‘‘Why did your parents send you instead of hiring a private investigator?’’
Alex flushed slightly. ‘‘The king and queen don’t know about the letter. There have been so many false leads over the years. None of us wanted to upset them again, especially with them preparing for the celebration.’’
Every time he thought he’d figured out what was going on, she threw him another curve. ‘‘What celebration?’’
‘‘My father will have been king for twenty years next year. The entire country will be honoring him. It’s a time of great joy, and my sisters and I didn’t want to distract my parents from that. If we do find James, then their happiness will be complete. If not, they won’t have to deal with any more disappointment.’’
She folded her hands primly together. Mitch noticed she hadn’t touched the mug of coffee he’d offered her. Wasn’t it up to royal standards? Uh-oh. If he was worrying about royal standards, that meant he believed her story. Which meant he believed that she was a princess. Maybe he’d been kicked in the head earlier that day and hadn’t noticed.
‘‘As far as our parents are concerned,’’ Alex continued, ‘‘we’re on a tour of your country, publicizing the upcoming celebration. We’re making several public appearances. The investigation is being kept quiet.’’
Mitch half glanced over his shoulder. Was there going to be more of an invasion? ‘‘Where are your sisters now?’’
‘‘In Aspen. I’m here to talk to John and to go through records at The Sunshine Home. Laura, our social secretary, is setting that up with the present administration.’’
If Alex wasn’t a real princess, she sure had her act together. She spoke formally enough to be royalty. Her accent intrigued him. As did her perfect posture and the faint tilt of her head. He thought about asking if she had any ID with her—maybe a business card with a little crown on it or something.
He held back a grin. This wasn’t really happening, he thought. Women like her didn’t stroll into the lives of men like him. He was a decent guy with a successful ranch. He’d been told he was good-looking, and for what it was worth he believed it. But a princess? No way.
‘‘When is he coming back?’’ Alex asked, interrupting his train of thought.
Mitch looked at her. ‘‘Who? John?’’
She nodded. ‘‘Will he be home this evening?’’
Mitch took a long swallow of coffee. ‘‘I don’t know when John will come home. He’s not gone for the day, he’s just gone. He does that kind of thing. He takes off without saying anything and comes back when he’s done with whatever he’d been doing.’’
Alex stiffened. ‘‘What are you saying? Where does he go?’’
‘‘Hell if I know. He doesn’t talk about it. It’s just his way. He’s been doing it since he was a teenager. For a while my folks tried to keep him on the ranch, but he refused. He was too big to send to his room, so they let him go.’’ What he wasn’t going to tell her was that for a long time he’d been happy to see his brother leave. In the past couple of years, though, he’d come to terms with many things and now he missed John when he was gone.
‘‘But what if you have to get in touch with him? He must phone.’’
‘‘Sometimes. Not always.’’ His gaze narrowed. ‘‘I don’t know what the rules are like where you come from, but here in this country, no one has to check in if he doesn’t want to.’’
Her full lips pursed in obvious annoyance. ‘‘I assure you that Wynborough is not a dictatorship. My point was simply that family members often prefer to stay in touch. What if there was an emergency with your parents?’’
‘‘I don’t have an answer to that. I guess John would just have to live with what happened.’’
Her shoulders slumped a little, the first slip of otherwise perfect posture. ‘‘But I have to talk with him.’’
‘‘You really think he might be your brother?’’ Mitch asked doubtfully. John, the lost royal prince? Mitch turned the idea over in his mind. No, it wasn’t possible, was it?
‘‘I don’t know what to think,’’ Alex admitted. ‘‘I just know that I must speak with him.’’
They both heard footsteps from the hallway. The security men walked into the kitchen. ‘‘Princess Alexandra, how long are you planning to stay this afternoon?’’ the taller of the two asked. ‘‘We have a long drive ahead of us.’’
Alex looked at Mitch. ‘‘Could it really be weeks until he comes back?’’
Mitch nodded.
She drew in a breath. ‘‘Mr. Colton has informed me that his brother is away for an unspecified period of time that could turn into several weeks. I intend to stay in the area until he returns.’’
‘‘That’s not possible,’’ the security agent told her. ‘‘We can’t spare the manpower to keep you safe here and to watch your sisters.’’
‘‘Then hire more people.’’
‘‘And alert your parents?’’
‘‘You’re right,’’ Alex said slowly. ‘‘They would question additional security personnel, and I don’t want them worrying.’’
‘‘Return to Aspen. You can ask Mr. Colton to phone you when his brother returns.’’
Alex rose to her feet. She was tall, five-nine or five-ten. There was something regal about her bearing, and when she turned her full attention on the security agent, Mitch almost felt sorry for the man.
‘‘I’m going to assume that was a suggestion and not an order, Rowan,’’ she said, her voice crackling with ice.
The man inclined his head briefly. ‘‘Yes, Your Highness. However, it is my responsibility to keep you and your sisters safe. That means keeping you together.’’
‘‘We have plans to go to different parts of the country as part of our tour. We’ll be attending various social functions.’’
‘‘Agreed, and we have security set up for all those venues. What we don’t have is enough manpower to set up a separate home base here in a hotel. You would be at risk, and I will not allow that, ma’am.’’
It was a battle of wills, Mitch thought as he leaned back, bracing his chair on two legs. Given the odds, he would put all his money on the princess. She didn’t look like the kind of woman who gave in easily.
‘‘I’m not leaving,’’ she said evenly. ‘‘I want to be close so that I can speak to John Colton as soon as he returns. I also need to spend some time going through records at The Sunshine Home. I can do neither of those things from Aspen.’’ She raised her hand to silence the other man before he could interrupt. ‘‘If you want me to live somewhere secure, I will. I know a place that is relatively isolated and has already passed a security check.’’ She turned to Mitch. ‘‘Would it be too much trouble if I stayed here with you until your brother returned?’’
Mitch’s mouth dropped open at the same time his chair thumped down onto all four legs. Based on the stunned expression on his face, Alex realized she’d caught him off guard with her question. She didn’t want to turn around and look at either of her security people. Rowan, the one in charge of her personal safety, would get coldly quiet, and his assistant, Ted, would be gaping like a fish. She decided to plunge ahead before any of the men could start with the protests.