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He barked a laugh. “You and Aliya got through a lot of stories.”
“So you came because your brother guilted you into it.” Her heartbeat was all over the place. She wanted him to declare he came because he wanted to declare his love to her.
“No. I came because I want to date the most intriguing international fugitive in the world, even if she is declared dead.”
“I’m a walking zombie.”
“No.” He smiled and looked over her face as if feasting on the view. “An angel, that’s what you are. Angelica.”
“You want to date me?” She was no angel, but she was trying.
“Yes.” He nodded somberly. “I want to date you, kiss you, volunteer with you wherever you are, get to know you, and make you fall in love with me.”
She found herself smiling. “I don’t think you can make me fall in love with you.”
“I can sure try. I am a handsome, charming doctor and a prince. Some women go crazy for that kind of thing.”
She tugged him closer. “I think I’m one of them.”
“Oh, good.” He bent and claimed her lips, kissing her deeply and making her heart soar with a future she hadn’t dreamed was possible for them. He pulled back and framed her face with his hands. “Someday your name will be cleared and we can go anywhere you want.”
“You want to be in Augustine, back at your hospital.”
“I love my hospital. I love my country and family more. But I couldn’t pass up the chance to be with you, Hattie. Aliya was right to have Curt call me out. I’d regret missing out on a chance to be with you for the rest of my life.”
“What if my name is never cleared?”
“Then we’ll have an interesting life hiding from the authorities, particularly Chief Jensen,” he winked, “and volunteering in villages throughout the world.”
“I thought you said ‘date’.” Her heart was racing. Was he really willing to give up everything for her? “You’re jumping straight to hiding from authorities with me.”
“Our dating might be a little unconventional. Our meeting definitely was, and I’m sure our life will be the same. As long as I’m with you, I don’t care about the details. My family can come visit and I can use my doctor skills to help a lot of people in places in like this.” He tilted his head to the side.
“Steffan, it is far too early to have you saying things like ‘our life’.”
“It is?” His brow furrowed.
“Yes.” She nodded. “So I think it is only fair to tell you … that I love you.” Hattie was always bold and sometimes brash, but that was a big one and it was very, very early and very, very fast. “Now you may talk about our life.”
His face broke into a happy grin. “Well, you had better be desperately in love with me. I just gave up my family, my hospital, my country, my royal privileges, and a comfortable bed and shower for you.”
She giggled, though it was a lot to give up. “Wolf actually has an incredible RV. He calls it ‘Little Mule.’ The beds are wonderful and so is the shower. I’ve got an order in for one of my own, with a few adaptations. Maybe I’ll let you stay with me. As long as you cuddle and kiss me through the night.”
“Done.” He bent and he kissed her. When he pulled back, he said, “I think it’s only fair to tell you … that I love you. I love you enough that giving up everything else in the world was no sacrifice.”
Hattie’s eyes pricked with tears. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him. Who cared about glamorous travel and five-star hotels? She had the chance to be with Steffan. He’d given up everything for her.
She’d give him every piece of her heart and all the love she had stored inside of her in return. Who would have ever thought that she’d find what she had longed for in her wildest dreams in a tiny medical clinic in a humble village, and not in all the acclaimed travel hot spots and five-star hotels in the world?
Steffan. He was all she’d ever want and need.
Her prince. Her love. Her home.
* * *
Ihope you love Steffan and Hattie’s story as much as I did. I was thrilled when my toughest editor said about the cabin scene, “This is awesome! What a cool set up. I hope when you concocted this scene, you laughed a satisfied little villain laugh, because it’s deviously brilliant. Surprising, yet inevitable. The goal of any suspense story, and you’ve done it!”
I’m stoked about the twists with this series and it keeps getting more intriguing, and ‘deviously’ fun, with every new story.
