‘‘But what if they’re terrible?’’
‘‘We’re using my secret recipe, so they’re going to be terrific. Don’t you worry about how they’ll taste.’’
‘‘I hope you’re right,’’ Alex said doubtfully.
‘‘Trust me. We’ll be turning you into a pastry chef in no time.’’ Betty stirred a cup of nuts into the rapidly thickening fudge. ‘‘So how’s the search for your long-lost brother coming?’’
‘‘I’m not sure,’’ Alex admitted. ‘‘I’ve been back to The Sunshine Home twice, and every time I’m there, the task of going through the records gets more and more daunting. Mitch helped me sort the boxes by year and subject, but then when I started searching through them I realized that what the label said and what was in the boxes were two very different things. Apparently people have searched for records before, but they didn’t file things back where they belonged. I think I’m going to have to talk to my sisters and have one or two of them come here and help me.’’
‘‘Sounds like a plan,’’ Betty said. She glanced over and studied the way Alex rolled out the dough. ‘‘Just exactly like you’re doing. Smooth and even.’’
Alex flashed her a grateful smile. ‘‘You’re being very patient.’’
‘‘I’m enjoying your company.’’
‘‘I’m having fun, too,’’ she said. If truth were told, she liked almost everything about her stay. Most especially Mitch. He was an unexpectedly wonderful bonus. If she was honest with herself, she didn’t mind the time she’d had to spend here, nor did she mind that her sisters were too busy with public appearances to join her anytime soon. She wasn’t sure she wanted either Elizabeth or Serena getting a look at her handsome cowboy host.
She finished with the second piecrust and started on the third. ‘‘My sister Katherine is busy tracking a lead right now, but I’m sure that Serena and Elizabeth will come to Hope eventually. We have to coordinate our schedules. Right now they’re busy with personal appearances.’’
‘‘Do you have any of those planned?’’
‘‘I have one on Saturday in Los Angeles. It’s a large fund-raiser for a local cancer center. But other than that, I’m free until after the first of the year.’’
‘‘Well, whenever your sisters arrive, they’ll be welcome here.’’
‘‘That would be too many of us,’’ Alex said. ‘‘I think they’ll be better off at a hotel.’’
Betty gave her a quick, knowing look but didn’t say anything, except to direct her to pour the prepared pumpkin filling into the piecrusts. ‘‘Then we bake,’’ the older woman said, ‘‘and tomorrow we’ll taste them.’’
‘‘Couldn’t we taste one tonight and make sure that they’re all right?’’
‘‘Have a little faith.’’
‘‘Oh, I have plenty of faith,’’ Alex murmured as she placed the three pies into the oven. ‘‘I’m just not so sure about my crust-making abilities.’’
* * *
‘‘Just promise,’’ Alex insisted several hours later as she and Mitch relaxed in the living room after dinner.
He made an X over his heart. ‘‘I promise I won’t laugh at you tomorrow if your pumpkin pies are gross.’’
She reached behind her and grabbed one of the small, decorative cushions in the corner of the couch and threatened him with it. ‘‘I didnotsay they would be gross. I said I was the tiniest bit concerned about how they might taste and I wanted you to promise to be gentle.’’
His brown eyes darkened with an emotion that had nothing to do with her pies. ‘‘I will always be gentle with you, Alex.’’
How did he do that? she wondered as her thighs began to tremble and her heart thundered wildly against her breastbone. With just a sultry tone and a few casual words he reduced her to a quivering mass. She felt like a heroine from a daytime drama. One of those wild women who do anything for passion. Which didn’t make sense. She was Princess Alexandra of Wynborough. She was neither passionate nor wild. So why was she so different when she was with Mitch?
‘‘What are you thinking?’’ he asked. ‘‘You have the oddest expression on your face.’’
She shook her head. ‘‘Nothing really.’’
‘‘Liar.’’
‘‘All right. How about if I say that it’s personal?’’
‘‘That I’ll accept.’’ He took a sip of his brandy, then grinned. ‘‘So, what were you thinking?’’
This time she actually smacked him with the small, fluffy cushion. He had the nerve to laugh at her. ‘‘Yeah, like that’s going to hurt.’’
