Page 17 of Summer on the Ranch (Royally Wed #1)

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.’’