A Royal Mess and Her Knight To Remember

“Tim-”

“Promise, Natalia.”

So intense. So absolutely fierce. “I promise.”

“Okay.” He relaxed slightly, and smiled. “Okay.”

What about us? she wanted to cry.

But there was no us. If she was pregnant, he wanted to know. If she wasn’t, then there was no need to write or call or visit.

She was free to go, no regrets, nothing.

Now she really was going to lose it. Pushing past him she went into the bathroom. As she shut the door, she said, “I’ll make an early lunch. Then…”

Then she’d go.

From the other side of the door, Tim didn’t say anything.

He’d probably already walked away. Pathetically close to tears, Natalia stripped and stepped into the shower, which hadn’t yet heated.

But there was one good thing about freezing off her vital body parts. She didn’t have the breath left for tears.

STRENGTHENED IN BODY if not spirit by her unintentionally icy shower, Natalia went down to the kitchen and made lunch. Actually, she improvised, as she had an unusual amount of dinner left over from last night. Basically she just reheated her first attempt at American chili and flagged down Sally, thinking they wouldn’t mind eating such great fare two meals in a row, right?

Besides, this way Sally could take it out to the men, and Natalia could dwell on leaving. On not seeing these people ever again.

Especially one Timothy Banning, who apparently couldn’t wait to get rid of her.

After Sally left, pretending to gag over the smell of lunch, Natalia sat at the empty kitchen table, her heart heavy.

And knew. She couldn’t do it. Couldn’t leave with out seeing them, if only one last time.

She walked out of the house and to the barn, thinking this life should have been hers. She’d have loved it.

In fact, she’d better not look at Tim too closely, or she might mistake a simple smile for a sign that she was meant to stay.

Opening the barn door, an anticipatory smile on her face, she stepped forward.

And froze.

There, in front of her, were Tim and Red and the others. Huddled in front of a little plug-in heater, staring with hungry-looking eyes at five frozen burritos sitting on top of it.

“Highway robbery, I’m telling you,” Red said.

Seth shook his head. “I think five bucks apiece is fair, and if you don’t, someone else will pay it. Now who wants chips? A buck a bag, which is a good price, I’m telling you.”

Steam rose off the burritos, and the scent of heated beans and cheese filled the air.

On the floor next to the heater was Mrs. Pig, standing in front of several bowls of chili. Her chili.

Mrs. Pig wasn’t eating it, either.

12

DUMBFOUNDED, Natalia stood there with her mouth open, staring at all of them. “What are you doing?”

Tim, caught in the act of holding out his bowl for Mrs. Pig, who kept turning her head away while making a very clear sound of disgust, straightened. “Natalia.”

“That would be my name.” She looked at Red, who had his bowl out, too, though Mrs. Pig didn’t want anything to do with that one, either.

Peter’s bowl was there, as well, full but also ignored, as he devoured not one but two store-bought, individually wrapped burritos. One for each hand. He put them behind his back and sent her a wavering smile. A wavering smile rimmed with hot sauce, if she wasn’t mistaken.

Sally didn’t try to hide the fact she’d been eating a burrito instead of her chili. She just kept eating. “My jeans are tight, and I believe that’s your fault,” was all she said.

Maybe a large hole could open up in the earth and swallow Natalia in one bite. That would work. Or an alien ship could land and kidnap her. Even being probed would be better than facing this. “I thought this was only a morning ritual.”

“That’s for the candy bars,” Red said, “This burrito thing, it’s actually new.”

“How long have you all been doing this?” Natalia asked.

Pete stared at something fascinating down by his boots. Seth stared at something fascinating on the ceiling. Tim winced, but at least came forward to talk to her, though Sally beat him to the punch.

“Since the beginning,” she said cheerfully.

“Sally,” said Tim.

“Oh, please. I’m tired of saving her feelings.” Sally turned to Natalia. “You know I didn’t like you. I resented the intrusion, I resented how great you looked in your leather clothes and your badass attitude. I really resented the way you stared at my brother when you thought you were alone.”

“Well.” Natalia clasped her hands together. “Why don’t you just tell me how you really feel.”

“Felt. Not feel. Now I think you’re okay. It’s just your cooking that sucks.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Tim said.

“Really?” Natalia asked. “Then tell me what you were doing. No, better yet, I’ll tell you. You were trying to feed the animals what I’d cooked. And even they didn’t want it.” How humiliating was that? “You know what? I’m thinking it’s time to go.” She didn’t have a fairy godmother to pull out her magic wand and wave it, but she had Amelia, the next best thing.

Tim put a hand over her arm, his eyes regretful. “Wait. You know we’d never hurt your feelings on purpose-”

She did know that, which is what made it all the more embarrassing. “You were paying me to waste your food, Tim. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?”

“Lucky?” Sally guessed.

“I wanted you to stay,” Tim said. Behind him the men cleared their throat. “We wanted you to stay,” he corrected. “And before I knew you were the most capable, strong, incredible woman I’ve ever met, I thought I was helping you. I didn’t want you to go before you were ready.”

Natalia stared at him, knowing this was her fault, not his. “I know I sound like an old record here. But I am a princess. A royal. As in, snap my fingers and have someone come running.”

“Dipping in the cooking sherry again, huh?” Sally asked.

Natalia turned on her. “Do you think I need this headache? Believe me, I have enough of my own.”

Sally looked at Tim and circled a finger near her ear, signifying Natalia was crazy.

“I am crazy,” Natalia confirmed. “To have put up with this.” She whipped out the cell phone in her back pocket and dialed, her eyes on Tim. “I’m done.” With each ring, her heart cracked a little more, shattered a little more, but there was no going back now. She was making the phone call that would change her life.

Their lives.

“Uh, Princess?” Sally stepped closer. “Unless you’re calling…I don’t know…Siberia or somewhere, you’ve entered too many numbers.”

“Grunberg isn’t Siberia.” Natalia waited, hoping to hear her daddy’s voice. Annie’s or Lili’s voice. Anyone’s voice.

And when Amelia said hello in her cheery British accent, she nearly started crying. “A-A-Amelia?”