LITMIR.BIZ

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from the foyer. They progressed through a corridor, their footsteps echoing between rows of gilt-framed oil paintings of Sebastiani ancestors.

      Eventually, the marble floor gave way to carpet and the splendor became less formal. It appeared to Kate as if they were leaving the public area of the palace and moving toward what must be the royal family’s private quarters.

      She couldn’t understand why they were being shown here. If the king wanted a progress report, shouldn’t they have been meeting in a more official setting?

      Their escort halted in front of a set of ornately carved arched wooden doors. Voices drifted faintly from the other side, along with the fretful cries of…a baby.

      Kate looked around quickly. No. There must be some mistake. This butler had brought them to the wrong room and—

      The doors parted to reveal a blaze of sunshine. The far walls of the room were all windows. Long, lush cream-colored couches and chairs were arranged to take advantage of the view of the garden and the ocean beyond. It was a beautiful, airy room, as splendid as any of the others she’d glimpsed on their route through the palace, but this one was obviously designed for living.

      Several people were gathered, including King Marcus and Queen Gwendolyn. No one had noticed Kate and Sam’s arrival. Everyone’s attention was focused on Prince Lucas as he awkwardly tried to comfort the baby who fussed in his arms.

      Unconsciously, Kate lifted her hand to the place where her butterfly charm rested under her uniform. She would have preferred being reprimanded for her lack of progress. She didn’t want to be here to witness this. It had nothing to do with her duty.

      “Poor bastard,” Sam muttered, dipping his head close to Kate’s. “He still looks like he’s been hit by a truck.”

      She and Sam were standing just inside the doors, but even from this distance Kate could see what Sam meant. Lucas’s chiseled, aristocratic features were as tense as they had been a week ago when she’d seen him in the hospital. His dark hair lay in crooked furrows, as if he’d been raking it with his fingers. Although his shoes were polished and his pants were neatly pressed, his tailored shirt was misbuttoned.

      “Fatherhood is going to take some adjustment for him,” she said, keeping her voice low so they wouldn’t be overheard. Still, considering the noise the baby was making, nothing short of a shout would be noticed. “Until this last year, when his plane crash and the business with Jessica happened, he was reputed to be a real playboy.”

      “He must have enjoyed his freedom.”

      “A lot of men do.” She shifted her scrutiny to Sam, unable to stop the past from tangling with the present. “That’s probably why he left, so he could live the life he’d planned.” Like you, she added silently.

      “Why would you assume that?” Sam asked. “I heard he had to leave. There were duties he had to attend to. He tried to contact Jessica but she wasn’t at the ranch where they’d met. By the time he sent someone to look for her, it was too late.”

      “If he really cared, why didn’t he try to find her sooner?” she challenged. “If he had, it might not have been too late.”

      “I wonder why Jessica didn’t contact him when she discovered she was pregnant in the first place,” Sam said. “She should have. He had a right to know.”

      “I disagree. He left her to deal with the situation on her own. Why should she tell him?”

      “He still had a right to know he was going to become a father. If he’d known—”

      “What? He would have gone back for her sooner? He would have ignored his duties just because of the baby?”

      “Well, yes.”

      Kate stretched to look Sam in the eye, her words a harsh whisper. “No relationship should be based only on a child. Jessica must have realized she would be better off without a man who didn’t love her. She could raise the child alone and give him enough love for two parents instead of making everyone miserable by forcing an instant family on a man who hadn’t planned to settle down. She made the right choice, I’m sure of it.”

      Sam glanced across the room, then looked at Kate carefully. “Jessica is dead, Kate. We’ll never know the real story of what went on between her and Lucas. Why are we even having this discussion?”

      She forced herself to take a deep, calming breath. She couldn’t tell him the truth. She couldn’t let him know they had been discussing their own past.

      There were too many unresolved issues between her and Sam that would have to stay unresolved. That was the only way they would be able to continue their mission…and it was the only way she knew how to cope. “Sorry,” she said. “You’re right. The prince’s personal life isn’t our concern. I have no right whatsoever to judge him.”

      Sam brushed his knuckle over her cheek. “I can see you’re upset about this, Kate.”

      She wanted to close her eyes and lean into his caress. But that was crazy. It was because of him she was upset in the first place. “It’s a tragic situation, that’s all.” She moved her head back. “I…got carried away.”

      “You were always a passionate woman.” He dropped his hand to his side. “Your emotions run deep. That’s one of the things I—”

      “Lieutenant Coburn, Lieutenant Mulvaney,” King Marcus called above the baby’s cries as he walked across the room. “Sorry to keep you waiting. I hadn’t realized you’d arrived.”

      Kate took another calming breath, trying to bring her emotions under control. What had Sam been about to say? Part of her wanted to know, and part of her was grateful for the interruption.

      “We’ve been having a little celebration here,” the king said. “Considering the role you two played in my grandson’s discovery, I thought you might like to be included. Baby Luke was released from the hospital yesterday. He’s been given a clean bill of health.”

      “That’s great,” Sam said.

      King Marcus chuckled and glanced over his shoulder. “We don’t need a specialist to tell us there’s nothing wrong with his lungs.”

      Queen Gwendolyn reached out to take the baby from her son’s arms. “He probably has a sore tummy from eating too fast,” she said. “You were the same way.” She transferred the baby to her shoulder and placed her fingertips over his back. “You need to rub right here. That helps all the little air bubbles find their way upward.”

      Lucas put a new set of furrows in his hair with his fingers. “I’m interviewing several nurses later today. I’ll make sure Luke has the best.”

      “I’m sure you will, dear. Just remember, babies don’t break.”

      “Oh, he’s just the cutest thing, isn’t he?” A petite young woman squeezed past Lucas to stand at the queen’s side. Her dark eyes danced as she reached out to tickle the baby’s chin. “Despite the fact that he looks just like my big brother.”

      “The resemblance still amazes me, Anna,” Queen Gwendolyn said. “Except for his sweet little smile, he’s the image of Lucas.”

      The baby lifted up his head, looked around and let out a loud, gurgling burp. His cries ceased immediately.

      There was a chorus of laughter and calls of, “Well done.” Anna took her nephew from her mother and cuddled him with delight. She gave a warm smile to a tall, auburn-haired man who leaned against the back of a couch. “Are you ready for one of these, Tyler?”

      He grinned. “Ready as you are, darling.”

      There was another round of chuckles. It was apparent from the gentle swell of Anna’s stomach that soon there would be another royal baby. Lucas backed away from the group, his smile tinged with sadness. He caught sight of Sam and Kate with his father and moved to join them.

      “Lieutenant

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