Ford seemed to note her struggle, his lips hovering over a grin. “The evil prince trying to take over her throne,” he supplied.

Ah, yes. Evil princes. How could she have forgotten that one?

“He’s my brother,” Lila lied, thinking fast. “My twin brother.”

Ford winked. “Her evil twin brother.”

“Oh dear,” Helen murmured sympathetically. “How terrible for your whole country.”

Lila was impressed by the way Helen took it all in stride. She must have kids of her own. Apparently, a fertile imagination was one of those things they handed out at the hospital after a baby was born, like maternal instincts and those cute knit caps in alternating shades of pink and blue.

Lila took a sip of the coffee, surprised to find it as delicious as promised, with a hint of cinnamon and cayenne to spice the blood. However, Helen was giving no signs of leaving, which made Lila suspect that it wasn’t really her she’d come over to caffeinate. She’d probably peeked out the window and seen Ford without a shirt. It was enough to get any hot-blooded woman’s morning routine going.

Emily had disappeared from the doorway, so Lila took that as her cue to follow suit. “I’ll take Jeeves in and start setting up the training.” She reached for the puppy, that warm bundle of fur so easygoing that he took being handed from one person to another in stride. “Thank you for the coffee.”

“No, wait.” Ford stilled her with a hand on her arm. “I’ll come with you. I’d like to watch how you do things.”

“I can see I’m only in the way,” Helen said, cheerfully unconcerned with being given the brush-off. “But before you go, Ford, I wanted to see if you’re free this weekend. I hate to ask on such short notice, but I need a plus-one for a holiday party my work is throwing. I already have a sitter lined up for the boys, so you’d be more than welcome to leave Emily with them.”

Now Lila definitely wished she’d escaped while she had the chance. She might have made another attempt, but Ford was still clinging to her forearm, his grip strangely firm.

“That’s a tempting offer, but Lila will be keeping me pretty busy for the next few weeks.”

She opened her mouth to protest. Hard work and diligence were important to ensure a successful placement, yes, but even she wasn’t so unyielding that she required her clients to give up their entire weekends. Before she could utter so much as a syllable to that effect, Ford’s clasp on her tightened even more.

“Isn’t that right, Princess Lila?”

Well able to take a hint when it was being imprinted on her skin, she forced a smile. “Oh, yes. Weekdays, weekends, nights… A dog trainer’s work is never done.”

Helen frowned. “Really? Nights?”