The Sheik and the Christmas Bride

by Susan Mallery

  “What girls?” Darlene asked. “Do you have babies of your own?”

  Darlene sounded delighted, but for some reason Kayleen didn’t believe her. The other woman didn’t seem the type to be excited about being a grandmother.

  “They’re adopted,” As’ad told her. “My children.”

  Kayleen introduced them, using the chance to disentangle herself from her mother.

  “A prince?” Darlene cooed. “My baby marrying a prince. Does that just beat all.” She smiled at the king. “You have very handsome sons, sir. They take after you.”

  Mukhtar smiled. “I like to think so.”

  Kayleen couldn’t believe this was happening. It didn’t feel real. She looked at As’ad and found him watching her. There was something quizzical in his expression, as if he’d never seen her before.

  What was he thinking? Was he looking at her mother and searching for similarities? Was he uncomfortable with the living reminder that she didn’t come from a socially connected family? That she would be of no use to him that way?

  “Your mother must be tired from her journey,” the king said. “Let us keep you no longer.”

  “I’ll arrange to have your luggage sent up,” As’ad told the other woman. “Kayleen, I’ll see you later.”

  She nodded because she had no idea what to say. Both the king and As’ad left, abandoning Kayleen to a stranger with greedy eyes.

  “Well, look at you,” Darlene drawled when they were alone. “Who would have thought my baby girl would grow up and land herself a prince. I’m so happy for you, honey.” She grabbed a strand of Kayleen’s hair and rubbed it between her fingers. “God, I hate that color. Mine’s exactly the same. It costs a fortune to keep it bleached, but it’s worth every penny. Men prefer blondes. Although you’re carrying the color off great and the prince obviously likes it.” She looked Kayleen up and down. “You could pass for Vivian’s twin.”

  “Who’s Vivian?”

  “My sister. Your aunt. You had to have met her before, when you were living with my mama.” She looked around at the vast entrance hall. “Did you get lucky or what? I couldn’t believe it when that guy who works for the king called and asked if you were my daughter. After all this time, I had no idea what had happened to you.” She smiled. “Imagine my surprise to see what you’ve become. My little girl. Come on. Show me what life is like in the palace.”

  Kayleen led her down the hallway. Her head hurt. This couldn’t be happening. Not after all these years. Not now, when she was engaged to As’ad.

  Then she scolded herself for not being happier to see her mother. The woman had given birth to her, after all. Then abandoned her. But shouldn’t she be able to forgive that?

  Rather than try to decide now, Kayleen talked about the history of the palace. She took Darlene to the room next to hers and walked inside.

  The other woman followed, then breathed a sigh of sheer pleasure as she took in the view of the Arabian Sea and the elegant furnishings filling the large space.

  “Oh, I like living like this,” Darlene said. “How did you get from that convent to here?”

  Kayleen looked at her, trying not to notice that under the layers of makeup, they had the same eyes. “You knew about that? Where they sent me?”

  “Sure. Mama kept complaining about how much trouble you were. I got tired of hearing it and told her to take you there. I knew, ah, you’d be cared for real well. So how’d you get here?”

  “I took a teaching job at the convent school here. I’m a teacher.”

  Darlene looked amused. “Seriously? You teach children? Interesting.”

  Kayleen watched her move around the room. “Your last name is Dubois?”

  Darlene nodded without looking at her. She lifted up a small Waterford clock, as if checking the weight and the value.

  “Is that my last name?”

  Darlene glanced at her. “What are you talking about?”

  “I never knew. When my grandmother dropped me off at the orphanage, I didn’t know my last name. Everyone in the house had a different one. Grandmother wouldn’t say which was mine. I had to make one up.”

  Darlene grinned. “I made mine up, too. What did you pick?”

  “James. From the King James Bible.”

  “I prefer Tennessee Williams myself.” Darlene started opening cabinets. “Can you drink in this place?”

  “Yes. Right there.” Kayleen pointed to the carved doors hiding the fully stocked wet bar.

  Darlene found the ice and fixed herself a vodka tonic, then took a long drink. “Better,” she said with a sigh. She walked to the sofa and sat down, then patted the seat next to her. “You’re going to start at the beginning and tell me everything.”

  Kayleen stayed where she was. “About what?”

  “The story here. You’re really engaged to that prince?”

  “Yes. There will be a formal announcement in a few weeks and a wedding in the spring.”

  Darlene took another drink. “So you’re not pregnant. I’d wondered if you were.”

  Kayleen tried not to be insulted. “I didn’t have to trick As’ad into marrying me.”

  “Of course not. I didn’t mean to imply you would. Still, you have to be sensible. Do you have a prenuptial agreement? How many millions is he offering? Do you have an attorney? I wonder if you could get one to fly out and help.”

  Kayleen took a step back. “I don’t need an attorney. As’ad has promised the girls and I will be taken care of.”

  “And you believe him? You’re lucky I’m here.”

  Kayleen doubted that. “Why are you here?”

  “Because I finally found my long-lost daughter.”

  “You knew I was in the convent all those years. That’s hardly lost.”

  Darlene shrugged. “You’re much more interesting now, honey.”

  “Because of As’ad.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Partly. Oh, Kayleen, life was hard for me when you were young. I couldn’t take care of a baby, I was just a baby myself. You’re grown-up. You can see that. Then I lost track of you. But now we’re together.”

  Kayleen found it difficult to believe she would have been so hard to find.

  Darlene stood. “I’m your mother. I want what’s best for you. If you really expect this prince to marry you, you’re going to have to keep him interested. I can help you with that. Otherwise, some rich socialite will steal him away. We don’t want that, do we?”

  “I find it hard to believe you care anything about me,” Kayleen said, feeling both anger and guilt. What was she supposed to believe? “You never did before.”

  “Don’t say that. Of course I cared. But I had a career. You were better off with those nuns. They took real good care of you.”

  “How would you know?”

  “It’s the kind of people they are. Am I wrong?”

  “No,” Kayleen told her. “They’re exactly who you’d think they would be.”

  “Then you should thank me.” She walked to the bar and fixed a second drink. “I’m not leaving, Kayleen. The king thinks he’s done you a big favor, finding me and bringing me here. I, for one, agree with him. You’re my baby girl and that means something to me. We’re going to get to know each other, you and I. Now run along. I need to rest. We’ll talk about this more later.”

  Kayleen left. Not because she’d been told to, but because she couldn’t stand to be there anymore.

  She didn’t know what to think about Darlene. She’d never really allowed herself to imagine what her mother was like—it hurt too much to think about all she’d lost. But this woman wasn’t anyone’s fantasy.

  Then Kayleen thought about what the Mother Superior would say about judging someone so quickly. Maybe Darlene was sorry about their lost relationship. Maybe they could at least learn to be friends. Didn’t Kayleen owe her to give her a chance to prove herself?

  Chapter Twelve

  K ayleen returned to her suite, but she couldn’t seem to settle down. Not wi
th her mother so close. Just a wall away.

  It was her own fault for lying, she reminded herself. If she’d told King Mukhtar the truth, none of this would have happened. But she hated talking about how her mother didn’t want her and her grandmother abandoned her. It sounded sad and pathetic. So she’d made up a more comfortable version and now she was stuck with it.

  She walked to the French doors and started to open them, then remembered her mother was right next door. She didn’t want another run-in with her. She turned back to pace the room when someone knocked.

  Kayleen froze, afraid of who would be there. The door opened and As’ad stepped inside.

  Without thinking, she ran to him. She wrapped her arms around him, wanting to feel the warmth of him, the safety that came from being close.

  “That bad?” he asked as he hugged her.

  She nodded.

  “I take it my father’s surprise was not a pleasant one.”

  She looked at him. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I don’t know what to think or what I feel. She’s not like mothers on television.”

  “Few are.” He touched her cheek. “Are you all right?”

  She sighed. “I will be. It’s just strange. I don’t know her. I’ve never known her and now she’s here and we’re related and I can’t figure out what it all means.”

  “I should probably tell you that getting to know her will take time, that it will get easier, but I am not sure that is true.” He smiled at her. “So perhaps I bring you good news.”

  “Which is?”

  “Do you remember your unexpected visit to the desert? Sharif, the chieftain there, has heard of our engagement and invites us to join him and his people for dinner.”

  “I thought the engagement was supposed to be a secret.”

  “There are those who find a way to know everything. He is one of them.”

  “He probably saw light reflecting off my diamond ring. It’s like a beacon.”

  As’ad chuckled. “Perhaps. I have spoken with Lina. She is pleased to take the girls if you would like to go.”

  Kayleen bit her lower lip. “Is it too rude to leave my mother on her first night here?”

  “I think she will be exhausted from her journey. Perhaps you can leave a message on her phone and see her another time.”

  Kayleen was more than up for that. She left the message, then changed into a comfortable dress for her evening in the desert and met As’ad downstairs.

  They walked out front where a Jeep was waiting. “You will need to learn to ride,” he told her. “Eventually you will want to go into the desert with the girls.”

  “I know.” She settled in beside him and fastened her seat belt. “Maybe I’d do better on a camel. Horses and I don’t get along.”

  “A camel is not a comfortable ride. Trust me. You would much prefer to be on a horse.”

  “Maybe.” She would have to try a camel first.

  It was late afternoon. The sun sat in the west, giving everything a rosy, golden glow. The air was warm with the promise of a cool night to follow.

  “I wonder what it’s like to live in the desert,” she said as she stared out the window. “Traveling with a tribe, connected to the land.”

  “No plumbing, no heat or air-conditioning, no closet.”

  She laughed. “I can’t see you worrying about a closet.”

  “I would not, but what about you?”

  “I like plumbing and closets.” She didn’t have a lot of things, but she did like to have her few treasures around her.

  “My brother Kateb lives in the desert,” he said. “He has always preferred the old ways, when life was simple and a man lived by his wits and his sword.”

  “You’re serious? He’s a nomad?”

  “It is how he prefers it. When each of us reached the age of thirteen, my brothers and I were sent into the desert for a summer. It is considered a rite of passage—a test of manhood. The tribes were not cruel, but we were shown no preference because of our stature. I enjoyed my time, but had no interest in changing my future because of the experience. No so Kateb. He spoke of nothing else when he returned. Our father insisted he complete his education and Kateb agreed. But when he graduated from university in England, he returned here and went into the desert.”

  It sounded romantic, Kayleen thought, if she didn’t think about the reality of the life. Weren’t there sand fleas? And the heat in summer would be devastating. Still, the wilderness had some appeal. Not answering to anyone. Except one would have to answer to the tribe. There would have to be rules for the greater good.

  “Will I meet him?” she asked.

  “Not tonight. Kateb lives deep in the desert. Once or twice a year he returns to the palace, to meet with our father.”

  As’ad watched as Kayleen stared out into the desert. “It’s all so beautiful,” she said. “I can see why your brother would want to make it his home. Even without running water.”

  She spoke almost wistfully, as if she meant what she said, which she most likely did. He had learned that Kayleen’s word was truth—an unusual trait in a woman. But then Kayleen was not like other women he’d known.

  Now that she had a wardrobe of designer clothes, she dressed more like someone engaged to a prince, but there was still an air of…freshness about her. She blushed, she looked him in the eye when she spoke, she never considered hiding her emotions. All things he liked about her. He hoped she would not develop a hard edge of sophistication. He enjoyed her candor and down-to-earth ways.

  A surprise, he thought, knowing he had always preferred women of the world. Of course, those women had been companions for his bed, not anyone he would consider to be the mother to his children. He remembered a conversation he’d had years ago with his aunt. Lina had told him that there were different women in this world. That he should have his fun but save his heart for someone unlike his playthings.

  She had been right—not that he would give her the satisfaction of telling her. At least about marriage. His heart remained carefully unengaged, as it should in situations as important as these.

  He pulled up by the edge of the camp and parked. Kayleen drew in a deep breath.

  “They are so going to laugh at me,” she murmured.

  “Why would they do that?”

  She looked at him and said, “Good evening. Blessings to you and your family,” in the old tongue of El Deharia. Then added in English, “My pronunciation is horrible.”

  “You are learning our language?”

  “It seemed the right thing to do. Plus, last time almost no one would talk to me in English. It’s their country, right? One of the maids is teaching me on her lunch hour. She’s taking night classes and I’m helping her with her calculus.”

  He stared at the hazel-eyed beauty who sat next to him. In a few months, they would be married and she would be a princess for the rest of her life. Her blood would mingle with his and their children would be able to trace their lineage back a thousand years.

  She had a vault of jewels to wear whenever she liked, a bank account that never emptied; she lived in a palace. Yet did she expect humble people of the desert to speak her language? Did she hire a tutor? Have a linguistic specialist summoned? Not Kayleen. She bartered with a maid and learned an ancient speech not spoken outside the desert.

  In that moment, as he stared into her eyes and saw their future, he felt something. A faint tightness in his chest. A need to thank her or give her something. The feeling was fleeting and unfamiliar, therefore he ignored it.

  Or tried to.

  There could be no softer emotions. With them came weakness, and strength was all. But he could be grateful that she had stumbled into his life and changed everything.

  He reached for her hand. “I am glad we are to be married,” he told her.

  Happiness brightened her eyes and her whole face took on a glow. Love, he thought with satisfaction, knowing all would be well.

  “I am, too,” she whispered.

&n
bsp; Sharif and Zarina greeted them as they arrived, then the other woman pulled Kayleen aside.

  “I see you managed to keep him all to yourself,” Zarina teased as she picked up Kayleen’s left hand and stared at the ring there. “You have chosen well.”

  “I think so.”

  Zarina laughed. “I recognize that smile. You are pleased with As’ad.”

  “He’s wonderful.”

  “What every bride should think about her groom.”

  She led Kayleen toward a group of women and introduced her. Kayleen recognized a few of them from her last visit and greeted them in their native language. There were looks of surprise, then two of them started talking to her, speaking so quickly she caught about every tenth word.

  “I have no idea what you’re saying,” she admitted in English. “I’m still learning.”

  “But you are trying,” Zarina said, sounding pleased. “You honor us with your effort.”

  “I was hoping we could be friends,” Kayleen told her.

  Zarina smiled. “We are. But we will have to remember our places. Once you are a princess, things will change.”

  “Not for me.” Kayleen wasn’t interested in position or money. She wanted more important things.

  “Then we will be good friends,” Zarina told her. “Come. We are fixing dinner. You can keep us company. We will teach you new words. Perhaps words of love to impress your future husband.”

  “I’d like that.”

  Kayleen settled in the open cooking area. The women gathered there, talking and laughing. She couldn’t follow many of the conversations, but that was all right. She would get more fluent with time.

  She liked the way the women all worked together, with no obvious hierarchy. How the children came and went, dashing to a parent when they felt the need for attention. How easily they were picked up and hugged, how quick the smiles.

  The tribe was an extended family—in some ways similar to her experiences in the orphanage. The group pulled together for the greater good. The difference was one would always belong to the tribe.

  Roots, she thought enviously. Roots that traveled along. What would that be like?