Tina’s face softened and she covered Bridget’s hand with hers. “Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry,” she said, shaking her head.
“For what?”
“The Devereaux fixing gene has kicked in,” she said. “It’s a gift and a plague.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you finally understand what it means to be a Devereaux Royal,” she said, her expression solemn. “If you see a need, you try to fill it. If you see a pain, you try to heal it. It’s your purpose. It’s our purpose.”
“So, I’m going to be doing stuff like this the rest of my life?” Bridget asked, appalled.
Tina nodded and Katiana banged on the tray of her high chair, clearly wanting more food.
“Oh, I hope not.” Bridget didn’t want to feel that much. She didn’t want to get that emotionally involved. Surely, she could get this out of her system once and for all with Ryder and the babies and then get back to her true self in Italy.
Bridget sighed. “What I really want to do is wrap up this doctor thing as soon as possible. I’m concerned it may not happen as quickly as I like.”
“Why not?” Tina asked as she gave Katiana slices of peaches.
“I don’t understand it all, but the way Ryder talks about it, going to Chantaine would be death for a physician’s career. Sounds a bit overdramatic to me, but I need to get further information. In the meantime, Stefan has asked me to make some more official appearances, so I’ll be traveling and spending more time in Dallas.”
Tina frowned. “I don’t like that,” she said. “I thought you were going to spend most of your time here with me.”
“I’ll still be coming to the ranch as often as possible, but you know how Stefan is. He likes to maximize our efforts.”
“How well I remember,” Tina said with a groan. She dampened a clean cloth and wiped off Katiana’s face and hands.
Katiana shook her adorable head and lifted her hands. “Up,” she said.
“Of course, Your Highness,” Tina said and gave her daughter a kiss as she lifted her from the chair.
Katiana immediately pointed at the floor. “Down.”
“Please,” Tina said.
Katiana paused.
“Please,” Tina repeated. “Can you say that?”
“Psss,” the toddler said.
“Close enough,” Tina said with a laugh.
Bridget stared at her sister in jeans and a T-shirt and sometimes had to shake her head at the sight of her. “I’m just not used to seeing you quite so domesticated.”
“I’ve been living here for more than two years now.”
“Do you mind it? The work?” she asked. “At the palace, you could have had several nannies at your beck and call.”
“I have Hildie the housekeeper, who may as well be Katiana’s grandmother, and Zach. I like the simplicity of this life. Before I met Zach, I always felt like I was juggling a dozen priorities. Now between him and Katiana, the choice is easy.”
“Must be nice,” Bridget muttered as Hildie, Zach’s longtime housekeeper, strode through the door carrying a bag of groceries.
“Well, hello, all Your Highlinesses. We’ve got a roomful of royalty today. Miss Tina, did you offer your sister some of that strawberry bread? Looks like you’re having a late breakfast. Although that should come as no surprise considering when she got here last night,” Hildie said, lifting her eyebrow.
Bridget wasn’t quite certain how to take the stern-looking gray-haired woman. Tina insisted the woman had a heart of gold, but she seemed to rule the house with an iron hand. “Good morning, Miss—”
“Call me Hildie, and it’s afternoon. Do you feel like some pancakes or a turkey sandwich? You looked pretty rough when you got in last night,” Hildie said as she began to put away groceries.
“She was taking care of twin babies,” Tina said, clearly still amazed.
Hildie’s jaw dropped. “Twin babies,” she said. “You?”
Bridget grimaced. “I know it’s totally improbable. Hopefully I won’t be put in that type of situation again.”
“She was helping a doctor who had become a guardian to his brother’s two babies because the brother and sister-in-law were killed in an accident.”
Hildie shook her head, her brow furrowing in deep sympathy. “That’s terrible, just terrible. You did the right thing,” she said to Bridget. “Let me fix you a pie. I’ll fix you any kind you want.”
Surprised, Bridget felt a rush of discomfort mixed with pleasure. “Oh, I don’t need a pie. You’re delightful to suggest it, but—”
“I insist,” Hildie said.
Tina lifted her shoulders helplessly. “You’re going to get a pie whether you like it or not. You may as well pick what you like, and I guarantee it will be the best pie you’ve eaten.”
“Well, if you must, I would like the most decadent chocolate pie you can bake.”
Hildie cackled with laughter. “Chocolate. You can tell the two of you are sisters. And you may try to hide it, but you have that fix-it compulsion just like your sister.”
“I don’t have that compulsion,” Bridget insisted. “It’s temporary. Like a virus. As soon as I take my long break in Italy, I’ll be cured.”
Hildie laughed again and shot her a look of sympathy. “Don’t worry, Your Highliness. It may take a while, but you’ll figure it out.”
Bridget frowned because it seemed that Hildie knew something she didn’t. Hmm. The prospect didn’t please her, but the chocolate would help.
Chapter Three
Three nights later, Ryder met Bridget at an exclusive Mediterranean restaurant in Dallas. He remembered she’d said she preferred Mediterranean and Italian food. With the Dallas skyline outside the window beside them, he couldn’t look anywhere but at her. Her blue eyes sparkled with a combination of sensuality and warmth. Her black dress—yet another one—dipped into a V that cupped her beautiful breasts and her lips were, again, red.
“Thank you for joining me,” he said after they’d placed their order.
“Thank you for inviting me. Who’s watching the twins?” she asked.
“A neighbor and her daughter. I’m paying double. Amazing how easy it was for them to commit when I said that,” he said.
She laughed. “They’re adorable but exhausting. How was the new nanny?”
“Scary efficient. This was her first day and she’s already whipping all of us into shape,” he said, amazed at how good he felt just to be with Bridget.
“Good. Next step is to get a backup,” she said and took a sip of wine. “In the meantime, about Chantaine’s medical program …”
He stifled a groan. “Do we have to discuss business?”
“Briefly,” she said and lifted an eyebrow. “Remember that we held our discussion while the twins were screaming after I had cared for them during your meeting and—”
“Okay, okay,” he said. “Do you want me to be blunt?”
“I