The Princess and the Bodyguard (21 page)

“Wish me luck,” he said as he turned and headed for the door.

Alex chuckled. “I love my daughter with all my heart. But you’ll need it with her.”

* * * *

She’d chased after him once before.

Rachel paced her sitting room, and it occurred to her that she could always do that again. But she’d been making a lot of the moves in this relationship. If necessary, she would track that man down and sit on him until he agreed to marry her. But as evening fell, as she’d waited, she found she had a bit of the old-fashioned woman in her after all. She wanted the man she loved to come to her. She wanted him to take the step of proposing marriage.

Not long ago, she’d believed she wasn’t good enough for him. The mistakes she’d made in her past had damaged her far more than she’d realized at the time.

But as their relationship had grown, so had her self-confidence. And as she’d gotten to know Peter better, she’d come to understand that she wasn’t the only one living with regrets.

“God, you’re gorgeous.”

Rachel spun around, her smile huge.

“Finally. What the hell took you so long?”

He came fully into her suite and shut the door behind him. The look on his face sobered when he approached her. Only a few days before, he’d been the one wearing a sling. Rachel wore no sling, but she could see his attention was on the bulk of the bandage under her gown.

“I hate seeing you hurt, or in pain. I would gladly have taken that wound for you.”

His touch was gentle as he caressed her uninjured arm. When he reached her hand, she linked her fingers with his.

“If I was a fairy tale princess, perhaps you could. But I am a real woman,
mon cher
. This means that there will be times when I am hurt, or sick. I will have good days and bad days. I don’t want to live in an ivory tower, or be placed on a pedestal.”

“No, you would never let me do that. The desire to keep you safe isn’t because I don’t think you can handle yourself. It’s because I love you.”

Rachel’s smile widened. “And do you know that, loving you, I want to keep you safe too? That I would rather that bitch had shot me, than you?”

She knew it would be all right when he smiled and gently pulled her into his arms.

“When Andre told me you had used your shirt to bind my wound and sat there looking fierce with my gun in both your hands, a part of me shivered, scared shitless. And the rest of me was proud as hell. I
am
proud of you, Rachel.”

“Mmm, so far this is very good. You love me, and you’re proud of me. What else?”

“Do you remember when Philip asked Catharine to marry him? When he asked her if she believed in fairy godmothers?”

Rachel laughed, her heart so light, it amazed her she didn’t rise off the ground. “Yes, I remember.”

“Well, I have a confession to make. I believe in fairy godmothers, too. Because I figure there is no other explanation how I got so very lucky to have found you.”

“That’s so sweet.”

“There is just one other thing.”

“And that would be?”

He took a half step back from her, and got down on one knee. Rachel couldn’t breathe. It was the moment she had longed for and had nearly given up on. When he reached for her hand, when he brought it to his lips, she thought her heart couldn’t hold any more happiness. Moisture gathered in her eyes, but that was all right, for she thought that a woman should be a little teary at such a tender, and miraculous, moment.

“You are hot-tempered, hot-blooded, and hotheaded.”

Rachel laughed. “That’s so romantic!” she scoffed, but felt no offense.

“You are also the only woman for me. I had planned to stand aside when you tired of me, but fuck that.”

“I will never tire of you.”

“I’m counting on it. Will you marry me?”

Rachel answered him by getting down on one knee herself, and caressing his face with her good hand. “Oh, yes, please. The sooner, the better.”

As he kissed her, Rachel could have sworn she heard music and smelled lilacs. And although she was no fairy-tale princess, she thought they just might live happily ever after anyway.

* * * *

“Sister, have you ever in your life seen anything so romantic?” Gwendolyn asked, dabbing a hankie to her eyes.

“No, sister, I never have. They are so perfectly suited to each other.”

“And bless that young man for saying he believes in us! I was feeling a mite low in energy.”

“Me, too.” Eugenia shook her head. “It’s those older ones, I tell you. They are sucking the magic right out of me.”

“Me, too. What
are
we going to do about them?”

Eugenia looked down. Things were heating up between the newly betrothed couple.

“Come, sister. It’s time we gave these two their privacy. And as for Alex and Hannah, well, I’ve been thinking.”

“Yes?”

“It may be a bit unusual, but what if we…” Her voice dropped to a whisper, an echo of sound that grew fainter as they floated away.

THE PRINCESS AND THE BODYGUARD

Magic and Love 2

WWW.MORGANASHBURY.COM

Morgan has been a writer since she was first able to pick up a pen. In the beginning it was a hobby, a way to create a world of her own, and who could resist the allure of that? Then as she grew and matured, life got in the way, as life often does. She got married and had three children, and worked in the field of accounting, for that was the practical thing to do and the children did need to be fed. And all the time she was being practical, she would squirrel herself away on quiet Sunday afternoons, and write.

Most children are raised knowing the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule. Morgan’s children also learned the Paper Rule: thou shalt not throw out any paper that has thy mother’s words upon it.

Believing in tradition, Morgan ensured that her children’s children learned this rule, too.

Life threw Morgan a curve when, in 2002, she underwent emergency triple by-pass surgery. Second chances are to be cherished, and with the encouragement and support of her husband, Morgan decided to use hers to do what she’d always dreamed of doing: writing full time. “I can’t tell you how much I love what I do. I am truly blessed.”

Morgan has always loved writing romance. It is the one genre that can incorporate every other genre within its pulsating heart. Romance showcases all that human kind can aspire to be. And, she admits, she’s a sucker for a happy ending.

Morgan’s favorite hobbies are reading, cooking, and traveling – though she would rather you didn’t mention that last one to her husband. She has too much fun teasing him about having become a “Traveling Fool” of late.

Morgan lives in Southwestern Ontario with a cat that has an attitude, a dog that has no dignity, and her husband of thirty-five years, David.

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com