Royal Seduction Read Online Free Page B

happiness here. Was she hoping it would be lucky for her, too?
    Sighing, she lifted her face up to the sunshine. The trainer she’d met in the gym had encouraged her to work hard. Then she’d whiled away the afternoon with a good, long steam, a massage and a warm shower. She felt like a new woman as she pushed open the glass doors and exited the clinic.
    She’d told her father she needed time. That hadn’t been a lie. She wished she had more than the two weeks he’d given her to get used to the idea of marrying a man she didn’t love. She’d told her father she planned to shop for her trousseau. On that point she’d stretched the truth a bit, she feared. Shopping for a wedding she wanted nothing to do with wasn’t high on her priority list.
    She wasn’t quite sure what she was looking for from this trip. But for right now, she simply wanted to forget about home, forget she was royal, forget all about her impending engagement, her looming nuptials. She wanted to be just like everyone else. Was that so much to ask?
    â€œDr. Lassen, hello!” Catherine was pleasantly surprised to meet the nutritionist in the outdoor breezeway between the hospital and the new health clinic. “It’s a beautiful afternoon, isn’t it?”
    â€œLovely.” The doctor greeted her with a smile. “I’m awfully sorry I couldn’t check in on you as I’d promised, Catherine.”
    â€œIt’s quite all right. I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but you look awfully harried.”
    The woman nodded. “I just came out of a meeting. Many men. Much testosterone.”
    â€œStressful, huh?” Catherine grinned. “Sounds like you need a break. I was just looking for a place to have a cup of tea. Want to join me?”
    Dr. Lassen shifted her briefcase from one hand to the other. “I’d love to. And I’d kill for a muffin to go along with it. I worked right through lunch today and then I had to meet with hospital administration all afternoon.”
    â€œLet’s find you something to eat, then,” Catherine said.
    â€œThere’s a coffee shop just around the corner.”
    They headed off along the crowded sidewalk.
    â€œHow did you make out today?” Dr. Lassen asked.
    Humor had Catherine’s mouth twitching. “Who was that man you sent to see me? The one who filled in for Sally.”
    â€œDr. Riley Jacobs. He’s the new director at the clinic,” she said.
    Dr. Riley Jacobs. His treatment of her had left Catherine feeling a bit put off. And surprised.
    She’d read a great write-up about Portland’s Healthy Living Clinic in the newspaper the very first day of her arrival. Apparently it was a friendly place, one that was extremely popular with the locals. Unlike some of theexclusive fitness centers that catered to the affluent sector of the population, this clinic was a facility where anyone and everyone could go to improve their health and well-being.
    Since she’d decided to shed her royal status and become a run-of-the-mill tourist for a bit, Catherine had thought that the clinic could be the perfect place for her to meet people as well as lose a few extra pounds.
    She’d toured the clinic with Faye Lassen yesterday and had arrived today feeling fired up about starting her fitness regimen…but the handsome Dr. Riley Jacobs had nearly snuffed out her flame.
    â€œWhy?” Faye frowned slightly. “What did he do?”
    â€œWell,” Catherine began, “I guess it’s more what he didn’t do.”
    Before she could explain further, they arrived at the coffee shop and spent a few moments being seated by the hostess. And then the waitress arrived with menus.
    â€œI don’t believe we need those,” Catherine told the teenager. “We’d like two cups of tea, please. And a muffin for Dr. Lassen.”
    â€œBlueberry or low-fat bran?” the waitress asked the