Kayleen squirmed. “I’m not good with men.”
“You don’t try. How many dates did you go on before you gave up? Five? Six?”
Kayleen cleared her throat, then pulled her hands free. “One and a half.”
“You’re too young to lock yourself away in that convent school of yours.”
“Because I would meet so many men here at the palace?”
“You’d meet some. More than you would there. There are many young men in the palace. I would be happy to introduce you to one or two of them.”
“I don’t know…. I work for As’ad. As nanny to his children.”
“Why would he mind you dating?”
“He wouldn’t.” Not that she enjoyed admitting that truth.
“Then think about what I said. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to fall in love?”
As’ad looked up as his brother Qadir walked into his office. “I must speak with Neil about keeping out people who don’t have appointments.”
Qadir ignored that. “I am back from Paris, where the city is still beautiful, as are the women. You should have come with me. You have been locked up here working for far too long.”
As’ad had spent two sleepless nights unable to rest for the need burning inside. Worse, when he closed his eyes, the woman he saw satisfying his ache was Kayleen. An impossible situation. The nanny and a virgin?
“You are right, my brother,” he said as he rose and greeted Qadir. “I should have gone with you. There have been changes since you were last here.”
“I heard.” Qadir settled on a corner of his desk. “Three daughters? What were you thinking?”
“That I had been placed in an impossible situation and this was the easiest way out.”
“I find that hard to believe. There had to be another solution.”
“None was presented.”
Qadir shook his head. “To raise children that are not your own. At least they are girls.”
“There is the added advantage of our father now believing I am occupied with my new family and therefore cannot be expected to look for a wife.”
“Lucky bastard.”
“Indeed. Perhaps now he will focus more of his attention on you.”
“He has already begun,” Qadir grumbled. “There is to be a state function in a few weeks. Several likely candidates are to be paraded before me, like very attractive cattle.”
As’ad grinned. “I, of course, will be busy with my family.”
As’ad turned the corner to walk to his rooms and saw all three girls huddled by his door. They wore riding clothes and boots. When they saw him they ran to him.
“You have to help!” Dana told him.
“It’s terrible. Please!” Nadine begged.
Pepper simply cried.
He stared at the three of them. “What happened?”
“We went riding,” Dana told him, her blue eyes wide and filled with fear and guilt. “We might have been gone longer than we were supposed to, but we were fine. We were only a little late. But Kayleen got worried and came after us, even though we had a groom with us. She went out by herself and she’s not back yet.”
Pepper brushed her hand across her face as she tugged on the bottom of his suit jacket. “She’s not a very good rider. She gets thrown a lot. What if she’s hurt and it’s all our fault?”
As’ad’s first thought was that he regretted that whoever had let Kayleen go out by herself could not be flogged. Sometimes he missed the old ways. His second was the low-grade worry at the thought of a defenseless young woman alone in the desert. It was not a place to be traveled lightly.
The girls crowded close, as if seeking comfort from him. Although he had no time for this, he resisted the urge to push them away and instead awkwardly patted them on their shoulders.
“All will be well,” he told them. “I will find Kayleen and return her to you.”
“Promise?” Pepper asked, her lashes spiky from her tears.
He crouched down until he could look her in the eye. “I am Prince As’ad of El Deharia. My word is law.”
Pepper sniffed. “Promise?”
He gave her a slight smile. “I promise.”
Ten minutes later the girls were settled with Lina and he was in the garage, sliding into an open Jeep. The desert was a vast space and in theory, Kayleen could be anywhere. But in truth, an inexperienced rider would stick to trails and not get far. Unless she had been thrown.
He did not allow himself to consider that option. He would find her and if she were hurt, he would deal with the situation as it arose.
He found the riding trail easily. He had been taking it all his life. As it bent to the left, he considered how far Kayleen might have traveled, then accelerated. A mere ten miles into the desert was the permanent outpost of a local tribe. If Kayleen kept to the trail, she would end up there.
He drove slowly, checking the area for signs of any accident, or a woman walking without a horse, but found nothing. At the outskirts of the outpost he saw a cluster of people gathered around a petite woman with flaming red hair. She was holding on to a horse and gesturing wildly.
As’ad eased the Jeep to a stop and picked up the satellite phone. When he was connected with his aunt, he informed her he had found Kayleen and that she appeared fine.
“Will you be coming right back?” Lina asked.
As’ad considered. “I believe we’ll stay for dinner.”