They made quick work of the last two stalls, then put their tools away. Cade took the manure to the composting shed before joining her in the break room. She’d already pulled out a soda for him and put it on the table.
He opened the can. “Thanks, Beth. I mean it. You aren’t expected to pitch in.”
“No big deal.” Her eyes brightened with humor. “Your barn foreman was very excited that I volunteered.”
“If you hadn’t stepped in, it would have been up to him.”
She picked up her soda. “Don’t you dare tell him it’s not okay to put me to work.”
“I wouldn’t think of it.”
“I’m not sure if I believe you, but all right.” She took a sip. “You run a very efficient barn. I’m impressed.”
“Remember that when you fill out my report card.”
“I will.”
“I’m not used to auditioning,” he admitted. “It’s not a comfortable position to be in.”
“Rida’s worth it,” she told him.
“I agree. I’m just saying you have all the power.”
She flushed, then ducked her head. “I wouldn’t say that,” she murmured.
Words that were nice to hear. “I liked it, too.”
She raised her chin and stared at him. “I wasn’t... If you’re...”
He waited until she was done sputtering. “So you liked the kissing?”
More color stained her cheeks. “We are not having this conversation.”
“All evidence to the contrary. Come on, Beth. It’s an easy question.”
She scrunched up her face, then relaxed. “Fine. Yes, I liked it.”
“Good. Me, too. But just to be clear, I have no expectations. A few wishes and dreams, but no expectations. You strike me as the kind of woman who takes things slow. I respect that.”
She cleared her throat. “Good. I mean, thank you. I do. It’s just, you know, better that way.”
She was so confident and in charge when she was with Rida, and she’d handled his family like a professional diplomat. It was nice to see her squirming a little now.
He heard the sound of crickets. Beth pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. “That’s weird. Who would be texting me? It’s night in El Bahar.” She glanced at the screen, then beamed at him.
“It’s your sister. She’s inviting me to lunch with her and her friends next week.”
“Sounds like you want to go.”
“I do. Pallas is great and I’d love to meet her friends.” She quickly typed her response, then smiled at him. “You think she’ll serve those cheese puffs?”
He laughed. “You should ask her to.”
CHAPTER FIVE
BETHANY HADN’T KNOWN what to expect when she first heard her father was selling Rida to some guy in America. She’d been devastated at the idea of losing her horse, but more than that, confused by the choice of buyers. Now that she’d met Cade, she was more comfortable with her father’s decision. Yes, she would miss Rida, but he would be happy in his new home. Cade ran his ranch the way she would—with a lot of attention to detail. He was careful and smart and a pretty great kisser.
She smiled as she drove into town in her borrowed truck. The day was sunny, the temperature warm, the scenery pleasant, and everywhere she looked she saw signs of the upcoming holidays.
At a large intersection by the river, there was a huge faux chimney sitting on the sidewalk, the bottom half of Santa spilling out of the top as if the man was stuck. As she waited at the light, she saw his mechanized boots waving oh so slowly. On the opposite corner was an equally impressive menorah. The shops all had wreaths on their doors and twinkle lights in the windows. Thanksgiving was over, and the rest of the holiday season had begun in earnest. Maybe she should take an afternoon off and do some shopping for her family. It would be fun to have gifts under the tree from Happily Inc.
But before all that, she was off to have lunch with Pallas and her friends. A “girls’ lunch” was a rarity for her and one she was looking forward to.
She followed the directions Cade had given her and found herself in front of an interesting building. From one side it looked like a castle and from the other, it seemed to be a villa. The Christmas decorations reflected the architecture—traditional on the castle side and more airy and whimsical on the villa side. The structure itself was large, with a high roofline and a cute balcony. She pulled into the huge parking lot just as a red truck drove up next to hers.
There were two women inside—one a platinum blonde, the other a brunette. They both waved at her.
“You must be Beth,” the blonde said as she climbed out of her truck. She was tall, slender and gorgeous—all of which was slightly intimidating to Bethany. “I’m Silver and this is Natalie.”
The other woman was shorter, with brown eyes to match her hair. She wore red glasses and had an easy air about her. “Hi, Beth. Pallas told us you were joining us. You’re really from El Bahar?”
“I am, although I was born in California.”
They collected big tote bags from the truck, then all three of them walked toward the building together.
“Do you know anything about us?” Natalie asked. “Pallas didn’t say.”
“Not really. She just invited me to lunch. She’s been very sweet to me since I arrived.”
“That’s our Pallas,” Natalie said as she held open the front door. “Okay, so I’ll make this super easy. This is Pallas’s place. Weddings Out of the Box. Destination weddings of all kinds. Silver here owns a business called AlcoHaul. It’s a cool trailer-slash-bar that she hires out for events and various venues.”
“I’m a party on the move,” Silver said with a laugh.
“Carol and Wynn are coming. Carol works at the local animal preserve. We’re in the process of getting more giraffes, which is very cool. Millie was by herself for too long. A girl needs her peeps, right?” She flashed a grin. “Wynn owns a graphics and printing company. And then there’s me.” Natalie sighed dramatically. “I’m an office manager at a gallery by day and a struggling artist by night.”
“Don’t let her fool you,” Silver said as they walked down a wide hallway. “She’s incredibly gifted. One day she’s going to be famous and leave all this behind.”
“I won’t be leaving anything,” Natalie corrected, “but I’m happy to deal with the famous part. As long as the fame comes with nice-sized checks. This girl has rent to pay.”
They passed through an open doorway that led to a grassy courtyard. Pallas was there, setting up a table and chairs in the shade. She looked up and hurried over to them.
“You made it,” she said excitedly as she gave Bethany a hug. “I’m so glad. I see you’ve already met Natalie and Silver.”
“I explained our very complex relationships,” Natalie said with a laugh.
“You did well,” Bethany said. “This is a lovely setup.”
“Thanks. It’s fun rotating locations for our lunches. If it had been Carol’s turn, we would have been picnicking on the Happily Inc savanna out at the animal preserve,” Pallas said. “It’s beautiful, but can take a bit of getting used to.”
“I like having semiwild animals stroll by,” Natalie said.
“They’re great until one of them poops.” Silver wrinkled her nose. “If you’re downwind, it’s not pretty.”