I Want You for Christmas: The Prince's Lost Princess - a Heartwarming Snow-Capped Holiday Romance by Holly Rayner, Lara Hunter Read Free Book Online Page B

failed and will not be replaced for two days at least.”
     
    Hearing this, Gaby’s heart sank. Here she was, trapped with a spoiled snob of a prince, when her family needed her to help with the approaching Christmas season. She frowned as Luca rose and stood in front of her.
     
    “Gaby, I am sorry, but I’m afraid there is no way we can get you back to America at this point.”
     
    Gaby squared her shoulders. She might not have been worldly, but she was resourceful. “That’s just fine. If you would provide transport to the nearest airport, I will fly commercial.”
     
    “Commercial? Are you serious?”
     
    Luca’s aghast expression was almost enough to make Gaby laugh, if it wasn’t so maddening. So he was too good to sit on a plane with other people? Was he really so high and mighty? How out of touch could a person get? Seeing her expression, Luca changed tact.
     
    “I’m sorry, that was the wrong thing to say, but Gabriella, you are in Florence—the homeland of your family! Please, you don’t have to listen to anything I have to say about your lineage, but will you consider staying with us for a few days and exploring this wonderful country? It’s the least I can do after this mess I’ve made.”
     
    The Prince’s expression was full of remorse. Gaby stared up into his eyes, searching for the lie. There was one in there—she could see it, but it was small. He truly wanted her to stay.
     
    Gaby considered. Her nonna would be devastated if she found out her youngest grandchild had had a chance to explore her homeland and turned it down, all because of the company offering it.
     
    She sighed. “Two days, and then the plane will be ready?”
     
    “That’s what they’re saying,” Luca replied with a small grin.
     
    It was obvious that Luca was used to getting his way. Gaby almost turned her back on him just to prove that he couldn’t always win, but her own motivations stopped her.
     
    She would experience the best Italy had to offer, and that was that. The fact that she had to spend that time with Luca was an unfortunate circumstance, but she would simply have to make the best of it.
     
    She gazed out at the rolling hills and fields again, and took a breath. “Very well. I suppose I’ll have to stay, won’t I?”

 
     
    EIGHT
     

Luca gestured to their table and unfinished meal, and Gaby sat back down, replacing her napkin on her lap and taking another succulent bite of chicken and pasta. The sauce was divinity itself, and she tried not to look too obvious as she scooped up as much of it as she could with her last forkful of chicken.
     
    She looked at Luca, who was taking a sip of wine as he gazed out at the hills surrounding them.
     
    “So, how long have you lived here?” she asked, not sure what else one said to a prince. How could they make small talk? They were from two very different worlds.
     
    Or are we? she thought, then. Could what Luca said be true? Could she really be a princess, raised as a pauper?
     
    No. Gaby gave herself a mental shake. She was too old to believe in fairy tales.
     
    Luca sat back as their server returned and took their plates before heading back inside the villa. “My family has owned this land for at least seven generations, likely more, but that’s the first documentation we have.”
     
    Gaby grinned. “So you don’t get out much?”
     
    Luca laughed. “On the contrary, actually. I get out far too much. My parents are quite unhappy about the amount of time I spend away from home, so I’m working on becoming more of a homebody these days.”
     
    “Where would you go?” Gaby asked.
     
    Luca waved his hand dismissively. “Oh here and there. Mostly around the continent, but I spent a lot of time in England recently as well, enjoying the entertainments of London.”
     
    “And how come I’ve never heard of you?” Gaby asked.
     
    The server returned with two small bowls of a steaming bread pudding, drenched in chocolate, and two small