Page 132 of Once Upon a Holidate
They walked to the middle of the barn. Beth shook her head. “This is very nice, thank you.” She studied the set table, the bowl with salad and the hot chicken and pasta casserole. “Should I be impressed with your cooking skills?”
“Not based on this. I have a housekeeper who comes in two days a week. She cleans, does laundry and leaves things like this in the freezer. A housekeeper comes with the job.”
Beth excused herself to wash her hands. Cade poured iced tea for both of them, then waited until she returned to take his seat.
“How long have you worked here?” she asked as she served herself salad.
“I moved back to Happily Inc a few months ago.” He took the salad bowl she passed him. “My grandfather owns the ranch. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid. He taught me to ride and by the time I was six, I knew I wanted to be a cowboy.”
She smiled. “It’s nice to have direction. You never strayed from your original goal?”
“Nope. I didn’t even have a firefighter phase.” He thought about his past. “My family has lived in the area for a few generations. Grandpa Frank also owns the biggest bank in town. It’s the family business. My mom wanted me to go to work with her, but that was never going to happen. My grandfather had made it clear I wasn’t going to get a job on the ranch just because I was his grandson, so when I was eighteen, I left home to learn the trade.”
He glanced at her. “You sure you want to hear this?”
“Yes. I love origination stories. Where did you go?”
“Kentucky.”
She sighed. “I’ve been a couple of times with my, ah, some friends. It’s beautiful.”
“It is and it’s horse country. I started out doing the dirty work and learned everything I could. After a few years, I moved to a ranch in Texas.”
What he didn’t bother sharing was the reason for his move. Not only was it private, it was humiliating. He’d been played by a woman in Kentucky—he’d learned his lesson and had vowed never to repeat it.
“You met the king in Texas, didn’t you?” she asked.
“Yes. I was invited to a dinner he attended. I have no idea why I was allowed to tag along, but it was a great experience. We ended up debating horses and when I heard about Rida I took a chance on him remembering me.”
She studied him for a second before looking away. “I’m glad it worked out.”
“Me, too. Rida’s amazing.”
“He is. When will you have him checked out by your vet?”
“Tomorrow, then again in a couple of weeks.” He picked up his water glass. “How did you come to work in the royal stables of El Bahar?”
Her blue eyes danced with amusement. “It is unexpected, isn’t it? My parents divorced when I was little. My dad was into car racing, a lot more than he was into paying his child support, so money was tight for my mom. She was a teacher and found out about a job at the American School in El Bahar. The pay was generous and an apartment was provided, so five years there would have given her enough for a down payment on a house and a good start on a college fund.”
She leaned toward him, her thick blond braid falling overher shoulder. “She met someone and fell madly in love. We were living, um, close to the royal stables, so I started taking riding lessons. I never outgrew my love of horses and when I was old enough, I got a job there.”
Her smile faded. “I love what I do, but it’s hard when I have to give up one of my babies. I was there when Rida was born and I’m going to miss him.”
“Trying to make me feel guilty?” he asked.
She laughed. “Maybe a little. Is it working?”
“Sorry, no. He’s going to put our little ranch on the map. I have big plans for him. All good, I promise.”
Her gaze locked with his. He felt something pass between them, although he couldn’t say what it was. The beginning of trust, maybe? Or something more?
Not more, he told himself firmly. He didn’t want more. Rida was plenty. Beth’s appeal was not part of his plan.
***
Rida settled in much more quickly than Bethany would have expected. He started eating right away and seemed to like spending his day out in the sun. He’d even made friends with the small marmalade barn cat.
“You won’t miss me at all,” Bethany complained as she trotted him in a circle in the exercise ring. “You’ll forget me as soon as I’m gone.”
