A Very Merry Princess. Susan Mallery

bath was big, but old-fashioned. The floor was octagon-shaped white tiles, with more tiles going halfway up the wall. A claw-foot tub stood at one end of the bathroom. The cleaning service kept it scrubbed, but it looked like what it was—a tub from another era.

      Pallas replaced the old shower curtain with a new one done in sage and beige. A small white shelving unit held stacks of towels in various shades of green. The top shelf had a blow-dryer along with a basket filled with tubes and bottles and creams. She’d tucked a small room heater into the corner—a thoughtful touch someone used to warmer temperatures might appreciate. Happily Inc was in the California desert, but unlike El Bahar, it could get chilly in late November.

      They moved downstairs. Pallas had him drape a couple of throws over the sofa, then switched out the place mats on the kitchen table and added a couple of ceramic turkeys to the counter.

      When they were done, Cade grabbed her in a hug and kissed the top of her head.

      “I owe you,” he told her.

      “Good. I plan on collecting.” She grinned up at him. “Seriously, this was fun. It was a break from wedding planning, and I have to say shopping with other people’s money is the best!”

      “I couldn’t have done this without you. I really appreciate everything.”

      She shifted so she was standing in front of him. “I’ve never seen you like this,” she admitted. “You’re always so laid-back and internally confident. You must really want this horse.”

      Because that was all Rida was to Pallas, he thought with a smile. A horse. An interchangeable hoofed animal.

      “I really do.”

      “Then I hope this helps.”

      She tucked her hair behind her ear. As she moved, light caught her new engagement ring sparkling on her finger. Pallas’s fiancé was a good guy and Cade was happy to have him in the family. Just as important, he was relieved to know his sister had another person to watch her back and take care of her.

      He grabbed her hand and nodded at the ring. “Have we set a date yet?”

      “No, and I don’t want to think about it right now. I have holiday weddings to plan.”

      His sister owned a destination wedding business called Weddings Out of the Box. Couples came from all over to have a theme wedding. Everything from princess weddings to pirate weddings to some kind of under-the-sea extravaganza. She worked hard to be successful and he would guess the last thing she wanted to do was plan her own wedding.

      “You could elope,” he suggested.

      “We’ve talked about it.” She sighed. “I just worry everyone will be disappointed.”

      “We’ll get over it,” he told her. “Getting married is about you and Nick. Do what feels right.”

      “Thanks.” She looked around the kitchen. “Okay, favorite brother of mine, I’m going to go back to work. Good luck with the girl and the horse.”

      “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

      He walked her to the front door. As Pallas stepped out onto the porch, she swung back to face him. Her eyes widened.

      “You have to invite her to Thanksgiving!”

      “No, I don’t.”

      “Yes, you do. It’s a huge holiday. She’ll be alone.”

      “She’s from El Bahar. They don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Plus, it’s a family thing and she’ll feel weird with all our family around.”

      The entire clan got together for Thanksgiving—Grandpa Frank, his seven daughters, their spouses and their kids. He and Pallas had over a dozen cousins. It was loud and frantic.

      “Plus, there’s Mom,” he added.

      Pallas grimaced.

      Their mother, Libby, was a stern woman who believed that all rules were meant to be followed and that the world would be a much better place if everyone simply did as she told them. Cade had always chafed at the restrictions and had learned early to go his own way, while Pallas had spent years trying to please their mother. It had taken her finally breaking free to find peace with their relationship.

      “You still have to ask,” his sister told him. “She’ll probably say no, but an invitation is required.”

      “I’ll think about it.”

      Which was his way of saying, No way. Not even for money. His goal was to impress Rida’s handler, not offend her or terrify her. Besides, he was pretty sure she wouldn’t care about an American Thanksgiving dinner.

      “Rida will only have been here a few days,” he added. “She might not be comfortable leaving him alone for so long.”

      Pallas’s mouth twitched. “Yes, we wouldn’t want to upset his delicate horse sensibilities.” She hugged him tight, then ran to her car. “Good luck, Cade.”

      “Thanks. You’re the best.”

      “So I’ve been told.” She was still laughing when she drove away.

      Cade retreated to the house. He checked on the guest room again and hoped the mystery woman would find it acceptable, then he went out to the stable. Easier to wait in his office, he told himself. There was always paperwork to be done and if that didn’t distract him, he would pace the length of the huge barn until it was time to go to the private airport and pick up the stallion who was going to change everything.

      * * *

      EIGHTEEN HOURS, including a stop for gas, four meals, two movies and half a book later, Bethany felt the plane touch down on the other side of the world. The captain had announced the local time but she wasn’t sure if they’d gained a day, lost a day or if it was still Friday. She was exhausted and she was pretty sure Rida felt the same. While the horse had been exceptionally well behaved in his metal stall, he’d also been restless and hadn’t slept much.

      She waited until the plane taxied to a stop before standing and stretching. The crew would open the huge rear doors and put the ramp in place before Rida was moved. Bethany wanted to make sure the horse had a few minutes to adjust to the brighter light and sniff the fresh air before trying to walk him out. He might be a sweetie—at least to her—but he was still a massive guy who could crush her like a bug if he chose to.

      She grabbed sunglasses from her backpack, then headed down the ramp and out into the afternoon. The sky was clear and bright blue. They were in a tiny, private airport. In the distance were mountains. She was pretty sure they were to the east, and to the west, a couple hundred miles away, was the Pacific Ocean.

      Everything felt different—from El Bahar and from the eastern part of the country, where she’d briefly gone to college—yet there was familiarity, too. Perhaps because she’d spent the first nine years of her life not that far away in Riverside.

      She shook off the memories and glanced around at the small group waiting for her and Rida. There were three good-sized trucks, a regular pickup pulling a horse trailer and a handful of men. One of them walked toward her, grinning as he approached.

      He was tall—but at five foot four she found a large percentage of the world was tall to her—with light brown hair and broad shoulders.

      “Beth Smith?” He held out his hand. “I’m Cade Saunders.”

      They shook hands and he removed his sunglasses. His eyes were hazel and he had a scar by his eyebrow. As she stared at him, she felt a weird kind of quiver low in her stomach, followed by a powerful desire to flip her hair—despite her French braid.

      No, no, no, she told herself. There would be no hair flipping on this trip. No swooning or thinking Cade was handsome. This was about work and nothing else. The last thing she needed in her life was some semicharming, cowboy type.

      “Nice to meet you,” she said, carefully removing her