by Holly Rayner
“Morning. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
Kaled hesitated before answering.
“Yes, I believe I would.”
Nodding, Anne-Marie rose from her rocking chair and went inside, filling an old yellow mug before bringing it out. Kaled was standing uncomfortably at the base of the porch stairs, and Anne-Marie handed him his cup before taking a seat on the third step.
“I should probably lay down some ground rules so you know what’s what,” she said, patting the step in an invitation to join her.
Kaled moved to the side, as though to sit as far away from her as possible on the wide steps. Anne-Marie tried not to feel hurt by that. After all, they were strangers. It would be weird for him to want to sit close to her.
“First off, there’s no doorbell here. There’s no intruding. The front door is open, and you can use it whenever you’d like. Don’t feel like you need permission from me to go inside. Same goes for the kitchen. I don’t usually cook anything fancy, so you’re welcome to make whatever food you prefer.”
She watched him carefully, thinking he would look horrified at the need to cook for himself, but he watched her with a level expression. His phone began buzzing in his pocket, and when he didn’t move to answer it, Anne-Marie continued.
“I’ll show you to your room after our coffee, and after that we’ll, um, find you something a little more appropriate to wear.”
“More appropriate?” Kaled exclaimed, glancing down at his suit.
Anne-Marie held her smile in check.
“You know this is a ranch, right? Did you think I’d let you spend the next two weeks securing the deal on your computer from the kitchen table? I need your help, and you need a chance to see what this land really has to offer.”
“I am aware of the deal, Miss Benson.”
Ah, back to ‘Miss Benson’ this morning, she mused.
After a moment, his hard expression softened, and a small, sheepish smile blossomed on his face.
“I suppose I could have packed a little better for the occasion,” he admitted.
Anne-Marie nodded. “It’s no big deal. You look about my father’s size, and there’s a whole chest of clothes still in the room I’ve set up for you.”
“I appreciate that,” he said.
Anne-Marie nodded again, staring out at the ranch. She could feel the pull of work tugging at her, even though her coffee was still half full. Taking another sip, she cast a glance at Kaled, who was also sipping from his cup, enjoying the view.
“It certainly is beautiful countryside,” he said after some time.
Anne-Marie nodded. “It’s my favorite place in the whole world.”
“I can see why.”
They sat together in comfortable silence, enjoying the quiet buzz of early morning, until their cups were empty and it was time for the day to begin. Anne-Marie stood, the old wooden steps creaking beneath her feet.
“Would you like to settle in for a moment before I give you the tour?”
Kaled nodded, standing and taking his suitcase in hand as Anne-Marie led the way into the ranch house. She walked the few steps down the hall to his room and stepped to the side, allowing him his first look at his quarters.
Kaled stepped into the room, glancing around.
“This is nice. Thank you for providing this space during my stay here.”
Anne-Marie was taken aback. Given his background, she had half-expected him to throw a fit over the poor living conditions and demand she come to her senses before running for the hills. When that didn’t happen, she wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Yes, well, it’s the best we have presently. Anyway, you’ll find some clothing in that dresser, and some more in the closet. It’s old and a bit battered, but everything should be clean.”
“Understood,” he said, setting his suitcase down by the small bed and opening a drawer.
Taking the cue, Anne-Marie stepped away from the room and closed the door, giving him privacy. The thought of him changing, just a thin wall away, was enough to send her imagination spiraling, and she gave her head a gentle shake as she stepped out to the porch to grab their empty coffee mugs to wash while he changed.
A few minutes later, she heard Kaled’s door open and turned, choking on a laugh as she took in the sight in front of her.
Kaled was dressed in faded denim jeans and a rancher’s plaid shirt, a Stetson cowboy hat placed on top of his head. His expression was all sheepish embarrassment, and he looked thoroughly unimpressed with the outfit.
“Now you look ready for the day,” she said, biting back a smile.
“I look utterly ridiculous,” he said, though she saw a twinkle of humor in his eye.
“You look like a rancher. Trust me, you’re going to be glad you’re in those clothes when the day is done. That suit would have been ruined beyond repair.”
“I can’t argue with you there,” he said, taking a bracing breath. “Shall we begin, then?”
He stepped past her and headed out the door, taking another deep breath of sweet country air. Anne-Marie watched him, thinking about how handsome he looked in country clothing. Was there anything the man could wear that would make him less attractive? Perhaps a chicken suit?
Nah. Somehow he’d find a way to make even that look sexy. The Sheikh was trouble with a capital T, and Anne-Marie began to second-guess her wisdom in having him stay with her.
He turned and looked up from the base of the porch steps, and her heart gave a little flutter. What was the harm in a little two-week flirtation anyway?
Anne-Marie showed him around the basic ranch area, which housed an outdoor shower behind the main house, a shed for storing supplies, and a small herb garden she had been maintaining since her mother died. Kneeling down, she pulled a weed from the garden, tossing it aside.
“It’s not much of a garden, really, but someday I’ll have the time to tend to it properly.”
“I think it looks great. I love all of these herbs,” Kaled said, and she blushed at the compliment.
He was nothing but grace and kindness as she explained what everything was, why it was there, and what it did. He listened attentively, his dark eyes studying her as she spoke, so much so that she found herself blushing more in one morning than she had in her entire life. Something about him brought out feelings she hadn’t experienced since high school, and the reemerging sensations were quite a rush.
When they reached the barn, she grinned.
“This is the main event: the horse barn!”
She gestured to the dilapidated barn before pulling the door open. Inside, the horses neighed impatiently.
“I know, I know. I’m a little late this morning, but we have a guest, y’all!”
Gesturing to the supply area, she then walked down the line of stalls, introducing Kaled to each horse as she passed them. Kaled gave each one a gentle pet on the nose as they continued their grumbling, ready to get out into the fields and graze. As Anne-Marie reached the last stall, she opened the door and stepped inside, placing a gentle hand on the mare’s back.
“This is Aloha. She’s our mother-to-be.”
Kneeling down, Anne-Marie gently felt the horse’s belly, checking for any complications. The horse lifted a foot but otherwise gave no sign of discomfort.
“When is she due?” Kaled asked from the stall’s entrance.
“Any day now. I can’t wait,” Anne-Marie grinned.
Once she was sure the horse and her foal were in good condition, Anne-Marie stood, brushing her knees with her hands.
“Ready for your first task?” she asked, locking eyes with Kaled.
He nodded, not breaking her gaze. There was a determination in his stare that startled Anne-Marie. She’d had no idea he would be so willing to help her. It was a pleasant surprise, to be sure. He stepped aside as she walked past him and made her way back to the supply shed, where she pulled out a couple of tools and handed one to him.
“These are—”
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�Farrier supplies,” Kaled said, and she lifted an eyebrow.
“How did you know that?”
Kaled shrugged. “You just assumed I have no experience with horses.”
“But you’re a sheikh,” she said, unable to stop herself.
She blushed at her blurted-out statement, but Kaled’s smile was gentle.
“Yes, that is true. But I spent a lot of my childhood at a country manor home not so different from here. I always loved animals, and I would dress down and sneak off to the stables to help with the horses. It was against royal protocol for me to do so, but I found such a deep connection with the horses when I really got the whole experience of tending to them. We had a very kind stable manager who let me help out without giving me away.”
Anne-Marie stared at him in astonishment. She tried to imagine a young prince sneaking down to muck out stables, and she found a new respect for Kaled as he reached for the tools and took them from her now limp hand.
“Shall we?” he asked, and after a pause she nodded and opened the first stall.
Anne-Marie watched with fascination as Kaled expertly lifted each horse’s hoof and fixed or replaced shoes as necessary. When he was done, she strapped each horse into a halter and led them out to pasture, releasing them to munch on the long, healthy grass.
By the time they got to Aloha, the morning was nearly over.
“Wait,” Anne-Marie said, placing a hand on Kaled’s arm.
How is he so muscular? she wondered then. Doesn’t he work a cushy office job?
Clearing her throat, she stepped past him toward the stall. “Aloha is a little edgy around men. I’m not sure why, but maybe I should tackle this last one.”
“Can I at least try first?”
He was surprising her at every turn. Rather than shirk away from the work, he went at it with gusto, and it was clear he was enjoying himself. His phone had been ringing off the hook all morning, until he’d finally set it by the barn door and simply walked away. How many business deals were sliding from his grasp as he worked with her to shoe a bunch of horses?
After a brief hesitation, Anne-Marie nodded. He had proven himself to be more than up to the task, after all. She opened the stall door and stepped aside, staying close in case she needed to intervene.
“Hey there, girl,” Kaled said, his voice soothing.
Anne-Marie never thought she’d be jealous of a horse, but when Kaled ran a gentle hand along her back, speaking to her in the most calming voice, she wished to trade places.
Kaled spent some time stroking the horse’s nose and mane, whispering into her ear, letting her know she was safe and secure. Aloha whinnied beneath his touch, and after a moment the Sheikh kneeled down and lifted one of her feet, which she granted without any fuss.
“Don’t tell me you also have experience with pregnant ladies,” Anne-Marie quipped, and she saw Kaled grin as he began working on the shoe.
Over the course of the morning, Kaled had become more of an enigma than Anne-Marie could ever have imagined. The suited businessman who had towered over her and demanded she sell her land just the day before had transformed into a completely different person as he knelt by her horse, soothing her with a one-sided dialogue.
“Hey, would you mind taking a look at this?” he asked, and Anne-Marie knelt down close to him to see what he was looking at.
There was a small cut on the horse’s instep. It wasn’t anything serious, but Anne-Marie strode quickly to the supply room to get some salve to keep it from getting infected.
“Good catch,” she said, retuning to Kaled’s side.
He held the horse’s foot while she applied the medicine, and as she reached across him their faces were mere inches apart. The subtle scent of his cologne paired with the earthy smell of the barn was enough to make her want to turn and make out with him right then and there.
After the salve was applied, she tilted her face ever so slightly, feeling his presence fill her entire world.
Then she realized just how inappropriate that was, and she pulled away.
She thought she heard him exhale, though she couldn’t possibly be sure. Had he wanted to kiss her, too? Was she reading too much into it all? She needed help. She wouldn’t get it if she fell into delusions of romance and lost the one prospect of it.
“That should heal nicely, but we’ll want to keep an eye on it, especially with a foal on the way.”
“Agreed,” Kaled said, standing and dusting the hay and dirt from his jeans.
Anne-Marie placed the harness on Aloha before guiding her out to the pasture and releasing her to the grasses. The sun was high in the sky above them as Kaled joined her to stare out over the fields.
“That wasn’t so bad,” he said.
Anne-Marie smiled. “I’m so glad you think so, because this afternoon we’ve got some fences to mend.”
SIX
Anne-Marie made a quick lunch of sandwiches and apples, which they ate on the porch. Wildly curious about Kaled but entirely unsure how to ask him about himself, she focused on her meal and stayed fairly quiet while they ate. She noticed how Kaled’s gaze would frequently stray to the horses in the fields, and she wondered what he was thinking.
Probably about how much oil was sitting beneath their hooves.
After a deep drink of water, Anne-Marie filled two canteens for them and led the way to the field.
“Sunshine and Daydream are probably the best two to take us out to the fences,” Anne-Marie said, and Kaled replaced his Stetson as he fell into step with her.
“Do you need a saddle?” she asked.
Kaled glanced down at her. “Of course. You don’t?”
Anne-Marie shrugged. “I don’t usually use one. I’ve preferred to ride bareback since I was a kid.”
“Well then, why don’t I give it a try?”
“It’s not for novice riders,” she said, shaking her head as they walked toward the barn.
He placed a gentle hand on her wrist, stopping her. She turned and looked up at him, her skin tingling beneath his touch. His eyes were asking her a question, though she wondered if there was more than one that he was asking.
“I think I’ve shown I’ve got a fair amount of knowledge in this arena. Give me a chance, will you? Please, Anne-Marie?”
He kept his hand on her wrist, and they stood like that, locking stares, for several seconds before Anne-Marie relented with a nod of her head.
“All right, but if you fall off and hurt yourself, I’m not liable.”
Kaled grinned. “That’s a deal.”
They approached the two horses, and Kaled watched as Anne-Marie jumped up onto Sunshine’s back, using her mane for help. He gave Daydream a smooth pet and pulled a bite of apple from lunch out of his pocket and placed it under the horse’s snout, which she vacuumed up without hesitation. She gave him a nuzzle for the treat, and he smiled as he hopped onto her back, shifting into a comfortable seated position. He steered toward Anne-Marie and fell into step by her side, lifting an eyebrow.
“Well? These fences aren’t going to mend themselves.”
Anne-Marie laughed as he took off at a trot, and she quickly joined him, guiding them toward the outer patch of fence that still needed work.
“Not a lot of fences out here still use wire,” he said, once they got there. “Most ranches have upgraded to wood.”
Anne-Marie shrugged, keeping her eyes on her work as she answered. “Wire’s cheaper and easier to maintain than wood. It’s also hardier in bad weather conditions.”
“Do you get a lot of bad weather out here?” he asked, gazing up at the cloudless blue sky.
“We get our fair share of sunny days, but yes. One good storm can take out an entire perimeter, and we’re not in a place right now that we could fix that right away.”
Anne-Marie had decided before Kaled’s arrival that she would not try to hide anything from the man. It was obvious what kind of circumstances she was in. There was no point in beating around the bush about it.
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To her relief, Kaled simply nodded as he kneeled down to his own section of fence and began mending.
They worked side by side beneath the hot sun as the horses enjoyed a quiet afternoon of eating grass. Kaled worked fast, and he worked well. The stretch of fence he was able to fix set her ahead by a week, and she smiled at him as she handed him a canteen of water. He took it, his fingers brushing against hers, and opened it up and took a deep drink.
