Dating the Prince(3)

Libby ran her thumb over the ridge of the penny in her pocket. She had  to leave a penny here. There was a magic in the room that seemed to  whisper that anything was possible.

The other tourists milled around the room, admiring the statues and  various paintings. Libby pulled the small handful of pennies from her  dress pocket and picked out the shiniest one.

She stared at the gleaming penny, the profile of Abraham Lincoln seeming  to wink at her. If she wasn't careful, she'd run out of pennies and  have to use Euros instead. Hopefully their one cent held the same lucky  properties as their American counterpart.

"If you'll follow me through here, we'll visit the crown jewels before concluding our tour," Stan said.         

     



 

Libby brought the penny to her lips and kissed it, then reached over the  thick rope divider and set the penny between the two throne chairs,  careful not to touch anything but the smooth copper of the coin. Maybe  leaving the penny behind would give the royal family good luck-and by  extension, all of Durham.

Her own life was sadly lacking in luck lately. The least she could do was try and bring it to others.

The last member of the tour group disappeared through the doorway,  leaving Libby all alone. She quickened her pace, supporting Kenzie's  back with both hands so she wouldn't jostle her. Grouchy Stan would  never stop glaring if he realized Libby had lagged behind.

She was nearly to the door leading to the crown jewels exhibit when a  guard in a ceremonial red suit, with a large white plumed hat, stepped  in front of her.

"Excuse me, miss," he said. "But you need to come with me."





CHAPTER THREE



Libby wrapped her arms around Kenzie while her heart skipped erratically  in her chest. The guard towered over her, his severe glare making her  uneasy. She was suddenly very aware of her short stature and the baby  she was trusted to protect. "Excuse me?"

He grasped her upper arm, his grip tight and almost painful. "This way, miss."

A wave of panic flowed through Libby. She yanked her arm free and took a  step back, tightening her hold on Kenzie. "I'm not going anywhere until  you tell me what's going on."

The guard clenched his jaw, giving the chin strap enough slack that his  plumed white hat dipped backward on his forehead. He was muscled, with a  broad chest and wide-set shoulders. The fabric of his uniform strained  against his beefy frame. Hopefully all that extra weight would slow him  down. Libby was quick on her feet-she could probably outrun him if  necessary. Surely he wouldn't hurt a woman with a baby. Did palace  guards carry guns?

Kenzie wiggled in the carrier, letting out another sigh. Crap. Running  was definitely out of the question. It might give Kenzie shaken baby  syndrome or something.

"This will be more unpleasant if you resist," the guard said, his words clipped.

Resist. That sounded like she was in major trouble. "Am I under arrest?"  Libby demanded. That would be so, so bad. Babies weren't meant for jail  cells.

The guard reached for her arm again. "Miss, I must insist-"

"Don't touch me!" Libby said, purposefully raising her voice. Maybe  someone from the tour would hear her shouts and come to intervene. Right  now she'd even be happy to see Stan's dour face.

A man strode into the throne room, distracting the guard. But he didn't  enter from the crown jewel exhibit. Instead, he walked confidently  across the marble floor from the direction of the Hall of Victory. Libby  eyed the newcomer, her heart now pounding for a different reason.

Wow. The man walking toward her was attractive enough to almost make her  forget about her impending arrest. Durham sure new how to make ‘em. He  had to be at least six feet tall. The blue button-up shirt hugged his  trim figure in all the right places, hinting at muscles hidden  underneath. His physique wasn't bulky like the guard's, but she had a  feeling he wouldn't look half bad in a swimsuit. A well-trimmed beard  defined his jawline, and his chocolate-brown hair was longer on top. It  looked softer than a cloud, and she had the sudden urge to dash across  the room and run her fingers through it. As he grew closer, his green  eyes pierced her.

"What seems to be the problem?" he asked, looking back and forth between Libby and the guard.

The guard! Right. She was about to be arrested. Libby pointed an  accusing finger in the guard's direction. "He keeps grabbing my arm. I  think he's trying to arrest me."

"Your Hi-"

The newcomer clapped a strong hand on the guard's shoulder. "The facts, please, Colin."

Had the guard-Colin-seriously been about to accuse Libby of being high? Sure, she'd grown up in a commune, but not that kind.

Colin cut a glare in Libby's direction. "She's been deemed a security threat."

"A security threat!" Libby said. Was he insane? Maybe he was the one on drugs.

"On the monitors she was clearly seen leaving something between the thrones," Colin continued.

"Oh my gosh." Libby put a hand to her forehead. Connie had always teased  that one day the lucky pennies would get Libby in trouble. "It was just  a coin. I've seen like three dropped on the floor during the tour."  None of them heads up, so she'd left them alone.

"I was just about to call for backup," Colin continued. All of his  attention was focused on the insanely-hot man, completely ignoring  Libby.         

     



 

"You need backup to handle a five-foot tall woman with a baby?" Libby  let out a disbelieving snort. What a disaster. Maybe pennies were only  lucky in the United States, because this was a seriously rotten turn of  events. She must've trigged some sort of silent alarm when she dropped  the coin. She was such an idiot.

"You were proving difficult," Colin said.

"You're trying to arrest me over a penny!" Libby shot back. She focused  on the handsome man, ignoring Colin. "Okay, so leaving it wasn't my most  brilliant idea. If I'd known-"

"Tourists," Colin spat, his tone furious. "You Americans are the  absolute worst. I don't know why I'm surprised. Didn't you stop to think  how leaving an unknown object in a government building would look? That  penny could be covered in explosives for all we know."

The handsome man dropped his hand from Colin's shoulder and chuckled.  The sound was deep, sending shivers up and down Libby's arms. "Really,  mate, I don't think this woman is a political terrorist. She's got a  baby with her."

"Prin-"

"That will be all, Colin." The man folded his arms across his chest, and  it took a lot of effort for Libby not to stare. Yes, there were  definitely muscles underneath. And that voice. Every time he opened his  mouth, her brain seemed to go blank and it took a lot of effort not to  drool.

The guard clenched his jaw, making the hat tip back even more, then snapped off a salute and left the throne room.

Libby exhaled with a whoosh. Whoever the newcomer was, he obviously had a  lot of influence. Maybe the penny hadn't completely failed her. "Thank  you so much. I really thought he was going to arrest me for a minute.  Connie would send me right back to Oregon if that happened."

"Connie?"

"My employer. Kenzie's mom." She placed a hand on the baby's back. The  newborn had settled into a restless sleep and kept squirming. "I'm her  nanny."

Was it her imagination, or did his mouth turn up again in a pleased  smile? "Ah, of course. So you've recently moved to Durham then?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I promised Connie I'd stay for at least six months.  If things go well, I'll stay on longer." Durham had certainly upped its  appeal with this man.

But no, she wasn't here to date. Cedric had turned her off relationships  for a good, long while. Maybe forever. If her parents couldn't make it  work, what chance did anyone else have?

"I'm glad I could save you from being sacked," the handsome man said.  "I'd hate for you to leave Durham with a sour taste in your mouth. Not  all of us hate American tourists."

She laughed, the twinkle in his eye making her stomach twist. She held  out a hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't even introduce myself. I'm Libby."

He hesitated a moment, then grasped her hand. Warmth sizzled up her arm.  His hands were smooth and his grip strong. "Alex. It's a pleasure to  meet you."

"I'm pretty sure the pleasure is mine. You probably saved me from a night in jail."

"Colin's a bit intense," Alex said. He walked over to the throne and picked up the lucky penny. "I believe this belongs to you."

"No, you keep it." Libby tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. "Consider it payment for saving me."

He laughed and stuck the penny in his breast pocket, then patted it. "I consider it money well earned."

"Seriously, thanks again." She motioned to where Colin had disappeared. "Are you his boss or something?"

Alex inclined his head to the side. "Or something."