Royal Holiday Baby

Zach gave into the urge to stroke her hair and cup her head. “I know you’re still wound tighter than a spring, but you’re safe here. Soon enough, you’ll realize you can relax.

And no thanks are necessary. I wouldn’t have it any other way. ’Night Tina.”

She took a deep breath that seemed to tremble out of her when she exhaled. “Good night, Zach.”

Chapter Five

When Tina awakened the next morning, the sun slithered through the curtains covering the windows. She heard a vague vibrating sound, but couldn’t quite place it. Glancing at one side of the bed then the other, she squinted at the clock on the nightstand. 10:30 a.m.

Embarrassment rolled through her. Oh, my Lord. She’d slept for twelve hours. Everyone would think she was the clichéd princess, accustomed to rising late, when that couldn’t be further from the truth. The soft buzzing sound continued and she finally placed the noise. Her cell phone. Blinking, she pushed her hair from her face and slid out of bed. Where had she put the darn thing?

Following the sound, she finally found it beneath her discarded clothes from the night before. At the moment, she wore one of Zach’s T-shirts and the well-worn cotton felt delicious against her skin. She pulled out her cell phone and surveyed the recent calls. Her brother, her sister in Paris, her next youngest sister, her assistant, her brother, her brother, and her sister in Paris.

Sighing, she mentally formed a strategy for each call and pushed speed dial for her brother.

“How long are you planning on staying there?” her brother demanded as he picked up the phone.

“I’m not going to have a long discussion. As I told you before, I’m here in Texas of my own free will. Not sure when I’ll return. I’m figuring things out.”

“Figuring things out?” her brother echoed. “And how are we supposed to deal with this? I’m shocked at your lack of consideration.”

“Consider it belated rebellion,” she said. “I’ll be in touch when I can give you more information.”

“But Tina, how are we to explain this to the press?”

“I don’t really care,” she said. “You have professionals on staff to take care of this. Let them do their job.”

“And what about your appearances?”

“Either cancel them or let my sisters step up. Take care, sweetie,” she said and disconnected the call.

She called her sister in Paris to reassure her that she hadn’t been abducted. Ericka was shocked that Tina was pregnant out of wedlock, but recovered enough to offer Tina any and every assistance.

“How could you do this to me? I’ve only been out of college for two years and just when I’m enjoying life in Florence, Stefan insists I move back to Chantaine?” her younger sister, Bridget, said when Tina called.

“That’s two more years than I had,” Tina said, more blunt than she’d ever been with her younger sister.

“But this is a terrible scandal,” Bridget said. “There will be questions every which way I turn. How will I answer them?”

“That’s what the palace PR is for. They will help you,”

Tina said, feeling the urge to return to bed and pull the covers over her head.

“But Tina, how could you do this? Everyone was counting on you to be the normal one,” her sister huffed.

Tina sighed. “Maybe that’s why it happened. I just couldn’t be normal and dutiful anymore. I’m sorry. I—” Her voice broke and she swallowed over the lump in her throat. “You’ll do fine. Maybe better than me,” she said. “Love you. Bye for now.”

She disconnected the call and turned off the phone. She couldn’t bear hearing the disappointment in her family’s voices one more minute. Her eyes burned with unshed tears and she tried to hold them back, but they seemed to well up from her belly to her tight chest and tighter throat. A sob escaped and then another. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d cried like this. When her mother had died? When her father had passed away?

A sharp rap sounded on the bedroom door, startling her. She sniffed and swiped at her wet cheeks.

“Hildie here. I have breakfast for you,” the housekeeper said and opened the door.

Horrified, Tina groped for something to cover herself. In her world, staff never entered without receiving confirmation from her.

Hildie bustled around the room. “I don’t often get a chance to deliver breakfast in bed, but since you’re here I do. Lord knows, Zachary never sleeps past dawn,” she said with more than a twinge of disapproval as she placed the tray on a table. “It’s a good thing you rested well, being pregnant and all. I read that it takes a day to adjust to each time zone change, so you’ve got a few days to go. And according to what Zachary said, they’ve been running you like a mule during harvest. A woman with child needs her rest. I hope some of this will suit you. Scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, grits, fruit and toast.”

Hildie finally glanced at Tina. The woman narrowed her gaze as she studied her then caught sight of the phone in Tina’s hand. “You’ve been crying. Has someone been bothering you?”

Tina sniffled but shook her head. “Not bothering. I had to return a few calls.”

“To who?” Hildie asked crossing her arms over her chest.

“Just a few members of my family,” Tina said, wondering why she felt the need to answer questions from staff.

“Humph,” Hildie said. “Well, if they’re upsetting you, it just won’t do. Zachary won’t allow it.”

Taken off guard by the woman’s suggestion that Zachary would somehow be able to control or even influence her family, she shook her head. “Excuse me? Zachary won’t allow it? My family doesn’t operate by everyone else’s rules.”

“Neither does Zachary Logan,” Hildie said flatly. “But I imagine since he got you out of France in no time flat, you got a taste of what he’s capable of. If not, you’ll see soon enough. Go ahead and eat. Zachary tells me you need to go to the store. It takes about a half hour to drive to town and I suspect you’ll tire quickly.”

“I’m really not that fragile,” Tina insisted, moving to the table where Hildie had placed her breakfast.

“Uh-huh,” Hildie said. “That’s what a lot of moms-to-be say. Then all of a sudden they’re passing out or crying because they haven’t had enough rest.”

Offended, Tina lifted her chin. “I wasn’t crying because I hadn’t had enough—”

“With all due respect, Miss Highlyness,” Hildie interjected. “Please eat your breakfast. We’re wasting daylight.”

Thirty minutes later, Tina joined Hildie in a black Ford truck. Tina was clean, but her face was stripped clean of cosmetics except for lip gloss and a little powder. Her hair was still damp as Hildie barreled down the road.

Tina gripped the door with one hand and the edge of her seat with the other. “Are we in a hurry?” she asked.

Hildie shrugged and turned the country radio station to a higher decibel. “Not really. I just don’t like to waste time getting where I want to go.”

Tina swallowed over a knot of panic in her throat. “How far to the store?”

Hildie waved her hand and guided the steering wheel with her knee. “Not long,” she said and cackled. “You can be sure I’ll get there in no time.”

If we don’t meet our maker first, she thought and continued her death grip. Hildie gave a running commentary on the history of the area and talked about her niece, Eve, apparently her pride and joy.

When Hildie pulled into a parking lot and screeched to a stop, Tina breathed a sigh of relief.

“Here we are,” Hildie said and winked at her. “They have a maternity department here.”

Tina walked into the store and felt as if she’d stepped into a foreign country. The truth was that her assistant often shopped for her. Tina rarely visited retail stores. She was too busy.

She felt Hildie studying her. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “Don’t they have what you want?”