Linda Goodnight - Prince Incognito

RUNAWAY PRINCE SPOTTED…AT A TEXAS DUDE RANCH!

After days of speculation regarding the whereabouts of Montavia’s own heir to the throne, Prince Luc has been spotted in Texas, at a dude ranch, of all places! Could our roguish royal possibly be in search of a queen? Maybe…But what worries this reporter most is the pictures the palace has of him actually riding horses and roping cattle. If this is what one does on a dude ranch, then for a man of such regal lineage to behave like a common farmer is just too much to believe. But pictures don’t lie. And will it be only a matter of time before the future king of Montavia is running our beloved country dressed in chaps and a cowboy hat?

Dear Reader,

April is an exciting month for the romance industry because that is when our authors learn whether or not their titles have been nominated for the prestigious RITA® Award sponsored by the Romance Writers of America. As with the Oscars, our authors will find out whether they’ve actually won in a glamorous evening event that caps off the RWA national conference in July. Of course, all the Silhouette Romance titles this month are already winners to me!

Karen Rose Smith heads up this month’s lineup with her tender romance To Protect and Cherish (#1810) in which a cowboy-at-heart bachelor becomes a father overnight. Prince Incognito (#1811) by Linda Goodnight features another equally unforgettable hero—this one a prince masquerading as an ordinary guy. Nearly everyone accepts his disguise except, of course, our perceptive heroine who is now torn between the dictates of her head…and her heart. Longtime Silhouette Romance author Sharon De Vita returns with Doctor’s Orders (#1812), in which a single mother who has been badly burned by love discovers a handsome doctor just might have the perfect prescription for her health and longtime happiness. Finally, in Roxann Delaney’s His Queen of Hearts (#1813), a runaway bride goes from the heat and into the fire when she finds herself holed up in a remote location with her handsome rescuer.

Happy reading!

Sincerely,

Ann Leslie Tuttle

Associate Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

I dedicate this book to Allison Lyons, my editor from the beginning. You have cheered my successes. You have steered me in the right direction when I strayed. You have encouraged me in disappointment. And lest we forget the really important matters, you introduced me to iced caramel macchiato. What more could an author want?

Silhouette Romance

For Her Child… #1569

Married in a Month #1682

Her Pregnant Agenda #1690

Saved by the Baby #1709

Rich Man, Poor Bride #1742

The Least Likely Groom #1747

Sometimes When We Kiss #1800

Prince Incognito #1811

A romantic at heart, Linda Goodnight believes in the traditional values of family and home. Writing books enables her to share her certainty that, with faith and perseverance, love can last forever and happy endings really are possible.

A native of Oklahoma, Linda lives in the country with her husband, Gene, and Mugsy, an adorably obnoxious rat terrier. She and Gene have a blended family of six grown children. An elementary school teacher, she is also a licensed nurse. When time permits, Linda loves to read, watch football and rodeo, and indulge in chocolate. She also enjoys taking long, calorie-burning walks in the nearby woods. Readers can write to her at linda@lindagoodnight.com, or c/o Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279.

Dear Reader,

Four years ago, Silhouette Romance published my first full-length novel. Right away, I knew I’d found a home for the kind of warm, romantic stories I loved to write as well as read. Prince Incognito, my eighth book for this line, continues that tradition, but with a twist.

I thought it would be fun to write a modern Cinderella story complete with handsome prince, a klutzy Cinderella who thought she was an ugly stepsister and a zany fairy godmother like Teddi. I hope you enjoy watching Luc and Carly fall (sometimes quite literally) in love. And I hope you get a chuckle or two out of Teddi.

If you enjoy Prince Incognito, please write and let me know. I love hearing from you! Thank you for all the support you’ve given me since I began writing for Silhouette Romance.

Blessings to you and yours,

Linda Goodnight

www.lindagoodnight.com

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Epilogue

Carson Benedict stood on the balcony overlooking his domain, the Benedict Guest Ranch. Today was his birthday and, as it turned out, not a particularly happy one.

Teddi, his wacky sister, saw to that. She was pestering him with another of her goofy ideas to make the ranch more prosperous. This one took the cake.

“Look at these ledgers, Carson.” She thumped the thick record book and sent six beaded bracelets dancing up and down her slender arms. “We have to do something fast or this guest ranch is going down the tubes.”

“We’re not doing that bad.” They weren’t doing that great either.

“Bookings have dropped this summer. Again. Western dude ranches have lost their ambience. The whole romantic mystique of the cowboy is passé. We have to come up with something fresh and modern.”

Stifling a groan, Carson stepped through the French double doors into his office, though he knew there was no escaping his sister when she was on a roll. “And you think turning the place into a love nest is going to fix that?”

“You’ve already ruled out a meditation spa for holistic cleansing,” Teddi said, tip-tapping right in behind him with the persistence and energy of a hungry mosquito. “Besides, love is the answer to everyone’s problems. Love and aromatherapy.”

Carson couldn’t hold back a laugh. His baby sister was as NewAge as they came, a true disciple of peace and love and healing herbs. With a heavy emphasis on love.

“This is a working ranch, not a bordello.” Having guests on the place was bad enough. He sure didn’t want a bunch of lovesick greenhorns mooning around.

“Oh, pooh.” Teddi tossed her head. A green pyramid-shaped earring, complete with eyeball in the center, flapped against her neck. “That’s not what I’m talking about at all. Remember the Love Boat? Why not a Love Ranch? A place where lonely singles come to find their one true love.”

“No.”

“Matching singles is all the rage right now, Carson. It’s on the Internet, in churches, colleges. There are even professional matchmaking companies.”

“Not here there aren’t.”

“Okay, then.” Teddi tapped the pointy toe of her lime-green shoe with intentional nonchalance. “You win. Let the ranch sink deeper in debt. Let Cousin Arnold buy us out and turn the place into an outlet mall.”

She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Carson knew that body language. And he also knew his sister would talk incessantly about love until he was ready to jump off the balcony and run screaming through the pasture.

He heaved a sigh strong enough to blow papers off his desk. As uncomfortable as the idea made him, a significant downturn of fortunes for the Benedict Ranch had occurred. They did need some kind of advertising gimmick to bring more guests to the ranch. He had hoped the lure of the Old West would do the trick, but Teddi was right. It hadn’t.