Page 66 of The Sheikh's Desert Captive

CHAPTER TWENTY

It hadn't been an easy thing to do, but he was here.

Rashid stood in the entrance hall of the Qazhar palace and looked around. It wasn't as bad as he'd anticipated. The staff he'd been sending in occasionally had done a decent job. The place wasn't a complete mess. At least it was clean.

Rashid shivered. The cool of the desert night made the place feel cold. He'd soon fix that. He walked into the sitting room. Every item of furniture was covered in white sheets to keep off the dust. There was a slightly musty odor in the air, but that wouldn't take long to get rid of, he told himself.

Rashid leaned against the long table and folded his arms, gazing around the high-ceilinged room. He remembered what it had been like growing up here; recalled how wonderful it had been living here with his parents. Every corner of this palace held a memory that was, in most cases, something he cherished.

So, why had he stayed away for so long?

Rashid sighed. He'd explained all that to Nicole, and he was sure she understood. This place embodied so much of what he'd wanted to turn his back on; so many aspects of his past that he wanted to bury by living a solitary life.

But, Nicole had changed all that.

She'd made him see his folly in stark relief. Forced him to confront his mistakes. Now he knew he could start a fresh life, free of all the baggage of the past.

He thought about the last few days up in the north. He'd had meetings with the tribal elders. It seemed that Hakim's latest attempt to exploit tradition, and the way Rashid had challenged Hakim and won, had persuaded the tribal leaders to reconsider that particular tradition.

So, Rashid had won a victory of one kind. The change he'd been working for these past few years had finally come about. It also gave Rashid particular pleasure that, in the process, Hakim had suffered a terrible loss of face. He smiled at that thought.

All because an incredible American woman had come into Rashid's life and turned his world upside down.

Rashid shook his head. Destiny worked in mysterious ways.

And now he dragged his attention back to the present moment. The reason why he'd come down to Qazhar city; why he was standing in this palace.

Nicole.

It was that simple.

The days after she'd left had been a torment for Rashid. All he could think about was Nicole; every night he lay awake for hours remembering their passionate love-making; every morning he walked the garden remembering the words they'd exchanged just before her departure.

Beloved.

She was his beloved. He knew that now. She was the one fate had placed in his path. Who was he to argue with destiny? He'd tried to do just that for so many years, and look where it had got him. Living a solitary life, spending every day trying to convince himself that he was doing good.

Nicole had helped him see the light.

But above all, she had shown him what love truly meant.

For Rashid it meant his life had been renewed.

And for Nicole? What did it mean for her?

He would soon find out. Rashid drew in a deep breath and considered the magnitude of his task. He had to convince Nicole that she was his. That she would belong to him forever. And that he knew she felt the same about him; that he'd seen it in her eyes the day she'd left; felt it during their final night together.

Rashid gritted his teeth.

Their final night? He snorted at that thought. If he had his way, there would be no such thing as a final night for him and Nicole.

Ever.

He'd thought about what he had to do for days in the Northern Palace. He'd planned his every move during the flight down to Qazhar. Like Nicole, he'd come by helicopter. It had taken one phone call to arrange, but it might just be the most important call he'd ever make. This might be the most life-changing journey he'd make.

His plan was to wake in the morning, go to the embassy and surprise Nicole. He wondered how she would react to seeing him. Maybe she'd be shocked. Perhaps she'd had a change of heart since returning. He knew he should have called her, but he'd struggled so much, trying to decide what course of action was best.

He'd find out tomorrow. For now, all he wanted to do was catch some sleep. He'd already seen that his master bedroom was already set for use.

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