“All right. I shall request Mr. Grey go with you into the village to visit your friends.”
“Thank you, Father.” She kept her voice even so as not to sound excited to be alone with Ryder.
###
THE PRINCESS HAD SOMETHINGto do with Ryder accompanying her by himself. He just knew it. And he didn’t mind one bit. In fact, he was quite elated.
She’d changed so much in the past two years: her eyes had grown brighter, her hair more golden, and he found as he was staring at her, that he’d forgotten to breathe. She had been quite lovely in her youth, but now as a woman...he had no words. He couldn’t stop gazing at her. Now, more than anything, he wanted to rekindle the friendship they had enjoyed as children.
They rode side-by-side through the forest for a few miles, chit-chatting about the weather and other mundane things, but he longed to converse with Princess Clarissa as casually and easily as he had in school. They had been good friends, and he wanted that closeness back. But how to jump back into a friendship like that after such a long hiatus?
Of course, it didn’t matter how close they had once been. She was a princess and he was a commoner. Nothing would ever happen between them.
Although he had to admit that he hadn’t stopped thinking about her since she had hurried down the palace stairs toward her horse this morning. The cool breeze had touched her cheeks, turning them a light shade of pink. She’d worn a bronze colored cloak and matching gloves, but it was her turquoise eyes that lingered in his mind. When she recognized him, her eyes sparkled, lighting up her whole face. The wider she smiled, the more the dimples in her cheeks deepened.
She’d been on his mind the whole time she was inside the hospital with the children, and even during her walk with her father. Not once did he think about going back to being her friend like they were in school. Instead, he thought of ways he could turn their friendship into something more.
It wasn’t a secret that the king and queen wanted to see their daughter married. There weren’t many mysteries inside the palace gates. Servants gossiped, and the guards heard everything. And he was an eligible bachelor, right?
“Ryder?”
He quickly snapped out of his thoughts when he realized she had asked him a question. He should have been paying closer attention. “Oh, forgive me, Princess. What did you say?”
She laughed lightly. “Was I boring you with my rendition of traveling through Greenville?”
“Absolutely not.” He adjusted himself on the saddle. “I’m always happy to hear you talk.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Yes, I noticed.”
“You did?” He hoped she didn’t think he was being sarcastic since it was obvious he hadn’t been paying attention.
“Of course. While I was telling that story to the children I could tell you were enthralled.”
Relaxing, he nodded. “You are a very good storyteller.”
She shrugged. “It’s easy to tell stories that have really happened.”
Shaking his head, he wasn’t sure he heard her right. Yet, he must have, because he had been paying attention this time. “Your tale was real?”
“Yes, the story about the man picking the Rapunzel flower, and the witch, and the little girl...” She turned her focus toward the path ahead of them. “That was about my father and me.”
He studied her expression to see if she was teasing him, but she appeared sincere. He slowed his horse until it came to a stop. She stopped hers and held his gaze.
“Your father picked the flower to give to your mother?”
“Yes.”
“And you were kidnapped by the witch?”
A bird flapped its wings as it took flight out of a tree. She raised her gaze to the bird and nodded. “Yes, that was me.”
He was speechless. It was as if his mind refused to help him open his mouth.
“Are you going to say something?” she inquired hesitantly.
A squirrel darted across the path, and his attention moved briefly to the animal. “Of course I’m going to say something,” he switched his focus back to her, “when I can think of something to say.”
She laughed. “Sorry if my surprise shocked you.”
