Forever Betrayed: Forever Bluegrass #3 (5 page)

“Or are you baking up a bun in that oven?” Miss Lily asked, as Sydney just rolled her eyes in response.

“I am so sorry, Mrs. McKnight. I can’t thank you enough for letting me borrow these clothes. I must pay you something, though.”

Syd cut the air with her hand. “Don’t even worry about it. They’re yours to keep. I have plenty here. These bags, in fact, are for you to take home when we’re done eating. Abby said you’re joining us for dinner.”

Mila shook her head. “I can’t intrude.”

Danielle made a
tsk
noise that had Mila spinning around and dropping her head in a show of respect. “Your Highness,” Mila said with as much professionalism as she could gather. She was used to senators and congressmen, not royalty.

“Everyone calls me Dani. It’s nice to meet you, Mila. The Rose sisters were just telling me about you. And of course you can join them for dinner, isn’t that right, honey?” Dani looked pointedly at her son.

“Of course. Abby is already here. Let’s go in. Mom, are you joining us?” Zain asked as he moved to hold open the door.

Dani smiled proudly at her son. “No, the girls are meeting us for dinner. I’ll see you later, though. I look forward to seeing you around, Mila.” Dani swept into the café followed by the Rose sisters. Sydney followed them in and headed for Abby’s table. Mila looked up to a prince who was holding the door for her. She had somehow found herself in a place where a princess asked to be called Dani and where one of the world’s top fashion models-turned-business mogul drove a beat-up truck and looked like any other woman. Well, a really attractive woman. What in the world was in the water here?

CHAPTER FIVE

Zain bit the inside of his cheek to stop from laughing. He might be closing in on thirty, but his mother would still tan his hide if he embarrassed a woman. It was hard, though, because Mila was just so darn cute with her true-gray eyes widened in surprise. As he held the door open for her, he sent her a smile to reassure her that she was, in fact, welcome to dinner. Instead, she blushed, ducked her head, and hurried inside.

Zain didn’t mind. It gave him the chance to finish checking out what he noticed on the street. The little interpreter was all womanly curves. Any other time, he would have acted on the desire to run his hands over her body. But not with his mother standing here and not with the summit going on. He’d given up his playboy persona over a year ago. Sometimes he missed it. And looking at the way her hips gently swung when she walked
definitely
made him miss it.

“Mila, this is my husband, Deacon. And you already know Abby. And this hulking teddy bear is my cousin, Dylan. Everyone, this is Mila. She’s here to interpret for the German chancellor. Or so Abby tells me,” Sydney told them as she took a seat between Abby and her husband.

Mila put her hand on the closest chair and Zain swooped in to pull it out for her at the same time Dylan stood to grab the chair. Mila looked from Zain to Dylan and down to the chair. Zain smiled as politely as he could to Dylan. “I’ve got this.”

Dylan simply shrugged and took his seat again. Mila thanked him quietly as she took her seat. Zain sat on her other side and hadn’t even had time to scoot his chair in when Abby was leaning over and whispering, “What the hell was that all about?”

“Nothing,” Zain whispered back. Because it was nothing. He had a summit to prepare for and a nanotech lab to launch. He didn’t have time for a quickie with the sultry interpreter. However, that didn’t mean he liked the idea of Dylan having a quickie with her either.

The screen door slammed open and his mom’s two best friends, Kenna Ashton and Paige Parker, skidded to a halt and tried to casually make their way to where his mom sat with the Rose sisters. He knew trouble when he saw it, but Mila shifted in her chair and her leg softly grazed his thigh and all worry about what his mom and her friends were up to fled.

“So, you’re the interpreter for the chancellor,” Zain smiled as he tried to sound casual. “Where are you based?”

“Washington, D.C., Your Highness.”

Mila’s hands were clamped in her lap, her shoulders were back, and she had composed herself into all that was professional. Zain leaned back in his chair. “Zain.”

“Excuse me?”

“Call me Zain. Everyone does. You only have the slightest accent. Are you from Germany?”

Mila nodded and her wavy, walnut-colored hair bounced.

“I love Germany,” Sydney said from across the table. “I’ve been numerous times and always look forward to going back.”

Her husband, Deacon, smiled at Mila, and Zain felt foolish for being annoyed that his conversation with her had turned into a table-wide discussion. “How are you enjoying Keeneston? I know when I first arrived I was taken aback by . . . well, I can’t really put a word to it. Just know it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with it here. I hope you’ll have some time to explore while the summit is going on,” Deacon offered.

Mila’s shoulders relaxed as Zain sat back and watched her answer questions, ask questions, and even relax enough to laugh. Zain turned when the door opened and saw some more of his mom’s group come in. There was a group of nine of them that ruled the town. It didn’t matter what the Keeneston Ladies thought. It was the wives of all the Davies brothers, Paige Davies, Kenna Ashton, Bridget Mueez, and Zain's mother, Dani. The whole group considered themselves one big family.

Unfortunately, since Sydney just got married, her mother, Katelyn, had been telling everyone how wonderful it was to have a son-in-law and perhaps she soon might hear the little pitter-patter of babies running around. The year before, Sienna, Kenna’s daughter, married Ryan, who’s Paige’s son, which delighted the best friends to no end. Now all Zain heard about was that
everyone
was getting married. All the mothers, including Dylan’s mom, Tammy, who just walked in, had an unnatural gleam in their eyes. It gave Zain the shivers.

Zain leaned back in his chair and looked over Mila’s head at Dylan. “Dyl, this doesn’t look good.”

“It’s not for me. Mom’s been bugging Piper about finding, and I quote, ‘a nice young man to settle down with.
’
Sometimes it’s great to have an older sister,” Dylan said in his deep voice.

“Bull. You’re going to kill any man that touches one of your sisters,” Abby teased. Dylan didn’t bother denying it.

“Cassidy,” Sydney called out to the young woman racing around the tables, filling drink orders.

“What’s up?” the young, perky blond asked.

“Your brother wants you to go over and spy on your mom and let him know if he’s next up on marriage block,” Sydney laughed.

“You’re such a coward, Dylan,” Cassidy said with a roll of her eyes before looking pointedly at Mila. “Maybe she’s the reason they’re here.”

“Me?” Mila asked.

At the same time, Zain and Dylan both said, “Her?”

“She is sitting between two of Keeneston’s most eligible bachelors. Even if one is a dork.” Cassidy’s hazel eyes flashed with curiosity.

Zain shook his head. “Mila Thiessen, Cassidy Davies, Dylan’s younger sister. And Cass, Mila just got to town an hour ago. She’s here because the airline lost her luggage and Syd brought her some clothes.”

“That sucks. Are you here for the summit?” Cassidy asked.

Mila nodded her head. “Yes, I’m the interpreter for the German chancellor.”

Suddenly Cassidy started talking quickly in a language Zain could only guess was German. Mila smiled and replied back and soon both of the women were laughing.

“I didn’t know you spoke German,” Dylan said with a raised eyebrow.

“I picked it up this spring.”

“You just picked German up this spring? You sound like a natural,” Mila said with astonishment.

Cassidy shrugged her shoulder. “I have a thing for languages. I can pick them up in no time. I currently speak ten but hope to learn more when I go to college in the fall. I’d love to talk to you later about being an interpreter if you have time, but now I have to get dinner on the table.” Cassidy smiled.

“Of course,” Mila said as Cassidy grabbed their orders and took off. “That’s amazing. You didn’t need me after all,” she whispered to Zain.

“No way I’m putting the fate of my plans in the hands of an eighteen-year-old girl. No offense, Dylan. Your sister is brilliant, but she’s still a kid. It takes someone more experienced to understand that words aren’t everything at these summits. It’s the tone, and it’s what’s not said that is just as important as the words. Isn’t that right, Mila?” Zain asked.

“That’s very true. A tone or a note of sarcasm can change the whole meaning of what is being said,” Mila answered.

Zain looked around the table. His friends were all looking on with interest as Mila spoke. She told them some stories about misinterpretations that had the whole table laughing. As they ate dinner, his friends told their own stories and Mila relaxed even more. By the end of the meal, Zain could tell she was at ease with everyone as they recounted some of the funnier sayings and things she might run across in Keeneston.

Sydney laughed and Zain turned his attention from Mila to her. “A Hot Brown is a Kentucky dish. You have to try it while you are here.”

Mila nodded her head, but there was still a skeptical look on her face. Zain stretched his arm across of the back of her chair and leaned closer to her. “They’re wonderful. We wouldn’t steer you wrong. Trust me.”

Mila’s eyes widened. Her body was suddenly tight as she looked between him and Abby. “Um, okay. I’ll try it tomorrow. But now I need to be going.”

“Do you have prep work to do tomorrow?” Deacon asked.

“I would like to take a tour of the area, but I was told there are no taxis. So I will probably just explore Main Street and review the talking points and terms that are most likely to be used during the summit,” Mila said as she slid out of her chair.

“Well, if you need anything, just ask. Any of us can show you around tomorrow if you’d like,” Abby smiled.

“And if you need anything during the meetings at the farm, just ask. Dylan and I will both be there all week,” Deacon told her.

Zain moved to stand as well. “Of course, I will also be there if you need anything or have any questions.”

Mila looked around the table with genuine warmth to her smile. “Thank you so much. I don’t normally get to meet so many interesting and kind people when I’m traveling. You’ve already made me feel as if I belong. Thank you.”

“Any time.” Sydney smiled. “Take the two bags in my truck and call me if you need more.”

“Thank you. I’ll get them cleaned and sent back to you as soon as my luggage arrives.”

“Nonsense. They’re my gift to you. Keep them. I just hope you enjoy your time in our town, for however long that may be.”

Zain’s head whipped to look at an innocent-looking Sydney. Oh no. He knew that look. It was the same one his mother currently had on her face as she watched him from across the café. In fact, that look was on everyone’s face except Dylan, who was currently eying Mila’s nicely rounded breasts.

Nope. This was not happening. He was not tying himself to a woman he’d just met, no matter how crazily attracted he was to her, not to mention how witty and funny he found her. He wasn’t in the market for a wife. No, he was in the market for establishing a nanotech lab and world peace. A wife seemed like anything but peaceful. Zain gave a quick bow of his head to Mila. “Enjoy your time here. I’ll see you at the summit,” he said and immediately sat back down. Gone were the innocent looks from his friends. They had been quickly replaced with narrowed eyes shooting daggers.

Dylan raised an eyebrow at him and then shrugged his shoulders. “Would you like me to walk you back to the bed and breakfast?”

Zain ground his teeth together. It didn’t matter what Mila did. She was not for him. Mila smiled at the man Zain wanted to strangle. “Thank you, Dylan. But that’s not necessary. I’m pretty sure I can find my way back.” She laughed then and Zain ground his teeth even harder.

Dylan stood and towered over her. “It’s not a problem. My mother, the tiny one with the spiky blond hair sitting over there, raised me to never let a woman walk home alone. It’s just not gentlemanly.”

“I’ll come, too. You’ll need help carrying your clothes,” Zain said smoothly as he stood up. Dylan’s lips quirked with amusement as he stepped back to allow Mila to lead the way out of the café.

“What’s the matter, prince? Afraid of a little competition?” Dylan taunted under his breath.

“What competition? I’m just being useful.”

Dylan grunted.

Zain followed them out to the street where he leaned over the back of the truck and hefted a bag of clothes. He wasn’t going to think about what had propelled him to offer his assistance. This was just gentlemanly behavior, that’s all. Although, the way Dylan’s hazel eyes had deepened to a dark brown told Zain his gentlemanly behavior was the last thing on Dylan’s mind.

“Ready?” Zain asked with irritation creeping into his voice.

“Your Highness!” a voice from a car sliding to a stop in front of them called from the window.

“What is it, Kareem?” Zain asked the new security guard who had replaced Nash Dagher, one of Zain’s most trusted guards.

Kareem Maher was about an inch shorter than Mila’s five-foot-six inches when he wasn’t wearing the boots he liked—boots that added two inches of height. Kareem hurried from the car and looked suspiciously at Mila and Dylan.

“There are riots in Rahmi,” Kareem whispered.

“What?” Zain demanded. Rahmi was a peaceful country. There were inklings of unrest over Rahmi’s dependency on oil that were filtering through social media, but never had a riot broken out before. “Where?”

“In the capital. Your father has requested you return home immediately for a video conference with the king and Prince Jamal.”

Zain shoved the bag of clothes at Dylan. “I have to go. Good-night. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mila.”

“Do you need my help?” Dylan asked quietly.

“No. This is something I must handle,” Zain called out as he was already racing for the car.

Mila watched as Zain leapt into the black SUV and tore off. She hadn’t been able to hear anything the guard had said. But by the look on Zain’s face, she knew it hadn’t been good.

“Why would you be able to help him?” Mila asked the hulking man who carried two heavy bags as if they were full of feathers.

“I have a skill set some find useful,” Dylan said in his deep southern voice. The fact that he wasn’t joking sent a chill down Mila’s spine. The man walking next to her radiated danger.

“You’re scary,” Mila blurted.

Dylan just smiled. “Some girls like that.”

“Not me.”

“I know. Don’t worry. I’m just messing with Zain a little bit,” Dylan grinned and Mila thought maybe she could live dangerously. When Dylan smiled, the world stopped spinning.