She pulled her hand free and leaned forward, staring at him intensely. ‘‘You can’t know what it’s like for me. Everywhere I go, I’m treated differently. It can be very isolating. I never have the opportunity to just be myself. I’m expected to dress a certain way or act a certain way. I’m not supposed to be irritable or too quiet or even make off-color jokes. But at the ranch, around you, I’m safe to be myself. That means the world to me.’’
‘‘I hear the words, but they don’t make any sense,’’ he admitted.
‘‘Then just accept them on faith and promise you won’t change. I don’t want you worrying about the rules. I want you to be yourself.’’
‘‘So whatcha gonna have?’’ the waitress asked as she came toward the table. She was a redhead, but unlike Alex, the color of her hair was closer to neon than nature. She winked at Mitch, then turned her attention to Alex. ‘‘You made up your mind, sweetie?’’
Alex looked faintly startled at the endearment, but offered a friendly smile. ‘‘Yes. I’d like the T-bone steak with mashed potatoes.’’ She hesitated. ‘‘Is there a vegetable served with that?’’
The waitress rolled her eyes toward heaven. ‘‘Of course. We serve corn with everything.’’
‘‘Corn,’’ Alex repeated softly. ‘‘Perfect.’’
Mitch grinned. ‘‘I’ll have the same. Oh, and we’ll both have blueberry milk shakes.’’
The waitress eyed Alex. ‘‘We might have a box of wine somewhere in the back if your lady friend would prefer that.’’
Boxed wine? Mitch doubted Alex would be able to choke it down. ‘‘No, the milk shake will be fine.’’
When the woman left, Alex laughed. ‘‘Wine in a box? I haven’t heard of that before.’’
‘‘It’s not what you’re used to.’’
‘‘Neither is a blueberry milk shake, but it sounds lovely. I can’t wait. Thank you for bringing me here, Mitch. I’m having a wonderful time.’’
Her gaze was direct, and he read the pleasure in her face. Wanting slammed into him, nearly making him wince. The situation was completely ridiculous. Here he was, a rancher from Arizona, attracted to a royal princess. They had absolutely nothing in common, they came from two different worlds, and he knew better than to get involved. There was only one problem. He liked her. It wasn’t all about her long legs and pretty face. He actually enjoyed Alex’s company. She made him laugh, she made him think and she didn’t let him get away with anything.
So he was stuck. Liking and wanting were allowed as long as he didn’t do anything about either. After all, he hadn’t been able to keep his first wife happy. Of course he’d matured since then. He knew a lot more about relationships and doing his part in one. But however much he’d learned, it wasn’t going to be enough to travel in royal circles.
From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a couple walking toward them. He motioned with his head. ‘‘Little people approaching at three o’clock.’’
Alex looked momentarily confused, then started to laugh. ‘‘Stop teasing,’’ she told him. ‘‘What if someone overhears?’’
‘‘They’ll think you’re a snob.’’
‘‘That’s so nice of you. Thanks. As if I don’t have enough trouble in that department.’’
‘‘You’re the one who’s bossy and imperious. I’m just a nice guy.’’
‘‘You couldn’t be more wrong.’’ Her blue eyes danced as she teased him.
He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could do so, the couple had reached the side of the table.
‘‘Mitch, it’s good to see you,’’ Reverend Tucker said as he clasped Mitch’s shoulder. ‘‘You’ve been hiding up at the ranch for too long.’’
Mitch leaned toward Alex. ‘‘Translation—how come I never see you in church these days? If you don’t show up soon, I’m going to call your folks in Washington and rat you out.’’
The reverend chuckled. ‘‘I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s a thought.’’
‘‘I know how your mind works.’’ He smiled at the man he’d known most of his life. ‘‘Okay, Reverend, I’ll do my best to pop in some Sunday. Reverend Tucker, Mrs. Tucker, I’d like you to meet Alex. She’s a friend of the family and is staying out on the ranch for a while.’’
‘‘What a pretty lady,’’ Reverend Tucker said as he took Alex’s hand. ‘‘I don’t remember seeing you around here before. Is this your first trip to Hope?’’
‘‘Yes. I’m enjoying myself tremendously.’’
The reverend wasn’t overly tall, and the years had added some weight to his medium build. Still, he carried himself with dignity. Lucy Tucker, his wife, was a prim woman, who wore her hair in a tight bun and always seemed on the verge of disapproving of whatever was going on.
‘‘Why don’t you talk this young man into bringing you to services this Sunday?’’ the reverend was saying. ‘‘I don’t promise a lot of fancy talk, but I do stay true to the word of God.’’
‘‘I would like that,’’ Alex said.
Reverend Tucker asked her a question, but Mitch was distracted by Mrs. Tucker. The older woman stared at Alex as if she were a ghost. Lucy flushed bright red, then went pale. She placed one hand on her chest and sucked in a gasp of air.
‘‘You’re here,’’ she said, her voice low and trembling. ‘‘I thought you looked familiar.’’
‘‘What is it, dear?’’ Reverend Tucker asked his wife. ‘‘Are you all right?’’
Lucy’s gaze went from Alex to Mitch and back. ‘‘I’ve seen your picture on television. You’re one of those princesses from that country. I know who you are!’’
Her voice rose with each word until she was nearly screeching. Alex looked stunned.
‘‘Mrs. Tucker, I—’’
But Alex didn’t get to finish her sentence. Lucy Tucker covered her face with her hands and ran from the restaurant. Reverend Tucker apologized quickly and hurried after his wife.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Mitch felt everyone’s attention focus on them, then slowly slip away. He felt almost guilty, as if he were responsible for the other woman’s strange behavior.
‘‘I’m sorry,’’ he said.
Alex waved away his apology. ‘‘Don’t be. It’s not your fault. It happens.’’
‘‘People get that weird on you?’’
She tried to smile, but it was a little forced. ‘‘Well, they’re not usually quite so overwrought, but they do get odd from time to time.’’ She sighed. ‘‘What I hate most is the reminder that I’m not like everyone else. Just when I feel than I’m fitting in and that I can finally forget, at least for a little while, something will happen to remind me.’’ She shrugged. ‘‘It’s probably for the best.’’
‘‘No, it’s not,’’ he told her. ‘‘I want you to be able to forget your past and just be a regular person. Can we pretend Lucy Tucker never stopped by the table?’’
Her smile turned genuine. ‘‘That would be very nice, Mitch. Thank you.’’
‘‘It’s the least I can do.’’
She glanced around the diner. Most of the patrons had lost interest in them and their table. ‘‘It must have been fun growing up in a small town like this.’’
‘‘Everyone knows everyone else and their business, which when you’re a teenager isn’t a good thing. As kids we had a hard time getting away with making trouble. The local sheriff always knew who was most likely to be where he wasn’t supposed to be, doing things that weren’t allowed.’’
‘‘How often was that person you?’’
‘‘Often enough,’’ he admitted. ‘‘I can’t tell you how many times I got hauled out of Submarine Point.’’
The waitress arrived with their drinks. Alex stared at the tall purple shake and wrinkled her nose. ‘‘What is it?’’
‘‘A blueberry milk shake.’’
‘‘Somehow I thought it would be more blue than purple.’’ She took a sip. ‘‘It’s good.’’
; ‘‘Trust me, lady, and you won’t go wrong.’’
‘‘I’ll trust you, but only if you tell me about Submarine Point.’’
He took a long drink of his milk shake. ‘‘It’s the local make-out place. There’s an overlook with a pretty decent view. We’d tell the girls that if the night was clear enough, they could see the submarines in the Pacific Ocean.’’
‘‘And they believed you?’’
He grinned. ‘‘They pretended to.’’
‘‘I suppose that was all that mattered.’’
‘‘Exactly.’’
*
Thirty minutes later Alex pushed away her plate and patted her stomach. ‘‘I can’t believe I ate that entire steak. It had to be half a pound.’’
‘‘Probably more,’’ Mitch said helpfully, ‘‘but the bone was really big.’’
‘‘Not big enough.’’ She sipped the last of her milk shake and sighed with contentment. ‘‘I pronounce my first visit to a diner to be an unqualified success. The steak was excellent, the mashed potatoes, while not quite bringing me to tears, were certainly the best I’ve ever had.’’ She lowered her voice. ‘‘I think the corn came from a can, but even it wasn’t too bad.’’
‘‘And you’re hooked on blueberry milk shakes.’’
‘‘Absolutely.’’ She glanced around at the nearly empty restaurant. ‘‘I wish I’d had a place like this nearby when I was growing up.’’
Mitch finished his last mouthful of steak, then wiped his mouth on the paper napkin. ‘‘No Ruby’s by the palace?’’
‘‘Not one.’’
‘‘Did you go to a regular school?’’
‘‘For a few years, but mostly my sisters and I had tutors. We traveled a lot as teenagers, and the tutors came with us. That allowed us to continue our studies without interruption.’’
‘‘So even as a child you attended official functions?’’
‘‘Of course.’’
He shook his head. Nothing about her life made sense to him. ‘‘I can’t imagine it.’’
‘‘I can’t imagine this,’’ she said, motioning to the diner. ‘‘Except now that I’ve been here, I’ll remember it always. When the pressure of my world gets to be too much, I’ll think of blueberry milk shakes and dinner with you at Ruby’s.’’
Her voice, with its lilting accent, still drove him crazy. But now he knew her well enough to see past the attraction to the woman inside. Her tone was light, but he heard the sadness underneath.
‘‘When does your world get to be too much?’’ he asked.
‘‘More often than I would like. There are so many responsibilities.’’
‘‘Keeping the tiara on straight?’’ he teased.
‘‘That, too.’’ She hesitated. ‘‘That’s what makes it so complicated about finding my brother.’’
‘‘I don’t understand.’’
‘‘Wynborough law currently states that the heir must be male. But my parents only had one son and he’s been presumed dead for years.’’
‘‘What’s complicated about that? Wouldn’t the throne just go to the next male heir? A cousin or something?’’
‘‘It would, except there aren’t any male heirs. Not without going outside the immediate family to a very distant relative. No one wants that. So there’s been some talk in the palace and parliament about introducing a bill to change the law.’’
Mitch knew what she was going to say. It was the next logical step. But he couldn’t believe it. ‘‘Change the law how?’’
Alex met his gaze. ‘‘There have been proposals to make the legal heir to the throne be the oldest child, regardless of gender.’’
‘‘Which would make you…’’ His voice trailed off.
She looked faintly uncomfortable, then raised her chin in that damn regal way she had. ‘‘That would make me queen.’’
Chapter Nine
Mitch felt his mouth drop open. He consciously closed it, but that didn’t stop the buzzing in his head. Alex kept on talking as if she hadn’t said anything out of the ordinary.
‘‘I’m not sure if the bill would pass,’’ she went on. ‘‘But the feeling is that it would.’’
He felt as if someone had just shaken his world good and hard. Only this wasn’t something as insignificant as an earthquake. ‘‘Queen,’’ he said, although the single word was tough to speak.
‘‘Yes, similar to Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain. I can only hope I would do as good a job in leading my people. I suspect the uncertainty about the succession is one of the reasons my parents haven’t pressed me to marry. If I am to be monarch of Wynborough, then my choice of husband becomes even more important.’’
Mitch turned that information over in his mind. ‘‘But he wouldn’t be king.’’
‘‘Exactly.’’ She shrugged. ‘‘It would take a very special kind of man to handle the pressure of being the consort—someone married to the queen, but without any of the power. Most men would have problems being the one in the background.’’
He couldn’t believe they were actually having this conversation. He also couldn’t believe that he hadn’t really gotten it before. Alexandra was really a princess. She wasn’t just some beautiful, single woman who happened to be living with him—she was royalty. She might one day rule her country.
‘‘I can’t believe I kissed you,’’ he blurted out.
Her steady gaze settled on his face. ‘‘It’s too late to regret that now.’’
‘‘I don’t regret it, I just hadn’t realized I might be starting an international incident.’’
She smiled. ‘‘I promise I won’t tell a soul.’’
‘‘You’d better not,’’ he muttered, trying not to think about a half-dozen Secret Service agents bursting into the house and arresting him for having illicit thoughts about a visiting dignitary.
Alex read the confusion and panic on Mitch’s face. ‘‘Why are you suddenly so caught up in this?’’ she asked. ‘‘Nothing has changed from a few minutes ago. You’ve always known that I was a princess.’’
He made a helpless gesture with his hands. ‘‘Being a princess is one thing, but we’re talking about your being queen. It makes a difference.’’
‘‘Not too big of one, I hope. I don’t want things to change between us.’’
His gaze sharpened. ‘‘Why do you say that?’’
‘‘I’ve told you that I enjoy spending time with you on the ranch. The main reason is that I get to be a regular person. If you start thinking about me as queen of Wynborough, then everything will be different. I get enough of that in the rest of my life. I don’t want it happening here, too.’’
His brown eyes darkened with something that might have been compassion. ‘‘I take your point,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ll admit that hearing about your potential promotion threw me a little, but I won’t let it affect our relationship.’’
Alex had to laugh. Only Mitch would refer to her possible succession to the throne as a promotion. ‘‘Thank you. I really like being normal.’’
‘‘I don’t know about normal. You’re a little quirky for that description. But I promise to keep treating you like regular folks.’’ He motioned to the diner. ‘‘I brought you here, didn’t I?’’
‘‘Yes, and it’s been one of the highlights of my visit.’’
‘‘Stick with me. I’ll show you all the best sights.’’
‘‘Submarine Point?’’ she couldn’t help asking.
Mitch looked startled, then grinned. ‘‘Sure, why not.’’
Their waitress came by and cleared their table. ‘‘You two want coffee?’’ she asked.
‘‘Please,’’ Alex said, as Mitch nodded. When the woman returned with the steaming mugs, Alex poured cream and sugar into hers.
‘‘So tell me about being queen,’’ Mitch said as he cupped his mug between his hands. ‘‘Is there a class you have to take?’’
‘‘No. It’s more on-the-job training. Except—’’ she sh
rugged ‘‘—it’s rather confusing. In some ways my father is preparing me for eventual leadership of the country. I have more responsibility than my sisters. My father often refers to me as his right-hand girl. But I’m not given official duties that a prince would have. There are those in parliament who think a woman shouldn’t rule.’’
‘‘What, are they crazy? You’d do a great job.’’
‘‘While I appreciate the compliment, you can’t know that.’’
‘‘Yes, I can. You’re smart, you’re capable and you’re patient. More important than all that, you care. Running a country is about character, not gender.’’
‘‘Very forward thinking, cowboy.’’
‘‘My mama didn’t raise a fool.’’ He took a drink of coffee. ‘‘What do you want?’’
It was a question no one ever asked her. ‘‘I don’t know. If we find James, then the problem is solved.’’
‘‘Do you want to find him?’’
‘‘Funny you should ask that.’’ She tried to smile, but couldn’t. ‘‘I don’t know that, either. I’ve never met my brother, so it’s not as if he was a part of my life. I don’t miss him. I can’t even imagine what my world would have been like if he’d been around.’’
‘‘You’re not answering the question.’’
His steady gaze didn’t offer any escape. Alex supposed she could have insisted on a change of subject, but she found herself wanting to talk about this. Mitch was a neutral party, and she knew she could trust him to keep quiet.
‘‘Sometimes I know that I would be a good queen. You’re right—I do care about my country and my people. I would happily dedicate my life to them. I have many ideas about improvements. I think it’s important to stay focused on the future and new opportunities while maintaining the life lessons and history of the past.’’
‘‘That sounds great. But what about the other times?’’
She found herself unable to meet his gaze. She stared into her mug of coffee. ‘‘Other times I’m not so sure.’’
‘‘What does that mean?’’
She shook her head. She couldn’t say it. Not to him, not to anyone.
A Royal Baby on the Way Page 10
