The Prince She Had to Marry (11 page)

For the signal, he sent her to collect large rocks and bits of driftwood, which he used to write the giant words
LILI & ALEX
on the beach, above the tide line in letters large enough to be seen from the air. After their names, he fashioned an arrow that pointed toward the road she’d seen from the raft, in the direction they intended to take.

It was thirsty work. When they were done, they shared another energy bar and drank the rest of the first bottle of water. After that, there were three bottles left. He stuck one in the holder on the outside of her pack.

“All right,” he said. “Let’s go.”

She shouldered her pack and he took the survival kit on his back.

They went along the beach until they came to where the dirt road began. It wound into the trees, which were mostly scrubby-looking olive trees. She also spotted a few oaks and more than one cypress. And the occasional carob tree. Carob pods straight off the tree were delicious. Too bad they wouldn’t be ripe until September or October. Overhead, seagulls sailed on the wind currents and the day had already grown warm. Her clammy clothing was quickly drying. She thought somewhat longingly of a bath. It would be lovely, to wash away the crusty, salty feeling, to be truly clean again.

And a real breakfast, with eggs and savory sausages and a tall glass of juice. Her mouth watered. Strange how precious the simple, taken-for-granted things like baths and breakfast became when they weren’t available.

Then again, if she simply concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, if she didn’t let herself wonder where they were and when she would get a bath and a real meal, if she didn’t allow her mind to wander to the big question of whether they would ever get home again, well, it wasn’t bad at all.

And seriously, the islands off Croatia were a boat owner’s paradise. Even if this particular island turned out to be deserted, some pleasure craft or fishing boat would show up eventually and they would be rescued.

The road climbed the hillside, not sharply, but in a gentle ascent. Once, a lizard scurried across their path. And a few minutes after that several small, wrenlike birds burst from the underbrush and took flight. About a half an hour after they left the beach, the road led them between two craggy limestone cliffs. On the other side, the road climbed sharply for about fifty meters and they found themselves on perhaps the highest point of the island. Ahead, the road proceeded downward into forest again. From where they stood, though, they could see all around them, to the blue sea on all sides. There were no boats in sight. And the sky above was a pale, cloudless bowl of blue. Not a sign or any sound of a helicopter or a plane.

Alex turned to her. “I would estimate that the whole island is no more than five or six square kilometers. We could walk the perimeter in under four hours.”

The wind was blowing, smelling of lavender and rosemary and the sea. The small forest of olive and cypress and carob trees ahead seemed to beckon them onward. She held out her arms and tipped her face to the endless sky. “It’s so beautiful....”

“Always looking on the bright side.” He said it with what could only be called fondness. And then it got better because he moved closer. Just like that, so easily, so casually, he lifted a hand and guided a few stray strands of hair away from her mouth. His eyes were amber again. Full of golden light. He smelled of the sea and of his own clean sweat. An earthy scent. It drew her.

All those years she had thought that she hated him. But now she understood that what she had called hatred was really a form of self-protection. It had always been dangerous for her to be vulnerable to him. He hadn’t been kind to her. Inevitably, he would lash out, say something cruel and hurtful, each and every time she made the mistake of letting down her guard with him.

She said, “Too bad there’s no sign of human habitation....”

“You never know.” He moved even closer. Her breath snagged in her throat. And then his lips brushed hers quickly. Possessively. Heat and happiness sang through her veins as he reached behind her and took the full water bottle from its holder on the side of her pack. He unscrewed the cap. “Drink.”

She didn’t have to be told twice. She took it, indulged in a nice, big sip. It was lukewarm but that didn’t matter. To her it was delicious. So...wet. She longed to tip the bottle up all the way and drain every drop. But he needed water, too. She gave it back to him.

He drank, screwed the lid on and slid it back into the holder on her pack. Then he stepped up and turned, so he stood beside her on the road. He stared off into the distance ahead. “Look closer.”

“At what?”

He pointed. “See, down there where the trees thin out?”

“I do. So...?”

“There’s a stretch of brush and then another small group of trees and half-hidden in among those trees, I make out a few patches of red.”

She squinted against the brightness of the sun. And she saw what he was pointing at. Her heart rate accelerated. “Roofs. Red clay roofs... Oh, Alex. There are people here after all!”

“I don’t see any movement down there.”

“Well, how could you? It’s too far away and under cover of the trees—and come on. What are we waiting for?” She gave him a playful push down the road.

Moments later, they were surrounded by the trees again. The shade was spotty, but nonetheless welcome, and the road clear. Her heart sang with gladness. Rescue. A bath. A nice, big breakfast. As much water as she cared to drink....

She could not wait.

They walked at a fast clip through the grove of trees, easily scaling the gentle slopes of hills and then quickly descending only to rise again. Alex kept up a brisk pace and she traipsed after him eagerly until the forest thinned around them and they neared open, brush-covered land again.

Then he slowed and turned to her. “We should approach the buildings with caution, I think.”

She wanted to argue that he was being silly and negative and everything would be fine. But then, she’d been so certain that nothing could go wrong with their midnight adventure on the
Lady Jane,
and look how well that had turned out. She gritted her teeth and went along. “All right. Tell me what you want me to do.”

He frowned. She knew he couldn’t believe she was being so agreeable. But he didn’t remark on it, only said, “I know you’re going to hate this, but I want you to stay here. Let me check things out and then come back for you.”

She couldn’t quite stifle a groan of protest. “Oh, Alex. No. Please.”

“It won’t be for long. I promise.”

“Alex, listen to me. I don’t mean to be critical....”

“Then don’t,” he suggested hopefully.

She tried to keep her mouth shut, but it opened anyway. “It’s only, well, I think it’s a bad idea to separate. I think we need to stay together.”

He took her by the shoulders and captured her reluctant gaze. “I honestly don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”

“Wonderful.” She beamed him a thousand-watt smile. “We can stay together.”

He clasped her shoulders more firmly. “You’re not listening.”

“I am. I did. And you just said there was nothing to worry about.”

“I also said I thought we should be careful.”

“But—”

“Shh. Listen.” He put a finger to her lips. And then he actually smiled—or tried to. He made the corners of his mouth twitch upward in what she knew was an effort to reassure her. It came out more as a grimace than a grin, but she did appreciate that he made the effort. “Give me twenty minutes.”

She cast wildly about for any excuse to make him stay. “I...don’t have a watch.”

He took off his waterproof watch. “Here. It’s going to be fine. Twenty minutes, and I’ll be back.”

Her throat felt tight and her eyes burned with tears she was not going to let him see. “I really, sincerely do not think we should let ourselves get separated.”

“We’re not
letting
ourselves. It’s a choice we’re making. The best choice, given the situation we’re in.”

“Who, exactly, is this ‘we’ that you keep talking about?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Couldn’t we just go together but cautiously? I mean, what good is it going to do for me to come after you if something terrible has happened to you? If
you
can’t handle whatever’s down there, what am
I
going to do about it?”

“I have no doubt you will figure out something.”

She put on a smile. “Alex, you have faith in me.”

“Oh, yes, I do,” he said grimly.

“Then I should go with you.”

All the warm amber was gone from his eyes. They were so dark. And utterly determined. “Nothing is going to happen to me.”

“You keep saying that—right after you say how you need to go down there alone in case something bad happens.”

He took the utility knife, sheath and all, from the waistband of his cargoes. “Here.”

She glared at it. “Forget it. If you’re going down there alone, you’re at least taking that knife.”

“Take it.” He grabbed her hand, set the handle end of the sheath gently on her palm and closed her fingers over it. “I’m not going to get myself into a situation where I need it, believe me.”

“So there is no reason that I shouldn’t go with you.”

“Lili.” He said her name so...passionately. Then he drew her close and wrapped his arms tightly around her. He kissed her hair.

It felt so good. Why couldn’t he have held her like this in their cabin back on the
Princess?
If he’d been holding her like this in private on the
Princess,
she never would have needed to get away. She gulped back her tears and clung to him and thought how she would never ever forgive him if anything happened to him. “I will kill you if you get yourself hurt,” she muttered.

He tipped up her chin. “Lili...”

“No, I mean it. I am so serious. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about down there. And that means there is no reason for me to stay here when we should both—”

And then it happened. At long last. Damn him.

He kissed her—all right, yes. He was doing it only to silence her objections to his totally bad idea of a plan. And yet, well...

Oh, what a kiss it was.

A beautiful, deep kiss. A
real
kiss, a full-on, full-out kiss.

The kind of kiss she hadn’t had from him since that morning in April, the morning that changed everything. The kind of kiss that hollowed her out and filled her heart, both at the same time. The kind of kiss that reached down inside her and found places she hadn’t even known were there. Loving places.

Tender, giving places.

The best places. The ones she’d lived her whole life hoping and praying that someday, somehow the right man would find.

It wasn’t supposed to be him. Oh, no. Never. Not cold, distant, judgmental Alexander. Not Alex who looked down on her. Not Alex whom she despised. It was supposed to be Rule.

Or so she had always been so sure.

Until Alex kissed her—really kissed her—that morning in April.

Somehow, when Alex kissed her, everything changed.

He held her so close and tight. His body was so big and strong and warm all around her. His tongue was in her mouth and his hard chest crushed her breasts in the most delicious way. She surged up against him, eager and hungry, and she kissed him right back with wild abandon. She wished she could go on like this forever, held tight in Alex’s arms, lost in his kiss.

But of course, just when she’d succeeded in forgetting everything but the hot press of his mouth on hers, he took her by the shoulders again and set her gently away from him.

“Twenty minutes,” he said gruffly.

She blinked up at him, slightly stunned for a moment. And then she shook herself and looked down at the knife in her right hand, at the watch in her left. “If you don’t have a watch, how will you know when your time’s up?”

“I’ll know.”

She tried not to roll her eyes. “But what do
I
do if you’re not back here in twenty minutes?”

“Wait ten more.”

“Oh, I knew you were going to say that.”

He captured her chin again, kissed her once more, hard and quick. “Please don’t worry.”

“Hah!”

He took the watch from her and slid it onto her wrist. The band was much too big for her. If she put her hand to her side, it would drop right off. “Here.” He pressed a whistle from the survival kit into her now-empty palm. “If something goes wrong for you—which it won’t—use this and I’ll come running.”

“Lovely,” she said, meaning it was anything but.

“Stay right here. I will be back.”

* * *

Seventeen minutes and thirty-seven seconds later, Lili sat on a limestone boulder next to the road where Alex had left her and wondered why it always turned out that when you were waiting for time to pass, it inevitably crawled by at the speed of a dying snail inching uphill. She was ridiculously worried and very nervous and she wished that Alex would come back quickly so that she could strangle him. There was absolutely no reason that he needed to put her through this aggravation when they could have just gone on down to the buildings together.

She was so aggravated and upset by then that she didn’t hear the rustling in the trees until the creature that was making the sound was almost upon her. Glancing up, she saw a flash of movement back in the trees on the other side of the road.

Her heart kicked into overdrive—and she promptly dropped the whistle. She bent, fast, and retrieved it, shoving the dusty end into her mouth, but holding off on blowing to get a better look at what she might be dealing with.

More rustling of branches.

Lili clutched the whistle between her teeth. She was going to let go with one long, ear-piercing blast if she had to.

The knife was still in her hand. Her fingers shaking only a little, she drew it from its sheath. And then she stood to face whatever was coming at her from the shadowed trees across the road.

Chapter Eight

“M
aaa, maaa, maaa.” The small white goat stepped daintily out into the open.

Lili almost burst out laughing. But she remembered at the last possible second that if she somehow happened to blow the whistle when she laughed, she’d probably scare the adorable creature away.

“Maaa, maaa, maaa...” The goat ambled toward her.

She sheathed the knife and stuck the whistle in her pocket. “Oh, aren’t you the sweetest one?” She held out her hand.

The goat looked at her sideways, asked, “Maaa?”

“Well, no. I am not your mama, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”

The goat tipped its head the other way. Its ears lifted, swung forward, dropped and then lifted again. “Maaa, maaa...”

“Come here. Come here, little sweetheart....”

“Maa.” The animal made up its mind and came to her.

Lili knew a little about goats. After all, Alagonia had three major exports: dates, olive oil and goat cheese. The goat—it was a doe, a young one—nuzzled Lili’s flattened palm. “I’m so sorry,” Lili cooed. “I don’t have anything good to give you.”

“Maa,” said the doe, and dipped her head to butt Lili’s hand.

“What are you doing out here all alone?” Lili petted the long nose and stroked the wiry hair of her flank. She had pretty little horns, short and set at a backward slant to her head.

“Probably abandoned when whoever was living in the house down the road took off,” said Alex.

Lili glanced over to see him standing there, looking so big and strong and very much in one piece. “Give me a heart attack, why don’t you?”

He granted her his almost-smile. “The house is locked up tight, but apparently deserted. There’s an empty barn and a couple of sheds—no people anywhere that I could see. And it’s nice that you found a goat. We can use the meat.”

She glared at him. “We are not eating this goat. She
trusts
me.”

As if on cue, the doe turned her head his way and asked, “Maaa?”

He grunted. “I see.”

“And here’s some good news,” she said cheerfully.

“Tell me.”

“Goats need water. That means there must be a fresh water source around here somewhere.”

“How right you are,” he said.

She dared to ask, “You found water?”

He only said, “Let’s go.”

* * *

The little goat followed them down the road to the plain stone house among the olive trees. There was a faucet in the front yard. The tap was a tad stiff, but Alex managed to turn it. The water emerged, sputtering and rusty at first. But after a few moments, it ran cold and clear. Lili gratefully drank her fill and then Alex did the same.

The stone house had an open front stoop, green doors at the back and front and green shutters on the windows. As Alex had warned her, it was locked up tight.

He hesitated to break in and Lili felt the same way. They both knew they would eventually have to do it if rescue didn’t come in the next few hours. But still, it seemed wrong.

He took the time to remove the signal mirror, the flares and the smoke signal from the survival kit. They would keep them close at hand, ready to alert potential rescuers should they spot a boat or a helicopter. There were empty flower boxes at the two windows flanking the house’s front door. He put her pack in one, the survival pack in the other, with the signal equipment on top, out of reach of the curious goat.

They spent some time exploring the other buildings. One was a woodshed. It was piled to the ceiling with neat rows of stacked wood. There were even baskets of kindling and old newspapers near the door. The other shed had bags of animal feed in it, some for chickens and some for goats. Lili found an old tin bowl and filled it for the little white doe. The goat attacked the food with gusto.

The barn had a workshop filled with tools and equipment and an ancient, rusted Cadillac convertible—with no key in sight. And no source of gasoline that they could see. Alex said that later, if they were here for more than a few days, he might break the lock on the gas tank and see if there was fuel in there. If there was, he could hot-wire the thing and maybe get it started.

She picked up a dusty screwdriver from the workbench by the door. “But first, of course, we would try the screwdriver trick.”

He frowned. “The screwdriver trick?”

“Before you mess up a car, you should first try using a screwdriver in place of a key. It often works and does zero damage.”

“Wherever did you learn that?”

“
Stranded with the Father of the Bride
by Lucy McFarren.”

“Let me guess. A romance?”

“I believe I may have mentioned that you can learn a lot from a romance.”

“You did. I had no idea that included a new, improved way to steal a car.”

“In a romance,” she informed him, “the hero and heroine would never steal a car if they weren’t in dire circumstances. In
Stranded with the Father of the Bride,
a child was ill and they couldn’t find the car keys. They had no choice but to try the screwdriver. As luck would have it, it worked—and, Alex, I have to ask. What real use is a car here? The road is badly rutted and too narrow in spots. And we can walk the whole island in a few hours anyway.”

He shrugged. “You are absolutely right.” His white teeth flashed with his grin.

Her heart seemed to expand inside her chest at the sight. He was so different here, on this island in the middle of nowhere. So much more relaxed than she ever remembered him being, even before the terrible years when they’d all thought him lost forever.

Here, he seemed free of the ghosts that haunted him at home. She thought of her dearest papa, of Adrienne, of Evan, of Alex’s brothers and sisters, of her country and his. She knew that all the people they both loved had to be positively frantic about now. They would be sending out search parties far and wide to look for any sign of them.

Lili hated to think of them all suffering, not knowing what had happened, with no clue of where they were or if they were injured. Or even drowned. She wanted to be found, and quickly, for all their sakes.

But at the same time, it wasn’t all that bad here. They had a little food and plenty of water.

And here, they had something they’d never had before: each other. Or at least, the beginnings of what
could
be a real bond between them. She couldn’t help but revel in the magic she had found: Alex really kissing her. Alex comforting her, holding her close in the raft last night, pressing his warm lips to hers, whispering,
“It’s not your fault.”
And now, just look at him, openly smiling at her in this dusty old barn.

He stepped closer. “You astonish me.” He cradled her face in his two big, warm hands. She loved the way he touched her. Her skin seemed to come alive with every sweet caress. He threaded his fingers up into her hair, which was coming loose from the braid she’d woven to try to tame it. “I never gave you the credit you always deserved. You are not only so beautiful it makes a man ache just to look at you, but you are also brave and good, and true-hearted. You deserve...everything. So much. The world at your feet.”

“Alex.” She looked in those eyes of his that were fully amber now, warm and bright as the coals of a cozy fire, even in the shadows of the barn. “Alex, what wonderful change has come over you?”

He didn’t answer. But he did pull her close. He kissed her—another magical kiss like the one back there at the edge of the trees, a kiss that had her heart pounding with sheer joy and her body stirring with excitement.

“Maa, maaa, maaa?” The little goat interrupted then.

Laughing together, they turned to see her chiding them from the open barn door.

Alex said, “Come on. We have a lot to do.”

* * *

They got the signal equipment from the flower box and put their packs back on and explored the perimeter of the property. Out in the back, they found the generator and also a large fuel tank. Unfortunately, the gauge on the tank read Empty and the generator wouldn’t be a lot of use without fuel. But the house had two chimneys, a stone one in front and a smaller pipe chimney in the back. If they did end up breaking in, they could have a fire if they needed one. And the pipe chimney had them both suspecting there could be a wood-burning stove in the kitchen. With a little luck, there might even be candles inside.

Not too much later they found the water source. There was a spring on the hill behind the neglected garden in the back. The spring formed a creek that was partly diverted into a large water barrel with a pipe that disappeared into the ground. The pipe emerged where it hooked into the house and at the outside faucets, front and back.

The road they had followed to the house circled the buildings and the garden and then wound on down to the east coast of the island, where there was another small, inviting beach. They gathered deadfall wood from under the trees and spelled out another message across the beach for anyone in the air to read. They also laid a signal fire—and then set it alight when they spotted a boat far out on the horizon. The boat looked like a big one, probably a cruise ship. Alex had brought the flares. He set off two of them as she signaled madly with the mirror.

But it was no good. The ship seemed to get smaller and smaller and then vanished from sight. Lili watched it disappear. For a moment, it felt like hope went with it.

And then Alex put his arm around her and drew her close. “There will be more boats. And my men won’t rest until they’ve found us and brought us home safe.”

She leaned gratefully into his warmth and strength. “I know. We just have to be patient, and do what we can to be prepared.”

They laid another fire several meters away from the one that was still brightly burning. By then it was two in the afternoon. They wanted to take the road that wound off to the north, to circle the island, maybe set other signal fires.

But both their stomachs were growling. They each ate a food bar, and then they discussed the necessity of getting into the house. If there were provisions in there, they could really use them.

Alex doused the useless fire with seawater toted in the collapsible bucket from the survival kit and they took the road back to where the empty house waited, silent, locked up tight. Both front and back doors had dead bolts. They would have to break down one of the doors to get through. The shuttered windows provided a better option.

Alex found a crowbar in the barn and pried the hasp free on one. The casement window underneath presented little problem. They forced the latch.

He climbed in and she went in after him—into the dark, cool living room, which was furnished simply, with an old horsehair sofa, a couple of padded chairs with carved wood arms and a low, rough-hewn table in front of the sofa, which faced the dark hearth. There was one light fixture overhead and a number of fat candles in dishes and holders set about. Lili lit one of the candles with her utility lighter and carried it with her as they explored the other rooms.

One side of the house was the living room and kitchen, with the kitchen in the back. On the other side was a bathroom with a toilet and a single bedroom. In the bedroom, the ancient iron bed had a thin, dusty mattress that had been rolled back against the headboard—presumably to keep the mattress top somewhat fresh. Between the bedroom and the bathroom was a walk-through dressing room lined with shelves. There was bedding in there, stored in plastic, and other linens, too—towels and washcloths and a box of rags and stacks of other cloth items that they didn’t take the time right then to examine.

In the kitchen on the table they found an envelope propped against a blue enamel pitcher. The name
Jack
was printed in large letters on the front. Next to the envelope was a ring of keys.

Alex picked up the envelope and turned it over. It wasn’t sealed. He gave her a questioning glance. She shook her head. He propped it back in place against the pitcher and took up the keys.

A few minutes later, he had the doors and shutters unlocked.

“Look.” Alex held up a key on the ring. “This goes to the Cadillac.”

“Which we’ve already decided we’re not going to need,” she reminded him.

He tried the other keys and found one that unlocked the pantry that jutted off the kitchen on one side of the back door. The shelves in there were well-stocked with canned goods. And in one of the drawers beneath the kitchen’s worn wooden counter, Lili found a can opener.

She brandished it proudly. “It’s amazing that I know what this is. I took a cooking class once, but not the kind that involves opening cans. We used only fresh, all-natural ingredients. I don’t believe I’ve ever actually used a can opener—until now.”

“I’m sure you read all about can openers and how to use them in one of your romance novels,” Alex suggested wryly.

“I’m sure I did,” she agreed with a knowing smile.

He turned on the faucets over the deep, farm-style sink. The water sputtered out, rusty at first, but soon running clear and steady. They washed their hands and splashed water on their faces. Then they opened some cans and sat down to eat their fill. As she gorged gratefully on peaches, sardines and water biscuits from a nice, big tin, she was extra glad that Alex had managed to rescue her backpack when the
Lady Jane
capsized.

He sent her questioning look. “What are you grinning about?”

“Oh, just feeling pleased with myself because I remembered to bring money.” In her day-to-day life, she had no reason to carry cash. Her every need was anticipated, her slightest whim fulfilled. If she needed money, there was always a retainer at her elbow who carried it. So as a rule, Lili never gave a thought to having money on her person. But when she planned her escape from the
Princess Royale,
she’d realized that she very well might need money of her own. She’d made sure she had plenty of Croatian kunas on hand. “When we’re rescued, we can leave a nice, fat stack of bills next to the keys and the blue pitcher and that intriguing envelope addressed to someone named Jack....”

“An admirable plan.” He gave her a nod of approval and ate another juicy canned peach. Then he said slyly, “I know you’re curious about what’s in that envelope.”