The Rancher's Christmas Princess Read Free

sisters and you mentioned brothers, too?”
    “I have four sisters and four brothers.”
    “That’s quite a royal family.”
    “Montedoro is a principality,” she explained. “That means we,
the ruling family, are not, strictly speaking, considered royal.”
    “So your father’s not a king?”
    “Actually, it’s my mother who rules Montedoro.”
    Right. RaeNell had told him that, now that he thought about it.
“You said your dad was born an American...”
    She nodded. “They met in Los Angeles. My father used to be an
actor. He did well for himself, even won an Oscar for best actor in a supporting
role.”
    “But he gave all that up when he met your mother?”
    “Yes, he did. When my mother took the throne he became His
Serene Highness Evan, Prince Consort of Montedoro—and no, my mother is not a
queen. She’s the sovereign princess.”
    “I see,” he said. Though he didn’t, not really. He only thought
that her world and his were galaxies apart.
    Which had him feeling suddenly awkward and foolish. He’d been
talking way too much, acting like a rube, a hayseed way too full of himself, all
puffed up to be having breakfast with this amber-eyed beauty from a long, long
ways out of town.
    Come on now. Exactly what business did she have with him?
Whatever it was, she sure wasn’t in any rush to get down to it. He pushed his
plate away, wiped his mouth and set his napkin on the table.
    The princess could take a hint. “I wonder if we might speak in
private...” she cautiously suggested. He couldn’t say he blamed her for wanting
to take the conversation elsewhere. The low murmur of other voices filled the
diner now. But he had no doubt that every ear in the place remained cocked
toward their booth.
    He thought again about how he had nothing in common with her,
how she was out of his league and way out of his reach. How he was only here to
find out why she was asking around about him. He reminded himself how he had no
interest in women anyway, not since his fiancée dumped him for that jackass
Monty Polk over two years ago now.
    Plus, RaeNell had mentioned a baby, hadn’t she? That the
princess had a baby with her. She wore no wedding ring. But why would she bring
a baby to Elk Creek unless it belonged to her?
    He went ahead and asked her. “Belle, are you married?”
    She answered without hesitation. “No, Preston, I’m not.”
    Then what about the baby?
    But he couldn’t quite get those words out. He’d been raised to
mind his manners around a lady. And he didn’t know her well enough to ask her
something as personal as that.
    Instead, he shocked the hell out of himself by asking, “Would
you have dinner with me?”

Chapter Two
    T he princess had agreed that he would pick
her up at the Drop On Inn at seven. Pres was there right on time, freshly
showered and shaved, wearing tan slacks and a sport jacket under his winter
coat—and feeling like something way too close to a damn fool.
    RaeNell was behind the desk, hanging miniature red balls on the
little Christmas tree. “Lookin’ pretty spiffy there, Pres. I’ll tell her you’re
here.”
    He gave her a nod of acknowledgment and wondered how RaeNell
knew that he was there to pick up Belle. Then he decided not to stew over it.
RaeNell always knew way more than she had any
business knowing.
    She picked up the phone and pushed a button. “Hello, Lady
Charlotte. Please tell Her Highness that Preston McCade is waiting in the
lobby....Yes. Thank you.” RaeNell put the phone down. “She’ll be right
down.”
    “Great.”
    RaeNell stood back to admire the little tree, then stepped
close again to move an ornament to a spot nearer the top. “Where are you taking
her? The Bull’s Eye? Of course you are. Where else you gonna get a decent steak
in this town?”
    Pres said nothing. He didn’t need to. RaeNell had always been
perfectly capable of carrying on a conversation all by herself.
    RaeNell folded her arms and braced them on the counter