He bristled at her lofty tone and reminded himself that he wanted to make nice.
"Our unfortunate first meeting."
"Apology accepted." She gave a regal nod and mounted her horse. "Now, you'll excuse me-"
"Aren't you forgetting something?" The woman was a pain in the ass, he thought furiously.
"I don't think so."
"You were very rude."
Lifting her chin, she regarded him in amusement. "I was blunt and that's a difference. You plainly did not relish the job of playing host to the newcomer and it showed. I have nothing to apologize for."
He checked his temper with difficulty and quieted his horse, who was so attuned to his changing mood that he began to paw the air.
"Have you always had an aversion to authority?"
"I have an aversion to arrogance, and you happen to have it in spades."
Green eyes flashed fire and this time he had to physically restrain his horse.
Princess moved restlessly beneath her and had to be soothed. "You might want to control your animal," she pointed out.
"And you might want to control your tone and the way you talk to me."
Her chin lifted and the look she sent him made him want to haul her down and wrap his hands around her neck. It did not help that he noticed her flawless complexion or that her lips were full and very inviting. The heat stirring inside him had him gritting his teeth.
"Or what? You're going to sic your horse on me?"
The glint in his eyes had her pulling her horse back two paces.
"That's a good idea," he told her coldly. "I came here to try and apologize for us getting off on the wrong foot and you're either too foolish or too stubborn to accept a simple apology."
Her eyes flashed. "You wanted your mother to fire me."
"And she should bloody well do that. You're insufferable."
"And you're full of yourself! Prince or no prince, I don't lie down and have people walk over me."
His jaw went tight. "I read your file, Señorita Carter. Not the personnel one, the one where your entire life appears on paper. We do background checks on everyone who comes even close. It's mandatory." He smiled grimly. "Your fiancé was in bed with another woman and now I see why that would be the case. Did you give him frostbite with that viper tongue of yours?"
Antoinette went still as the hurt and humiliation raged through her body. That this man, this shallow royalty who did nothing with his life, was privy to her personal pain was beyond bearing. It took everything inside her not to lash out at him. Firming her chin, she stared at him squarely. "Go straight to hell and from now on, avoid me like the damn plague."
He would have charged after her, had he not seen the glint of tears in her mahogany eyes and the hurt and pain his words had caused. Sucking in a harsh breath, he wondered at the contrary emotions tumbling around inside him that caused him to want to deliberately hurt a woman he had just met. Never in his life had he met someone who affected him and made him so angry before.
"Easy, boy," he soothed Zahra absently as he stared after her disappearing over the horizon. "Madre de Dios!"
*****
She barely made it back to the barn. She was shaking so much, she had to clamp the horse with her thighs to keep steady. The friendly words Rafe spoke just went right over her head.
"Could you rub her down for me?"
The man stared at her with a frown. "Señorita, you all right?"
"Yes," she snapped, closing her eyes and ameliorating her tone with an effort. "Please forgive me, I'm just a little tired."
"Did too much on your first day." With a nod, he took the reins from her. "I'll take care of this little lady for you."
