He also was not going to mention the flash of desire that had surprised him when he met Bethanne. She was so different from the women he knew. If asked for a type, he would have said he preferred pet.i.te and dark, with brown eyes and a lush figure. Bethanne didn"t meet a single criterion. She was tall, blonde, blue eyes and almost as slender as a boy.
But that didn"t stop his interest. Which hadn"t waned even when learning she was Hank"s daughter. There could be nothing between them. Not once the relationship was made known. In the meantime, he hoped they could carry on until the oil deal was signed.
"I hope you know what you"re doing," Khalid said. "I"m off to the south for a few days. I want to check out the pipeline from the number four oil rig. There"s a leak somewhere and so far no one"s found it. If it catches fire, there"ll be h.e.l.l to pay." Khalid rose. "Maybe I should take the new jet and vet it for you."
"It"s my new toy. Get one of your own."
Khalid"s sarcastic snort of laughter conveyed his amus.e.m.e.nt. "Don"t need one. I use the company"s," he said, referring to the fleet of small aircraft the oil company owned.
"You don"t have to have hands-on surveillance of the rigs," Rashid said. "And if there is a fire, let someone else deal with it."
"Hey, that"s my job."
He and Khalid had this conversation a dozen times a month. He glanced at his brother, his gaze focused briefly on the disfiguring swath of scar tissue running from his right cheek down his neck to disappear beneath his shirt collar. The oil fire that had caused the damage had eventually been extinguished-by Khalid himself. The devastation hadn"t stopped him from turning his back on office work and continuing in the oil fields. His elite company of oil firefighters was in high demand whenever an oil fire broke out.
Both of them had inherited wealth when their father had died. Both had a strong sense of obligation to the family oil business. Rashid preferred to hire competent help for routine tasks. He loved dealing in the world markets. But his twin had always found the drilling sites fascinating. Not to mention finding the conflagrations that could ruin a site a challenge to extinguish. Khalid drove their mother crazy with concern.
The phone rang.
"Did she arrive?" His mother"s voice sounded in his ear.
Khalid gave a mock bow and left his brother to the phone call.
"My guest arrived and is staying at Grandmother"s villa," Rashid said. Another front to deal with. His mother had been instrumental in the arrangement of the alliance with Haile. She herself had had an arranged marriage and she wanted her sons to follow the old ways.
"I can"t wait to meet her. I know you were hesitant about this arrangement, but it"ll work out for the best for all. Plan to bring her to dinner tonight."
"Ah, I believe you misunderstood me, Mother," he said. The charade started now. "Haile had other plans. My guest is Bethanne Sanders. Someone I know from Starcraft." When concocting a magnificent lie, it was best to stick as close to the truth as possible.
"What do you mean?" He heard the bewilderment in her tone.
"I will be happy to bring Bethanne to meet you tomorrow. For tonight, we wish to be together. She"s had a long flight and is tired."
"But Haile? What of her?"
"I"ll explain when we meet," he said.
"Rashid, don"t be impetuous."
He almost laughed. It had been years since he"d been impetuous. His brief aborted love for Marguerite when he"d been younger had ended that streak. Now he kept careful control of his emotions and actions. "Rest a.s.sured, Mother, I do not plan to repeat the past."
When the call ended, he reached for the folder on the new jet. He needed to know more about the woman he had ensconced at the villa and quickly. His a.s.sistant had approved the requests for visas for both pilots. He took the photograph of Bethanne and stepped closer to the window, his curiosity raised. Blond hair, blue eyes, tall for a woman. A standard pa.s.sport photo, yet the playfulness lurking in the depths of her blue eyes contrasted with the severe hairstyle, pulled back probably into a ponytail. He"d seen the anger flash in her eyes on the plane. And the shrewd bargaining to help find her father. Was Khalid right, she would be looking for some way to gain money or prestige from the charade?
She didn"t look very old. Yet he knew she had to be experienced. Starcraft was an established firm that didn"t take chances with the multimillion-dollar aircrafts it built.
How novel to have a woman pilot. Had that fact made the rumor mill yet? He put the photo back, wondering what the financial minister was making of the situation. Rashid had to make sure he did not learn the true circ.u.mstances until the deal was consummated. Or even then, if he could help it.
For a moment he remembered their meeting on the plane. She had caught his attention instantly. She was far different from anyone he knew. Wasn"t it his luck she was off-limits because of her father. He would love to explore the attraction he felt when he first saw her standing proudly at the top of the stairs. But as the daughter of a thief, he could not let himself enjoy their relationship. He needed to be on guard for any nefarious activity on her part. The apple never fell far from the tree. Was she also not to be trusted?
Hank had worked for his father for many years when he stole the latest jet in their fleet. What had caused his actions? They"d probably never know unless they found him. But he"d watch his daughter. Their family would not be caught unawares a second time.
He was in a tight spot-balancing the minister on one hand, his mother"s interest on another, and needing to keep his guest visible enough to satisfy curiosity, and secluded enough to insure she could not threaten the situation.
In addition, he was now committed to delving into the old business of the theft of their plane. Three years ago, when his father died, Rashid had stepped into his place at the oil company. Khalid had worked on locating Hank and the plane-with no tangible results. They"d accepted the loss and moved on. Would they have any more success now?
CHAPTER TWO
BETHANNE wondered how much of the beach she was walking on belonged to the sheikh. She had not seen any sign of other people as she walked, and she estimated she"d gone almost a mile. The water was warm on her feet. The sand swished around her toes as the spent waves swirled around them. She wished she"d worn a hat or something; the sun was burning hot on her head. She was reluctant to return, however. The walk was soothing and just touching the ground where her father might have once stood gave her a connected feeling that had been missing a long time. She could imagine she"d run into him and they"d both express surprise and immediately begin talking and catching up. Then she"d realize he"d been extremely busy and had not died alone and unlamented somewhere unknown, but had simply let time slip by. He had never done so before, but Bethanne clung to hope. wondered how much of the beach she was walking on belonged to the sheikh. She had not seen any sign of other people as she walked, and she estimated she"d gone almost a mile. The water was warm on her feet. The sand swished around her toes as the spent waves swirled around them. She wished she"d worn a hat or something; the sun was burning hot on her head. She was reluctant to return, however. The walk was soothing and just touching the ground where her father might have once stood gave her a connected feeling that had been missing a long time. She could imagine she"d run into him and they"d both express surprise and immediately begin talking and catching up. Then she"d realize he"d been extremely busy and had not died alone and unlamented somewhere unknown, but had simply let time slip by. He had never done so before, but Bethanne clung to hope.
Finally she turned to retrace her steps. Glad she"d left her shoes above the tide line as an indicator of where to return, she studied the lush vegetation that bordered the beach. The villa was almost invisible from the sh.o.r.e. When she caught a glimpse of it, she also saw someone sitting in one of the chairs near the path.
Her heart rate increased as she walked closer. Even before she could recognize him, she knew it was Sheikh Rashid al Harum. Rashid. She said the name softly. He rose as she approached, watching her. Conscious of her windblown hair, sandy feet, khaki pants rolled up to her knees, she knew she must appear a sight. Why couldn"t she have brought a dress that would look feminine and s.e.xy? No, she had to be practical. What would he think?
"Did you enjoy your walk?" he asked.
She nodded, leaning over to roll down her pants and dust the sand off first one foot and then the other. Slipping on her shoes, she wished she had worn sandals. Glancing at her watch, she saw she"d been gone longer than she realized. It was approaching the dinner hour.
"It"s quite lovely," she said, standing again. "I"d like to go swimming while I"m here."
"My brother and I enjoyed the beach when we were children. The villa used to belong to my grandmother. It"s been a long time since I"ve gone swimming here."
End of conversation. She cast around for something else to say. But the topic she wanted to discuss was, of course, the charade he"d insisted upon. So- "I don"t think this is going to work," she said.
"Because?"
"I"ve had time to think about it. No one"s going to believe you have fallen for some jet jockey from America. First of all, where would we have met? Then, let"s face it, I"m no femme fatale."
His gaze skimmed over her. Bethanne felt her blood heat. She wished she could read minds. What did he think when he looked at her? When he again met her eyes, he smiled.
Bethanne"s heart flipped over. The way his eyes crinkled with that smile had her fascinated. It changed his entire demeanor. He was the best-looking man she"d ever met. He had to know the effect he had on women. On her.
Fl.u.s.tered, she tried to appear unaffected, but suspected the color rising in her cheeks gave her away.
"You look like you could be most intriguing, with the right clothing."
"And that"s another thing. I would not have come to visit bringing only uniforms and casual clothes! I expected to be searching for my father, not going anywhere where I needed to look like I could attract a sheikh."
He laughed. "Even in your casual clothes, people would know why you would attract a sheikh. But clothing is easily remedied. In fact, I took the liberty of having some dresses sent to your room. Please accept as a token of my appreciation for your help."
"Help? You practically kidnapped me." What had he meant by people would know why you would attract a sheikh? people would know why you would attract a sheikh? Did he like the way she looked? Did he like the way she looked?
"Hardly that. You agreed to help in exchange for my resuming the search for your father. I don"t think we"ll turn up anything at this late date, but I will make some inquiries."
Bethanne considered the terms. She was not going to stop believing in her father just on the sheikh"s say-so. She knew her father would never betray anyone. Still, any help would be appreciated. "Okay, it"s your party. If you think we can fool people, good luck."
"You underestimate yourself. No one will ever doubt that I could be interested."
"Nicely said. Maybe there is a ghost of a chance," she said. Her heart rate increased with his compliment. And the look in his eyes. Definite interest.
"Dinner will be served at seven. Perhaps you would join me on the veranda then?" he asked.
"Thank you, I should be delighted." She nodded regally and swept by, wishing she wore a lovely dress and didn"t have sand chafing her feet.
Bethanne gazed at the closet full of clothes five minutes later. Rashid"s last words echoed in her mind. No one could doubt he could be interested if she wore some of these dresses. How had he arranged to have so many different ones delivered in the few hours since he deposited her at the villa?
Duh, money can accomplish anything, she thought as she fingered the light silks and linens. She pulled out a blue dress that matched her eyes.
Pampering herself with a luxurious bath and then paying careful attention to her hair and makeup, Bethanne felt a bit like she"d imagine Cinderella felt dressing for the ball.
Fatima had knocked on the door as she was slipping on the dress. She smiled and nodded, saying something in Arabic that Bethanne didn"t understand. But the universal signs of approval were obvious. What had the sheikh told this woman about their charade?
The blue of the dress did indeed enhance the color of her eyes. During her walk the sun had tinted her skin with a light tan and the constant hint of excitement at the thought of dining with a sheikh had her on tenterhooks and brought additional color to her cheeks.
Descending the stairs shortly before seven, she wished Rashid were at the bottom to see her descend. The designer dress hugged her figure and made her feel as s.e.xy as a French movie star. She hoped it would replace the image he had of her windblown and disheveled from her walk.
Reaching the ground floor, she headed toward the sound of male voices. She entered a formal sitting room a moment later, just as the butler left. She took a deep breath, dismayed to find her stomach full of b.u.t.terflies and her palms growing damp. Why this sudden attack of nerves? He was the same. Nothing had changed. But she felt as if the stakes had been rachetted up a notch. She had to find her father to prove his innocence. It became important that the sheikh not think she came from a dishonored family.
As if sensing her arrival, the sheikh turned.
"Thank you for the dress. It"s more than expected and quite lovely," Bethanne said quickly, her words almost too fast to understand. Her heart rate tripled and she gripped her poise and tried to act as if she were comfortable greeting Arabian sheikhs every day.
"It is of no consequence. I hope your stay in Quishari will be enjoyable. If you need anything while here at the villa, do ask."
"I look forward to seeing Quishari while I"m here. Since I a.s.sume I"ll have some free time while you"re at work, perhaps you could recommend a guide who speaks English? If I can hire a car, I can explore on my own. I"ve heard so much about the country for years. I can"t believe I"m here." Or at least under these circ.u.mstances. Her father had loved Quishari. She knew she would as well.
"I shall put one of my drivers and cars at your disposal. Do allow me to show you the major sights of my country. I am anxious to try out the plane. If you would fly it for me, we can put it through its paces tomorrow."
"I"d love to. I am at your service," she said, feeling almost giddy with the thought she might actually fly where her father had flown. And find time to talk to maintenance men who might know what happened to him. She was a bit surprised the al Harum family had not done more to pursue the issue. Had they merely dismissed it as casual theft and written off a plane? she wondered.
Perhaps in the greater scheme of things, it didn"t cost much from their perspective. But she would have thought Rashid the type to go after someone who had done him wrong and make sure justice triumphed.
"Then I will see that you have every opportunity to explore. I"m quite proud of our heritage and history. Some of the architecture in the old section of town is renowned."
"I look forward to seeing it all." In truth, she never expected Rashid to spend a moment with her if not in a public forum in an attempt to discourage gossip.
"Did the dresses fit?"
She loved hearing that deep, melodious voice with its trace of British accent. Why were Americans such suckers for accents? Her Southern drawl sounded out of place in the posh cosmopolitan sitting room with elaborate brocade sofas and antiques dating back centuries.
"The ones I tried on fit perfectly. I loved this one the best."
"It was the color of your eyes," he said.
She caught her breath. Had he noticed enough to request this special color? She searched his eyes for a hint of the truth, but though he looked at her for a long moment, his expression gave nothing away. He"d be terrific at high-stakes poker.
"I thought from your visa photo that you seemed young to be an experienced pilot. Now it appears you"re far too feminine to fly planes."
"I"ve had plenty of training." She didn"t know whether to be flattered at the subtle compliment or defensive for her abilities. Did he think women weren"t as capable as men to pilot aircrafts?
"You graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, took flight training and flew a number of fixed wing crafts and helicopters while serving," Rashid said. "I read your background sent from Starcraft."
"You needn"t worry I can"t handle your new jet."
He laughed, amus.e.m.e.nt dancing in his eyes. "I never doubted it. You brought it safely from the United States. Come, dinner will be ready by now." He offered his arm to Bethanne. She took it, feeling awkward. She was more at ease in the casual restaurants she normally patronized than dining with an Arabian sheikh. But her experiences taught her how to meet every challenge-even this one.
Dinner proved to be less disconcerting than she"d expected. Once seated, the conversation centered around the new jet, its performance and the enhancements Rashid had ordered. After they ate, Rashid insisted they share hot tea on the veranda overlooking the garden. By the time it grew dark, Bethanne was glad to retreat to her bedroom. It had been a long day. One that had not ended as expected.
He bid her good-night at the foot of the stairs and even as she climbed them, he left the villa. The sound of his car faded as she shut her bedroom door.
Bethanne twirled around the large room in sheer joy. She felt as if she were a part of a fairy tale. Handsome sheikh, beautiful setting, lovely clothes and nothing to do but fly a plane at his whim. Could life be any better?
Falling asleep to the soft soughing of the sea relaxed Bethanne like nothing else. Before dropping off, she vowed she"d begin her search for her father tomorrow. But for tonight, she wanted to think about the dashing sheikh who chose her for his special guest-if only temporarily.
Minnah awakened Bethanne the next morning when she entered the bedroom carrying a tray of fragrant hot chocolate and a basket of fresh pastries and croissants. Breakfast in bed was not a luxury Bethanne enjoyed often and she plumped up her pillows and took the heavy silver tray on her lap with delight. There was an English newspaper folded neatly on one side.
"Thank you," she said as the woman went to the French doors to open them wide to the fresh morning breeze.
"I will bring you bathing suits after your breakfast. His Excellency suggested you"d like a swim before starting your day." The maid"s English was practically flawless. "Later a driver will pick you up to take you to the airport. His Excellency is anxious to fly in the new plane."
"Sounds like a plan," Bethanne said, already savoring the rich dark chocolate taste of the hot beverage. The feeling of being a princess living in the height of luxury continued. But she dare not waste a moment.
"Before you leave," she said to Minnah, "did you know Hank Pendarvis? He was also a pilot for the sheikh. Or at least the oil company."
The maid tilted her head slightly as she tried to remember. Finally she shook her head slightly. "I do not know him."
That would have been too easy, Bethanne thought. She thanked her and resumed eating breakfast.
Selecting a one-piece blue swimsuit from her new wardrobe a short time later, she donned the accompanying cover-up and headed for the beach. A short swim would be perfect. It was warm enough to enjoy the water without the blazing heat that would rise later in the day. Fatima accompanied her. She had been informed of Bethanne"s plans by the maid. For the time being, Minnah would act as the go-between. Bethanne wondered how she"d learned English. When they reached the beach, Fatima sat on one of the chairs near the edge, apparently content to watch from a distance.
Feeling pampered and spoiled, Bethanne relished each sensation as her day started so differently from normal. Shedding the cover-up near the chairs, she ran to the water, plunging in. It was warm and buoyant. Giving in to the pleasure the sea brought, she swam and floated and thoroughly enjoyed herself. She had a goal to reach and a job to do. But for a few moments, she felt carefree and happy.