Continental Divide (9 page)

“Was I glaring at you?”

“Of course you were. Now stop it and let me
talk to Ali in peace.”

Imran stared after Tanya as she walked away.
He needed a diversion, anything. His cousin Ali was the most
reckless of his cousins when it came to women. They’d traveled many
countries together, many vacations, and Ali had no problems making
love to any woman. He did treat them well and he always left them
with a bauble or two. But occasionally he left them with broken
hearts. Imran knew this because he’d run interference for his
cousin to get the women to back off. As a matter of fact, they
sometimes traded identity so that if the women by chance were able
to track Ali back to Pakistan, they would only reach Imran.
Suddenly an unreasonable fury struck Imran at Tanya’s actions. He
did not wish her to trap his cousin into marriage nor did he wish
for his cousin to use her and dump her as more than likely would be
the case.

He stared sternly at Ali. “Tanya is Heaven’s
friend. She’s not one of your…” looking around at his family he
muttered softly in Urdu to Ali, telling him not to dishonor his
family, his brother or his brother’s wife by playing with Tanya
with his usual intents. For a moment the cousins squared off and
Ali grinned asking if Imran were interested in Heaven’s friend.

“No,” Imran spat, “but I do know how to
behave.” He marched angrily away feeling a bit like a fool. He and
Ali had never once exchanged harsh words, not even as children. If
he were pressed to name his favorite cousin it would have to be
Ali. Ali who was ten years older had been like an older brother to
him as well as to Hamid, taking him under his wing and teaching him
the things he should know, teaching him even about women and how to
please them taking him on countless occasions to Lahore, Pakistan’s
red light district to complete his education in the art of love
making.

Walking into the nursery to spend some time
with the baby he couldn’t help but wonder what had gotten into him.
All he knew for sure was that he did not want Ali using his many
secrets on Tanya. It did not mean he was jealous or that the
attraction to her was anything more than a mild attraction. His
hand rubbed at the fluttering in his chest. This was becoming
annoying. He’d have to speak with Hamid about whatever fragrance
they were using in the baby’s room. This annoying feeling in his
chest was happening only when he was in their home. He ignored the
thought that tried to come. It had nothing to do with Tanya, it
must be the baby.

A smile graced Tanya’s lips and she cut her
eyes toward the direction that Imran had gone. Of course, she
thought, to the nursery. She wondered what he’d said to Ali. She’d
thought at first that it was something about her being a
gold-digger. Something in his territorial stance with his cousin
niggled at her, and the more she thought on it the more it didn’t
seem like the problem had anything to do with Imran thinking her a
gold-digger. Even though he’d glared at her when he’d left the room
in his haste, she thought she’d spotted something in his eyes but
it had happened so quickly she wasn’t sure. Her instincts as a
woman told her he was attracted to her and jealous of the attention
Hamid’s brother was paying to her. Tanya grinned then. This would
be fun. He’d one upped her in most things, now he was on her turf.
She would turn the charm on Hamid’s brothers until Imran went up in
flames. A curious flutter entered her chest and desire crested
between her thighs. Damn, Tanya thought,
what is it about that
man that makes me hot?

***

“So, Tanya, Heaven tells us that you work
with children, the less fortunate. Do you find that work
rewarding?”

She was about to tell Mohammed, Hamid’s next
oldest brother that she loved her job when at that moment she
spotted Imran walking back toward them. Her mouth suddenly
developed the run away disease and she said, “I love working with
children and can’t wait to become a mother.” She batted her lashes
at another equally tall and handsome man and pursed her lips before
smiling. She turned toward Imran and smirked. She was well aware
that she’d just baited him. He tilted his head in a mock salute to
her and marched fully into the room.

“Tanya, I find it very interesting that you
work with children yet do not like nor respect them.”

The room became instantly silent, all the
laughing ceased. The only warm spot Tanya noted came from the
depths of Imran’s brown eyes. What the heck was he trying to do to
her? He smiled and she saw a dimple. He was setting her up. Her
heart was racing a mile a minute. She should have been more upset
than she was, but all she could do was stare at him, at his
beautiful brown eyes, luscious oh so kissable lips and handsome
face. His thick black hair unlike Hamid’s or the brother was
straight and cut short. She’d thought she wanted a man like Hamid
with long curly locks. But she didn’t, she thought as one shiver
after another raced through her. She wanted a man with dark black
hair cut short. She wanted a man that had a comeback for everything
she had to give him she wanted a man that made her heart thump and
had goose bumps crawling over her flesh making her shiver. Sure
Hamid’s brothers made her drool. But Imran made things happen to
her that she’d never experienced. She’d drooled over many men, but
never had one had her so gah gah that she’d lost the power of
speech no matter how momentarily it was.

“Imran is wrong. I do like children.”

“My mistake,” Imran said smoothly. “So it’s
just Hamid’s son you do not like or respect?”

She couldn’t believe it. Her mouth fell open
and her eyes went wide. “That’s… that’s...that’s not true. I like
their baby.”

“So, it’s his name you don’t like.”

Tanya looked around the room helpless. Then
her eyes lit on Heaven and she pleaded with her friend silently
hoping that she would come to her aid.

“Imran, leave her alone. She was kidding,”
Heaven scolded him.

“I’m sorry, Heaven, but I didn’t hear your
friend say she was kidding.” Fatima interrupted. “She said your
child would have a hard time in America with a name like that. She
didn’t appear to be kidding. As Imran said, she didn’t even appear
to have respect for your baby, our family, or our country.”

“Hold it everyone, this is going too far,”
Heaven protested making her way to stand in the middle of the room
and quiet the ruckus. “Tanya was kidding with me. She loves this
country and the people. She was giving me a rough time because I
didn’t name her as the godmother to my son, that’s it. I
promise.”

“She behaved as if she'd never held a baby.
She attempted to hold Tsukama and gave him back the moment he
needed changing.” Fatima turned in Tanya’s direction and glared at
her.

“But she didn’t come here to do that. She’d
been in the house for a few moments.” Heaven looked helplessly at
Tanya then at Hamid, finally turning to glare at Imran. “Stop it,”
she said between clenched teeth. “Traitor,” she said to both Fatima
and Hamid and they both grinned. Heaven moaned. Did the two of them
think this was the kind of help she wanted? Sure she wanted them to
help her with bringing Imran and Tanya together. But she didn’t
want them to have everyone hating her friend in the process.
“Imran, cut it out right now and I’m not kidding. You’re
embarrassing my friend.”

Imran merely smiled and lifted one of his
shoulders. “I didn’t know this was a secret. Was it also a secret
that your friend came to marry one of my cousins because she is in
search of a millionaire?”

Ah damn
, Tanya thought and sucked in
her breath. The room, if possible, was even quieter. Heaven was
livid but it wasn’t Heaven’s answer the family was looking for.
Imran had just successfully ended her search to marry one of
Hamid’s brothers or anyone in the Ahmed family. This wasn’t going
as she’d imagined. She turned to glare at Imran and saw… she
couldn’t believe it─a twinkle in his eyes, a smile on his lips. Was
the man crazy? She stared at him and saw desire. Damn! That wasn’t
going to happen.

Imran didn’t work into her plans, she
thought as a thump beat in her chest. It seemed forever they were
locked in their staring match. She mentally shook herself knowing
she had to make an explanation. What could she say? She breathed
out hard knowing there was nothing that wouldn’t sound like an
excuse. So she said nothing and just tried as best she could to
glare at Imran.

***

Fate. Imran glanced toward Hamid. So this
was what happened when fate entered one’s life. You made a total
fool of yourself. His mission had been to come and protect his
cousins from the gold digging American. But now he knew what the
fluttering was in his heart. Desire. He desired the woman. She made
him smile, made him feel things that no woman ever had. And there
was no way she was going to be with one of the brothers. She
belonged to him, fate had decreed that.

He smiled as she glared at him. What of her
dreams? Biting his lips in retrospection Imran couldn’t help but
wonder about this fate that had captured his cousin and now him.
Was it always so hard? Tanya had noble dreams, just crazy methods
to achieve them. He had no way to help her achieve her dreams yet
he knew he would want to try.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Hamid
stormed over and between clenched teeth scolded him. “That’s
Heaven’s friend and you know how lonely Heaven has been for her
friends. What’s gotten into you?”

“Fate.”

“Fate? What are you talking about?”

Imran smiled at his cousin. “Fate has
brought Tanya here to Pakistan and into my life for a reason,” he
shrugged. “She can not be with one of your brothers.”

“And you couldn’t think of another way to
keep her from them without making the entire family hate her and
embarrassing her in the process?”

“I couldn’t at the moment.”

Hamid glanced toward his wife. “I don’t
think she’s going to forgive you and the fact that I’m here smiling
at you instead of beating you has my wife glaring and angry with
me.”

“Tell her it was fate. Besides, it was her
scheme to put us together. Tell her the plan worked.”

“I think I need to do more than that. I
think I need to buy her a gift.” Hamid’s eyes twinkled. “Maybe
diamonds.”

“You’re just looking for another excuse to
give a gift to your wife.”

“I don’t need excuses to buy jewels for
Heaven, but there are certain rewards for having a gift ready after
an argument.”

“But you haven’t argued.”

Hamid hunched his shoulders. “No, but I know
my wife. She’s displeased with your actions and mine since I’m not
pummeling you. That’s close enough to an argument for me to want
the joys of making up.” He walked toward Heaven. “I would suggest
you talk to Tanya. I know her, you don’t. She looks ready to kill
you. I don’t think she’s going to take lightly to your saying fate
made you do this.

Imran would admit his methods weren’t well
thought out, nor were they the best, but he’d done it. Now he’d
have to see what would happen. He looked around the room, his gaze
landing on Tanya. He shouldn’t have done it regardless of the
reason. She was a stranger in a strange land and it appeared she
was fighting back tears. Only Heaven and Hamid were talking to her.
He walked toward them and stopped in front of Tanya.

“Do you believe in fate?” he asked.

“Are you saying that somehow it was fated
that I’d come here and you’d make a fool out of me?”

“I’m talking fate bringing people together.”
He looked toward Heaven and Hamid. “Fate brought them together and
I think it has done the same for us.”

“Hamid flattened Heaven’s tire. You told
your entire family that I hate the child of their favorite
son.”

Imran waved his hand in a dismissive
fashion. “The brothers would not have desired you anyway.” He saw
the moment offense was taken at his words. “Ali loves women and
would have treated you royally that I’m sure of. Mohammad and Amir
have avoided marriage this long because they…come outside with me.
We need to talk.”

Once outside Imran looked at Tanya and felt
the flutter again. He wanted to kiss her, to wrap her in his arms
and hold her close to his heart. He wanted to make love to her.
There were so many things he wanted that were neither proper nor
could be done now.

“I want to apologize to you, but you were
flirting with Ali. I did not wish to see you become one of his
strings of women. And I did not wish to see my cousins with a gold
digging conniving female.”

“But you don’t mind a gold digging conniving
female?”

“I have no gold.”

Tanya sighed. Most of this was her fault.
She should have acted like she had some sense and not told anyone
her intentions, not even Heaven. She supposed she couldn’t blame
Imran for trying to protect his cousins. A hitch came to her throat
and she closed her eyes. If only she’d not had so many cases in the
last months. There were far too many abandoned and abused babies
with no homes for them. She fought back tears. Yes, her plan had
been crazy. But she hadn’t cared when the last child she was
assigned to had been placed with a family member with a shit load
of personal problems.

Tanya shuddered. Even if she had the money
she couldn’t make her dreams come true. The state of Illinois had
jurisdiction over children. She couldn’t just take them and place
them in a happy home. What if the parents she chose were no better
than the ones the state chose? She closed her eyes and thought
about the good she’d done, the children she had saved. A tear
seeped beneath her lashes. She’d continue to do a good job.

“What’s wrong, Tanya?”

“I’m not a gold digger.”

“I know.”

Tanya’s eyes opened wide. “You know. How?
And if you know that I’m not why did you just tell your family that
I was?”