They drove around to the back of the house and she caught sight of a series of outbuildings, including the long, tall barn. The buildings looked well used, but clean and in good condition. She wasn’t a huge fan of brand-new when she delivered a horse. It meant a lot of work had been done before her visit and made her wonder what the owners were trying to hide.
Cade pulled in front of the stable’s big open double doors and cut the engine. Bethany slid out of the passenger seat, breathing in the familiar scents of horses and outdoors. Without waiting for Cade, she entered the main barn and saw there were stalls on each side. She went left and saw clean stalls, smooth bedding and full water troughs awaiting the horses’ return from the pasture.
The stalls had an in-and-out design, allowing each horse to spend the day outdoors if he or she wanted. One of the stalls had the gate latched open. She walked inside and inspected the mats on the concrete floor, the walls, then studied the mechanism on the water trough.
“It tells us exactly how much water flows in during the day,” Cade explained, leaning against the entrance to the stall. “That way we can know if someone isn’t drinking. There’s a switch that allows us to flush the trough once a day so they stay clean.”
He nodded at the trough. “They all drain into a cistern we use to water the grass, so we’re not wasting water. We also use our own compost for the pastures.”
She listened without commenting, then went to the door that led to the outdoor paddock. She checked the locking mechanism, the edges for sharp splinters, before stepping out into the late afternoon sun.
Trees provided shade, but were planted out of reach of curious mouths. There was a light breeze, plenty of space and three exercise paddocks beyond. Cade’s ranch wasn’t anything like the royal stables back in El Bahar, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. So far, she liked what she’d seen. Cade took the time to take care of details. She was more than willing to judge a man by how he treated his horses. Based on that criterion, Cade was one of the good guys. The fact that he was easy on the eye was just a bonus. One that she planned to ignore.
“Okay,” she said as she walked back into the barn. “Show me where he’s going to be.”
She checked on Rida’s stall, confirmed the bedding was the kind she’d requested before making sure the central watering pipe was turned off. For the next two days, Rida would only drink El Baharian water before slowly being transitioned to the local supply.
She inspected the outside area for general hazards along with anything Rida might try to eat, then turned to Cade.
“I’m ready to bring him in.”
“Great. Let’s go get him.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me I’m being too picky?” A few people had.
“No way. He’s the biggest investment I’m ever going to make. Of course I want him taken care of.”
Rida backed out of the trailer like a pro. Bethany walked him around for about half an hour before taking him to his stall. He stepped in as if he’d lived there his whole life and immediately went outside.
The sun was low on the horizon. The warm rays danced on his black coat bringing out the hints of red and gold hidden in the depths. Rida shook his head, then moved next to her and pressed his head to hers. She stroked his neck.
“I’ll take your luggage up to the house,” Cade told her. “You can check out your room when you’re ready.”
She looked at him. “I’ll be sleeping here for the first couple of nights, just to make sure he’s all right.”
Cade raised his brows. “You sure?”
“I am. I brought a sleeping bag and a pillow. I’m prepared.” She looked around. “I assume there’s a bathroom in the barn?”
“Toilets and sinks but no showers.”
“I’ll shower at the house. Otherwise, I’ll be hanging with this guy.”
Cade looked from her to the horse and back. “Like I said before, you’re in charge.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ll leave you two to get settled and bring you some dinner in a couple of hours. How does that sound?”
“Perfect.”
CHAPTER THREE
CADE HADN’T KNOWN what to expect from Rida’s handler. He’d never bought a horse before that he hadn’t simply gone and picked up. Beth was competent, professional and obviously knew her way around horses. He would simply have to pretend she wasn’t a stunning, curvy, blue-eyed blonde.
Close to six-thirty he carried the back patio table and two chairs to the barn, then brought dinner, along with flatware, plates, glasses and napkins. When everything was set up, he walked to the last stall on the right.
Rida and Beth were in the paddock outside Rida’s stall. She sat on the fence, the horse standing close to her. There was a young marmalade barn cat perched on a fence post nearby. Beth was speaking to Rida in a low voice, but Cade couldn’t make out her words. They were a contrast in sizes, but looked perfectly comfortable together.
He cleared his throat to get their attention. Beth turned and smiled.
“Hi. We were discussing the weather.”
Her smile hit him like a kick in the gut. Not good, he told himself. Not good at all.
“I have dinner ready, if you’re hungry.”
“I’m starving.” She jumped down and petted Rida. “I’ll be close by. If you need me, just give a shout.”
“Does he answer?” Cade asked, holding the stall door open for her.
“Sometimes.”
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.”