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The doorbell chimed and she jumped. “Who could that be?” she whispered. Surely, Jasmine wouldn’t come out tonight. She was in bed with a fever.
Portia had a mind not to open the door, but the bell chimed once again and her curiosity had her heading to the front door.
She stuck her face up to the peephole and gazed out.
“Eduardo?” What on earth was he doing here?
“Si, Princess, it’s me.”
She cringed at his reverent greeting. She didn’t deserve to be called Princess. The chain lock allowed her to open the door three inches. She peered out and he smiled wide. “Hello.”
Eduardo had become her friend. Seeing this solid block of a man on her doorstep was a welcome sight.
“Hi.”
“Will you open the door for me?”
“Oh...of course.” She undid the chain and opened the door.
Eduardo stood rooted to the spot. “Are you alone, Princess?”
“Yes, I am alone. Why?”
“I had to ask as it is my duty to protect the king. It’s good to see you, but I am here on official bus—”
Juan Carlos stepped into her line of vision from a place on the porch that had concealed him. “Thank you, Eduardo. I’ll take it from here.”
Portia’s mouth dropped open. She blinked and started trembling. “Juan Carlos.”
He held a cat carrier in his hand. “Before you say anything, I brought you a gift. Well, two gifts. May I come in?”
With a lump in her throat, she looked away from Juan Carlos’s face to the two kittens from Duchess’s litter she’d appropriately named Mischief and Mallow. The kittens—one black and gray and mostly all trouble and the other almost all white with spots of caramel color here and there looking like a toasted marshmallow—were sleeping, curled up into little balls of fluff. Mallow’s head rested on Mischief’s body. Their sweetness brought a tear to her eye.
“Juan Carlos, you...you brought them,” she said, touched by the thoughtful gesture. Words she wanted to say tightened in her throat and wouldn’t come out. Initially, her heart had lurched when she spotted Juan Carlos, though he looked worn out. His eyes were rimmed with red—from sleepless nights? His handsome face looked haggard, as if he’d been through a war and his hair, while combed, needed a cut. She should have known he wouldn’t take no very easily. He wasn’t a man easily dissuaded. It was one of the qualities she loved most about him. “You didn’t need to do that,” she said, finally realizing she wasn’t up to caring for pets. She’d barely been able to care for herself lately.
“I figured you might like the company. They are yours as much as they are mine.”
She gazed into his solemn eyes. “Come in,” she said.
She’d been engaged to a man who had never stepped foot into her home. How telling was that? An impetuous engagement, even though love was involved, wasn’t an ideal way to start a relationship. She understood that now. During the coronation and then while living at the farmhouse searching for hidden treasures, they’d lived in a fantasy world, untouched by outside influences. It wasn’t reality.
Juan Carlos stepped inside and glanced around, taking in the details of her home. “It’s as beautiful as you are, Portia. I wouldn’t expect any less.”
“Thank you,” she said. Her heart thumped hard in her chest. Thankfully, Eduardo’s presence helped defuse the situation at the moment. She peered over Juan Carlos’s shoulder. “Eduardo, would you like to come inside?”
She’d spent enough time with Juan Carlos and his bodyguards to know what Eduardo’s answer had to be. He would be securing the premises and standing watch outside. “I wish I could, Your Highness,” he said. “Thank you, but I will be right out here.”
It was just as she’d suspected. “Okay, I understand.” She turned to Juan Carlos and pasted on a false smile. “Surely, you and I both know that bringing me the kittens wasn’t the reason you’ve come.”
“But you’re glad I did?”
She glanced at the sleeping kittens. “I’m glad to see them. They are sweet and I did...miss them.” She cleared her throat. She couldn’t admit she’d missed Juan Carlos also. “They’ve been weaned from Duchess, I’m assuming?”
He nodded. “Early this week. Where shall I put them?”
“A good question. If you’d called and asked me I would’ve told you not to bring them, Juan Carlos,” she said softly. “I’m not equipped to care for them.”
