The Prince's Texas Bride

“Delores did just fine, thank you very much,” Kerry said, smiling at her aunt. “She might be a little old and have a lot of miles on her, but she’s never let me down yet.”

“I’m sure your new car will be just as good.”

“Oh, I’m sure it will, too. I’m just going to miss my old clunker. You’ll try to find her a good home, won’t you?”

Aunt Marcy nodded her head. “Of course we will, but you should have never named that car.”

Grinning, Kerry turned to see “Mack” and Uncle Bob enter the room. “Kerry brought a friend—Hank McCauley.”

“Wonderful,” Aunt Marcy said, reaching out her hand. “We have plenty of room and an extra sofa bed, Mr. McCauley.”

“Please, call me Mack,” Alexi said, giving his words a slight twang even as he bestowed his most charming smile on her aunt. “And as long as you’re sure I won’t be in the way, I’d love to stay in your home. If not, I can get a hotel room.”

“Nonsense,” Aunt Marcy said, turning her wheelchair around and heading for the hallway.

Kerry breathed a sigh of relief since the introductions were out of the way and no one was suspicious of her prince. They moved into the kitchen. Aunt Marcy was in the process of preparing dinner. Kerry hadn’t eaten since an early light lunch just before she met Alexi at the truck stop.

Aunt Marcy scooped fried okra out of the skillet and onto a paper towel-lined platter. The unique smell filled the yellow-and-white kitchen, which had been modified for a wheelchair. Most of the countertops and appliances were low, so they could be reached from the sitting position. As the vegetable cooled and drained, Aunt Marcy transferred ground beef patties to the sizzling skillet.

“Need help?” Kerry asked.

“No, I’ve got everything pretty well prepared. We weren’t sure when you’d get here, and I didn’t want dinner to get cold.”

Kerry smiled as Alexi eyed the fried okra. “Try it,” she urged. Of course, Hank had eaten this type of food all his life. He selected a single piece and, after testing the heat in the palm of his hand, he placed the okra discreetly into his mouth.

He even chewed neatly. Politely. She’d never seen him eat a meal, but she was certain he had perfect manners. She couldn’t imagine Prince Alexi doing anything badly.

“I’ll get some clean sheets for the Hide-A-Bed sofa in the den,” Uncle Bob informed Alexi as he also popped a piece of fried okra into his mouth. “I put both your bags in Kerry’s room, temporarily.”

“That means you can get your bag anytime you’d like, as long as it’s not in the middle of the night,” Kerry explained.

“Sure,” Alexi agreed casually.

Uncle Bob folded his arms across his chest and faced them both. “Not that I don’t trust you two kids, but we have a rule in the house—no wedding ring, no hanky-panky.”

“I respect your principles,” Alexi said.

“Uncle Bob! We’re just friends.”

“Enough said,” he muttered. “I just wanted to make myself clear. Kerry, you never have brought a male friend to visit us before.”

“Well, Mack rather…insisted. He was worried about me driving down here in Delores.”

“I respect you, son,” Uncle Bob said with a laugh.

“I’m glad I’m not the only one who was worried,” Aunt Marcy added.

Kerry threw up her hands. “Gesh, I’m twenty-eight years old and I’ve been driving for twelve years. You’d think I could find my way from Ranger Springs to Galveston on my own.”

“We just worry about you, dear. You’re so independent,” Aunt Marcy said, patting Kerry’s hand. Her aunt turned to Alexi. “Kerry helps her family so much, and not just moneywise. She pitches in until we wonder how she gets her schoolwork done. But she must, because she’s graduating cum laude even though she works full-time.”

“Okay, now I’m embarrassed,” Kerry said, feeling her cheeks heat up. “I’m taking A—Mack away before you reveal any more family secrets.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the small bedroom she’d stayed in many times when she’d visited. Once inside, she drew open the curtains, but couldn’t see anything outside due to the early evening shadows. A mirror image of her and Alexi, standing close together, stared back.

“My aunt and uncle are just curious. Plus, they want to impress you with how wonderful I am,” she added flippantly to lighten the mood. “They always say I’m their favorite niece, but I suspect they say the same thing to my two sisters.”

Alexi laughed. “I don’t need them to expound on your virtues. I’d already figured that out on my own.”

She grabbed her suitcase and slipped it onto the bed. “I’m disappointed. I wanted to be a woman of mystery.”

“Oh, I’m sure there are many layers I have yet to uncover,” he responded in a sultry tone that made her breath hitch and her palms grow damp. He leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest, confident, powerful and just a little mysterious himself.

She wished he didn’t make those suggestive comments in such a sexy voice. Her mind filled with all types of “uncovering” possibilities.

“I’m going to unpack real quick, then help Aunt Marcy get supper ready. If you’d like to wash up, or look around, go ahead.”

He didn’t immediately take the hint, watching her intensely from the doorway. She wasn’t locked in a room with him; she could push by him if she wanted and be in the hallway of the relatively small house. Or she could just shout her aunt or uncle’s name and they’d be here in an instant. But she didn’t feel threatened…at least not in an uncomfortable sense. A kind of a welcome, yet edgy sense of awareness flowed between them.

This felt different from their time together in the car, probably because they hadn’t been staring at each other. This felt…dangerously thrilling.

Could Prince Alexi be her reward for ten long years of hard work?

Chapter Three

After a dinner of surprisingly tasty hamburger steak with grilled onions, mashed potatoes and fried okra, Alexi welcomed a walk along the beach. He and Kerry took a towel to sit upon and a flashlight to see their way to what she called “the seawall.”

“Your aunt and uncle are charming,” he said as they neared the busy thoroughfare that ran along the coastline. Several other couples, some young people and a few families were also out on foot tonight. When there was a lull in the automobile traffic, he could hear the waves breaking against the shore. The smell of saltwater coated the warm, humid air.

“They are wonderful people. It was their idea for the family to take up a collection and buy Marcy’s mother’s car. She went into an assisted-living facility in Alvin, which is just south of Houston. Since Aunt Marcy is in a wheelchair and needs a specially equipped van, they didn’t need an extra car.”

“I’m sure everyone will feel more confident now that you have a much newer car,” he commented, remembering their earlier conversation.

“Yes, but the funny thing is now that I’ve graduated, I’ll only be driving about four miles round trip.”

“That’s all the distance from your mother’s house to this Grayson Industries?” he asked as they crossed the street.

“Actually, I’m getting my own apartment. I’m moving in next week.” She turned to look at him, her face alight with joy. “You have no idea how much I’m looking forward to having my own place for the first time in my life. No sharing a bathroom. No being quiet because everyone else is sleeping. No one to steal my food from the refrigerator.”

Alexi laughed. “I know what you mean. My first flat in London was absolute heaven. I did all the typical bachelor things. My flat was messy, smelly and tastelessly decorated.”

Kerry laughed. He felt his own smile fading as he remembered other things about living on his own. Girlfriends, some attracted to his title, some hoping for an introduction to one of the British princes, some just looking for a good time. Easy sex, although not nearly as much as some might have assumed. He didn’t want to think that Kerry would have the equivalent experience. Boyfriends. Easy sex of any sort.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you like the beach?”

He turned his attention back to the present and Kerry. Forcing a smile, he took her hand. “I adore the beach.”

“You’re slipping into your British accent again.”

“I know, but let me be myself for a while. I’ve been very good at playing Hank McCauley, if I do say so myself.” He pulled her aside as three people on in-line skates whizzed past. Kerry’s leg brushed his as their hips bumped briefly before she stepped away.