A Very Merry Princess
Page 8

A pretty brown-haired woman who looked oddly familiar walked over and smiled. “Hi. You must be Beth. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Pallas Saunders, Cade’s sister.”
“Hello.”
Pallas eyed Rida warily. “Wow. He’s really handsome. And big.” She kept her distance. “Doesn’t he scare you?”
“No. He’s a good guy.”
Pallas didn’t seem convinced. “If you say so.” She looked back at Bethany. “I wanted to meet you and see how you’re settling in. You really came all the way from El Bahar to get your horse settled? Is he afraid to fly?”
Bethany laughed. “He did really well.” She rubbed Rida’s neck. “He’s special. Horses of his caliber rarely get sold. My job is to make sure he’s going to be comfortable here and well cared for. Once he’s acclimated, I’ll head home.”
“To El Bahar?”
Bethany nodded.
“Wow. I’ve barely traveled,” Pallas admitted. “It sounds so exotic. I’ve never been a horse person but Cade has been crazy about them his whole life. We’re twins. Fraternal, obviously. Is he making you feel at home? Oh, do you like the room? He asked me to help with a few touches. I hope you’re okay with them.”
Bethany had no idea what she was talking about. What room— “Oh, the bedroom in the house.” She tried to remember what it looked like. “I’m sorry. I’ve been sleeping in the barn. I’ve only run inside to use the shower. But I’m sure it’s lovely and very comfortable,” she added, feeling awkward. One would think being a princess would help her be less of a dweeb socially, but one would be wrong.
Pallas’s hazel eyes widened. “You’re sleeping in the barn?”
“To keep Rida comfortable. Just the first couple of nights.”
“In the barn. On the hay.”
Bethany did her best not to laugh. “Technically people put straw in stalls. Hay is what horses eat. Here, Cade uses bedding pellets. It’s a wood product that produces less dust and is easier to maintain. But you’re probably not concerned about that.”
Pallas started laughing and Bethany joined in.
“Now I know where the old saying ‘hay is for horses’ comes from,” Pallas said, shaking her head. “All right, this hasn’t gone like I expected. Let’s start over. Hi, I’m Pallas, Cade’s sister. I know nothing about horses. It’s nice to meet you.”
Bethany grinned. “Now you know a little something about horses. You should spring it on Cade the next time you see him. He’ll be shocked.”
“Good idea.”
“I have three younger brothers. I get the dynamic and the importance of always having the upper hand.” That was even more critical in her family what with the oldest of her younger brothers being the Crown Prince, a title he loved to flaunt.
“How long have you lived in El Bahar?” Pallas asked.
“We moved there when I was nine, but I was born in Riverside, so I’m right at home here.”
“Good. Want to come to Thanksgiving with Cade and me?”
The invitation was unexpected. While the holiday wasn’t a big deal in El Bahar and could occasionally be forgotten, it was still part of her life. Spending it by herself would be lonely. Rida wasn’t much for celebrating with turkey and dressing.
“Before you answer,” Pallas said, “I should warn you. We have a huge family. My grandfather had seven daughters and they all come home for the holiday. Cade and I have over a dozen cousins. There’s no telling who will show up or what will happen. It’s loud and crazy with plenty of drama, but the food’s good and you could sit by me. I’d protect you from the worst of it.”
Her words made Bethany miss her own family. “I’d love to if you’re sure it’s all right.”
Pallas waved her hand. “Trust me, no one’ll even notice and if they do, you’ll be a much-needed distraction. Although my second warning is my mother can be relentless with the questions.”
“I’m pretty good with answers.” Even if, in this case, they would have to be lies.
“Then it’s settled. Do you have a cell phone here? Let me give you my number.”
Pallas fished her phone out of her handbag. Bethany pulled hers from her jeans pocket. They exchanged numbers.
“Dinner’s usually around three, which is a stupid time to eat. I mean seriously, lunch or dinner, pick one. But noooo. It has to be three.” She sighed. “I’ll let Cade know to give you a ride. He shows up about one, which is really smart. I’ll be stuck with kitchen duty starting at eight.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Thank you for inviting me.”
“It’s going to be fun.” Pallas laughed. “Or at the very least, you’ll have a heck of a story to tell when you get home. See you on Thursday.”
“See you then.”
Bethany finished grooming Rida, then led him back to his stall. The barn cat was waiting on the pole by the gate. Rida walked over and raised his head. The cat rubbed his face against the horse’s nose.
“All right, little guy, you’re going to need a name.” She smiled. “How about Harry, after England’s ginger-haired prince? Like you, he’s friendly and very sweet. It will be our little joke.”
She petted Harry, who purred loudly.
After making sure Rida was secure in his stall, she went to the house. As she’d told Pallas, she really hadn’t paid attention beyond running upstairs to shower. Now she took her time to explore the main level before heading upstairs.
The house was older, but well cared for. Like much of the barn, it had been lived in. She liked the old-fashioned kitchen. The microwave looked incongruous next to the stove from the 1940s or 1950s. The windows were clean, the pantry well-stocked. She went upstairs and paused on the landing. There were two guest rooms at this end of the hall, which meant the master was in the other direction.
For a second she thought about checking out Cade’s room, then told herself there was no way she could be that rude and intrusive. Still, she was curious about him. From what she’d discovered in the past couple of days, he was good with horses and ran his ranch efficiently. The animals were healthy and his employees seemed happy. Which made him a really nice guy. And handsome. And funny.
But not for her, she told herself firmly. She was a disaster in the romance department. Even if she wasn’t, she was only going to be here for a few weeks, and she was hardly the fling type. Besides, the fact that there wasn’t another woman living at the house didn’t mean anything. For all she knew, Cade had a girlfriend in town.
The thought was too depressing to consider for long, so she pushed it out of her head and retreated to her room. She paused to notice all the things she hadn’t bothered to see until now. The bedding was new and pretty. There were lots of pillows and blankets. A TV sat on the dresser; there was a desk with a card that gave her the house’s Wi-Fi password. In the bathroom there was a basket of lotions and hair care items, along with fluffy towels.
When she saw Pallas at Thanksgiving, she would be sure to thank her for all her thoughtful touches. Cade’s sister was nice and Bethany wanted to get to know her better. Making friends was on her life’s to-do list. She’d become too isolated at the palace. If she wanted to find where she belonged in the world, she needed to get out in it and experience things. Starting with a big American Thanksgiving.