Chapter 4
She decided to go for a ride instead.
The place was deserted. Her maid Carmen (she still could not get over the fact that she had a maid!) had told her that the queen was out for a luncheon with friends and the prince had left earlier, which was perfect.
She feared facing him after the disastrous first meeting.
She wanted that delayed for as long as possible.
She would take Queen Sofia's offer to find a horse and go for a ride.
It beat trying to navigate the huge grounds on foot.
She had also taken a peek inside the garage and counted all of fifteen vehicles.
What on earth two people were doing with so many vehicles was beyond her.
But she supposed this was how the other half lived.
She had spotted the gleaming vehicles that belonged to the prince and counted among the lot a Corvette, a Porsche, a BMW convertible, and a Benz. There were also two dirt bikes and a racing car. The man certainly loved his rides, she thought snidely.
The barn was big and warm and quite posh.
She supposed that with so much money floating around, it would be unlike anything she had ever seen.
The grizzled old man in charge gave her a toothy smile and spoke with a thick accent.
He was the first person she met since her arrival that did not speak precise English.
He told her he had been with the family since before the king was born and would not be retiring anytime soon.
"Raphael at your service, Senorita." He beamed at her, dark eyes twinkling.
"Queen Sofia already instructed me and the others to let you have a pick of dee horses, except the brute Zahra.
That animal thinks he's so high and mighty, he won't allow us to come near him, not even to curry him down.
The prince has to do that task himself. Well, here we are.
That there is Princess Mel, a gentle and reliable sorrel who knows the grounds inside out. "
"Thanks, Raphael."
"Please call me Rafe." He doffed his tattered hat and went away whistling.
She took the opportunity to explore, speaking softly to the horses with their glossy coats and offering up some apples and carrots handily provided in gleaming silver troughs.
She had come dressed for the occasion, in soft yielding riding pants, a thin silver sweater and black jacket. Her riding boots came up to her knees.
When Rafe rushed to put the saddle on the horse, she shook her head.
"I know how."
To her amusement, he stood there watching to make sure she knew what she was doing, nodding his head as she hefted the heavy saddle, talking to the horse gently as she adjusted the cinch.
When she put her foot inside the stirrup and vaulted effortlessly on top of the horse, he clapped his hands gleefully. "Dee American knows how to mount a horse."
"This American has been riding since she was a child," Antoinette retorted. Gathering the reins in her gloved hands, she guided the horse towards the entrance and turned left.
The sheer joy of being in the open country with all the trees bordering the edges had her laughing aloud.
She had only been on a ranch in Texas once.
It had been a wonderful experience, but nothing compared to this.
The wind whipped the tail she had looped through the baseball cap she had donned, and it felt great on her skin.
She gave Princess her head and allowed the horse to be the guide. Outbuildings, pretty little pink and white cottages rushed by. There was the bridge she had spotted this morning when she was curled up on the window seat.
She was so absorbed in her surroundings, she failed to notice the lone rider perched on top of the incline. Tomas had heard the sound of thundering hooves as soon as his horse started to paw the ground and wondered who was out riding.
Clamping a hand on the horse's neck, he soothed the animal, eyes narrowing as he noticed the American woman. Reluctant admiration flooded his being as he watched her skillful navigation of the horse. She brought the animal to a stop right next to the stream and vaulted effortlessly from the saddle.
So, she was no novice, he thought. And she loved horses. The woman was soothing the animal's flank and whispering in its ear.
He had come straight from a tennis match with some friends and decided to take a ride.
In a snap decision, he nudged his horse forward, gently weaving his way along the narrow path. He was upon them before she realized he was there.
"Senorita Carter." His voice was stiff and formal as he viewed her from his lofty perch atop his horse. "I see you've decided to take advantage of the lovely day."
"Prince." She wished with all her heart she had taken a different route.
"And you've chosen well. Princess is an amiable creature."
He watched in fascination as her eyes flamed and flashed. "Amiable is not the word I'd use."
"What word would you use?" He had intended for the question to be courteous but had no idea it sounded condescending.
"Spirited." She eyed the glossy brute he was on a little warily. Turning away, she prepared to mount the horse to leave when his voice stopped her.
"I would like to apologize." His abrupt tone had her turning back in surprise.
"For?"
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, Senorita 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. "Senorita, 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."
She fled and prayed that she would not encounter one of the maids or even the queen.
She wanted to be alone and had to find some alone time.
To her relief, she did not encounter anyone.
Going into her bedroom, she flung herself across the bed.
She had promised herself not to cry, but the tears were burning the backs of her eyes, begging to be released.
She hated him! She hated him with a passion that scared her. When he said those words to her, she had wanted to strike out. Her first instinct was to lash out at him, and it frightened her. Two encounters and he had reduced her to a mass of raging hormones.
How dare he read her file! She could just see him salivating over the titillating piece of information and smiling at her humiliation.
"I hate him!" she whispered. Unable to hold out any longer, she felt the tears running down her cheeks.
*****