The Sheik's Ruby (26 page)

Hakim parked the car.

Shelby pried her fingers off the handle.

The three got out—Shelby a little wobbly—and joined the group. At first, she didn’t recognize any of them, but as she got closer, she realized Ghaniyah was among them.
Lovely.
Shelby greeted Sheik Rashid and a few of the other people Hakim introduced her to.

The party made their plans in English for Shelby’s sake, although Ghaniyah had no qualms about speaking in Arabic, apparently relishing the fact Shelby couldn’t understand. They split into two groups to give the falcons a wider hunting area. The parties would meet at the Bedouin camp. Hakim would travel with one group and his father with the other.

The nickering of a horse caught her attention, and Shelby turned to see Kadir leading
Al-qamar
out of a horse trailer. She excused herself and walked toward the boy. “Whass-up, Kadir-gator?” When she drew close, she gave him an exploding fist-bump.

Kadir grinned.

Al-qamar
nuzzled her, and Shelby greeted her in a quiet voice, stroking the mare’s soft nose. She felt the gazes of the group on her and realized all of the other horses were already saddled, but Kadir knew she preferred to take care of her own horse.
They’ll just have to wait.

Kadir handed Shelby
Al-qamar
’s blanket.

Although the group was waiting, Shelby didn’t hurry. She didn’t want to work too quickly and make a careless mistake that would result in the saddle rubbing against the horse in the wrong places and irritating her skin. Shelby took the bridle from Kadir and slid the bit into the horse’s mouth and the bridle over her head, double-checking the buckles to make sure the mare would be comfortable.

Shelby glanced behind and saw the Sheik watching her. Her skin tightened, and she turned back to the horse. Not for the first time, she wished she could read his expression. If only she could impress him. She glanced at Ghaniyah, whose face was twisted in its usual sneer. Shelby looked away quickly and let her gaze travel around the group until she found Hakim.

He was speaking with another man who held a large bird on a thick leather glove. Hakim waved for her to join them.

Shelby handed the reins to Kadir, and then strode over the soft sand, enchanted by the sight of the hooded falcon.

“Shelby, this is
Laiqa
,” Hakim said. “She is a six-month-old peregrine falcon.”

“She?” Shelby watched the bird tip its head when it heard her voice.

“The males are much smaller. Females are the best hunters.”

“She’s beautiful.”

Laiqa
was reddish-brown. Black specks marked her white chest like spots of ink. The bird was silent and still. Small twitches of her head were the only indication that she was real.

“Can I touch her?” Shelby asked.

“Yes, however, it is wise to stay out of range of her beak.”

With two fingers, Shelby stroked the soft feathers on
Laiqa
’s back. “Why is she wearing this mask?”

“A falcon relies mainly on sight. Covering her eyes with the hood takes away eighty percent of her senses. Being unable to see helps to keep her calm, and she will be alert when it is removed,” Hakim said.

“What if she doesn’t want to hunt today?”

“She will. She has not eaten since around this time yesterday.” Hakim spoke to the bird handler for a moment and then lifted a hand toward the group, motioning for Shelby to accompany him.

“What does she hunt? Little rabbits?” Shelby asked as they walked toward the horses.

Hakim shook his head. “A peregrine falcon is the fastest animal in the world. She can fly at speeds of up to 320 kilometers per hour, too fast to hit an animal on the ground, so she hunts other birds. Her favorite food is pigeon, but today, we hope to find something larger.”

“I can’t wait.” Shelby grinned.

Hakim rubbed his palm on the back of his neck. “Shelby Jo, women in my country do not typically hunt. They accompany the men, but only to observe.”

Shelby pulled back her head. “Oh. I didn’t know.” She felt her stomach start to sour.

“I’m sorry. I know you are fully capable, and if it were only the two of us…”

“Of course. I completely understand.” The stinging behind her eyes surprised Shelby. The homesickness she hadn’t felt for days returned with a surge. But she wouldn’t let Hakim know. If she cried, he would feel guilty, and the others would think she was throwing a childish fit.

“Are you all right?” Hakim touched her fingers and bent his head to the side to catch her eye.

Shelby reached deep and found a smile, though she couldn’t imagine it was very convincing. “Sure. Let’s do this.” She hurried to the other side of
Al-qamar
and took a deep breath, pushing away any emotions that would embarrass both her and Hakim, and then mounted the horse. She waved goodbye to Kadir as he and the other stable workers climbed back into the pickup attached to the horse trailer.

The groups split up. The younger people followed Hakim, and a group of older men accompanied the Sheik. In each party were two falcons and ten people, beside the falcon handlers and bodyguards.

Hakim rode ahead with the men in their group.

Shelby hung back, not wanting to keep him from enjoying time with his friends. She also didn’t want to get too close to Ghaniyah’s group as Ghaniyah made a point to glare at Shelby before turning to her friends and laughing. The surge of emotions returned again, constricting her throat. She looked between the two groups and realized that she didn’t fit in either one. The thought made the backs of her eyes prickle and she forced back any tears.
What am I doing? I don’t belong here.

After a few miles, Hakim left the men and brought his horse to ride beside Shelby. “Are you all right, Shelby Jo?” he asked. “I am sorry I have neglected you. And…” He looked back at Ghaniyah and her group.

Shelby put on her brightest smile. “I’m doing great. I love this. Go ahead and ride with your friends. Guys sometimes need ‘guy time.’ I don’t feel neglected.” At least part of her statement was true. She did love riding the horse and the amazing openness of the desert. But even more, she loved seeing Hakim so happy, and would never want him to know how lonely and uncertain she felt. She pointed toward the other men and flicked her wrist. “This is your safari, so get up there and lead the way.”

He studied her face for a moment then a smile spread over his face. He winked then spurred his horse forward to join the men.

Shelby allowed her smile to fade. Life in Khali-dar was more different than she could have ever imagined. Would she ever find a place where she fit into this culture and could be the person Hakim needed her to be? Or would she lose herself trying?

They rode for nearly half an hour. Shelby was grateful for her light clothing. The silk moved, keeping her cool even though beads of sweat rolled down her back. But she wasn’t complaining.

Although the entire landscape was the same golden color, the desert didn’t lack interesting details. Shelby marveled at the patterns in the sand. The wind blew it into ridges like ripples in water. Some of the dunes hung over at the top like tidal waves where the sand had slid down beneath.

Riding alone gave her a chance to think. She watched Hakim talking and laughing with the other men. Occasionally he would catch her gaze and smile. She glanced back at the group of women chatting amongst themselves.
This is how life is here.
Men and women’s worlds were separate, and Shelby was an outsider to both. Could she ever be happy in Khali-dar?

One of the falcon handlers urged his horse forward to catch up with Hakim. He said something, pointing at the sky, and the men stopped.

The women watched, still talking and giggling.

Shelby rode a little closer before reining in
Al-qamar
and leaning forward in the saddle.

Hakim flexed his fingers in the thick glove before the handler placed the bird on it. He muttered in a soft voice, stroking the bird’s feathers and then removed the leather hood from the bird’s eyes.

Laiqa
looked around, stretching out her wings and tail feathers.

Hakim motioned for Shelby to ride closer. “Are you ready?” His expression lit up in an excited smile. “She will fly with her back to the sun in order to make herself invisible to her prey.” He held out his gloved hand. “Hup, hup,” he said loudly.

The falcon stretched out her wings and lifted off. She circled, gliding close a few times before gaining real altitude.

The handler pointed, speaking in an urgent tone.

Hakim yelled something in Arabic, and then urged his horse into a gallop in the direction the bird had flown.

Nasir and the other men were right behind him.

Al-qamar
strained to follow them, but Shelby kept a tight hold on the reins.

The women maintained their leisurely pace as they followed the cloud of dust left behind by the hunters.

Shelby could hear the men calling to one another as they galloped after the bird. She looked back at the women.

A few appeared to be admiring their friends’ shoes, others looked completely bored, and one was even texting on her phone.

Finally, Shelby couldn’t stand it anymore. She leaned forward in the saddle and urged
Al-qamar
into a gallop. In the distance, she saw the men point at the sky, and Shelby followed their line of sight, finally spotting
Laiqa
soaring high above.

Without warning, the falcon dove toward a larger bird Shelby hadn’t even noticed, picking up speed until the falcon hit it like a bullet. The impact sent out a cloud of feathers.
Laiqa
glided to the ground, a limp mass of feathers in her talons. Shelby approached the men where they had stopped but rode slowly forward.

Hakim had already dismounted and hurried toward where
Laiqa
perched on top of the other bird tearing chunks of skin and feathers out of the carcass with her beak. He knelt near her and coaxed the falcon away from her kill, offering her a piece of meat. His patience paid off as
Laiqa
hopped onto his glove and tore into whatever Hakim had given her. He slipped away the dead bird and gave it to the handler.

Some of the men darted strange glances at Shelby. But Hakim, intent on the falcon had not seen her yet.

Should she return to join the women? Shelby looked back the way they had come and saw the group, a little over two hundred yards away, approaching at the same steady pace. She turned
Al-qamar
toward them, but twisted around when she heard Hakim’s voice behind her.

“Did you enjoy hunting, Shelby Jo?” Hakim reined in his horse to ride next to her.

He didn’t look angry, but she still felt a sickening guilt roll through her stomach at the idea that she had embarrassed him. “I’m sorry. I know I should have stayed with the other women. They were just going so slow, and I wanted to see—”

Hakim reached to place his hand on hers. “Do not apologize. I should have known the excitement would be too much for you to resist.” His lips twitched.

“I hope I didn’t embarrass you in front of the other guys.”

“I imagine they were most likely impressed by your horsemanship.” His smile turned serious. “I know our customs seem strange. Especially for an independent western woman.” He glanced toward the approaching group. “I want you to be happy here, more than anything.” He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss on her fingers.

His affection should have dispelled her worry, but a tension still lingered, and the air between them felt heavy. “What kind of bird is that?” Shelby hoped to change the mood with a lighter topic. “It sort of looks like a long-legged, skinny chicken.”

He studied her expression for a moment before answering. “It is called an Arabian Bustard. We will deliver it to the Bedouin tonight. They are always grateful for extra meat.”

The hunt was repeated, this time with Hakim’s friend’s bird.

Shelby watched from a distance, although the sight of racing horses and the sounds of excitement pulled at her sense of adventure, and she held herself tightly to resist the urge to gallop, whooping across the desert. She didn’t ride with the women or the men, but remained somewhere in between, which she thought was fitting. The sun sank lower in the sky, and Shelby’s stomach growled. She hoped they were close to their destination.

They rode for another half hour, and the shadows of the dunes stretched. The sunset colored the sand a deep red-gold.

Hakim joined her and the uncomfortable silence hung like a shadow between them. “Are you upset, Shelby Jo?”

“No. I was just thinking about how much fun my dad and Chet would have chasing these birds over the dunes.”

“You miss your family.”

Shelby nodded, swallowing over a lump in her throat.

“I am sorry.”

Again Shelby nodded, and they rode in silence for several minutes.

Hakim leaned forward and patted his horse. “We are nearly to the camp. Are you tired?”

“No.” She turned toward him and studied his expression. The planes of his face were shadowed by the setting sun, and the cloth from his head wrap blew in the wind, making him look like the hero in an adventure movie. Shelby’s heart skipped at the sight. Lines pulled at the corners of his mouth and eyes and she realized he was worried about her. “I loved today, Hakim. I loved riding with you and seeing the desert and the birds hunt. Even if we didn’t spend every second together. Please don’t be worried about me.”

“I will always worry about you, Shelby Jo.”

They climbed another rise, and a small camp spread out below them. The cluster of tents was surrounded by a woven fence. If they had ridden a hundred yards to either side, they would have missed it among the dunes. The gates stood open, and the party dismounted before Hakim led them in.

A group of men approached and led away their horses.

When she was faced with a man stepping up to take
Al-qamar,
Shelby held onto the reins. “Hakim, will you ask him if I can take care of
Al-qamar
myself?”

The man listened, nodded, and indicated for Shelby to follow him toward a small fenced-in corral.