Christmas with the Prince: Christmas with the Prince. Michelle Celmer

Aaron told him.

      “Not until he’s off the pump altogether,” Chris insisted, which didn’t surprise Aaron. Chris had always been the responsible sibling. Of course, as crown prince, slacking off had never been an option. But while some people may have resented having their entire life dictated for them, Chris embraced his position. If he felt restricted by his duties, he never said so.

      Aaron wished he could say the same.

      “Did Miss Montgomery arrive safely?” Chris asked.

      “She did. Although her flight was delayed by weather.”

      “What was your first impression of her?”

      He almost told his brother that she was very cute. And despite what she’d told him, he couldn’t imagine her as ever being difficult. She was so quiet and unassuming. But he didn’t think that was the sort of impression Chris was asking for. “She seems very capable.”

      “Her references all checked out? Her background investigation was clean?”

      Did he honestly think Aaron would have hired her otherwise? But he bit back the snarky comment on the tip of his tongue. Until their father was well, Chris was in charge, and that position deserved the same respect Aaron would have shown the king.

      “Squeaky-clean,” Aaron assured his brother. “And after meeting her, I feel confident she’ll find a cure.”

      “Everyone will be relieved to hear that. I think we should—” There was commotion in the background, then Aaron heard his sister-in-law’s voice, followed by a short, muted conversation, as though his brother had put a hand over the phone.

      “Is everything okay, Chris?”

      “Yes, sorry,” Chris said, coming back on the line. “I have to go. They’re wheeling Father back to his room. I’ll call you later.”

      “Send everyone my love,” Aaron told him, then disconnected, wishing he could be there with his family. But someone needed to stay behind and hold the fort.

      He hooked his phone on his belt and walked back to the dining room. Liv was still there eating her breakfast. She had wiped out everything but half of a croissant, which she was slathering with jam. He didn’t think he’d ever seen a woman polish off such a hearty meal. Especially a woman so slim and fit.

      For a minute he just stood there watching her. She had dressed in jeans and a sweater and wore her hair pulled back into a ponytail again. He couldn’t help grinning when he recalled the way she seized up as he put his hands on her shoulders, and the deep blush in her cheeks. He knew he wasn’t exactly playing fair, and it was wrong to toy with her, but he’d never met a woman who wore her emotions so blatantly on her sleeve. There was little doubt that she was attracted to him.

      She looked up, saw him standing there and smiled. A sweet, genuine smile that encompassed her entire face. She wasn’t what he would consider beautiful or stunning, but she had a wholesome, natural prettiness about her that he found undeniably appealing.

      “Sorry about that,” he told her, walking to the table.

      “S’okay,” she said with a shrug, polishing off the last of her croissant and chasing it down with a swallow of coffee. “I think that was the most delicious breakfast I’ve ever eaten.”

      “I’ll pass your compliments on to the chef.” Instead of sitting down, he rested his arms on the back of his chair. “I’m sorry to say you won’t be meeting my parents until next week.”

      Her smile vanished. “Oh. Is everything all right?”

      “My father’s doctors want to keep him a few days longer. Just in case.”

      “It’s his heart?” she asked, and at his questioning look, added, “When I was offered the position, I looked up your family on the Internet. A ton of stuff came back about your father’s health.”

      He should have figured as much. The king’s health had been big news after he collapsed at Chris’s wedding reception. But other than to say he had a heart “problem,” no specific information had been disclosed about his condition.

      “He has advanced heart disease,” Aaron told her.

      Concern creased her brow. “If you don’t mind my asking, what’s the prognosis?”

      “Actually, he’s in an experimental program and we’re hopeful that he’ll make a full recovery.”

      “He’s getting a transplant?”

      “He has a rare blood type. The odds of finding a donor are astronomical.” He explained the portable heart pump and how it would take over all heart function so the tissue would have time to heal. “He’s very fortunate. Less than a dozen people worldwide are part of the study.”

      “Heart disease is genetic. I’ll bet you and your siblings are very health-conscious.”

      “Probably not as much as we should be, but the queen sees to it that we eat a proper diet. You know how mothers are.” Only after the words were out did he realize that no, she probably didn’t know, because she’d never had a real mother. He felt a slash of guilt for the thoughtless comment. But if it bothered her, she didn’t let it show.

      She dabbed her lips with her napkin, then set it on the table beside her plate. Glancing at the watch on her slender wrist, she said, “I should get down to the lab. I have a lot of unpacking to do.”

      He stepped behind her to pull her chair out, and could swear he saw her tense the slightest bit when his fingers brushed her shoulders. She rose to her feet and edged swiftly out of his reach.

      He suppressed a smile. “You’re sure you don’t need help unpacking?”

      She shook her head. “No, thank you.”

      “Well, then, lunch is at one.”

      “Oh, I don’t eat lunch. I’m usually too busy.”

      “All right, then, dinner is at seven sharp. You do eat dinner?”

      She smiled. “On occasion, yes.”

      He returned the smile. “Then I’ll see you at seven.”

      She walked to the door, then stopped for a second, looking one way, then the other, as though she wasn’t sure which direction to take.

      “Left,” he reminded her.

      She turned to him and smiled. “Thanks.”

      “I’ll remind Derek to get you that map.”

      “Thank you.” She stood there another second, and he thought she might say something else, then she shook her head and disappeared from view.

      The woman was a puzzle. Thoughtful and confident one minute, then shy and awkward the next. And he realized, not for the first time, that she was one puzzle he’d like to solve.

      After a long morning in the fields and an afternoon in the largest of their greenhouse facilities, Aaron looked forward to a quiet dinner and an evening spent with their guest. Even though normally he would arrange some sort of physical, recreational activity like squash or tennis or even just a walk in the gardens, he was more interested in just talking to Liv. Learning more about her life, her past. She was the first woman in a long time whom he’d found both attractive and intellectually stimulating. And after a few drinks to loosen her up a bit, who knew where the conversation might lead.

      He changed from his work clothes and stopped by her room on his way downstairs to escort her to the dining room, but she wasn’t there. Expecting her to already be at the table waiting for him, he headed down, but found all of the chairs empty.

      Geoffrey stepped in from the pantry.

      “Have you seen Miss Montgomery?” Aaron asked.

      “As far as I know she’s still in the lab, Your Highness.”

      Aaron