A Royal Mess and Her Knight To Remember

“Natalia, honey!”

“I-” Her eyes locked on Tim’s, she swallowed.

“You need me,” came Amelia’s sure voice.

“Yes.”

“I’m close by. I’ll be there in no time.”

Dial tone. Natalia stared down at the phone in her hand. Amelia was close by? How like her to just know. Just like the time Natalia had run away from home on a delivery truck, getting herself good and lost within Grunberg’s capital city of Spitzenstein before calling home collect.

Amelia had come and found her then, within moments, no questions asked.

Maybe Amelia was better than a fairy godmother after all.

Everyone in the barn was staring at her as if she’d lost her mind. Everyone but Tim. Gaze solemn, he came closer, and right in front of everyone, cupped her face in his hands and gave her one of those soft, melting kisses that made her forget her name. His hands slid down, over her shoulders, down her arms to her hands, which he linked in his. “I’m not sure what to say, Natalia.”

Say don’t go. Say stay with me always. Say you love me back, even half as helplessly as I love you. “You could just say goodbye,” she said in such a fake cheeky, breezy voice he narrowed his eyes.

“I don’t like goodbyes.” He brought their joined hands up to his mouth and kissed her palm. “I especially don’t like goodbyes that involve you.”

“Oh. Well.” She shrugged and swallowed, hard. Then smiled brightly. “We always knew it would come to this.”

“Yes, we did,” Sally piped up. “Now we can move Josh back to the kitchen.” She sighed dreamily. “He really knows how to cook.”

Tim pointed at the barn door. “Out. All of you.”

“But this is just getting good,” Pete protested.

“Besides, sounds to me like you’re going to need help talking her into staying,” Red said.

Sally choked on her burrito.

Natalia managed another smile. “Don’t be silly, I can’t stay. Heaven knows, you might all starve to death.”

“Out,” Tim repeated, tugging on Natalia’s hand when she started to file out with the others. “Not you.”

The way he looked at her, with a mixture of frustration and heat and affection and annoyance made her both want to kiss and smack him at the same time.

“So.” He touched her face. “What happens now? You get on a bus? You find another job? What?”

For a moment she just stared at him. “Didn’t you hear me make the phone call?”

“Yes, I heard you. I was just wondering where you’ll be.”

“Why?”

“Why? In case…well, maybe…”

“Why, Tim?”

In the far distance there came a whirling sound. As it drew closer, Natalia recognized it. “Do you have a helicopter delivering supplies today?” she asked.

“No.”

“Any friends who own helicopters, perhaps?”

“No.”

“Then that’s my ride.” And with her throat tight, she walked out of the barn.

TIM WAS IN a state of befuddlement. Nothing new, he’d discovered, when it came to dealing with Natalia. He followed her out of the barn, feeling an assortment of emotions hit him-panic, fear, frustration…but mostly panic.

She was really going. He’d known she would, but he hadn’t expected it to hurt.

It hurt a lot. So much so that he put his hand over his heart and glanced down, checking for blood. Nothing, of course, but damn…

This leaving thing, this wasn’t going to work out for him.

A helicopter with some sort of royal shield on the side had landed in his yard. In a corner, Mrs. Pig and Pickles were oinking and bleating respectively. His sister was standing there, speechless-a rare event.

“I am Amelia Grundy,” came an authoritative voice that managed to carry over the sound of the helicopter, which, probably in reverence, was suddenly shut off. “Keep back.” Then the door opened. “I came as soon as I could, dear.”

This from Mary Poppins-er, Amelia Grundy. Tim could only stare, his mouth hanging open, as the tall and formidable, silver-haired, sharp-blue-eyed woman who’d alighted from the helicopter hugged his Natalia. She was dressed in tweed and carried a leather satchel, from which she’d pulled an umbrella as she’d gotten out of the helicopter, shading both herself and Natalia from the sun.

Natalia looked a little befuddled herself. “How did you know where to find me?”

From her satchel, Amelia pulled a pair of wire-rimmed sunglasses, which she perched on her nose. “Have I ever failed you?”

“Of course not, but-”

“One week in the United States and you’ve forgotten all your manners. ‘Buts’ are better covered and not discussed, dear, remember?”

Natalia bit her bottom lip, looking suspiciously close to smiling. “It’s good to see you, Amelia.” She gave the woman another fierce hug. “So good.”

Amelia’s gaze went straight through her light sunglasses, meeting Tim’s over the top of Natalia’s head, and it was distinctly…not pleasant. No, she leveled him with those razor-sharp eyes and he felt pinned to the spot. Squirming a bit, he squared his shoulders and stepped forward.

“Tim Banning,” he said, thrusting out his hand. “Natalia’s…friend.”

Amelia’s stern face frowned, becoming even more stern. “Are you referring to Her Serene Highness? Because if you are, your manners are atrocious. Don’t you know the correct way in which to address a royal?”

“Uh…”

“Amelia.” Natalia squeezed the woman’s hand, her gaze never leaving Tim’s. “They don’t do royals here in Texas. You’re going to have to give these people a break.”

“Give them a break?” The woman looked aghast. “Oh, dear. You’ve been here too long already, you’re starting to talk like them.”

Two men got out of the helicopter, dressed in black and looking quite commando. At the sight of Natalia, they both bowed.

At that, Mrs. Pig stopped snorting. Pickles went silent. Even Sally stopped sneering cynically and straightened.

But Tim…Tim felt his heart stop. In the back of his mind, he’d known, he’d always known, but he still felt shell- shocked. She was a princess. She was royal. And if he so much as blinked, she was going to pop out of his life as fast as she’d popped into it. Knowing he had to do something to assuage this terrible feeling that nothing was going to be the same ever again, he reached for her, needing to put his hands on her, needing to feel hers on him.

The two men in black blocked him.

Natalia gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head, and they stepped back, but just barely. He and Natalia were completely surrounded. No more being alone.

Which meant anything he wanted to say would have to be said in front of everyone.

“Goodbye,” Natalia said softly, her eyes shining. “I know it didn’t quite work out for you, but I want you to know…it was lovely.”

“Natalia, I’m not ready to say goodbye.”

“Then move out of the way, Ace.” Sally stepped in front of him, and with a sort of bewildered, affectionate smile on her mouth, she looked at Natalia. “So. It’s true. You weren’t crazy after all.”

Natalia looked at Tim and made his heart catch. “I wouldn’t say that.”

“Yeah.” Sally caught the glance between her brother and Natalia. “Look, there’s a few things you should know.