She tried to tell herself that it was the answer but she didn’t really believe it. There had been more to his decision to break up with her than she had thought and it was worrying to wonder if she had misread the situation. She could accept what had happened when she had believed that she understood his reasons but it was far less easy to accept it now that doubts had crept in.
Her breath caught as she recalled what Khalid had said. He had claimed that he had done it for her benefit, which implied that he hadn’t wanted to break up with her for his own sake, as she had assumed. It cast a completely different slant on what had happened, made her feel edgy and unsure and that was the last thing she needed. She couldn’t afford to start wondering about his motives. It would only give rise to hope and that was something she couldn’t risk. She and Khalid were never going to get back together. He didn’t want it to happen and neither did she...
Did she?
* * *
Khalid was aware that he had handled things very badly. Instead of keeping his cool, he had allowed his emotions to get the better of him. As he stepped into the shower, he could feel anger bubbling up inside him. He needed to maintain his control or Sam would grow suspicious. The last thing he wanted was to have to explain why he had felt it necessary to end things with her. What if she told him that he’d been wrong, that she could have handled the media interest their relationship would have attracted? It would be so tempting to believe her and even more tempting to consider trying again.
He sighed as he rinsed the lather off his body. There was no chance of them resuming their relationship. Even if Sam did believe she could handle the publicity, she would never cope with the restrictions of living in Azad. She was a modern woman who was used to living life on her terms and the fact that she would need to adhere to such archaic principles would only frustrate her.
Their relationship wouldn’t last—it couldn’t do. And there was no way that he was going to put himself in the position of having his heart broken. He had seen what it had done to his father, how his father had suffered after his mother had left, and he wasn’t prepared to suffer the same kind of heartache. Getting back with Sam was out of the question even if it was what she wanted, which he very much doubted.
Peter had told him about her engagement last year. It had been a shock and an even bigger one when she had ended it a few months later. Although Khalid had no idea what had gone wrong, realistically he knew that she would meet someone else at some point, fall in love and settle down to start a family. It was what she deserved yet he couldn’t pretend that he was happy at the thought of her loving another man and having his child. Not when it was what he had wanted so desperately. However, it proved unequivocally that Sam had moved on, put the past behind her and was looking to the future. And he certainly didn’t feature in her future plans.
* * *
Dinner was a quiet affair. Sam wasn’t sure if it was because everyone was tired after the busy day they’d had, but they seemed unusually subdued. Nobody lingered over coffee and by eight p.m. she and the other women were in their tent.
‘I don’t know about you lot but I’m bushed.’ Jess gave a massive yawn. ‘Oh, ’scuse me!’
‘Don’t apologise,’ Anna told her, covering her own mouth with her hand. ‘I’m shattered too. I don’t know if it’s the heat or what but I can’t remember ever feeling so tired before. I feel like a limp rag.’
‘I know what you mean.’ Sam chuckled as she shimmied into her pyjama pants. ‘I feel as though someone has wrung all the stuffing out of me! Maybe Khalid was right.’
‘Right about what?’ Jess queried, crawling into her bed. She tucked the sleeping bag around her then looked questioningly at Sam. ‘Come on—give. What did Khalid say?’
‘Oh, nothing much,’ Sam muttered, wishing she hadn’t mentioned it. She really didn’t want to discuss what she and Khalid had been talking about earlier when it would only remind her of all the unanswered questions roaming around her head. However, there was no way she could avoid it when Jess was waiting for an answer. ‘I had an idea about visiting the camps to teach the local midwives about the need for good hygiene.’
‘Sounds like a good idea to me,’ Jess interjected, and Sam sighed.
‘I thought so but Khalid wasn’t keen. He said it was too much, what with all the clinics we have scheduled.’ She gave a little shrug as she wriggled into her sleeping bag. ‘He didn’t approve of me working seven days a week, apparently, although what I’m supposed to do with my free time is anyone’s guess.’
‘I suppose he does have a point,’ Anna conceded. ‘I mean, look at us. We’re absolutely knackered and we’ve only done one full day!’
Everyone laughed when she pulled a wry face, Sam included. However, she couldn’t help thinking that there had been more to Khalid’s refusal to consider her proposal than mere concern for her wellbeing. Maybe he preferred to call the shots and not be guided by anyone else. After all this was his project and he might feel somewhat proprietorial about what happened while they were here.
Sam tried to convince herself it was that as she settled down to sleep, but she didn’t really believe it. She had a feeling that Khalid had rejected her proposal mainly because it had been hers. It hurt to think that he could be so petty so she tried not to dwell on it. In a very short time the sound of gentle snoring told her that the others were asleep, although she was still wide awake.
Rolling over, she thumped the pillow into shape and tried to get comfortable. However, despite her weariness, she couldn’t drop off. When the sound of hooves echoed through the tent she sat up. It sounded as though they had a visitor and at this time of the night it could only mean that someone needed help.
Climbing out of her sleeping bag, Sam dragged a sweater over her pyjamas then undid the tent flap. Low lighting had been set up around the camp and in the dim glow from the lanterns she could see a horseman talking to Khalid and Peter. It was obvious that something had happened and she wasted no time in going to see if she could help.
‘What’s going on?’ she asked as she joined them. Khalid was speaking to the man and he barely glanced at her. Nevertheless, Sam felt the heat of his gaze like a physical touch and was glad that she had put on a sweater over her night attire. Colour touched her cheeks as she turned to Peter. Although Khalid might feign indifference, it was obvious that he was as aware of her as she was of him.
‘Has something happened?’ she said, trying not to dwell on the thought. It didn’t matter how aware they were of each other because nothing was going to come of it.
‘From what I can gather, there’s been an accident at one of the settlements close to here—a fire apparently.’ Peter glanced at Khalid and grimaced. ‘I don’t know how many people have been injured but it doesn’t look too good, does it?’
‘No, it doesn’t,’ Sam agreed, taking note of the grim expression on Khalid’s face.
Khalid finished speaking to the horseman and turned to them. ‘From what I can glean, there are at least three people injured—a woman and two children. We need to see what we can do to help.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ Sam offered immediately. She shook her head when he opened his mouth to object. All of a sudden she was determined to get her own way over this even though she didn’t understand why it was so important. ‘You’ll need a female doctor so it may as well be me. There’s no point waking the others when I’m already awake.’
‘If you so wish.’ Khalid gave a tiny shrug before he turned and made his way to the supply tent.
Peter frowned as he watched him go. ‘He could have been a bit more gracious. What’s wrong with him? I’ve never known him be so short with folk before.’
‘Oh, he’s probably anxious to get things sorted out,’ Sam declared, wishing it were that simple. She sighed as she went to get ready. That Khalid didn’t want her along was obvious if Pete
r had picked up on it, but she wasn’t going to let it deter her. She had come here to do a job and do it she would. With or without Khalid’s approval.
* * *
Khalid knew that he had been less than gracious but he couldn’t do anything about it. As he gathered together everything they might need when they reached the encampment, he told himself that it didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to try and win Sam over—that was the last thing he intended to do. So what difference did it make if he had been a little...well, short with her?
He added several litre bags of saline to the growing heap then lifted a box of sterile dressings off a shelf. Details of what had happened were sketchy. All he knew was that three people had been injured when an oil lamp had exploded so he needed to make whatever provision he could. He stowed everything into a couple of cardboard boxes and headed outside, relieved to find that his driver was already waiting beside the four-by-four. He tossed the boxes into the back then looked round when Peter and Sam came to join him, doing his best to treat them both as colleagues. There was no problem about treating Peter that way, of course, but it was a different story when it came to Sam.
In a fast sweep his eyes ran over her, greedily drinking in the sight she made as she stood there in the glow from the lanterns. She hadn’t stopped to brush her hair and the silky tendrils curled around her face, making his fingers itch to smooth them behind her ears. Although she was wearing trousers and a heavy knit sweater to ward off the night’s chill, he could see the hem of her pyjama top peeking out below it and realised that she must have simply dragged on some clothes over her night attire. His breath caught because beneath the all-concealing layers, he knew that she would be naked...
‘Right. Let’s get going.’ He swung round, refusing to allow his mind to go any further down that path. Thinking about Sam naked was the last thing he should be doing.
They left the camp, following the route the horseman had taken. It was pitch black, the light from the vehicle’s headlamps barely enough to take the edge off the Stygian gloom. Fortunately, their driver was a local man and unfazed by the task of driving them there under such extreme conditions. However, even Khalid was relieved when he spotted a glow of light on the horizon. Far too many people had come to grief trying to cross the desert at night for him to be complacent about the potential dangers. They drew up on the edge of the settlement. People were milling about, dealing with the aftermath of the fire. He could see the remains of the tent near the centre of the compound and inwardly shuddered as he imagined how terrifying it must have been for the occupants to find themselves engulfed by flames.
‘It must have been horrendous for the poor people who lived in that tent.’
Sam unwittingly reiterated his thoughts and he sighed. He didn’t need any reminders about how in tune they had always been, especially tonight when his emotions were so near the surface.
‘I’ll go and see where they’ve taken the injured,’ he said shortly. ‘Peter, if you and Sam could unload our supplies, it will save time.’
‘Will do.’
Peter hopped out of the vehicle and set about unloading the boxes. Sam joined him, ignoring Khalid as she started dividing everything into three piles. Khalid paused but she didn’t look up so he turned and made his way over to where a group of men were waiting to greet him. He couldn’t have it all ways, couldn’t treat her as a colleague one minute and expect her to respond as something more the next. It wasn’t fair. He knew how he had to behave towards her and no matter how difficult it was proving to be, he must stick to it.
* * *
Sam finished sorting their supplies, making sure that they each had a selection of things they might need. Khalid was still talking to the men but he glanced round, lifting his hand to beckon her over. Picking up a box, she made her way over to him, trying to ignore the little ache that seemed to have lodged itself in the very centre of her heart.
So what if he had been short with her—what did it matter? She was here to help the injured and how Khalid felt about her wasn’t the issue. Nevertheless, it was hard to hide how hurt she felt as she set the box on the ground. Maybe she shouldn’t care how he treated her but she did even though she knew it was silly.
‘I want you to deal with the woman,’ he told her briskly. ‘Apparently, she isn’t badly injured but she’s pregnant and she’s having pains.’
‘How many weeks is she—do you know?’ Sam asked quickly, forgetting her own feelings in her concern for her patient.
Khalid said something to the men. His expression was grave when he turned to her. ‘Approximately twenty-eight.’
He didn’t say anything else but he didn’t need to. If Sam couldn’t stop the woman’s labour, the baby would be extremely premature. It would be worrying enough if the child was born in a highly equipped maternity unit but so much worse if it was born out here in the desert without the benefit of modern technology.
‘I see.’ She gave a little shrug. ‘I’ll go and see what’s happening. Where is she?’
‘In that tent over there.’ Khalid pointed across the campsite, putting out his hand to stop her when she turned to leave. ‘I’ll be here with Peter. If you need me then ask one of the women to come and get me. OK?’
‘Fine.’ Sam nodded, doing her best not to let him see how his touch was affecting her. She took a deep breath as he released her. She had always been susceptible to his touch, always responded, and it seemed that little had changed. Not even the fact that he had treated her so harshly had managed to destroy her response to him.
Picking up the box, she made her way to the tent, her heart feeling like a lead weight inside her. She had thought she was over him, had truly believed that whatever she had felt six years ago was dead, but how could it be when just the touch of his hand could set off this kind of a reaction? It made her see how careful she needed to be. She didn’t want to find herself back where she’d been six years ago. She had worked too hard to get over him to welcome that scenario. No, when she returned to England she intended to be free of any such destructive emotions. She had wanted Khalid once and had suffered for it too. She wasn’t about to make the same mistake again.
* * *
It was a long night. By the time the sun started to edge above the horizon, Khalid was exhausted. Looking up from the makeshift operating table, he caught a glimpse of Peter’s grey face and could tell that his friend was as weary as him.
‘Another ten minutes and that should be it,’ he said, turning his attention back to the child they were operating on. Four-year-old Ibrahim had suffered burns to his back and they had just excised the damaged tissue. Although his injuries weren’t as severe as those of his elder brother, Jibril, he was suffering from shock. He was a very sick little boy and Khalid knew that the next twenty-four hours would be critical. He came to a swift decision.
‘I’m going to have both the children airlifted to Zadra City. They need to be hospitalised if they’re to have the best chance possible.’
‘I agree.’ Peter sighed. ‘This little chap is going to need expert nursing if he’s to pull through. And he won’t receive that in the desert.’
‘Exactly.’ Khalid pulled off his mask as he stepped away from the table. ‘I’ll make the arrangements if you’re happy to finish off here.’
‘Not much more I can do,’ Peter said stoically. ‘Are you going to check on Sam and see how she’s doing? Her patient might need to be transferred as well.’
‘Yes.’
Khalid left the tent, gulping in a great lungful of cold air as he stepped out of its heated confines. It had been a long night and although they had done all they could, he wasn’t sure if both boys would survive. Between their injuries and shock it would be touch and go and the thought made him feel extremely downhearted even though he was a realist and accepted that he couldn’t save everyone who came under his care. Still, it would
have been good to know that tonight had been a success. It might have helped make him feel better about the way he had treated Sam earlier. He had been short with her and, try as he may, he couldn’t help feeling guilty about it, but, then, what was new? He had felt guilty about the way he had treated Sam for years.
Khalid sighed as he crossed the campsite. People were already up, lighting fires to prepare their breakfasts. The scent of wood smoke filled the air, reminding him of his childhood. His father had loved to go camping in the desert and had often taken Khalid and his mother and Shahzad with him. They had been magical times when they had been able to enjoy being together as a family and forget that his father was king, with all that it entailed.
Would he ever take his own children camping in the desert? he wondered. Ever be able to forge that special bond with them? He hoped so but it all depended on what happened in the future, if indeed he ever had a family of his own. The only woman he had ever wanted to have his children was Sam, but that was out of the question.
As though thinking about her had conjured her up, she appeared. Khalid’s footsteps slowed. All of a sudden he was filled with a longing so intense that his breath caught. If he could turn back the clock then he wouldn’t let her go. He would keep her with him and simply pray that somehow, some way, they could make their relationship work. Maybe there would have been problems, and maybe he would have suffered untold heartache, but would it have been any worse than this? Even if he had lost her in the end, at least he would have had her for part of his life. And that would have been so much better than this.
CHAPTER SEVEN
SAM TOOK A deep breath. It had been almost unbearably hot inside the tent, the smell of the camel dung used to fuel the fire filling her nostrils to the exclusion of everything else. Glancing around, she realised in surprise that people were already going about their day. Water was being boiled for coffee and some sort of grain turned into a kind of porridge. Her stomach rumbled and she realised in surprise that she was hungry.
One More Night with Her Desert Prince... Page 7