Read Online His Arranged Marriage by Tina Leonard - Free Book Online Page A

looks at me so knowingly that my insides turn to jelly and I think I’m going to explode.”
    “Sounds like either way you’re going to explode. Your options appear to be limited—and painful.”
    “You are no help,” Cade said curtly. “Wait until it’s your turn. You get the next princess Mother conjures up.”
    “I hope not. I’m hoping that you’ll keep her busy with your princess, maybe long enough for me tofigure out whether the rodeo life is an appealing option or not.”
    “I can just see you leaving The Rose for rodeo.” Cade sighed and leaned up against the wall, before picking up a curry brush and beginning to stroke Dakar’s powerful body with long, soothing slides of the brush.
    “I can’t believe one little gal has got you so riled up. Kissin’ Cade—isn’t that what the girls called you in high school?”
    “I hope not.” Cade sighed again. “Mac, I know that ranch life is hard. I want Serena to be happy here. It’s bad enough that our marriage started off as unfortunately as a dented bucket. For her to be content giving up palace life, she’d have to really love it here.”
    “You and I do.”
    “That’s different. We never knew any different. She’s used to velvet cushions and servants and her every need immediately tended. Here, well, there’s none of that. Not even close.”
    “Guess you’re not going to live in Balahar.”
    “See, that’s it,” Cade said softly, laying his head against Dakar’s shoulder for a moment as he thought. The smell of warm horseflesh came to him, comforting and familiar. A few stalls over, Texas Heat pawed the ground, insisting he get his share of attention. The two stallions couldn’t be kept in side-by-side stalls—they would kick apart the wood between them in order to get at each other—and Texas Heat was competitively aware that he wasn’t the focus right now. Cade glanced at the stallion. “Slow down, boy. You don’t always have to be spoiled rotten.” Then he glanced at Mac. “The horses get all the spoiling here, Mac. I’m asking Serena to make a sacrifice, when I’m not willing to do the same. I’d rather be in a wooden box than live in that palace of hers.”
    Mac shook his head. “I wouldn’t want to, either. Remember? That’s why you went for me? I didn’t even want to make a fast business trip over there.”
    “So if I want her to be happy enough here to willingly say that she wants to stay at The Desert Rose with me…I don’t think the way to make that happen is to throw ranch life at her all at once. And she’s in the kitchen wearing an apron and peeling potatoes—after I showed her how not to cut her finger off doing it.”
    “What made her decide to tackle kitchen duty?”
    Cade shrugged, a slight smile lighting his face. “She saw Mother wearing an apron.”
    “And decided she should emulate her. That shows a willingness on her part to try to like The Desert Rose, Cade. Maybe you’re too worried. After all, we have a lot here that is common to a palace. They have sand fleas in the desert, we have biting flies. They have palace politics, we have Mother’s matchmaking. They have—”
    “I get your point, but life can’t be as hard on a palace princess as it is on a cowgirl, can it?”
    “It might be,” Serena’s saucy voice came from the doorway.
    Both men straightened to stare at her. She walked toward them slowly, wearing jeans she had to have borrowed from Jessica and a determined smile. “I’ve got boots on,” she told Cade. “I’m ready to ride one of your famous horses. Why don’t you show me around this ranch, and give me a chance to decide which is more fun—being a princess or a cowgirl?”
    Texas Heat kicked at his stall, tired of being ignored. Ignoring Cade’s gape, Serena went to the stall.
    “Serena, he may nip you, or worse. Let me get you a pony,” Cade said quickly. “I’ll saddle one up for you and we can take a nice, leisurely ride around the ranch.”
    “DR Texas