He knew he shouldnât be kissing her.
And yet he needed this. At this moment he felt like he couldnât do without it.
She was something, this woman. Strong and determined, yet with a tender heart. What he wouldnât give to stay in her arms, to make her his. To wake every day to a woman like this. To let her be his reason for living.
But he was a sheik from a foreign land and she was a Wyoming cowgirl. It was an impossible dream.
Efraim ended the kiss and looked down. He knew he should feel ashamed, that he should regret it. But heâd never regret kissing Callie.
No matter what happened.
To everyone who chooses tolerance and love over hate and fear.
Ever since she was a little girl making her own books out of construction paper, ANN VOSS PETERSON wanted to write. So when it came time to choose a major at the University of Wisconsin, creative writing was her only choice. Of course, writing wasnât a practical choiceâone needs to earn a living. So Ann found jobs, including proofreading legal transcripts, working with quarter horses and washing windows. But no matter how she earned her paycheck, she continued to write the type of stories that captured her heart and imaginationâromantic suspense. Ann lives near Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband, her two young sons, her border collie and her quarter horse mare. Ann loves to hear from readers. Email her at [email protected] or visit her website at www.annvosspeterson.com.
Efraim AzizâA sheik from the small island nation of Nadar, Efraim doesnât trust the United States or anyone in it. That is, until he meets Callie McGuire.
Callie McGuireâAn assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Callie dreams of finding a man who accepts both sides of herâthe world-traveling diplomat and the all-American girl who grew up on a Wyoming ranch.
Fahad BahirâThe man would go to great lengths to protect his cousin, Sheik Efraim, and the interests of his beloved country of Nadar.
Clay McGuireâCallieâs father wants her to settle down, but a sheik isnât the man he would choose for his only daughter. How far will he go to prevent the match?
Brent McGuireâCallieâs older brother is a hothead with anger issues. How far would he go to protect his sister from the man he sees as a threat?
Russ McGuireâLittle brother Russ likes to follow Brentâs lead in all things except women. There he is in a league of his own. But this time, has a woman led him astray?
Timmy McGuireâThe youngest McGuire sibling is only in high school, and when heâs attacked, the whole family rushes to his aid.
Kateb BahirâKateb competes with his older brother in all things. Did sibling rivalry finally turn to violence?
Tanya DriscollâDoes the party girl simply want a good time? Or is she after something more seriousâ¦and deadly?
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
The place felt like death.
Efraim Aziz lowered his rein hand and let his horse pick his own path through the acres-wide gash of eroded red-and-beige rock. Wind whistled through the formations and battered his face, incessant and strong. A few sticks of sagebrush twisted through kinks in the rock to stretch their silver-green leaves to the sky, the only living thing for what looked like miles. These badlands, the high plains, the mountain ranges to the west and northâit was a harsh landscape populated by hard, arrogant people. And somewhere in this hell Amir Khalid was struggling, dyingâ¦if he wasnât already dead.
Efraim had to find his friend.
âSheik Efraim! Wait!â
He recognized the voice immediately, its sound shivering over his skin like the warm breath of a lover. He knew someone would come looking for him, but heâd never guessed it would be her.
He glanced over his shoulder.
She rode toward him through the badlands astride a palomino quarter horse. Her long blond hair glimmered in the Wyoming sun like the golden beaches of his island nation of Nadar.
Efraim tried his best to ignore the spike in his blood pressure, the acceleration of his pulse.
He didnât even know her, this Callie McGuire. Theyâd engaged in a few polite discussions when heâd arrived in America, and only glances in the stressful days since. But whenever she was near, he had a hard time keeping his eyes off her. It was as if she was the only person in the room. Magnetic. And as hot as the sun itself.
Whoever sent her to collect him was shrewd, indeed.
âSheik Efraim. Please.â
He scooped in a deep breath of hot horse and leather and braced himself before turning his mount back to face her.
Sheâd come to talk him into going back, holing up like a coward. And even though he didnât intend to follow her advice, he knew he would listen to her every word with the attentiveness of a teenage boy enslaved to his hormones. Embarrassing for the leader of a country. Shameful.