At The Rancher's Bidding. Charlotte Maclay

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      Chapter Two

      Allie’s breath caught at her first glimpse of the Flying Ace ranch house. Although not as large as the one at the Desert Rose, the sprawling adobe structure seemed to fit into the landscape as if nature had put it there. A wrought-iron gate stood open to welcome visitors, and Cord drove the truck beneath an arched entry into an inner courtyard. It was almost like entering the palace grounds in Munir, but without the guards at the gate.

      America was indeed a wonderful country. So free and open. A safe haven—albeit a temporary one for her.

      “Your home is lovely,” she said as he parked beside a stone walkway leading to a covered entry and a wide wooden door.

      “We make do.” His modest response made her smile.

      Excitement fluttered through her midsection as he escorted her up the walkway, his hand pressing lightly at the small of her back. Had she expected a butler to greet them at the door, she would have been disappointed. Instead, Cord simply lifted the latch, shoved open the door and ushered her inside.

      The temperature was ten degrees cooler in the dim interior of the high-ceiling great room than it was outside, the recessed windows in the wide adobe walls preventing direct sunlight from penetrating. Heavy oak furniture and comfortable leather couches were arranged around a large fireplace that no doubt heated the room efficiently in winter. Paintings of horses and Western landscapes decorated the walls.

      He dropped her bag on one of the couches. “Brianna!” he shouted.

      “In here,” a woman’s voice answered.

      “Come meet our new, uh, housekeeper.”

      Troubled, Allie frowned. She had not thought to ask of Cord’s marital status or if he had a concubine living with him. But perhaps Brianna was simply one of his servants.

      A pretty woman with a long blond ponytail appeared from down the hallway. Fresh faced and no older than Allie, she wore jeans and a cotton blouse tucked in at the waist.

      “Leila, I’d like you to meet my sister, Brianna Taylor. She handles the ranch’s bookkeeping and keeps the paperwork flowing for me.”

      “Hi,” the young woman said, smiling. “I didn’t really think the sheikh would, you know—”

      “Sheikh Ashraf does very much as he pleases,” Allie said, wishing she didn’t have to defend her brother.

      “I, uh, made a deal with Leila to put her on the payroll as a housekeeper while she’s here,” Cord interjected.

      Looking puzzled, Brianna nodded. “Fine. I’ll put together the paperwork.”

      He cleared his throat. “I thought maybe you’d show Leila to Maria’s room, get her settled there, at least temporarily.”

      “Maria?” Allie questioned.

      “Our housekeeper,” Brianna explained. “She’s visiting her daughter in El Paso to help with a new baby.”

      “Oh, but you do have other servants, yes?”

      “Five or six hired hands, depending on the time of year,” Cord said. “They stay in the bunkhouse out back, but I sure wouldn’t want them to hear you calling ’em servants.”

      “There is no one else?”

      “Nope. With just me and Brianna, we don’t need a whole lot of help around the house.”

      Panic twisted in Allie’s belly. How could such a big ranch have only one servant? She would not be able to hide. Too soon they would know the truth.

      Picking up her satchel, Cord tried to pass it to his sister.

      Brianna stepped back a pace, her gaze dancing between her brother and Allie, a curious smile playing across her face. “Look, I was right in the middle of doing the quarterly reports. Why don’t you show Leila to her room, give her a tour of the place?”

      Allie leaped at the possibility. Surely a woman would more quickly discover her masquerade than a man. She would be better off with Cord as her guide. “Yes, a tour would be nice. Thank you.” She smiled her warmest smile.

      Hesitating, Cord looked as if he was about to refuse, his eyes roving over Allie in a probing way that started her heart beating faster. Then he nodded curtly. “Okay. Your room is this way.”

      Without giving his sister another glance, Allie followed Cord through a spacious dining room in the opposite direction from which Brianna had earlier appeared. The more distance she kept from the other woman, the better.

      In the large kitchen, there was another table, though not as big as the one in the dining room. Stainless-steel appliances looked new and efficient. At least she supposed they were efficient. Allie had little idea how any of them operated. The kitchens were not a part of the palace she visited often, not since she’d sneaked in there as a child.

      Immediately adjacent to the kitchen, Cord stopped at a doorway. “Okay, here’s your room.”

      She stood at the threshold while he stepped inside. A handmade quilt covered the modest-size bed, doilies edged with crocheting protected the top of a walnut chest of drawers, and a small, colorful hooked rug lay beside the bed on the wooden floor. Quaint. And smaller than her dressing room at the palace.

      “You’ve got your own bathroom and TV,” Cord said.

      Swallowing her dismay at the simple quarters, she said, “I am sure I will be quite comfortable.” Gaining her freedom, however briefly, had its price.

      “You can get settled in and—”

      “I would very much like СКАЧАТЬ