Page 148 of Once Upon a Holidate
Bethany got out of the golf cart and walked toward her horse. She was careful to move at a normal pace and keep her body language comfortable. She didn’t want Rida to sense any tension or get spooked.
He raised his head and watched her approach. After a couple of seconds, he started toward her, his head and tail high as if he was pleased with himself.
“Annoying twit horse,” she murmured in a soft voice. “You scared me to death.”
He stopped in front of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he lowered his head as if hugging her back.
“How did you get out? Did I forget to lock the gate or do you have mad skills?”
Rida snorted in response.
A few minutes later, Carol’s father and Cade drove up. Cade walked over with the bridle. Bethany slipped it on.
“Can you give me a hand up?” she asked, standing on the horse’s left side.
“You’re going to ride him bareback with just a bridle?”
“It’ll be faster than bringing a trailer out here. Plus the trailer would startle the other animals. I’ve done it before. He’ll be fine.”
“If you’re sure.”
Cade linked his fingers together, forming a step. Bethany put her left foot on his hands, counted to three, then pushed off the ground with her right foot. She swung onto Rida’s back and settled into place.
“Do you know where you’re going?” Cade asked.
She waved her phone. “I have the ranch’s address on my GPS. I’ll use the app to guide me.”
“If you’re sure.”
“We’ll be fine.”
Carol joined them. “There’s a gate at the north end of the property.” She handed over a key. “This is for the lock. Just bring it back when you can.”
“Thank you for everything.”
“That’s what friends are for,” she said easily.
***
Bethany got Rida back to the ranch and into his stall. John discovered that two of the screws had come loose in the latching system, allowing Rida to jiggle the door open. The problem explained and solved meant she could relax. She groomed Rida, then left him in his stall with Harry sunning himself nearby. She retreated to the small office and sent thank-you flowers to Carol before making a sizable donation to the animal preserve. Then she went in search of Cade.
She found him with John. They were checking all the stalls for loose screws.
“How’s our guy?” he asked as Bethany approached.
“He’s fine. I’m still feeling a little shaky. Thank you so much for your help and for staying calm. I was totally freaked.”
“You were on edge, but it’s not surprising. We were lucky to have found him so quickly. John and I are going to go over all security procedures to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”
She nodded, confident he would take care of things. Between not sleeping and the stress of the morning, she was ready for a quiet afternoon and an early night.
“Pallas texted me,” Cade said. “She’s invited us over for dinner tomorrow, if you’re interested. I thought maybe you could help me pick out a Christmas tree before we meet them.” He flashed that sexy smile of his. “I’d like a woman’s opinion so I get the right one.”
Hope, need and just plain liking smacked her upside the head. She’d promised not to get involved with him, to take a step back and retreat to the safety of the friendship zone. Only she really, really wanted to go to dinner with him and his sister and her fiancé and she wanted to pick out a Christmas tree even more.
Was it wrong to want to create a few memories before she headed home? Was she totally horrible for not simply blurting out the truth and letting the chips fall and all that?
“Beth, it wasn’t supposed to be a difficult question.”
