A Very Merry Princess

Pallas grimaced.

Their mother, Libby, was a stern woman who believed that all rules were meant to be followed and that the world would be a much better place if everyone simply did as she told them. Cade had always chafed at the restrictions and had learned early to go his own way, while Pallas had spent years trying to please their mother. It had taken her finally breaking free to find peace with their relationship.

“You still have to ask,” his sister told him. “She’ll probably say no, but an invitation is required.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Which was his way of saying, No way. Not even for money. His goal was to impress Rida’s handler, not offend her or terrify her. Besides, he was pretty sure she wouldn’t care about an American Thanksgiving dinner.

“Rida will only have been here a few days,” he added. “She might not be comfortable leaving him alone for so long.”

Pallas’s mouth twitched. “Yes, we wouldn’t want to upset his delicate horse sensibilities.” She hugged him tight, then ran to her car. “Good luck, Cade.”

“Thanks. You’re the best.”

“So I’ve been told.” She was still laughing when she drove away.

Cade retreated to the house. He checked on the guest room again and hoped the mystery woman would find it acceptable, then he went out to the stable. Easier to wait in his office, he told himself. There was always paperwork to be done and if that didn’t distract him, he would pace the length of the huge barn until it was time to go to the private airport and pick up the stallion who was going to change everything.

* * *

EIGHTEEN HOURS, including a stop for gas, four meals, two movies and half a book later, Bethany felt the plane touch down on the other side of the world. The captain had announced the local time but she wasn’t sure if they’d gained a day, lost a day or if it was still Friday. She was exhausted and she was pretty sure Rida felt the same. While the horse had been exceptionally well behaved in his metal stall, he’d also been restless and hadn’t slept much.

She waited until the plane taxied to a stop before standing and stretching. The crew would open the huge rear doors and put the ramp in place before Rida was moved. Bethany wanted to make sure the horse had a few minutes to adjust to the brighter light and sniff the fresh air before trying to walk him out. He might be a sweetie—at least to her—but he was still a massive guy who could crush her like a bug if he chose to.

She grabbed sunglasses from her backpack, then headed down the ramp and out into the afternoon. The sky was clear and bright blue. They were in a tiny, private airport. In the distance were mountains. She was pretty sure they were to the east, and to the west, a couple hundred miles away, was the Pacific Ocean.

Everything felt different—from El Bahar and from the eastern part of the country, where she’d briefly gone to college—yet there was familiarity, too. Perhaps because she’d spent the first nine years of her life not that far away in Riverside.

She shook off the memories and glanced around at the small group waiting for her and Rida. There were three good-sized trucks, a regular pickup pulling a horse trailer and a handful of men. One of them walked toward her, grinning as he approached.

He was tall—but at five foot four she found a large percentage of the world was tall to her—with light brown hair and broad shoulders.

“Beth Smith?” He held out his hand. “I’m Cade Saunders.”

They shook hands and he removed his sunglasses. His eyes were hazel and he had a scar by his eyebrow. As she stared at him, she felt a weird kind of quiver low in her stomach, followed by a powerful desire to flip her hair—despite her French braid.

No, no, no, she told herself. There would be no hair flipping on this trip. No swooning or thinking Cade was handsome. This was about work and nothing else. The last thing she needed in her life was some semicharming, cowboy type.

“Nice to meet you,” she said, carefully removing her hand from his hold.

Cade glanced anxiously toward the plane. “How’s he doing? Did he make the trip okay? How can I help?”

“You can stay out of the way when I bring him out,” she told him. “Otherwise, you brought the trucks, so we can get going on offloading Rida’s supplies.”

“I can’t wait to see him.” Cade sounded more like a six-year-old than a grown man as he spoke. “I still can’t believe the king let me buy him. I’d heard he was for sale and figured it was a long shot, but I had to try, you know. I mean, he’s glorious. I watched his video maybe fifty times. The way he moves, the power. I met the king once, in Texas. At a dinner. He was a great guy. Have you met him?”

She stared at Cade. “Once or twice,” she murmured. “You’re really excited.”

“Wouldn’t you be? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I run a small ranch in Happily Inc, California. Guys like me don’t get a chance at a horse like Rida every day.”

She did her best not to smile. She liked how happy Cade was and that he understood what had been offered to him. At least Rida would be appreciated, even if knowing that wouldn’t make her miss him any less.

“Then let’s get you two introduced,” she said and started up the ramp.

On the plane, she spoke quietly to the horse. Rida listened, his ears forward, as if he knew he was finally going to get out of his stall. She took a couple of minutes to stroke his head and neck, getting a horse nuzzle in return, then untied him and led him toward the ramp.

Rida walked along easily, inhaling sharply, testing the air. At the top of the ramp, Bethany paused to let his eyes adjust before starting down.

When they reached the tarmac, she walked him in a large circle to get the kinks out. He seemed more interested than apprehensive—as if curious about his surroundings. Cade watched, his expression a combination of awe and gratitude. Finally she led the horse over to his new owner.

“Rida, this is Cade. He’s going to take care of you now.”

She felt tightness in her chest as she admitted what she didn’t want to be true. Of all the horses her father could have sold, why this one? Yes, he’d explained, but she still wasn’t convinced that was the reason—not that her father would tell her otherwise.

“Hey, Rida,” Cade said quietly, keeping his distance from the horse, letting him get used to his surroundings. “Welcome home.”

One of the flight attendants carried Bethany’s two duffel bags and backpack down the ramp.

“Did you have any other luggage, Prin...um, Beth?” the woman asked, her gaze darting between Cade and Bethany. “This was all I saw.”

“That’s all I need,” Bethany said, keeping her tone casual. “Rida’s the one who has to bring everything with him when he travels.”

The attendant smiled before nodding and returning to the plane. The luggage compartments were open, and barrels, boxes and bins moved down the conveyor belt.

The first of the three trucks was filled quickly, then the second took its place.

“You weren’t kidding,” Cade said, watching the process. “Did you actually bring water?”

“Yes. He’s going to have enough of an adjustment with his new surroundings and jet lag. I don’t want him getting an upset stomach.”

Cade held up both hands in a gesture of surrender. “Just asking. You’re the boss. We do filter our water at the ranch, by the way. It’s from an underground aquifer and is very pure.”

“But still different from what he’s used to.”

She led Rida into the trailer and secured him. By then, the third truck was nearly full.

“Does someone need to get the crew into town for the night?” Cade asked. “I can arrange for transportation.”

“They’re taking off right away. We had two crews on the flight, so one is rested and ready to go.”

He glanced at the huge 757. “And you were the only passenger? Must be nice to be the king.”

She grinned. “So I’ve heard.”

She climbed into the passenger seat of his pickup and fastened her seat belt. Cade started the truck and they drove out of the airport. About ten minutes later, the plane flew overhead as it took off for El Bahar.

Bethany knew that Happily Inc was in the California desert, less than sixty miles from Palm Springs. The town sat in the foothills of the mountains and had a relatively temperate climate. At least Rida wouldn’t have to get used to snow and subfreezing temperatures.