The Reluctant Princess Read online

  She stared down at him resentfully. “Nothing. Nothing that is any of your business.”

  His fingers tightened around her wrist. “Kim…”

  But she was already shaking her head. “Forget you heard anything at all. It has nothing to do with you.”

  She was tugging hard on his hold on her and he knew she was going to slip away any second. To keep his grip, he would have to hurt her and he wasn’t going to do that.

  “Wait,” he said, trying to distract her. He knew the topic of the conversation with the doctor had something to do with the baby, he just wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe if he understood a little more about the child, he could figure it out for himself. “Tell me what’s wrong with Dede. What are you afraid of?”

  Her eyes flashed, gazing into his as though trying to see just how much he’d heard. “Never mind,” she said forcefully. “You wouldn’t understand.”

  “Kim, wait,” he said again. “You’ve got to be careful. I don’t trust that so-called doctor.”

  She had her hand back and there was a triumphant glint in her smile. “No problem,” she said coolly. “Don’t worry about me. I don’t trust anyone anymore.” Her chin rose. “And I especially don’t trust you.” She turned with a toss of her head and left the room.

  He grimaced, looking after her. He didn’t like this. Something bad was coming their way. He could feel it.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  KIM spent the next half hour tending to Dede, feeding her and playing with her and trying to ignore the man in her living room. If only he hadn’t appeared in their lives the day before, everything would be so much easier. Just his being here made things more difficult, and knowing what he wanted her to do made them almost impossible.

  But she was riding on a bubble of excitement that she’d had since she came back from work and found Dr. Harve waiting for her down the hall with a golden gift. He’d found her a pediatrician. Finally. She was overjoyed at the news.

  She only wished she’d been a bit more careful about keeping Jake from hearing any of it. She had to admit there were a few fishy-seeming details. According to the doctor, this children’s physician was an old friend from medical school who had somehow become persona non grata with the current Granvilli regime and had to get out of town. He was hiding out at a safe house, about to flee across the border into DeAngelis territory. But Dr. Harve had spoken to him and he’d agreed to see Dede the next day. Kim was so relieved. She had to keep reminding herself that one visit to a pediatrician, even a good one, wouldn’t necessarily create a miracle cure for Dede—but it was a start!

  She made Jake his bowl of soup and took it out to him. He was dozing, but he didn’t seem to be falling into the deep, drugged sleep anymore. That gave her pause. She knew what he wanted to do as soon as he was mobile, and she knew she had to have her child out of here before that time came. She would have to be careful judging when that was.

  She cleaned up the dishes and when she came out of the kitchen, found Jake up and leaning over the baby’s crib. That gave her a start but she quickly realized he was making baby-talk nonsense noises to her and she was laughing up at him. As she watched, Dede grabbed his nose and let out a yell of happiness.

  He laughed, but he pulled away. “Babies are cute and all, but they have no idea of how badly they can hurt a guy with those little fingers,” he mentioned wryly, rubbing his nose.

  “So you’re up,” Kim noted, assessing his stability. “How do you feel?”

  “Like I’m using someone else’s legs and they don’t fit very well.”

  She smiled. It was too bad he was so handsome. It would be easier to stay distant with a less appealing man. And the fact that he seemed to like Dede had not escaped her notice. You couldn’t help but like people who liked your kids.

  “Come in the kitchen,” she said impulsively. “You can sit at the table and I’ll make you a cup of hot chocolate.”

  “With marshmallows?” he asked hopefully.

  She laughed. “We’ll see if I can dig some up.”

  She made two cups, found marshmallows, and set them on the table. Dede had started fussing so she went to get her and returned to the kitchen with her baby in her arms. Dede whipped her head around so that she could give Jake a big grin. Obviously, his appeal hit all ages similarly.

  “So tell me, what exactly is wrong with her?” he said, studying her as he sipped his drink.

  Kim sat down with Dede on her lap. She was never happier than when she was holding her child. The love she felt tended to overwhelm her at times. It blotted out everything , even the knowledge of who her baby’s father was.

  “She seems fine to you, right? Perfectly normal? Like any other nine-month-old baby?”

  He nodded slowly. “She’s adorable.”

  “Oh. Yes, she is.” Kim gave her an extra hug. “But she doesn’t feel normal to me. I can tell there’s something wrong.” Her voice got a little shaky. “And nobody believes me.”

  His eyes narrowed. “What do you think it is?”

  She glanced at him. Did he really care or was he just making conversation?

  He wasn’t saying what most people said. You’re just a nervous first-time mom. You haven’t had enough experience to know what she should be like. All babies cry, all babies act like they’re in pain. You get used to it.

  He wasn’t saying any of those things. Should she take him as seriously as he seemed to be taking her? She wasn’t sure she was ready to trust him that far. Not yet.

  “I don’t know what it is. That’s the whole point. I’m trying desperately to find a doctor who can tell me what it is.”

  He had a thoughtful look, like a professor noodling with an idea. “What does she do that makes you think there’s something wrong?”

  She looked at him in surprise. He wasn’t just humoring her. He wasn’t blowing her off like everyone else did. He actually listened and was reacting to what she’d said. He wanted to know the facts. She didn’t really want to talk about this with him, and yet, if he was someone who actually respected her fears and wanted details, how could she refuse?

  Still, she had to remember that the man despised her, bottom line. He detested her tie to Leonardo, even though he had no clear idea of how that worked at all. And he was probably going to use any information he gleaned against her in some way. And yet… He was taking her opinion seriously. She threw caution to the wind, took a deep breath, and launched into her fears.

  “I just feel like something has never been right internally, from the very first. It’s not just stomach aches. It’s not just gas. It’s not just indigestion.”

  She held her baby to her face, looking at her closely, and then she kissed her tenderly. Her little expression was always so pleasant, even when she was in pain. What a sweetheart her baby was. Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them away.

  “Sometimes, when I feed her, she twists her body as though she’s trying to get away from it. She writhes, she cries, she grimaces. Something hurts her. And in a different way than normal. I can just tell.” She looked at him, sniffling. “Sometimes she cries, but more often, it’s little grunting noises.”

  “Yes,” he said, nodding as he watched the two of them together. “I’ve heard her do that.”

  Her eyes widened. “You have?”

  “Sure. Last night.”

  She regarded him as though she’d never really seen him before. He believed her. He’d heard it, too. There was a lump in her throat and for a moment, she couldn’t speak. Finally someone admitted it. There was something different about her pain.

  Now if she could only convince the pediatrician. She had to be very careful not to rush things, to let him get a feel for Dede and how her rhythms worked. And right now, she had to be very careful not to let Jake know what she was p
lanning to do tomorrow. Once she’d packed up her baby and gone to the doctor, she didn’t plan on coming back here at all.

  But right now, she had to change the subject. If she went on with this and he kept being so understanding, she would break down and cry right here at the table. Anything would be better than that. She couldn’t show that much weakness to the enemy.

  And she must make no mistake about it, he was the enemy. She couldn’t forget that. Taking a deep breath, she tried to smile.

  “So tell me about you,” she said, her voice shaky. “How did you get here? Into the country, I mean. From what we’ve been hearing, the border is tight as a drum these days. They say it’s almost impossible to get in or out.”

  He searched her eyes for a moment, as though wondering why she was changing the subject, but then he shrugged.

  “I didn’t find it all that hard. I walked across down near where the Brielle River meets the Ellis Canal.”

  She nodded, feeling more secure as Dede picked up a spoon and banged it on the table. “I know the area,” she said as she took away the metal spoon and switched Dede to a plastic one that wouldn’t make such a racket. “We used to have summer picnics there.”

  “I waited until two on a frosty morning when the guards were dozing. No problem. I wasn’t even challenged.”

  “Lucky you.”

  “I found my way to a farmhouse, slept in the barn and then bought that wreck of a motorcycle you saw me with last night. I found it in the barn and bought it from the farmer’s wife in the morning. She was grateful for the cash and overlooked the trespass.”

  He hesitated, then went on glumly.

  “Everyone over here on the Granvilli side of the island seems to be desperate for money.”

  She nodded. It was true. “There just isn’t any. I haven’t been paid at the hospital for over two weeks.”

  He took another sip of his drink and nodded. “That’s the way it is when you lose a war,” he said dispassionately. “But the motorcycle was a blessing. It let me make my way a lot faster here to Tantarette. I was lucky enough to find a tiny room in a decrepit house, rented by the day. The landlord was a bit suspicious, but I made up a story about how heroic I’d been in the war, on the Granvilli side, of course, and the man reluctantly let me have a place to sleep. I’ve been there for a few days now.”

  “Until last night.”

  “Until last night.” He gave her a long, slow smile that looked almost reluctant. “And I spent most of my time searching for you.”

  Something about that smile made her pulse race a bit faster. “Until you found me on a bus.”

  “That was pure serendipity. But I recognized you right away.”

  His gaze caught hers and held. For some reason she didn’t seem to be able to look away.

  “Did you study pictures before you left the other side?” she asked, meaning it to be a simple question. So why did it come out sounding breathless?

  “Many pictures.” His voice was low and gruff. “Videos, too.”

  “Ah.” She licked her lips and tried to stay focused. “So how did you know I would be here in the city?”

  His smile was wider now. “I came from the winning side in the war. We have actual reports giving us actual information. And we still have money enough to get things done right.”

  “Good luck with that,” she said, but she didn’t sound convincingly cynical. There was a sense of his maleness sweeping over her, making her tingle. She was getting lost in his crystal-blue gaze and she couldn’t let that happen.

  Time to change the subject again. It took an effort, but she managed.

  “And what did you actually do during the war?” she asked brightly.

  Though he looked startled at her abrupt turnabout, a flash of humor showed he knew what she was doing. “I worked intelligence, mainly,” he said a bit evasively. “But I fought my share of Granvilli soldiers.”

  “And killed a few?” she asked rather acidly.

  He shrugged, eyes darkening. “Not as many as you probably imagine. But I made a few sacrifices in hopes of getting a decent regime back in charge.”

  “You don’t think the Granvillis are decent?”

  “Do you?”

  She drew in a big breath, not wanting to go down that road. “Well, I spent my time in Dorcher Cliffs. Very quiet, off the beaten path. We didn’t have many battles there.”

  “Sounds like a good place to be. Did you manage to miss most of the war?”

  “Pretty much.” She frowned, remembering. “We did get some unpleasant residual incidents as the war ended, though. Roving gangs, that sort of thing.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “What sort of gangs?”

  “Mostly looting. The older men still in the village banded together to fight them off. And then, for months, we seemed to be flooded with scam artists looking to make a quick buck off the innocent village people.”

  He nodded. “That’s typical, like vultures swooping in to see what they can glean from the weak and wounded after the fight is over.”

  “Exactly. They preyed on the old people, confusing them with get-rich-quick schemes, and young mothers of babies whose husbands had been killed, trying to get them to give up their babies with promises of money.” She shivered, remembering one slimy example she’d had to deal with herself. “We even had fish rustlers, trying to hijack the catches of some of the older fishermen who they didn’t think could defend themselves. But our little town really came together to get rid of the menace.”

  “Your town sounds great. Why did you leave?”

  “To find medical help for Dede.”

  “Oh. Of course.”

  Suddenly, he was so tired he could hardly keep his eyes open.

  “I think I’d better get back to my chair,” he said, rising with difficulty. He started to leave, but he stopped and turned back.

  “Listen, Kim,” he said, looking less sure of himself than usual. “I…I just want to tell you how much I appreciate all you’ve done for me over the last twenty-four hours. Without you, I’d probably be in a homeless shelter right about now.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said dismissively. “Now just heal and get out of here.”

  Her small smile softened her words, but he knew she meant them anyway.

  “Okay,” he said. “But you’re going with me.”

  She stopped and stared at him, searching for chinks in his armor. “I understand that Pellea wants me back,” she said softly. “But tell me this. Do you?”

  “Do I what?”

  “Really want me to go back to the castle. Something in your eyes tells a different story.”

  He met her gaze for a long moment, then shrugged. “I’m merely a messenger. I have no opinion.”

  Her eyes flashed. “Liar.”

  And his response was a grin.

  And then he turned and went on into the living room and sank into his chair. All the time he expected her to say something behind him. But she didn’t say a thing, and in just a few minutes, he was too far gone in sleep to hear her anyway.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “HOW are you doing, big guy?” the so-called doctor blustered jovially as he came into the apartment an hour later. “Let’s take a look at that leg.”

  “I’m fine,” Jake said, glowering back at him. “I think I can handle this myself from here on out.”

  “Oh really.” Dr. Harve looked a bit taken aback. “Well, I brought over some painkillers and—”

  “No thanks,” Jake said shortly.

  He shrugged, looking puzzled. “It’s your choice. But hey, the more you sleep, the faster you heal.”

  Yeah, he’d heard that one before.

  “I’d rather leave the channel
s open so my body can tell me what’s going on,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to be asleep at the switch.”

  “I don’t know. You may regret this about one o’clock in the morning.”

  Jake fixed him with a cold stare. “We all have our regrets, don’t we?”

  Dr. Harve began to look like he wished he hadn’t come over. “Uh, well…”

  Kim came breezing into the room. “Hi, glad you could make it. I’m just fixing the plates. I’m sure you want ice cream, don’t you?”

  “Ah.” Dr. Harve was on more familiar ground now. “My favorite. Apple pie à la mode.”

  “Why don’t you just sit down and talk to Jake, and I’ll bring it all out here.”

  “Uh.” He gave a shifty glance in Jake’s direction and turned to follow her into the kitchen. “Why don’t I just come along and help you?”

  “Well, fine.” Kim cast a worried look Jake’s way. In a moment they were back, bearing plates piled high with delicious confection and cool, creamy vanilla ice cream.

  The doctor sat on the edge of his seat, trying hard not to look at Jake. Kim looked from one to the other of the men. For a few minutes, no one spoke but Jake ate his pie with gusto.

  “Wow, that was good,” he said, smiling at Kim. “Not quite as good as the one we had the other night, but good enough to give it a run for its money.”

  The doctor’s hands were shaking, making his fork rattle against the porcelain plate. It was obvious nerves were making him even more shaky than usual.

  Jake looked at him and decided to quit wasting time.

  “Listen, I know what’s going on,” he said. “You’re sending Kim to a discredited pediatrician. Someone in hiding, no less. How much is the guy paying you to send her over?”

  The doctor paled and looked at Kim accusingly. “I…this is a private arrangement and you have no—”

  “What did he lose his license for? The same thing you did?”

  Dr. Harve jumped up and at the same time, Kim said sharply, “Jake! This is none of your business.”