by Holly Rayner
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 most 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 aga
in 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 together, 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.”
Most of this was said through tightly gritted teeth as Lee made a poor effort at civility. Anne-Marie watched him with fascination as he finished and stared at her impatiently.
Kaled picked up his glass of lemonade and glanced back at Lee.
“Please wait outside, Lee. I won’t be much longer, I assure you.”
Lee’s eyes darted to his colleague, and he glared at him for a moment before half-stomping out of the room and slamming the door behind him.
Kaled seemed entirely unaffected by this childish behavior; he just took another sip.
“This lemonade is delicious!” he said, as though they hadn’t just been so rudely interrupted. As if they were simply enjoying a nice lunch together rather than sitting at a standstill in a business acquisition.
“Thank you. I grew the lavender myself.”
“I thought that was lavender. Very tasty. Thank you for sharing it with me.”
His tone was pleasant, and for a moment Anne-Marie thought she could like him for more than just his looks. Then she remembered that he had a motive to be nice to her, and that any show of kindness was likely just a way to get the land he wanted.
Why couldn’t they have met under different circumstances?
Kaled stood, then, and Anne-Marie followed suit. Their sandwiches had remained untouched.
“I have your word that you will consider my offer, yes?”
“You do,” Anne-Marie said, though her tone indicated it would not take much more thought for her to shut him down again.
Kaled’s gaze was challenging as he locked his eyes with hers. Unable to glance away, Anne-Marie stared at him, drinking in the sight of his face as only a woman who had been in a desert of loneliness for far too long could. She would likely dream of him that night, simply for a lack of anything else to dream of. Her life had been so bland for so long. He was the first interesting thing to happen in years.
“Would it be all right if we return tomorrow and continue negotiations?”
Anne-Marie almost said no. She almost told him that he was wasting his time, that he might as well move on to the next little ranch, twenty miles away. His check was still on the table, a ray of afternoon sunlight beaming across it as though the heavens were telling her to accept it.
Sometimes, even the heavens could be wrong.
“Yes. That would be fine,” Anne-Marie said.
The truth was, she wanted to see him again. She wanted to breathe in his warm scent and bask in the light of his eyes. She wanted to sneak peeks at his muscular arms and think about what it would be like to be wrapped between them, her head nestled against his strong chest.
Realizing the direction of her thoughts, and the fact that they were staring at each other, Anne-Marie cleared her throat and held out a hand for him to shake.
“Nice not doing business with you, Mister Al-Qarali.”
Kaled gave his head a minute shake, and Anne-Marie wondered for a moment if he too were captured by the spell that seemed to exist between them before dismissing the thought. Kaled probably dated supermodels before casting them aside. Wasn’t that what the handsome and wealthy did? They certainly had more interesting prospects than a sad, lonely ranch girl, anyway.
“Please, call me Kaled,” he said, placing his hand in hers and letting it linger there for a moment too long before pulling it away. “It was nice to meet you, Miss Benson.”
“Anne-Marie is fine,” she replied, taking his lead.
They were friends now. That was likely how he wanted it. He was playing his game to earn her trust through a softer route than bullying. Anne-Marie fought to remember that as his sincere expression remained in place. He nodded a farewell to her before making his exit, and Anne-Marie watched from a window with her arms wrapped around her as the convoy of cars drove off into the distance, leaving only a trail of dust behind.
She stared at the path until the dust settled and all she could see was the thin black line of the horizon. She ran her fingertips along the palm of the hand he had touched, and her skin tingled with the memory of it. Of course, the Sheikh very likely closed many deals with people because of his good looks. It was common knowledge that attractive people were able to get away with more. Would she be played for a fool just because she could be moved to action by a handsome face?
Anne-Marie turned back to her lunch, though her appetite had dissolved. She sat down on the couch, her fingers pulling the check to the edge of the table where she could get a better look at it.
The truth was, he wasn’t playing her for a fool. He was being beyond generous with his offer, which was well beyond the actual value of the ranch. His handwr
iting was neat, even though he had written fast and on an uneven surface. That was the level of control he had, evident even in something so small as a series of written letters. For the first time, Anne-Marie seriously considered the offer.
Could she do it? Could she move on from this place and start a life of her own? So much was tied to this spot, this house, the land around it. It had defined every part of her throughout her entire life. She knew nothing else. How could she move on knowing she would lose such a big piece of who she was?
And who would care for the horses? Who would look after them, make sure they were safe and properly cared for? Kaled had been in no way specific about his motives for buying the land, and his explanation had been lacking justification on far too many levels. There was something he wasn’t telling her. No land was worth the price he was offering just because it was “interesting” or whatever.