I was anxious to build a new home next summer for Hank, my Friesian horse. Hank was twenty years old and had come with the property. I saw his age as a bonus more than a liability, because he was smart, more intelligent than most horses I’d ever owned. Even though we’d only been family for the last week, I could tell he liked me. This was evident by how he willingly left his place guarding his oat bucket to meet me halfway.
“Wind’s blowing today, boy.” I patted his snout and grinned at the way he showed me his giant teeth. I could stand here all day if I didn’t have anything else to do. He was just an easy keeper.“Do you need some treats?” I strode to the sacks, easily found his favorite oat blend, and carried it back to his bucket. He moved behind me, watching me with giant eyes as I filled his bucket. “We have company today,” I filled him in. “A princess.”
I moved the bucket closer to him, and he didn’t waste a minute pushing his snout in. “I know what you’re thinking. Arealprincess?” I nodded to myself. “Yep. A real princess.” I tsked, as if I was in pain. “Tell ya what, she looks amazing in my shirt.”
I threw my head back, slamming my eyes to the heavens.
Stop thinking about that, Reeves!Get a grip. She’s a princess! She’s only being nice to you because you’re marooned together. Give it another day, and she’ll be on her way.
And that’s the craziest thought of all.
Just how fragile this whole situation was.
I had to stay focused and see it as it was, or I would suffer in the long run. She wasn’t here to fall in love with me.
She has this habit where she rubs her neck when she’s deep in thought. The first time I saw her do that, it was in my field and her expression was wistful, as if she was lost in a fantasy world. The last couple of days, her face has been pinched, and serious. Either way, I just stare at her hands and daydream, wondering what it would feel like to press a kiss into her neck.
And there I go again!
Stop. Don’t even think about her. I slammed my gaze to the ceiling beams. Think about something else. Anything but her. Gotta stay busy.
I rolled up the sack, sealing it as best as I could, and set it out of Hank’s reach because I’d already made the mistake of leaving it open with him once.
There. I brushed my hands on my jeans, looking around for something else to do. This chore did nothing to take my mind off of her. If anything, it had only filled it further. I passed back out the barn door, pulling it closed. The wood had long since beenwarped and didn’t match in the middle seam the way it should, but I sealed it as best as I could, and secured the latch.
I flicked my gaze to the clouds, praying for the sun. Sun was the only way I was getting myself out of this close-encounter predicament. As soon as this storm passes, she’d be gone.
All I saw was gray looming clouds, threatening to dump out more snow.
Pulling my single glove out of my coat pocket, I slipped it on. I had plenty of chores to keep me busy, including feeding my cows. The tractor had a heater, and plenty of fuel. It would give me a place to hang out without the distraction . . . Yeah, it sounded like a good plan to me.
Avoid the house until dark.
sixteen
Princess Erralee
With Reeves outside, I couldn’t help but watch out the front window, studying him. The window panel had frosted up along most of the outer edges, but there was a perfect circle in the center just large enough for me to peek through. It’s funny how you think you know what you want in life, or what you don’t want. Then one day something happens, and nothing makes sense . . . Everything you knew to be true has fallen away, leaving a new world you never even considered had existed.
There was a stirring in my heart that had been quickening all morning. As much as I tried to say it was the anxiety over my situation, if I were being honest with myself, I’d have to admit it was Reeves.
Reeves was placed in my life at the exact moment I didn’t need a distraction. The way I saw it, my mission had been clear. I had a path carved out, one with two roads. One path to save my country, and the other to blaze alone. That choice had been hard enough, but what was this potential third option? Like a cul de sac, wrapping my emotions, wanting to keep me here…Now, I have this pull. I can’t even explain it, but as I look around Reeves’ house, and see all these normal everyday things, it almost feels like this is what I’ve been missing.
I had never considered what life would be like if I hadn’t been royal. It was so ingrained in my upbringing, I had never seen anything but the straight path. Maybe my trepidation in marrying King Aswell wasn’t as much about him? He has been a perfect gentleman in all ways to me. Now, as I had the distance to consider this, I think I was avoiding the spotlight that would come from being his wife. I had no desire to be a queen, or be put on display. I had never been that girl who wanted fame. Maybe what I needed was just a regular life? Being stuck in Reeves' house presented me with another option.
The irony is that this option would never be an option.
It was just a fantasy.
I paced Reeve’s tiny living room, picturing Reeves coming through the front door with the first flowers of spring freshly picked. I imagined us heading out to the fields together, him checking cows, me napping. My mind was reeling through all the things we could do together because we actually had a lot in common. I had more in common with Reeves than anyone in my family. How is it a relationship that doesn’t even exist, and isn’t an option, is the one that makes the most sense to me?
Reeves finally returned to the house after the sun was already fading. I stepped away from the window, blinking away my thoughts as he pushed through the door. His eyes were wide, but not anxious, as he spoke, “It looks like the plows are out on the main road. You might get out of here sooner than we thought.”
He turned his back to me, removing his outerwear, and I was left panicking. There’s the knot again. If I’d calmed at all, something shifted again, and suddenly my gut was in my throat. I stole my gaze away, hoping he wouldn’t see the panic that wassurely seeping onto my face. It had been my plan to run away, but now that I'd been sitting here mulling it over for hours, I wasn’t sure where to go, or what to do.
“Ah, look at that,” he exclaimed, pointing at the microwave’s flashing clock. “The power is back on.”
“Yeah.” I joined his gaze toward the microwave. “I heard it come on just a few minutes ago.”
