Read Online Knight (Political Royalty Book 1) by Evelyn Adams - Free Book Online

for precious seconds. When he glanced at his family, she felt as if someone had turned off a light. She was going to have to get control of her reactions or she’d end up mooning over him like Abby did. The thought made her shudder.
    The senator took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and walked out to face the crowd already cheering his name. Haven glanced at Justin, who nodded and smiled. It never hurt to seed a crowd. Less than a handful of undercover staffers, and her partner could have the crowd chanting whatever he wanted.
    Sandra Walker smoothed her skirt and triple-checked the girls’ dresses and together they followed the senator to the dais, already looking every bit like the first family. Haven wouldn’t have to paint a picture for the press. The magazines would be tripping over themselves to write profiles of the adorable children and their beautiful mother. Haven’s problem would be getting the senator to say yes. A glance at the way Sandra Walker beamed at the crowd made Haven rethink her concern. The woman loved the spotlight as much or more than her father-in-law. She’d handle the convincing all on her own.
    The senator thanked the secretary and cameras flashed as the two men shook hands and clapped each other on the back. If they were lucky, the bipartisan lovefest would be the headline of every major newspaper in the morning and the lead story on all the morning talk shows. It might ruffle some party feathers, but it was more than worth it for the attention it would shine on the senator’s campaign.
    As the applause began to die down, Abby crept forward and took the children’s hands, leading them out of the spotlight while Sandra Walker and her in-laws soaked it up. As soon as they passed through the doorway, the little girls’ relief was palpable. Abby pulled a pair of tablets and drink pouches out of her oversized handbag and the girls grinned up at her happily. She ate it up, clearly relishing the extension of the senator’s attention, which given how she felt about him, made sense. What didn’t make sense was the disconnect between Walker and his wife, but she didn’t need to solve that puzzle now.
    Walker started in on his opening remarks and Haven let her attention drift to the faces in the crowd. She knew every detail of the speech. They’d gone over it for hours, trying to hit exactly the right tone—serious but not fatalistic, homeland centric without being xenophobic. She’d felt confident they’d gotten the words right and that Walker could deliver it. She hadn’t been sure of the rapt attention she saw on the faces in the crowd. They were quiet, almost unnaturally so, but it was clear looking at them that they weren’t bored. They hung on the senator’s words, nodding when he detailed the coming challenges facing the planet and breaking into applause at the line about Americans’ exhaustion at military conflict.
    “We will continue to be vigilant about terrorist attacks and threats to ourselves and our allies, but we as a people have broader priorities. It’s time for us to move from being the world’s policeman back to being the world’s bread basket. During World War I, our farmers saved a war-ravaged Europe.” The senator paused, his gaze scanning the audience, and the crowd held still, waiting for him to take them along for the ride. “We can do that again—in this time. We are a country of great resources, the best of which are our people and our humanity. Just like a century ago, we are ready to meet the challenges facing us and lead the world into a brighter day for all of us. A day when children don’t go to bed hungry and families don’t have to choose between food and other necessities.”
    He held their attention so completely that when he got to the more science-driven parts of the speech—the parts that really weren’t sexy—the crowd leaned forward, straining to understand him. There might be a better outcome then the one staring back at her, but