A Royal Mess and Her Knight To Remember Read Online Free Page B

and the purse she still had on her shoulder.
    And tugged.
    â€œOh, no you don’t. Those are—” She stopped shouting at him to get a better grip on her purse. “Mine.”
    â€œLet go!” he growled, playing tug-of-war with her.
    But her fear turned to temper. Clearly, he had no idea who he was messing with and how much she’d already faced in one day. It gave her an unbelievable strength. “I’m not letting go, you…you miscreant! ”
    â€œHey, I’m robbing you here.”
    â€œNo you’re not!”
    He looked so utterly surprised, she nearly laughed. And held on like a pit bull.
    â€œYou’re supposed to freak out,” he grated. “Cry. Scream. Not fight back! Jeez, haven’t you ever taken a self-defense class? They don’t advise you to fight back!”
    â€œI’m not going to freak out, I’m going to fight, and then I’m going to turn you in! Now you let go!”
    For what seemed like forever, they grappled with her bags, until, with a loud screech, Natalia lost the game and her grip. Freed, she promptly toppled backward over the bench, ass over kettle, landing incongruously in the dirt.
    Meanwhile, her thief, who took the time to stop and grin triumphantly in her face, took off with her beloved carry-on, her purse and her bus ticket.
    And her pride.

3
    B Y THE TIME Natalia—sputtering in a very unprincesslike manner—scrambled to her feet and jerked down her skirt, the young man was but a blur on the horizon. All she could do was watch in disbelief as he ran away, her bag banging against his thighs as it had banged against hers all day long.
    She hoped it left one hell of a bruise.
    â€œIdiot!” she yelled. “Moron! Jerk! ” Sagging back to the bench, she wondered who she was calling names, the thief or herself.
    A drop fell from the sky, hitting her on the nose. The storm that the airline had been threatening her with all day had finally arrived.
    Another drop. Then another. The sky lit with a long jagged flash of lightning.
    And Natalia stood there, stunned stupid by the events of the day. She was out in what felt like the middle of nowhere, with no identification, no money and even worse, no makeup, not even a brush. Sheshould call on the credit cards, but then again, at this moment, even that seemed like too much effort.
    Rain fell. Leather wet was a whole new, uncomfortable experience. Lightning flashed again, punctuating the disaster her life had become.
    Perfect. Now she was going to get struck by a bolt and get amnesia. That would top things off nicely.
    You’ll do great. Just keep your head.
    At Amelia’s words, spoken in her wonderful British accent, Natalia whipped around, but of course, Amelia wasn’t standing there.
    It was just that her voice had sounded so…real.
    But Natalia was alone, utterly alone. It must be the self-pity, she decided, causing her to hear things. Because surely, not even Amelia could be that…magical.
    She should just call home with the cell phone still in her pocket. But that put a sour taste in her mouth because darn it, she wanted to do this.
    Her hair was beginning to unspike, and her clothes were plastered to her like a second skin. She had no idea what should come next. Maybe a hero on a white steed. Wouldn’t that be handy.
    A rumble sounded. Not a white steed, but a truck, rumbled up the street. It nearly passed her, until, with a quick brake, it came to an abrupt halt right in front of her.
    Her heart leaped into her throat, but she reminded herself she had nothing left for someone to steal.
    Except herself, came the dismal, unhelpful thought. Fear bloomed again, and she might have started running regardless of her combat boots, until the window rolled down and a man leaned across the seat. Beneath his hat, piercing green eyes landed right on her.
    Her Clint Eastwood look-alike from the plane.
    â€œProblem?” he asked in that slow,