the little boy to him. One of the guards stepped forward to help lift the boy into the saddle in front of Stefan. The crowd roared with delight. “Find his parents to meet me at the end of the route.”
Eve searched the crowd and immediately spotted the astonished, beaming parents of the boy. The young couple were already walking down the street. The father carried a sleeping infant in an infant carrier on his back.
Eve caught up with them. “Hello, I’m Eve Jackson, the royal horse master. Is that your son taking a ride with Prince Stefan?”
The woman gave a huge nod, clearly still stunned. “My son, Ricardo, he is so active. He got away from both my husband and me. Thank you for catching him. I can’t believe he is riding with Prince Stefan.”
Eve couldn’t help smiling at the joy on the couples’ faces. “His Royal Highness asked that I make sure you meet your son at the end of the parade. We don’t want your son to be frightened.”
“Frightened,” the father echoed. “I can only wish. The boy shows no fear.”
“I understand,” she said sympathetically. “Mr.—?”
“Benito,” he said. “Raul and Gina Benito, thank you for your kindness.”
“My pleasure,” she said and gestured for a guard to escort the young couple through the throng of observers. She ran ahead to make sure her assistants were taking care of the horses and riders properly. She knew there would be hundreds of photographs taken by the press of all the horses and riders.
The next hour passed in a flurry of activity as the horses were released from their royal duties and guided back to the barns.
“Ms. Jackson,” a man called from a few feet away. “Welcome to Chantaine. Your first royal parade is a huge success.”
“Thank you. I’m thrilled for the citizens of Chantaine to get the opportunity to see the beautiful horses that represent their country,” she said and motioned to one of her assistants to take two more of the horses back to the stable.
“Oh, but they are not Chantaine’s horses. Everyone knows Prince Stefan has a weakness for fine horseflesh. These are Prince Stefan’s horses.”
“Number one, I wouldn’t call it a weakness. Number two, these horses do represent Chantaine just as your beautiful beaches and the palace and palace grounds do.”
The man lifted his eyebrow. “Easy for you to say. You make a much better salary than most of the citizens of Chantaine. The prince’s horses aren’t remotely self-sustaining.”
“It wouldn’t be hard for them to be self-sustaining,” she couldn’t keep from saying in defense of the stable.
“What do you mean?”
“Black. He’s worth a fortune as a sire,” she said, then feared she’d revealed too much. He didn’t look like a member of the press and she didn’t see a camera. “I need to go. I was taught to earn my keep,” she added meaningfully, and then walked away.
Much later that evening after she’d showered and put on her pj’s, her cell phone sounded, signaling a text message. She glanced up from the book she was reading and glanced at her phone. Meet me in the lower courtyard in thirty minutes. SD
Eve was torn between irritation and curiosity. The man was way too accustomed to giving orders. In other circumstances, she would have laughed and said forget it. But this was Stefan and the situation was totally different. Plus she was dying of curiosity.
She jumped out of bed and changed into a pair of jeans and a white button-down shirt. With her hair still damp from the shower she’d taken earlier, she just decided to let it air-dry. After a few moments of feeling antsy, she gave in to her restlessness and decided to take the long way to the lower courtyard. She stopped by a bush of blue flowers that reminded her of Texas bluebells and felt a twist of homesickness. Back home, she’d stayed busy with her job, working with the horses on the ranch where her aunt worked and volunteering. Staying busy kept her from thinking too much about how much she missed her brother since he’d left all those years ago. It also kept her from getting involved in a serious relationship. From a young age, Eve had been determined to steer her own ship, and she’d never met a man with whom she’d willingly share the wheel.
She heard the snap of a twig, but before she could turn around she heard his voice.
“Congratulations, Eve. Well done.”
Pleasure welled up inside her and she turned around to find Stefan, his shirt partly unbuttoned, his hair mussed and carrying a bottle of champagne and two glasses. Surprised by his gesture, she felt a secret rush of delight. “Congratulations to you, too. The crowd loved it when you gave Ricardo a ride on Black. Champagne?”
He shrugged. “You worked hard. I thought you deserved to celebrate.”
“You could have just sent the bottle to my apartment, couldn’t you?” she asked, unable to resist the chance to tease him.
He shot her a look with a glint of the devil in his eyes. “Okay, I deserve to celebrate, too. Come on,” he said and walked toward the lower courtyard. They entered the area surrounded by tall hedges and he gestured toward the stone bench. “Hold these, please,” he said and handed her the glasses.
“Wow,” she said.
“What?” he asked as he released the cork without spilling a drop. He tilted the liquid into the two glasses.
“You said please. I don’t hear that word from you all that often,” she said and offered him a glass.
“Are you always this charming when someone tries to thank you?”
“You knew what you were getting when you hired me,” she said and lifted her glass in salute. “Congratulations on choosing such spectacular horses for your stable and for giving a little boy and his parents the story of their lives.”
“Congratulations for pulling it all together,” he said and clicked his glass against hers.
They both took a sip of the champagne. “I must confess I was worried about the combination of the protestors and your royal cavalry.”
He smothered a chuckle. “Royal guard.”
“Close enough,” she said and took another sip. “Have you been busy with interviews with the press?”
“And a cocktail party with the riders. I told my assistant to make sure you were invited.”
She shook her head. “I thought it would be better for me to make sure the real stars were taken care of after the show.”
“Of course,” he said. “Next time, remember you have staff for that.”
“No one refuses the prince?” she said. “Except for his family.”
“Are you saying you don’t want to attend a party at the palace as a guest?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it. “It’s a little out of my everyday routine,” she confessed.
“I can’t believe you would be
