The Prince's Cowgirl Bride

“Then I’ll look forward to our discussion at the end of the week.”

“Cocky, aren’t you?”

“Confident,” he corrected, and smiled.

“In any event, I’m only looking for someone to fill in for a couple of months while Grady has a cast on his leg.”

“Riding accident?”

“No. He tumbled off a ladder while taking down his Christmas lights.”

“In May?”

Now she really smiled. “He didn’t want to do it in January when it was icy and snowy because he might slip and fall.”

She was even more beautiful when she smiled, when her eyes sparkled with humor and her lips tilted up at the corners. His gaze lingered on her mouth for a moment, wondering if it would taste as soft and moist as it looked, and certain that putting the moves on his new boss would be a good way to lose his job before he’d started.

He took a mental step back, because as attracted as he was to Jewel, he really did want this job.

He had three university degrees and countless royal duties waiting for him at home, but what appealed to him right now was the opportunity to work in these stables.

It was nothing less than the truth when he told Jewel he’d been riding since before he could walk. His father had taught all of his sons to ride, and with the duties of his office monopolizing so much of his time, the brothers had grown to appreciate those all-too-rare occasions when they’d raced across the hills together.

After his father’s death, Marcus had started spending even more time in the stables, because it was there that he could recall his fondest and most vivid memories. It was when he was with the horses that he felt his father’s presence most keenly. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed working with animals until this opportunity had come up and he wasn’t going to blow it because of a woman—no matter how much she tempted him.

Still, he couldn’t prevent his gaze from skimming over her again, couldn’t help wondering if he’d ever seen eyes such an intriguing shade of gray-blue, if her hair was as silky as it looked, if the pulse fluttering at the base of her jaw would race if he brushed his fingertips over it.

He curled his fingers into his palms to resist the temptation to do just that.

Something had changed.

Jewel wasn’t sure how or when, she only knew that it had.

One minute they were joking about Grady’s clumsiness, then he was looking at her as if nothing existed but the both of them, as if there was no time except in that moment.

The very air around them seemed to be charged with an electricity that heightened her senses, amplified her awareness of him, magnified the needs that had been too long ignored.

She wasn’t the type of woman whose knees went weak at the sight of an attractive man—at least, she never had been before. But that was precisely what had happened when she’d caught her first glimpse of Mac Delgado in the café.

He was a man who would make any woman look twice, so she didn’t fault herself for doing so. Even her sister, who was unquestionably devoted to her husband, had sighed in appreciation when he’d walked in the door.

But he was also young—probably a decade younger than her—and she was old enough to recognize the dangers of getting involved with a man just because he was nice to look at.

Okay, he was a lot more than nice to look at, and he’d already proven that he was more than a pretty face. But she’d made the mistake of following her heart once before. She’d ignored her sister’s concerns and her father’s demands, and she’d let herself get swept away by her dreams. And she’d come home with those dreams and her heart shattered.

It was a mistake she wouldn’t ever make again.

She pushed away from the gate. “I’ve got other animals to see to, and you need to get settled.”

But as Jewel walked briskly from the barn, she felt anything but settled.

She’d meant what she said when she told him she couldn’t afford to make mistakes with respect to the business. She was even less willing to take risks where her heart was concerned.

Though the idea of a casual affair held a certain and undeniable appeal, Jewel didn’t dare let herself think about it. Because she’d never been able to share her body without first opening up her heart, and she had no intention of opening up her heart again.

You’re too young to have resigned yourself to being alone.

Jewel tried to ignore the echo of her sister’s words in her head, along with the admonition of her conscience that she’d lied to Crystal when she’d claimed she wasn’t settling for less than what she wanted. Because the truth was, she wanted a husband, a family, a life outside of the farm where she’d grown up.

But while it wasn’t entirely accurate to say that she was happy being alone, she was content. She’d become accustomed to quiet nights and an empty bed, accepting that was the price to be paid to protect her heart.

And if she sometimes desperately yearned for a baby of her own to hold in her arms, well, she’d just have to accept that wasn’t going to happen for her—not without a ring on her finger first. And since she had no intention of falling in love again, she would just have to be satisfied with her role as doting aunt to any children her sister might have.

As for Mac Delgado, she was probably misinterpreting her feelings for him because she was grateful for his help in delivering Scarlett’s foal, exaggerating the attraction because it had been so long since she’d been with a man.

She frowned, trying to figure out exactly how long it had been, then realized if she had to think about it that hard, she probably didn’t want to know.

When Jewel left the stables, she saw that Russ had returned from his errands in town, and her lips curved with genuine pleasure as she made her way toward him. Her smile slipped a little when she noted the scowl that darkened his usually handsome face.

“Did you see Scarlett’s foal?” she asked.

His only response was an abrupt nod. Then he jerked his head in the direction of the barn. “Was that him?”

“Who?”

“The guy who drove up in the fancy wheels. Is he the new groom Cody said you hired?”

She nodded. “Mac Delgado.”

His scowl deepened. “What do you know about him, JC?”

“I know that he doesn’t panic under pressure.”

“You hired him because he helped deliver a foal?”

“It’s not my usual interview technique, but I’d say he more than proved himself. If he hadn’t been here, I might have lost both Scarlett and the baby.”

“Cody would have come through for you.”

“Cody was shaking so badly I’m surprised he managed to dial the phone when I asked him to call the vet.”

“You’re mad that I wasn’t here.”

She shook her head. “There’s no point in being angry about anything. There weren’t any of the usual indicators that she was going to foal so soon and, truthfully, if she’d waited another couple of weeks, you’d be gone anyway.”

“Is that why you hired the first guy who showed up here?”

She shifted her gaze away, not willing to admit that she still had her own reservations about Mac—though they were more personal than professional. And considering the way he’d come through for her, she figured she owed him a chance. “I don’t answer to you, Russ.”