by Holly Rayner
“Depends,” she drawled. “What are you hoping to find with her?”
The man in the middle, the only blond in the group, removed his sunglasses, revealing a pair of startling blue eyes. As beautiful as they were, there was a coldness in them that sent a shiver down Anne-Marie’s spine.
“We’re hoping, ma’am, to find a deal.”
“What kind of deal?” she said, her arms still firmly crossed, her expression stony.
This in no way seemed to put the blond man off. His gaze was like steel as he stared at her, and for reasons she couldn’t possibly understand, Anne-Marie began to feel self-conscious. It had been a long, long time since an attractive man had appeared on this ranch, but somehow, in spite of his handsomeness, she instinctively wanted nothing to do with Mister Blondie.
He took a few steps forward, his gaze unmoving.
“Will you just admit that it’s you? We know no one else lives out here.”
Anne-Marie felt terribly vulnerable in that moment. Of course the man was right, but the fact that she was the only woman within twenty miles was not something Anne-Marie wanted to be public knowledge.
After a pause, she nodded. “All right, you’ve found me. Now who are you, and what do you want?”
The man lifted an eyebrow.
“I should think you would already know. After all, we’ve been sending you piles of letters with an irresistible offer. I thought you would have taken us up on it, considering the…condition of this place.”
The man glanced down at the beaten-up, patched-up fence. Anne-Marie’s eyes darted down as well before she looked back up and released her iron, cross-armed grip, dusting her hands on her jeans. She feigned nonchalance as best she could.
“Yes, I think I remember those. I threw each and every one of them out. This ranch is not for sale.”
She’d had offers on the place in the past, but they had been made cordially, in a friendly manner, and when she’d said no, the prospective buyers had tipped their hats and been on their way. Anne-Marie could feel the bully in these men. They had come to intimidate her, and she would not be cowed by a bunch of suited-up city dwellers.
Seeing the tension in the men’s shoulders, Anne-Marie glared them down as she heard another car door open. When she looked past their shoulders, she saw a tall gentleman making his way to the melee. He was olive skinned, with thick dark hair and chocolate-brown eyes. He towered above the other men, even though, physically, he wasn’t that much taller than them. It was his presence. Anne-Marie knew instantly that he was their leader, and her body responded to him in a way she had never felt before.
He approached the fence and watched her with a serious expression.
“Are you Anne-Marie Benson?”
“People have been asking me that a lot today.”
The olive-skinned man frowned. He had a slight accent, and Anne-Marie realized then that he must be from the Middle East, or somewhere thereabouts. She wondered what had brought him to Texas, and why his chin was so perfectly sculpted, before giving herself a mental shake and staring him down. The two of them locked eyes in a battle of wills for several tense moments before the man turned to the others.
“Give us a moment, will you, gentlemen?”
There was a hesitation, especially from the blond man, but after a pause, all of them headed back to their cars and closed the doors behind them. Anne-Marie turned her attention back to their fearless leader, the man with the musical accent.
“Miss Benson,” the man began, “I believe my colleague informed you of our desire to acquire this land. There is no need to delay in this transaction, as you are clearly unable to maintain the upkeep of it. That being said, I am prepared to make you a very generous offer.”
The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small checkbook. Anne-Marie held out her hand to stop him.
“Hold on. I don’t even know who you are. What are you doing here?”
That gave the man pause, and he glanced up, even as his hand was still poised to write in his checkbook.
“My apologies. My name is Sheikh Kaled Al-Qarali.”
With that he turned his head down toward his checkbook again and began writing.
Anne-Marie stared at him. Sheikh? A Middle-Eastern royal had shown up at her ranch, and for what? Just so he could buy it up, like any other toy she imagined he had taken for himself? He tore the check from his book and handed it to her.
Anne-Marie stared at the paper in his outstretched hand. Unable to be rude, not to mention wildly curious, she took the check and looked at the amount.
Then she choked.
Masking her shock with a quick cough, she handed the paper back to him. Kaled stared at it before looking back at her without reaching for the check.
Since he wouldn’t take it, Anne-Marie began to tear it up.
“Thank you for your interest, sir, but this ranch is not for sale.”
Kaled stared at her. His expression seemed to be one of disbelief, and Anne-Marie indulged in a small victory for her ability to deprive a privileged royal of what he wanted. She imagined it didn’t happen often.
“Might I ask why you are so quick to reject this offer? You must know it is well beyond anything else that you may be offered for this place.”
Anne-Marie nodded. “Absolutely. That’s more money than I’ll likely ever see in my lifetime, but it’s still not worth more to me than this land. This ranch is my family’s legacy. I’m not just going to give it away to a man in a suit who drives up to my door and throws a check in my face.”
Kaled’s eyes widened at her speech. Anne-Marie continued on, if for no other reason than to continue having a conversation with another human being, which she hadn’t done since her last trip to the market.
“One would think that a sheikh would have more sense than to behave so rudely, coming here waving money around like it will get you anything you want. There’s a thing called respect around here, Mister Al-Qarali. Perhaps you can pick up some on your way back to the city. Good day.”
“Wait,” he said, and, though she had turned, Anne-Marie swiveled back slowly, facing him.
“You’re right,” Kaled said. “I have not behaved how I should. One gets accustomed to how business is run in certain circles and forgets that it can be conducted in many ways. Will you forgive me?”
Anne-Marie considered herself a pretty good judge of character. As Kaled spoke, she listened to her instincts, waiting for them to tell her he was being insincere just to land a deal. Nothing rang an alarm bell. Rather, she felt like apologizing to him, which was outrageous! He was the one in the wrong.
Still, Anne-Marie felt the emptiness of the ranch house behind her. Would it be so wrong to prolong a conversation with a handsome man with kindness in his eyes? He stood there waiting patiently for her answer, even as the heat of the sun increased with each passing minute.
“Fine. I accept your apology and move to have a do-over. Shall we start again?”
Kaled grinned then, and a deep dimple marked his perfect face. How could a man look that good? Anne-Marie swallowed back nerves even as her stomach fluttered. He held his hand out over the wire for her to shake.
“My name is Kaled Al-Qarali, and I would love to sit and have a chat with you about your land here. Would you be willing to grant me a few moments of your time?”
Anne-Marie stared at his hand for a moment before grasping it. It was cool, in spite of the heat, and she felt her whole body react to that one simple touch. When she locked eyes with him, his expression was clouded. After a moment, his face was again a pleasant mask as he gave her hand a firm but gentle shake.
“I would. We can talk back at the house, but I’m afraid I’ll have to meet you there. I had to ride a horse out to get this far.”
Kaled gazed out along the scope of the ranch, seeing the tiny house in the distance. His eyes landed back on Anne-Marie, and she smiled, unable to help herself. She could tell there was something in the land that moved him, as it did mo
st people. It truly was a special place.
“Meet you there in ten minutes?” he asked.
Anne-Marie nodded. She picked up Sunshine’s bridle and approached the horse, who glanced up without interest before burying her face in yet more grass.
“All right, fatty, we’re heading home a little earlier than anticipated. Anyway, we should eat some lunch...not that you need it.”
Anne-Marie grinned as she slid the bridle on Sunshine’s reluctantly raised head and swung onto her back. She turned to see Kaled watching her, and she blushed slightly as she gave the horse a gentle kick and trotted back up to the house. She watched as the train of cars backed out of the lane and turned toward the main ranch house, thinking about Kaled and his offer.
The truth was, the ranch hadn’t been doing well for quite some time. It was obvious in the dilapidated structure, the endless number of patches that really just needed replacements. She had gotten the property valued at one point, and it had been far less than what the Sheikh was offering, but she hadn’t been able to take that final step. The horses depended on her, and what would Buckle do in an apartment? He loved having so much land to roam.
She reached the barn a few minutes later, dismounting as the cars parked in the large dirt lot outside the ranch house. The rest of the men stayed in their air-conditioned vehicles, but Kaled stepped back out and met her at the front porch.
“That’s a beautiful animal you have there,” he said.
Anne-Marie nodded. “Yes, she’s certainly something,” she replied.
Uncaring about their conversation, Sunshine began sniffing Kaled’s suit, and Anne-Marie noted that he didn’t seem at all put off by the contact.
“She appears to be searching for something,” he said, and Anne-Marie remembered her promise.
“Ah, you’re right. One second,” she said, rushing inside the house and to a small jar in the kitchen.
Pulling out what she needed, she headed back out and found Kaled gently stroking Sunshine’s nose.
“She’s definitely nipping for something,” he said, his lips twitching in what might have been a repressed smile.
The man had a way with horses. Anne-Marie had to squash her instant attraction to him at that realization. He was handsome, for sure, but a man who could love a horse? She would be a goner for sure.
With a smile, she held out her hand, a small sugar cube in it that Sunshine quickly licked up.
The crunch of the sugar against the horse’s teeth echoed across the ranch, and when Sunshine was finished she lapped in Anne-Marie’s direction for more.
Anne-Marie laughed. “Oh no you don’t. You’ve had plenty. Besides, I have business to discuss with this gentleman here. Off you get.”
Sunshine recognized that tone, and with another huff she stomped off toward her companions, who continued their search for sweeter grass.
Anne-Marie turned her gaze back to Kaled, who had watched this whole scene play out with a bemused expression.
“Shall we?” she said, gesturing toward her front door.
Kaled nodded and followed her lead inside. Anne-Marie opened the door for them both before heading toward her living room, which, since she spent almost no time in there, was immaculate…mostly. The dust was fairly heavy.
She turned to Kaled and gave him her best smile.
“Lunch?” she asked.
THREE
Anne-Marie busied herself in the kitchen, whipping up a pair of cheese sandwiches with a side of potato chips. It was probably peasant fare compared to what the Sheikh was used to, but it was what she’d planned on eating for lunch, and he was an intruder. There was no reason for her to change things up just because he had a heavy pocketbook and a shiny suit.
Filling two small glasses with lavender lemonade, she brought the food over and placed it on an ancient glass coffee table. Kaled had made himself comfortable on one of her tattered, floral-patterned sofas, and his eyes perused the food briefly before he looked at her again as she took her own seat across from him.
“I hope you’re not a vegetarian,” she said, unable to think of anything else to say.
Was that a smirk tugging at his perfect lips? Why was she looking at his lips? She needed to stop looking at his lips!
“I’m not, no. Thank you for taking the trouble to make all this. Your ranch really is very charming. I’ve always very much enjoyed the American countryside, and this place is no exception. The land is beautiful.”
“Yes, it is. Which is why you’ll understand that I have no intention of parting with it.”
Anne-Marie had a fantastic baloney sensor, and she could see right through Kaled’s attempt to soften her up so he could bait her with a higher price. Even as he’d spoken, he’d pulled his pocketbook out again and begun writing another check.
“I will not mince words with you, Miss Benson. This land is something I highly desire, and I assure you, I will acquire it. Everyone has a price.”
He said the last part as he tore out the check and slid it across the table toward her. Glancing down, Anne-Marie nearly choked again. He had doubled his offer. It was more zeroes than she had ever seen on a check in her life, tenfold.
Looking back up at the haughty man across from her, Anne-Marie crossed her arms again and grinned.
“Not everyone. Besides, if I’m going to give you this land, and that is a majorly big if, why do you want it? What are you going to be using it for?”
Kaled glanced to the side, an instant tell of a lie, before he cleared his throat, another classic tell, and made up some mumbled explanation.
“I’ve secured a deal with the government to buy up smaller ranches in the area that may be of geographical interest.”
“Geographical interest?” Anne-Marie replied with an arched eyebrow.
Kaled leaned in, and Anne-Marie caught a whiff of a very subtle, very sexy cologne. She blinked, trying to clear her head. She hadn’t realized just how terribly lonely her life had been until a handsome man had walked through her door, offering her large sums of money. She took a subtle breath, memorizing the scent for when he was gone and out of her life forever—just like everyone else.
“Anne-Marie,” he started. “This is a good deal. You would be foolish not to take it. Look around you. This place is falling apart. It is very clear that the upkeep is more than you can handle, and I don’t see anyone around helping you. You deserve to have fun, to get a place that’s suited for you, one that you can maintain. You must see reason here.”
His voice was convincing, and as his dark eyes worked their magic on her, Anne-Marie almost considered taking his offer. She looked away from him, not wanting to fall into the depths of his eyes, and her gaze landed on the photograph of her parents. It was enough to solidify her resolve.
She would have to find some way to get the suits off her back, though. To do that, she would need time. She would have to play her cards right to make sure she came out on top.
“I’ll think about it,” she said, after a loaded pause.
Kaled sat back, his expression thoughtful.
“That is all we ask,” he said.
“Is it? Because I’m pretty sure you’re asking for much more. You don’t strike me as the type to give up.”
Kaled smiled at her, and his white teeth shone brightly in his angular face.
“I definitely am not.”
The door burst open then, and Anne-Marie stood, ready to defend herself. The blond man stormed into the house, looking around for them. When he saw where they were, he stomped over and addressed Kaled, completely ignoring Anne-Marie.
“Well? Have you closed the deal yet? We have better things to do than sit waiting for you to finish up with this woman, Kaled. We need to get back to the office, now! Let’s go,” he said, waving his finger in a circle in a wrap-it-up gesture.
Kaled looked at Anne-Marie with an apology in his eyes.
“Anne-Marie, allow me to introduce you to my partner, Lee Palmer Jr. The two of us went to college to
gether, and he has been a worthy business associate for many years now. Unfortunately, Lee isn’t always aware that tact is needed in some instances, and he tends to forgets his manners.”
He stared pointedly at Lee, who seemed unmoved by the gentle admonishment. Still, the message got across, and Lee cleared his throat.
“Excuse me. However, our time is extremely valuable, ma’am, and we need an answer. We have waited weeks for you to respond to our letters, and you have forced us to come and address you personally, on our own time. We would be forever grateful if you could take that check and allow us thirty days to move onto the property.”