Free The Sheik and the Pregnant Bride by Susan Mallery Page A

away.
    “I’ve never been to a wedding shower,” she told him. “I’m sure it will be fun.”
    “Excellent.”
    They discussed other possibilities. There was a car show in neighboring El Bahar. They both agreed that would be a good choice.
    “Will you want to pick out the engagement ring?” he asked.
    She stabbed her fork into the pasta salad and sighed. “I’d deliberately forgotten about that part of the deal. Do we have to get engaged?”
    “If I am to be crushed by your leaving, then yes.”
    She tried to imagine him emotionally crushed, but her imagination failed her. Qadir was too strong and in charge.
    “You know, you could make this a lot easier by just falling in love with some woman and getting married for real.”
    “I am aware of that.”
    “You shouldn’t be so picky,” she told him.
    “Thank you for that extraordinary advice.”
    They returned to the list, but Maggie wasn’t really paying attention. Once again she was remembering the mystery woman from Qadir’s past—and wondering why it hadn’t worked out.
     
    Maggie stared at the clothes in her closet and wished desperately that she’d asked Victoria to help her get ready. She also wished she had at least a couple of nicer outfits. But dining with princes hadn’t been on her weekly agenda in Aspen so her wardrobe tended toward supercasual with the odd somewhat less casual piece thrown in.
    Her choices seemed to fall into two categories—long-sleeved T-shirts and short-sleeved T-shirts. She had a couple of blouses, one pair of black slacks and a ball gown that seemed as inappropriate for dinner as one of the T-shirts.
    “I came here to work on cars, not date a sheik,” she muttered as she flipped through the meager selection again, desperately hoping to see something she’d missed the first three times.
    There was actually one other choice. A simple knit dress that she’d packed on a whim. It was burgundy, plain and a little too fitted for her taste. She’d bought it a couple of years ago when she’d wandered through a mall shortly after finding out her father had been diagnosed with cancer. It had been on sale. She’d tried it on as a distraction and then had purchased it because explaining why she didn’t need it required too much effort.
    Maggie wasn’t sure why she’d tossed it in her suitcase. Fortunately the fabric traveled well.
    She pulled off the tags, then brought the dress into the bathroom and started getting ready.
    Once she’d showered and blown her hair dry, there wasn’t all that much for her to do. She put on a little mascara, then lip gloss. Victoria had done a lot more to her the night of the ball, but Maggie had neither the skill nor the makeup. Qadir was going to have to suffer with her natural look.
    She pulled on the dress, then stepped into a flat pair of sandals that weren’t nearly as pretty as the ones she’d worn with her ball gown, but were a whole lot more comfortable. Then she glanced at the clock. It had taken her twelve minutes from stepping into the shower until she was ready to go. That included four minutes blow-drying her hair. Victoria would be horrified.
    Thinking about her friend made her wonder what the other woman would think about the deal. Which made Maggie nervous. She put her hand to her stomach, as if that would help settle her nerves. Then someone knocked.
    She opened the door to her suite and saw Qadir standing in the hallway. He looked as he always did—tall, handsome, well-dressed. Nothing was different. Except the tension in her stomach increased until she thought she might have to throw up. Just as intense was her need to have him pull her close and kiss her.
    “Good evening,” he said and smiled. “You are prompt. I should not be surprised.”
    “No, you shouldn’t.” She collected her purse and followed him into the hallway. “It doesn’t take me long to get ready.”
    “And yet the result is lovely.”
    A compliment? She didn’t know what to say. “Ah,