Mother Jones has spent his life working hard, running the royal stables at Lilleforth, and watching on fondly as those around him fall in love and lust. But nobody, man or woman, has ever stoked that fire for him—right until the new royal groom barrels into his life. Vasily is all sunshine smiles, golden hair and laughter. For the first time, Mother finds himself attracted to someone, and he can’t help wondering what it might be like to court—and bed—his handsome new groom. But Mother is over thirty, rough around the edges, and hardly a catch. Vasily couldn’t possibly return his affections—could he? Vasily Petrov, the fourth son of the king of Koroslova, is travelling incognito for a year. In Koroslova the old ways are the only ways, and a man being attracted to another man is unthinkable—especially if you're a prince. But in Lilleforth, Vasily has the chance to spread his wings and explore the side of himself that he can no longer deny, and he intends to make the most of it. Except, he’s falling for his stablemaster—and worse, Mother doesn’t know he’s a prince, and Vasily doesn’t know how to tell him. And the longer he waits, the more he fears losing what they have when the truth comes out. This was not the plan.