The Cowboy and the Princess Read Online Free PDF Page A

would give their eyeteeth to be members of a royal family. What they didn’t understand was that royalty carried such a tremendous burden. She didn’t feel up for the job. But no one wanted to hear the rich and privileged whine about their problems. So Annabella shut up and tucked her secret away, but she never stopped longing for the experience of just once in her life being like everyone else.
    And now here she was, kissing a cowboy in a truck stop restaurant. A dream come true.
    Maybe she could make this last just a wee bit longer. She knew it had to end, even if Chandler and Strawn had left for now. They’d be back. And if they couldn’t find her, once they accepted defeat, they’d gird their loins and grit their teeth and call her father and admit they’d lost her. Then the media hoopla would begin. Would her thin disguise be enough to save her at that point?
    Briefly, she felt sorry for her bodyguards. They didn’t deserve to lose their jobs because she’d given them the slip. When this was over, she’d talk to her father and make sure they kept their positions. It wasn’t their fault. She and Echo had been plotting this caper for months. Echo was the only one who even semi-understood Annie’s motives.
    In the meantime, Annie was fully enjoying this kiss. She might never get another kiss from anyone except Teddy, and that depressed her more than she could say.
    It was not that Teddy was such a bad guy. He was okay enough for a balding, short man with a banty rooster strut. It wasn’t as if there were many options. For the most part, royalty still married royalty. Yes, Prince William had married Kate Middleton, but Monesta wasn’t as forward thinking as England. Potential suitors for her hand arose from a very small pool of candidates. Teddy had been the best of the limited lot.
    Then Brady slipped his hot tongue between her lips and all other thoughts flew from her head. Unbelievable, this sensation. Sheer heaven.
    At last she let go of her fears, loosened her jaw, let him in, and succumbed fully and completely.
    He cradled her in his arms, at once bold, yet gentle, exploring her with his lips. She closed her eyes, savoring everything—the taste of his warm mouth, the feel of his arms tightening around her waist, the sound of patrons chuckling. They were on display, but she didn’t care. That in itself was something. She’d been groomed, schooled, educated on the proper etiquette in every social situation. She’d been taught never to show her true emotions. Never do anything in public that would embarrass her or the House of Farrington.
    For over twenty-four years, she had kowtowed. Obeyed the rules. Done as she’d been told.
    Now, she was flaunting her freedom.
    It would not last. Could not last. She knew that. She had a responsibility to the people of Monesta, even though her father had remarried a much younger woman and her stepmother Birgit had given birth to Annabella’s half brother Prince Henry, which meant she would never sit on the throne. She had been indoctrinated into service of her country from birth. It was as much a part of her as the color of her hair. Which for now was dyed jet black. She had chopped it off short with a pair of scissors in Echo Glover’s bathroom and colored it with hair dye Echo had smuggled in for her.
    For the first time it occurred to her that she could be big trouble for anyone who came to her assistance. People like Echo, who’d helped her elude her bodyguards, and Brady, who’d been so kind to pick her up on the roadside and buy her a meal.
    Guilt hobbled her and she put a hand to his chest, pushed him away, broke the kiss.
    The dining room erupted in applause.
    Annie’s cheeks heated. She ducked her head. This was bad. Calling attention to herself. If she wanted her six-week-long adventure, she definitely had to maintain a low profile, especially if Chandler and Strawn were still in the vicinity. She darted a glance out the window and saw to her relief that