‘‘Please,’’ she said as she rose to her feet. ‘‘Although, if you insist on being impertinent, you run the risk of being beheaded.’’
‘‘You still do that sort of thing?’’
She gave him a quick grin. ‘‘Daily.’’
‘‘Wow. And here I was planning a visit to Wynborough. Guess I’ll have to pass.’’
‘‘Don’t worry. If you do something wrong and are in danger of being beheaded, just mention my name. I have a little pull with the royal family.’’
‘‘Really?’’
She made an X over her heart. ‘‘I swear.’’
* * *
Mitch turned a page in album and pointed to a five-by-seven picture. ‘‘That’s my brother, John.’’
Alex stared down at the photograph of the young boy standing next to a horse. She studied the face, the eyes, the shape of the mouth, searching for some similarity. ‘‘How old was he here?’’
‘‘Probably around ten. What do you think?’’
She pressed her lips together. ‘‘I’m not sure. I want to say there’s something familiar about his expression, but I can’t tell if I’m seeing what’s there or if it’s wishful thinking on my part.’’
Mitch patted the album. ‘‘There are a dozen more pictures of him. Maybe the ones when he’s older will help more.’’
‘‘Maybe,’’ she agreed, then leaned forward and picked up her mug of coffee.
They’d moved to the living room and were sitting next to each other on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Mitch had started a fire, which now crackled cheerfully. The scent of wood smoke, the lingering taste of chocolate from Betty’s decadent mousse, the warmth of the man sitting so close to her all gave Alex an odd feeling of belonging. Which didn’t make any sense. After all, she hadn’t even been at the ranch for a week. Yet she felt at home here, especially now that she and Mitch were getting along better.
Mitch flipped to the next page. He and John stood next to each other. Mitch held a first-place ribbon in his hand. ‘‘What’s that for?’’ she asked.
‘‘Junior rodeo. Bronc riding and calf roping.’’
She glanced at him and smiled. ‘‘Very impressive.’’
He shrugged off the compliment. ‘‘I grew up on a ranch. It came with the territory.’’
She turned her attention to the second boy in the picture. Again she couldn’t tell if John had any of the family features. ‘‘The problem is my sisters and I don’t all look alike,’’ she said. ‘‘So there’s no reason to think our brother would be instantly recognizable. It’s a thirty-year-old mystery. Maybe we’re fooling ourselves into thinking that we can find out what happened.’’
‘‘Don’t give up,’’ Mitch said. ‘‘You’ve got some new information and you still have The Sunshine Home to investigate. You’ll find out what happened.’’
‘‘I hope so. The owner said the boxes of records would be available next week. They’re being delivered from a storage facility. I’m looking forward to going through them.’’
He continued to turn pages. She watched as Mitch and his brother grew up from gangly boys into handsome young men. There were family Christmases and different birthdays. One picture showed a very serious Mitch in a black tuxedo standing next to a pretty blonde.
‘‘School dance,’’ he said by way of explanation. ‘‘I was sixteen.’’
‘‘Your school put on dances? For the students?’’
‘‘Sure. A couple every year. It was a big deal. Did the royal set do that sort of thing?’’
He was close enough that his broad shoulder occasionally brushed against hers. She liked the contact and had to consciously keep herself from leaning into him each time. ‘‘No. There were formal occasions such as fund-raisers and balls, but nothing just for the teenagers. That would have been a lot of fun.’’
‘‘You sure were raised different.’’
That made her laugh. ‘‘It comes with the territory.’’
She turned the next page and froze when she saw a wedding photo. Mitch stood next to a pretty young woman in a white bridal gown. There were a half dozen bridesmaids and groomsmen, along with both sets of parents.
