“Get some rest.” I kissed her forehead. ”You’re coming home with me no matter what you want.”
“You’re so stubborn, you know th
at?”
“Of course I do. I modeled myself after you.” I laughed.
She made a disappointed hm sound before her breathing evened out and she was asleep. I sat back in my chair and watched her for a minute. It was a relief to talk to her, to know that she really was on the mend.
“I need to step out and make some phone calls.” Chadwick stood up. “Would you like me to bring you some food?”
“That would be great.” I smiled at him. “You know what I’ll eat.”
“David, would you like something?” Chadwick turned to look at the man in the corner.
“Sure.” He shrugged and pushed off the wall. “Whatever is fine.”
“Then I’ll be back in a little bit.”
“Thank you,” David and I said at the same time.
“Of course.” Chadwick winked at one of us, but I wasn’t sure who exactly it was meant for.
When he was gone, David took the empty seat next to me and leaned forward so that his elbows were braced on his knees. Having him near me sent my blood pressure up. I was keenly aware of how his long body folded up to sit in the chair, how his hair hung in his eyes, and how the stubble along his jaw screamed to be kissed.
“Long day?” His deep voice drew me out of my thoughts.
“What?” Whoops. I’d been caught ogling.
“Did you have a long day?” His smile was slow as he cut his eyes at me. I had definitely been caught checking him out.
“Long day.” I nodded and hoped my blush wasn’t noticeable in the dim light. “You?”
“Not so bad really.” He turned so he could see me better. “I think I’m starting to understand a little more about the FBT and I still get to work with the birds, so that’s a big plus.”
“That’s good. I know it was a hard transition for Sam to not work with the animals every day.” I enjoyed how easy it was to talk to David. If you were to look at us, you would probably think that we didn’t have much in common, but that didn’t seem to matter.
“Where’s Tabitha? The one with the phone?” He looked around the room like she might be lurking in the shadows.
“I honestly have no idea. She always seems to disappear.” I pursed my lips. “I’m kind of glad though. It’s weird to have someone new spend so much time with me.”
“Tell me about it.” David frowned.
“See, I’d kill to have Chadwick right now. I can’t imagine it being weird. He’s so . . .” I searched for the right word. “Comfortable. You don’t have to be anything but who you are around him. And he is always on top of things. You never have to worry that he will leave you hanging or say something inappropriate.”
“I get it. It’s not Chadwick, exactly.” He smiled. “The guy is hilarious. It’s just having someone at all. You know what I mean?”
“I know what you mean, but I can’t relate. There have always been people working around me, helping me keep up with everything, or bodyguards making sure I was safe.”
“We had help on the farm. People that worked the crops and tended to some of the cattle. But they were employees. Don’t get me wrong, we liked them. Hell, Dad always gave them bonuses at the holidays and if they had nowhere to go, Mama invited them for dinner. But the way Chadwick and Selene work with you? So closely? It’s very intimate.”
“Intimate. That’s a good word for it.” I leaned back in my chair. “They sometimes know us better than we know ourselves.”
“How’s it working out with Tabitha? Seems like you two are getting along a little better.”
“It’s a learning experience. We have to figure each other out and work around that. It’s been—challenging, but I think we’re getting the hang of it.” I thought about it. “I’m not sure it would work as a permanent solution, but for now, it’s fine.”
“That’s something, considering how quickly everything happened.” He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head. “Speaking of which, I was thinking about our date.”
“Okay, shoot.” My heart dropped. He was going to cancel. With everything that had happened, you couldn’t ask for a better excuse. I stilled my face in an attempt to hide my disappointment.
“I think we should still go.” He put his hands back down on his legs. “At first I thought maybe we should postpone it, but since Selene is doing so well, it might be nice to have a little fun. Relax after a stressful week. If that’s okay with you.”
“Oh.” Relief and a little jolt of electricity flooded through my body. He really did want to have a date with me. “That would be nice.”
“Nice?” He made a face. “We don’t have to go if you’ve changed your mind.”
“No! I thought—” I shook my head. “I’m looking forward to going.”
“What did you think?” He leaned closer, his face curious.
“Nothing.” I shook my head.
“That means it was something.” He smiled. “Out with it.”
“No, not now.” I shot a glance over to where Selene was still sleeping.
“Okay, but you’re not escaping.” He winked at me and my heart fluttered.
Chadwick walked in with a soft knock on the door. He was carrying two bags of food that smelled delicious. “There is an empty break room down the hall. The nurses said we could use it for dinner.”
“That was nice of them.” I took the bag he held out.
“Yep. Now go eat. I’ll sit with Selene.” Chadwick shooed me out of my seat.
“Are you sure? I know you have a long drive home.” I took the bag hesitantly.
“I’m positive.” He pointed at David. “You. Her. Go eat.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” David held up his hands.
“I like him.” Chadwick winked at me. “He doesn’t argue as much as Samantha.”
David slapped Chadwick on the shoulder. “I’ll try harder.”
“That wasn’t a challenge,” Chadwick tsked. He started unloading his bag of food onto the little table next to the bed.
The smell of the food made my stomach rumble and I decided I didn’t need any more urging either. David opened the door and we followed Chadwick’s directions to the break room.
I took the food out of the bag while David purchased two drinks out of the machine in the corner. I wasn’t sure how Chadwick had managed to get us Chinese food, but I wasn’t going to complain. Since there were no plates, I undid the boxes so they lay flat. We’d just have to share.
I sat down and broke apart my chopsticks and picked up a piece of lemon chicken.
“No forks?” David looked around, worried.
“I didn’t see any.” I smiled. “Don’t like chopsticks?”
“I’ll just avoid the rice.” He sat down and propped the sticks clumsily between his fingers. I tried not to laugh when he picked up a piece of chicken, but when it shot across the table I couldn’t help it.
“Here.” I reached across the table and repositioned his fingers. “Try this.”
“I’m still going to fling food at you.” He shook his head. “I’m terrible with these things.”
With careful fingers, he picked up a piece of chicken and managed to get it in his mouth. “I’d be better off just stabbing the chicken.”
I laughed. “Whatever works.”
“There have to be forks in here somewhere.” Getting up, he rummaged through the cabinets. “Aha!” He held up a box of plastic utensils.
“Lucky.” I chuckled, but declined the fork he offered me.
“Good. Now spill.” He sat back down.
“What do you mean?” I looked at him innocently.
“Why did you think I was going to cancel?” He took a bite of rice, but kept his eyes trained on my face.
“I thought you were going to cancel.” I spit the words out before I could rethink it. “Because . . .”
“Why?” He looked confused and I felt like the biggest idiot.
I took a deep breath. “You know, considering that we haven’t gone on our actual date yet, we
sure have talked about it a lot.”
“I don’t know. Seems like this might actually be date number two.” He cocked his head to the side. “And I’ve enjoyed getting to know you any way I can. Now, back to the question.”
“Damn.” I muttered, even though I was feeling tingly from his admission.
“C’mon.” He raised one eyebrow and flashed that slow smile that I was a sucker for.
“I was worried that you were only taking me on a date out of a sense of chivalry.” I bit my lip and looked down at the floor.
“You thought what?” He reached out and tucked some of my hair behind my ear. “You thought I was taking you out to appease my sense of guilt?”
I didn’t respond, just met his eyes and held my breath.
“Let me explain something.” He set his fork down and I knew he meant business. “I don’t feel guilty about what happened that night. In fact, leaving you that night was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”
“Then why did you?” The shame from that night rushed back and I leaned a little further away from him.
“Cathy, you deserve more than a one-night stand or a quick tumble in the sheets.” His eyes narrowed and his voice dropped an octave. “You deserve to have it all—to experience it all. One step at a time. The teasing touches, the almosts but not quite. And then I want to make love to you. Not scratch an itch or check something off the list. I want you ready and willing, begging me for what you need.”
The food I was planning on eating was halfway to my mouth when I froze. I had no words, only thoughts of how he might leave me begging.
“Um.” That was the only working syllable I could squeeze out of my lips.
“And most importantly, I want you to decide that you want me to be your first for the right reasons.” He paused. “That you want me as much as I want you. All of you, not just your body.”
“I—I didn’t think that would be an option for me.” I set my food down and decided to be a big girl. “That’s why I thought a one-night stand would be the way to go.”
“I’m not saying that a lot of girls don’t use that very tactic, but wouldn’t you rather it be with someone you like? You could decide you hate me, or that I drive you crazy. Then you’d regret it and I don’t want that.” One of his eyebrows rose as his eyes traveled over me. “Well, I want something, but not for you to hate me.”
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