Page 14 of The Sheikh's Desert Captive

Nicole snorted quietly. As if there had ever been any chance of that, she reflected.

She was going to pay a high price for being free-spirited and independent. She was about to be dragged, kicking and screaming into married life. If it wasn't so serious, it could have been hilariously funny.

But, right now the last thing she felt like doing was laughing. All she could think of was how she was going to get out of this situation in one piece.

Maybe Sheikh Rashid would help her. Was that what he was doing out there right now? Trying to persuade Hakim and this tribal elder that the marriage shouldn't take place?If that's what he was doing, then why was he doing it?

Nicole was nothing to Rashid. She couldn't stop thinking about the way he'd looked at her as they'd spoken. There had been so much sympathy, such an obvious desire to help in that look.

Another treacherous thought flickered in her mind. He was good-looking.

Scratch that.

He was more than good-looking. He was drop-dead gorgeous. The inky pools of his eyes, his thick dark hair, those high cheekbones and the strong, angular jaw had captivated her from the moment he'd arrived in the camp.

And he was tall. Probably just over six feet in height.She could tell there was a broad shouldered, full chested torso wrapped inside those white, flowing traditional robes.

But there was something else about him. She couldn't put her finger on what it was, but when she looked into his eyes, she could see something troubling in them, a darkness that he worked hard to disguise.

But he'd failed to hide it from her. There was pain in that gaze, she concluded. She wondered what his story was. He'd hinted that he lived alone in his own palace somewhere up north. If he failed to persuade the tribal elder the marriage should not take place, would he just return to his home as if nothing had happened?

Having spoken to him, and having seen the way he behaved toward her, she found that hard to believe. There was a seriousness of purpose in the man's eyes. Rashid looked like a man who prized honor above all else. Maybe that was why he'd come here in the first place. He'd heard about her predicament and had come to do the honorable thing.

Stop her from being taken by force into a marriage she utterly refused to accept.

Once again, as she thought about the whole thing, it seemed astonishing, like something out of an earlier, darker age. Surely it wasn't legal. Surely it was something that could be revoked even if it went ahead.

Nicole heard cheering from outside. She froze on the spot. That sounded like celebration, she told herself.

She thought about racing outside and demanding to know what the decision had been. She wanted to face them down, threaten them with terrible consequences if they didn't let her go immediately. This whole charade had to be stopped.

She was about to go to the tent entrance, when she heard a noise from behind her. She turned and saw the bottom edge of the tent moving, as if someone outside was trying to free the fabric from the sand. Then the fabric was jerked upwards, and a face appeared lit by the candlelight of the tent's interior.

It was Sheikh Rashid.

Nicole gasped quietly and wondered on earth he was doing. Rashid lifted a finger to his lips, urging her to say nothing. He lifted the tent fabric even higher and waved toward her. Nicole ran across to him. She felt the cool night air wafting into the tent as she bent down and took his hand. Rashid looked at her, eyes wide with urgency and helped Nicole out to the back of the tent.

She stood upright and saw a horse behind Rashid. He slid an arm behind her back and peered into her eyes.

"You must come with me," he whispered. "Now!"

There was a hint of impatience in his voice. Nicole didn't need to ask him what the decision had been. She could tell just by looking at him.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"There's no time to explain," he murmured. When he tugged her toward the horse she followed him, knowing that there was no other choice. She had to go with him, because what awaited her out front was unthinkable. Her only chance lay with this stranger who promised to take her away from her hideous fate. But could she trust him?

Realizing she had no choice, Nicole followed him to the horse and allowed him to lift her up onto the back of the animal. She tightened her thighs against the horse and wondered what lay ahead. It was night and the desert looked so dark, so dangerous.

The only light came from the torches out front of the encampment. Beyond the dunes there was the inky blackness of the desert. Stars shimmered in the sky, and there was a half moon low on the horizon.

Nicole leaned back as Sheikh Rashid got up onto the horse and seized the reins.

"I take it the meeting didn't go very well," Nicole said trying to make light of the situation.

Rashid twisted around and squinted at her, obviously puzzled at her attempt at humor.

"The elder decided in favor of Hakim," he said quietly. She could tell he wasn't pleased with the decision. Neither was she. That was putting it mildly.

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