An Unexpected Journey - Ch 14

Chapter 14 - Some opportunities knock gently. Others send a prince to your doorstep.

Fictional Castle Imagined by Marylee, Created by ChatGPT

“Not again!”

Sam stood staring at Raven, his arms crossed as he processed her news. “I thought you were done traveling to clients’ homes to work with their horses.”

“I know, Sam. I thought so too.” Raven held her ground, her expression resolute. “But how can I resist the Prince of Liechtenstein when his horse is in distress? He’s covering all expenses—not just for me, but for anyone I want to bring with me. I’ve never been to Switzerland, and this is a chance to see a little more of the world before I can truly settle here at home. Would you come with me?”

“You know I can’t, Raven.” Sam sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Someone has to stay and take care of the ranch, and we’ve got too much going on with the Centennial celebration coming up. There’s no way I can leave.”

Raven met his gaze, searching for any flicker of hesitation. “True. I admit it’s not the best timing, and it’s not fair of me to tempt you with this trip. I need to be sensible. The ranch and the horses need you here.” She hesitated, then added, “At least we don’t have any clients scheduled until after I’d be back.”

“That’s right, and I’m relieved to hear you say that.” Sam gave her a pointed look. “Would any of your friends or Ben be able to go with you?”

“I doubt it. Ben will say he has too much to take care of, and I can’t see any of the women just packing up and heading to Europe on short notice.” She paused, considering. “But I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

Sam twisted his hat in his hands, his brows drawing together. “What exactly is going on with the horse? And don’t they have trainers over there?”

Raven exhaled. “She’s had a major change in behavior over the last few months. The Prince has already brought in several trainers, in addition to his own, but nothing’s worked. She refuses to trailer, she’s reluctant to go into the barn, and she’s been displaying aggressive behavior toward the other horses and stable hands. The Prince is at his wit’s end. He called me out of sheer desperation.”

Sam studied her for a long moment. He didn’t like the idea of her leaving, not with everything they had on their plates—but he also knew Raven. There was no stopping her when a horse was in trouble.

“I know we have a lot going on,” she said softly, “but I have to go.”

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He let out a breath and nodded. “I understand, Raven. You’ve never turned away from a horse in need—or the owner.” He adjusted his hat. “Don’t worry about things here. The Prince probably needs you there as soon as possible. Just do me a favor and see if any of your friends want to travel with you.”

Raven gave him a small smile. “I will.”

She turned toward the ranch house, knowing she was more than capable of making the trip alone. But it might be fun to have company.

Inside, she brewed herself a cup of coffee and settled at the kitchen table, her phone in hand. She could send a text, but why not a group call?

Switching to video chat, she initiated the call to her closest friends. The screen lit up as Riley, Skylar, and Quinn answered almost simultaneously.

“Hey! Where’s Val?” Raven asked, glancing at the empty spot where her face should be.

“She’s teaching a gardening class at the Master Gardener’s training center,” Riley said. “She should be done soon. What’s up? Did you just say… Liechtenstein?”

Raven grinned. “Yep. The Prince has asked me to come help with a difficult horse. He’s covering all travel expenses for anyone who comes with me. But we’d have to move fast—he’s desperate to get this sorted. Anyone up for a trip?”

Raven barely finished her sentence before the reactions started coming in.

“Liechtenstein?” Quinn’s eyes widened. “You’re serious?”

Skylar let out a low whistle. “That’s not exactly a quick trip. What’s going on?”

Riley leaned in, her brow furrowed. “And why would a prince call you of all people?”

Raven smirked. “I’d be offended if that didn’t sound like a compliment.”

Riley grinned. “You know what I mean.”

“The Prince’s horse is in distress, and no one’s been able to figure out what’s wrong. He’s tried multiple trainers, and now he’s desperate enough to fly me across the world.” Raven took a sip of coffee. “He’s covering all expenses—for me and anyone I bring.”

Quinn sat back with a hopeful expression. “Wait, so… you’re inviting us?”

Raven shrugged. “If you’re up for it.”

“Oh, hell yes.” Skylar’s face lit up. “I did my archaeology studies in Geneva—I still have colleagues there. This could be a great excuse to reconnect.”

Quinn groaned. “Of course you have friends in Switzerland.”

Skylar laughed. “Don’t be jealous. You can come too.”

“Well,” Quinn said, stretching the word out, “Japan’s not exactly happening for me right now. Nothing going on with Robbie, so I might as well hop over to Europe for a little adventure.”

Riley tilted her head, considering. “Hold on… how long are you planning to be there, Raven?”

“Depends on how quickly I can figure out what’s going on with the horse,” Raven said. “Could be a week or two, maybe longer.”

Riley’s face broke into a slow grin. “In that case, I could stop in Galway on the way back. My brother’s been on my case about visiting.”

“Ooooh,” Skylar teased, “Ireland? That’s a nice little detour. I’d love to go back.”

Riley shrugged. “Might as well make the most of it.”

At that moment, another face popped onto the screen—Val. “Hey, what’s going on? I saw a million messages flying in while I was teaching.”

“Raven’s running off to Liechtenstein to help a prince’s troubled horse,” Riley said breezily. “And apparently, we’re all invited.”

Val blinked. “Wow. Okay, that’s… not where I thought this call was going.”

“Come with us!” Quinn said, her eyes gleaming. “It’ll be a blast.”

Val hesitated, then shook her head. “Nope. Not this time. You all go have fun—I’ll hold down the fort.”

Raven’s eyes softened. “Are you sure? I’d love to have you there.”

“I know,” Val said warmly. “But someone needs to help Sam with the ranch, especially the gardens. I can make sure everything stays in one piece while you’re off playing horse whisperer in a castle.”

Riley laughed. “Oh, now I really want to go if there’s a castle involved.”

Raven chuckled. “I’m not sure about that, but you know what? This is shaping up to be one hell of a trip.”

Skylar raised an imaginary glass. “To unexpected adventures.”

Riley grinned. “And European detours.”

Quinn smirked. “And maybe castles.”

Val rolled her eyes but smiled. “And to me, the responsible one, keeping the home fires burning.”

Raven beamed at her friends. “Alright, ladies—pack your bags. I’ll call the Prince and get back to you all with the details. Val, maybe we can talk later about how you can help? And I’ll call Ben to let him know we’re leaving the country.”

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