A Royal Christmas Wish

  A Royal Christmas Wish

  A Santa Rosa Royal Romance

  Caroline Mickelson

  Bon Accord Press

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  A Note from Caroline

  Chapter 1

  "Has His Royal Highness arrived yet?" Graciela Mendoza Hernandez shifted her red leather carry-all to her opposite shoulder and glanced down at her watch. She'd arrived for her flight to Aidinovia with twelve minutes to spare. She turned her attention back to the private jet and the pilot who stood on the tarmac awaiting her arrival. "I was hoping to get here before the prince."

  The pilot's smile was genial. "Prince Alejandro has been here for close to half an hour."

  She thanked him and boarded the royal jet, not surprised in the least that she'd arrived well after Santa Rosa's crown prince. A long list of administrative tasks had arrived via email, courtesy of Prince Alejandro himself, all things he'd wanted completed before they left to spend the week before Christmas in Aidinovia. She'd rushed to finish as much of the list as she could before their appointed departure time.

  "Ah, there you are, Graciela." Prince Alejandro glanced up from the newspaper he was reading. He gave her a cursory once over and motioned for her to take the seat across from him. "You were cutting that a bit close, weren't you?"

  Graciela shrugged out of her cream wool jacket and handed it to the flight attendant with a grateful smile. She slid into her seat and helped herself to the glass of champagne from the table in front of her. She took a sip before answering. As so often happened when the prince asked her a question, she felt equal parts enamored and exasperated. The Crown Prince of Santa Rosa, His Royal Highness Prince Alejandro Antonio Javier, was the man she'd loved for well over a decade. He was also her boss and her friend. What he wasn't, was a man who saw her as an attractive, desirable woman he could love. She sighed.

  "Traffic that bad?" he asked.

  "Just barely tolerable," she replied, referring to both the traffic and the state of their relationship. She leaned back and closed her eyes, hoping that her companion would take the hint and resume his perusal of the European Union financial news. She'd been in love with Alejandro for years now, but he was completely unaware of her feelings toward him.

  As one of Europe's most eligible bachelors, Prince Alejandro was a man much sought after by scores of women. Whether this created his highly cynical views of love and marriage or merely fed into it, she'd never been able to decide. Either way, the end result was the same. Prince Alejandro's heart was strictly off limits.

  And Graciela was getting tired of living in such close proximity to something she could never have.

  "Are you going to pretend to sleep the entire flight or can we discuss how we're going to spend our time in Aidinovia?"

  Graciela opened her eyes. "I was not pretending to sleep. I was merely composing my thoughts."

  Alejandro shook out his newspaper and folded it. He placed it on the table between them. "Wonderful. Compose them out loud, please."

  As if. If Graciela knew one thing about the man across from her, it was that he couldn't handle her thoughts.

  "Graciela."

  Her head snapped up and she looked into the eyes of the man she loved. "Still composing."

  Prince Alejandro frowned. "You're not, by any chance, thinking of my brother, are you?"

  "Luis?"

  "Don't sound so surprised. The two of you were quite an item several months back."

  Graciela rolled her eyes. "That was strictly for the benefit of the press and you know it. Luis and I are friends, and that's all we've ever been. His heart has belonged to Madison from the moment he first saw her."

  The prince made a non-committal sound.

  Graciela was grateful that the roar of the jet's engines made conversation difficult during take-off. Prince Luis was nothing more to her than a very good friend and a trusted business associate. Their strongest bond was their shared love for Alejandro. Luis, however, was free to show his love and devotion to his brother. Graciela envied him that freedom.

  Prince Alejandro's voice broke through her reverie. "I think this whole ridiculous notion of love at first sight is preposterous."

  Graciela watched as he took a crab puff from the flight attendant and inspected it carefully from every angle before he took a bite of it. She shook her head. Methodical and cynical barely began to describe this man.

  "I take it you agree with me?"

  To avoid answering, she took a crab puff and popped the whole thing in her mouth.

  "About all this love at first sight nonsense, surely you see how ludicrous it all is?" Alejandro persisted.

  "Your brother and sister-in-law have been blissfully married for over a year," she countered. "They're happy. They're genuinely in love." She raised a challenging eyebrow. "Don't tell me that you can't see it."

  Prince Alejandro shrugged. "Lightening strike."

  Graciela laughed. Like most women, she'd been taken by the prince's good looks the first time she'd met him. But she'd quickly grown to love so many things about him, including his rapier wit. He made her laugh, and the laughter was a gift. Just as his friendship was.

  But deep down Graciela knew that friendship was no longer enough.

  Alejandro watched with interest as Graciela did everything she could to avoid conversation with him for the duration of the flight. She opened and closed more magazines than he could count. If it weren't for the slight turbulence that prompted the pilot to suggest they remain in their seats with their seatbelts fastened, he didn't doubt that she would have spent the flight standing in the galley talking to the flight attendant. Despite his best efforts, she resisted his attempts at conversation and even went so far as to avoid eye contact with him.

  Odd behavior from a woman he deemed more reliable than a Swiss made watch. "Graciela, if something's wrong, just spit it out."

  Her only response was to gaze at him as if he were speaking Swahili.

  "Have I perhaps done something to offend you?" He couldn't imagine that this would be the case, but surely if he peppered her with enough questions, she'd have to say something. Wouldn't she? The ways of women truly mystified him.

  Not that Graciela should be lumped into a category with most other women. No, she was a cut above. A rare gem. Beautiful, talented, accomplished, hard-working, loyal, and trustworthy, she also possessed a wonderful sense of humor. No man could ask for more.

  "Offend me?" A tiny frown marred her brow. "Do you think you've done something to offend me?"

  Well, perhaps a man could ask for more. Namely, a woman who didn't answer his question with one of her own. "I think I know exactly what's on your mind."

  Her eyebrows rose. "You do?"

  He nodded. "I do. After all, you and I have been in a perfectly harmonious relationship for years now. Our thoughts share a common wavelength."

  "They do?"

  "Of course. I've come to count on you. On us as a team. I'm sorry if I haven't told you often enough how invaluable you are to me."

  She leaned forward, her eyes bright. "Oh, Alejandro. Thank you."

  "Think nothing of it. As soon as the holidays are over and we return to Santa Rosa, I will see that you have a substantial raise."

  Graciela stared at him as if he'd grown a third head. "A what?"

  "A raise in pay. You know, increased earnings." This was hardly the reaction he'd expected. "Isn't that what we were just talking about?"

  In lieu of an answer, Graciela grabbed a magazine and held it up so it blocked her face. He reached out and lowered it. He searc
hed her eyes, a shade of light brown with golden flecks that never failed to impress him, but he didn't understand the emotion he was seeing in them.

  She cleared her throat. "So much for your wavelength theory. Work is the last thing on my mind."

  "So this is something personal that has you riled up?"

  "I'm not riled up, thank you very much." She hesitated as if she had to sort through an assortment of words to find just the right ones. "I need more in my life than just work. It's time I make some major changes in my personal life."

  This was the last thing he wanted to hear. Major changes to her life meant major changes to his life. And he liked his life very much the way it was, especially the dynamic between the two of them. As far as he was concerned, nothing regarding their relationship needed to change. Ever.

  Chapter 2

  To Graciela's immense relief, Princess Helena and Princess Madison came to meet their flight. This wasn't an official state visit to Aidinovia and she hadn't expected to be met at the airport by anyone other than a chauffeur. But sharing a limousine with them back to the palace meant that she didn't need to be alone with Alejandro.

  A raise indeed. Alejandro's obtuse offer would be funny if it didn't make her so sad. But maybe he'd done her a huge favor by demonstrating how completely unaware of her feelings he was. Now the proverbial ball was in her court. She could spend forever with things as they were now, or she could make the choice to cut her losses and...and what? Leave Santa Rosa? Leave the winery? But the alternative was to grow old loving Alejandro from a distance. This, her heart couldn't take.

  Alejandro's voice pierced her private thoughts. "Well, did we or didn't we, Graciela?"

  Startled, she looked over at him and saw an expectant look on his face. A quick glance at Helena and Madison confirmed that they were all waiting for her to answer. "I'm sorry, I was thinking of something else. What was the question?"

  "Did we bring formal wear for the gala on the twenty-third?" Alejandro repeated.

  His expectant expression tugged at her heart. He sounded like a man who'd just asked his wife the simplest of questions. But she wasn't his wife. Or his mistress, or even his girlfriend. "Your dress uniform was on the packing list I gave your valet, so I imagine it's in one of your luggage bags. Jorge is nothing if not efficient."

  The awkward silence in the limousine continued until it pulled to a stop in front of the Aidinovian palace. Graciela welcomed the cold blast of air that assailed her as she was helped out of the limo by a member of the palace staff. She'd barely had a chance to move away from the vehicle so the rest of the party could alight before a tiny body slammed into hers. Caught off guard, she staggered back a few steps.

  "I'm so happy you're here." Princess Josephine, the youngest Tollvi sibling, wrapped her arms around Graciela's waist and hugged her.

  Graciela smiled. "That's a funny coincidence because I'm so happy to be here too." She leaned down and kissed the little girl's cheek. "How are you, preciosa?"

  Josephine's eyes sparkled. "I'm excited it's Christmas."

  "Me too." She glanced over at Alejandro. He stood with his back to her, engrossed in a conversation with Helena and Madison. She turned back to her companion. "Let's head up to my suite."

  "Can we ring for some hot chocolate while we wait?"

  Graciela nodded. "Superb idea, and I wouldn't say no to a cookie either."

  Aidinovia's youngest princess grinned. "I like the way you think."

  Once upstairs, with a plate of warm peanut butter cookies and a pot of hot chocolate between them, Graciela began to relax.

  Josephine leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. "What do you want for Christmas?"

  Graciela laughed. "I haven't really thought about it. But I bet you have. What are you hoping that Babbo Natale brings you?"

  "Oh, any old thing would be nice," Josephine said. After a thoughtful pause, she added, "A camera, a cell phone, and a sparkly piece of jewelry."

  "Oh, I love sparkly jewelry too."

  "Maybe Prince Alejandro will give you a diamond engagement ring for Christmas."

  Graciela picked up the pot of hot chocolate and refilled their cups while her mind raced to find an appropriate answer. Her companion was only eight years old. What could this child possibly understand about unrequited love? Nothing. Graciela issued a silent but fervent prayer that it would always be so. "That's not going to happen, sweetheart. Prince Alejandro and I are just friends."

  "Um, okay. If you say so." Josephine's eyes sparkled mischievously. "But I still think he's got a crush on you."

  Graciela got to her feet. It was time for a change of subject. Romantic notions of secret crushes, diamond rings, and Christmas engagements were fine for an eight-year-old, but she was too old to entertain the notion for even a second. It was high time she came up with a plan to change her world. She was going to build a life for herself that involved family, friends, children, and work she enjoyed. Basically, everything she loved.

  Except Alejandro.

  A fine layer of powdery snow covered the highest mountaintop in Aidinovia. Alejandro appreciated the quality of the snow as he raced downhill through the slalom course. Skiing was one of his true passions in life, a time when he felt free of worry, free of responsibility, free of all cares. But as he zigzagged through the poles, his mind kept returning to his last conversation with Graciela.

  'I'm sorry but I have other plans,' was all she'd said when he'd invited her to join him on the slopes. Not that she'd needed an invitation. They always skied together when they visited Aidinovia during the winter. Was she unwell? Surely that would be the only reason she'd pass an afternoon on the slopes, wasn't it?

  Perhaps not. He frowned at the memory of her distant behavior during the flight and upon their arrival at the palace.

  Graciela had avoided him at lunch, refusing to meet his gaze even once. In fact, she'd been far too friendly with one of the other guests throughout the meal for Alejandro's liking. He didn't know who the man was, although it certainly seemed as if Graciela did.

  He reached the bottom of the slope to find his friends waiting for him.

  "Took you long enough," Luis teased. "Old age slowing you down, brother?"

  His only answer was a scowl. Ever since his brother had married Madison, he'd been incorrigibly upbeat. Alejandro didn't know how much longer he could put up with it.

  "Who's up for another run?" Eduardo asked.

  Luis quickly opted in but Alejandro shook his head. He was having trouble concentrating. Perhaps a hot drink in front of the fire was a better idea. "Go ahead. I'm going in to warm up."

  He skied toward the lodge, grateful that while in Aidinovia he didn't have to worry about the paparazzi snapping pictures of him. Rarely was he in the mood to tolerate the intrusion, but most especially not today. Once his skis were handed off to an attendant, he headed toward the giant fireplace.

  Alejandro's breath caught in his throat when he caught sight of a familiar face. Graciela, wearing a red cashmere sweater, black leggings, and knee-high boots, sat on a sofa in front of the fireplace with a mug cradled between her hands. The roaring fire cast a flattering glow on the highlights in her hair. The woman was beyond beautiful. She was stylish and elegant, with a spirit that no other woman could match. He could watch her forever.

  But when she laughed, Alejandro realized she wasn't alone. The blond American was with her, his attention focused solely on Graciela. And whatever her companion had just said appeared to amuse her greatly. Alejandro blew out a frustrated breath. These were the 'other plans' that kept her from joining him?

  For a split second, barely long enough to be measured in time, he considered leaving before Graciela saw him. But, no. Whatever was going on, he wanted to know about. After all, she was his...his...well, she was Graciela.

  He approached the sofa where they sat, a little more closely than was strictly necessary he couldn't help but notice. The other man saw him first. He broke off speaking and looked
up at Alejandro. "Oh, hello." Then, as an afterthought, he hastily added, "Sir."

  Alejandro nodded an acknowledged and then turned to Graciela. As a matter of royal protocol, he waited to be introduced rather than introduce himself. He well understood that the American might not know this but Graciela certainly did. But she stared up at him as if she couldn't quite place him. For some reason, this rankled. Badly.

  "Graciela?" he prompted her.

  Apparently, this was enough of a verbal nudge to rouse her. She got her to her feet. "Good afternoon, Your Highness. May I present Robert Ashton?" She turned to the man who now stood beside her. "Robert, I'd like to introduce you to His Royal Highness Prince Alejandro of Santa Rosa."

  Alejandro reached out and shook the man's hand. "Mr. Ashton."

  "Robert is from the United States," she said.

  "So I hear." Alejandro eyed his competition for Graciela's attention. He waited for the other man to excuse himself so that he could be alone with Graciela but instead an awkward silence ensued.

  "Robert owns a vineyard in California."

  Ah, so this tête–à–tête was work related. Strangely, that left him feeling a bit more predisposed to tolerating the American's presence. "If you're discussing wines, then I'm clearly not interrupting. I'll join you."

  He watched as Graciela and Robert exchanged a startled glance.

  "Actually, Sir, we wouldn't want to bother you with chit chat." Robert place a hand on Graciela's back. "We should leave anyway. We're due back at the palace."

  Alejandro's eyebrows rose. "Are you, indeed?"

  Graciela met his gaze but then quickly looked away. "We promised to take Princess Josephine sledding."

  "Right then, nice to have met you," Robert said as he gestured for Graciela to proceed him toward the entrance.