Raheem was up before dawn the next morning, making sure the Range Rover was packed with all the supplies they’d need for their day trip to the ancient caves near the western border of Djeva. A kinetic, nervous energy burned through him as he went over the itinerary with their driver. Maybe it was the anticipation of getting outdoors, away from the palace, back to nature that had him so pumped up. Or maybe it was the thought of spending the entire day with Laura and getting to know her better.
No. It was definitely the caves. Had to be. Anything else was pure folly.
He’d just finished loading their trip details into the GPS tracking app on his phone when Laura appeared in the foyer, dressed once more in the same khaki cargo shorts and white T-shirt she’d been wearing the first time he’d seen her. They were much cleaner now and freshly pressed, and she still looked as lovely as ever. He swallowed hard and forced a smile, waving her over.
“Good morning,” he said, focusing on his phone and not the alluring sway of her hips when she walked. She’d brought a wide-brimmed hat as well, which she had in her hand for now. Wise choice. No sense damaging all that glorious pale skin with a sunburn. At the thought of her creamy curves, Raheem cleared his throat and frowned. Not going there. Not today. Not ever.
Think about the trip. Think about the charity. Think about anything but this beautiful woman who’ll be working by your side all day.
“Where exactly are we headed?” Laura asked as he led her into the small, informal dining room. They used this one strictly for family as it only held about twenty comfortably. The staff had laid out a lovely hot breakfast buffet for them at Raheem’s request. The smell of spiced eggs in tomato sauce and freshly baked rolls filled the air and Raheem’s stomach growled. He’d been so busy the night before with preparations for today, he’d not eaten dinner.
“Today I’m taking you to a very special place that I remember visiting as a child. An ancient cave system that rivals Al Hoota in Oman.” He guided her toward the buffet and handed her a plate, then grabbed one for himself. “Do you know of this
Al Hoota?”
“Of course. I’ve never been there myself, but I have visited Qumran, where they found the Dead Sea Scrolls, and also Marneef Cave in Salalah. Both were quite breathtaking.”
“I’ll bet.” Raheem smiled as he piled his plate up with food, pleased that she was familiar with the region, though a bit surprised. “I hadn’t expected you to be such a world traveler.”
“Part of the job.” Laura shrugged before dishing out a healthy portion of fresh fruit on her plate. “Though I will say, having my GPS go out the other day kind of threw me for a loop. I hope you know where you’re going today.”
“I’m a prince of Djeva. I know every inch of this country like my own skin. Besides, we have one of our most experienced drivers accompanying us today and if we do happen to have any troubles, our palace security have protocols in place to send a search party for us if we miss a check-in point.”
“How comforting,” she said, her brow raised. But her smile was genuine as they took a seat at the dining room table and dug into their meal. “So, you used to hang out at this place as a kid, huh? I can’t imagine what it must have been like to grow up with all this wealth and privilege.”
“And responsibility,” Raheem added, around a bite of egg. “Don’t forget that part. We are the ruling family of Djeva and are expected to act with decorum, even as children.”
“Whoa. That doesn’t sound like much fun.”
Raheem grinned, watching her over the rim of his juice glass. “I didn’t say there weren’t ways around it.”
“I see.” She swallowed a bite of mango then grinned. “You were a handful then, weren’t you? I can just see you raising hell all over the desert, getting into all kinds of mischief.”
He shrugged. “I did my share of rabble-rousing, it’s true. But I was never a bad child. Only inquisitive.”
“So that’s what they’re calling it nowadays?”
The hint of teasing in her tone reminded him of the banter he shared with his sisters and it brought a smile to his face. If they could continue their playful tone on their trip, it would be a joyful day indeed.
“Tell me what made you become interested in conservation,” Laura said, stirring cream and sugar into her coffee. “Help me understand the sheikh you are today.”
“Sheikh is only my title,” he said, some of his energy draining away. “Beneath that, I am just a man, same as anyone else.” He finished the last few bites of his breakfast then sat back, his mind wandering back to the day that had changed everything for him. “Nature has always been a love of mine, ever since I turned eight and travelled with my family in a royal envoy across Djeva. From our coastline in the east to the rocky hills and sandy dunes in the west, I love every inch of my homeland.”
“It seems like a special place,” Laura said, watching him intently.
“It really is.” Raheem smiled sadly. “On the last day of our journey, however, our tour stopped at one of the many oil fields scattered across our deserts. Of course, being eight, I was fascinated with how everything worked, all those machines and drills. At the end of our day, we were to watch the sunset over the oil fields. I was standing between my mother and my sisters as the sun sank beneath the horizon. Such brilliant shades of amber and fuchsia and plum and gold. It was truly magnificent.”
“Sounds like it.”
He inhaled and closed his eyes, savoring the memory of those last few moments before his youthful innocence had been shattered and the harsh cruel realities of the world had come crashing down around him. “We stood there watching nature in all its glory. But then I heard this awful, plaintive cawing from somewhere nearby. I looked around and just to our right was a family of white-headed ducks. Except they weren’t white anymore because they’d gotten caught in an oil spill. A mother and her young chicks. All their downy, pristine feathers were coated in black muck and they were flailing and crying trying to escape. When I pointed them out to our tour guide, he explained that while it was unfortunate there was nothing that could be done. There simply weren’t the resources to care for all the wildlife that was being impacted by Djeva’s march toward progress. It was a sacrifice one had to make.” He opened his eyes and rolled his tense shoulders. “I still remember that day vividly, the outrage I felt—toward my country, toward my father, toward the attitude that nature wasn’t every bit as important as industrialization. That was the day that I vowed to take up the cause of conservation and ensure that the wildlife of my country would survive and thrive for many generations to come.”
“Wow.” Laura blinked at him. “And what happened to those poor little ducks? Did they die?”
“No.” Raheem straightened. “I was only eight, but even then I couldn’t allow it. I took off before my mother could catch me and next thing she knew, I was wallowing in the oil trying to catch the ducks and save them. My sisters joined me too. We got them all out and safely back to our headquarters where they were cleaned and released back into the wild.”
“Nice.” Laura pushed her empty plate away and they headed outside to where the Range Rover was parked near the curb. “I’m looking forward to this trip.”
“As am I.” He helped her up into the back seat then followed behind her, his enthusiasm returning after telling her about his past. Their driver got behind the wheel and soon they were off. Raheem sorted through a few last-minute emails before shutting off his phone and shoving it into his pocket. There would be plenty of time for him to work later. For today, he was more interested in the woman beside him and how she might help him reach his goals for his country. “How did your boss take the news of your departure?”