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“You’re putting words in my mouth.” His tone was teasing.
She smiled. “But I’d like to hear what you think of my wandering life. You spend all your time stuck in that hospital?”
“I spend a lot of hours there,” he admitted. “I love it. It’s fulfilling, challenging, and I’m helping people. I care deeply for the patients I treat.”
Hattie’s breath shortened as she pondered what he’d said. She was jealous of that—being fulfilled, helping, and having a challenge. Did he care deeply forallthe people he helped? Particularly her?
She saw a sign stating they were fifteen kilometers from Bad Ragaz. Almost there. Her stomach twisted, wondering what excuse Franz might have for not looking for her. What if he’d been hurt badly and she had to go find him in some hospital?
“So you don’t do it just because it’s expected that you work as a doctor now?” she asked, though she knew the answer.
“Definitely not. My dad’s supportive of me, but I don’t need to work, and he’d prefer I perform surgeries or advise other physicians or something else that takes me out of the public access. After my mum was killed, the security got so tight in my emergency room, thanks to my brother General Ray trying to protect all of us, that I could barely help anyone until they’d been sedated or restrained and my security guards declared it safe. I hated that.”
“General Ray has relaxed?”
“A bit. There’s good security at my hospital. Ray can’t control Derek in America doing Ninja Warrior or Malik wandering all over Europe dating beautiful women and accumulating degrees he’ll never use. Though they both have bodyguards following them.”
Prince Malik. She’d seen him at parties but had kept her distance knowing he was an Augustine prince. Now here she was, not wanting this Augustine prince to leave. “So you and all of your brothers are these accomplished phenoms, except for Malik?”
“I don’t know about accomplished phenoms.”
“Don’t discount my compliment.”
He laughed, then moved past it. “Malik’s impressive in his own way. None of us know what makes him tick, but he’s smart and well-rounded.” His voice quieted. “He’s struggled a lot since Mum died.”
“It sounds like you all have.”
“Yeah.”
The car got too quiet. Hattie could relate to struggling a lot. She was also relieved he wasn’t questioning her ‘unfulfilled life.’ She was not a fan of introspection, and being in Augustine, thinking about Jane and all the guilt and angst of Jensen helping her again was pushing her over the edge.
They pulled into the mountainous village of Bad Ragaz, lights twinkling in the dark, and drove up to the spectacular Grand Resort within minutes. Steffan slid his sunglasses back on, even though it was dark.
“Home sweet home,” he teased, smiling at her.
She wondered what his home was like, and she suddenly missed her own home in Texas. It was often difficult to stay there, surrounded by memories of her parents, but she loved the memories. Now Jensen’s warning sounded in her head. Her nomad lifestyle may have protected her from the Rindlesbachers tracking her down.
“The Grand Resort is a few square feet smaller than my home in Texas.”
He chuckled and waved off the valet who rushed up to his door. “I’ll have to come visit you in Texas sometime.”
Her eyes widened and her stomach did a happy dance. “You’d be welcome. Just check if I’m around before you make the trek.”
“I imagine you’re rarely there.”
“You imagine right.”
His gaze was on hers. Dang those glasses. She wanted to see his blue eyes. “I have a hard time being at the castle often,” he said. “Too many memories of my mum around every corner.”
He did understand.
Silence ticked by. She was loath to leave him, but it was probably time. She reached for her door handle. “Well, I guess …”
“This isn’t goodbye.” Steffan put his hand over hers.
Hattie’s heart ceased remembering how to function. This wasn’t goodbye? He didn’t want to leave her? Heat flushed her body, and her heart took off at a gallop.
“I can’t strut into the lobby and have somebody recognize me,” Steffan continued, “but why don’t you go finagle a key to the penthouse and ask them for a garage key too? Tell them you don’t like the valet messing with your luxury car. Come back out and we’ll park in the garage. I’ll walk you to your suite and make sure everything is okay before I leave. I am your doctor and responsible for your care, after all.”
