Watching him with his niece was yet another facet of the complex man. He was gentle with her, and he treated her with respect, never acting as if her questions were silly or didn't matter. Maggie could see how much he loved the girl.
She was afraid she was falling for him.
That would be incredibly stupid. He lived here, in Glorvaird. She was going back to Texas as soon as Tirith returned.
She loved the ranch. It was her home. She hated politics. Hated the power plays that happened every day among the royal family and those who revolved around them. She couldn't stay.
And there was still the not-so-small matter of Luc's relationship with her sister. He'd claimed once that they were only friends, but she'd seen pictures of Luc and Tirith in the media.
What could she believe?
"I'msorry for my niece’s nosy questions," Luc said.
Guinevere had wandered from the stables out onto the grassy embankment nearby. On the opposite side of the castle, huge cliffs guarded the private beach. But here, the grass gave way to sand that sloped gently down to the ocean. Guinevere loved the water, though he'd cautioned her not to go out in it.
He and Maggie hung back as Guinevere outpaced them.
"It's okay." Maggie's head tilted to one side, her gaze far off. He thought they'd been having a moment back in the stables. Guinevere had brought up the kiss, and Maggie had blushed so becomingly that he'd wanted to do it again.
And then something had changed. She'd pulled away, put distance between them.
"She's a doll," Maggie said softly. "I'm going to tell Tirith to invite her to the castle again. Maybe to tea. Tirith will adore her."
It was a reminder that Maggie's time in Glorvaird was short.
He swallowed. "Have you thought about staying? As yourself, of course."
She stared out at the horizon. The breeze blew wisps of hair against her cheek. "I've considered it. But not seriously. Texas is my home now."
He nodded. What more could he say? She seemed determined to leave.
She expelled a noisy sigh and then turned to him. Her arms were wrapped around her middle, her hands clasping both elbows. "How did you and Tirith meet? I've been curious."
"I tried to blackmail her."
A surprised burst of laughter escaped her. "What?"
Guinevere interrupted, waving and shouting to them from the beach.
"Don't get wet!" he shouted. He kept several large towels in his trunk, though, just for Guinevere's adventures. If she went in the water, it wouldn't be the end of the world.
When it was clear her attention was captured by something at the water's edge, he allowed his attention to return to Maggie, who watched him expectantly.
"Well?" she demanded. "I must have the story now."
He shrugged. "It isn't as dastardly as it sounds. I badly needed an introduction to your cousin Max. For reasons—well, never mind that now. I finagled an invitation to a party I'd heard she would be attending and had a grand plan to approach her. Unfortunately, there was a man hassling her. She'd shaken her bodyguard, and this guy was asking her out, saying how their mothers would think it was a perfect match." He shook his head. "He was... I don't remember. A count or something. It was clear she wasn't interested and that he was trying to push her into it."
She was gazing at him so guilelessly, listening so intently. Maybe that's why he said what he said next.
"I would love to tell you I was the gallant knight riding to rescue her, but the truth is I was looking for a way to get a favor." He wasn't a white knight, even though when Maggie looked at him like she was now, he wanted to be.
"We struck a deal that she'd introduce me to Max if I accompanied her to a school visit. Purely as friends."
Tirith was as mercenary as he was. It was why he'd abandoned his initial blackmail plan—that and the fact that the woman didn’t have a single bone hidden in her closet, much less a whole skeleton full—and why they'd become true friends instead of just using each other. When he'd finally confessed to his real mission and what his father had done, she'd supported him. She’d been the one to come up with the fundraising ideas.
"She's got an incredible mind," he said. "She can enter a room full of people and see the relationships, the connections to be made as if the people were pieces on a chess board." And often, she played Queen, moving pieces around the board at will.
Maggie was intuitive and kind and open, so unlike her sister.
