Christmas at the Ranch by Anita Hughes

Author:Anita Hughes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

* * *

A half hour later, Samantha was curled up on her bed and clicking through photos of Socks. She should be dressing for dinner, but she needed to do something comforting. If she was home, she’d heat up a bowl of noodles and sit on the sofa. Socks would jump in her lap and she’d tell him her problems.

There was no one at the ranch she could confide in. It had been easier when Beatrix seemed a grown-up Barbie doll come to life. This new Beatrix, with her past anguishes and future hopes and dreams, was much harder to dislike.

Beatrix was right: they were similar. Not in Beatrix’s Wonder Woman figure and masses of blond hair, or her desire to be a war correspondent. Samantha never even considered writing a Sloane Parker book set in a war zone. The photos online of bombs ripping up residential neighborhoods and children with torn clothes running into the street were too heart-wrenching. She preferred writing about Sloane fighting the enemy from the helm of a sleek speedboat, or dropping out of a helicopter onto the deck of a luxury yacht.

But she and Beatrix wanted the same things: to build something of their own, and have love and a family. That didn’t change Samantha’s dilemma. She couldn’t be the maid of honor when they’d just met, and when the groom was unsure about having a wedding. There was also the small detail that she believed she was falling for the groom herself.

Her phone buzzed and she answered.

“Samantha.” Her mother’s voice came down the line. “I’m glad I caught you. We’re in Liechtenstein, it’s a tiny country tucked between Austria and Switzerland. It has one of the highest wealth per capita in the world and it’s still ruled by the royal family.”

“Since when did you care about a country’s wealth?” Samantha said with a smile. It felt good to have her mother on the other end of the phone.

“I always research a country’s history. The most amazing thing happened.” Her mother kept talking. “I posted a photo of your father and me in front of the royal palace and captioned it: ‘You don’t need to be royalty to enjoy Christmas holidays in Vaduz,’” she clucked. “The department of tourism reposted it and it’s the most commented post on their site.” She paused. “Apparently now we’re influencers. We received a call from Prince Hans-Adam’s personal secretary inviting us to a Christmas ball at the palace.”

“You’re going to a ball with the prince of Liechtenstein?” Samantha’s jaw dropped.

“Heads of state from all over the world fly in for the ball. There’s a private performance of The Nutcracker and the prince gives all the guests presents. Then everyone drinks champagne and takes to the dance floor.” Her voice practically vibrated with excitement. “What if the prime minister of Canada is there and asks me to dance? I might faint.”

Samantha’s mother had a crush on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ever since she learned he had been a schoolteacher twenty years ago after he graduated from university.

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