Taken

Taken is the second book of the Royal States series.

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From Chapter One…

If left unattended for too long, the paperwork would rise up in rebellion and take over Texas. My wife had already surrendered, sleeping at her desk with our son using her foot as a pillow. Fortunately, we’d wised up and built a shared office near our bedroom for when we were forced to work late nights.

It hadn’t taken me long after our coronation to realize we’d be working a lot of late nights.

As I tried to locate and cling to every silver lining I could, I liked that I wouldn’t have to carry the pair far.

My back, which enjoyed reminding me I didn’t treat it as well as I should, already hated me. I started with moving Adam, who tolerated no more than ten minutes of being separated from his mother. If I didn’t have Jessica wrangled into bed with Adam’s crib sufficiently close to her, he’d notify the entire palace nothing was okay in his little world. In a few weeks, we would surrender the crib battle and get him a bed. He could already escape at his whim anyway, no matter how often I denied he was growing up faster than I wanted.

According to my son, I was the worst father on the entire planet.

I loved everything about my stubborn, picky son.

To make matters worse, the RPS liked scolding me about my son’s disposition. My insincere attempts to tell Adam he needed to stop clinging to his mother annoyed my agents. When I got lucky, it annoyed his mother, too. Since the RPS hadn’t gotten the message through to me or my son, they recruited talent evaluators to aid in their quest to make my children cooperate with their expectations.

In true Texan fashion, their mother could do no wrong. As I’d swept in and claimed their queen all for myself, I carried the blame for our children and their talents and disposition.

Babies were not supposed to develop empathy shortly after birth. Babies weren’t supposed to do a lot of things ours did.

By age two, Deidre had begun sensing storms to go along with her probable case of empathy, and she hated foul weather with a passion. Talents weren’t supposed to awaken until adolescence, but my daughter kept trying to send the storms away, which had resulted in a mother-daughter dispute I doubted would ever end.

I still had no idea why everyone blamed me for Deidre’s waveweaving talent developing early. Within a year of marrying my wife, my talents had settled to something beneath the notice of most, as my empathy was so focused on Jessica nobody else had a chance in hell of getting through to me. My animal empathy talent had settled down to a useful enough knack for horses, but outside of Morning Glory and Baby, I ranked among the lowest of the low.

Some believed I’d only bonded with my two horses because of an opportune flare. I didn’t care either way.

I loved my wife, I loved my horses, and I loved my life.

I had everything I needed, although it meant trying to be a mediator in the ongoing feud between mother and daughter.

Jessica understood the storms were part of the Texan way of life. Deidre had her eyes on Europe, far from where a hurricane might get her.

I already saw the writing on the wall and accepted what it meant.

Our little girl wouldn’t be ruling Texas, not without a lot of luck or divine intervention.

I couldn’t wait to see how Deidre would handle the situation—and how she’d convince the European prince she adored, a stout little lad a few months younger than her, that she was his one and only.

I feared her young heart and budding empathy talent misguided her. While the pair of children had a strong friendship, Deidre lacked the understanding that the young prince could be the perfect friend but a terrible husband.

Only experience and time would tell, and I would be there to catch her when she fell. I feared the fall, but I loved my little girl’s determination to live life on her terms rather than mine or her mother’s.

Had I been a better man, I would’ve warned Prince Leonid’s parents my daughter was on the prowl. Rather than issue warnings, I kept an eye on Prince Leonid, made plans to lure him to Texas for a few visits to influence him to become a gentleman worthy of my daughter, and hoped for the best.

I had my eye on an entirely different young gentleman for my daughter. If life didn’t work out like my little Deidre wanted, I’d always be there for her—and I could only hope the young gentleman I had my eye on would do most of the catching when she fell.

My precautions, such as they were, didn’t ease my worries in the slightest.

The future would contain glorious chaos. Some of it could be good. Some of it could be bad. Change brewed on a distant horizon, and when Jessica finally realized what was happening, she’d go through the roof.

I intended to enjoy every moment of it.

It wasn’t every day I got to watch my wife flip her lid and rampage.

I expected I’d have to distract my wife while Deidre secured the future she wanted rather than the one we wanted for her.

I still worried about Prince Leonid, although I couldn’t put my finger on why.

Easing Adam off Jessica’s foot, I stole a shameless minute to cuddle with my sleeping son. One day, he might become a daddy’s boy for a while, but I’d have to wait my turn.

He still viewed me as competition for Jessica’s attention.

The brat wasn’t wrong, but he’d eventually figure out the places Jessica didn’t own of my heart belonged to him and his sister—and any other children we might have in the future. I liked to believe I occupied my fair share of Jessica’s heart, although I was more than happy to make as much space as needed for our kids.

I expected it would take at least six more months before I got my turn with our boy, and I couldn’t wait.

Before Adam woke up and realized someone who wasn’t his mommy handled him, I carried him to his crib and settled him, tucking him in. Once I wrangled Jessica, I’d check on Deidre, read her a story if she was still awake, and then I’d go back to tackling the paperwork poised to take over the kingdom.

Wrangling Jessica took a little more work than either of our children, and I considered testing my luck and leaving my wife and queen to sleep at her desk. Despite my best efforts, I rarely managed to move her to bed without waking her, but I’d try.

I spared one of my dwindling minutes tidying my desk to hide some of the paperwork; if she figured out I meant to work through the night again and doze through the congress session in the morning, she might whip out her magic and use it on me.

When she used her talent, it went one of several ways, all with the same end result: I took an unexpected nap.

Being a queen had taken a toll on my wife, and sometimes, I truly believed our children were her saving grace far more than I was. Jessica didn’t stir when I eased her out of her chair and carried her to our bed.

Victory was sweet and silent, and I covered my wife with our blanket, kissed her cheek, and crept towards my desk to resume my quest to vanquish the rebellious documents.

“Daddy?”

The source of the whisper-soft question peeked through the door connecting our office to the hallway, and I wondered which RPS agents were standing behind her holding a conference over my daughter’s unusual behavior.

When she spotted me, she closed the door behind her and fidgeted.

I bet twenty Geoff would be dragged out of bed, as few agents understood children quite as well as he did. Some days, I wanted to tell the busy bodies to let her be a little girl without worrying why the heir was sneaking out of bed to visit her daddy.

I smiled, strode to Deidre, and crouched in front of her, smoothing her blonde hair, which insisted on darkening a little each year, although I held hope she’d end up with her mother’s sun-bright shade. “What is it, baby girl?”

“I think Adam will be a good king of Texas, just like you, Daddy. I can’t be a queen here and take over Europe.”

Years ago, I’d predicted Deidre would be a chip off her mother’s block, and that I’d have my hands full raising her. I’d been right. She’d inherited a few things from me, too, which somehow made the situation worse.

The girl made plans, and once she made her plans, she stuck with them, no matter what consequences she faced. Half the time, she even reported in with which consequences she’d expected to face for her actions. Like her mother, she often failed to realize when it was wise to adjust her plans, but like me, she refused to let impossibilities slow her down.

She really might take over Europe given even a single chance.

“You’re right. It would be rather hard for you to take over Europe while serving as a queen here in Texas.” Scooping my daughter up, I carried her to my desk, sat down, and settled her on my lap. “You’ll have a lot of learning to do if you want to take over Europe.”

“I asked Geoff to teach me German. I even asked him in German. He made funny noises and turned white, Daddy. Do you know why?’

It was so hard to keep from laughing. Poor, patient Geoff fell into the middle of the pack among Texan RPS agents, and he was typically assigned to Jessica’s detail despite having been my first agent. I viewed him as my lifeline in the protection service, a fount of wisdom who probably deserved to be the king far more than I did.

His efforts to teach me German usually ended in hilarity. His Royal Majesty of Germany tolerated my efforts, and despite our rocky introduction, he had become both friend and ally among the European royalty.

“It’s my fault, Deidre. Mr. Geoff keeps trying to teach me foreign languages, and I’m a slow learner.”

I questioned her decision to start with German, as Prince Leonid’s native tongue was Swedish. Rather than question her about it, I waited to see what clues she’d offer to me.

On a long night, guessing what my daughter might do next made things bearable.

“I’m not a slow learner, Daddy. I borrowed your books, and I do the lessons in them every day. I haven’t found anyone to teach me French yet. I keep asking the agents, and they make funny faces like Mr. Geoff does.”

While I’d started reading to my daughter from the day she’d been born, I hadn’t expected her to learn the alphabet at two, start writing at three, and read on her own at four. I still read to her, as I absolutely refused to let my little girl grow up without me reading bedtime stories to her.

I’d do it until she kicked me out of her room at night—or ran away to Europe to catch herself a prince.

I wished I didn’t have a bad feeling about the specific prince she wanted.

“How is Prince Leonid doing?”

“I spoke to him this evening! He called me. His father is buying him a pony because his father doesn’t think he’s ready for a horse yet.”

I took advantage of the situation to indulge in the long hugs Deidre liked best, the ones she tried to sneak in when no one else was looking because some asshole had taught her a princess shouldn’t be clingy.

I’d thought being a king would be hard, but nothing had prepared me for the challenges of being a father.

On the surface, nothing made my daughter happier than her evening calls with Prince Leonid, a sure-fire sign she had my talent to some degree. I suspected her talent fixated on people who wanted to be friends with her and might partner well with her in such a fashion.

I’d seen her light up whenever little Eddie wandered into our home, as he would play with her without the usual hesitations of elite-born children. I’d also watched her fall apart when news of his father’s death had rippled through the palace.

My heart had broken for the boy, too, and I’d done my fair share of crying with Eddie in the privacy of my office while my wife had done her best to explain to Deidre the bitter realities of the risks RPS agents took and why Eddie’s father had died.

After, I’d done the only thing I could. I’d done all but adopted him in secret, working with Geoff and a few select RPS agents behind my wife’s back to make sure he never doubted he had someone who wanted him around.

If Jessica found out, she would want to adopt him outright, but I knew better.

Eddie didn’t need or want to be a prince. He wanted someone to love him. He needed the freedom to decide how he’d live his life. Princes didn’t get such freedoms.

And, because I was a selfish man who loved my new but secret son as much as I loved my daughter, I wanted to leave that door open for them in the future.

Perhaps my daughter thought she wanted Prince Leonid, but in little Eddie, I saw the promise of a good young man who’d treat his wife with the love and caring she deserved.

I wanted that for Deidre above all else.

I held my daughter close, too aware of life’s fragilities. Kissing the top of her head, I allowed myself to worry and wonder about the things I hid from my family for the sake of the little boy who’d lost his.

At least once a week, I slipped away to fill the shoes of Eddie’s parents the best I could. His mother had died during labor, and the boy did his best to hide his longing for what he’d never known.

I couldn’t give him a mother, but he lived at the ranch my wife didn’t know about, he went to school, and he played with my cattle and had his own horse, an animal I’d picked for him the day after I’d learned his father had died in the line of duty. He lived life blissfully unaware of the steps my conspirators and I took to wrap him in a bubble and protect him from the crueler realities of the world.

The horse couldn’t replace his father. I couldn’t replace his parents.

But still I tried.

Sometimes, Deidre still cried about Eddie and his father.

Just like I couldn’t stand by and watch the boy be alone, neither could she. I watched her like a hawk, as did the RPS, but as long as she got her late evening call with the young prince, all was well in her world.

Or so the RPS believed.

Deidre missed Eddie’s presence at the palace, but without his father working in the RPS anymore, it was hard to find excuses to bring him over without tipping anyone off over the current state of affairs. From the guardianship papers I’d co-signed with Geoff, Randy, and three other RPS agents conspiring with me, to my forays to the ranch right outside of the city, I built a bright future for the boy I considered to be one of my children, too.

He was my favorite secret, above my herd of cattle, the ranch horses I’d snapped away from the market to work with my other rescues, and the other little projects I squeezed in when my wife wasn’t looking.

Deidre hugged me as tightly as she could, and I smiled.

My children couldn’t be any more different if they tried. Adam loathed me. Deidre worshipped the ground I walked on. Eddie followed me around like a scraggly little puppy ready to steal my every last recipe from my stingy hands.

Somehow, I’d let the little brat lure me into a kitchen, where he’d proceeded to con me out of my yams and chicken recipe using pitiful sniffles as his weapon of choice. In a last-ditch effort to preserve my pride, I had made him swear an oath to keep my recipe secret.

I loved everything about my children, even when they ran me ragged and drove me to the edge of my sanity.

Woolgathering wouldn’t solve the mystery of my daughter’s late-night visit, so I considered what she’d told me before asking, “What type of pony is Prince Leonid getting?”

“She’s fluffy and walks weird.”

I could think of one breed who met that criteria, and I expected I’d have to import one for her at some point. Hell, forget getting one for my daughter. I wanted an Icelandic horse.

They were fluffy, and I didn’t own a fluffy horse yet.

If Jessica found out I wanted another horse to go with my entire ranch filled with animals she didn’t know I had, she might kill me.

It was good to be the king right up until the queen found out about the king’s illicit purchases.

Buying an entire ranch from a failing rancher, hiring the rancher and his family to care for my animals, and using it to hide my animal-rescue operations would result in my death at my wife’s hands when she found out. When she learned I’d squirreled away every penny of money to come my way to pull it off without her knowing, she’d bring me back from the dead so she could kill me a second time.

I chuckled and forced my attention back to my daughter. “That would be an Icelandic horse, baby girl. They only look like ponies. They’re actually stout little horses.”

Deidre’s eyes widened. “Can I have a horse, too?”

I already had the perfect horse in mind for her, if I could convince his owner to let him go. If not, I had a few rescues my daughter would love, although I’d have to somehow sell the horse to my wife without my wife realizing I owned horses I wasn’t supposed to have. Fortunately, I doubted I’d have to work hard to buy Spartacus, a retired thoroughbred no one had thought would ever carry a rider again due to his racing career.

I smiled. I sometimes rode him to remind everyone they’d underestimated the animal’s need to have meaningful work. While he’d recovered enough to carry my weight, he loved children almost as much as I did.

He’d be the perfect horse for my little girl.

“How have your lessons with Glory been going?” It drove Jessica absolutely wild I’d purchased a school horse named Glory, a match for my beloved What’s the Story, Morning Glory. Both horses responded to Glory, resulting in wonderful equine mayhem in the stable.

Where Morning Glory went, Glory went, too, and I refused to listen to the whining and complaining from the naysayers who didn’t like my choice of names for my horses.

It was Jessica’s fault; she’d been so excited to find a school horse who looked just like my Morning Glory.

Deidre chewed on her lip, sighed, and rested her head against my chest. “I fell this morning, and Geoff took my helmet away. He won’t let me have it back. I have a new one, but it’s not pink.”

Lord alive. I’d seen other children of elites, and they would pitch fits over far lesser things than the loss of a beloved riding helmet. It wasn’t that the helmet was pink.

I’d taken her to the tack shop myself so she could pick her helmet. Not only that, I’d helped her pay for it, exchanging her allowance earned through chores for permission to use the bank card to make the purchase.

“The only reason Geoff would’ve taken it away is because it wasn’t safe for you to use. Helmets are very important. We’ve talked about this before.”

“No helmet, no riding. But I don’t have a helmet now, Daddy. I won’t be able to ride.”

Ah. Mystery solved. “And how have you been doing on your chores lately?”

“I’m twenty-five dollars short on buying a new helmet. Geoff helped me with the math. We counted in German.”

I needed to clone Geoff—and ask him if he had any brothers or sisters willing to join the RPS. “A helmet is a necessity for you to ride, so you have my permission to borrow a helmet until you can buy your own replacement helmet. Earning your first helmet was a rite of passage to prove you were ready to ride a horse. I’m not going to punish you for breaking your helmet. The helmet’s purpose is to be broken so you stay safe. But if you want a new pink helmet, you’ll have to buy that with your allowance. If you break twenty helmets in a day, that’s okay. I’ll always provide a new helmet so you can keep riding. It’s only the special ones you have to buy on your own.” I held her, grateful for the chance to steal some time with my little girl. “But I’ll share a secret with you.”

“A secret? What secret?”

“There are pretty little covers we can get for your helmet, which you can afford. You can turn any helmet pink with one, and you don’t have to replace it every time you have a fall.”

Deidre pulled away enough she could stare at me with wide eyes. “Really?”

“Really.”

“I don’t think I can afford a horse, Daddy. Geoff looked sad when I asked him how much a horse cost. He said they were more expensive than helmets.”

“While they are more expensive than helmets, you will not be required to spend your allowance to purchase a horse. I’ll provide one for you, but you will have to spend some of your allowance on his care. We will discuss how much of your allowance will go to your horse. As you’re a very lucky little girl, I already have a horse in mind.”

I had absolutely zero problems with calling Elana at two in the morning and begging to buy Spartacus, as she’d purchased him shortly after I’d figured out he’d be a good horse for kids.

“Really?” Deidre’s eyes widened even more.

“Really. You’re going to have to work hard at your language lessons, and you will have to compromise with me about your mission to take over Europe.”

Her eyes narrowed, a perfect match for her mother at her worst. “What compromise?”

I buried my misgivings about her choice of prince in favor of buying time for her to see the world through older, experienced eyes. “You have to wait until you’re twelve to inform your mother that you will not be ruling Texas. Also, you must, with minimal help from me, secure a betrothal offer from Prince Leonid’s parents. This means you must speak to them yourself, express your interest in being Prince Leonid’s queen, and negotiate the terms. While I am willing to help you, you must prove you’re capable and willing to do the work on your own. This means you can’t ask Geoff, any of your RPS agents, or your teachers. You may ask me for advice and teaching as you need, but I will not be doing everything for you.”

“Why when I’m twelve?”

“If you can carry the burden of being the Texan heir until then, and you’re still certain Prince Leonid is your prince, then I will fully support you on your decision when you inform your mother and the congress of your choice. But you must plan your assault to their delicate sensibilities wisely.”

“Mother does not have delicate sensibilities.”

I grinned at my daughter and kissed the top of her head. “Her sensibilities are very delicate when it comes to you and your baby brother.”

“Adam is getting big. He’s trying to walk. He got up and fell yesterday while you were in a meeting.”

The thought of Adam walking—and entering the terrible toddler phase—scared the hell out of me. I’d somehow survived one toddler, barely. I had no idea how I’d survive another round. Unfortunately, Deidre was right.

Adam was getting big, and it was only a matter of time before he was running around the palace in search of adventure, just like his sister. I expected he would skip the walking phase altogether and go straight to running. He should’ve been talking already, but I expected he was banking up all of his new words to horrify us and begin with complete sentences and conversation rather than standard baby babble.

“He is getting big, but you still need to wait until you’re twelve. I would also like you to discuss the matter with Adam before you declare he’ll be the heir.”

“Because he might not want to be the heir, like me. Well, I want to be an heir, just not of Texas. I’m sorry, Daddy. But Prince Leonid doesn’t have anyone to take his place, and I do.”

It pained me that my daughter understood the issues with succession so young—and that she’d put a lot of thought into her situation. “Baby, you do realize we aren’t going to force you to marry anyone you don’t want, right? There won’t be a betrothal for you unless you want one.”

“I want one with Leo.”

I worried for my little girl, but I would let her fly and be prepared to catch her when she fell. If she didn’t make a decision for herself, someone would make the decision for her.

I hated that about Royal life.

Smiling to cover my dismay, I replied, “Then you know my conditions. You need to present the betrothal documents to me. I will review them, and I will explain what changes need to be made and why. You’ll have to get those changes approved by Prince Leonid’s parents and their parliament. You will then present the betrothal to your mother and our congress. You will have to wait until you’re twelve to formalize the documentation, but I will allow a tentative agreement to be placed earlier.”

I wouldn’t allow history to repeat itself. At no point in her life would Deidre feel forced into anything—even being a queen.

If things did not work out well between her and Prince Leonid, I would find a way to make certain she had a purpose in life—and one that didn’t involve her having children for some kingdom or another.

Deidre frowned. “But then everyone will know I won’t be staying in Texas.”

“That is a battle you will have to wage. Frankly, all I care about is that you’re happy. If becoming the consort of a European prince is what makes you happy, I will support you.”

“You promise?”

“I promise. Now, about the matter of your horse.”

Horses ranked as high as princes to my daughter, as I captured her undivided attention. “Yes, Daddy?”

“I’m going to wake up a friend of mine, and we’re going to talk to her about a horse. I will expect you to be very nice to Mrs. Elana, as she currently owns the horse I’d like to purchase for you. If he’s available for sale, we will negotiate his price. If this does not work out, I will expect you to behave. No fits. No crying, screaming, or pretending like I’m yanking on your hair. I will find you a horse, but I may not find you a horse immediately if you behave like a spoiled little brat. You know how I feel about spoiled little brats.”

“I may be Princess Spoiled Little Brat as long as I’m a princess about it. Princesses do not scream, throw temper tantrums, or behave in a way unbecoming of royalty unless it’s deserved. Right, Daddy?”

“And what do you do if someone deserves it?”

“I shock the shit out of them.”

Jessica had obviously gotten to our daughter and had been teaching her more than magic. However, as the end goal was to teach Deidre how to protect herself, I wouldn’t question her choice of language—for tonight. I’d have to somehow lure Adam away from my wife so we could have a long and intimate talk in our bedroom.

We obviously required a third child immediately if not sooner, because only having two go through the precocious five phase was unacceptable.

I smiled and hugged my daughter. “That’s exactly right. How have your lessons with your mother been going?”

“I am really good at lightning. I’m not good with storms. I can sense the lightning in the storms, but I can’t manipulate the storms. Mommy thinks I’m a lightningweaver with a little bit of waveweaving like her, but I won’t have her stormweaving. This is bad for Texas. But Adam should be okay with stormweaving, right? Texas needs another person like Mommy, or the storms will get bad and people will get hurt.”

Enlightenment struck me hard.

My daughter hated seeing anyone hurt, a price of being my child. I wanted to cocoon her from the world, but I couldn’t.

Her choices made a great deal more sense when I framed them through her eyes rather than mine.

“Deidre, no matter what magic you may or may not have, you would still be a good queen for Texas. Your mother isn’t a good queen because of her magic. She’s a good queen because of her heart, which you have in full measure. You care about what happens to people, and that’s important. That is what is going to make you a good queen, no matter which kingdom you rule.”

“Do you think so, Daddy?”

“I know so. Look at me. There is absolutely no one in Texas who would’ve thought I would become a king when I was your age. I was worse than a boot scraping at your age.”

“Don’t be silly, Daddy. Everyone loves you.”

I laughed. “Let me give Mrs. Elana a call. She’ll confirm it.”

I still bumped heads with some senators, and boot scraping comments still rotated through the congress, but a lot had changed since Jessica had ensnared me—or I had ensnared her.

I leaned forward enough to reach the phone and pressed the speed dial for the residence of the Tech Menace and his wife. The phone rang three times before a sleepy, feminine voice answered, “Don’t you ever sleep, Pat? It’s sleeping time.”

Sometimes, when work was at its worst, I missed Elana, her insane slob of a husband, and the rest of the elites at Sundale Reserves Industries—but only sometimes. “At least I’ve trained you to not use my title, Elana. I have a personal question for you. First, though, can you tell my daughter I was viewed as a boot scraping before she was born?” I pressed the speakerphone button.

“Oh, good. I’d hang up on you if it was work related,” Elana replied, stifling a yawn. “And yes, you were definitely viewed as a boot scraping by the politicians in congress. What can I do for you?”

Satisfied Deidre had confirmation I’d spoken the truth, I pressed the speakerphone button a second time. “I have a little girl on my lap, and she broke her pink helmet today. She is dismayed to discover she’s twenty-five dollars short of buying a new pink helmet.”

“That is so cute I might die, Pat. You can’t just call me at this time of night with a story that adorable. Had a fall today, did she?”

“Geoff confiscated her helmet, got her a new one, and she got back on. She then, in German, did the math to figure out if she could afford a new helmet. She was very concerned she couldn’t ride anymore because she couldn’t afford a new helmet.”

“You want one of my horses for her, don’t you.”

I smiled at Elana’s tone, which was more of a statement than a question. “I firmly believe a conquering princess deserves a horse named Spartacus to carry her into battle.”

Elana laughed so hard she cried, and then a few thumps notified me she was beating her husband awake. “A king just called me, his daughter is the cutest little girl on this planet, and he wants to buy Spartacus from us for her.”

The Tech Menace mumbled something that made Elana laugh.

I smiled, rubbing my daughter’s back so she wouldn’t worry too much about the one-sided conversation. “I have told my little girl I would pay for the horse, but she would have to help pay for his care out of her allowance earned from doing her chores.”

“How much does she have?”

“Deidre? How much of your allowance have you saved for your new helmet?”

“I have $75.28,” my daughter proudly announced.

Considering we paid her in nickels, dimes, and quarters for chores, with the rare dollar for extra heinous duties completed, she’d been saving every penny earned to buy a new helmet. Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly be any prouder, she proved I had a lot left to learn about being a father. I dutifully informed Elana of my daughter’s budget.

I also made a mental note to create an allowance system for little Eddie, as he already insisted on helping at the ranch to earn his keep despite having been told it was his permanent home.

“I heard her. I swear, she sounds almost as proud of her allowance as you did when Baby stopped high stepping for the first time. I thought you were going to burst.”

I smiled at the memory of my stallion finally overcoming the abuse that had tossed us together. He still high stepped sometimes, but he only did it when he wanted to.

I never asked it of him, and I never would.

“She’s worked very hard for her allowance. I’m very proud of her.”

Deidre slammed herself to my chest and hugged me as tightly as she could. I hugged her back with one arm while juggling the phone.

“All right. I’ll sell Spartacus to her for fifty dollars, but that’s on the condition you buy her a new pink helmet and a custom set of pink tack for her new horse. Also, I get Morning Glory’s second foal, as you will not let the first go and we all know it. How is Morning Glory and her little one doing?”

Morning Glory’s pregnancy hadn’t gone as expected, and I’d be biting my nails the next few weeks until she foaled. “Little ones. We had the ultrasound done because I was worried she looked bigger than I thought she should. Baby got out of his paddock and had himself a grand time with my mare several weeks before we were going to put them together. She’s having twins. They both look healthy, every sensitive horse empath I could find has had a look at her. I think we’re going to get lucky. I’m not going to promise the second, but if you match well with one of the foals, consider it yours.”

I already knew Morning Glory would drop a pair of colts, and they’d be lookers if they survived. I thought they would—as did every other horse empath I’d spoken to.

“Twins? Do you want me to call in anyone to help? Twins are dangerous, Pat.”

“I’ve probably had every horse empath in the kingdom over to watch Morning Glory. We didn’t discover she was having twins until late,” I admitted. “Jessica is going to kill me if I bribe another empath to come over and check on her.”

“All right. You have a deal. We get one of Morning Glory and Baby’s foals—and it need not be from her first foaling. The first good match.”

“Deal.”

“When do you want us to deliver him?”

I turned my attention to my calendar, flipping through the pages to see what hell waited for me in the morning. To my delight, someone had given me an entire two hours to myself in the afternoon.

Two hours was plenty of time to steal a trailer and head to the stable downtown. I might even be able to juggle my schedule and skip out to my ranch to see Eddie and my cattle and other rescues. “I might be able to pick him up myself tomorrow, but if I can’t, can you swing by after work?”

“Save yourself the trip, Pat. I’ll bring him over myself along with his current tack. He’s missed you, so he’ll love living at the royal stables with Morning Glory and Baby.”

If I saved myself the trip, I might be able to sneak in a few minutes to read a book at my ranch while watching Eddie play with the newborn calves and foals. It’d been too long since I’d gotten a chance to read a book. We might even go hide in a stall and take a nap.

We both enjoyed taking naps in stalls with the babies.

Tomorrow was going to be a good day.

“Is it bad of me if I plan to ride my daughter’s horse at least once a week?”

“Only if you don’t let him pretend he’s still a racehorse.”

I smiled at that. Despite the injuries and damage he’d incurred racing, there was nothing Spartacus loved more than the track. “If the vets give clearance, I’ll run him around the track.”

“I’ll bring Barbara Anne over when you do. She’ll give him a run for his money and make it fun.”

“Barbara Anne?”

“She’s six, and she’s a former racer like Spartacus. We tried the trick you did with Spartacus, and it worked. She’s back to carrying a rider again, although we did have to use some magic to realign some of her bones and regrow her muscle. She’s worth it.”

Uh oh. I smelled danger to my wallet—and Jessica’s wallet. And possibly the palace’s grain supply. “Tell me more.”

“That’s what you tell me when you’re interested in buying another horse, Pat.”

“Spartacus needs a friend, obviously. And you’re the one who said she’d give Spartacus a run for his money.”

“Hon, Pat wants Barbara Anne. I’m an idiot and opened my mouth and said things I shouldn’t to the horse-crazed king.”

The Tech Menace laughed and said something that triggered a flood of cursing from Elana.

“Now I really need to know what he said.”

“He will sell to your precious daughter for ten dollars, but you have to breed a foal just for him. You have an eye for the horses, and if you breed him one, he’ll have a champion.”

My daughter would have no money left, I would be in the doghouse with Jessica for at least a year, but Deidre would have two good horses I could ride. “I must confer with the queen-in-training.” I laughed and shook my head at the insanity of the call. “Deidre, would you like to buy a second horse for ten dollars? I will be required to breed a horse just for the Tech Menace, which means you’ll get to see them and their horses often.”

For whatever reason, likely involving the combination of my genes and her mother’s, she adored the entire Darmill family.

“I can have two horses?”

“They are both retired racers and need the special loving care only a little princess like you can provide. You’ll have to let me work with them at least once a week, though.”

“Will I be able to supervise you?”

“If you’re not in school when I have time to work them, you may supervise.”

“And you promise you’ll take extra special care of my horses?”

Yep, Deidre was definitely my daughter. “I will take more than extra special care of your horses.”

“Okay. I’m okay with this. But I won’t be able to afford a new helmet or a helmet cover.”

“As I have ruined your efforts to save up for your new helmet, I will provide a new helmet and covers for you. If you wish to buy the helmet and covers yourself, I will make a chore list.”

“Chore list, please,” my daughter replied.

“Deal.” I kissed the top of her head. “You catch that, Elana?”

“That little girl is so lucky to have you for a father.”

And I was lucky to have Jessica for my wife—and extra lucky to have Deidre, Adam, and Eddie, my treasured secret. “Thank you. I really appreciate that, Elana.”

“I’ll bring the paperwork and your daughter’s new horses and their supplies tomorrow. Will six work?”

I checked every calendar on my desk, which included a copy of my wife’s schedule. “Six should work. If we’re dragged into a congress session, I’ll make sure the palace staff knows you’re owed sixty dollars from Her Royal Highness’s allowance and you’re to be paid upon delivery.”

I would be working hard to turn my two-hour break tomorrow into a four-hour break, which would give me enough time to sneak to the ranch to visit Eddie.

“Perfect. Get some sleep, Pat.”

I eyed the paperwork, which would inevitably double its size by morning. “But the paperwork is winning.”

“Get sleep, Pat. Put your baby to bed, finish one critical item off your list, and go to bed.”

I chuckled at Elana’s tone, which promised I’d regret it if I defied her. Some things never changed, and after she’d realized I was still the same Pat who’d worked with her, she’d decided to treat me the same way she had before—with a little extra bite, as she’d figured out I could handle it. “All right. I’ll take care of one critical thing before going to bed.”

“Have a good night. And Pat?”

“What is it?”

“Humans are supposed to sleep at night. Despite your opinion, you are human.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Sleep well, Elana.” I hung up before she could scold me. “All right, Deidre. It’s time for you to go to bed. You’re up way past your bedtime.”

“I can take myself to bed, Daddy. Then you can finish your work and take care of Mommy. She gets upset if you’re not in bed when she gets up. She gets really upset.”

My daughter deserved an understatement of the year award. “I’ll try not to upset Mommy.”

“Good. It’s okay if the paperwork wins once. You squish it the rest of the time.”

Well, at least my daughter had faith in me. “Alright, Deidre. To bed with you. And I will ignore if you step on any excess RPS agent toes on your way out. Just don’t stomp. How many RPS agents should be outside of the door?”

“Six! Two for you, two for Mommy, and two for me. Adam is sleeping with you and Mommy, so his agents are off duty right now. They come back in the morning.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to read to you before bed?”

“You can read to me extra tomorrow.”

“Deal. Off you go. Don’t give your agents any extra trouble tonight.” As Deidre usually lived to test the limits, I set my daughter on the floor and tapped her nose. “Pretend you’re giving angels a lesson on how to be angelic until tomorrow.”

“I’ll try.”

That was the best I’d get out of her, so I smiled, ruffled her hair, and waited until she bounced out of the office as though I’d just given her an entire tub of sugar. Before the door closed behind her, several men yelped, which I assumed were the extra agents my daughter took her excessive energy out on.

I wished I could keep her little forever.

As I was a man of my word, I needed to pick one critical task of the many waiting for my immediate attention, finish it, and go to bed.

Some of the tasks would take all night long to finish, which kept to the letter of my promise but not the spirit of it. I began with sending an email to the manager of the palace staff to make certain Elana was paid for Spartacus and Barbara Anne and that there would be stalls ready for them.

Next week, I’d have to begin my campaign for another stable at the palace.

Then I eyed my work and debated which critical task I could attend to before going to bed.

“Were you aware there’s an empty suite on the other end of the palace?” Jessica asked. “It used to be mine before I was evicted to the royal suites. There is nothing sexier than a man performing his daddy duties. You perform your daddy duties well.”

I was very aware of the empty suite on the other end of the palace. It was my favorite place in all of Texas, and I refused to allow anyone to usurp the rooms.

Most considered me practical, but when it came to Jessica’s old rooms, I cheerfully acknowledged I wasn’t practical or reasonable. “I may know of such a room, but if we were to tiptoe across the palace, our youngest will inform the palace you have cruelly abandoned him.”

“I recorded myself telling him stories, singing lullabies, and just talking. I tested it earlier today. I was able to leave him with Geoff without a single complaint for over an hour.

I could do a lot with her in an hour. “You have my undivided attention.”

“Strip or be stripped. You have until we sneak to my old rooms to decide.”

I didn’t have to think long about that. When Jessica was in the mood to take what she wanted, we both won. “I am yours to do with as you please.”

“Prepare to be stripped, Your Majesty.”