An Officer and a Princess Read online

  * * *

  THE EDENBOURG TATTLER

  June 2001

  Word has it that Edenbourg’s beloved—and oh-so-private—Princess Isabel Stanbury is off on a secret mission to rescue her missing father with the help of the only man she’s ever truly loved. It seems she and her former commanding officer, Adam Sinclair—could he possibly look any better in his royal navy uniform?—are posing as a married couple in order to infiltrate the group suspected of kidnapping the king. But from what my sources tell me, these two might not be feigning wedded bliss, because their true feelings aren’t part of the act! The question is, just when will they realize they’ve stopped pretending?

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  Dear Reader,

  This June—traditionally the month of brides, weddings and the promise of love everlasting—Silhouette Romance also brings you the possibility of being a star! Check out the details of this special promotion in each of the six happily-ever-afters we have for you.

  In An Officer and a Princess, Carla Cassidy’s suspenseful conclusion to the bestselling series ROYALLY WED: THE STANBURYS, Princess Isabel calls on her former commanding officer to help rescue her missing father. Karen Rose Smith delights us with a struggling mom who refuses to fall for Her Tycoon Boss until the dynamic millionaire turns up the heat! In A Child for Cade by reader favorite Patricia Thayer, Cade Randall finds that his first love has kept a precious secret from him….

  Talented author Alice Sharpe’s latest offering, The Baby Season, tells of a dedicated career woman tempted by marriage and motherhood with a rugged rancher and his daughter. In Blind-Date Bride, the second book of Myrna Mackenzie’s charming twin duo, the heroine asks a playboy billionaire to ward off the men sent by her matchmaking brothers. And a single mom decides to tell the man she has always loved that he has a son in Belinda Barnes’s heartwarming tale, The Littlest Wrangler.

  Next month be sure to return for two brand-new series—the exciting DESTINY, TEXAS by Teresa Southwick and the charming THE WEDDING LEGACY by Cara Colter. And don’t forget the triumphant conclusion to Patricia Thayer’s THE TEXAS BROTHERHOOD, along with three more wonderful stories!

  Happy Reading!

  Mary-Theresa Hussey

  Senior Editor

  An Officer and a Princess

  CARLA CASSIDY

  To Judy Christenberry, who shares the angst of every word written in all of my books, and the joys and angst of my life, as well.

  I’m fairly certain we are sisters who were separated at birth, and I’m grateful fate brought us together again!

  Books by Carla Cassidy

  Silhouette Romance

  Patchwork Family #818

  Whatever Alex Wants… #856

  Fire and Spice #884

  Homespun Hearts #905

  Golden Girl #924

  Something New #942

  Pixie Dust #958

  The Littlest Matchmaker #978

  The Marriage Scheme #996

  Anything for Danny #1048

  *Deputy Daddy #1141

  *Mom in the Making #1147

  *An Impromptu Proposal #1152

  *Daddy on the Run #1158

  Pregnant with His Child… #1259

  Will You Give My

  Mommy a Baby? #1315

  ‡Wife for a Week #1400

  The Princess’s White Knight #1415

  Waiting for the Wedding #1426

  Just One Kiss #1496

  Lost in His Arms #1514

  An Officer and a Princess #1522

  Silhouette Shadows

  Swamp Secrets #4

  Heart of the Beast #11

  Silent Screams #25

  Mystery Child #61

  Silhouette Intimate Moments

  One of the Good Guys #531

  Try To Remember #560

  Fugitive Father #604

  Behind Closed Doors #778

  †Reluctant Wife #850

  †Reluctant Dad #856

  ‡Her Counterfeit Husband #885

  ‡Code Name: Cowboy #902

  ‡Rodeo Dad #934

  In a Heartbeat #1005

  ‡Imminent Danger #1018

  Strangers When We Married #1046

  **Man on a Mission #1077

  Silhouette Desire

  A Fleeting Moment #784

  Under the Boardwalk #882

  Silhouette Books

  Shadows 1993

  “Devil and the Deep Blue Sea”

  The Loop

  Getting it Right: Jessica

  Silhouette Yours Truly

  Pop Goes the Question

  CARLA CASSIDY

  is an award-winning author who has written over thirty-five books for Silhouette. In 1995 she won Best Silhouette Romance from Romantic Times Magazine for Anything for Danny. In 1998 she also won a Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times Magazine for Best Innovative Series. Carla believes the only thing better than curling up with a good book to read is sitting down at the computer with a good story to write. She’s looking forward to writing many more books and bringing hours of pleasure to readers.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  Lieutenant Commander Adam Sinclair hated waiting.

  He glanced at his watch and frowned, staring at the door that would eventually open to allow him entry into her office.

  Her. Isabel Stanbury. Not only a Princess of Edenbourg, but also a cabinet member and on the staff of the Ministry of Defense, and the woman who never seemed to drift far from his thoughts…a woman he could never, ever have as his own except in the forbidden dreams he had far too frequently.

  Although he’d only been waiting a little over ten minutes, this wait seemed longer, more difficult than usual as he remembered her voice on the phone when she’d set up this appointment.

  She’d sounded agitated, excited, and that worried him. Isabel was a strong woman who rarely gave in to her emotions, but she’d definitely sounded emotional on the phone.

  His frown deepened, and he fought the impulse to rise and pace the small confines of the waiting room. Isabel’s secretary looked up, as if sensing his impatience, but she offered no reassuring smile.

  Smiles were in short supply in Edenbourg these days. Three months ago King Michael had been kidnapped, throwing the entire small country into chaos. Since that time, Michael’s son, Crown Prince Nicholas was in hiding but presumed dead by the country as part of the royal plan, and Edward Stanbury, Michael’s estranged brother, had become King of Edenbourg. In other words, things in the country were in a royal mess.

  Adam had been away at the time of the king’s kidnapping, working on a mission of his own…trying to clear his father’s name. But, he’d put his personal goals on hold when Isabel had called him home to aid in the search for the missing King Michael.

  And that’s what they’d been doing for the past two months…following leads, investigating friends and family…and hitting the eventual dead ends.

  “Lieutenant Sinclair,” the secretary called to him. “You can go in now.”

  Adam nodded, stood and straightened his uniform jacket. He knew he was the epitome of a well-groomed officer. No errant pieces of lint spotted his pristine uniform, nor did a single dark hair stray from his close-cropped style. He knew what was expected from a high-ranking member of the Royal Edenbourg Navy, and Adam worked double-time to see that he not only met but surpassed expectations.

  He ha
d to work double time. He had to overcome the whispered rumors, the veiled innuendoes about his father. He shoved this painful thought aside as he opened the door to the office.

  Isabel rose from behind her desk as he walked in. He stopped in the doorway and offered her a crisp salute.

  “Lieutenant Sinclair,” she greeted him in that deep, low voice that he’d always found far too attractive. “Please, close the door behind you and have a seat.” She gestured to the chair in front of her desk.

  He closed the door, then sat, trying not to notice how lovely she looked. As usual she was dressed in a smart blue business suit, the ornate family crest decorating one breast pocket.

  What was unusual was the careless disarray of her shoulder-length dark brown hair and the bruise-like smudges of dark circles beneath her gorgeous green eyes. Both gave her an uncharacteristic vulnerability.

  She looked tired and edgy, and an answering edginess stirred inside him.

  He knew the past three months had been difficult on her. Although she and her father had often not seen eye to eye on her place in the royal family, he knew of her enormous love for King Michael.

  She didn’t sit, but rather moved to the front of the desk and leaned back against it, displaying to him the perfect slender shapeliness of her long legs beneath the short, pencil-thin skirt. The thought of those legs of hers had given Adam many a sleepless night.

  Princess Isabel Stanbury was not pretty in the traditional sense although there was beauty in her strong, bold features. Dark brows arched above the greenest eyes he’d ever seen. Her nose was narrow and straight…the Stanbury nose. Her mouth was generous, slightly too big for her face until she smiled, then it seemed to fit perfectly well.

  “Thank you for coming,” she said. As always the air crackled with tension between them. “There have been some new developments.”

  He leaned forward, intrigued by any news that might help in their search. “What kind of new developments?”

  The last “developments” she’d pursued had nearly gotten her killed. Adam worked to control a shudder as he thought of how close she had come to getting a bullet in her back.

  She reached to the desktop behind her, the slight stretch causing her jacket to pull taut across her breasts. Adam felt as if the temperature in the room had climbed a full ten degrees.

  He averted his gaze to the wall to her left and didn’t look at her again until she handed him a piece of paper, then he focused his attention on it.

  “What’s this?” he asked, staring at a list of names of people he’d never heard of before.

  “A list of Shane Moore’s closest friends and associates. His sister, Meagan, gave it to me.”

  Adam tried to ignore Isabel’s nearness. The scent of her slightly spicy perfume wafted in the air, and he steeled himself against its evocative fragrance. “And what exactly do you intend to do with this?”

  She moved back to her desk and sat on the edge. “Find out what they know. Surely somebody on that list knows where my father is being held, and who is responsible for his kidnapping. Shane Moore was only a pawn in somebody’s bigger game, and I want that somebody.” Her spring-colored eyes glittered in a way that Adam found distinctly disconcerting…he recognized the glitter as trouble.

  When Isabel had served a tour of duty in the navy, Adam had been her commanding officer. He’d immediately found her to be highly intelligent and self-sufficient. He’d also found her headstrong, stubborn and unwilling to sit on the sidelines in lieu of taking action whenever possible.

  He steadfastly refused to contemplate the other traits he found too attractive…such as the silky feel of her hair beneath his fingertips and the intimate press of her body against his.

  He actively fought against the memory of the single moment when they’d both nearly forgotten themselves and their respective positions and had almost shared a forbidden kiss. Almost.

  “And just what makes you think the people on this list will talk to you…confide in you?” he asked in an attempt to stay focused on business at hand, rather than pleasure never shared.

  “I’m going to go undercover.” She raised her chin and glared at him, as if challenging him to stop her.

  “Need I remind your highness that it’s only been a week since you were nearly shot in the back by Shane Moore?” What Adam would never tell her was how often in the last week he’d suffered nightmares about that moment when Shane’s gun had been pointed at Isabel.

  “If not for the quick action of your cousin, Luke, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” he continued. “You wouldn’t be talking with anyone.”

  She waved a hand, as if to dismiss the drama. “I’m still not convinced my dear cousin Luke doesn’t have something to do with my father’s disappearance.”

  “He saved your life,” Adam observed.

  She nodded, her eyes gleaming with the intelligence Adam had always admired. “He did, but at the same time did he also manage to kill a co-conspirator before he could talk?”

  Adam sighed. “That thought has crossed my mind, too,” he admitted. “But, you can’t go undercover,” he protested. “Your picture is in the paper all the time. People know who you are.”

  Adam tried not to think about the latest batch of pictures of her that had graced the society pages. In those photos she’d been dancing with a pretty-boy royal named Sebastian Lansbury, a distant cousin of the Thortons, the royal family from Roxbury, and a dandy if Adam had ever seen one.

  The headlines had boldly announced the rumored engagement between the two and Adam had been surprised to feel a pang in his heart. That fair-haired fop in the pictures wasn’t what a strong, independent, passionate woman like Isabel needed.

  “People are used to seeing me looking like a princess,” she replied and began to pace the small area in front of his chair.

  Each time she swept past Adam, her fragrance tickled his nose and tantalized his senses. “Trust me, I can make it so nobody will ever recognize me as Princess Isabel.”

  “It’s a foolish idea,” Adam replied curtly.

  “Why?” she shot back.

  It was one of the things he’d always admired about her, how she questioned authority, demanded rational explanations for decisions, and allowed herself to be open when those beneath her control did the same. It was also one of the things about her that irritated him.

  She stopped her pacing and stood just in front of him, that familiar perfume enveloping him. “Tell me why you think it’s foolish.”

  Because I don’t want anything to happen to you. Because I can’t imagine the world without you in it. Of course he didn’t say these things, would never, ever say these things.

  “You know what kind of a person Shane Moore was…he was dangerous, and I’d venture to guess that the people who were his associates, his friends and acquaintances are dangerous as well.”

  “Danger has never frightened me,” she scoffed.

  “And that’s why you shouldn’t do this,” he returned evenly. “You know what your father would want…he’d want you here, working safely behind the scenes, not on the front lines risking your life.”

  He knew he’d irritated her, reminding her of the subject of much tension and debate between daughter and father. Her frown created a tiny wrinkle in the center of her forehead. “My father would want all of us to do whatever we can to find him. I’m tired of sitting and waiting around for somebody else to find him.”

  She began to pace once again, her shoulders stiff with tension and her footsteps determined and purposeful. “We know Shane Moore was responsible for my father’s kidnapping. We know he was also responsible for kidnapping Ben.”

  Lieutenant Ben Lockhart had agreed to impersonate King Michael’s son, Nicholas, and had been kidnapped by Shane. Shane’s sister, Meagan, had been responsible for Ben’s safety and for the resulting unsuccessful attempted arrest of her brother…unsuccessful because Isabel’s cousin, Luke, had shot and killed Shane.

  “The key to who
has my father and where they are keeping him is on that sheet of paper. I feel it…it’s the only real lead we’ve had,” she said fervently. “Adam, Meagan already told us that she thinks my father had a stroke…for all we know he could be dying right now…all alone…in some horrid place.”

  Her eyes grew too bright, and he realized she was on the verge of tears. He didn’t want to see her cry. He’d only seen her cry once before, and at that time her tears had nearly undone him, nearly caused him to cross a line into forbidden territory.

  He sighed with a sense of resignation. “So, you’re really intent on doing this?”

  She nodded, a curt motion that sent the ends of her wavy hair to dancing on top of her shoulders. She drew a deep breath and, as if by magic, whatever emotion had momentarily possessed her was once again under control. “Since Meagan gave me this list, I’ve got Ben doing background checks on each name. I should have pictures and complete information about each of them by late this afternoon.”

  She was nothing if not efficient, he thought. He stood, unable to stay seated any longer. “I can’t believe your cousin would be a party to this.”

  “Ben is a different man since he impersonated my brother and was kidnapped. He feels the same way I do…that if my father is still alive, time is running out and something has to be done. Besides, he knows I’m going to do this with or without his help.” She raised her chin to him.

  “I can’t let you do this.” He tried one last time to change her mind. “It’s simply too dangerous. Give me all the information and I’ll assign somebody to the job. I know a dozen men and women who would do anything to help find the king.”

  “No. I want to do this. Adam…I need to do this.” There was a soft plea in her voice. “I’ve already made arrangements to rent a room above the King’s Men Tavern. Meagan told me her brother and most of the names on this list spent a lot of time hanging out there.”

  The King’s Men Tavern was near the palace, but few of the good king’s men had ever been there. The place had a reputation for trouble, and far too often the police were called in to break up fights or arrest unruly drunks. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like it one bit.