by Leanne Banks
“What’s the problem?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she said. “I just want to make sure this is age appropriate. This book is about frogs, but it may be a bit advanced for Sam.”
Gavin snagged the book from her hands and tossed it into the cart. “He’ll grow into it. Besides, if he’s into frogs then he’ll concentrate more so he can learn more. We’re all like that as kids. I bet you were, too. Maybe with the piano.”
Sara hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, you’re right. And what about you?” she asked.
“Legos, math and my hamster. Don’t laugh,” he said when she bit her lip in amusement. “That was the only pet I was allowed to have besides a goldfish. My mom had allergies.”
“And you wanted a dog,” she said. “A big dog.”
“Yes. Still waiting on that. My wife didn’t want a pet. Since we’re only in Chantaine for a while, this isn’t the time to get one.”
“Unless it’s a frog,” she said.
“Only if it comes with batteries,” he said. “Can you imagine trying to get a frog past Customs?”
“You have a point. But if you were staying in Chantaine, I’d be getting you a puppy for Christmas,” she said. “If you’ve been wanting one your whole life, then I’d say you’re overdue.”
In her voice he heard a hint of indignation on his behalf, and it filled up one of the cracks of pain he’d tried to ignore for so long. She was the most generous woman he’d ever met. “I appreciate the thought more than you know. We’d better hit the Lego aisle if we’re going to get out of here in fifteen minutes.”
Sara checked her watch. “Right-o,” she said. “It wouldn’t be fair not to give Binnie a break soon. I wonder if we should call to check on the children.”
“Stay focused,” he said even as he cherished her devotion to his children. “The palace staff have my number and they have yours.”
“True,” she said.
They finished shopping, and Sara insisted on getting wrapping paper and supplies. As Gavin pulled into a parking space at the palace, he felt a twinge of regret that the day was over. He realized how much he wanted his own time with Sara. He wanted the opportunity to watch her emotions play out on her face. He wanted to tease her and make her laugh. And always, always, he wanted to make love to her.
Gavin had avoided thinking about his own needs for so long that his feelings caught him off guard. “Just one more thing...” He slid his hand behind her neck to draw her closer to him. “Thanks,” he said against her lips, then kissed her.
When he pulled back, she looked at him in surprise. “For what?”
“Life’s been a grind for a while now. Today was fun,” he said.
She met his gaze and nodded. “It was for me, too.” She glanced from side to side, then pressed her mouth against his. He immediately felt a rush of heat and want. That little demonstration of her desire for him got under his skin.
He deepened the kiss and savored the taste of her, her quick and passionate response. Wanting more, he pulled her across the center console and slid his hands beneath her blouse. He craved the sensation of feeling her bare skin.
She squeezed his shoulders and tilted her head, inviting him to take her further. He slid his hands over her breasts and found her nipples hard with arousal. Gavin was hard, too. He wanted to feel her moistness closing around him. He wanted to strip off her jeans and underwear and take her right there.
A car horn beeped, barely permeating his consciousness. Gavin slid his tongue over hers, wanting her naked. Wanting her to be his.
The car horn beeped again.
“What the—” Gavin said, looking out the foggy back windows. He caught sight of a vehicle with flashing lights.
A man knocked on the tinted window and Gavin lowered it. “Problem?” Gavin asked.
“Just wanted to make sure you were okay,” the palace guard said. “We check the parking lot every fifteen minutes.”
Gavin nodded, putting his hand over Sara’s. “We’re okay. We were just talking about Christmas gifts for my children.”
The guard nodded. “I feel your pain. I have one of my own. Let me know if you need any help.”
Gavin pushed the button to lift his window and took a deep breath. He needed to get his libido under control.
“Christmas gifts?” Sara said. “We were nearly having sex in the palace parking lot.”
“What else was I going to say? I want to make love to the nanny of my children so stop interrupting?”
Sara pushed her hair from her head and looked away, sighing. “I do wonder how far we would have gone if we hadn’t been interrupted.”
“I can tell you,” Gavin said, sliding his hand behind the nape of her neck. “All the way.”
“Don’t you dare get started,” she said with a scowl, fanning her face. “You are too irresistible for my own good.”
* * *
Sara wasn’t quite sure how she got through the evening. Apparently the move would take place sometime tomorrow, although the family wouldn’t have to leave the palace immediately.
Sara, however, suspected the Sinclair family needed to get settled into their new space as soon as possible. She could do nothing about it tonight, though, because clothing and stuffed animals and toys were being cleaned. The advantage of having the palace on your side.
She and Gavin spent time with the children, then collapsed in the sitting area of his bedroom suite. “How did we function before the palace nanny?”
“I’m not sure I always functioned all that well,” she admitted, leaning back to close her eyes for just a moment.
“Yes you have,” he said. “Little children require a lot of attention, supervision and care.”
“And frozen washcloths for teething pain,” she added, still keeping her eyes closed. Her eyelids felt as if ten pound weights were resting on them. “Don’t forget that.”
A few seconds passed. “That’s right. You also reminded me about buying Christmas gifts.”
Sara nodded and sighed. She heard Gavin say something else, but didn’t compute his words. She shifted slightly in her chair and the room faded away.
Moments later, she felt something shift beneath her. Sara opened her eyes and found herself in Gavin’s arms. “What—”
“I was talking. You were snoring,” he said. “I’m putting you to bed.” Carrying her from his room to hers, he set her down on her bed, then pulled off her shoes “I’d offer to take off your clothes, but then I’d want to keep you awake.”
Despite her weariness, his sexy smile made her heart turn over. “I can’t remember feeling this tired. I apologize,” she said.
“No apologies,” he said. “Sleep.” He bent down and dropped a kiss on her lips. “Good night, beautiful.”
Sara knew she should get up and change into her nightgown, but the mattress felt so good and despite the fact that she knew she looked worn-out and messy, she felt more beautiful than she could ever remember.
When she awakened in the morning, her mouth felt grimy and her eyes were gritty. She crawled out of bed, stripped off her clothes and turned on the shower. Standing under the spray, she turned her face up to the warm water and let it flow over her. It felt so good. She sudsed up, then rinsed and spent an extra couple of minutes absorbing the water therapy. She finally, reluctantly, turned off the water and left the shower. Drying off, she scrubbed her hair with a towel, then pulled her hair into a bun that would take hours to air dry.
Bother, she thought. This day was going to be extremely busy. She added some lip gloss and some tinted moisturizer that would probably slide off within two hours, but she felt compelled to make an effort. Pulling on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt, she then put on her tennis shoes.
Sara mentally girded herself. She was ready for the marathon that would take place today. At the same time she was giving herself the pep talk, a knock sounded at the door. She opened it to a staff member carrying a tray with breakfast.
“You are a gift f
rom the heavens,” she said.
The young man’s mouth twitched in humor as he set the tray down on a table. “You’re welcome, Your Highness.”
Sara dropped the stainless-steel cover she’d just lifted from the tray and gaped at him. “You don’t need to address me that way,” she said. “But thank you again,” she said.
“As you wish, ma’am,” he said. “I was just trying to be respectful of your position. Have I offended you?”
“No,” she said. “I just think you may be mistaken. I’m not a Your Highness or a ma’am.”
“Yes, ma—” He broke off. “Yes,” he said and left the room.
Sara glanced at the food. Her appetite had fled. She knew that secrets could spread quickly among staff. She wondered who had heard that she was royalty, and she prayed it wouldn’t spread outside the castle.
Despite her lack of appetite, she knew she should eat something, so she forced herself to eat a few bites of an omelet and toast. Her mind was whirling. She needed to talk to someone in the royal family, but she wasn’t sure who could provide her with the truth.
Chapter Eleven
Sara walked out of her bedroom and immediately ran into Gavin in the hallway.
“How’d you sleep, princess?” he asked with a grin.
Sara flinched even though she knew he was just addressing her as a princess out of affection. Her interaction with the server had put her on edge.
“Not so well, I guess,” Gavin said.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I’m great.”
“Keep saying it and you’ll believe it,” he said as he slid his arm around her. “Take a deep breath. We’re just starting.”
“I know,” she said. “There’s so much we need to do.”
“It’s okay if all of it doesn’t get done right away,” Gavin said.
She looked at him in disbelief. “Says the perfectionist project engineer determined to keep his project on schedule.”
“Touché,” he said.
Sara finally took that deep breath. “Forgive me. I was impolite. We’ll just do the best we can.”
“And that will be more than enough,” he said. “If we had wineglasses, we would toast. Instead,” he said, and lowered his mouth to hers, “we’ll kiss.”
Sara kissed him, then drew back. “How are we going to keep our relationship secret if we keep kissing in public?”
“Do we really need to keep it secret?” he asked and took her hand in his.
Sara paused. “We do right now,” she said.
He pulled his hand away from hers. “As you wish.”
It’s not what I wish, she wanted to say. It’s what’s necessary. Instead she said, “Thank you.”
She joined Gavin in his car and they followed Princess Ericka, her husband and their toddler son to the new house. The drive was mostly quiet—Sara hated the tension between her and Gavin, but she didn’t feel she could do anything about it.
Sara watched Ericka’s car pull into the driveway of a chalet much larger than the cottage where the family had previously lived.
“Nice digs,” Gavin muttered as he pulled into the driveway.
“I agree,” she said. “I wonder what the interior looks like.”
“We’ll find out soon,” he said. He got out of the car and rounded it to help her from her seat, but she was already walking toward the chalet.
Princess Ericka turned toward them with a huge smile on her face. “Welcome to your new home.”
Sara shook her head. “I don’t know what to say. It’s beautiful.”
“It wasn’t available when you first arrived, Mr. Sinclair, but we’re happy to offer this residence for the rest of your contract.”
“It’s beautiful,” Sara said.
“How’s the electrical?” Gavin asked.
Ericka’s husband stepped forward and extended his hand to Gavin. “Hi, I’m Treat. The electrical system is the best in Chantaine. We apologize for the trauma you experienced at the cottage, and we’re working to bring all the electrical work up to code. I’m with you on the electrical situation. Unfortunately, this is an island with a lot of older homes, and many owners haven’t bothered to update. We’re working to make it a requirement. The fire department concluded its investigation on your previous residence. It was a result of faulty wiring in the laundry room.”
“That’s good to know. I hope you’re requiring all homes to have smoke alarms,” he said as they all stepped into the house.
“This has already been voted into law. Chantaine residents are known for their independence, so it may take a few citations for some people to realize we mean business.”
“Oh, look, “Sara said, glancing into the spacious den. “The white tree is already up. Sam will be so happy.”
“How’s the smell?” Gavin asked.
Sara gave it a sniff. “No smoke.”
“We aired it out and treated it, but you may need to give it a spray of freshener every now and then,” Ericka said.
“Thanks,” Gavin said. “Sara had a bad experience with a house fire when she was a child, so the smell of smoke isn’t a favorite.”
“Of course not,” Ericka said, her face softening in concern. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
Feeling self-conscious, Sara shrugged. “I’m quite fine. I don’t know how to thank you for all you’ve done. The house is beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Ericka said as she led the way down the hall. “There are four bedrooms. The nursery and Sam’s room are connected through a bathroom, and Sara will have her own bath in the back. The master is to your right.”
Leo raced down the hallway and squealed with joy. “Mama. Cookies.”
Ericka bent down to her child. “It’s not time for cookies.” She glanced at Sara and Gavin and smiled. “He’s full of energy these days. It seems like he went from crawling to running.” She turned back to the tot. “Go see Daddy. We won’t be staying much longer.”
“Daddy?” he echoed.
Ericka nodded and watched her son zoom down the hallway. “It’s always exciting when he says a word. The surgery has made such a difference for him.”
“I noticed the device behind his ear,” Gavin said.
“Yes. It’s a special transmitter. It’s not a cure for his hearing disability, and we’re still working on sign language, but it’s thrilling to see him making progress like other children.”
“He certainly seems healthy and robust to me,” Sara said.
“Yes, he is,” Ericka said. “We use the term wild child every now and then.” She gave a light laugh. “But back to the house. The clothing, toys and linens have been cleaned. As you can see, we’re using different furniture. Some things have been put away, but there are boxes of your belongings in each room.”
“You’re a miracle worker,” Sara said.
“Not at all,” Ericka demurred. “All of you have been through a difficult time. We just want to make things a little easier. Stefan has been quite adamant that he wants Mr. Sinclair’s distractions kept to a minimum. He’s eager for the completion of the project you’re doing for Chantaine.”
“I got that impression,” Gavin said in a dry tone.
“Stefan can be quite the taskmaster. His intentions are good, but all of us have learned that we have to push back on occasion. If you don’t have any other questions, I’ll go rescue my husband from our little cookie monster and be on our way.”
“I’d like to try to get Sam’s room as ready as possible,” Sara said. “He’s been through a lot of changes.”
“Yes, he has. If you need to stay at the palace another night, that’s totally fine,” Ericka said. “Oh, and before I forget, you’re all invited to the palace Christmas-tree lighting this week. If you need anything at all, I’m just a phone call away.”
“Thank you again,” Gavin said.
The princess and her family left, and Sara and Gavin immediately went to Sam’s room. “I want to unpack his toys and put some pictures on the wa
ll. Speaking of pictures, we need to put the photo of his mother on the dresser. I’m sure you have other photos of Sam and Adelaide,” she said.
“I’ve got tons on my laptop and my phone.”
“I think it would be a good idea to put some copies of other photos on his dresser. It might be comforting to him. I’d like to put some photos in Adelaide’s room, too”
“Good idea,” he said as he took her hand. “You’re always thinking of new ways to help them.”
She bit her lip at the intent expression on his face. “It’s my job,” she said and smiled.
“Nothing more? You’re not at all attached?”
“Of course I am. How could I not love your children?” she said, trying not to think about how she was going to feel when her job was done. There was no way she could emotionally distance herself from the family. Don’t think about the future, she told herself. She had to focus on the task in front of her. “I hope there’s a shop open on Sunday where we can get photos printed,” she said.
“I have a color printer if I can find it,” he said.
“Perfect,” she said. “You look for it and I’ll unpack some boxes.”
“Will do,” he said, and they each got to work.
* * *
Gavin drove to a shop and watched Sara meticulously choose several frames for the photos she wanted to display in Sam’s room. He was pretty pleased with himself that he’d printed off a picture of a frog he’d found on the internet. Sara had been, too.
“This frog photo is fabulous,” she told Gavin. “I know Sam is going to love it.”
Her praise was like cool soothing water in the pained cracks of his heart. His wife had criticized him far more than she’d acknowledged his efforts. Sara made him feel as if he could fly. She made him think he wasn’t such a bad father after all.
“This is going to be wonderful,” Sara said. “You did a great job.”
“I just printed off a few photos,” he said. “That’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing,” she protested. “Those photos are going to make an impact on Sam every day. You’re a wonderful father. Sam is so lucky to have you.”