A Very Merry Princess
Page 16

By the time she’d showered and dressed, she’d decided to come clean. She would accept whatever consequences there were with her head held high.
That decided, she went downstairs. Cade was already in the kitchen starting the coffee. He looked up as she came in and smiled.
She told herself it wasn’t even a special smile, but wow, there was something about the way he looked at her. With affection and kindness, with concern.
“How are you feeling?” he asked. “Did you sleep?”
“I’m better, thanks. I’m sorry about last night.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t have him think less of her—it would hurt too much. Which made her a coward, but she could live with that easier than seeing disdain in Cade’s eyes. However, she also couldn’t allow things to move forward between them. It would be wrong. She would keep things as they were, which was the very least he deserved.
“Thanks.” She nodded at the pot. “Coffee. My favorite.”
He chuckled and poured her a mug. “Mine, too.”
* * *
BY ELEVEN, Bethany had convinced herself everything was going to be all right. She took care of Rida, then retreated to the small office where she dealt with her email, including a note from her youngest brother complaining that he wasn’t too young to learn to drive and asking her to talk to their father. She wrote back pointing out he was only eleven and while being a prince did come with privileges, it didn’t mean their parents were idiots. No on the driving.
She was still laughing quietly when the door opened and John, the stable foreman, pushed into the office.
“He’s gone! Rida’s gone. I just went by his stall and it’s empty. I know you weren’t going to exercise him until this afternoon, so unless you gave someone else permission to take him out, he’s gone.”
Beth went cold. No one had talked to her about taking Rida. Had one of the guys in the stable tried to ride him? That wouldn’t go well—Rida was very particular about who he accepted on his back.
She hurried out of the office. Cade came running around the corner and stopped when he saw her.
“I heard,” he told her. “You didn’t let anyone take him, did you?”
“N-no.”
Fear blended with worry that something had happened to Rida. Had he escaped or had someone taken him? He was a valuable horse and could easily be ransomed for seven figures. There was no way Cade had that kind of money, which meant she would be calling her father.
“Should we phone the police?” she asked. “Or wait for them to contact us?”
“You think he was stolen?” Cade shook his head. “I have security cameras all over this place. No one came in the gate and there’s no other way for a horse trailer to get on the property without being seen. I’m sure he got out.”
“But how? I latched the door. I always latch the door.”
“You need to breathe. We’re going to find him.”
Having Rida escape was marginally better than having him kidnapped, but no less panic inducing. What if he got lost? What if he got hit by a car?
“I can’t—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Cade put his hands on her shoulders. “Look at me. We’re going to find him. I will not stop looking until we do. I give you my word.”
She was still terrified, but some of her tension eased. Cade wouldn’t lie to her. He would make sure Rida was found.
She nodded and he led her outside. Several of the stable workers gathered around. Cade gave them instructions and they began to fan out. He grabbed Rida’s bridle, then led Bethany to his truck.
“If I had to guess,” he said as he started the engine, “I would say he’s going to head downhill. That will take him directly onto the animal preserve. Let me call Carol and have her meet us at their main offices. We’ll take off from there.”
Bethany nodded because she couldn’t speak. She was too scared. Part of her hated to commit to heading one way or another, but a decision had to be made.
Fifteen minutes later, Cade pulled into the animal sanctuary parking lot. Carol and a tall, older man stood by a pair of golf carts. As soon as Bethany stepped out of the truck, Carol waved her over.
“My dad will take Cade. You come with me.” She offered a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. If he’s on our property, we’ll find him.”
Bethany hoped that was true, but she had no way of guessing which way Rida had gone and she doubted anyone else would, either.
“We’re going to search in a grid,” Carol said as the electric golf cart moved forward silently. “My dad and I studied a map of the acreage and we think the most likely area to find Rida is in the northeast quadrant.”
“Are there any dangerous animals there?” Bethany asked anxiously. “I know you have giraffes, but what else is there around here?”
“Gazelles, zebras and a water buffalo. No one will bother him.”
Which was only a partial relief. There were a thousand other things that could go wrong. He could be heading in another direction and they would miss him completely. He could step into a gopher hole and break a leg. He could head up into the mountains and eventually starve or freeze to death.
She’d never considered herself overly dramatic, but having Rida gone was fueling the darkest side of her imagination.
Carol drove along a dirt path. “We’ll check in with the zebras first. They’re fairly skittish, so we’ll know right away if Rida’s with them. I can’t see them accepting any intruder, even a horse. The gazelles are more easygoing. Bronwen, especially.”
“You name your animals?” Bethany asked, more to distract herself than because she cared.
“I do. They’re not pets, but we still have a bond.”
They slowed at the top of a rise. Bethany could see several zebras grazing in the distance. Had she not been so worried, she would have appreciated the incongruity of the animals living in the middle of the California desert. As it was, she only scanned for Rida, then shook her head.
“He’s not here.”
“No problem. We’ll keep looking.”
Bethany nodded. “Thank you for your help. I’m sure you had a different day planned.”
“I’m happy to help. I know he means a lot to you.”
They drove for five or six minutes, then passed through a grove of thick trees into an open grassy area. She saw four gazelles and right in the middle of the field, a tall, black horse nibbling on grass.
Relief rushed through her, leaving her slightly light-headed. She smiled at Carol. “I’m so giving him a talking-to when I get him back home.”
“I’ll radio my dad and Cade. You go get your boy.”
“Thank you.”
Bethany got out of the golf cart and walked toward her horse. She was careful to move at a normal pace and keep her body language comfortable. She didn’t want Rida to sense any tension or get spooked.
He raised his head and watched her approach. After a couple of seconds, he started toward her, his head and tail high as if he was pleased with himself.
“Annoying twit horse,” she murmured in a soft voice. “You scared me to death.”
He stopped in front of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he lowered his head as if hugging her back.