USA TODAY bestseller CATHERINE MANN is living out her own fairytale ending on a sunny Florida beach with her Prince Charming husband and their four children. With more than thirty-five books in print in over twenty countries, she has also celebrated wins for both a RI TA>® Award and a Booksellersâ Best Award. Catherine enjoys chatting with readers onlineâthanks to the wonders of the wireless internet that allows her to cyber-network with her laptop by the water! To learn more about her work, visit her website, www.CatherineMann.com, or reach her by snail mail at PO Box 6065, Navarre, FL 32566, USA.
To my favorite little princesses and princesâMegan,
Frances, James and Zach. Thank you for inviting Aunt Cathy to your prince and princess tea parties. The snack cakes and Sprite were absolutely magical!
GlobalIntruder.com
Exclusive: For Immediate Release
Royalty Revealed!
Do you have a prince living next door? Quite possibly!
Courtesy of a positive identification made by one of the GlobalIntruder.comâs very own photojournalists, weâve successfully landed the scoop of the year. The deposed Medina monarchy has not, as was rumored, set up shop in a highly secured fortress in Argentina. The three Medina heirsâwith their billionsâhave been living under assumed names and rubbing elbows with everyday Americans for decades.
We hear the sexy baby of the family, Antonio, is already taken in Texas by his waitress girlfriend Shannon Crawford. Sheâd better watch her back now that word is out about her secret shipping magnate!
Meanwhile, never fear, ladies. There are still two single and studly Medina men left. Our sources reveal that Duarte dwells in his plush resort in Marthaâs Vineyard. Carlosâa surgeon, no lessâresides in Tacoma. Wonder if he makes house calls?
No word yet on their father, King Enrique Medina, former ruler of San Rinaldo, an island off the coast of Spain. But our best reporters are hot on the trail.
For the latest update on how to nab a prince, check back in with the GlobalIntruder.com. And remember, you heard it here first!
Galveston Bay, Texas
âKing takes the queen.â Antonio Medina declared his victory and raked in the chips, having bluffed with a simple high-card hand in Texas HoldâEm.
Ignoring an incoming call on his iPhone, he stacked his winnings. He didnât often have time for poker since his fishing charter company went global, but joining backroom games at his pal Vernonâs Galveston Bay Grille had become a more frequent occurrence of late. Since Shannon. His gaze snapped to the long skinny windows on either side of the door leading out to the main dining area where she worked.
No sign of Shannonâs slim body, winding her way through the brass, crystal and white linen of the five-star restaurant. Disappointment chewed at him in spite of his win.
A cell phone chime cut the air, then a second right afterward. Not his either time, although the noise still forced his focus back to the private table while two of Vernon Wolfeâs cronies pressed the ignore button, cutting the ringing short. Vernonâs poker pals were all about forty years senior to Antonio. But the old shrimp-boat captain turned restaurateur had saved Antonioâs bacon back when heâd been a teen. So if Vernon beckoned, Antonio did his damnedest to show. The fact that Shannon also worked here provided extra oomph to the request.
Vernon creaked back in the leather chair, also disregarding his cell phone currently crooning âSon of a Sailorâ from his belt. âBallsy move holding with just a king, Tony,â he said, his voice perpetually raspy from years of shouting on deck. His face still sported a year-round tan, eyes raccoon ringed from sunglasses. âI thought Glenn had a royal flush with his queen and jack showing.â
âI was taught to bluff by the best.â Antonioâor Tony Castillo as he was known these daysâgrinned.
A smile was more disarming than a scowl. He always smiled so nobody knew what he was thinking. Not that even his best grin had gained him forgiveness from Shannon after their fight last weekend.
Resisting the urge to frown, Tony stacked his chips on the scarred wooden table Vernon had pried from his boat before docking himself permanently at the restaurant. âYour pal Glenn needs to bluff better.â
Glennâa coffee addictâchugged his java faster when bluffing. For some reason no one else seemed to notice as the high-priced attorney banged back his third brew laced with Irish whiskey. He then simply shrugged, loosened his silk tie and hooked it on the back of the chair, settling in for the next round.