Page 13 of Summer on the Ranch (Royally Wed #1)

Did it matter? She couldn’t pursue anything with Mitch. She was the oldest daughter of a king, and he was a rancher. Her life was in Wynborough and his was in Arizona. Even if she wanted a relationship with Mitch, it wasn’t possible. Besides, would he want more than just sex with her?

‘‘I just won’t think about it,’’ she said firmly. ‘‘I will put the kiss and all it implies out of my mind. I will pretend it never happened. I’m sure Mitch will do the same. We’ll go on as before. Nothing has changed.’’

That decided, Alex turned on her side. She would make one more attempt at sleep. But instead of growing drowsy, once again she found herself caught up in the memories of the magic that had been Mitch’s kiss.

* * *

Two days later when Alex walked into the barn in the early afternoon, she was shocked to see Mitch standing in front of one of the stalls.

She hadn’t seen him since the night of their kiss.

That next morning, after she’d slept until nearly ten, which was startling in and of itself, she’d found that she was on her own.

Betty had informed her that Mitch had left shortly after dawn to buy a mare he’d been interested in for some time.

Alex had tried not to take the news personally and after sternly lecturing herself two or three more times, she’d actually been able to put him and their kiss out of her mind.

She’d spent the last two days working in her office in the morning, then out in the barn in the afternoon.

She’d only thought about Mitch every ten or fifteen minutes and the kiss maybe half as many times.

But now he was here, and all the physical sensations and emotional confusion crashed in on her. She didn’t know if she should announce her presence or make a strategic retreat. Before she could decide, he glanced up and saw her.

‘‘Come meet the new lady in my life,’’ he said, motioning her forward.

Alex walked over to the stall and saw a beautiful bay mare. But instead of moving toward her visitors, the animal shuddered and backed into a corner.

Mitch’s expression tightened. ‘‘She’s one of the best brood mares I’ve ever run across.

I tried to buy her three years ago, but the owner sold him to a neighbor.

Unfortunately that particular bastard isn’t known for treating horses well.

He’s got her so spooked, she hasn’t foaled in eighteen months.

I finally convinced him to sell her to me. ’’

He turned his attention back to the mare. ‘‘Come on, sweet thing. You’re going to be happy here.’’ The mare flattened her ears and bumped into the corner.

Mitch moved back a couple of steps. ‘‘Her offspring are prizewinners, but it’s going to take a lot of time to get her relaxed enough to breed again.’’

Alex didn’t know what to say. She was torn between responding to his conversation about the mare and wondering how he could act so…so…normal. Then she reminded herself that their kiss might have only been significant to her. Maybe Mitch felt that kind of passion all the time.

‘‘You’ll never guess her name,’’ he said, studying the mare rather than her.

She was too caught up in her reaction to him to come up with even one creative response. ‘‘What is it?’’

He shot her a grin. ‘‘Princess.’’ Then he held up his hands. ‘‘Before you say anything, I swear I didn’t make that up or change it because of you. I can show you her papers if you’d like.’’

‘‘No. I believe you.’’ She pushed up the sleeves of her light jacket and studied the mare. ‘‘She’s very beautiful.’’

‘‘I thought maybe you’d like to try working with her.’’

She glanced at Mitch in surprise. ‘‘Me?’’

‘‘Sure.’’ He smiled. ‘‘You’re patient and gentle, not to mention female. Most of her abuse came from high-handed males. You’re good with horses, and I trust you, Alex.’’

A thrill of pleasure zipped through her, but this wasn’t the passionate kind.

This warmth came from his praise and the fact that he’d noticed her work.

‘‘I’d like that,’’ she told him sincerely.

She gestured to the large barn. ‘‘I know that I’ve been an intrusion on your life, but I want to thank you again for putting up with me. I’m really enjoying my time here. ’’

‘‘Not too quiet?’’

‘‘Not at all. I love the peace and the silence.’’ She leaned against the stall door.

‘‘It’s not that I mind the visitors who are always touring the castle. I understand that their interest is important to the continuation of the monarchy. On a practical level, the money they bring in helps defray the cost of upkeep on a very old building.’’ She paused.

‘‘But sometimes I wish home could just be home.’’

Mitch folded his arms over his chest. ‘‘Tourists? In the castle?’’

‘‘We do tours. Similar to what is offered at your White House.’’ She smiled. ‘‘I confess I also don’t miss the servants.’’

‘‘You don’t mind turning down your own bed?’’

She made a show of glancing over her shoulder. ‘‘Don’t tell anyone, but just yesterday Betty showed me how to use the washer. I actually did my own laundry.’’

He grinned. ‘‘Hey, that’s more than I do.’’

‘‘So she said.’’ She looked at him, at his handsome face and the way his smile made his eyes scrunch up at the corners. ‘‘My point is, I appreciate the opportunity to be here, even for a short period of time. It’s been very restful.’’

Mitch nodded thoughtfully. ‘‘I know what you mean. When I was on the rodeo circuit, I used to get homesick. I didn’t like going to a different town every weekend. All the crowds, the strange beds.’’

‘‘I’ve seen rodeos on television. It’s a difficult sport. Did you get hurt?’’

He shrugged. ‘‘I broke a few bones, but that’s it. I was young and I thought I wanted the adventure.’’ His smile returned. ‘‘And the women.’’

‘‘Rodeo groupies? Like the rock stars have?’’

‘‘Similar. We call ’em buckle bunnies.’’

She frowned and tried to remember where she’d heard that expression before.

‘‘Oh. You called me that when I first arrived. You thought that was why I was here. Because I wanted to, well…’’ Her voice trailed off.

She felt the heat on her cheeks and had to turn away to study the quiet bay mare standing in the center of her stall.

‘‘Speaking of which.’’

Mitch’s voice came from much closer than it had, just a moment before.

When she turned back to him, she found that he’d moved next to her.

He wore jeans and a faded blue shirt, but she didn’t care about that.

He had a strength about him. Being with Mitch made her feel more safe than any number of royal bodyguards.

‘‘About that kiss,’’ he said.

Alex had to swallow before she could speak. ‘‘Oh, that.’’ She wanted to look away, but she didn’t want him to know how much she’d been affected by their embrace. She kept her gaze on his face. ‘‘What did you want to say?’’

‘‘I’m not sorry it happened.’’ He reached out his hand as if he was going to touch her face, then he lowered his arm to his side. ‘‘But it would never work out between us. Sex, I mean. It would be great. But it would complicate things. Neither of us wants that.’’

‘‘You’re right. Neither of us does.’’ Her voice was steady, despite the trembling of her legs and the rapid flutter of her heart.

He thought the sex would be great? It was all she could do to keep herself from grinning or asking how he could be so sure.

Not that she doubted him or wanted him to believe otherwise.

‘‘So my suggestion is that we pretend it never happened.’’

She nodded sagely. ‘‘Of course. It’s already forgotten.’’

‘‘We’ll just be friends.’’

‘‘Yes. Friends would be wise.’’

But he was standing terribly close for a man who was just her friend, she thought as heat from his body seeped into hers.

And there was a glint of something in his brown eyes.

Wanting, maybe? Desire? Her stomach had started tightening at the thought of him so near to her, and her legs weren’t getting any steadier.

There was also the issue of her mouth which seemed to be quivering ever so slightly.

‘‘Speaking of friends…and family,’’ she said, making an effort to sound casual. ‘‘Have you heard from your brother?’’

‘‘Not yet.’’

They stared at each other. Mitch started to lean toward her, then straightened, turned on his heel and headed for the door.

‘‘I gotta make a call,’’ he yelled over his shoulder.

But his rapid retreat didn’t fool her for a second.

Mitch Colton wanted her. Alex felt it all the way to her bones.

What a heady feeling to know that a handsome, virile man wanted her in his bed.

No one had before. She didn’t doubt that there had been many men interested in her, but much more for the power and prestige she would bring rather than for herself.

Mitch didn’t care that she was a princess.

If anything, her lineage was a complication he didn’t want.

She turned to the mare with the bruised expression.

‘‘This is all probably very strange to you,’’ she murmured as she reached in her pocket and pulled out a sliced apple.

She held a piece in the palm of her hand.

‘‘Humans and their odd rituals. Your way is much more sensible. It’s about biology and one’s place in the herd. ’’

The mare took a tentative step closer. Her gaze had settled on the slice of apple.

‘‘The problem is, I don’t know my place,’’ Alex admitted, keeping her voice low and gentle. She knew it didn’t matter what she said, she just had to keep talking. Winning the animal’s trust was going to take time and patience.

‘‘You’re going to like it here,’’ she continued. ‘‘Mitch is a fine man. Very gentle. He won’t let anyone hurt you. In time you’ll feel better and you’ll be able to have lots of pretty babies. Won’t that be nice?’’

Alex ignored the familiar ache inside of her, the one that reminded her how much she wanted to be a mother, too. A dream she rarely allowed herself. When had life gotten so complicated?

The mare shied suddenly and returned to the corner of the stall.

Alex put the slice of apple on the top of the door and took several steps back.

Nearly a full five minutes later, the mare approached and snatched away the treat.

At that moment Alex knew the mare was going to be fine.

It would take a while, but the animal would heal, and her trust in people would be restored.

As Alex walked out of the barn, she wished she could be as sure about her own outcome.

There were so many unanswered questions.

What if they found her brother? What if they didn’t?

The laws of Wynborough required that a male heir inherit the throne, but without her brother, there were no male heirs.

What about her? What did she want? As she stepped into the cool afternoon light, she caught sight of Mitch driving out to check on the cattle.

Her heart stirred in her chest, and her breath caught in her throat.

Mitch? Did she want him? But she was a princess and he was a rancher, and there was no way to make their two worlds intersect.

She had a duty to her country and to her parents.

And Mitch, what did he have? She looked at the well-kept barn, the low, one-story ranch house and the mountains in the distance.

Mitch, she decided, had the most perfect life imaginable.