The Lost Princes of Ambria 06 - Taming the Lost Prince by Raye Morgan Read Free Book Online Page B

a little annoyed that no one seemed to have any faith in him. But he knew that wasn’t fair. He’d given no one any reason to trust him. When you lived on the edge of a knife blade, like he had, you had to know that people were going to back away in horror now and then. It came with the territory.
    “I’d have to see more than a picture on a Wanted poster to know that for sure.”
    He gave her a long, slow look, then shrugged again and headed for the door.
    “I’d like to see a full description of my crime,” he said, managing to sound lighthearted and carefree again. Free and easy. That was the way he wanted to live. “You’ve got to see what you’re charged with before you can mount any sort of defense. Basic legal advice.”
    He turned and gave her a wink, then made it out the door and into the castle hallways.
    Kayla watched the door swing shut and she drew air deep into her lungs. Secrets. He had secrets.
    Well, funny thing. So did she.
    The following morning when she got to work, Kayla found the queen involved in a dispute between a kitchen prep assistant and the royal chef. She was claiming the older man had promised to advance her and now he seemed to be spending all his time giving extra training to the pretty new pastry chef.
    “Who knew my fabulously exciting days as queen would be filled with this sort of relationship management?” she complained to Kayla. “I might as well be working for the local department store.” She sighed. “But I do feel sorry for her. He has been leading her on.”
    “Call the chef in for a nice chat, tell him that his grilled rosemary scallops are to-die-for and mention that reports of favoritism will be noted on his permanent record,” Kayla advised. “And just to be safe, make sure he knows canoodling in the broom closet will be frowned upon.”
    Pellea shook her head. “You see it all so clearly, my dear. I know exactly why I hired you.”
    Kayla gave her a quizzical smile. “No regrets?”
    Pellea pursed her lips and slid down into the chair opposite from where Kayla sat at her desk. “Okay. Let’s get into it.” She fixed her with a steady look. “Do I have anything to worry about?”
    Kayla managed to look completely innocent. “In what way?”
    Pellea gave her a look. “I think you know what I’m talking about. I have plans for Max, so it would be best if we put all our cards on the table, don’t you agree?” She thought of something and her eyes narrowed. “By the way, where was your baby last night? I didn’t see any evidence that he was with you.”
    Kayla’s heart began to beat a bit harder. “He was nearby. He was staying down the hall with my sister.”
    “Oh.” Pellea still looked skeptical.
    Kayla leaned forward earnestly, determined not to let Pellea go down the road she obviously had been moving toward.
    “No, it’s not like that. Teddy often stays with Caroline when I work late. She watches him during the day, and her little one is the same age. He was already asleep …”
    She stopped, realizing she was giving too much information. That was always the perfect way to sound absolutely guilty as charged. Taking a deep breath, she added simply, “I had no idea that Max was going to drop by.”
    Pellea blinked rapidly. “Just how close were you and Max in the old days?”
    “We were good friends. Very good friends.” She sighed and looked directly into the queen’s eyes. “What you saw when you came in was a result of us both remembering Eddie and comforting each other over losing him that way.”
    Pellea held her gaze steady and slightly shook her head. “It looked like more than that to me.”
    Her heart rate made another lurch. “Pellea, I adored my husband,” she said forcefully. “He was my life.” She shook her head, hair flying about her shoulders. “Max loved him, too. Everybody did. He was a wonderful man.” Reaching out, she took Pellea’s hands in hers. “Please understand. Max and I were never …”
    She