her neck before settling back into a doze. ‘Oh, I’m going to miss you, little one,’ she said, pressing her lips to the baby’s head.
‘When will you be back?’ her sister asked from the spacious kitchen.
‘I’m not exactly sure. A few weeks, I guess.’
Tegan looked up sharply. ‘You mean you don’t know when you’re coming back? That you’re being whisked away to some tiny Arab emirate and you have no idea when you’re coming home?’
Morgan shrugged. ‘Sheikh Tajik didn’t say, but I guess it’s just until Fatima recovers enough to take over her duties again. I don’t expect it to be for more than a few weeks.’
Tegan opened the refrigerator, pulling out the salad dressing she’d prepared earlier.
‘So what’s he like, this Sheikh?’
Morgan took a deep breath, her lungs filled with the fresh scent of newborn baby, while her mind battled to get a grip on the confusing images and impressions of Sheikh Tajik. It was hard to mesh the images—the dutiful son who had taken over the leadership of his country after his father’s tragic death. The man who had bossed her mercilessly by the pool and told her everything was settled before she’d even had a chance to assimilate the news of her invitation to Jamalbad. The man who’d gazed into her soul with those golden eyes and left her strangely shaken…
‘I don’t know,’ she said at last. ‘I only met him today.’
‘So he’s not tall, dark and handsome, then?’
This time Morgan shook her head with no hesitation at all. ‘No,’ she said, ‘not exactly. He’s tall and broad-shouldered, and his hair is dark…’
‘But he’s not handsome?’
Morgan wavered. “Handsome” seemed too soft a word. He was strong-featured. With eyes that saw too much and revealed nothing that didn’t scare her. No, he wasn’t just handsome. He was beyond handsome.
He was disturbing.
A tremor moved through her and she clutched tiny Eleanor to her chest to disguise it. ‘Not exactly,’ she replied, wishing for a change of subject.
‘And is he married?’
‘What’s that got to do with anything?’
‘You tell me,’ responded Tegan with renewed interest as she arranged a couple of things on the table. ‘You’re the one who seems a bit affected by him.’
‘Forget it,’ Morgan lied. ‘It’s just that this is all a bit sudden. Besides, you know I’m not looking for a relationship.’
Tegan regarded her solemnly. ‘But you’re obviously desperate to have your own family.’
Morgan opened her mouth to defend herself, but Tegan was right there.
‘Just look at the way you are with Ellie! Don’t try telling me you’re not getting clucky.’
‘I love my niece. Isn’t that normal?’
‘It’s not normal to be pining over a failed relationship years after the event.’
‘I am not!’
Tegan gave her a searching look that left her sister in no doubt she disagreed. ‘Look at yourself, Morgan. You’ve buried yourself in your work for years, covering yourself up like a nun—just because that idiot Evan didn’t appreciate what he had.’
Morgan grunted. ‘Oh, he appreciated what he had, all right. Getting engaged to me meant he could protect his precious family from the truth about him. He used me, and I was so stupid I fell for it.’
Tegan placed the salad on the table and came over to wrap an arm around her sister’s shoulders, giving them a squeeze. ‘Hey, you were in love with him.’
‘No,’ Morgan said, shaking her head. ‘I thought I was. But I was just in love with the idea of being in love—and with the idea that someone wanted to marry me. He didn’t want me at all, except to use me. I’m never letting anyone do that to me again.’
‘Which doesn’t mean you have to shut yourself off from the entire world! You’ll hardly find a man if you lock yourself away. In fact, I’m glad you’re going on this trip. Who knows where it might lead?’
Morgan didn’t answer straight away, instead thinking that since marrying Maverick her sister had become a hopeless romantic. She kissed the sleeping infant’s hair and laid her down in her bassinet, tucking the light blankets in around her. Her task complete, she turned to her sister.
‘I know you only want me to be as happy as you are now, but I really think you’ve got the wrong idea. I’m going to the desert for a few weeks to keep a middle-aged woman company, nothing more. So if you think I’m going to be coming home with any more than a toy camel, then you’re in for a big disappointment.’
After dinner Maverick offered to drive Morgan back to the sprawling mansion that served as a holiday home for Nobilah, stopping off along the way to let her pick up her passport and a few odd things she wanted to collect from her apartment, and to let her neighbours know she’d be away for a few weeks.
It was late by the time Maverick steered the car through the gates and pulled up outside the mansion that stood silent and imposing under the bright moonlight.
‘Thanks for the lift,’ she said, keeping her voice low as he hauled her bag from the boot and swung it down onto the paving alongside her. ‘You take care of my little sister and Ellie.’
‘You know I will,’ he replied, placing one hand on her shoulder. ‘But who’s going to take care of you? Tegan’s worried about you going off with no idea of when you’ll be back.’
‘Don’t you start,’ she said, wishing everyone would stop mirroring the very misgivings she was having. It was one thing to head off to Jamalbad to accompany Nobilah. It was another thing entirely to know that Sheikh Tajik, with his golden eyes and unsettling presence, was going to be part of the package. ‘I’ll be fine,’ she said, as much to convince herself as anything, and she stretched up to give her brother-in-law a hug and a heartfelt kiss on the cheek.
His long arms enclosed her and he gave her a mighty squeeze that lifted her feet from the ground before, with a final kiss and saying, ‘Take care,’ he was back behind the wheel.
Morgan waited while he drove away, one hand lifted in a silent farewell. She didn’t know how long she would be away, but she knew she would miss her Gold Coast family and her new niece. Then the car turned onto the road and disappeared from view, and the fingers of her open hand curled as a prickling sensation needled its way down her spine. This was it, the point of no return, and that realisation sent excitement vying with a menacing anxiety inside her. But she’d told Maverick she’d be fine. She’d better start believing it, given she’d be on the plane in less than eight hours.
With a sigh, she bent down to pick up her bag. It was whipped out of her reach from behind. She gasped and reeled around, only to find a mountain standing between her and the door.
‘Where have you been all this time?’
‘You
