you,” Eve said and felt Stefan studying her. She felt a quiver of something strange in her belly and pushed it aside. “Your Highnesses,” she said and walked away.
The family dinner had gone much better than usual due to Eve’s presence, Stefan thought as he paced his quarters. She’d amused him by the way she’d pushed back when he’d teased her. The sound of her Texas drawl slid over his nerve endings like a smooth brandy. Her little game had distracted his family from the usual squabbles and griping, and allowed them to enjoy their time together. He would make sure she was included again.
Glancing at the clock, he thought about his early meeting with dignitaries from Russia in the morning. It would serve him well to go to sleep, but he was too restless. Lately, he’d been even more restless than usual. Bumping up his exercise routine hadn’t helped. The advisers had been pressing him more than ever on a matter that he’d avoided like the plague. But he knew they were right. He couldn’t delay this part of his duty forever. He glanced out the French doors of his balcony and watched the clouds slide over the moon. Inhaling, he caught the scent of impending rain. The atmosphere felt moody. Like him, he thought with wry chagrin.
An impulse shot through him and he considered it for thirty seconds. As ruler, he’d learned early on he would have to be selective about giving in to impulses. This one would help him sleep and quiet his spirit. He changed his clothes and called his personal guard, Georg. “I’m going to ride Black.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Would you like me to arrange for the horse to be saddled before you get to the barn?”
“Not necessary. I’ll do it,” Stefan said.
“Enjoy your ride, sir,” the security guard said.
“Thank you,” Stefan said and headed for the barn.
He heard her talking with Black before he looked inside the horse’s stall. Black nodded as Eve talked as if he understood exactly what she was saying. “So, how do you like the idea of a goat?” she asked. “I have a feeling you would do better with a pet than another horse.”
“A goat?” Stefan echoed and watched Eve whirl around in surprise. She adjusted her black Stetson. “Black would stomp the poor animal to smithereens.”
“Maybe not,” she disagreed, stroking the stallion in question. “By nature, horses aren’t solitary animals. He’s so restless. I think a pet might help him calm down.”
Stefan stroked his chin. “I’ll think about it,” he said and wryly wished a pet goat would solve his own restlessness. “Did you ride him this evening?”
She shook her head. “No. I just visited him because I had a feeling you might want a ride tonight.”
He appreciated her perception. “Family night can be an obstacle course, but I think it’s necessary.”
“I agree with you. Were you and your sisters and brother ever close?”
“That’s a good question,” he said as he entered the stall. Black immediately approached him, and Stefan felt a rush of pleasure at the way the horse responded to his presence. “We had different assignments, different nannies, even different advisers. Tina and I shared some similar training. I think that’s why we’re so close. Then Fredericka had her substance abuse issues and it became a priority to make sure that none of the other Devereaux went down that same road. If anyone was the glue between us all, it was Tina. When she left, it was a terrible blow.”
“Bet you’re still bummed about it,” Eve said, resting her hand on her hip as she studied him.
“Bummed, but mostly resigned. I’m glad she’s agreed to visits,” he said, feeling a pang of missing his sister.
Her lips twitched. “And now you get to deal with Bridget,” she said. “My aunt would say that should be a character-building experience for both of you.”
“Is this the same aunt who addressed Tina as ‘Your Highlyness’?”
“The one and only Hildie,” Eve said with soft smile. “She’s the best.”
“And you miss her,” he said, reading the combination of affection tempered with sadness on her face.
Eve glanced away then lifted her chin. “Probably more than I expected, but I’m too busy to spend much time feeling homesick. Speaking of time, I shouldn’t keep you from your ride. Your boy is ready for you,” she said, nodding toward the stallion.
He realized he’d just been dismissed and he wasn’t sure he liked it. A surge of strange feelings rumbled through him. Sympathy for Eve … curiosity … something else he couldn’t name. “Would you like to join me?”
Eve blinked in surprise. “Join you?” she echoed in disbelief.
“You can bring one of the geldings. It will be a short ride tonight since the weather is threatening,” he said. “If you think you’re up to it,” he added, deliberately challenging her.
“I’m up to it,” she retorted immediately. “I’ll get Gus and meet you out back.”
Moments later, she joined him and Black. “Where are we going?” she asked, leaning forward to give Gus a reassuring stroke on his neck.
“The beach,” Stefan said and, even in the darkness, he saw her face light up.
“I haven’t ridden there yet,” she said. “I’ve stuck to the trails on the palace grounds.”
“You won’t after you’ve ridden on the beach,” he said, urging Black into a fast trot. Leaving the confines of the stable yards behind, he led Eve on a winding path through dense woods. In the past, his security had wanted to ride with him and he’d always felt it was the worst kind of intrusion. He’d known forever that his life would never be totally his, but Stefan just wanted a few moments to breathe and escape. He’d never invited anyone with him on his night rides, but tonight he’d sensed the same combination of claustrophobia and loneliness in Eve that he often felt himself. Hers came from adjusting to living on an island and homesickness. A ride on the beach might offer her the same temporary cure it did him. He pulled his horse to a stop as they entered a clearing that offered a view of the beach below.
“It’s beautiful,” she said in a low, but awed voice.
“Yes, it is,” he agreed. “I wanted to warn you that the slope’s a little steep down this hill. Black could find his way down this hill blind, but Gus may need some extra time.”
“No problem. I wouldn’t do it any other way,” she said.
Just as Stefan had said, Black made it down the hill in no time. As soon as Black hit level ground with the beach mere yards away, Stefan could feel the stallion pulling on the reins. He knew what was coming. “Patience,” he said as the horse pranced. “She’ll be here in just a moment or two.”
Hearing the sound of Gus’s hooves behind him, he turned, expecting the gelding to stop. Instead, Eve urged the horse into a fast trot and rode right past him. “See ya!” she called with a laugh, and Gus took off.
Black gave a snort of protest as Stefan watched in surprise. Seemingly one with the horse, she rode better than any woman and most men
