A Christmas Bride (6 page)

Later that afternoon, when Cameron returned to his office to catch up on paperwork, he found himself unable to stop thinking about what Simon had said about losing what mattered most. The problem was, to risk everything not to do that would mean he couldn’t protect himself or Kaitlyn. They could both...

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Who was he kidding? Protect himself from what? Having Rina in his life? Having her integrated into every moment of his day? Missing her? It was too late for that. Too late for him to protect Kaitlyn from another maternal loss. She might not remember her mother but she would remember Rina. She loved Rina. And as his eight-year-old had wisely pointed out, he loved Rina, too.

He stood, not sure what to think or what to do next. The truth flooded through him. He loved Rina. That’s why he’d been so freaked by her confession, why he hadn’t wanted to change their relationship. If he loved her, she could hurt him. His ex-wife leaving had been a shock, but he’d gone on. Looking back, he hadn’t missed her nearly as much as he should have. But if Rina left, he would be destroyed and so would his daughter.

That’s what he’d been afraid of. Losing her. So rather than risk it, he’d pushed her away. As Simon had done with Montana. He had felt that if he decided the course of the relationship, he had the illusion of control.

He shrugged out of his white coat and grabbed his jacket, then stopped. He couldn’t just track Rina down and blurt out that he’d changed his mind. That now he wanted her. He’d hurt her and made her feel small. He’d tossed aside what she had offered and then made things worse by trying to keep her around as some kind of on-call child-care staff.

She was the woman he loved, he woman he wanted to be with for the rest of his life. He needed to prove himself to her, to win her. Which meant he needed a plan. A way to apologize and prove to her that she was all he’d ever dreamed about. A tough road, considering how he’d acted.

He started toward the door. He was lucky, he reminded himself. With the pet adoption, Rina wouldn’t have had time to go looking for someone else or even to start falling out of love with him. What he had to do was convince her he was worthy. Someone she could trust to be there, no matter what. And he knew exactly how to do it.

The noise in the Fool’s Gold Convention Center was nearly deafening. The cement-and-block-wall construction had originally been meant for a big-box store that had never come to town. About eleven years ago, the city had taken over the property and turned it into a convention center, which meant the acoustics weren’t perfect. Especially when nearly thirty dogs were barking, kids were running around yelling and a spate of angry hisses came from the kitty corner.

Through it all, Rina smiled, answered questions and confirmed that the paperwork for the adoptions had been filled out correctly.

Holiday decorations brightened their small section of the huge structure, the paper and plastic carefully hung out of dog-reach. She and her volunteers wore cheerful, red, long-sleeved T-shirts with bright letters proclaiming Adopt a Pet, with a cartoon cat and dog under the words. The real dogs wore painted nails and bandanas, the cats, festive collars. She’d left the iguana unadorned.

A crowd had been waiting when the event had begun and adoptions were steady. What confused her were the snippets of conversation she overheard.

“Dr. McKenzie came by yesterday afternoon,” Edie Carberry was telling a friend, while holding a carrier containing her new cat. “He made sure I understood the best way to take care of Marilyn.” The seventy-something grinned. “I named her after Marilyn Monroe. They have the same eyes.”

A family with a beagle mix on a leash stopped by to thank Rina. “We love him,” the oldest boy, who was all of ten or eleven, said earnestly. “Dr. McKenzie talked to us about responsibility. We’ll take good care of him. We promise.”

Their mother sighed. “He was impressive. Oh, and that certificate for a free exam in six months was great.”

“I don’t understand,” Rina said. “He came to see you?”

The woman nodded. “From what I understand, he went to see everyone who had already expressed interest in a specific pet. He wanted us to be prepared for the first few days of settling in and talked about food and exercise. That was more than enough, but then he offered a free exam. What a great guy.”

“I heard that,” her husband told her.

The woman laughed.

Rina chatted with the family a few more minutes, then went to find Jesse.

“What do you know about Cameron visiting prospective adoptive families?”

Jesse handed Rina a cloth bag that she started filling with cat food. Each pet was being sent home with a month’s worth of food.

“You didn’t know?” she asked, sounding surprised. “He spent part of Thursday afternoon and most of yesterday out talking to people who’d said they were interested in adopting. He didn’t tell you?”

Rina shook her head. “No. He’s offering a certificate for a free exam, too.”

Jesse smiled. “He wants your holiday pet adoption to be a success. You should be happy.”

“I am, of course. It’s just strange.”

He hadn’t said a word. Not that she’d seen him in the past few days. She’d had the excuse of being busy. Now she just had to get through the holidays, and then she could start forgetting she’d ever fallen in love with him.

Jesse took the full bag of food. “It’s a good thing. Maybe you should just accept that.”

Rina nodded and got back to work.

By three in the afternoon, all the pets had been adopted, the pet food was distributed and more than a couple of the decorations had started to droop. Rina had accepted help for cleanup and then had sent everyone home. There were only a few chairs left to stack and she could handle that on her own.

She’d just collected her backpack to head to her car when the side door opened.

She opened her mouth to tell the people that the event was over, only to realize they weren’t prospective pet owners. Instead, Cameron and Kaitlyn walked toward her.

She hadn’t seen either of them in three days and it felt like years. She wanted to rush forward and hug Kaitlyn, be hugged by Cameron and taken home. She wanted to revel in the affection and laughter she always found in their house. But that wasn’t to be.

“I heard all the pets got adopted,” Cameron said as he approached. “Congratulations.”

“You had a big part in that,” she said, hoping she was looking friendly rather than desperately in love. “Thank you for your help.”

“It’s the least I could do.” He raised his chin slightly. “I like your shirt.”

She glanced down at the Adopt a Pet graphic. “I thought they were festive. It made the volunteers feel special and—”

As she’d been speaking, Cameron and Kaitlyn had started removing their coats. Now she saw they wore similar shirts, only the phrase was a little different. Cameron’s T-shirt said Adopt a Vet and Kaitlyn’s read Adopt a Vet’s Daughter. Instead of a drawing of a cat and dog, there was a picture of the three of them, taken at the end of the summer festival earlier that year.

Hope blossomed. Fragile, brave hope that grew inside her. “I don’t understand,” she whispered.

Cameron stepped toward her. “Rina, I’m sorry. I was blind and stupid and afraid. I wasn’t looking to fall in love, so I didn’t recognize it when it happened. I couldn’t see the beautiful, special, wonderful woman standing right in front of me.”

She drew in a breath. “It happens,” she
managed.

He took another step and reached for her hands, taking them in his. His steady gaze was full of promise.

“When I kissed you that night, I felt all the possibilities and they terrified me. I was afraid loving meant losing and I couldn’t bear to lose you. You are strong and kind and the most giving person I know. I trust you with my heart. More important, I trust you with my daughter.”

Rina glanced at the girl, who was practically dancing in place. She’d obviously promised to be quiet, but was having trouble keeping her promise. As Rina smiled at her, Kaitlyn slapped a hand over her mouth and spun in a circle.

“I’m sorry I didn’t accept what you offered,” he continued, drawing her attention back to him. “I’m sorry I couldn’t see what you did for us. But I do know, and I hope you’ll give me a chance to prove myself. Kaitlyn and I love you.” He smiled at his daughter. “We want to marry you and be a family together.”

“Like we are now!” The words burst from Kaitlyn, who rushed toward them.

Then the three of them were holding on as if they would never let go. Rina felt the pain draining away, replaced by the knowledge that dreams really do come true. Loving Cameron and his daughter had been the best part of her. It would continue to be so...forever.

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHRISTMAS MORNING CAME early. Rina found herself being gently shaken a little before six. She opened her eyes and saw Kaitlyn staring down at her.

“You were awake, right?” the girl asked anxiously. “Daddy said I wasn’t to wake you.”

Rina laughed. “I was awake enough.”

“Good. There are presents and it’s snowing! I know it won’t stick, but there’s snow on Christmas! Come on. Get up!”

Rina sat up and stretched. She was wearing red and white candy-cane pajamas, just like the ones Kaitlyn had on. Somewhere in the house, Cameron had on a pair, too. An early Christmas present from her fiancé.

As she got out of bed, her diamond engagement ring caught the light and sparkled. Another early Christmas present that Cameron had given her last night. And after Kaitlyn had gone to bed, things had gotten even better.

Usually she went home after dinner. They had agreed it would be better for her not to spend the night until after they were married in a couple of weeks. Then Kaitlyn had begged for Rina to sleep over on Christmas Eve and sometime around two in the morning, Rina had reluctantly left Cameron’s bed to spend the rest of the night in the guest room.

Noah trotted into the room, her nails clicking on the hardwood floor. Cameron followed, looking both handsome and silly in his Christmas pajamas.

“Merry Christmas,” he told her. “I have coffee brewing.”

“And hot chocolate for me,” Kaitlyn said. “And she was already awake. Sort of.”

“Give me five minutes,” Rina said, smiling at them both. “Then I’ll be right out.”

She used the bathroom and brushed her teeth, then stepped into slippers and joined Cameron and Kaitlyn in the kitchen. Outside, snow fell. A light dusting covered the deck and backyard. Only Noah’s pawprints disturbed the pristine beauty.

Before handing Rina her coffee, Cameron pulled her close and kissed her. Then he held out his arm so Kaitlyn was included.

“Group hug,” the girl said with a contented sigh. “Daddy, I’m really glad there are presents, but this is the best one.”

“For me, too,” Rina said.

“For all of us,” Cameron agreed.

Kaitlyn looked up at them and smiled. “See. I told you. We had to give Rina something so she knows we love her. And we gave her us.”

* * * * *

The Sheik and the Christmas Bride

Contents

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

PROLOGUE

“THIS IS AN impossible situation,” King Mukhtar of El Deharia announced as he paced the width of his private chambers.

Princess Lina watched her brother, thinking it would be impossible for him to pace the
length
of his chambers—the room was so big, she would probably lose sight of him. Ah, the trials of being king.

Mukhtar spun back unexpectedly, then stalked toward her. “You smile. Do you find this amusing? I have three sons of marriageable age.
Three!
And has even one of them shown interest in choosing a bride and producing heirs? No. They are too busy with their work. How did I produce such industrious sons? Why aren’t they out chasing women and getting girls pregnant? At least then we could force a marriage.”

Lina laughed. “You’re complaining that your sons are too hardworking and that they’re not playboys? What else is wrong, my brother? Too much money in the treasury? Do the people love you too much? Is the royal crown too heavy?”

“You mock me,” he complained.

“As your sister, it is not just my privilege, it’s my duty. Someone needs to mock you.”

He glared at her, but she was unimpressed. They had grown up together. It was hard to find awe in the man when one had seen the boy with chicken pox.

“This is serious,” he told her sternly. “What am I to do? I must have heirs. I should have dozens of grandchildren by now and I have not a single one. Qadir spends his time representing our country to the world. As’ad deals with domestic issues so our people have a thriving economy. Kateb lives his life in the desert, celebrating the old ways.” Mukhtar grimaced. “The old ways? What is he thinking?”