A Very Merry Princess

“The ranch is only about twenty minutes from the airport,” Cade told her, “which is a private one and doesn’t get a lot of use. Most people either fly into Palm Springs or drive to Los Angeles to get a flight out.”

Unless she was taking Rida home with her, she would be returning to El Bahar on a commercial flight, she thought. So out of Los Angeles with a change of planes in Amsterdam or Frankfurt.

“Have you been to the States before?” Cade asked, then shook his head. “Sorry. Of course you have. You’re American. Where did you grow up?”

“Not far from here, actually,” she said. “My mom and I are from Riverside. We moved to El Bahar when I was nine. I came back to Tennessee for a couple of years of college.”

“So you’re a California girl.”

She laughed. “I haven’t thought of myself as that in a long time, but I suppose I am.”

There were rolling hills on both sides of the two-lane highway, with lots of trees. She saw a flash of movement, stared, blinked, then shook her head.

“What’s wrong?” Cade asked.

“Nothing. I would swear I saw... Is it possible there are gazelles?”

She braced herself for laughter and derision. Instead Cade chuckled.

“Look closely and you might see a few zebras and a giraffe. Or maybe three giraffes. I know we’re getting some new ones any day now.” He grinned. “We have an animal preserve on the edge of town. It’s connected to the landfill and recycling center. Weird, I know.”

“Unusual,” she admitted. “But nice.”

After a few more minutes, they turned onto a long, paved driveway. There was a big gate and a keypad. Cade pushed a remote and the gates swung open.

Bethany looked around, anxious to get a first impression of the ranch. She liked the sense of openness. There were huge pastures and lots of trees for shade. Up ahead was the farmhouse, which looked fine. She was more interested in the stable.

They drove around to the back of the house and she caught sight of a series of outbuildings, including the long, tall barn. The buildings looked well used, but clean and in good condition. She wasn’t a huge fan of brand-new when she delivered a horse. It meant a lot of work had been done before her visit and made her wonder what the owners were trying to hide.

Cade pulled in front of the stable’s big open double doors and cut the engine. Bethany slid out of the passenger seat, breathing in the familiar scents of horses and outdoors. Without waiting for Cade, she entered the main barn and saw there were stalls on each side. She went left and saw clean stalls, smooth bedding and full water troughs awaiting the horses’ return from the pasture.