Eva Rutland - Her Own Prince Charming

“You’re not going to run away again, are you, Cinderella?” “You’re not going to run away again, are you, Cinderella?” “My name is not Cinderella,” Paula said stiffly. “Oh? But you did run away at the stroke of midnight.” She was halfway out of the door, but he blocked her way. “Wait. Don’t go. Why are you so angry?” “I’m not angry. I just...I don’t indulge in fairy-tale games, Mr. Vandercamp.” “This isn’t a game.” “Whatever you call it, I don’t like it. I came here to...to work!” About the Author Eva Rutland began writing when her four children, now all successful professionals, were growing up. Eva lives in California with her husband, Bill, who actively supports and encourages her writing career. Title Page Her Own Prince Charming Eva Rutland www.millsandboon.co.uk Acknowledgments Special thanks to the University of California School of Veterinary Medicine, and all the members of the noble profession of veterinary health. And to John and Irene, with fondest memories of the Renegade. CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN EPILOGUE Copyright

“You’re not going to run away again, are you, Cinderella?”

“My name is not Cinderella,” Paula said stiffly.

“Oh? But you did run away at the stroke of midnight.” She was halfway out of the door, but he blocked her way. “Wait. Don’t go. Why are you so angry?”

“I’m not angry. I just...I don’t indulge in fairy-tale games, Mr. Vandercamp.”

“This isn’t a game.”

“Whatever you call it, I don’t like it. I came here to...to work!”

Eva Rutland began writing when her four children, now all successful professionals, were growing up. Eva lives in California with her husband, Bill, who actively supports and encourages her writing career.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Special thanks to the University of California School of

Veterinary Medicine, and all the members of the noble

profession of veterinary health.

And to John and Irene, with fondest memories

of the Renegade.

CHAPTER ONE

“I DON’T like red hair,” Rae said.

“His hair’s not red. It’s brown.” Whitney buttered a piece of toast and bit into it. “A touch of red, maybe, but that just brightens it up. I rather like that color.”

“What you like is the color of his money . . . green and growing.”

Whitney giggled. “That’s the icing on the cake, isn’t it!” she said, lifting her cup. “Paula, heat this up, will you? Or better still, bring me a fresh cup.”

Paula dried her hands, emptied and refilled Whitney’s cup while the two sisters continued to postulate.

“You needn’t get your hopes up, dear heart. He’s in San Diego for the polo match, not to see you.”

Paula listened idly as she scrubbed the frying pan. The San Diego Polo Classic, sponsored for charity each October, had for weeks been the main topic of conversation. Now that the Vandercamp yacht was anchored at the San Diego Yacht Club and they had had a glimpse of Brad Vandercamp, who would participate, he was the main topic. And not because he was the so-called Prince of Polo! Like Rae said, it was his money. He was single, eligible and sole heir to the Vandercamp millions. Or was it billions?

All San Diego was agog that they were honored by his presence. At least, she corrected herself, a smile hovering on her lips, those of the elite set who would attend the polo matches and the grand balls attendant upon the event.

“But see me he will!” Whitney said, with smug certainty.

Paula, noting the gleam of conquest in Whitney’s eyes didn’t doubt that he would. Not that Whitney was all that beautiful. Her lips were too large, too voluptuous, and her nose...

I’m being catty, Paula scolded herself as she put away the frying pan, and went into the laundry room to sort the clothes. Whitney was fairly attractive, with that black hair and sensuous dark eyes. But mainly it was her confidence and that inviting sexuality that drew men to her. Yes, the prince will see her, and yes, Rae will be jealous, and—

“Where’s that girl?” Mrs. Ashford’s voice, slurred but sharp, cut into her thoughts. Paula dropped the lingerie she held and hurried to the kitchen. “Oh, there you are! Why didn’t you bring my coffee to my room?”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, I thought you were still sleeping.”

Mamie Ashford dropped her plump form into a chair and pressed a hand to her temple. “Oh, my poor head! How could anyone sleep with all the racket going on in this house! Can’t you girls manage to cease your squabbling long enough to let your poor mother get a bit of rest!”

Her daughters apologized profusely, each insisting it was the fault of the other.

Paula placed two aspirin and a glass of tomato juice before her. “This might help, and I’ll bring your coffee right away.”

“Mother, I do hope you’re not going to have one of your nasty migraines,” Whitney said. “You know we’re to go shopping today.”

“Oh, sure,” Rae said. “Whitney’s got to get decked out for the costume ball where she plans to dazzle the prince!”

“As if you’re not planning to—”

“Girls! Must you! My head... And I do feel a bit queasy. I think I’d better have something on my stomach, Paula. Bacon and maybe some of your cinnamon toast.”

“Coming right up!” Paula took out the frying pan she had just scrubbed and hoped she wouldn’t have to miss class again. If she could get the washing done and the beds made before twelve, she could make it. That is, if they got out of the house before Mrs. Ashford could think up something else for her to do. She hoped to goodness the migraine wouldn’t stop the shopping trip.

It didn’t. Three cups of coffee and a hefty breakfast did wonders. Or perhaps it was the mention of Brad Vandercamp that did the trick.

“So rich! And so British!” Mamie Ashford’s eyes took on a dreamy haze. As if she was as young as her daughters, as hopeful of catching his fancy.

“And he’s so good-looking,” Whitney said.

“As handsome as his grandfather,” her mother said. “And just as big a devil, I hear!”

“Devil?”

“The same eye for a pretty lady. One affair after another, just like the old man. Cyrus Vandercamp, his grandfather, started the family fortune with railroads. But they do say he spent a big chunk of it on that movie queen of the thirties. She was no lady, mind you! But he practically deserted his family. They tell me it was quite a shameful scandal.”

Rae said she wouldn’t put up with that from any man.

Whitney sniffed “Once I get his ring on my finger, Brad Vandercamp can have as many mistresses as he chooses.”

Mrs. Ashford agreed that the ring was the thing. Thank goodness both her daughters were ladies and wouldn’t settle for less. But she did hope the polo prince would turn out to be more like his father.

“How so?” Whitney asked.

“Not a breath of scandal about him. Seems more interested in playing with gold mines, oil wells and such than with women. He’s parlayed that railroad fortune into billions. Married some Lady. Somebody whose family was poor as church mice. They say he’s turned Balmour, her family’s crumbling estate, into a real showplace. Lord, I’d like to see it!”

“Well, you never know.” Again Whitney sounded smug. “Did you say he had an eye for a pretty lady?”

Mamie Ashford chuckled. “Yes, and that’s what you are. Far prettier than any of the others, all of whom will be after him. Hadn’t we better get to Mademoiselle’s Boutique first? There’s sure to be a rush.”

They did leave in plenty of time. Paula was able to finish the laundry, clean the kitchen and tidy the bedrooms before eleven. By eleven-thirty, she had showered, dressed and was on the bus headed for the university.

Paula had dreamed of being a veterinarian for as long as she could remember. She loved animals, from the tiniest kitten to the biggest horse on the Randolph cattle ranch in Wyoming, where her father was a ranch hand and her mother the family cook. As soon as she could read she became immersed in the tales of James Herriot, the famous vet who tended the sheep and cattle on the Yorkshire moors. As often as allowed, she would tag along with a cowhand or vet who tended a sick cow or horse. She and Toby, the foreman’s son, planned to marry and buy a spread of their own. He would train race-horses, and she would be a veterinarian. That dream had lasted through two years of college. Then, the next fall, Toby had fallen head over heels in love with a freshman named Cynthia, and it was as if Paula had lost an anchor she had clung to all her life. Devastated, she floundered and nearly flunked out of college.

It was her uncle Lew who had steadied her. That summer, on his yearly visit to the ranch, he had a long talk with her. “Toby’s just one man among millions. Stuck on this place, you just been so close to him you never looked around. And don’t forget. You’ve still got your dream. Toby ain’t got nothing to do with your being a veterinarian. That’s up to you.”

He was right. That would be hers, her career, a part of her that no man could take away. She determined to have it. She threw herself into her classes, made up her failures and graduated on time. But with not enough credits for the hoped-for grant to the school of veterinary science.

Disaster struck again. Her father had a spell of illness that strained the budget, and prospects for vet school were dim. They were discussing the possibilities when Lewis Grant, her father’s brother, came again for his yearly visit. He offered to pay half the monstrous tuition, but even that would not be enough.

“Guess Paula’ll have to stick around the ranch this year,” Hank, her father, said, “maybe be a help to her mother.”

“She’d rather help you,” Lew said.

Paula smiled. Of course Pop would never permit her to go out on the range, but she was very much at home on a horse and rather liked tending the animals, had even assisted at a difficult calving a couple of times. “You’re right,” she said. “I would rather help Pop.”

“Beats me,” Lew said, “why anybody would want to be on a horse out in rough weather rather than be nice and cozy in a warm kitchen.” He shook his head. “Can’t understand it.”

“To each his own,” Paula said. She remembered that Lew had long ago deserted ranch life for the city. Any city. After much traveling and several odd jobs, he finally landed a steady one as chauffeur and handyman for a Mr. Angus Ashford of San Diego, California.

“We could manage the tuition,” her mother said, returning to the main topic. “But not the room and board.” The state college was a hundred miles away, over mountainous roads treacherous with snow during the long winter months.

Lewis looked at Paula. She knew he understood. “Still got that veterinary bug in your head?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Well,” he said, “maybe you could come to San Diego with me and go to school there.”

They stared at him. What difference would. that make?

“Room and board,” he said. “The Ashfords’ live-in maid just gave notice.” He gave Paula a keen look. “Got any objection to a little housework?”