Chapter 21 #2
They had turned on the monitor that showed the footage of the front gate so they could watch Max when he spoke to the press.
The family SUV came into view and halted near the gate. A few seconds later, Max exited from the back. The flash of cameras and the shouts of reporters filled the air.
Max approached the gate, waited for it to open while Winzig stood on one side of him and Kade on the other. When the gate was fully open, Max held up a hand, likely to ask for silence. After a moment, the reporters stopped calling out questions and grew quiet.
“Thank you,” his voice came through the monitor. Though they could only see him from the back due to the angle of the security camera, it was enough to view his stiff shoulders and tall, proud bearing.
For a minute or two, Max explained how he’d gone out snowshoeing and gotten caught in the storm, but he’d been safe in a cabin for the past few days until the rescue this morning.
“All is well,” he concluded. “Everyone in our party has returned, and other than being a little hungry and ragged, we are unharmed and glad to be back. Thank you for your concern and well-wishes.”
He pivoted and started back to the SUV. But the reporters began to volley questions. “Is it true you were together with Emberly McQuaid?” “Is Emberly McQuaid your newest lover?” “Are you having a fling with Emberly McQuaid?”
From her spot at the counter, Emberly snorted at the brazen questions. “That’s all they care about? Whether Max and I slept together?”
Beside her, Wyatt paused in eating a piece of toast and peered up at her with wide eyes. “Did you have a sleepover, Aunt Emberly?”
Before she could answer her nephew, Kade took a step toward the reporters, his face contorted with anger. “For your information,” he called above the questions, “my sister and the prince are married, so why don’t you just stop with all the speculations.”
At the news, chaos seemed to break out among the reporters, this time causing a hailstorm of questions. “Prince Max, are you really married to Emberly McQuaid?” “When were you married?” “How long have you known Miss McQuaid?”
Max had halted, and his back was stiff.
Emberly stared at the monitor, hardly able to breathe. How would he respond to the questions?
He stood unmoving.
She could see his profile harden and his jaw tighten.
Then he turned around and returned to the spot at the gate. He faced the reporters directly, and they once again grew mostly silent. “Yes, I recently married Emberly McQuaid. She is my wife, and we plan to return to Karltenberg together.”
Another barrage of questions rose into the air.
“We would like to keep our relationship private for now,” Max called above the chaos. “Thank you for respecting our wishes.”
“With the looming deadline of your thirty-fifth birthday, did you marry Miss McQuaid so hastily to avoid abdicating the throne to your brother?” The question in a heavy German accent came from a man at the front of the crowd.
To avoid abdicating the throne to his brother? What did that mean? Emberly’s heart began to pound a strange rhythm.
Max shook his head curtly. “No, that was not the reason for our marriage.”
“With the pressure from the king and parliament, you cannot deny that the marriage will solidify your position as the heir apparent.”
What was this all about? Max had indicated pressure from his father to marry, but he’d never mentioned that he would have to abdicate if he didn’t take a wife. Did he have to be married by his thirty-fifth birthday in order to keep his position as the heir apparent?
A sick weight dropped to the bottom of Emberly’s stomach.
“My marriage to Emberly has nothing to do with that.” Max’s voice rose above the others that were calling out.
The same reporter with the same accent yelled out again. “But you cannot deny that you have been on the search for a wife in order to fulfill the king and parliament’s deadline.”
This time Max didn’t respond, neither confirming nor denying the reporter. But it was clear enough to Emberly. There was a deadline, and it was fast approaching.
He nodded at Winzig as he moved aside. The burly man stepped into Max’s place, braced his feet apart, and crossed his arms. Once again, Max headed toward the SUV with Kade following.
Emberly could only stare at the monitor, the sickness inside swirling faster.
That was why Max had been in such a hurry to marry her. That was why he’d suggested they not wait for family or have a real wedding. Because he’d known he was running out of time and needed to get the deal done before it was too late.
Her dad turned off the monitor, plunging the room into silence except for the sizzling of the bacon and eggs. No one around her moved, except Wyatt, who was still eating his toast.
She hadn’t misunderstood Max. No, her whole family had heard him admit to having to marry by his birthday or lose the opportunity to become the next king of his country.
She sat frozen to the stool, but her mind was racing with a thousand thoughts.
Had Max come to the ranch on a mission to find a wife?
Had he targeted her because she looked gullible and easy to win over?
The woman who’d failed out of college, who couldn’t do anything better than work on her family’s ranch, who relied on her brothers to bail her out of trouble?
Why else would he want an unimportant, untitled woman like her when he could have any other woman?
Of course, he couldn’t plan a snowstorm, but maybe he’d intended to find a way to force their proximity. That’s probably why Braun had his license as a registrar, because then he could marry the naive American woman who fell for Max’s charm.
Her dad reached for her hand. “I’m sure there’s a good explanation, darlin’.”
Instead of proving to her family she was strong and independent and adequate, she’d shown them all over again what a failure she was, this time in her marriage.
She pulled back from Dad and hopped off the stool. A tightness moved up into her lungs and then her throat. Even if she could have managed a response, she didn’t want to talk to anyone.
She made her way to the back door.
“Emberly, wait.” Her mom’s footsteps pattered after her.
Emberly was already at the back door by the time her mom caught her arm. “Honey, please. Let’s wait for Max to return.”
Tears stung Emberly’s eyes, and she blinked them back. “No. I don’t want to talk to Max.” The words tumbled out broken and breathless. Then before anyone else could stop her, she raced off toward the trail that led down to her cottage.
All she wanted to do was get inside, lock the door, and cry in private.