A Very Merry Princess
Page 13

There were two women inside—one a platinum blonde, the other a brunette. They both waved at her.
“You must be Beth,” the blonde said as she climbed out of her truck. She was tall, slender and gorgeous—all of which was slightly intimidating to Bethany. “I’m Silver and this is Natalie.”
The other woman was shorter, with brown eyes to match her hair. She wore red glasses and had an easy air about her. “Hi, Beth. Pallas told us you were joining us. You’re really from El Bahar?”
“I am, although I was born in California.”
They collected big tote bags from the truck, then all three of them walked toward the building together.
“Do you know anything about us?” Natalie asked. “Pallas didn’t say.”
“Not really. She just invited me to lunch. She’s been very sweet to me since I arrived.”
“That’s our Pallas,” Natalie said as she held open the front door. “Okay, so I’ll make this super easy. This is Pallas’s place. Weddings Out of the Box. Destination weddings of all kinds. Silver here owns a business called AlcoHaul. It’s a cool trailer-slash-bar that she hires out for events and various venues.”
“I’m a party on the move,” Silver said with a laugh.
“Carol and Wynn are coming. Carol works at the local animal preserve. We’re in the process of getting more giraffes, which is very cool. Millie was by herself for too long. A girl needs her peeps, right?” She flashed a grin. “Wynn owns a graphics and printing company. And then there’s me.” Natalie sighed dramatically. “I’m an office manager at a gallery by day and a struggling artist by night.”
“Don’t let her fool you,” Silver said as they walked down a wide hallway. “She’s incredibly gifted. One day she’s going to be famous and leave all this behind.”
“I won’t be leaving anything,” Natalie corrected, “but I’m happy to deal with the famous part. As long as the fame comes with nice-sized checks. This girl has rent to pay.”
They passed through an open doorway that led to a grassy courtyard. Pallas was there, setting up a table and chairs in the shade. She looked up and hurried over to them.
“You made it,” she said excitedly as she gave Bethany a hug. “I’m so glad. I see you’ve already met Natalie and Silver.”
“I explained our very complex relationships,” Natalie said with a laugh.
“You did well,” Bethany said. “This is a lovely setup.”
“Thanks. It’s fun rotating locations for our lunches. If it had been Carol’s turn, we would have been picnicking on the Happily Inc savanna out at the animal preserve,” Pallas said. “It’s beautiful, but can take a bit of getting used to.”
“I like having semiwild animals stroll by,” Natalie said.
“They’re great until one of them poops.” Silver wrinkled her nose. “If you’re downwind, it’s not pretty.”
Bethany grinned. “I’m around horses all day. I’m not easily offended by that sort of thing.”
Carol and Wynn arrived and more introductions were made. Bethany saw that everyone brought something to the lunch while Pallas provided a chicken and pasta main course.
Once they were all seated, dishes were passed around.
“So,” Natalie said, leaning toward Bethany. “Tell us what it’s like in El Bahar. Where do you live? Do you really work in the royal stables? What’s that like? Have you ever seen the king in person? Oooh, what about the princes? Are they cute like William and Harry?”
“That’s a lot of questions,” Bethany said, wondering how many she could answer without actually lying. She liked these women and didn’t want to deceive them.
“You don’t have to answer any of them,” Carol told her. “We’re all just so curious about you. You’re so exotic, while our lives are ordinary.”
Silver rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to her. She’s madly in love and that’s never ordinary. Oh, and that one, too.” She pointed at Pallas.
Pallas waved her left hand, showing off her engagement ring.
Bethany wondered if her envy showed. Finding the right guy and falling in love was what most women wanted at some point in their lives, including her. Being who she was added a whole layer of complications she had yet to navigate successfully.
Natalie turned to Bethany. “So... El Bahar. Tell us.”
“It’s very beautiful, right on the Arabian Sea. The people are warm and friendly and the country is progressive.” She added salad to her plate. “I do work in the royal stables and I have a nice apartment nearby.”
Which wasn’t technically a lie. The palace was close to the stables.
“My mom and I moved there when I was nine. She was hired to be a math teacher at the American School. She met a man and fell in love, so we stayed.”
“What about the princes?” Wynn asked. “I’m not sure I’m up for a real relationship but a fling with a prince sounds nice.”
Bethany shook her head. “I’m sorry to have to say that the king’s oldest son is only a teenager and the king’s brothers are married.”
“Foiled again,” Wynn said. “Please tell me someone brought dessert.”
Everyone laughed.
Conversation moved on to more neutral topics. Pallas talked about an upcoming wedding and how she and Nick were heading to Italy in a couple of months. Carol mentioned her sister, Violet, who had just moved to England with her fiancé. Natalie’s car was hanging on by a thread and she was hoping it held out until she could afford a new-to-her replacement.
Bethany listened more than she talked. She liked the easy friendship between the women and the way they included her. Sure, it was only one lunch but she had a feeling she was going to miss a lot more than just Rida when she returned to El Bahar.
* * *
CADE SAT ON the fence watching Beth canter Rida around the ring. His attention was neatly torn in two. The male part of him appreciated how she moved with the horse and how good she looked doing it. That side of his brain was remembering their kiss and wanting more.
The rest of him coveted her relationship with the stallion. He wanted that easy communication and trust. He’d always had an affinity for horses—why would it be different with Rida?
She eased him into a walk, then directed him to the fence.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said as she brought the horse to a stop. “I guess it’s going to have to happen eventually.”
Cade’s gut tightened. “What are we talking about?” he asked, keeping his voice light. He doubted his luck was good enough for her to be thinking sex.
“You want to ride him. I can tell.” Her expression was doubtful. “We’ve had trouble with him before, just so you know. But he’s your horse and I guess this is as good a time as any.”
So not sex, he thought as he jumped to the ground and approached the horse. But a close second.
He stroked Rida’s neck, then shoulder. Beth slid to the ground and moved to Rida’s head.
“I need you to be a good boy,” she murmured. “Cade’s your new owner. You’re going to have to get along with him eventually.”
Cade adjusted the stirrups to the right length, put his left foot in one and swung onto the saddle. He found his seat immediately and kept a light but firm hold on the reins.