A Very Merry Princess
Page 6

“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.
“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.
The stalls had an in-and-out design, allowing each horse to spend the day outdoors if he or she wanted. One of the stalls had the gate latched open. She walked inside and inspected the mats on the concrete floor, the walls, then studied the mechanism on the water trough.
“It tells us exactly how much water flows in during the day,” Cade explained, leaning against the entrance to the stall. “That way we can know if someone isn’t drinking. There’s a switch that allows us to flush the trough once a day so they stay clean.”
He nodded at the trough. “They all drain into a cistern we use to water the grass, so we’re not wasting water. We also use our own compost for the pastures.”
She listened without commenting, then went to the door that led to the outdoor paddock. She checked the locking mechanism, the edges for sharp splinters, before stepping out into the late afternoon sun.
Trees provided shade, but were planted out of reach of curious mouths. There was a light breeze, plenty of space and three exercise paddocks beyond. Cade’s ranch wasn’t anything like the royal stables back in El Bahar, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. So far, she liked what she’d seen. Cade took the time to take care of details. She was more than willing to judge a man by how he treated his horses. Based on that criterion, Cade was one of the good guys. The fact that he was easy on the eye was just a bonus. One that she planned to ignore.
“Okay,” she said as she walked back into the barn. “Show me where he’s going to be.”
She checked on Rida’s stall, confirmed the bedding was the kind she’d requested before making sure the central watering pipe was turned off. For the next two days, Rida would only drink El Baharian water before slowly being transitioned to the local supply.
She inspected the outside area for general hazards along with anything Rida might try to eat, then turned to Cade.
“I’m ready to bring him in.”
“Great. Let’s go get him.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me I’m being too picky?” A few people had.
“No way. He’s the biggest investment I’m ever going to make. Of course I want him taken care of.”
Rida backed out of the trailer like a pro. Bethany walked him around for about half an hour before taking him to his stall. He stepped in as if he’d lived there his whole life and immediately went outside.
The sun was low on the horizon. The warm rays danced on his black coat bringing out the hints of red and gold hidden in the depths. Rida shook his head, then moved next to her and pressed his head to hers. She stroked his neck.