“My cell phone.” He took out a silver device, and after looking at it said, “Sorry. I have to take this. It’s Maggie.” She watched as his expression changed to one of horror. “Try to keep her calm. I’ll be right there.” He shoved the phone back in his pocket. “Belle’s having an asthma attack, and her medication isn’t helping. She’s having a lot of trouble breathing.”
Iola’s heart thundered against her chest. It sounded similar to what Prince Alexio had experienced. “I can help. I am coming with you. I have used my herbs on breathing problems before.”
A hopeful gleam appeared in his eyes. “Hurry and get them. There’s no time to waste.”
She dashed into the bedroom and grabbed her pouch, then the two of them left the guest house like their feet were on fire. When they arrived at the house, all the lights were on. Belle was on the couch in the family room, and Maggie was beside her, stroking the top of her head.
“I’ll take over now,” Carter said. “Maggie, please call an ambulance.”
“And bring a cup of hot water,” Iola added. While she waited, she used her mortar and pestle to crush up some herbs. A minute later, Maggie handed her a cup. She added the herbs to it, stirred them around, and then gave the cup to Carter. “Try to get Belle to drink this. It will make her breath easier.”
“Belle, Rosie’s here. She has some special medicine that will help you. Sit up a bit so that you can drink this.” He propped her up against some pillows, then held the cup up to her lips.
As Belle drank, fear knotted inside Iola. Memories of long ago swirled around her mind, and the image of the young prince, so tiny and frail, appeared. She could hear Eris’s shrill voice screaming that her son had died. What if her herbs had killed him? She couldn’t bear it if Belle died too.
It seemed to take forever for the child to drink the remedy. In between sips, she would gasp for air. Panic was rioting inside Iola. Please get better. Please get better. And just when she thought she couldn’t stand it any longer, Belle’s breathing quieted and returned to normal. “It worked!”
Carter looked over at her with tears in his eyes. “I never doubted it. After all, you’re magic.”
Iola got down on her knees beside the couch and took hold of Belle’s hand. “I am going to make you a cup of my remedy every night before you go to bed. It will make you better, so you never have to go through this again.”
The little girl squeezed her hand and smiled. “I love you,” she said softly.
Iola thought her heart would burst with joy. “I love you too.”
Suddenly, a loud wailing filled the room.
“The ambulance is here,” Carter said.
Belle’s eyes grew wide as saucers. “I don’t have to go to the hospital, do I, Daddy? I feel fine now.”
He smiled down at her. “No. I’ll let them know that you’re okay.”
A minute later, the room was full of people. Most were around Belle. One came over to talk to Iola and Carter.
“Mr. Johnson, your daughter seems fine. No breathing issues at this time,” the man said.
“Sorry to bring you out on a false alarm. She’s on a new remedy. It’s holistic. Guess I panicked while waiting for it to work. I’ll know to give it sooner next time.”
“And you’re?” he asked, directing his question to Iola.
Before she could answer, Carter said, “This is Rosie Olympus. She’s a friend of mine from Greece.”
The man studied her for a minute and then walked away.
After everyone left, Carter and Iola went out on the patio. “Rosie Olympus?” She laughed. “Is that the best you could come up with?”
He shrugged. “All I could think of was Mount Olympus and the curse Eris put on you. Looks like you broke it by saving Belle, and you did it way before the full moon. That doesn’t occur until next week.”
“I hadn’t even thought of that. All I could think about was your daughter and her taking her next breath.”
Carter pulled her into his arms. “There’s no way I can thank you for what you’ve done,” he whispered against her cheek.
“But you already have,” she whispered back, as a feeling of peace and satisfaction washed over her.
Chapter 7
A loud banging on the front door interrupted what had been a fabulous morning. Belle was feeling great and was outside on the patio, teaching Iola how to play cards. Carter had decided to work from home today and didn’t appreciate the interruption.
When he answered the door, he never expected to find an immigration official on his front step.
“I believe you have a young woman from Greece living here with you,” the woman said.
His pulse thrummed. He never expected a paramedic would call immigration. “You must be referring to my bride-to-be, Rosie.”
“You two are engaged?” she asked.
“That’s right,” he answered without hesitation.
“I still need to speak to her.”
“Fine. She’s out back with my daughter.” Carter had the woman take a seat in the family room while he got Iola.
He hated to have to ruin her day, but there was no way around it. “There’s a woman here from immigration,” he whispered in Iola’s ear.
“What’s that?” she asked.
He’d forgotten that she was unfamiliar with much of the world today.
“It’s a government office that handles people coming into the country,” he answered.
Iola frowned. “What does she want with me?”
“I’m assuming she wants to find out if you’re here legally.” He couldn’t keep the irritation out of his tone.
“Am I in trouble?”
“No. Don’t worry about a thing. I told her we were engaged. That should do the trick. And that your name was Rosie.” Carter sensed her reluctance to speak with the official, but she didn’t let on to Belle that anything was wrong.
“There’s a woman here that I need to speak with. I won’t
