Kelsie pushed her face close to the glass, staring through the car’s tinted window as it crept through the open marketplace. Women, men, and children moved about, some dressed in long robes, scarves, and hijabs, and some wearing shirts and pants.

Dried herbs hung from one stall, and colorful fruit piled another. They passed one stall selling fish packed in ice, and Kelsie caught sight of flower garlands and bins of root vegetables she had never seen.

“What do you think?” Masoud asked.

She looked over at him and smiled. “It’s a lot to take in, but so far, I think it’s gorgeous here.”

Two black cars with tinted glass had picked them up from the airport. The sight of the burly men riding in the second car had confused Kelsie at first, and then she remembered that Masoud was royalty. Of course he had some kind of guard trailing him whenever he was home.

“Do you ever need them?” she asked now, nodding her head backward, at the car behind them. “The guards.”

“Has there ever been a situation? No. Not for me. Things are peaceful here now, but there could also be... the need. At least that is how the rest of my family feels. Personally, I’ve never felt unsafe in Al Hayla.”

“A need to be protected from who?” Kelsie asked.

“Right now, no one in particular. But as a public figure, you can never be too careful.”

Kelsie nodded.

“Do not worry,” Masoud reassured her. “We are perfectly safe.”

“I’m not worried,” she answered honestly. “I’m just in awe. This is another world for me.”

“I hope you don’t mind, but I thought we could stay at my private home, instead of at the palace. You’ll have your own quarters, of course. And my housekeeper will take wonderful care of you.”

“So you live at the palace, and you have your own place?”

Masoud nodded in confirmation.

Kelsie shrugged. “Yeah, sure. That sounds good to me.”

“There is just so much happening at the palace. Business wise, I mean. I do not want to overwhelm you with it all by spending our evenings there. At the same time...” He paused. “I would love to take you there at least once. To see it, and to meet my mother.”

“That sounds nice.”

Kelsie’s heart fluttered. On the flight over, she’d wondered what Masoud’s plans were when it came to her and his family. Did he want them to meet? Or did he wish to keep her presence quiet?

Meeting a guy’s mom was a big deal. Or, at least it could be. That depended on some other factors, like how he introduced the girl.

Kelsie turned back to the window, not wanting to overthink the whole thing. Masoud wasn’t her boyfriend. He was a guy she liked who she’d been on a couple dates with. A guy who planned on kicking her off her family land.

She needed to remember that. No matter how close she and Masoud became, he could always choose to put his business before her.

The marketplace thinned out, and the driver turned onto a narrow street. They were far off from the wide road they’d first started on, and the car began a slow climb up a hill. The road curved, snaking higher, and they came to a wrought-iron gate. There, the driver signaled to the man in a guardhouse, and the gate opened.

Up they continued, around a circular drive in front of a white house. Like many of the buildings there, it was smooth, looking like it was made out of some kind of clay or thick mixture of the sort. There were two stories, and several balconies, plus a walkway on the very top.

“Home sweet home?” Kelsie asked Masoud as the car came to a stop.

He grinned. “It would be that if I ever got to spend any time here.”

Just like before, Kelsie didn’t even need to open her own door. Nor did she need to grab her suitcase. Masoud lightly looped his arm through hers and guided her to the front door, which opened immediately.

“Sheikh Al-Saffar,” the middle-aged woman who answered the door said with a bow. “Welcome back.”

“Hello, Dunya,” Masoud answered, bowing his head. “Thank you. It is good to be back. This is my guest, Miss Kelsie Mack.”

“Miss Mack.” Dunya full out curtsied. “How blessed it is to meet you. I have your rooms prepared.”

“Rooms?” Kelsie repeated.

“Would you like to go upstairs and rest?” Masoud asked her. “I need to make a few calls to let my associates know I’m here, and then we can have lunch.”

“Lunch. Right.” The fact that they had flown to the other side of the world and landed in roughly the same time they had left in Nevada made Kelsie’s head spin. Had she gone forward in time? Or back?

She knew she was probably jet-lagged, since that was supposedly how anyone who flew twenty hours felt, but the adrenaline pumping through her veins made it impossible to feel anything other than excitement.

“I guess I should probably rest,” Kelsie agreed. “I didn’t get much sleep on the plane.”

“I’ll see you soon.” Masoud lifted Kelsie’s hand and lightly laid a kiss on top of it before walking down the long hallway and turning into a side room.

One of the men was already passing Kelsie, carrying her suitcase upstairs.

“Right this way, Miss Kelsie,” Dunya said, leading her up the winding staircase.

“You are the housekeeper here?” Kelsie asked.

“Yes. I have been for years.”

“Are there other...” Kelsie hesitated to say the word “servants.” Was that the appropriate term?

“There are guards who switch shifts in order to keep a twenty-four-hour watch on the Sheikh’s estate, but other than them, I am the only one here. The Sheikh does most of his entertaining at the palace or event spaces.”

“Excuse me, but can I tell you your English is amazing?”

Dunya stopped in front of a door near the end of the hallway. Kelsie’s suitcase had been set next to it. “Thank you,” she said. “Al Hayla’s school system is a wonderful one. The ability to be multilingual is very valued here.”

“That’s amazing,” Kelsie said, and she meant it.

“Here are your rooms.” Dunya opened the door, Kelsie followed her inside.

Instead of a bedroom, she found herself in a sitting room. There was a long couch, a fireplace, a flat-screen TV, and French doors that opened to a balcony. On the other side of the room, through a second open door, Kelsie spied a four-poster bed.

“I will unpack your suitcase right away,” Dunya said.

“Oh, no.” Kelsie stopped her with a light touch on the arm. “You don’t have to do that. I like unpacking myself.”

Not that I’ve ever had anyone else do it for me. Kelsie almost laughed at the thought but managed to keep her face straight.

“Very well,” Dunya said. “Whatever pleases you, Miss Mack. Whatever you need, please buzz me for.” Dunya pointed at the intercom next to the door.

“Thank you,” Kelsie said. “I will.”

“Wonderful.” Dunya smiled. “Would you care for some tea? Or coffee, perhaps? I know Americans like coffee.”

“That’s true,” Kelsie laughed. “We do. And I’m fine right now, thank you. I think I should just take a nap.”

“Very well. Enjoy your rest, Miss Mack.” Bowing again, Dunya pulled Kelsie’s suitcase the rest of the way into the room before departing.

Kelsie explored the area, taking in the living room, bedroom, and bathroom. The place was more like an apartment than anything else, and the only thing it lacked was a kitchen. The place was cleanly designed, with lots of creams and tans, and there was a fresh bouquet of flowers in each room.

Already, she was creating an itinerary. First up, nap in the bed filled with downy pillows. After that, a soak in the Jacuzzi tub.

Falling back against the mattress, Kelsie rolled onto her side and looked out the window. They really were high up. Across the city, she could see the sparkling blue sea. The very first sea she’d ever set eyes on.

Kelsie yawned, exhaustion abruptly sweeping over her. She started to yawn again, and the next thing she knew she was waking up.

The sun hung lower in the sky, and a quick glance at the bedside clock told her she’d slept for about three hours. Gasping, she bolted up. Had Masoud tried to wake her? Was she messing up his plans by sleeping the afternoon away?

Instead, she found a text from him that he’d sent only ten minutes before. Come down when you are ready. I’d like to take you to dinner and then to the palace.

Kelsie smiled and shot a text back. Just woke up. Be down in thirty.

The luxurious bath would have to wait. Instead, she took a quick shower and went to pull some clothes from the suitcase. A knock on the door made her stop, though.

It was Dunya, a rack of dresses at her side.

“Presents from the Sheikh,” Dunya explained, rolling the dresses into the room. “He said you do not have to wear any of them if you do not wish.”

Kelsie fingered a silk dress covered in flowers. If the clothes had come from any other man, especially without the explanation Dunya had just provided, she would assume the guy thought her own clothes weren’t good enough. She knew it wasn’t like that with Masoud, though.

“I can’t turn something like this down,” Kelsie said. “I’ll wear the floral one.”

Dunya beamed. “Oh, yes. How nice that one is. And you can save the others for the rest of your stay here.”

Taking the dress into her room, Kelsie took off her robe and pulled the dress on. It had flowing sleeves and its hem hung an inch above the ground. Not only did it fit perfectly, the red and blue tones looked perfect against her skin. Somehow, Masoud had known just what to get her.

Or maybe he had a servant to do the shopping for him. That certainly made sense.

“Beautiful,” Dunya said when Kelsie emerged and did a little spin. “Are you ready to meet the Sheikh?”

Again, Kelsie almost laughed. Since he was just “Masoud” to her, she doubted she would ever get used to other people calling him “the Sheikh.”

Masoud was downstairs in the kitchen, reading something on his phone. As Kelsie walked in, though, his eyes widened and he put the phone into his dress pants’ pocket.

“Oh,” he breathed, gaze sweeping up and down her figure. “Wow...”

Kelsie’s cheeks warmed. “Thank you. The dresses are lovely.”

“You don’t have to wear them if...”

Kelsie waved his words away. “Dunya already told me. So thank you, again.”

Masoud nodded, his eyes on her face. “You’re welcome.”

That sweet tingling shot through Kelsie, and she looked away, worried her face had turned tomato red.

“Shall we?” Masoud extended his arm.

Dinner turned out to be at a quiet little restaurant in a back room booked just for them. They entered through the kitchen, and two of Masoud’s guards stood by the doors.

“I’m sorry it has to be this way,” he told Kelsie in a low voice.

“Stop,” she said, really meaning it. “I don’t mind it at all. This is your life. It’s cool that I get a chance to see it.”

“I have to be honest...” Masoud took a sip of his drink and glanced over his shoulder. The room was large enough that if they spoke quietly, the guards couldn’t hear them. “It makes me miss Rancho Cordero a bit.”

Kelsie stared at him across the table. “You’re not just saying that for my benefit, are you?”

“No.” Masoud laughed a little bit. “I’m not.”

Kelsie studied his face and decided he told the truth. “You do seem slightly uncomfortable with all the guards around. Aren’t you used to it?”

“The more I travel, the less I am.”

Kelsie swirled the wine in her glass. They’d already had the first course, a delicious appetizer made from dates and ground meat, and light noises came from the kitchen as the chef worked on whatever came next.

“Dunya said you don’t spend much time at your house.”

“That’s true. Business often keeps me at the palace.”

“Why have it then?”

Masoud blinked, looking uncertain. “I am not sure I know anymore,” he said finally.

“Oh.” Kelsie had been about to take a sip of wine, but now she set the glass down without the liquid having touched her lips.

“It was important to me when I purchased it. Having an opulent home.”

“When was this?”

“Years ago. But it was also important to me six months ago...and one month ago.”

Kelsie let that sink in. “One month ago?” she repeated. “Oh, really?”

Masoud grinned. “Yes, really.”

Kelsie made a show of draping her arm over the back of her chair and narrowing her eyes at him. “So what happened in the last month?”

Masoud wasn’t joking anymore, though. His face had turned serious. “A lot. Things I am still working to make sense of.”

The layered statement took the breath from Kelsie, and for a moment all she could do was sit there and stare dumbly at him.

Was he talking about them?

Kelsie couldn’t bring herself to ask, because if the answer was no, then this whole perfect day would be crushed. They had six more days left together in Al Hayla, and she wanted to make the most of them, no matter what.

“I’ve spent my life working for what I thought was the greater good.” Masoud looked out the window as he carefully selected each word. “I always equated growing prosperity with success. The happiness rate of my country itself shows there is a correlation.”

“But hold on. Your people’s lives aren’t all about making money, right? Surely, they spend time with family and friends. They have hobbies. They feel like their government takes care of them. Am I right? And aren’t all of those things integral to happiness?”

“They are.” Masoud looked back at her. “But I used to think all of those things took a, uh, what would you call it? A backseat to financial gain. But it’s different in Rancho Cordero, isn’t it? You know a small number of people, but everyone you know, Kelsie, you have a connection with.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “I do. I wouldn’t trade my friends and neighbors for the world.”

“And that neighborly connection can be just as important as family.” Masoud looked deep into her eyes. “Especially if you have no family left.”

Emotion rose swiftly in Kelsie, and she nearly choked on her next breath. She wasn’t completely without family. She still had her mother, although... that didn’t really count, did it?

Masoud was right on the nose. Francesca and the other residents of Rancho Cordero were Kelsie’s family. Having them all scatter to different areas of the state would be devastating.

Was Masoud finally coming around and seeing just why the mine was a bad idea?

“The small-town mentality must be rubbing off on me,” Masoud mused. “I see know why that place holds your heart. Sometimes I wish I had something like that.”

Kelsie cocked her head, struck by such an honest statement. Was Masoud lonely? Kelsie had suspected it before. He traveled at lot. When she’d first met him, she’d briefly wondered if his lack of a girlfriend meant he was something of a womanizer. It wouldn’t be inconceivable that a man with such good looks and money moved swiftly from one woman to the next, choosing to pursue thrills rather than settle down.

And yet, he had displayed none of the traits Kelsie had observed in players. It had taken him a painfully long time to kiss her and, now, even in his own home, he’d yet to signal he wanted to take things to the next level.

Could it be that Masoud was simply a man who had spent years throwing himself into his work, ignoring all relationships except for those with his family in the name of a higher pursuit? And now he was questioning all of that?

It was a heavy subject, and Kelsie didn’t know how to broach it, so for the time being she sipped her wine and watched as the chef served them his poached fish with kumquats and spices.

There would be time for more serious discussions in the future. Right then, Kelsie wanted to enjoy the meal and to enjoy Masoud’s company. Whatever tomorrow brought, she’d face it head-on then.