They didn’t make it into town until later the next afternoon. One of the horses had turned up lame and they’d spent the morning tending to the injured animal.
‘‘Thanks for your help with Midnight,’’ Mitch said as they drove into Hope.
‘‘You’re more than welcome. I really like working with the horses. They seem so much less complicated than the rest of the world.’’
‘‘I know what you mean.’’
Their conversation fizzled into silence, as it had continually since they’d climbed into his truck. What was going on? he wondered. Last night had been— he shook his head not sure how to describe the previous evening. When they’d walked into his bedroom, it was as if they suddenly couldn’t get enough of each other. While their lovemaking was usually intense, last night they’d barely taken the time to get undressed before falling into bed. He’d needed her so much and his passion and desire had been more than matched by hers. Again and again she’d reached for him, arousing him with her hands and her mouth, making him hard and ready over and over again. They’d barely slept. But this morning when he’d awakened, Alex had already left to return to her own bed. The chilly sheets on her side of the mattress had been an ugly reminder of his future without her.
‘‘Where to?’’ he asked as he drove down the main street.
‘‘The drugstore,’’ she said, pointing to the low building on the far corner. ‘‘Just park in front. I’ll only be a minute.’’
He started to protest, to tell her that he would come inside with her, but she looked faintly embarrassed. He figured she had to buy some female stuff and didn’t need him along for that.
When he parked, she slipped out of the cab and hurried into the store. He stared after her. They had to talk, he reminded himself. One of them had to be willing to say it first. Mitch decided he was going to be the one. As soon as she got back, he was going to flat out tell her that he loved her and then let her take it from there. He wasn’t a prince, he wasn’t sure he was anything close to a prince of a man, but he knew that no one could care about Alex the way he did. There had to be a way to make it work between them. He didn’t want to face a lifetime of a cold, empty bed.
She returned in a matter of minutes. When she slid in beside him, she clutched the plastic bag to her chest. ‘‘I have to tell you something.’’ She wasn’t looking at him. Instead she stared straight ahead.
‘‘What?’’
‘‘My parents are flying out to meet you.’’
A rock hit the pit of his stomach. Mitch wondered if this was how Alex had felt when he’d made his announcement last night. ‘‘Okay. When do they arrive?’’
‘‘I don’t know. It’s supposed to be a surprise, but Laura took pity on me this morning and phoned to tell me.’’
‘‘So we’ll have both sets of parents to deal with. That will be interesting. I’ve never met a king before.’’ He had to swallow hard. ‘‘Betty will be thrilled to be cooking for more royalty.’’
‘‘There’s more,’’ Alex said, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. ‘‘I’m sorry, Mitch.’’ She reached into the bag and pulled out a tabloid. A picture of them dancing together filled the front page. The caption above read ‘‘The Princess and the Cowboy. Royalty Finds Love in the American West.’’
He swore.
‘‘My thoughts exactly. Every tabloid out has a similar headline. I’m really sorry. I didn’t think this would happen when I invited you to the fund-raiser. If I had, I wouldn’t have bothered you.’’
He didn’t know what to say. All his life he’d lived just like everyone else, going about his business without worrying that the rest of the world would intrude. But this was different. He studied the color photograph. Alex looked incredibly beautiful, and he had to admit they looked good together. But this was his personal life on display.
‘‘You’re angry,’’ she said.
‘‘I’m in shock. There’s a difference.’’
‘‘You’re not happy about it.’’
‘‘Of course not. Who would be?’’
She sighed. ‘‘I’m sorry.’’
He tossed down the paper. ‘‘Stop saying that. It’s not your fault. You can’t control what those jackals do.’’
‘‘I know, but…’’
He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. ‘‘Don’t sweat it, princess. We’ll be fine.’’
‘‘Will we? I worry about that. I worry about so many things.’’
‘‘Leave the worrying to me. I have bigger shoulders so I can carry a bigger load. Okay, let’s see what the other headlines say.’’
He reached for her plastic bag. It slipped easily out of her hands, but then she made a grab for it. ‘‘No!’’ she cried.
