Chapter One
"I present to you, Your Royal Highnesses, a taste of the Lone Star state." Madison Bishop placed a sizzling plate of steak fajitas, chiles rellenos, and blue corn tortillas with a side of freshly prepared pico de gallo and guacamole in front of the royal couple. "I'm not sure what you say in Monterra, but in Texas we say 'Y'all enjoy'."
She tucked a wisp of hair that escaped her braid behind her ear and took a step back to survey the presentation of her signature Tex-Mex meal. If the smiles on the faces of her old college friend Kat, and Kat's new husband, Prince Nico, were anything to judge by, she hadn't done half bad.
"This smells heavenly." Kat gestured to the marble island where she and Nico sat. "Join us, Madison. Sit and talk to us while we enjoy your cooking."
Madison held up a finger. "Let me grab one more thing first." She crossed the spacious kitchen that was nearly the size of a full commercial one. She opened the stainless steel refrigerator doors and took out the iced tea she'd prepared that morning. A wry smile crossed her lips as she returned to where the royal couple sat.
To think that thirty-six hours ago she'd been on her way to the airport, all the while worrying about the age and condition of the kitchen she'd be spending the next month working in. Visions of antiquated appliances had danced in her head during the long flight from Dallas to Monterra. In hindsight, the luxurious private jet Nico had sent for her should have immediately allayed her concerns. Once she'd arrived, and Kat had shown her where she would be staying, one glance had assured Madison that all of her worry was for naught. Monterra might well be a quaint, centuries-old kingdom steeped in tradition, but the kitchen in the Royal Lodge was state of the art.
She placed the pitcher in the center of the island. "Caffeine-free citrus iced tea, it's a new recipe using Valencia oranges and Monterra lemons. Unless you'd rather something else?"
Prince Nico dabbed his lips with his napkin. "I vote for iced tea." He turned to his wife. "What about you, my love?"
Kat smiled. "Count me in."
"Tea it is." Madison poured the drinks into three blue rimmed Mexican hand-blown glasses that she'd brought with her from Texas. She'd been unsure of just what she'd need while in Monterra, but since Nico had sent the family's private jet for her, she'd not had to worry about the hassle of checking excess baggage. Royal life certainly appeared to have its perks. She raised her glass. "What shall we drink to?"
"To friendship," Nico said.
Kat smiled at them both. "To the success of our new venture."
"Perfect. To old friends, to new friends, and to a massively successful fundraising campaign for the Fiorelli Foundation." Madison clinked her glass against theirs and sipped her tea. The sweetness of the oranges was a perfect complement for the lemon flavor. "I think this recipe should definitely be included in the cookbook."
"Absolutely," Kat agreed. She dipped a chip into the guacamole and took a bite. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Heavenly." She turned to her husband. "What are the chances that we can convince Madison to move to Monterra and become our personal chef?"
Nico laughed. "Any friend of yours is welcome in Monterra. Especially one who can cook so beautifully."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Madison beamed. She knew a sincere compliment when she heard one. Hearing her culinary skills praised wasn't new to her. She and her twin sister Mackenzie had never been one to play with dolls as children. Instead, they'd played with plastic food in their play kitchen, graduated to an Easy Bake oven, and there'd been no looking back after that.
"Call me Nico, please," he protested.
Madison furrowed her brow. "Did I get that wrong?"
"No," Kat assured her. "Using a title is just too formal when it's only the three of us. We're friends. Well, friends and partners now, so we're plain old Nico, Kat, and Madison."
"Got it. This is all just going to take some getting used to." Madison glanced around the kitchen. It was a set-up that was as close to culinary heaven as she'd ever been. "It's a whole new world."
"One you're very welcome in," Nico said. He finished the last bite of his meal and pushed the plate away. "I highly second my wife's suggestion you move to Monterra. Who knows, you might even meet the man of your dreams and find your happily-ever-after here."
Madison's only answer was a smile. As happy as she was for her old friend, and as happy as the newlyweds were with each other, theirs wasn't a path she was going down. She was married to her career. Not only that, she and her sister had vowed to never put a man in the center of their world. Their mother had, with a succession of different boyfriends, and it had been nothing but chaos the whole time they were growing up. She shook off the memories, she wasn't going to look back. Not if she could help it. "When shall we have our first official meeting?"
"Nico and I have a full day of official engagements scheduled tomorrow, so we're unavailable. These were set up months ago, long before we knew you were coming." Kat explained. "The upside is that it gives you a chance to settle in, explore the palace grounds, head into town, or do some shopping. Whatever you'd like. Then we can meet the morning after if that works for you."
"Perfect," Madison agreed. "Why don't you come here and I'll prepare breakfast? If you don't mind working in the kitchen, that is."
"If you keep cooking meals like this, I'll refuse to meet anywhere but here." Nico stood and slipped his arm around his wife's shoulders. "I'll send a driver for you at ten tomorrow morning in case you'd like to be driven into town. He will be able to answer all of your questions about Monterra and palace life. Anything you need, ask him."
As Madison saw her friends out, she could hardly resist the urge to pinch herself to see if this was all real. It wasn't that she didn't miss Texas. She did. She was an Amarillo girl through and through. The Sunrise Cafe and Catering Co. that she and Mackenzie owned was the biggest part of her life, and she missed it. But the opportunity to raise funds for Nico's family's leukemia foundation was too good to pass up. The fact she was going to be able to enjoy a taste of royal life for a couple of weeks while in Monterra was icing on the cake.
***
The morning sun still hadn't reached its full strength as HRH Prince Jose Luis of Santa Rosa neared the hill that led up to the palace. He slowed from a steady jog to a walk as he approached the incline. It wasn't exhaustion that caused him to reduce his pace. In fact, he felt more energized than usual as his breathing returned to its natural rhythm. He knew without a doubt that this was due to the novelty of running outside amidst such beautiful scenery. It certainly was a thousand fold improvement over his routine four a.m. appointment with his treadmill back home. He experienced a sudden rush of gratitude that Dante and Rafael had twisted his arm and insisted he take a break from work to visit them.
Mid-way up the hill, he stopped. Hands on hips, he closed his eyes, turned his face up to the sun, and inhaled deeply. A contented sigh escaped his lips. Even though it was early yet, Luis knew that it was unlikely that his day was going to get any better than this.
"Oh, hello, there."
Startled, Luis's eyes opened and settled on the figure of a willowy blonde woman with eyes as blue as the sky on a perfect spring day. She wore a sundress and held a pair of sunglasses in one hand, a leather purse in the other. Had he ever seen a woman with a more flawless complexion? If he had, the memory instantly faded in the presence of this fair beauty.
"Oh, my word, is it ten o'clock already?" the vision asked.
"Pardon?" Her accent gave her away. She was an American, like Monterra's newest princess. Clearly she had him mixed up with someone else. "I apologize for-" but she cut his words off with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"Please don't apologize, I just realized that I'm an hour off." She glanced at the delicate gold watch that encircled her wrist. "How silly of me. You're not early, I am. Prince Nico told me that a driver would be here for me at ten but it's only nine. My mistake."
Reluctantly Luis tore his eyes from hers and glanced over her shoulder at the building behind her. The Royal Lodge. He remembered staying there on a previous visit several years ago. So, she was a guest of the royal family and not a tourist out royal watching. "I'm afraid I'm not-"
"Dressed for duty yet, I can see that."
Her friendly smile completely negated the fact that she rushed in to finish his sentences for him. Her eagerness was a quintessentially American trait, one he didn't hold against her, however much he was unused to being interrupted.
"Well," she went on without waiting for him to speak, "I'll let you go." She gave his workout clothes a quick once over. "Take your time showering and changing. I'll wait here for you." She turned to go but then immediately turned back around and stuck out her hand. "By the way, I'm Madison. Nice to meet you."
He reached for her hand but didn't kiss the back of it as he normally would have done. Instinct warned him that an American woman might not react to the traditional Santa Rosa greeting the same way that a European woman would. Instead, he shook her hand as if she were a business associate. "I am Luis." Strangely enough, that was all that came out of his mouth. Why the rest of his name, not to mention his title, didn't spring to his lips he didn't know.
"Well, Luis, it's a pleasure to meet you." Madison turned and, this time, continued on her way back into the lodge without stopping. "I'll see you in an hour or so," she called over her shoulder. Then, before he could correct her erroneous assumption that he was a member of the palace staff, she slipped back into the Royal Lodge.
Rather than stare blankly at the door, Luis forced himself to resume his run. All the way up the hill his mind raced. The ever so lovely American guest assumed he was her driver. And he hadn't corrected her. Which he should have done, of course.
There was no reason he hadn't, no rational reason anyways. Madison's loveliness was a siren's call. Toward deception. He slowed down to a walk as he entered the palace grounds from the rear garden. Inexplicably, he found himself heading in the direction of the royal garage instead of the entrance that led to his guest suite.
"I wouldn't dare," he said aloud.
"Wouldn't dare what?" a familiar voice asked. "Don't tell me that you're thinking to sneak off somewhere and work?"
Caught unaware for the second time that morning, Luis whirled around and came face to face with one of his oldest friends. Prince Dante was one of King Dominic and Queen Aria's twin sons. Luis and his brother Alejandro had grown up playing polo with Dante from a very young age. He considered both Dante, and his twin brother Rafael, to be very close friends that shared the privilege, responsibility, and true understanding of what it meant to be royal in a world where it was a rarity.
Dante slapped him on the back, his expression curious. "What's the matter, man?"
What indeed? A vision of Madison's bright smile flitted across his mind. Luis shook his head ruefully. He turned his attention to his friend. "I need a favor."
Dante didn't hesitate. "Name it. If I can help, I will."
Luis smiled his thanks. "I met this woman."
His companion laughed. "Ah, that explains the bewildered look."
"Can I borrow one of the cars? For the day?" He should say something more, or offer an explanation but he found himself strangely reluctant to. The first person he owed an explanation to was Madison.
Dante waved in the direction of the garage where a dozen luxury vehicles sat parked in bays. "Help yourself."
"There's just one more thing," Luis said as they began walking toward the garage. "I need you to give one of your drivers the day off."
Dante's eyebrows rose. "Of course. Am I going to hear the whole story now or later?"
Luis glanced at his watch. The moments were ticking away and Madison was waiting. "Later if that's okay. I'm in a rush."
His friend didn't make much of an effort to hide his amusement. "This definitely sounds like it's a story worth waiting for."
That it was going to turn into quite a story, Luis didn't doubt. He just hoped the day wasn't going to be a total disaster. Dante would never let him hear the end of it.