My Desert Rose

by Kalia Lewis

  My Desert Rose

  A Modern Romance

  by

  Kalia Lewis

  My Desert Rose

  Kalia Lewis

  Copyright 2013 by Kalia Lewis

  Smashwords Edition

  Cover: Licensed photograph: Curaphotograpy

  Editor: Jools Bond: joolsy@rocketmail.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without signed permission in writing from the copyright owner and publisher of this ebook.

  This ebook is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Smashwords License Statement

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Table of Contents

  Beginning

  Acknowledgements

  Prologue

  Chapter one

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  I would like to thank Mike Robinson: for the continuous support and for being a mirror to bounce off: for doing the cleaning, feeding me and making endless cups of tea. Love you.

  Many thanks also to:

  Cheyanne Lowther: for being my romance gauge and inspiration (plus Ian and Isla!). Love you.

  Louiza Le-Rose: for your encouragement (you were right about Amira!). Love you.

  Nigel Smith & Katie Webber (and Gussey!): for your sharing. Love you.

  Mum and dad: love you, and dad, thanks for sharing my first book with all your nurse friends :0)

  Jools Bond: for your wonderful support and funny comments during the editing!

  To all my friends on Facebook (especially W/W) - for the love and laughter - you know who you are!

  And to you dear reader - I write for you - it's you who helps me to learn and grow.

  Thank you.

  Prologue

  The wedding itself was simply flawless. The only small detail that could be considered questionable was the fact that she wasn't doing the photography. Okay, so being the maid of honour and the photographer would have proved to be no easy feat, but hey, she was an expert at multitasking, or so she told herself.

  Shifting from foot-to-foot again, Katie really wished she'd visited the washroom before walking down the tree-lined avenue with the wedding parade. The slightly rounded, red-cheeked vicar turned and gave her another one of his 'stop fidgeting' looks over his shoulder. It wasn't her fault that the obligatory glass of champagne in the bride's quarters while getting ready had turned into two.

  Katie watched the bride with affection as she walked down the avenue towards the white arched podium, under which they were currently standing. Overhead, a canopy of maple trees set the scene as the Texan sun bounced off their autumn leaves of russet-red and spun-gold. Fallen leaves had also created a romantic carpet of interwoven garnet and citrine tones for the bride to walk upon. The groom, along with his and the bride's nine year old daughter, April, were waiting for her to join them in front of the hearty vicar. They'd chosen to marry as a family.

  Annabelle was wearing a simple white 50s style lace wedding dress, which flared out and came to her ankles. The nearly five-month pregnancy was hardly noticeable. Katie recalled the joke from that morning about how Annabelle had fallen pregnant on the first and second time of having sex with Tristan - once ten years ago with April and then during their first time since reuniting a decade later.

  Katie smiled. Tristan was looking at Annabelle as if the sun rose and fell with her. Oh, what she'd give to be loved like that. A deep yearning stirred inside of her, causing her eyes to mist over and she sniffed loudly. Annabelle had given her a pep talk beforehand and slapped a 'no crying' rule on her. She was a loud, messy crier, she couldn't help it. When emotion hits you, it hits you and she wasn't one for having those dainty little whimpers from the black and white movies. No, not her, she was definitely a bawler.

  Gulping back the emotion of it all, she looked down at her own dress. It was a shorter replica of Annabelle's, but in gold. It was pretty and quaint, but not quite what she'd pick out for herself. The slimline style of Audrey Hepburn was more her taste than the big skirts of Grace Kelly. Realising that she was actually on full show before dozens of congregational eyes, she self-consciously stood up straighter and sucked in her stomach for the fiftieth time that day. The dress had fitted fine last week, but it was all that scrummy fried chicken she'd eaten since landing in Texas that was widening her waistline and making the dress feel tight.

  If only they'd allowed her to be the photographer. This would have guaranteed her more exercise from walking and sizing up the area rather than adding unnecessary pounds to her already generous frame from sampling the chef's delights in the kitchen. Mentally, she kicked herself again for missing out on some incredible shots. Locating Jeremy, her replacement, taking pictures from the back of the congregation, she copied the vicar by giving him one of her own 'I'm watching you' looks. His response was to grin at her. Obviously, the twenty minute verbal warning she'd given him as he'd arrived that morning had not fazed him at all! Well, he'd better pull out all the stops and capture the magic of the day.

  Turning away from Jeremy to the other side of the podium, she caught a wink from the best man, Wade, Annabelle's brother and Tristan's closest friend. Now there was a hunky man if she ever saw one. Tall and athletic with dirty-blonde hair, he was a James Dean look alike. If only she could feel something romantic about him. She checked inside, nope, no rush of butterflies, just good old-fashioned affection.

  Sighing heavily at the state of her non-existent love life, she scanned the congregation, who were sitting in neat rows of white chairs along the avenue. The gold and white sashes tied around the backs of the chairs had been left to drape to the floor, complementing the whole effect.

  Katie's eyes rested upon Annabelle's mother, Rose, at the front, who kept sharing secret glances with Tristan's father, Preston. Hmmm, interesting, she thought, looks like a budding romance on the horizon. A small group of Tristan's business associates sat behind Preston. One or two of them kept looking at their watches. That riled her. If they didn't want to be here, why come? Snapping her eyes off the group, they moved a row behind and fell on a man's pair of dark eyes looking right back at her. One of his eyebrows was raised, as though asking her what she was doing with her loud sniffles, stomach sucking and nosey parkering. Katie ignored the look, but she did shiver in delight as she took in his eastern profile, which was dark and dangerous and dripping with sexuality. A little flutter tingled in her belly. Oh yeah, move over James Dean, hello Imran Khan from Bollywood!

  Trying not to look too affected by his attention, she glanced away and looked over the rest of the
congregation. Smiling faces, mainly Tristan's ranch hands and their families, peered back as they watched the loved-up pair say, 'I do'. Flicking her eyes back to those dark ones, she saw that he was now smiling at her in open amusement. This time she raised an eyebrow as if to say, 'Would you like your picture taken hot Bollywood boy?' Clearly, that was the wrong question to send his way, as the amusement drained from his eyes and a fire so primal and intense replaced it. Even from this distance she could feel the sexual challenge he was sending her way, possibly something like, 'Only if you do it naked'. Oh my, a blush infused her cheeks. The look was so blistering she'd need a fan to cool down her rising temperature.

  After the service, the congregation walked back down the jewelled avenue and along to the main house where all the patio doors were open and a marquee was waiting, ready to receive the guests for a lavish, yet intimate dinner.

  Sitting at the top table, Katie had refused to look in the direction of the mysterious man, even though it meant a cricked neck. Whoever had done the seating plan had promptly sat him in the beeline of her vision. Annabelle kept giving her little encouraging smiles and slightly nodding her head his way as if to say, 'Have you seen him yet?' Katie would bet her latest camera that this was her doing. The food was really delicious though, but it's not exactly easy to swallow with your head turned to the side. Rose kept looking at her strangely and asking her if she was okay. Well, you would ask someone that if their head was turned in your direction, staring at you while chewing over the same piece until it dissolved. At one point, deciding that she really must eat something, she looked straight ahead, met his amused look, swallowed and then quickly looked away.

  Why couldn't she have done the photography, she sighed to herself again. That way, she would've had something to occupy herself with instead of trying to avoid Mr. Hot Bollywood's eyes. Not being behind a lens really did make her feel vulnerable. Thinking about shots and angles, she purposely sought out Jeremy again. He was taking a shot of Mr. Hot Bollywood. Nice. At that moment Mr. Hot Bollywood caught her looking and he had the cheek to wink at her. Annabelle was so not on her Christmas card list this year.

  After dinner, most of the guests moved out onto the lawn to watch the sun as it began to set on a perfect day. Katie located Jeremy once again. The poor man really couldn't get away from her professional attention. Pulling him to the side, she made the excuse of chatting to him about lighting and shutter speeds. To be honest, she was panicking. The magnetic pull of Mr. Hot Bollywood was making her feel a bit too giddy. Work had the ability to switch her mind off anything that did not include a lens, so she didn't see Annabelle approach until she felt a hug from behind. Jeremy made a loud noise of relief and left quicker than Speedy Gonzalez. "Was it something I said?" she mused out loud to herself.

  "There you are!" Annabelle chirped into her back.

  "Hey, your bump is kicking my kidneys," she joked.

  Annabelle laughed. "You truly are the best maid of honour ever."

  Katie turned to see the joy and love on her face. "Awwww, look at you. Marriage so suits you and it's only been two hours." She didn't think she'd ever seen Annabelle this happy. The way they'd exchanged vows and added extra ones for April had nearly brought her to her knees in a heap of Grace Kelly lace while bawling loudly. "It was a beautiful ceremony," she sighed dreamily.

  Annabelle grinned mischievously. "It really was, and it only took Tristan ten years to get me to the altar."

  "Ah well, better late than never," she joked back as she bent over to rub Annabelle's bump. "So, how's the bubba today?" she asked it.

  Patting her expanded tummy, Annabelle chided it in humour. "Bubba has been a very naughty boy!"

  Katie's breath stalled. "It's going to be a boy?"

  Annabelle beamed in joy and the sun bounced off her red hair, giving her fresh beauty an ethereal radiance. "Shush." She put a finger to her lips. "Few people know yet, but it was confirmed this week. Tristan and April are beside themselves with excitement."

  A little twinge of sadness fluttered in Katie's chest as a memory from long ago danced across her mind. She shooed it away. This was not a day for feeling any sadness.

  Mistaking her look of melancholy for yearning, Annabelle put her hand on her arm. "It'll be your turn soon, you'll see."

  Not wanting to reveal the real reason for her pain, she replied with forced humour, "Yeah and pigs might fly. Anyway, where's that hunky husband of yours?"

  Annabelle pointed to somewhere behind Katie. "Over there, talking to Tariq."

  Katie turned and was nearly knocked over by the force of energy from the man who was speaking to Tristan. Earlier, she'd only noted him in a seated position, but now she had the full erect version and he was making her mouth water. Everything about him was good enough to eat.

  Tariq had kept his eyes firmly focused on the maid of honour all day. To her, he was probably a stranger, known only by his name. To him, she was like a well-read book, but this was the first time that he'd actually seen her in the flesh. The real-life package was more than what he'd hoped for, not just in the sense of her appearance, which was very attractive, but in her captivating innocence. All day he'd been waiting for the perfect moment to approach her. Now it was time, whatever the outcome.

  Deliberately catching her eye from over Tristan's shoulder, he gave her a warm smile. In his mind, there were two options as to how this day would end. He was banking on option one, but if it came down to taking the radical action of option two, then that's exactly what he would do. Through the connection of their eyes, he tried to convey a silent message in the form of a plea from his soul to hers. Time was now of the essence.

  Katie's breath hitched in her throat. A captivating exchange had just passed between them. What had been relayed from his eyes had nothing to do with sexual chemistry or amusing banter. It was a wordless question from the depths of him, searing her soul. What had stunned her was that a deep part of her had answered and somehow her reply had marked her as his. Surely that doesn't happen in real life? Oh, but it just did. Tingles of acute awareness were now pulsating through her body. Rooted to the spot, she'd watched him grab two flutes of pink champagne from a passing waitress and move to approach her.

  "Oh my God," she whispered nervously to Annabelle. "Mr. Hot Bollywood's coming over."

  Annabelle laughed, "I'll make sure the fire brigade is on hand to douse those flames that are roaring between you two."

  Then she slunk away, leaving her looking up into two eyes that must have been made in chocolate heaven.

  Chapter One

  When Katie had first regained consciousness, it had taken her mind a few moments to register that she was tied to a chair, gagged and wearing a blindfold. Once the initial disbelief that this was really happening had subsided, she began to wriggle frantically against the rope binds around her wrists and ankles. After several minutes of only managing to drain her limbs of precious energy, she began to shout out against the cloth stuffed in her mouth.

  "Gemeeoutesebiiiindsusonofanitch!"

  No response.

  The rough blindfold kept out any light and it was padded at the ears to drown out sound. Deaf, blind, dumb and unable to move. Not a typical day for her to say the least. Normally, her day consisted of rising alone in her bed, grabbing a slice of toast and a quick coffee before leaving to do her modest, but sedate freelance photography jobs.

  Using the one sense left that they hadn't plugged, she sniffed the air. It was a mixture of plastic and leather. Suddenly, her stomach jolted and she felt as though she’d been airlifted somehow.

  "Wattheoooksgoingon?"

  Still no response.

  Panic threatened to engulf her.

  Breathe Katie, breathe. Remember the basic survival skills you learnt at summer camp when you were nine. Wait, listen and watch closely. She attempted to roll her eyes behind the blindfold at the stupidity of that training in this situation, but her eyelids would only open halfway.

  Probing her fogged up
mind for answers, she couldn’t exactly remember how she'd become unconscious or got into this situation. If she could just recall her last lucid moments perhaps she could piece them together and find out the reason as to why and how she got here. Pushing through the fog, she reached out for any fragments of memories. Images of Annabelle and Tristan's beautiful wedding service flashed across her mind. Had she been okay at that point? Yes, she had. She remembered feeling a bit fat in the dress, but there was no feeling of any threat or danger, so what happened after the ceremony? A picture of a tall, olive-skinned man, dressed in a black Armani suit with a crisp white shirt presented itself. The beat of her heart picked up its pace. Ah, yes, she'd been ogling Tristan’s business associate, Mr. Hot Bollywood.

  What happened then?

  Think Katie, think!

  The images were getting a bit hazy. There had definitely been a sunset, as she remembered watching it from the garden while sipping on pink champagne and laughing with someone, but who was it? Recalling the deep baritone of a male voice, she shivered in remembrance of how his seductive tones had caressed her skin.

  But what had the conversation been about?

  Clenching her eyes tightly shut under the blindfold, she tried to bring forth the words, but it was like looking down a long funnel.

  Someone touched her arm and she flinched in shock. The padding around her ears was rudely pulled out from underneath the blindfold. The only sound she could hear was a background drone, as though someone had left a hairdryer switched on.

  "I'm so sorry, Miss Katarina, but this had to be done."