Protecting the Princess Read online

  They were all familiar faces and Tanner felt himself relax a bit as he recognized the place held no obvious danger for a princess. He swept his hat off his head and she did the same.

  “They do a good breakfast and dinner business, but at lunchtime most folks are too busy to have lunch out,” he explained.

  “Busy doing what?” she asked.

  “Working. That’s what most people do out here.” He led her toward a table in the rear, where he could sit with his back to the wall and face the doorway.

  He walked just behind her, trying not to notice how the tight jeans molded to her shapely backside. She sat across from him and immediately picked up one of the worn menus on the table.

  “The rest rooms are down this hallway,” he said, gesturing to the hallway next to their table. “Beyond the rest rooms is a back door.” He spoke in a low voice. “If there’s any problems and I tell you to run, you run out the back door and to the sheriff’s office three doors down.”

  “I still don’t think I’m in any danger here. Nobody in their right mind would look for me in a place like Cotter Creek.”

  That highbrow tone was back in her voice and he did his best to ignore it. “You’re probably right, but I’m not willing to let down my guard until your father arrives and I know you’re in good hands,” he replied. “The reputation of my company rests on me keeping you safe.”

  “It’s possible by the time we get back to the ranch he will have arrived. Then I won’t need all the clothes and things you bought for me.” She sounded pleased at this thought.

  He shrugged and opened his menu. “I can always take them back.” He’d like to take them all back right now and get bigger sizes for her.

  As she studied the menu, Tanner scanned the interior of the café once again, then looked at his menu.

  “Hey, Tanner.”

  He looked up to see Shelia Burnwell waving to him from the doorway. He nodded a hello.

  “When are you going to get your old man to sell?” she asked.

  “Won’t happen in this lifetime.”

  She moved in displeasure and took a seat on the opposite side of the café.

  “Who’s that?” Anna asked curiously.

  “A local Realtor. She’s had her eye on our place for some time.”

  Their conversation was interrupted by the appearance of their waitress.

  When the waitress left, Anna leaned back in the chair, looking pleased as punch to be someplace where someone worked.

  “Tell me something, Tanner. Why don’t you dally with any of the local women?” she asked, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “Are you gay?”

  “Of course not,” he exclaimed. The woman was impossible. She was not only spoiled, but far too outspoken for his taste. Most people didn’t talk about their sexuality so openly.

  “You know, it’s nothing to be ashamed of if you are,” she continued. She pulled a paper napkin from the container in the center of the table and spread it over her lap. “I know lots of gay men and I also know that men who are conflicted about it sometimes come off as overly macho and controlling.”

  “I’m not gay,” he repeated tersely as he felt his irritation with her rising once again. “I just don’t date much. I don’t have time.”

  “Don’t you ever want to get married? Have some children?”

  “Sure, eventually that’s what I want. When I think the time is right.” In fact, over the course of the past year the desire had become more intense. He did want a family of his own, but only when he found the perfect woman who would accept his commitment to his job.

  “I’ve been focused on building up the business since the time I was twenty years old,” he explained. “That’s taken up all my time and energy.”

  “You have to make time to have fun. It’s what makes you a healthy, balanced person. You know what they say about all work and no play.”

  “Yeah. I wonder what they say about all play and no work,” he said pointedly. The last thing he needed or wanted was a lecture about working from a woman who’d probably never done an honest day’s work in her life.

  Her delicate eyebrows pulled together as she frowned. “It’s impossible to have any kind of a reasonable conversation with you, so I’m not even going to try anymore. You’re an impossible man, Tanner West, and if I wasn’t so hungry, I’d get up and leave right now.”

  At that moment the waitress appeared with their orders. Tanner tried to concentrate on his food and not on her. He hoped she was right. He hoped they returned to the ranch and her father was there waiting for her. She’d been in Tanner’s care less than twenty-four hours and for some reason was burrowing into his skin like an irritating tick.

  For the first time in his life he couldn’t wait for an assignment to be over.

  Respect had been Anna’s birthright and something she’d never thought about much before. She’d commanded it without doing a thing, by merely being born into royalty. For most of her life people had fawned over her, talked to her with homage.

  However, it was obvious that Tanner didn’t respect her and it surprised her that she was bothered by it. He might be the CEO of a big company, but he was also obviously uncivilized and socially unpolished.

  What did she care if some hard-ass cowboy bodyguard didn’t respect her? What difference did it make to her whether he liked her or not? He had a job to do and she was comfortable he’d do it to the best of his ability. That’s all she should care about.

  Besides, if she were very lucky she’d be leaving his ranch within the next twenty-four hours at the most. She’d be back enjoying her own life and far away from this man and this godforsaken countryside.

  At last, that’s what she wanted to believe, but she knew in her heart nothing would be the same in Niflheim. What was happening there? She regretted not being better informed about the political unrest that had exploded.

  What about her friends and the palace staff? Were they safe? She had to believe they were, otherwise grief would consume her.

  Her irritation with Tanner and the thought of home did nothing to staunch her appetite, and despite the tension-filled silence between them, she enjoyed the cheeseburger and fries and chocolate shake she’d ordered.

  Tanner ate more quickly, finishing his meal before she was even half finished. He tapped his fingers on the tabletop, unconsciously signaling impatience, which only made her eat at a more leisurely pace.

  “Ever hear of stopping to smell the roses?” she asked.

  “I thought you weren’t speaking to me,” he replied as his fingers stopped their rapid tattoo.

  “I wasn’t. Now I am.” She stabbed a French fry into a pool of ketchup, popped it into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.” She ate another fry.

  “This morning you said something about I’d better not throw you over my shoulder.” A wrinkle furrowed his brow. “What was that all about?”

  “I assumed it was a cowboy thing. I watched a Western one time and the cowboy got irritated with the woman and threw her over his shoulder. I just wanted to let you know I won’t tolerate such behavior.”

  One of his dark brows rose. “You don’t have to worry. In the movies the cowboy throws the woman he loves over his shoulder.”

  She paused with a French fry in midair. “I always wondered what happened after that,” she mused. “I mean, where does he carry her off to and what do they do?”

  He tapped his fingers once again on the tabletop. “It’s the movies, who knows?”

  She stabbed another fry into the ketchup, ignoring the edge of irritation in his voice. “Who’s minding the office today while you’re minding me?”

  “I have a very efficient receptionist/secretary. Ida Marie will handle things at the office and call me if anything comes up. She’s a good woman.”

  She eyed him curiously. “What makes her a good woman?”

  He sat back in the booth. “What do you mean?”


  “I mean, what qualities do you think make a woman a good woman?”

  “This is a ridiculous conversation,” he scoffed.

  “It’s called small talk. People often do it when they’re sharing a meal. Come on, Tanner, pretend for a moment you’re a civilized man.”

  She was aware of the fact that she baiting him and she wasn’t sure why. Maybe because of his crack earlier about all play and no work. And maybe because she really wondered what kind of a woman a man like Tanner would respect.

  “Ida Marie raised two children as a single parent,” he said, apparently deciding to play along. “Before I hired her to work for me she’d done all kinds of jobs—waitressing, housecleaning—whatever it took to keep a roof over her kids’ head and put food on their table.”

  “Is that all that you worship?” she asked. “Work?”

  He eyed her with a deceptive laziness. “What do you worship, Anna?”

  Before she could reply, the door to the café opened and a tall, older man in a khaki uniform walked in. Instantly she saw Tanner’s tension increase. The muscle in his jaw ticked and his body stiffened a bit.

  “Afternoon, Tanner,” the man said as he approached their table.

  “Afternoon, Sheriff,” he replied.

  The sheriff swept his hat off his head to reveal a thick head of salt-and-pepper hair. He nodded to Anna. “Ma’am,” he said, then looked at Tanner expectantly.

  “Anne, this is Sheriff Jim Ramsey. Jim, this is Anne Jones, a friend of mine from New York City,” Tanner said.

  “New York. You’re a long way from home, little lady.” He looped his thumbs into his thick black belt and rested his arms on his protruding stomach as he eyed her with brown eyes filled with open curiosity.

  “She’s just visiting the family for several days,” Tanner replied smoothly.

  “I see.” He looked from Tanner to Anna. “First time here in Cotter Creek?”

  “Yes, first time,” she replied.

  He rocked back on his heels, his gaze returning to Tanner. “Not going to be any trouble, is there?” His gray eyebrows danced upward on his broad forehead.

  “Not planning on any,” Tanner replied.

  “Good. Good. You know I like my town nice and quiet. Nice meeting you, Anne.” He nodded to Tanner, then turned and headed toward the counter where he sat on one of the stools, his back to them.

  Anna looked at Tanner curiously. There had been a subtle tension between the two men. “You don’t like Sheriff Ramsey?” she asked softly.

  He hesitated a moment, his eyes darkly shadowed and impossible to read. “He’s all right. He and his men have worked with me on occasion. You ready to go?” He pulled his wallet from his pocket and placed several bills on the table.

  She nodded and together they got up and left the café. “But, you don’t really like him,” she said, trying to understand the tension that had existed between the two men.

  He frowned. “Sheriff Ramsey was the one who notified us of my mother’s death,” he said as they walked toward the pickup. “Of course, at that time he wasn’t the sheriff, he was just a young deputy. He was the first one on the scene and, unfortunately didn’t secure the area and evidence was compromised.”

  Anna wondered what it would be like to see on a daily basis the bearer of such bad news. “And that’s why you don’t really like him?”

  He sucked in a deep breath and put his hat on his head, effectively shielding his eyes with the shadow of the brim. “It’s not that I don’t like him. The more successful we’ve become, the more concerned Jim had become about us bringing problems to Cotter Creek. But he can’t really complain, we rarely bring trouble here. In fact, you’re the first client we’ve had in a couple of years that is staying on the ranch.”

  They got in the truck and headed back to the ranch. Anna had a feeling this would be the last that she saw of the small town. If her father came for her this afternoon, they would leave immediately. If he didn’t come for her immediately, she had a feeling Tanner wouldn’t be eager to take her back to town no matter what she needed or wanted.

  “When we get back to the house you’ll need to find something to do while I spend a little time on the Internet,” he said. “I want to see if I can find out something about a group called something of the Mist.”

  “I could help you,” she said. The last thing she wanted was to be sent to her room like a recalcitrant child.

  “You can help me by leaving me alone for an hour or two.”

  “And what am I supposed to do in that time?” she asked.

  “I don’t know…watch television, read a book. If you really get bored you could ask Smokey if there’s something you can help him do with dinner preparations.”

  “It’s bad enough I have to put up with your disrespect. I certainly don’t intend to put up with that man’s disagreeable nature,” she exclaimed as she thought of the man who owned the kitchen.

  “I need an hour, two at the most. Surely you can entertain yourself for that length of time.”

  “All right.” She sighed. “I’ll be a good girl and entertain myself while you work. But when you’re finished, then you have to do something for me.”

  He released a sigh twice as long as hers. “What?”

  She snapped a finger against the brim of her hat. “If I’m going to dress the part of a cowgirl, then the least you can do is show me around the ranch.”

  He raised a dark eyebrow. “You sure you want to do that? You’re liable to get your boots dusty.”

  “I don’t mind. I’ve never been on a ranch before and I’d like to see everything.”

  He frowned and didn’t answer for a long moment. “All right, after I take care of my business, I’ll give you a little tour of the place,” he agreed.

  The rest of the drive was accomplished in a silence that he didn’t seem inclined to fill. Once again she found herself sneaking glances in his direction. Today he wore a short-sleeved, light blue shirt, the color transforming his eyes to a blue-green mix.

  Anna had dated plenty of men, but none as handsome as Tanner and none who had the power with a mere glance of eyes or a curve of lips to accelerate her heartbeat and make her feel both excited and anxious at the same time.

  Earlier, when he’d adjusted her hat, there had been a moment when she’d thought he was going to kiss her, when she’d wanted him to kiss her. But that was crazy. Why would she want a man who managed to make her feel both anxious and slightly inadequate to kiss her?

  She didn’t even know Tanner. He meant nothing to her, and as soon as her father came for her, he would be nothing more than a memory to store away forever.

  They had just entered when Red came out of the study. “Anna, your father is on the phone.”

  She raced to the study and grabbed up the receiver. “Father!”

  “Anna, my dear. I’m so glad you managed to get to safety. I was worried you’d not be able to handle yourself.” His familiar voice filled the line and she closed her eyes as a wave of deep relief swept over her.

  Even though the news sources had indicated that nobody had been hurt in the shoot-out in L.A., she’d needed to hear her father’s voice. She’d needed to know for herself that he was truly all right.

  “I’m here… I’m fine,” she replied, aware that Tanner had entered the study and was standing just inside the doorway. She gripped the receiver tightly against her ear. “Where are you? What’s happening? When are you coming here for me?”

  “I need to speak with Tanner West, Anna.”

  “But Father—”

  “Anna, this is important business. Don’t you worry yourself. Everything will be just fine, but I need to speak to Mr. West right now.” His voice was firm and sharp.

  A burning sting of unexpected tears sprang to her eyes as she realized she’d been summarily dismissed. Without another word she handed the phone to Tanner and hurried from the study.

  She went directly to her bedroom, needing a few minutes alone. Sta
nding at the window, she stared outside where thick, heavy, dark gray clouds were gathering in the distance. It felt as if they were a reflection of the heavy grayness of her heart.

  She adored her father and knew that he loved her, too, but this wasn’t the first time he’d hurt her feelings. He rarely had time for her, but she’d always understood that he was an important man.

  Still for most of her life he had dismissed her as a pretty, empty-headed bauble. The telephone conversation she’d just had with him had merely served to emphasize their relationship.

  She’d been sheltered from the dark side of power, but she’d allowed it, and she had to take a certain amount of responsibility for not knowing what had been happening in Niflheim before the coup. She recognized now that knowledge was a good thing and if she’d really been a good princess she would have educated herself despite her father’s sheltering ways.

  Her father was a good man, but she had a feeling he’d been a king out of touch with what his people wanted, what they needed. She hoped he was doing some serious soul-searching that would result in making him a better king…if he got the opportunity to return to Niflheim.

  The future loomed before her, dark and uncertain. What would become of her father if he couldn’t go back to his country? Would he abdicate his throne and live the remainder of his life in hiding? What was her future? Would peace be returned to Niflheim? So many questions and so few answers.

  A knock fell on her door. Quickly she wiped the tears that had gathered at her eyes and opened the door. Tanner eyed her closely. “Are you all right?” He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked ill at ease.

  “Of course I’m all right,” she said too quickly.

  “Well, I have good news and bad news,” he said. “The good news is your father is fine. The bad news is he wants you to remain here and it will be a week, possibly two, before he can come here to get you.”

  “A week or two?” She sank onto the edge of her bed.

  “It looks like we’re stuck here and we’ll just have to make the best of the situation. I’m going to check out what I can find about those rebels. When I’m finished, I’ll give you that tour we talked about.”