‘Of course.’
His face closed up, his dark eyes unreadable as he pinned her with a searching look. Sam had no idea what he was looking for and didn’t waste time worrying about it either. Turning, she made her way to the clinic and got ready for her first patient. So long as her every waking thought was channelled towards her patients she would survive. And once she left Azad she could get back to normal and carry on with the life she had created for herself.
Tears stung her eyes but she blinked them away. She wouldn’t think about how much she would miss Khalid, wouldn’t waste time thinking if only. Their relationship would never have survived the pressures that would have been put upon it. She knew that even if it hurt.
CHAPTER NINE
KHALID SAW HIS brother and nieces off then went into the clinic. There were already patients waiting to see him so he told Han to fetch in the first one. It was an elderly man who had broken his leg in a fall. Although the fracture had started to heal, it was immediately apparent from the angle of the lower leg that it needed re-setting if it wasn’t to cause the old man problems in the future.
Khalid explained what needed to be done to the man and his son, who had accompanied him. It was obvious that they were both unhappy at the thought of him having to break the leg again but he managed to convince them that it would for the best. Their nomadic lifestyle would make it extremely difficult for the father if he was left with a badly deformed limb.
He booked the man in for surgery the following afternoon and made a note to ask Tom to check him over prior to administering the anaesthetic. Once that was done, he worked his way through the rest of his patients, adding a couple more to his list of people requiring surgery. Life in the desert was harsh and accidents occurred frequently so it was little wonder that so many folk required treatment. It confirmed his decision to try to set up a permanent clinic, even though he knew how difficult it would be to get the idea off the ground. Just finding suitably qualified staff willing to work there would be a major undertaking for a start.
‘That’s me done.’ Peter came to join him, perching on the edge of the desk. ‘Several more cases of TB, as expected, plus a patient with a rather nasty cough that sounded highly suspicious.’ He sighed. ‘I’ve booked him in for a chest X-ray tomorrow, although I already suspect what it’s going to show.’
‘Cancer is no respecter of circumstances,’ Khalid agreed quietly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sam get up and leave her desk. She’d had a busy afternoon as well from the number of files she was carrying, he thought.
She glanced round and he looked away when he felt her gaze land on him. He could see the scorn in her eyes—feel it even!—and it made him feel worse than ever. Why hadn’t he explained why he had ended their relationship when he’d had the chance? If he had told her the truth, that it hadn’t been the damage it could cause to his family’s reputation that had made him do it but the harm it might cause her, then maybe she wouldn’t be looking at him like that right now.
He started to push back his chair then realised what he was doing. What was the point of raking it all up again? Maybe it would salve his conscience but it wouldn’t change things, not really. He and Sam could never be together. She would end up resenting him for taking away everything she held dear: her career and her freedom to be the person she was. Oh, maybe it would work at first but eventually, inevitably, she would come to hate him for ruining her life and he couldn’t bear that, couldn’t bear to watch her love turn to loathing, not that she gave much sign of loving him these days.
Khalid sank back down onto his seat, turning so that he wouldn’t have to watch her leave and be tempted to do something he would only regret. There was no going back and no going forward either. Not for him and Sam.
* * *
Sam felt on edge for the rest of the day. Maybe it was that talk she’d had with Khalid earlier but she couldn’t seem to settle. Once dinner was over, she returned to the tent and dug out the novel she had been meaning to read for ages only had never found the time. It had received glowing reviews but it failed to hold her attention. She kept thinking about Khalid’s request that she should see Mariam, churning it over and searching for a way out, but she couldn’t come up with anything plausible. His sister-in-law had asked for her help and how could she refuse when there was no real reason to do so? She was a doctor first and foremost; her patients took priority over her own feelings.
By the time morning dawned, she had accepted the inevitable and just wanted to get it over. When she saw Khalid leaving the canteen, she hurried after him. He was dressed in theatre scrubs, pale blue cotton trousers and a matching top, that made his olive skin appear darker than ever. His body was lithe and muscular beneath the lightweight fabric, the perfectly toned muscles in his chest and abdomen making it clear that he took good care of himself. He had told her once that orthopaedic surgery could be physically demanding and that it required strength as well as skill to put broken bones back together. Keeping himself fit was all part of the job as he saw it and not merely an indulgence. The fact that he looked so good was irrelevant.
‘Can I have a word?’ she said hurriedly, not wanting to get sidetracked. How Khalid looked wasn’t important and she would be well advised to remember that.
‘Of course.’ He stopped, waiting in silence to hear what she had to say, and Sam felt a ripple of annoyance run through her. Did he need to make it so abundantly clear that he had no interest in her?
‘I was wondering if you’d settled on a date for me to see your sister-in-law. The sooner I examine her, the better, from what you told me.’
‘Indeed. Shahzad is anxious that Mariam should stop worrying and asked if you would be available this Sunday.’
Sam laughed at the formality of the request. ‘Well, I can’t think of anything else I’ll be doing. Of course, I shall need to check my diary but I don’t think I have any dinner engagements or red-carpet functions to attend.’
‘Good.’ A smile curved his generous mouth, softening his expression in a way that made her pulse leap. ‘I wouldn’t like it to interfere with your social life, Sam. That would never do.’
‘No fear of that, I assure you. My social life, as you call it, doesn’t exist.’ She gave a little shrug when she saw his brows rise, wishing she hadn’t said that. ‘Work seems to fill most of my days.’
‘I see. So you aren’t seeing anyone at the present time?’
‘No. I’ve had my fill of relationships, believe me. I’m happy to be single these days—it’s a lot less stressful.’
‘But you did get engaged last year,’ he said quietly. He must have seen her surprise. ‘Peter told me, that’s how I know.’
‘Oh, I see.’ She shrugged. ‘I expect he also told you that it didn’t work out and we split up.’
‘Indeed. What was the reason for it?’
‘We realised that we weren’t suited after all.’
She spun round before he could question her further, not wanting to discuss her reasons for ending her engagement with him. She sighed as she made her way to the clinic. She had seen umpteen articles in the newspapers over the years about Khalid, linking him to various beautiful and highly suitable women, so she didn’t need to enquire about his love life. There would always be women eager to be seen with Khalid...and much more.
The thought of him sleeping with all those woman was like a dagger being thrust through in her heart and she sucked in her breath. Khalid was a handsome, virile man, and even without the added lure of his wealth and status he would have attracted women by the score. There was no point her wishing that the situation wasn’t so because it wouldn’t change anything. Khalid was free to sleep with whoever he liked and it had nothing to do with her.
* * *
Sunday dawned, the sun rising in a ball of fire above the horizon. Khalid stood at the perimeter of the camp and
watched the desert slowly reappear from the night-time gloom. He hadn’t slept. He had simply laid awake waiting for the morning to come. Maybe it was foolish to set such store by what was about to happen but he couldn’t help it. Seeing Sam with his brother and sister-in-law wasn’t going to be easy. That was the reason why he had shied away from introducing her to them six years ago. He had known that once there was that connection, it would be even harder to draw back. Now, today, it was going to happen and even though there was no reason to view the coming meeting as anything more than a professional obligation, he knew it was going to be difficult.
The sound of a helicopter cut through his musings. His brother had said he would send the helicopter to fetch them early and he had kept his word. Khalid swung round, meaning to go and check if Sam was ready, but she was already crossing the compound. His heart gave a small jolt then started beating faster than normal as he took stock. Her clothes were simple—white cotton jeans teamed with a pale blue shirt with a heavy knit sweater looped around her shoulders for added warmth against the dawn chill—but she still managed to look stunning.
She’d obviously just washed her hair because damp tendrils curled around her face, making his fingers itch to smooth them behind her ears as she stopped beside him. She looked so young and lovely, so fresh and desirable that he was overwhelmed by desire. It took every scrap of control he could muster to look calmly at her when what he really wanted to do was haul her into his arms and kiss her until they were both unable to think clearly.
‘I take it that’s our taxi,’ she said, glancing skywards.
‘Yes. Shahzad said he’d make it an early start and it looks like he meant it,’ he agreed, relieved to hear that he sounded normal even if he didn’t feel it.
‘I imagine he’s anxious to hear my opinion,’ Sam observed, shading her eyes as she watched the helicopter set down a short distance away.
‘Indeed.’ Khalid glanced at the helicopter, trying not to recall what had happened when the medevac helicopter had collected Jameela and her children. It was pointless going down that route and dangerous too. He didn’t intend to kiss Sam again, not if he had any sense. Turning, he forced himself to smile politely at her. ‘So, do you have everything you need?’
‘I just need to fetch my bag and that’s it.’
She didn’t return his smile as she made her way over to the clinic and Khalid swallowed his sigh. The days when Sam had smiled at him with true affection in her eyes were long gone and it was stupid to dwell on how much he missed those times. He went and had a word with the pilot instead, checking that his brother was where he had said he would be.
Shahzad and Mariam had a house on the outskirts of Zadra City and spent most of their time there, preferring it to the more formal surroundings of the royal palace. Although they were realistic enough to know that they couldn’t ignore their status, they were anxious to ensure that their children grew up in a less rarefied atmosphere and he applauded them for it. It seemed to be paying dividends too because his small nieces were delightfully unspoiled. If he ever had children of his own, he would be more than happy if they turned out as well as the girls had done.
The thought was like a tiny dagger pricking his heart. Khalid tried to put it out of his mind as Sam came back with her case. She climbed on board and got herself settled, placing the bag on the seat next to her. Khalid took the hint and moved further back, not wanting to make an issue of it. So she wanted to sit by herself, so what? It didn’t make a scrap of difference to him...only it did if he was honest.
He strapped himself in as the pilot lifted off, wishing that he could feel as indifferent as he was pretending to be. He’d never felt this way before, so edgy and unsure, so uncertain about everything he did. He was used to being in control of himself and his life but it was proving difficult around Sam. She seemed to upset his world, make even the easiest decision far more complicated than it should have been.
He sighed as the helicopter swung round in a slow circle and headed back the way it had come. His life felt very much like this, spinning in circles, and it had to stop. He had to decide what he wanted and go for it without allowing anything to distract him. It was what he had always done in the past, set himself a goal and worked towards it, so it shouldn’t be that difficult. All he needed to do was to work out what he wanted to achieve in the next couple of years and not allow anything to throw him off course.
Closing his eyes, Khalid started to work out exactly what he intended to do with his life. Although he had enjoyed working in England, he realised that he wanted to play a bigger part in improving the health of the people in his own country. It would be difficult to set up clinics to provide access to healthcare for the desert people, but it was what he intended to do. Money wasn’t an issue, fortunately: his father was generous to a fault and could be relied on to provide the necessary backing. No, it was the logistics of finding suitably qualified staff to run the clinics that would be the biggest problem, but he would find a way round that.
And once that was done then he would have to think about his own life, and what he wanted from it too, decide if that family he’d thought about so often recently was a possibility. It all depended on him finding the right woman, of course, and that could prove to be the major sticking point. She would have to be very special if he planned to spend the rest of his life with her.
His eyes opened and went immediately to Sam while he felt his heart ache. Despite the number of women he had dated over the years there had only ever been one woman he had wanted that way and that was Sam.
* * *
It took less than an hour to reach their destination. The sun was still climbing into the sky when the helicopter touched down, gilding the pale sandstone walls of the buildings with rosy-gold light. Sam picked up her case, nodding her thanks when the pilot helped her to disembark. There was a car standing by to collect them and she followed as Khalid led the way over to it.
He opened the rear door for her, waiting while she slid into the seat. He hadn’t said a word on the journey but, then, she hadn’t given him a chance to do so. Now she summoned a smile, feeling that it would be easier if she at least attempted to observe the niceties. There was no point making this any more stressful than it was.
‘Thank you. It didn’t take as long as I thought it would to get here.’
‘No?’ He gave a small shrug, immediately drawing her attention to the solid width of his shoulders. ‘I should have mentioned that Shahzad and Mariam live outside the city. They prefer the more informal atmosphere here to raise the girls. They don’t want them to get too spoiled.’
‘Well, it seems to have worked. They are lovely children,’ Sam said truthfully.
‘They are indeed.’ He smiled at her with genuine warmth. ‘They certainly took a liking to you.’
‘That’s nice to know.’
Sam returned his smile then made a great production out of fastening her seat belt to avoid looking at him. She let out a sigh as he closed the door and got into the front next to the driver. She had to get a grip, had to stop getting carried away each time Khalid smiled at her. Of course he was pleased that she had praised his nieces. It had been obvious the other day how fond of them he was but it didn’t mean anything, not personally. About her. Khalid would have smiled just as warmly at anyone who had complimented the two girls.
It was a little deflating to have to face it but Sam knew that she couldn’t allow herself to start believing things that weren’t true. She stared out of the window as the driver ferried them to the house, concentrating on what she was seeing. Although it was much smaller than the summer palace where they had spent their first night in Azad it was still an imposing building with several turrets rising into the sky. The driver sounded the horn and the gates were opened then they were inside, drawing up in a small courtyard that was a riot of colour. Sam breathed in deeply as she stepped out of the ai
r-conditioned confines of the car, her brows rising when she recognised the delicate aroma. Turning, she stared in amazement at the masses of plants, scarcely able to believe what she was seeing. Roses? Out here in the desert?
‘Mariam planted them. She was brought up in England and roses are her favourite flowers. She insisted on having them in her garden when she and Shahzad had the house built. She tends them almost as lovingly as she tends her children.’
The amusement in Khalid’s voice made her smile too. ‘Well, they are certainly flourishing. The smell is just gorgeous.’
‘It is.’ Bending, Khalid plucked a delicate pale pink rose off one of the bushes and handed it to her. ‘This is one of my favourites. Smell it.’
Sam buried her nose in the satiny petals and inhaled their scent, feeling the blood start to pound through her veins. It didn’t mean anything, she told herself sternly, but there was no escaping the fact that it made her feel all shivery inside to have Khalid present her with the beautiful flower. It was a relief when Shahzad and the girls appeared and she was forced to focus on them rather than on what had happened.
‘Welcome, welcome! It is such a pleasure to have you both here in our home.’ Shahzad bowed, touching his lips and forehead in the traditional greeting.
‘It’s a pleasure to be here,’ Sam replied, mimicking his actions before turning to greet the children. They both clamoured to be kissed so she bent down and kissed them on their soft little cheeks, laughing when they grabbed hold of her hands and started to drag her towards the door. ‘Hey, I’m not here to play. I’ve come to see your mummy.’
‘Mama is still in her room,’ Janan informed her. ‘She’s been sick and Papa told her that she must rest until she feels better.’
‘Oh, dear.’ Sam glanced at Shahzad and saw the worry in his eyes. She gently untangled herself from the children’s grasp and picked up her case. ‘I think I’ll go and see if there’s anything I can do to make her feel more comfortable.’
One More Night with Her Desert Prince... Page 10