AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She’s repped by Deidre Knight and Kristy Hunter of The Knight Agency.
Join Sharon online to learn more about her books and to sign up for her newsletter at www.sharonwray.com.
You can also pick up Let’s Get Naughty 3 here: www.letsgetnaughtybooks.com or https://books2read.com/u/mqBW89
Two Hearts, One Prince, & A Partridge In A Pear
Emorie Cole
1
Jeff
The air is cold, but not too bitter on my face as snowflakes softly fall all around me while I stroll through the neighborhood in Bessemer. Christmas lights adorn most of the houses that I pass, with their reflections dancing and glittering against the snow and ice. I pull my jacket and scarf tighter around myself as I continue to walk down the snowy street, thinking about how lucky I am to have found this quaint little town in Upper Michigan—completely by chance—while searching for remote vacation destinations that offer both skiing and holiday festivities.
I smile as I pass a couple of jolly looking snowmen standing tall in one of the yards. They’re decorated with fuzzy scarves and hats that match the mittens attached to their oddly long, stick arms. “What a beautiful night, Nigel. Just take a moment and listen—you can hear the church bells playing Silent Night softly off in the distance. Isn’t this place charming?” I ask my bodyguard who’s trailing behind me.
“Yes, Your Highness, quite charming—but don’t you think that we ought to be heading back to the chalet? You need to get some rest if you want to go skiing first thing in the morning.”
I let out a long sigh. “Very well. But try to remember, Nigel—on this vacation I’m not Prince Jeffrey or ‘Your Highness’—I’m just plain old Jeff.”
“Right—and I’m not your bodyguard, I’m your good friend that you’ve known since childhood.”
“You’ve always been my best friend, Nigel. We’ve grown up together since we were babies; even though you protect me, there isn’t a single person that I consider a better friend than you.”
“Thank you, Sir—I mean—Jeff.”
“That’s more like it,” I say as I pat him on the back. “Alright, come on, let’s head back.” We walk back down the street to the chalet that we’ve rented for the duration of our stay. It’s not a glamorous chalet by any means, but it’s still charming in its own way, and it’s exactly what I was looking for. When we arrive, I say goodnight to Nigel and head upstairs to get a good night’s sleep.
After brushing my teeth and putting on a pair of pajama pants, I climb into bed before turning off the lamp on the nightstand. I lie awake for quite a while, excited about skiing and exploring this lovely little town tomorrow. Smiling to myself, I realize that for the first time in my life, I don’t have to worry about responsibilities. I’m not sure exactly how long I spend thinking about everything that I want to do while I’m here, but eventually I drift off into a deep sleep.
Morning comes quickly, and I’m awakened by noises coming from downstairs—unlike the palace, the walls here are not soundproofed. As I sit up and stretch, a strong whiff of bacon hits my nose, and I realize that Nigel must be making breakfast. I quickly roll out of bed and shiver as my bare feet hit the cold wooden floor. Reaching into the dresser near the bed, I grab a pair of warm socks and slip them on just as I hear three swift knocks on the door. “One second, I’m coming,” I say loudly as I get up and saunter over to the door.
I open it to find Nigel standing on the other side. “Good morning, Your—Jeff,” he says after a moment’s hesitation. “Glad to see that you’re awake. Breakfast is ready.”
“It smells wonderful!”
“I’ve made bacon, eggs, and toast for you this morning. If there’s nothing else you need, I’ll let you eat while I go gather our things for skiing.”
“Don’t worry about it, Nigel. I’m perfectly capable of gathering my own skis.”
“As you wish—Jeff. In that case, I’ll go get myself ready,” he says with a smile as he heads out of the room. I take a seat at the table to eat my breakfast alone, realizing that Nigel has already eaten, as usual. I guess convincing him to forget about his duties for a little while might be more difficult than I expected. I sigh as I take a bite of my food.
Once I’m finished eating and Nigel and I have grabbed our gear, we head out in our rented SUV. The small highway is snow-covered, but it’s well-sanded so it’s not slippery, making the short drive an easy one. Ten minutes later, we pull into the parking lot at the ski hill—Indianhead Mountain. We climb out of the car and gather our skis, poles, and boots from the back before heading inside the small chalet to purchase our lift passes. Unlike other ski resorts that I’ve been to, Indianhead Mountain is very cozy. The word mountain may be in the name, but from the trail maps that I’ve looked at, and the pictures on the wall, it’s more of a small hill with runs that can’t possibly take more than a few minutes to ski down. When I walk into the chalet, I see that the small two story building contains a ticket office and a cafeteria on the top floor, and an area for ski rentals on the bottom.
As Nigel and I make our way to the counter, the sound of a woman’s cheerful laughter fills my ears. I quickly look around to see where the sound is coming from, only for my eyes to catch on the most beautiful woman that I’ve ever seen. This petite, dark-haired woman has features that remind me of the greek goddesses that I read about when I was younger. Her bright, sparkling hazel eyes seem to dance as she laughs with a group of women that’s making their way towards the exit opposite of me—her short, black wavy hair standing out against the neon green of her ski jacket.
“Jeff,” Nigel says as he nudges me with his elbow, “it’s our turn.”
I slowly tear my eyes away from the woman, and move towards the counter. “Yes—yes, of course. Sorry about that. Two lift passes, please.” The man behind the counter smiles and nods as he prints the passes and hands them over the counter. “Here you are, Nigel,” I say as I hand him one of the passes.
“Thank you. A bit distracted, Jeff?” he asks with a big grin on his face as we attach our passes to our jackets and sit down to put on our ski boots.
“Me? Distracted? Of course not—I just thought that I caught a glimpse of some paparazzi that were going to ruin this vacation.” I keep my eyes down towards my boots, hoping that he’ll completely forget about this. “All set?” I ask as I stand up and hand him his ski poles.
“Absolutely,” Nigel says with a knowing grin on his face as he walks over to hold the door open.
As we get outside, I gaze out over the hill. “I don’t think that I’ve ever been to a hill where the chalet is on the top, have you Nigel?”
