thumb at Alex. ‘‘Seems to me the lady is the one in charge. Now why don’t you go do what you have to so she can get her way in this?’’
Alex’s mouth twitched again, but she forced herself to maintain a pleasantly neutral, faintly regal expression. It was one she’d perfected in her teens, after hours of practicing in front of a mirror. When Rowan pulled a cellular phone from his pocket and ventured out of the kitchen, Mitch gave her a quick wink.
He was nice, she thought with some surprise. She’d been so caught up in the excitement of actually being on a working ranch, then disappointed that John Colton wasn’t available, that she hadn’t paid much attention to her host. He had an ease about him. Even though he was having a little trouble dealing with the fact that she was a princess, he didn’t let the information overwhelm him. She had a feeling he was one of those people who would quickly forget the fact and start treating her like a regular person. The thought was heady indeed. She was rarely allowed to be anything but the eldest daughter of a king.
‘‘Is this really that important?’’ Mitch asked. ‘‘I don’t usually get into power struggles with complete strangers, but I didn’t like his attitude.’’
Rowan and Ted had retired to one of the other rooms. She could hear both of their voices as they made the necessary calls to find out all they could about Mitch Colton and his ranch.
‘‘It’s important to my family,’’ she said. It was also important to her, but she wasn’t going to share her personal reasons for wanting to know the truth about her brother. She couldn’t say she missed James. She’d been born nearly a year after he’d been kidnapped so they’d never met. But until she knew for sure if there was a male heir to the Wynborough throne, she couldn’t plan her life.
‘‘Seems like a lot of fuss just to have a conversation,’’ Mitch told her. His gaze moved down her body, then retraced the journey back to her face. ‘‘You look like the kind of woman who makes trouble. That true?’’
This time Alex allowed herself to smile. ‘‘I don’t believe I’ve ever made trouble in the past.’’
‘‘Right.’’ The single word was issued in a tone of disbelief. ‘‘In my experience, someone as attractive as you can’t help but make trouble.’’
Alex felt a flush of pleasure stain her cheeks. He thought she was attractive? ‘‘Thank you.’’
‘‘You can take it as a compliment if you want, but I didn’t mean it in a good way. I don’t want trouble in my life. I like things just the way they are.’’
‘‘I’m not going to change things.’’
He shook his head. ‘‘You can’t help it, princess. You’ve got high maintenance written all over you.’’
Alex was reasonably confident she’d been insulted, but she wasn’t sure how. ‘‘High maintenance? What does that mean?’’
He walked to the large window over the sink and stared out at the well-tended yard beyond. It was late October and many of the flowers had lost their blossoms, but lush green stalks still grew up toward the sun.
‘‘It means you’ve got more luggage than what’s in your trunk and that I’m going to regret not letting your security guy win.’’
She stiffened. ‘‘While I do have more luggage that will be sent to me, I promise not to get in the way. I’ll need a bedroom and some place to set up an office. I have to stay in touch with both my sisters and the palace.’’ She thought about the logistics. ‘‘Maybe a couple of phone lines for calls and the fax machine. The computer can share that line and…’’ She glanced at him. ‘‘Is that what you meant by high maintenance? I assure you I will cover any expenses.’’
‘‘I don’t doubt that for a minute.’’ He jerked his head toward the closed kitchen door. ‘‘Your security people are going to give me and my employees the all clear, so let me give you the nickel tour and you can start planning your redecorating.’’
As he left the bright kitchen, Alex trailed after him. ‘‘Mr. Colton, I sense your resistance to this plan. While I need to be close to speak with your brother when he returns, I won’t stay here if you find the idea repugnant.’’
He’d walked into a large living room. Like the kitchen, the room was big with hardwood floors and oversize pieces of furniture. Brightly colored rugs picked up tones from the sofas and the paintings on the walls. A huge rock fireplace dominated the far wall. It was a room one could relax in, she thought as her gaze drifted from the dozens of family pictures over the mantel to the handmade afghan over the back of the sofa.
Mitch stopped in the middle of the room and spun on his heel to face her. ‘‘Let’s get a couple of things straight. First, call me Mitch. I’ll call you Alex, even if it’s gonna give your security people a seizure.’’
‘‘Rowan’s more of a silent suffering kind of individual.’’
Mitch’s stern expression relaxed a little. He had warm brown eyes, she thought. And a very nice mouth—well shaped and firm looking, without being hard. She’d never really taken the time to notice a man’s mouth before. How strange that she should do so now.
‘‘Second,’’ Mitch went on, ‘‘try to avoid using really big words. It’s not that I don’t have a college degree, but folks around here prefer life simple and their friends straightforward. You’re a little fancy for the ranch, so you’re going to have a work at fitting in.’’
Alex didn’t know how to respond to that. ‘‘I’ll do my best,’’ she managed.
‘‘That’s all anyone can ask.’’
He led the way through the living room and down a long hallway. ‘‘The house has five bedrooms. I’m going to give you the two at the back of the house because they have the most privacy. There’s a Jack-and-Jill bathroom between them. This was always sort of the guest suite, so it should suit your needs.’’
She had a brief impression of open doors and large bedrooms, then Mitch came to a stop at the end of the hallway. He moved aside to let her enter first.
Alex stepped into a large bedroom with a four-poster bed and a long triple dresser. To the left, a big bay window let in light and had a window seat. The quilt and matching rugs looked handmade and very old. She walked to the bed and touched the pale-pink-and-green quilted squares. The tiny stitches told their own story and she wondered about the women who had spent hours making this gift of the heart.
‘‘It’s lovely,’’ she said, meaning both the room and the handmade spread.
‘‘It’s no palace, but it’s clean and quiet. That armoire has a television in it. We have a satellite dish so you can keep up with what’s going on back home.’’
Alex checked out the walk-in closet. Her clothes would fit nicely. ‘‘I won’t have any trouble with that. I’ll be sent daily bulletins. Some things will come by fax or e-mail, but the sensitive documents will be hand delivered by a messenger.’’
‘‘What’s so important that it can’t wait until you get home?’’
She looked at him and smiled. ‘‘I’m not just a princess. I have official state duties that continue to be my
