“I don’t know, Peep.”

Kelsie looked over at where Francesca sat at the end of the bed.

“What don’t you know about?” she asked as she folded a shirt and laid it in her suitcase.

“About this whole situation.” Francesca took a bite of the apple she was eating then proceeded to talk with her mouth full. “This just can’t end well. What if you can’t change Masoud’s mind, but you end up falling even more for him?”

“No one said anything about falling even more for him.”

Francesca narrowed her eyes.

“Okay, fine. I understand.” Kelsie turned to her closet and inspected the few dresses there. “We’re going to spend a week together, and that means I’m opening myself up to the possibility of becoming attached to him.”

“Right. So if he goes ahead and builds this mine, you could end up simultaneously being in love with him while hating his guts.”

Kelsie looked at her shoulder at her friend. “Is that possible?”

Francesca sighed. “I’m living proof that it is.”

Kelsie grabbed two dresses from their hangers. She knew Francesca had a point, but she was trying to focus on the best possible outcome. It could be that the trip to Masoud’s home turned out well in every way possible. Perhaps she’d find a way to convince him to pull the plug on the mine plans and they’d become even closer.

Turning around, she held the dresses up for Francesca’s inspection. “Black or dark blue?”

“I didn’t even know you had those.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m surprised they’re not all moth-eaten.”

“I say…whichever one is the most low-cut.”

“Francesca!”

“What?” She waved her apple around. “You want to influence this man, don’t you?”

Kelsie carefully folded the black one into the suitcase. “A classic LBD fits every situation.”

Standing back from the suitcase, she mentally ran through everything she’d packed. Instead of packing the night before, she’d woken up extra early to get her things together. As Francesca was also an early riser, she’d come over while it was still dark.

“I think this should do it.” Kelsie zipped up the suitcase just as Cowboy came into the room.

“I wish you could come with, boy.” She squatted down and rubbed his ears before burying her face in his neck.

Cowboy sniffed at the suitcase.

“He knows something is up,” Francesca said.

Kelsie stood. “Hey, thanks again for watching the house.”

“No problem. You know I’ve got your back. Plus, you’re doing this for the whole town. We’re kind of counting on you.”

Kelsie exhaled harshly. “That’s not any pressure at all.”

Francesca laughed. “Sorry. Are you nervous?”

“Yeah. I mean, I’ve never been out of the country before. God, I’ve never even been on a plane.”

“Does Masoud know that?”

“Only if he’s read my mind.”

There was a knock on the door, and Cowboy jumped up with a bark and ran out of the bedroom.

“Sounds like your prince has arrived,” Francesca said.

“Oh, gosh,” Kelsie groaned, hauling her suitcase off the bed. “Don’t say anything like that around him.”

“Relax, Peep. I’ve got your back, remember?”

“I know.” Kelsie smiled. “Sorry. I guess I’m just nervous. About all of this.”

“I know.” Francesca took Kelsie’s hand in hers. “But it’s going to be all right. Whatever happens... with Masoud... with the mine... We’ll get through it. This town is strong. We’re strong.”

“I know.” Kelsie breathed in deep, feeling better already. “Thank you. For everything.”

Francesca pulled her into a hug. “Thanks aren’t even necessary.”

Kelsie squeezed her best friend tight. “I’ll still dish them out to you till the end of time. And give me a kick in the shin if I ever forget to stop doing that.”

There was another knock on the front door, and Cowboy barked again.

“I forgot to answer the door!” Kelsie squealed, laughing at herself as she rushed to let Masoud in.

Five minutes later, after leaving Leila in the house with Cowboy and Francesca, Kelsie and Masoud were off, the sun climbing above the horizon as Masoud drove them to the airport.

Relaxing into the leather seat, Kelsie looked in her rearview mirror, at the house that grew smaller by the second.

“I miss it, too,” Masoud said.

Kelsie blushed. She hadn’t even known Masoud was watching her.

“You do?” she asked, skeptical.

Masoud paused, his throat rolling as he swallowed. “I do.”

Kelsie studied his profile, and decided he meant what he said. “I’m slightly worried about the dogs.”

“I know. But Leila had such a great time when I left her with you. She has Cowboy and the sheep. And you know Francesca will look after them.”

Masoud reached across the center console and closed his hand over Kelsie’s. Warmth shivered its way up her arm and into her heart.

“You’re not having second thoughts about this trip, are you?” he asked.

“Definitely not.”

“Good. Neither am I.”

Masoud drove through town, and at a stop sign, a few people glanced over at his car. One older man, who Kelsie recognized as a retired librarian, scowled at them.

Kelsie’s face burned, and she was glad as Masoud turned right down the street and left the town behind.

“Have you been into town?” she asked Masoud.

“No,” came his tight reply. “Have you?”

“Nu-uh. Francesca went to the grocery store yesterday, though, and apparently there are a few people who are in favor of the mine being built.”

Masoud started to answer, but Kelsie quickly interrupted.

“But,” she said, “I bet most people are still against it.”

“Fair enough,” Masoud said. “I’ll let you have that win.” He glanced her way. “For now.”

* * *

Kelsie must have fallen asleep on the drive to the airport, because before she knew it, Masoud was softly saying her name. She woke with a start, rubbed her eyes, and looked around her.

They were on the tarmac, parked right in front of a small, white jet that was embellished with a swirling red and blue design. A staircase connected its door to the ground.

“We’re here,” Masoud announced, as a man in a suit came forward and opened Kelsie’s door.

“Thanks,” Kelsie told the man. She blinked away her sleepiness, and went to get her suitcase, but a second man had already grabbed it for her.

A flight attendant?

Masoud lightly took hold of Kelsie’s arm and steered her for the jet. The stairs were narrow, and at the top of them, a smiling female attendant met them.

“Good morning, Sheikh,” the woman said with a bow.

“Good morning, Kamala,” Masoud said.

Kelsie glanced at Masoud. Did he fly this airline frequently? Wait. Why had they driven right onto the tarmac? Who was going to take Masoud’s car?

And then, as she saw the white leather seats and matching couch, the flat-screen TV, the tasteful furnishings, Kelsie understood: they were on Masoud’s private jet.

Somehow, she’d actually forgotten that he was royalty.

“Where would you like to sit?” Masoud asked.

“Uh, wherever.”

Kelsie selected a seat facing the front, since that seemed like the most normal thing to do, and Masoud settled across from her. Without them even having to ask, Kamala arrived with shots of espresso for the both of them. Kelsie sipped at hers and looked around, wondering where in the world the espresso machine was hidden.

“This is...nice,” she said softly. “Really nice.”

Masoud took off his suit’s jacket and rolled up his sleeves, obviously very at home in the jet. “Thank you. It makes traveling so often a bit more bearable.”

The jet roared to life, making Kelsie gasp a little bit. Setting the espresso cup down on the little table at her side, she quickly buckled up. The jet was already moving, rumbling across the tarmac.

“Everything all right?” Masoud asked.

“Yeah, um, I just...” Kelsie gulped. The jet was picking up speed, going way faster than she’d expected it to. “I’ve never, uh, flown before.”

Instead of looking shocked, as she had expected, Masoud seemed concerned. Unbuckling, he stood and took the seat right next to Kelsie, where he buckled back in and reached across her to close the window’s shade.

“That will help,” he said. “If you don’t see the plane leaving the ground, it’s easier.”

Kelsie gulped. “Good to know.”

Masoud put his hand on hers. “It’s all right. The strangest part is when the jet tips back a bit, but that is only for a moment.”

Right as that part happened, Kelsie looked into Masoud’s dark eyes. It was as if the rest of the world didn’t exist. The jet, the noise... all of it just melted away.

Kelsie licked her lips, her mouth going dry. Masoud’s gaze had trapped hers, and she found it impossible to look away.

“There,” Masoud whispered, reaching up and gently stroking Kelsie’s cheek. “How do you feel?”

“Pretty good,” she whispered back.

Masoud kissed her tenderly, and a lightness filled Kelsie. Whether it was from his touch or her body being airborne for the first time in all its existence, she didn’t know.

What she did know was that she really, really liked it.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“It is my pleasure.”

Masoud leaned back in his seat, but one of his hands remained on top of hers. Feeling a little braver, Kelsie lifted the blind and peeked out the window. They were soaring above white, fluffy clouds. In between the white spaces, roads stretched out.

Kelsie gasped.

“What?” Masoud asked.

“I can see the cars. They look like toys. Like remote control cars.”

As soon as she said it, she expected her to laugh at him. Masoud had probably flown a million times before. In his eyes, she probably looked like some kind of country bumpkin.

But Masoud just nodded. “I like to look down at them and think about all the people in them. Who they are and whether or lives will ever intersect or not. What the chances of that happening are.”

Kelsie looked at him straight on. He’d done it again. When she expected him to laugh or not understood what she talked about, he’d proven that he was kind and wise.

Could this really be the same man who planned on kicking her whole town out of their home?

“So you think people meet by chance,” Kelsie said.

Masoud blinked several times, long, dark lashes grazing his high cheekbones. “Sometimes. Sometimes, no. I think that for the most part, encounters are random. But I also believe there are some people we are destined to meet.”

What about us?

Kelsie burned to ask the question, but she swallowed it back down. Maybe Francesca was right, and she was getting in over her head. What if she couldn’t make Masoud change her mind? What if she fell even harder for him, but he refused to budge?

Kelsie bit her bottom lip. “About the mine...”

She waited for him to take the bait and say something, but he only sat there. His hand was still on hers, and he didn’t seem inclined to remove it.

“You think you’ll be able to change my mind,” Masoud said. “And I think I will be able to change yours.”

Kelsie scoffed. “Oh, you do, do you?”

“Wait until you see Al Hayla.” Kelsie opened her mouth to protest, but Masoud held up his palm, and she closed her mouth. “And I know. You said that once people reach a certain income, happiness is not guaranteed. I understand that. But consider this: Al Hayla has made tremendous gains in the last twenty years. As a nation, we are a very well-off, and we regularly score in the top five when it comes to measures of overall happiness.”

“You do?” Kelsie asked, surprised to hear this.

“We do. Our people have opportunities to pursue both money and passions. They feel safe. They have a strong sense of community.”

“I have all of that back in Rancho Cordero,” Kelsie pointed out. “And would your people be happy if you suddenly told them they had to move? Especially if it meant relocating to a less peaceful or happy country?”

Something flickered in Masoud’s eyes, and Kelsie’s heart flipped. She’d done it. She was getting to him!

“I would never do anything that was not for the best of my country,” Masoud said slowly. “And, if I’m being honest, my time in Rancho Cordero has caused my heart to expand. I do not wish to do anything to harm you and your neighbors.”

“Anything you think harms us,” Kelsie clarified.

Masoud sighed lightly. “Here we go again.”

“Talking in circles,” Kelsie grimly agreed.

At some point during their conversation, without her noticing, his hand had left hers. Now her fingers felt cold and strange. She wanted his touch back. The touch that made all her worries seem like nothing but fabrications.

She’d never been the kind of woman to take the lead. It wasn’t that she wasn’t confident, only that usually, the guys made the move first. Masoud was a gentleman, though. That was one of his most defining features. If he ached to touch her at any particular moment, Kelsie couldn’t tell. It seemed he always restrained himself.

But this was the first vacation Kelsie had taken in a long time, and her first one out of the country. And despite Francesca’s warnings, she really felt throwing caution to the wind and following her heart was the best thing to do. Maybe things with the mine would just work themselves out. Until that resolution came, she could at least enjoy every minute she got with Masoud.

Lacing her fingers in his, she gave him a smile, and he smiled back.

“You are gorgeous when you smile like that,” he said, and Kelsie could tell by the way his breath caught that he meant it. “You glow.”

“It’s only because I’m looking at you,” she said.