by Holly Rayner
“I am a sheikh and an oil baron. I am a son, and a brother, and a cousin to many. I enjoy what I do. It’s the family business, and oil is a profitable industry.”
“It’s also a very damaging one,” Anne-Marie said, unable to stop herself.
But Kaled nodded. “You’re not wrong. Eventually we will have to turn to another form of energy, but for now, this is what we’ve got. Our country is rich in oil resources, and we are finding more all the time. The problem lies…”
He looked at Anne- Marie, and she smirked.
“The problem lies with upstarts like me who refuse to grant you access to it.”
“That’s not what I was going to say,” he said, glancing down.
“But it’s the truth. There’s nothing wrong with the truth. I tend to prefer it over flowery lies.”
“Do you?”
“Of course. Don’t you?”
“The truth can be bent and twisted to serve anyone’s purpose. I’m not sure I know anyone who is completely truthful and honest.”
“I’d be happy to demonstrate for you,” she said, taking a sip of lemonade.
Kaled watched her carefully. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
“Fine. What do you think of me, really?”
Anne-Marie stared him down, thinking about how to answer that. If he wanted the full truth, she would have told him that she thought his ability to work with her horses was the most attractive thing she had ever experienced, and that his face didn’t hurt to look at either.
Deciding not to take that route, she went in another direction.
“I think that you put on a persona, but the person you really are is hiding beneath that high-priced suit, and I think that person would be very comfortable wearing jeans for the rest of his life.”
Kaled laughed at her evaluation, his eyes crinkling slightly at the corners. His laugh was musical, warm and rich. How long had it been since someone had laughed in that house?
“That is a very interesting perspective. You’re not entirely wrong. I should vacation more, and I enjoy being in nature and spending time with animals. I didn’t realize how much until today, though. Working with your horses was something that brought me back to the better times of my youth, and I won’t soon forget it.”
“I should hope not,” Anne-Marie said quietly.
Kaled’s gaze turned misty as he retreated into his memories.
“It was always so strange, being apart from my people. The country estate was beautiful, but it was very solitary. I longed to go visit the city, to see what it was about, but much of Al Hajidh is comprised of desert, and oil rigs. We were situated in the only part of the country left with any natural beauty.”
“Doesn’t that upset you?” Anne-Marie asked.
Kaled’s expression turned thoughtful.
“I suppose I never knew any different. All I knew was that we owned the oil rigs, and that they were the reason we got to enjoy the life that we did. The city was a place to visit, but after I went and saw how dirty it was, I opted never really to go there. It’s where our biggest university is, and I didn’t feel like spending my days in that grime, so I picked a school in Texas instead. There are plenty of oil opportunities here, so my parents had no reason to protest.”
“Do you think you’ll ever go back there? If you ever want to settle down, I mean?”
“I don’t think so,” he said. “Don’t tell my parents that, of course, but I think they know that my heart lies out here now. All my friends are here, my life, my business. There’s not much for me there but a retirement palace.”
“Oh, is that all?” Anne-Marie teased.
Kaled’s grin was sheepish.
“Indeed. I did love those horses, though. Now I find myself wondering what ever happened to them.”
“It sounds like they were very well cared for,” she said.
Kaled nodded. “I believe they were, and continue to be. It’s something I think I might look into, after all this is done.”
Anne-Marie took her last bite of pasta, gently wiping the corner of her lips before placing her napkin on the table. She found that she enjoyed sharing a meal with someone there again—especially given that that someone was a handsome man who happened to love horses almost as much as she did.
His meal also finished, Kaled stood as Anne-Marie did, meeting her at the sink.
“You don’t have to do this. I can take care of the dishes.”
“Nonsense. We both cooked, we both must clean up. That’s the rule.”
“Whose rule?” she asked, and Kaled peeked down at her and winked.
“Mine.”
“Oh, now you’re making the rules in this house, are you?” she asked, her tone teasing.
“Are you going to try and refuse my help at every turn, or just on the first day?” he countered.
She hesitated, staring up into his eyes as she thought about her answer.
“I’m just not used to having help,” she admitted.
“That much is obvious. But will you at least let me help, while I’m here? Otherwise, what is the purpose of all this? I know there are other factors at play, but it’s pretty obvious that that’s a large part of why you invited me to stay here. So,” he said, taking an empty bowl from her hand, “let me assist.”
Anne-Marie allowed him to wash the rest of the dishes. She also allowed her fingers to brush against his time and time again as he passed each dish to her to dry and put away. Between the two of them, dinner was cleaned up in no time, and Anne-Marie was once again left to realize just how much easier life was when there was someone else around to enjoy it with.
Once their task was finished, Kaled glance at his watch, and Anne-Marie took that as a sign he was ready for bed.
“You must be exhausted. You helped so much today, and tomorrow isn’t going to be any different. Perhaps it’s best if we turn in?”
It was a question more than a suggestion. Kaled paused before nodding, and they walked together down the hallway until they reached his room, which came up right before hers.
Anne-Marie lingered in the doorway. The truth was, she wasn’t ready to go to bed. Her mind was buzzing, and all she wanted was to learn more about the handsome stranger who had been such a big help to her that day. In the darkness of the hallway, the angles of his face were even more pronounced, giving him a sexy, almost dangerous vibe, like an outlaw.
Realizing then that he was making no moves to end their conversation, either, Anne-Marie did her best to remember how to flirt, tilting her head to one side as he waited in his doorway.
“Perhaps you’d like a nightcap before bed?” she said, taking a step back to allow him room.
She fully expected him to decline the invitation. His phone had been switched off for almost the entire day, and it was extremely likely that someone was having a panic attack somewhere due to not being able to get ahold of him. He would, quite rightly, turn her down, and the next day they would resume their labor, working side by side while he waited the necessary timeframe before he could pay her for the land and leave.
That was all he was there for, after all.
“A nightcap sounds perfect,” he said, stepping back out into the hallway, his arm brushing against hers as he passed her by.
EIGHT
Anne-Marie blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected that tactic to work.
Realizing that Kaled was still walking in the direction of the living room, she headed to the kitchen and pulled out two scratched-up tumblers, filling them both with a generous glug of her dad’s old whiskey. It had been ages since she’d had a drink.
“Neat, or on the rocks?” she called out.
“Neat, please,” Kaled replied from the living room.
Leaving the two glasses as they were, she brought them into the living room and handed him one. She briefly considered sitting next to him, but that seemed a bit forward, so she took a seat in the armchair across from the sofa. They had met only days before, and there was no reaso
n to assume he might develop feelings for her. After all, the man was a businessman at heart, even if he did seem to have more to him than that.
She handed him the glass, and he took a sip. She followed suit, allowing the fiery liquid to make a slow burn down to her belly. Her nerves were instantly calmed, and she smiled at Kaled.
“This was my father’s best stuff,” she said, leaning back into the sofa.
“Was?” Kaled asked.
Anne-Marie cleared her throat, not quite ready to talk about her parents yet. Perhaps a few drinks more and she would, but not yet.
“Yes. He was also an avid poker player, and he taught me everything he knew. I don’t suppose you know the game?”
“I’ve played my fair share of poker matches; I should warn you that I am quite good.”
“Oh yeah?” she replied with a grin. “Look who’s the cocky one.”
“Me? You’re the one issuing a challenge!”
“And do you accept my challenge?” she asked, leaning in with a conspiratorial smile.
Kaled’s eyes sparkled in the lamplight as he leaned in across the table, his face only inches from hers.
For a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her, and she almost closed her eyes. She couldn’t stop them from darting down to his lips before they shot back up to meet his gaze.
“You’re on,” he whispered, his breath warm with the scent of whiskey as he grinned and sat back.
Anne-Marie reached over to a side table and pulled out a deck of cards. She pulled them from their case and began to shuffle like a Vegas dealer, pulling tricks that she hadn’t performed since she was a child.
“Well, aren’t you the professional! I think I might actually be in trouble here,” Kaled said, taking another sip of his drink.
“I tried to warn you,” she said, finishing her shuffle and dealing the cards.
From another drawer she pulled out some chips, and they spent a happy half hour playing a rousing game of Texas hold‘em, Anne-Marie winning every single round.
“How are you doing this?” Kaled exclaimed after his fourth loss. “I have never lost this bad at poker in my entire life!”
Anne-Marie took a sip of whiskey. She could feel the buzz starting to sink in, and her inhibitions were slowly tumbling down. She crooked a finger at Kaled, as though she were going to tell him her secret, and leaned in. He joined her, and she considered landing a peck on his perfect mouth before deciding against it. The alcohol hadn’t completely taken over yet.
“You have two very distinctive tells,” she stage-whispered.
Kaled sat back, aghast.
“I do not!”
Anne-Marie laughed, her eyes glowing a bit from the alcohol.
“Yes, you do! I’ve been able to tell when you’re lying since the moment I met you. You have the same tells in poker as you do in business.”
“I have studied the art of business since I was a child. I can assure you that I have no such weakness,” Kaled proclaimed.
“Then why have I beaten you in every game we’ve played?”
Kaled opened his mouth as though to rebut her point but came up short. After a moment, he closed his mouth and took a breath.
“All right, I concede the point. Now it falls to you to tell me what those tells are.”
“And let you have a chance to beat me at poker? Not a chance!”
“Anne-Marie,” he said, his voice sensual.
She swallowed at his change in tone. He crossed the room and kneeled next to her, taking her hand in his as though he were proposing. His eyes were beseeching as he stared up at her, and he pursed his lips ever so slightly.
He was faking.
“Would you do me the honor of telling me this information so that I may better myself as a person, as a business executive, and as a man?”
Anne-Marie stared down at him, fighting a smile. She pretended to consider for a moment before placing both her hands on his arms.
“Tell you what. I’ll let you know after the two weeks have passed. It would be a terrible idea to give away such information before it will no longer benefit me, you see.”
Kaled lifted himself back up and sat on the couch.
“An astute business decision. Are you sure you don’t want to come work for me after all this?”
“Positive,” Anne-Marie said, her voice firm.
Kaled’s expression turned serious then, and he leaned in once again.
“Which brings us to our next topic of conversation. Why aren’t you willing to give this place up?”
Anne-Marie considered the question, taking her time drinking the last of her whiskey. It was amazing how such a small drink could have such a massive affect. She had felt carefree and reckless a moment before, but at Kaled’s question she’d instantly turned somber. It was a reminder of his true intentions. For a moment there, she had begun to think that there might be more between them.
Obviously, she had been wrong.
Kaled put his hands up in a defensive gesture. “I’m not asking with an ulterior motive here. I honestly want to know. This place is falling apart. Beyond that, it’s lonely as all else! How can you stand it, being here all alone? Don’t you want to have people in your life? I’ve offered you more than a small fortune to have the chance at a different kind of life. Why don’t you want it, Anne-Marie?”
Anne-Marie watched him carefully as he spoke. There was no eye movement or lip pursing. He was telling the truth. Having that simple lie detector test was so handy, especially since her ability to judge had been somewhat numbed with the alcohol. She sighed and looked up at the picture of her parents on the wall.
“Some things are worth more than money,” she said, her voice wistful.
Kaled turned to see what she was looking at. He stood and got a closer look at the picture before turning back to her.
“You look like your mother,” he said.
“So I’ve been told.”
“Where is she now? Retired?”
Anne-Marie looked down at her lap for a moment, and Kaled returned to the couch.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried.”
“It’s all right,” she said.
Kaled sat silently, waiting for her to continue. She realized, then, that she wanted to confide in him. She wanted to tell him everything about herself, and maybe then he would really understand.
“My parents died three years ago, in a plane crash. It was unexpected and tragic—even more so because they almost never traveled. Working the ranch made it too difficult. It was the first vacation they’d taken in decades.”
“Why don’t you sit over here?” Kaled asked.
“What?”
He patted the seat next to him. “Come on. Right here. I can’t have you tell this story and not be able to comfort you in some way. Join me.”
Anne-Marie hesitated a moment before she shifted onto the sofa next to him. He placed a supportive arm around her shoulder, and she felt enveloped in the warmth of him. It was beyond comforting. Something about it felt totally right.
“There. Now if you feel up to it, please go on,” he said, his voice gentle, like when he’d been speaking to the horses earlier.
Take that, Aloha, Anne-Marie thought, before her thoughts turned somber once again.
“I inherited the ranch after they passed. I was in the process of applying for my master’s degree in agriculture and management, but after that everything changed. I came back home and took on their duties, carrying the mantle of decades of family ranching by myself.”
“You don’t have any relatives who could come out and help you?”
Anne-Marie shook her head. “Nope. We’re a small family, and I’m an only child. I’m the last thread between my family legacy and this land. My parents would want me to fight for it, to care for these animals here, where the grass is plentiful and the sun almost always shines.”
Kaled sat in contemplative silence, absorbing her story.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
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“Don’t be,” she murmured. “You didn’t know.”
“But I should have asked. Instead, I steamrolled you and tried to press you into giving the ranch up, because all I could see on the outside was a tattered old house and barn full of horses that could be moved elsewhere.”
Anne-Marie didn’t know how to respond to that, so she sat in silence, secretly enjoying the strength of Kaled’s arm as it cradled her in comfort. Kaled continued to sit in thoughtful silence, but when Anne-Marie yawned, he removed his arm. Her disappointment was acute.