A Royal Baby on the Way

‘‘Sometimes we are, too,’’ Alex admitted. She glanced around the homey room. The decorations had a woman’s touch. ‘‘Did you and Mitch’s mother decorate the house?’’

‘‘Most of it. Now that she’s moved away, I don’t change things as much as I used to. Mitch’s study is off-limits, of course, as is his bedroom. That man is incredibly stubborn about certain things.’’

He might be stubborn, Alex thought, but he was also a man of his word. He’d told her that they should stay out of each other’s way, and so far that was exactly what he’d done. She’d barely seen him since Sunday, and when she had sought him out to ask him a question, he grunted rather than answered. Telling herself it was silly didn’t make the faint sensation of disappointment go away. Foolishly she’d thought they could be friends.

She glanced at Betty. The housekeeper had known Mitch since he was a boy. Alex had thought about asking her about him, but hadn’t quite worked up the nerve or the right question. Impulsively she decided she might as well plunge in with both feet.

‘‘I’m surprised Mitch isn’t married.’’

Betty snorted. ‘‘I keep telling him he needs a woman around here, but he doesn’t listen. Of course, there aren’t that many to choose from in the area, and city girls don’t usually take to ranch life.’’ Her gaze turned speculative. ‘‘You’re different enough from…’’ She shook her head. ‘‘Never mind. I won’t discuss his personal business.’’

Alex brushed her hand self-consciously against her wool skirt, then touched the cuff of her silk blouse. What personal business? she wanted to ask, but didn’t.

‘‘No. It wouldn’t work at all.’’ Betty set her cup on the tray and started to laugh. ‘‘I had a moment of being crazy. Oil and water. A fancy woman and a simple man.’’ Betty chuckled again. ‘‘I mean simple in his ways, not in his head. Mitch is about as smart as they come.’’

Alex realized that Betty had wondered about her and Mitch. ‘‘You’re right, it wouldn’t work. You should have seen the look he gave me when I asked him about covered parking for my car.’’

‘‘You’ve changed things for him, and he doesn’t much like that. But give him time. Sometimes the grumpy old bear can be sweet as pie.’’

‘‘I’d settle for an actual conversation,’’ Alex said.

Betty smiled and rose to her feet. ‘‘I have some fresh salmon. Would you like that for lunch?’’

‘‘How nice. Thank you.’’

‘‘I’ll see you in a few hours,’’ Betty said, then left.

Alex stood up, but instead of returning to her desk, she crossed to the window. From there she could see out to the paddocks by the barn. Mitch stood there, talking with two other men. She couldn’t hear what he was saying, but she could see the gestures he made as he spoke. The other two listened with obvious respect.

She told herself it didn’t matter what he thought of her. She was here because she had to find out the truth about her brother. But even though she believed the words, she didn’t like them. She didn’t want Mitch to resent her presence on his ranch. Unfortunately, she didn’t know how to change things. She was great at large-party small talk and giving speeches about needy children, but one-on-one with a man was a mystery.

To make matters worse, she didn’t even think Mitch liked her. At first she’d thought he had, but something had changed and she didn’t know what. If she didn’t know what was wrong, she couldn’t know how to fix it.

‘‘It doesn’t matter,’’ she told herself, speaking aloud. ‘‘I have work to do.’’

So she returned to her desk, but it was a long time before she could forget the handsome cowboy outside and focus on the details of the report in front of her.

Chapter Four (#ulink_6a636221-dbd3-521d-a63a-a2cb5ab9ff57)

Mitch held out his coffee mug but didn’t say anything as Betty filled the cup. The bad mood that hovered over him like a cloud had him seeing no point in inflicting himself on his housekeeper. This despite the fact that she was going out of her way to bait him.

‘‘You know she has the most beautiful jewelry,’’ Betty was saying. ‘‘She showed me several pieces. There are some diamonds and pearls and even this tiara that’s been in her family for nearly four hundred years. Can you imagine?’’

‘‘Not really,’’ Mitch grumbled. ‘‘Can we talk about something else?’’

‘‘Like what?’’ Betty’s expression was all innocence, but he knew her better than that. She’d figured out that talking about Alex bugged him, so she was doing it as much as she dared.

‘‘I don’t get the fascination,’’ he said, glaring at her. ‘‘The woman is a menace. She’s taken over the ranch like she’s the new owner.’’

‘‘That’s hardly true,’’ Betty protested. ‘‘She barely leaves her office.’’

‘‘Why should she? Everyone comes to her. If it’s not a messenger service arriving two and three times a day, it’s the phone ringing at all hours. I feel like I’m living in a hotel. A man can barely get a decent meal these days.’’

Betty raised her eyebrows as she placed his steaming breakfast in front of him. It was just past six in the morning, but she’d already prepared him eggs, bacon and pancakes. ‘‘Are you complaining about my cooking?’’

‘‘No.’’ He wasn’t going to get Betty annoyed with him. He’d done that a couple of times before and had suffered through a series of vegetarian casseroles and tofu stir-fries until he’d had the good sense to apologize.

‘‘I didn’t think so.’’ She poured herself coffee and settled in the seat opposite his. ‘‘I don’t see what the problem is. Princess Alexandra is a wonderful young woman. I’m proud to know her.’’

‘‘Good for you.’’

Nothing was going the way it was supposed to, he thought glumly. He’d hoped that by avoiding the woman in question, he would forget about his attraction to her. Unfortunately, not physically being in the same room wasn’t enough. He caught glimpses of her from time to time. On a working ranch where everyone wore jeans and sensible boots, including Betty, Alex dressed in silk shirts and long, swaying skirts. When he couldn’t see her, he could hear her voice. When he couldn’t hear her, he could smell her. That damn perfume of hers permeated the house like a stink bomb. The sweet scent was everywhere. If he didn’t know better, he would swear that Betty was washing his sheets in the damn stuff.

He was spending so much time trying not to think about her that she ended up being the only thing he did think about. He was thirty-three years old, and he had it worse than he’d ever had it at seventeen.

‘‘I think Princess Alexandra is doing her best to fit in,’’ Betty said. ‘‘After all, this is her first trip to our country. We should try to make her feel at home.’’

‘‘No one has to try to do anything. She’s at home, all right. She’s the one running the show around here.’’

‘‘If you have a complaint, you should take it up with Princess Alexandra directly.’’

He slammed his mug onto the table and ignored the coffee that sloshed over onto his hand. ‘‘Would you stop calling her that!’’

‘‘What?’’ Betty was innocence personified. In a pig’s eye, he thought.

‘‘Princess Alexandra. She wants to be called Alex.’’

‘‘I like her title. She doesn’t mind that I use it, so you shouldn’t, either.’’

‘‘You’re only doing it to bug me.’’

Betty smiled. ‘‘Maybe, but only because you’ve earned it. If you have any beefs, why don’t you take them up directly with her?’’

He picked up a fork and stabbed his steaming eggs. ‘‘Alex is imperious, snotty, bossy and always expects to get her way. Look at what she has you cooking for her. What was that thing you made for lunch yesterday?’’

Betty stole a strip of bacon from his plate and munched on it. ‘‘Salmon with penne pasta in a cream sauce, steamed baby vegetables and crème brûlée for dessert. Speaking of dessert, I saw you ate two, so don’t try to tell me you didn’t like it.’’

‘‘I did like it, but that’s not the point. You’re not her personal chef. You shouldn’t have to spend so much time catering to her.’’

‘‘I enjoy the challenge,’’ Betty said. ‘‘If you had your way, you’d eat steak and baked potatoes every night. How exciting is that?’’

‘‘It’s plain, simple food. Good enough for me and my family. What about the wine? It’s all imported. How much is it costing me?’’

‘‘She brought her own wine with her. As for it being imported, most of it is from California, or so you’d know if you bothered to look instead of casting blame where it doesn’t belong. If you want my opinions, I think she irritates you so much because you’re two peas in a pod.’’

He nearly choked on his mouthful of pancakes. When he’d finished chewing, he swallowed and glared at her. ‘‘What?’’

‘‘You heard me. You think the princess is imperious and wants to get her own way? Well, the only reason you recognize those particular qualities is that you have them yourself. Looking in the emotional mirror is always painful.’’