The Sheikh's Priceless Bride Page 11

  But here, the trail stayed narrow. The bench was set on top of forest dirt, not paved path.

  “What if it’s buried under the bench?”

  Khizar looked at her, and then at the area around the bench. Jacqui raised her eyebrows at him and shrugged.

  “We’re going to need a shovel,” she said.

  They made their way back to the car and drove into the nearest town. Jacqui spotted a hardware store, so Khizar ran in to buy a shovel. He tossed it in the back of the SUV.

  When he climbed back into the vehicle, Jacqui looked at her phone.

  “Hey, let’s grab lunch while we’re in town. We don’t know how long it will take us to dig up whatever’s hidden back on the trail.”

  “Excellent plan. See anything that looks good?”

  Jacqui pointed out a small diner on a corner of the main downtown street. Khizar parked the SUV in front of the building.

  The diner wasn’t large, just eight booths lining two of the walls and a few other tables scattered across the middle of the room. Red-and-white checkered tablecloths covered the tables, and the booths were covered in dark red leather.

  Jacqui noted that the restaurant was spotless, and even though they were on the late side of the lunch rush, the place was still almost full. They were greeted with a smile and a wave to sit anywhere that was open.

  They chose the only booth that was open. Barely thirty seconds after they sat down, a young woman in jeans and a white button-up shirt brought over two menus and two glasses of water.

  “Would y’all like anything else to drink?” the waitress asked.

  “I’d love some iced tea,” Jacqui said.

  “Sweet tea okay?”

  Jacqui smiled at the waitress. “Unsweet, please.”

  “The same for me,” Khizar said.

  “You got it. Everything’s good here, but the burgers are our best. A good deal, too. Let me get your teas, and I’ll be back in a sec.”

  Jacqui liked the warm feel of the restaurant. It had obviously been around for a long time; the waitress greeted other customers by name and brought drinks to some of them without needing to ask first.

  After they ordered—the hamburgers, which their waitress approved with a firm nod—Jacqui asked Khizar a question that had been rolling around in her mind since they landed that morning.

  “Why here? Was William Bauer from Alabama?”

  “That’s a good question. He never talked about where he was from.”

  Jacqui tilted her head. “How well did you know him?”

  Something passed across Khizar’s face, but it was gone before Jacqui had a chance to figure out what it was.

  “We met a few times. He was a legend in the diamond business. I visited his mine a couple of times, and had dinner with him more than once.”

  “He never talked about his family?”

  Khizar shook his head.

  “No. I didn’t know he had any family. I knew he wasn’t married, but he didn’t talk about anything but diamond mining. Unless it was fine whiskey and cigars. He was a loner, and liked it that way.”

  Jacqui took that information in. She knew her family history up to a point; she’d heard stories from both her parents about her grandparents, but she was so young when her parents had died that she didn’t really remember much from those stories. Hearing about her great-uncle made her feel more connected to her parents and their parents, too.

  “Did he have an accent?” Jacqui asked.

  Khizar gave her a look that said he didn’t understand the question.

  “What kind of accent?”

  Jacqui waved her hand around to indicate the restaurant.

  “Listen. Everyone here has an accent, some stronger than others. But I’d bet a lot of the people in here are from this area. Did William have any kind of accent?”

  Khizar said, almost absently, as he listened to the conversations around them, “Bill.”

  “What?”

  “He went by Bill. I don’t know that anyone called him William.”

  “Oh.”

  Jacqui thought about that, and the fact that Khizar had known that piece of information.

  Khizar listened more and then nodded.

  “He did actually have an accent. Not much of one, but it got stronger at the end of a long evening. I can’t tell for sure, but from what I remember, it did sound a little like the people here.”

  That meant William—Bill—Bauer probably had Alabama connections. It explained why he’d left a bench in that spot. He didn’t randomly choose it; this place was special to him, somehow.

  They sat in silence, each lost in their thoughts, until the waitress brought their plates. She made sure they had everything they needed, and when she walked away, Jacqui took a deep breath.

  “Would you tell me about my uncle?”

  Khizar looked up at her, startled.

  “I know you didn’t know him well, but you’re all the connection to him I have. At least, until we learn more about why we’re here. I’d just…I wish I’d known him. All I remember from meeting him is a vague impression.”

  She shrugged, not really able to explain why this was so important to her.

  Khizar nodded and Jacqui almost cried at the kind, understanding look on his face.

  “The first time I met Bill Bauer, I was just starting out. My father was running the company, and I was working as his assistant. Bauer walked into our offices one day without an appointment. He waved at the security guys at the front desk, yelled at one of our senior VPs about owing him a steak dinner, and put his feet up on my father’s desk. He was singularly unimpressed with royalty or CEOs.”

  Jacqui ate while Khizar told her a few stories about Bill Bauer, most of them making her laugh. It was clear to her that Khizar had admired the old man, and that made her love her fiancé more. She wondered if her great-uncle would have approved of her marrying Khizar, and when she asked him that, Khizar stopped and thought.

  “I think he would have told you that you could do whatever you wanted, and if you wanted to marry into a diamond family, well, he probably would have told you how to negotiate getting half the company from me as a wedding present.”

  Jacqui laughed and Khizar smiled at her. They finished their meal and paid the check, then headed back into the forest to see what clue Bill Bauer had left them.

  Chapter 15

  Khizar

  Driving back into the forest, Khizar thought more about Jacqui’s question. Would Bill have approved of him marrying his great-niece?

  The old man had planned to sell his mine to Khizar, and he’d loved that mine. Bill wouldn’t have been willing to sell it to Khizar if he hadn’t respected him.

  On the other hand, Bill had to have known that the mine was stripped, essentially worthless. What did that say about what Bill thought of him?

  Khizar knew that Bill respected Khizar’s father, and Bauer had always treated him as an equal in the business. Maybe…maybe Bill had known that Khizar was looking for the Bauer Diamond? Maybe he’d maneuvered Khizar into making an offer for the mine knowing that one day it would mean he might meet Jacqui. Did he imagine that his great-niece would need the money, or that she would be looking for something else?

  Once again they parked at the little parking lot, now completely empty of cars. There was no one hiking on their trail, either. Khizar carried the shovel and Jacqui the little backpack again as they walked back to the bench’s location.

  It was a companionable silence, like they’d already fallen into a comfortable rhythm of being together. Khizar rather liked it. Jacqui was good company, and he found himself hoping that instead of finding the diamond under the bench, it would be another clue that would stretch out his time with her.

  Back at the little clearing, Jacqui studied the bench. “Where do you think we should dig?”

  Khizar thought about it. “I think Bill wanted this bench here, so I don’t think he’d want it disturbed too much. Let’s try right under it first.
”

  He dug, clearing a hole in the middle of the dirt beneath the bench. It was awkward work, reaching under the bench without disturbing the wood or metal itself.

  Jacqui watched him for a few minutes and then laughed.

  “We should have bought two shovels.”

  Khizar stopped and leaned on the shovel for a second to catch his breath.

  “Are you implying that I can’t dig a hole?”

  Jacqui laughed. “Not at all. I can see you’re doing an excellent job of digging. I just feel a bit useless here, is all.”

  Khizar shook his head. “You’re an inspiration, just standing there. You’re my muse.”

  “Ah, a muse of hole digging. That’s what every girl wants to hear.”

  “For you, I’d dig a hole all the way to the other side of the world,” he said gallantly.

  “Yeah, still not feeling it.”

  She laughed again and Khizar thought about kissing her. The light of the sun was behind her as it started to set, giving her a soft glowing halo, and she looked so pretty as she stood there smiling at him.

  “Okay, for you I’d engage in questionable, possibly illegal, activities to find something the great-uncle you didn’t know left for you.” He grinned at her.

  Khizar couldn’t tell if it was her smile or the sun that blinded him.

  “Now, that’s the way to a girl’s heart.”

  Jacqui offered him a bottle of water and Khizar took a drink before going back to digging.

  After about ten more minutes of poking around in the dirt beneath the bench, Khizar decided to move to the area just behind the bench. He dug another hole while Jacqui filled the first. She scraped the dirt back into place with her foot, and then patted it down by stepping on it as best she could.

  It was adorable, Khizar thought, her need to put things back into place. He wasn’t sure if it was just the way she was, or the fact that this spot was important to a member of her family. Either way, Khizar planned how he could make this spot even better after they found whatever Bill had left for them.

  He’d give some money to the park, maybe add another matching bench with Jacqui’s name on it, or that of her parents. Something so that this little piece of Bill Bauer wouldn’t be alone.

  The shovel made a thunk as it struck something hard. Khizar hurried to clear an area around whatever it was, and Jacqui waited. When they could see enough of the small metal box, Jacqui knelt by the hole to finish brushing the dirt away.

  She reverently pulled the box from the hole, and they sat side by side on the bench to open it. Jacqui lifted the lid on the box, and Khizar was elated by what was inside.

  Rather than a diamond, it was a photograph and a piece of paper. The picture was old; it featured a couple holding two children, both of them boys. Jacqui picked up the photo and flipped it over.

  On the back was written: Jack and Bill, ages 5 and 3.

  Khizar realized that this photo was of Bill as a child. He’d never seen anything of Bill’s that went back that far—even in his office, he didn’t keep mementos like this photo. And he’d never discussed his brother.

  Jacqui held the photo like the treasure it was, and looked like she was going to cry. Khizar laid a hand on her shoulder so that she would know he was there and he cared. She laid her hand over his and squeezed it.

  The photo went carefully back into the box and Jacqui picked up the piece of paper. She unfolded it and read out loud, “What’s MINE is yours. To find it, try the front doors.”

  She studied the paper, turning it over, looking for something else.

  “Okay, so he meant for me to have something of his, but where are we supposed to find it?”

  It wasn’t lost on Khizar that she had included him in that ‘we.’ He thought for a long moment about what the clue might mean. The way Bill had written the phrase…

  “Huh. Look at the way he wrote ‘mine’ in capital letters. What if he meant we were supposed to look in his actual mine?”

  Jacqui’s eyes narrowed, thinking. “What happened to his mine after he died?”

  Khizar knew he would be revealing too much if he told her that he had been in the process of buying the Bauer mine, but he didn’t want to withhold information from her, either.

  “Nothing, I think. The mine was depleted. He didn’t leave it to anyone in his will. I think you’d have a claim to it, if you wanted it.”

  Jacqui shook her head. “I wouldn’t know what to do with a diamond mine. But if we go there, that means we could find the next clue.”

  “I’m sure it hasn’t been disturbed since his death.”

  “It’s in Nudushan, right? Do you know where?” she asked.

  All too well, Khizar thought.

  But what he said was, “I do, actually. It’s not too far from the capital, Al Nud.”

  “So, you’ve been there? Can we go?”

  Khizar took a deep breath. This treasure hunt was taking an unexpected turn, but he found that he was eager to show Jacqui his home.

  “We can. We can fly tonight.” He squinted at the sky. “We can sleep on the flight over and be ready to go when we land.”

  Jacqui turned to look out over the spectacular view one more time and nodded.

  “Maybe one day we can come back here.”

  Khizar found himself agreeing with that idea, and he filed that feeling away for consideration.

  All he said was, “I’d like that.”

  It was dark by the time they arrived back at the airport. Khizar had called ahead and left instructions with the crew, so they found the jet stocked with food and supplies, and the flight plan filed.

  The plane took off as soon as Khizar and Jacqui were on board. Once they were in the air, the steward prepared and served a light dinner. While they ate, Jacqui asked the Sheikh more questions about his homeland.

  “It’s a beautiful place. Some of it is stark, like the area where the Bauer mine is located. But even that is stunning in its own way.”

  “What’s Al Nud like?” Jacqui wondered.

  “Smaller than Milwaukee, but with more people. We have a vibrant arts scene—you’ll love the ballet. And there’s a park in the middle of the city that houses our botanical gardens.”

  Jacqui was quiet for a few minutes, then asked, “You’ve been to Bill Bauer’s mine, right? What’s it like?”

  “One thing I’ve always admired about the way Bill ran his mine was that he respected the land. Some mines are giant holes in the ground, or they move tons of dirt from one location to another just to sift through it. Bill did a lot of the work on site, and he tried to replant or reuse different areas of the mine as they were depleted.”

  “Did he live there?”

  Khizar shrugged. “I know he had an apartment on site, some place to stay when he needed to be present. But I think he also had a house in the closest town. I hope you won’t be disappointed; I believe his house and everything in it was given away in his will.”

  Jacqui shook her head and sighed.

  “It’s not that I want anything of his exactly, but…I don’t know. Maybe I was hoping that he would have pictures of his parents or something. I have some, from my father, but it would be nice to know more about my extended family.”

  “Since the mine hasn’t been sold, it’s possible he left you something there in addition to our next clue.”

  Jacqui nodded, and Khizar saw that she was sad. He felt deeply for her, not having that direct connection to part of her family. His own family was close, and he couldn’t imagine what life would be like if he didn’t have them.

  He found himself saying, “Since we’re going to be in my home city, would you like to meet my parents? I know you didn’t come on this trip with that in mind, so I completely understand if you’d rather wait.”

  Her smile was answer enough for him.

  “I’d love to meet your parents,” Jacqui said.

  “Then we’ll stay at my place in the city, and I’ll arrange a time for us to have di
nner with them. They’ll still be asleep, so I’ll call them tomorrow before we land.”

  Jacqui started to say something, but yawned instead. She covered her mouth and laughed.

  “I promise I’ll be awake when I meet them.”

  Khizar stood and held out his hand to her.

  “It’s been a long day. Why don’t we get some rest?”

  Jacqui followed him into the bedroom at the back of the plane. Khizar left her to get ready for bed, and went to check in with their pilot. When he came back, Jacqui was curled up under the covers, already half asleep.

  Khizar prepared himself for bed and slipped under the covers next to her. Jacqui murmured when he kissed her on the forehead and pulled the blanket back up over her.

  He watched her while she slept, and wondered what was happening to him. He’d never introduced any of his girlfriends to his parents before. There had never been anyone serious enough to warrant a parental introduction, and Khizar was unexpectedly nervous.

  They would like Jacqui; he was sure of it. But they weren’t expecting him to bring home a fiancée. They didn’t know he was seeing anyone, and although they knew he had been in Milwaukee on business, he hadn’t shared that he had met Bill Bauer’s great-niece.

  Khizar didn’t want to disappoint them and he wasn’t quite sure how to explain meeting and proposing to Jacqui.

  But the tides had changed since his first flight out to Milwaukee. Somewhere along the way, he’d developed real feelings for the woman beside him. Jacqui was everything Khizar wanted in a partner. With her, he felt like a better man.

  It was something of a surprise at that moment to realize that he truly wanted to be with Jacqui; that he wanted to make their relationship something real and long-lasting.

  He didn’t know exactly when it had happened, or how he could make their situation different. If he could go back and do it again, he would have taken things more slowly.

  It didn’t matter any longer to Khizar that Jacqui would inherit the diamond. It didn’t matter to him if they actually found it. He wanted to find out more about her family, to build that connection, and give her what would make her happy.