The Surprise Princess (33 page)

“But why?” Katie asked. Both men shrugged that it was beyond them. “Why were you crying, Carolyn?”

“I was scared. Scared not only that this wouldn’t work out for the two of you, when I so wanted it to, but also that it might take the heart out of Brad completely. And then, when he was telling us about you being a fairy tale princess, but instead of being Snow White in the woods with dwarves, she was exiled to the Ashton athletic department offices with a bevy of basketball players—”

“You said that?” Katie looked up at Brad.

He shrugged. “She make it sound more literary than it was.”

“He did say it. But more important, he smiled, just a little. And I was so relieved. That’s why I cried then. Because I had hope that even if his heart was broken he’d still be Brad.”

“Now,
you’re
crying?” Brad demanded of Katie.

“Oh, Brad.” She put her arms around his neck.

He kissed her but before he could do a proper job of it there was another interruption.

“Oh!” It was April. With Hunter right behind her. “Does this mean—”

“Yes,” Brad and Katie said together.

“That’s wonderful.”

After handshakes and hugs, C.J. added, “What’s also wonderful is we can all stop pretending we don’t know they’re already married.”

“Oh. Right,” April said in a very different tone. “We were sent to find you. King Jozef wants to see you both. I gather he knows about you being married?”

Katie put a hand on her arm. “It’s okay. At least I think…”

Brad tightened his hold around her waist. “It’s going to be fine. But we need to run something past you on the way, C.J.”

King Jozef looked only at Katie as the six of them – she and Brad, April and Hunter, and Carolyn and C.J. crossed the room to where he and Madame sat by a trio of windows.

She released a long breath, then said, “Grandfather, Brad and I love each other. There will be no annulment or divorce. Our future is together.”

King Jozef turned from her to scowl up at Brad. “You think you will take the Princess Josephine-Augusta away from Bariavak?”

“No,” he said evenly. “I think Katie and I will go wherever the two of us decide is best for us.”

Katie broke the tense silence. “And what we have decided is best for us is to stay here for a few more weeks, then return to Ashton in time to prepare for the upcoming season, since he will coach basketball and I will work for C.J.”

“Out of the question. I cannot protect you there. You will—”

“Protecting her’s up to me,” Brad said.

“I don’t need protecting in Ashton,” Katie said at the same time, then added, “And if I did, I’d take care of it myself. But I don’t.”

“As Princess Royal—”

“But I won’t be. I’ll just be me. Besides, you are the king, for heaven’s sake, out in the public all the time and you have hardly anyone with you. I know how you slip away from your security detail.”

King Jozef turned his glare on Hunter, who looked back impassively, but said, “She would still be on our radar.”

Katie set that aside to be dealt with later and said gently to the king, “It was a long time ago, Grandfather.”

“It was yesterday. You are only a child. You do not understand—”

A sound best spelled “Agggh” emanated from Madame, checking King Jozef’s words.

Katie took advantage of the opening. “However, Brad has an idea, one I don’t completely approve of because he should accept one of the head coaching positions he’s been offered—”“

“Katie.”

King Jozef’s gaze shot to Brad at that quiet word.

“Okay,” Katie conceded. “So, instead of advancing his career as he so easily could and because he says he truly prefers this, Brad has proposed he become a part-time basketball coach at Ashton, a proposal C.J. has said he’ll accept if that’s the only way to keep Brad on the staff and if – and I quote – the damned idiot won’t take a head spot. But—” She had to pull in air after that spate of words. “—that only works if there’s something that would make good use of his talents the rest of the year. And where that opportunity was located would determine where we spend, say, several months a year.”

The king watched her closely, shot another look at Brad, then came back to her. But he said nothing.

“Katie, just tell him—”

Never taking her gaze from her grandfather, she said to Brad, “We agreed I would do this.”

Again the silence stretched.

Brad made a sound of exasperation and walked to the window, hitched a hip on the stone sill and crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s a damned good thing I tricked her into marrying me, or I can see the stubborn Bariavak blood would have kept her saying no for decades.”

More silence.

Madame slowly stood. “Jozef.”

His gaze flickered but did not leave Katie.

“Jozef,” Madame repeated. This time his gaze went to her. “You are not a stupid man. But if you make this mistake with your granddaughter as you made with your daughter, I will stab you in the heart to save you the pain of dying from it breaking. Say the words. Now.”

King Jozef looked at Brad. Then at Katie. Finally back to Madame.

“Basketball for youth,” he said to her.

Katie jumped in, “A series of camps. Which you will officially open each summer. And you will begin the transition—”

Brad reached across to take her hand and squeeze, but she went on.

“—toward democracy, I hope.”

Brad and Madame groaned simultaneously.

King Jozef drew in a swelling breath. “Democracy? End the royal family of Bariavak? Throw out centuries of tradition? Basketball camp, yes, this I permit – for the children. But this – this you talk of—”

“Later,” Madame said. “You will talk of it
later
. But what has been decided has been decided. For your love of your granddaughter.”

Slowly, King Jozef of Bariavak lowered his head in a solemn nod.

“Grandfather.” Katie hugged him with one arm because Brad still held her other hand. “This is best. You’ll see—”

Brad tugged on her hand. “Not now. Give him time to adjust.”

And then Carolyn and C.J. were shepherding them away.

“C’mon, you two,” C.J. said, turning Katie and Brad toward the door. “Let’s get out of here with our victory before the opposing team talks the ref into pushing this thing to overtime.”

April and Hunter each held a door open for them as they left, then followed them out.

Seven weeks later

Ashton, Wisconsin

“H
e’s going to be okay you know.” Brad leaned back against the closed door of his bedroom – their bedroom, at least for tonight as they sorted out what they would do with her house and his apartment now that they were back in Ashton. “So no need for that frown.”

They’d left Bariavak and King Jozef, and it hadn’t been easy on his Katie.

“I know. Eventually. I do know that. But that’s not why I was frowning. Brad, this is important. You have to know I won’t hold you to what you said about not taking a head coaching job. I won’t take advantage of you – of your weakness.”

“Weakness? You mean my weakness for you? Hate to tell you, Katie, but you’ve been taking advantage of that one since the day you walked in the office.”

“Your grandmother told me. You have a weakness for underdogs. You have all your life and—”

“Yeah, yeah. And how she used that to get me to go to Ashton instead of the party school. That’s her tale, anyway.”

“You
know
?”

“Sure. I’ve always known. Let her think it was her underselling Ashton that got me here, but it was a combination of thinking Ashton could pay off big if the program caught hold and being in awe of Coach.”

“Oh.” She absorbed that for a breath then rallied, “But that doesn’t change that you
do
have a weakness for underdogs. I’ve seen it with the team. And with the kids. And… and of course that’s why you married me.” She looked up at him through her lashes.

“Yeah, right. That’s why.” He advanced on her.

“And why, in Bariavak – because who was more of an underdog than me? One woman, trying to stand up again a king and— You’re laughing? You’re
laughing at me
?”

“Hell, yes, I’m laughing at you, Josephine-Augusta – my Katie.” He kissed the top of her head. “If you were any less of an underdog with your grandfather, with Bariavak, and most of all with me, we’d all be puddles at your feet.” He kissed her nose. “My princess.”

“Don’t…”

But he was wrapping his arms around her waist, drawing her tight into his body and her protest evaporated in the heat.

“Katie Spencer.”

She arched into him. “Yes.”

A very satisfying time later, he stroked her bare shoulder, then kissed a mark his mouth had made earlier. “Uh, Katie?”

“Hmm.”

“I have a question.”

“Yes?”

“You remember you said that when you were Katie Davis you worshipped me?”

“Yes.”

“So, all that grief you gave me? That was worshipping? Does that mean it’s going to be worse from now on?”

“Much, much worse.”

“Okay. I can live with that. As long as you don’t love me the way Madame loves the king – whew! Stabbing him in the heart to save his heart from breaking.”

“I know. Don’t worry, I could never be as fierce as that. I’m a nice Midwestern girl.”

“Yeah, right. Nice Midwestern girl who’s about been the death of me.”

She ran a hand down his chest … and lower. “You don’t feel dead to me.”

“Maybe not quite yet. But before we test that theory, I want you to promise to do something for me. Maybe when we finally take a honeymoon.”

“What?”

“Wear that tiara like you did at the gala.”

“I won’t wear a crown. And that dress—”

“Not a crown. And definitely not the dress. Just the tiara.” He looked down at her, watching a smile come into her eyes. “So I can kiss you right out from under it again.”

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