A Very Merry Princess
Page 20

They sat across from each other at the small table. Cade smiled at her.
“You okay?” he asked.
Because he wanted to be sure. Because no matter what, he would take care of the people in his life. For a second, she let herself pretend it was all going to be okay, that she would tell him who she was and he would forgive her. Only it wasn’t going to be like that.
“I am,” she told him. “Last night was...amazing.”
“Yeah?” His grin turned smug. “For me, too.”
“I’m glad.” She drew in a breath for courage. “You’ve been an unexpected part of my trip here.” She plucked at the collar of his shirt. “I don’t usually do this sort of thing.”
“Dress like a man?” he asked, his voice teasing.
She wanted to smile back and laugh with him. She wanted to know it was going to be all right, but it wasn’t. She’d put off telling the truth long enough.
“Cade, I’ve really enjoyed my time with you. More than I should have, I think. I like you a lot.” Which was the coward’s way of avoiding saying she loved him, but one confession at a time seemed the most reasonable path.
He leaned toward her and took her hand in his. “I feel the same way, Beth. I like to tease, but the truth is you’ve made a big impact on me. I know it’s happened fast and we have to get to know each other better, but I’m hoping we can figure out a way to make that happen.”
“First I have to tell you something.”
He stiffened slightly and drew back. “What?”
“It’s not bad.” Or maybe it would be to him. “I mean, I’m not married or dying or anything else. I’m exactly who I said, with one small difference.”
His phone beeped. They both glanced at the screen and saw the gate notification.
“I’m not expecting anyone,” he said, pushing the button to activate the speaker at the gate.
“Can I help you?”
“Cade? It is I, King Malik. Good morning. Or should I say good afternoon? I was in the neighborhood and thought I would stop by to check on how things are going with you and Rida.”
Bethany fought against sudden nausea. She couldn’t breathe, which was fine because if she passed out she wouldn’t have to face what was about to happen.
Cade stared at the phone in obvious surprise. “Um, okay. Let me buzz you in.” He pushed a button on his phone, then glanced at her. “Did you know about this?”
“No. I talked to my mother last night and she didn’t say a word.” Her mother had been dressed for a state dinner. How on earth could her father have attended that, then flown all the way here? He must have gotten on a plane the second she and her mom had hung up. But why? What had she said to make this happen?
She tried telling herself that she was imagining the connection, but couldn’t make herself believe it. She knew her father too well. The timing was more than suspect. He had a reason for showing up today and now she would have to deal with a lot more consequences than she’d anticipated.
“Why would your mother know if King Malik was coming here or not?” Cade asked.
Bethany glanced down at what she was wearing—or not wearing. She thought about bolting for her room, only there wasn’t time. Even as she considered her options, she heard a car pulling up in front of the house.
“You’d better go let him in,” she said quietly, willing Cade to... to... What? Believe in her? Trust her? She’d had her chance. She’d had chances every second of every day since she’d arrived. Whatever happened now was her fault and no one else’s.
Cade gave her a confused look as he got up. She started to follow, then stopped halfway as Cade opened the door.
King Malik wore a dark suit with a white shirt and red tie. He looked powerful and successful, very much the man in charge. Cade shook hands with him and said something she couldn’t hear before they both turned to her.
Her father looked her up and down, then raised his eyebrows but didn’t say anything.
In her gut she sensed he might play along if she introduced herself as Beth Smith and pretended they barely knew each other. She had a feeling she might be able to stretch out the lie a little longer—only she was done playing that particular game.
She crossed to her father and raised herself on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.
“Hi, Dad. This is unexpected.”
“Bethany.” Malik glanced between the two of them. “It seems I came at a bad time. Would you like a moment to go get changed?”
“Yes.”
She drew in a breath, grabbed on to what little courage she had left, then faced Cade.
Anger darkened his hazel eyes. Anger and something else. Something cold and unforgiving and very much like a sense of betrayal.
“I’m sorry you had to find out like this,” she began. “I’m not Beth Smith. I’m Bethany Archer, otherwise known as Princess Bethany of El Bahar. King Malik is my adoptive father.”
Cade opened his mouth but before he could respond, Malik moved to stand between them.
“Think carefully, young man, about what you’re going to say. Whatever you and Bethany have going on, she is still my daughter and I protect what is mine.”
Bethany winced. Of all the things her father could have said, that was absolutely the worst. It would remind Cade of everything Lynette did and make him hate Bethany even more. But it was too late now. Still, she had to try.
“Cade, could I speak to you for a moment?”
He looked at her as if he’d never seen her before, then slowly shook his head. Without saying a word, he turned and walked out of the house.
CHAPTER EIGHT
CADE WASN’T SURE how he got through his unexpected meeting with King Malik. He knew they discussed Rida and how well he was adjusting, along with the training program Cade and Bethany had developed for the horse. But for the most part, he was simply going through the motions.
He couldn’t believe it—he’d been played again. And by Beth. No, he told himself. Not Beth. Princess Bethany of El Bahar.
She’d known. That was the real killer in all this. He’d told her about his past and she’d sat there, blinking at him, when all the while she’d known. Damn her. He wasn’t sure if he was more hurt or angry. He’d trusted her, believed in her. He’d thought they had something together. He’d thought about asking her to stay. He’d been worse than a fool—he’d actually believed in her. At least Lynette hadn’t lied about who she was.
“I’m very pleased,” King Malik said as they walked out of the stables. “Rida has settled in nicely. Selling him to you was a wise decision. I hope we can continue to do business together.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
The polite response when the real one was “Are you kidding? It will be years before I can afford another horse like him.”
He thought about Bethany, then tried not to think about Bethany. He wanted to say something to her father, but what? There were no questions he could ask, nothing to be said. Not when—
He swore silently. King Malik wasn’t here because of a horse—he wanted to check on his daughter. Only he wouldn’t say that. Cade would be a moron to think otherwise.
“You came a long way to check on a horse,” he finally said, wondering if the older man would take the bait.
“I was in the neighborhood.”