Page 128 of Once Upon a Holidate
“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, hissevendaughters, 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.
