would be far more satisfying to find a woman with whom I wanted more than simply a night of pleasure—although I will admit that the nights of pleasure here are satisfying. It’s just that I find myself longing for something more.” Sharif paused a moment. “Anyway, you are a beautiful, talented woman. Of course he wants his wife to be happy with him. What has he got to compare to a palace?”
“I wondered that at first, but there is so much here that you would find it every bit as beautiful as the Balahar jewels.”
“Will you want to stay there forever, then?”
“Well, we have not discussed that,” Serena said carefully. “Prince Kadar has no interest in succession to the throne, so…I think I would have to stay here forever.”
“You see why he wants you to know your own mind, then,” Sharif said softly. “It is bad to havean unhappy wife. He wants you to choose him and his palace of your own accord.” A chuckle filled Serena’s ear. “I admit that I wasn’t sure I liked your prince when he came here.”
“Strange. He doesn’t want to talk about you much, so you two somehow started off on the wrong path.”
“It is near impossible to have two stallions in the same corral,” Prince Sharif said, and Serena could hear the smirk in his voice. “I was none too pleased to discover that your husband was not the prince he claimed to be, either. However, Layla has had her spy turning the palace upside down trying to discover your whereabouts, so I decided that Prince Kadar had done the right thing, even if it did end up costing him an Arabian foal. We have certainly gotten the better end of this transaction. And people say it is a pain to deal with Americans! I say it has been very lucrative, and since you seem to be in his eternal favor, satisfying as well.”
“What are you talking about? What foal did marrying me cost him?”
“Oh, not marrying you. His mother, the former Queen Rose, has paid a tribute of a Desert Rose Arabian foal to our father to make up for the dishonor of her son’s kidnapping of you from our home.”
“It was not kidnapping!”
“To make up for his stealthy departure, then,”Prince Sharif amended, though his tone clearly indicated that the former verb stated his opinion better. “Actually, the foal was really to soothe Father into allowing you to stay in Texas for fourteen days, in order for your prince to decide whether you would stay.”
“Stay! Fourteen days! How do you know this?”
“Our father has told me this. He is well pleased with his end of the bargain.”
“I am not a prize to be bargained,” Serena said hotly. “I will not be returned in fourteen days if my husband decides he doesn’t want me. I am not a defective purchase to be returned!”
Sharif laughed. “I think you will not return, unless it is by your choice. What you have told me about Prince Kadar shows that he is willing to pay a foal in order to give his wife time to know her own mind, even if she shouldn’t know it—” he began in a teasing tone. “No, that’s not right. It’s your heart he wants you to know, Serena. He is trying to be gentle with you, like a mare who has never worn the saddle before. Perhaps you should give his method some thought, sister. After all, you admit that you will miss the palace, and that he does not wish to rule. These are not small things you are giving up.”
“I do not think he is in love with me,” Serena demurred. “I think he is not attracted to me, or elsehe would wish to do what he could to keep me here, such as showing me his favor.”
“He is trying. It’s just different from what you have known here.”
“I do not think I like a horse being exchanged for fourteen days with me,” Serena said warily. “I feel bartered. Is that what love is supposed to feel like?”
“Rose offered the foal to make up for the behavior of her son. Prince Kadar had no knowledge of the offer. I only know because Father said this. It is not so
“I wondered that at first, but there is so much here that you would find it every bit as beautiful as the Balahar jewels.”
“Will you want to stay there forever, then?”
“Well, we have not discussed that,” Serena said carefully. “Prince Kadar has no interest in succession to the throne, so…I think I would have to stay here forever.”
“You see why he wants you to know your own mind, then,” Sharif said softly. “It is bad to havean unhappy wife. He wants you to choose him and his palace of your own accord.” A chuckle filled Serena’s ear. “I admit that I wasn’t sure I liked your prince when he came here.”
“Strange. He doesn’t want to talk about you much, so you two somehow started off on the wrong path.”
“It is near impossible to have two stallions in the same corral,” Prince Sharif said, and Serena could hear the smirk in his voice. “I was none too pleased to discover that your husband was not the prince he claimed to be, either. However, Layla has had her spy turning the palace upside down trying to discover your whereabouts, so I decided that Prince Kadar had done the right thing, even if it did end up costing him an Arabian foal. We have certainly gotten the better end of this transaction. And people say it is a pain to deal with Americans! I say it has been very lucrative, and since you seem to be in his eternal favor, satisfying as well.”
“What are you talking about? What foal did marrying me cost him?”
“Oh, not marrying you. His mother, the former Queen Rose, has paid a tribute of a Desert Rose Arabian foal to our father to make up for the dishonor of her son’s kidnapping of you from our home.”
“It was not kidnapping!”
“To make up for his stealthy departure, then,”Prince Sharif amended, though his tone clearly indicated that the former verb stated his opinion better. “Actually, the foal was really to soothe Father into allowing you to stay in Texas for fourteen days, in order for your prince to decide whether you would stay.”
“Stay! Fourteen days! How do you know this?”
“Our father has told me this. He is well pleased with his end of the bargain.”
“I am not a prize to be bargained,” Serena said hotly. “I will not be returned in fourteen days if my husband decides he doesn’t want me. I am not a defective purchase to be returned!”
Sharif laughed. “I think you will not return, unless it is by your choice. What you have told me about Prince Kadar shows that he is willing to pay a foal in order to give his wife time to know her own mind, even if she shouldn’t know it—” he began in a teasing tone. “No, that’s not right. It’s your heart he wants you to know, Serena. He is trying to be gentle with you, like a mare who has never worn the saddle before. Perhaps you should give his method some thought, sister. After all, you admit that you will miss the palace, and that he does not wish to rule. These are not small things you are giving up.”
“I do not think he is in love with me,” Serena demurred. “I think he is not attracted to me, or elsehe would wish to do what he could to keep me here, such as showing me his favor.”
“He is trying. It’s just different from what you have known here.”
“I do not think I like a horse being exchanged for fourteen days with me,” Serena said warily. “I feel bartered. Is that what love is supposed to feel like?”
“Rose offered the foal to make up for the behavior of her son. Prince Kadar had no knowledge of the offer. I only know because Father said this. It is not so
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