Second Chance with His Princess, page 1
The Baldasseri Royals
Destined to rule...and live happily ever after?
Welcome to San Vantino...home to siblings Prince Rini, Prince Vincenzo and Princess Bella Baldasseri. The family may appear to live a charmed life—they’re royalty, after all!—but that doesn’t mean that every day is plain sailing.
Now they must face their greatest challenge. Can they devote themselves to their kingdom and let themselves find true love? Well...we’re about to find out!
Step inside the palace with...
Rini and Luna’s story
Reclaiming the Prince’s Heart
Vincenzo and Francesco’s story
Falling for the Baldasseri Prince
and
Bella and Luca’s story
Second Chance with His Princess
Available now!
Dear Reader,
When I was a little girl, my dear grandmother received what we all called the gold book. It was a gift from a friend who’d been to the Golden Jubilee in London. There were pictures of the royal family, of Elizabeth and Margaret when they were little girls. I loved that book and went through it all the time, looking at the crown jewels and the castles, the horses and pets, and the royal family draped in ermine for royal photographs. As I grew up, I followed the story of Queen Elizabeth and her marriage and her children. I was fascinated until the death of Princess Diana. Then stories came out about the family and their problems, and they saddened me.
This last year I’ve thought a lot about being born into a royal family and the hardships one might have to endure. I finally decided to write my trilogy about the Baldasseri royal family. The first book shows problems with the crown prince developing amnesia. The second shows the difficulties of a royal son having to carry out his royal duty when his heart lies elsewhere. Now this third novel tells of a princess who loves a commoner.
Enjoy!
Rebecca Winters
Second Chance with His Princess
Rebecca Winters
Rebecca Winters lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. With canyons and high alpine meadows full of wildflowers, she never runs out of places to explore. They, plus her favorite vacation spots in Europe, often end up as backgrounds for her romance novels—because writing is her passion, along with her family and church. Rebecca loves to hear from readers. If you wish to email her, please visit her website at rebeccawinters.net.
Books by Rebecca Winters
Harlequin Romance
The Baldasseri Royals
Reclaiming the Prince’s Heart
Falling for the Baldasseri Prince
Secrets of a Billionaire
The Greek’s Secret Heir
Unmasking the Secret Prince
Escape to Provence
Falling for Her French Tycoon
Falling for His Unlikely Cinderella
The Princess Brides
The Prince’s Forbidden Bride
How to Propose to a Princess
Visit the Author Profile page
at Harlequin.com for more titles.
I’ve dedicated this novel to my dearest, sweetest nana, Alice Vivia Driggs Brown, my beloved father’s mother. She was an angel in my life and taught me everything, from the Bible stories to the stories of kings. I can’t wait to see her again one day and let her know how much she enriched my life!
Praise for Rebecca Winters
“This is the first book that I have read by this author but definitely not the last as it is an amazing story. I definitely recommend this book as it is so well written and definitely worth reading.”
—Goodreads on How to Propose to a Princess
Contents
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
EXCERPT FROM WHISKED INTO THE BILLIONAIRE’S WORLD BY NINA SINGH
PROLOGUE
Scuol, Graubunden Canton,
Switzerland, the end of April
THE LAST FRIDAY morning announcement came over the high school’s PA system. “Hey, all you ski bums—don’t forget when the bell rings in a few minutes, come straight out to the back of the school where the bus is waiting. We want to get up on the mountain fast before the sun makes things slushy.”
Just the sound of Luca Torriani’s deep voice excited sixteen-year-old Bella Baldasseri to her core. Not only was he a brilliant student, he was president of their school and ski club. His expertise on the slopes had caught the attention of the ski world. Already becoming famous at eighteen, he’d won a place on the Swiss men’s ski team to train for the Olympics.
Luca had been her brother Vincenzo’s best friend for as long as she could remember. Over the years he’d been a constant visitor to the palace. She’d spent most of her free time with them, preferring to be with dark-haired Luca more than any guy alive. In truth, she loved him heart and soul. There would never be anyone else for her. Not ever.
“Bella? Can I sit on the bus with you?” Deep in thoughts about him, her friend Margite’s question startled her. She hadn’t noticed the bell had rung, but the students were running around. Bella had hopes that when Luca came on board, he’d sit by her. But she couldn’t say no to her friend. Margite had a hopeless crush on Vincenzo.
“Sure. We’ve got to hurry and grab our skis.” Like Margite, she was already dressed in ski clothes. Before long they took their equipment outside in back where the driver loaded their gear on the side of the bus. She deliberately chose a seat near the back where she knew her brother and Luca liked to sit.
The bus filled up fast and soon she spotted the two of them coming down the aisle, talking to everybody. When Luca drew close, his emerald eyes fastened on her. They looked like the green in the stained-glass windows going up the stairs to her room. She was mesmerized by the way they penetrated.
“Is the Princess ready to tackle Devil’s Gulch?”
She winced, wishing he wouldn’t call her Princess. Bella wanted him to think of her as an ordinary girl like all the others. “Just watch me.”
“I plan to.” His dashing smile got to her before he moved to the back seat. Her brother greeted Margite, but he kept going.
Twenty minutes later they’d arrived at the ski resort and climbed out under a full sun, ready to tackle the slopes. To her joy, Luca pulled his skis and hers off the rack. Together they put them on. “This is going to be fun,” she said as he handed her the poles she’d brought. Slipping on goggles and a helmet over her jaw-length hair, she was ready.
Luca pulled on his gloves. “All right, let’s push off so you can show me your latest technique.” She chuckled because she didn’t have one and he knew it.
Her brother had been distracted by some guys and didn’t join them. That was an answer to prayer. Bella was dying to be alone with Luca. Every feminine eye was envious as they struck out for the Devil’s Gulch trail.
To her surprise a sign had been erected she hadn’t seen all winter. Danger of avalanche. No one else would try it now, but she would prove to be the exception. “Are you game?” She looked back at him, daring him.
He studied her through narrowed eyes, as if trying to see inside her. “It’s not safe. Let’s ski Bishop’s Cauldron.”
“I prefer the Gulch.” She knew he favored it too. In the next breath she took off and shushed down the trail.
“Bella—” he shouted. “Stop and come back here!”
“You’ll have to catch me!” She laughed, confident in her own abilities.
She’d been skiing with Vincenzo and Luca since she was nine and knew this mountain well. Now that spring had come, the snow was heavier, but just as divine as always. Her euphoria knew no bounds as he came after her.
To know that the great Luca Torriani was chasing her made Bella’s mad dash down the face ten times more exhilarating. Seconds later she heard an ear-splitting crack from above. The ground trembled beneath her skis. “Bella!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. “Avalanche!”
She slowed to a stop and looked up in time to see a chute of snow full of trees cascading from the summit. Luca reached her and pulled her down to remove her skis and his. “We can’t outrun this avalanche, Bella. When it covers us, try to swim up and out of it. Don’t forget to raise your arms.”
It was getting closer. She grabbed onto him. “If we’re going to die, I’m thankful I’m with you. I love you, Luca.”
He pulled her close and kissed her mouth. “I love you, too, Bella. Always will. Brace yourself. Here it comes!”
Snow filled her nostrils like dust. She felt herself being buried. “Luca—” she screamed before she couldn’t breathe.
The next time she had cognizance of her surroundings, it was night. She’d awakened in the hospital in Scuol with an IV in her arm. “Luca? Luca?”
“No, darling. You’re awake, thank heaven.” Her mother stood at the side of the hospital bed with a pallor she’d never seen before.
“Don’t look so worried, Mamma. I feel fine.”
“That’s because of Luca.”
Her mother leaned over her. “We’ve been waiting for you to fully awaken. The doctor says you can go home in the morning. Your father is out in the hall with him.”
“Where’s Vincenzo?”
“Leonardo asked him to fly to San Vitano on a special assignment. I don’t know how long he’ll be gone. The doctor wants to keep you here overnight just to be certain there are no compli—”
“How’s Luca?” she interrupted her. He was all she cared about now that she was conscious. “Please tell me he wasn’t injured. I couldn’t bear it if—”
“He’s alive,” her mother responded. “He was in surgery all afternoon.”
All afternoon? She’d lost hours. “What happened to him? Tell me!”
“It’s his right leg. A snapped tree slammed into him, but the search and rescue teams got to the two of you in record time. You were airlifted here.”
Bella groaned, wanting to die. “Do you think he’ll be able to ski again?”
“No.” The news dropped like a bomb, horrifying her. “But the doctor believes he might be able to walk.”
“Might?” Filled with gut-wrenching guilt and pain, Bella buried her face in the pillow. “Luca warned me not to go down the Gulch. He tried to stop me. When I kept going, it forced him to follow me.” Bella started sobbing. “It’s my fault he got injured, Mamma. He wanted to ski Bishop’s Cauldron. I wouldn’t listen and he came after me.”
“Don’t blame yourself. Spring skiing is dangerous. You shouldn’t have gone in the first place.”
Bella lifted her head. “But I did go. Luca saved my life and told me what to do. He kept me alive!” She broke down completely. “I love him so much, you’ll never know.”
“I’ve always known how you felt about him,” she murmured.
Of course. Her mother knew everything. “How soon can I see him?”
“You can’t.”
Her unequivocal answer surprised her. “What do you mean?”
“He’s been flown to England so a specialist can try to put his leg back together, but that will take another miracle.”
“Luca is in England?” she cried in panic. “How long will he be gone?”
“From what I understand it could be a year considering he’ll have to undergo physical rehabilitation and all that entails.”
The revelation crushed her. “His condition is much worse than what you’ve told me, isn’t it?”
“That’s as much as I know.”
“Then I’ll text him and ask him to phone me when he’s able.”
“Right now you need to concentrate on your recovery and put the past behind you.” Her mother got that steely look on her face.
“What are you saying?”
“It’s time you understood what’s expected of you, Bella. You are Princess Baldasseri, destined to marry the right prince. You’ve always known what your future would be. Surely you realize there can be no more Lucas of this world for you.”
Bella felt like she’d just been tossed into a void from which there was no return. “You mean—”
“You know exactly what I’m telling you.”
Despite weakness, Bella sat up, clutching the sheet. “In other words, you and father are forbidding me to see Luca again.”
A strange smile broke out on her mother’s face. “Good. I’m glad we finally understand each other. He’s not a prince. Now I’ll find your father and tell him and the doctor to come in.”
Smoldering in pain and rage, Bella stared at her mother’s retreating back.
What her parents were doing was evil. Barbaric! She wasn’t even allowed to get in touch with Luca and confess that the tragedy was all her fault? She needed to ask his forgiveness.
I must help him. I love him.
Where was Vincenzo? She needed to get a message to Luca through her brother. How soon would he be back to the palace? The doctor and her parents came in the hospital room, but all she could think about was Luca. She fell back against the pillow in agony.
CHAPTER ONE
Bern, Switzerland, ten years later
FOR THE FIRST time in a decade, twenty-six-year-old Princess Bella Baldasseri of Scuol, Switzerland, was finally going to lay eyes on Luca Torriani, the man whose life she’d ruined ten years ago.
Not a day had gone by in all these years that she hadn’t suffered over her thoughtlessness. A fleeting moment of throwing caution to the wind to prove her bravery had smashed his dreams forever. Hers too, because she’d never been allowed to talk to him and ask his forgiveness.
After leaving the hospital, she’d tried to reach him on the phone. When she couldn’t, she’d sent him letter after letter, begging him to call her so she could ask for his forgiveness. The fact that he never answered one of them proved how much he hated her, and he would have had every right.
She’d pestered her brother to find out what was going on with Luca, but when Vincenzo got back from San Vitano a week later, he had no answer. With his friend in England, they’d had no contact either. Bella believed him implicitly and had to accept the fact that Luca wanted nothing more to do with her.
Perhaps today—the wedding day Vincenzo had planned with his beloved Francesca Visconti—meant that Bella would finally be able to see Luca. He would be standing up for her brother. The two men had been best friends, but after Luca went to England, everything changed. Vincenzo attended college and said they only kept in touch by phone when they could. Today might be her only chance to tell Luca of her deep sorrow.
She thanked God every day and night that Luca could stand on both his legs. The surgeon in England must have done spectacular work. But until she could unburden herself to Luca, she’d stay locked in a prison.
Her brother had been living in a prison all his adult life too. Their parents had arranged his engagement to a princess he didn’t love. When she broke the engagement, he was free at last to marry the woman he chose. But until their mother knew the reason for the break, it took a miracle for Vincenzo’s world to change and their mother to give her blessing.
Bella knew Francesca was her brother’s whole world, and she couldn’t be happier for them. Her soon-to-be sister-in-law had asked her to be a bridesmaid. Bella loved her already. She and her mother, along with Francesca, her mom and Princess Luna, went shopping. After finding the perfect wedding dress, they picked out filmy gowns of pink, purple, lavender and blue chiffon with lace. It had been a lovely day.
Since the death of Bella’s father almost a year ago, she’d done what she could to get along with her mother. She’d dated several princes and had even gone along with her parent’s idea to spend time with Prince Antoine Beaufort of Orleans, France. Antoine was a very attractive man who’d been pursuing her for the last few months. Four nights ago, they’d met in Geneva for dinner and dancing. He’d taken her out on the terrace overlooking the lake and admitted that he’d fallen in love with her.
“Will you marry me, Bella?”
As she looked into his anxious eyes, she realized how very much she cared for him.
“Oh, Tonio. I didn’t expect a proposal this soon, but I know you’ll make a wonderful husband. Will you give me time to think about it? My brother’s wedding is coming up this next weekend. After that I have a week of charity commitments taking me out of town. When it’s over, I’ll phone you and we’ll meet wherever you’d like so we can really talk about our feelings and everything else.”
“I admit I’m disappointed, but I can wait another week. No longer.”
The Beaufort family had been friends of her parents for years. Bella knew both mothers wanted the relationship to end in marriage. He deserved her full attention, but until she’d seen Luca again and had said a final goodbye with her heartfelt apology, she couldn’t think clearly.
“I hear you, Tonio, and I promise I’ll call. You’re everything a woman could want.” She meant those words and she knew he could be her future husband if she wanted it to happen.
The next day she left Geneva to fly back to Scuol. But instead of dwelling on Antonio’s proposal, her mind was elsewhere. Bella had never forgiven her mother and father for causing the permanent separation between her and Luca. The hole in her heart had never closed. Worse, the avalanche that had ruined Luca’s dreams for Olympic greatness had also changed Bella’s life. Irrevocably.
