Accidentally the sheikh's wife by Barbara McMahon

Author:Barbara McMahon [McMahon, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Roman
ISBN: 9780373176441
Published: 2010-03-16T04:00:00+00:00

The drive back to Quraim Wadi Samil was silent. Bethanne hugged the sensation of his kiss to herself as the desert scenery whizzed by. Before long the roof lines of the buildings could be seen. They drew closer by the moment. As she and Rashid drew further apart. It had been a whim, an alignment of circumstances—the scare in the plane, the worry about the pilot, being away from home. It meant nothing beyond they were glad to be alive.

She wished it had meant something.

Dinner that evening was again on the terrace of the small hotel. Fatima joined them and the sheikh kept the conversation neutral, translating back and forth between the two women. Bethanne wasn’t sure if she were glad Fatima was present or not. It kept things on an even keel, preventing her from reading more into the afternoon’s outing than warranted. But it also meant she had to share the precious time with Rashid. And of course the topic of conversation remained focused on Alexes. The doctor had been cautiously optimistic.

Rashid had obtained the report upon their return to the hotel. It looked as if it was a small stroke.

“But he’ll fully recover?” Bethanne asked when Rashid told Fatima.

“That’s what the tests are assessing. I hope so. But I don’t know if he’ll ever fly again.”

Bethanne nodded. “Or at least not as a solo pilot,” she said. “If he were copilot, there’d be someone else in case of another emergency.” Her heart hurt for the man. Flying was a way of life; how sad if it ended prematurely.

Rashid nodded. “However, I do not want my family or employees put in any danger if unnecessary. Alexes has served us well for many years. He will not be abandoned.”

Sending up a quick prayer for his recovery, Bethanne asked if he would be released before they returned to Alkaahdar.

“Unlikely. We will return in the morning. He’ll need care for several days.”

Fatima spoke.

“She wonders when she will return home,” Rashid said to Bethanne.

“She doesn’t need to stay on my account,” she replied.

“I believe my mother is more comfortable with her as your chaperone. Otherwise, you might have to stay with my mother.”

Bethanne stared at him in dismay. “You can’t be serious.”

“If we are to continue the pretense, we need to be authentic. I would not have a woman in a home I owned without a proper chaperone—not if I were serious about making her my wife.”

“That’s totally old-fashioned.”

“We are an old culture. We have certain standards and procedures that have served us well for generations. One is the sacredness of the marriage bond. And the high standards we hold for women we make our wives.”

“So you might have a fling with someone in another country, but once in your own, it’s old-world values all the way?”

He nodded, amusement showing at her indignation.

“I protect whom I’m interested in. There would be no gossip or scandal. The full authority of the al Harum family would be behind the woman I showed interest in—as it would for Khalid’s chosen bride.

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