A Very Merry Princess - Susan Mallery

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that they would be flying, she tied him securely. If she had to enter the stall while they were in flight, she wanted to know where his hooves would reach. Rida had a reputation for being stubborn and difficult—with everyone else. With her, he was docile and sweet. Still, he was a powerful animal who could be unpredictable if frightened or startled.

      She stroked his gleaming black coat and received a nuzzle in return. “I still can’t believe my father sold you,” she murmured into his neck. “I swear, if you don’t love this place, you’re coming directly home. I promise.”

      Rida leaned his head against hers, as if telling her he trusted her completely. She lingered for a second before stepping out of the stall. She picked up the phone by the door separating her section of the plane from the main passenger section.

      “We’re ready,” Bethany told the flight attendant who answered. “Whenever the captain is ready to take off.”

      “Yes, Princess...ah, Ms. Smith,” the woman said. “I’ll let him know.”

      “Thank you.”

      Bethany thought about asking her to remind all the staff that, as of now, she was just plain Beth Smith, an unremarkable groom accompanying an extraordinary horse on his journey. She decided to let it go. The odds of anyone addressing her by name once they reached Happily Inc seemed small. When she got Rida and his things off the plane, the crew would immediately return to El Bahar.

      “Please let me know when you’d like meal service and if I can help in any way.”

      “I appreciate that.”

      Bethany hung up, then checked on Rida. The horse looked relaxed and sleepy. She settled in her seat and fastened her seat belt before closing her eyes and wishing the stupid trip was behind her. Not that being home was going to be much of a help.

      She was twenty-six years old and basically working as a groom in her father’s stable. How pathetic was that? With all the opportunities given her, she should be doing something important with her life. Raising money for a cause, going to medical school and curing a disease. Instead she was hiding—afraid to go into the world because someone might pretend to be her friend only to find out something about her that he or she could sell to a tabloid or post on the internet.

      She wanted to be useful and figure out what was important to her. She wanted to get on with her life, fall in love and have a family. Disappearing into the palace was getting her nowhere. It was time to grow up and take charge of her own happiness.

      She promised herself she would use her time in Happily Inc to come up with a plan. Nothing was off the table—she could go back to college and finish her degree, go to work for a nonprofit, or join an online dating service. At this point the most important thing was to do something.

      So first a plan, second implementation. She knew her parents loved her. Now she wanted them to be proud of her. And even more important, she wanted to be proud of herself.

       CHAPTER TWO

      CADE SAUNDERS WAS trying to act cool, but it was nearly impossible. He felt like a kid on Christmas morning. No, that wasn’t right. He felt like a kid on five Christmas mornings and six birthdays rolled into one. He couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, and he found himself whistling for no apparent reason.

      He was an idiot, he thought cheerfully as he stood on the front porch of his house. But that was just fine with him—his good fortune was idiotworthy.

      The farm’s security system had alerted him to an authorized code being used to open the gate, so it didn’t take long for him to see a familiar car pulling up. He waited while his sister got out of the driver’s side, then, before he could control himself, he waved happily and jumped to the ground.

      His fraternal twin stared at him wide-eyed.

      “What is wrong with you?” she demanded. “You look...” She stared at him intently. “I don’t know what but you’re freaking me out.”

      “Nothing’s wrong.” He tried to look totally casual and manly.

      Pallas groaned. “It’s that horse, isn’t it? You’re practically giddy with excitement, which would be charming if you were seven, but it’s more than a little disconcerting on a guy pushing thirty.”

      He raced toward her, grabbed her around the waist and spun her in a circle. “I can’t help it,” he yelled, before putting her down and laughing. “Do you know what this is going to mean? We have a stallion from the El Baharian royal stable, right here in Happily Inc. It’s incredible. It’s more than incredible—it’s a miracle. Do you know how rare it is for the king to sell one of his horses? It almost never happens, and if it does, it’s usually a mare. We got a stallion.”

      His sister shook her head. “You’re this excited about horse sex? I’m sorry to have to say this, but you need to get out more.”

      He swung her around again. She shrieked to be put down, then started laughing with him.

      Cade released her. “I’ve been working on our breeding program, but Rida changes everything. He’s going to put us on the map.”

      “Technically, Happily Inc has been on the map for a while,” Pallas said sweetly. “You should Google us. We’re right there.”

      “Ah, sis, it’s a great day.”

      “Then I’m happy for you. And I brought everything you asked for. Although you should have told your fancy housekeeper to take care of the guest room.”

      “This is important. I need it to be right.” He shrugged. “You have great taste, Pallas, and I trust you.”

      She groaned. “Don’t be sincere. It makes it too hard to mock you.” She led the way to the back of her car and opened the trunk. “All right. Let’s get this stuff inside.”

      The “stuff” consisted of several boxes, along with shopping bags. The trunk was full, as were the backseat and the front passenger seat. Together they carried it all inside. Pallas sorted through everything, then took charge of telling him what went where.

      When Cade had found out King Malik was willing to sell him Rida, he hadn’t thought much past getting the stables ready. Three days ago the royal stable master had informed him that Rida would be accompanied by one of the horsemen familiar with the stallion. A not-unexpected occurrence. Cade had known someone would tag along to make sure the horse was comfortable, the surroundings acceptable—that requirement was in his contract with the king. What he hadn’t expected was that the horseman being sent would be a woman. Then he’d panicked.

      The farmhouse at the ranch was nearly a hundred years old. It had been remodeled a couple of times, but the kitchen hadn’t seen much improvement since the 1950s and the bathrooms weren’t a whole lot better. He doubted many guys would care, but a woman might be different. Women tended to pay attention to their surroundings and have higher expectations. Not knowing what else to do, he’d called his sister and begged for help, and Pallas had come through.

      They carried a couple of boxes and a half dozen shopping bags up to the guest room. His sister stared at the purple-and-green wallpaper, then sighed.

      “You weren’t kidding when you reminded me how bad it was,” she said. “This is some serious ugly.”

      “They’re due later today. There isn’t time to take it down.” Would the wallpaper upset Rida’s handler? Would she want to take the horse home because of it?

      “Not to worry. I’ve got the problem if not solved then at least managed.”

      She had him strip the queen-size bed and carry all the old linens downstairs. Together they put on freshly laundered sheets in a pale sage color, topped with a thick cotton blanket. A light beige comforter went over all that.

      She pulled out two decorative blankets and had him fold them across the foot of the bed, then

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