The Sheikh's Stolen Bride-To-Be(4)

Curling up under the comforter, Steph imagined that would be much more  difficult that it seemed. Somehow her eyes managed to close, and the  last thing she saw was the image of her frightened face on her phone,  floating in her mind's eye.





THREE



Steph





Steph woke up to a stream of gentle sunlight caressing her face. She  blinked, her eyes adjusting to the light, and smiled. She had left her  window open all night, and the scent of pine and fresh earth permeated  the space, reminding her to keep her American roots close even as she  prepared to pull them out from under herself.



Her father was at her door a moment later, checking to make sure she was awake.



"Big day!" he said, giving her two thumbs up.



Steph began to wonder if some of that enthusiasm wasn't a little bit  forced for her benefit. She had always been close to her father. Perhaps  he was emotional at the thought of be separated from her, too? Perhaps  he was giving up a piece of himself for her happiness, too, though  Steph's was clearly at risk.



Then again, wasn't love a risk, no matter what?



Steph took a steadying breath before sitting up, prepared to face the  day. Not that there was much to face. The journey would take thirteen  hours, and then they would be in a totally different time zone,  recovering from jet lag. Not exactly the most exciting prospect, but  what came after would be the adventure. Steph would get to set foot on a  land that was in her blood, a part of her that had always been missing  in so many ways.



She double checked for her passport before lugging her suitcase out to  the front door and setting it next to her parents'. Her mother had made a  traditional El Farahn breakfast of toasted pita bread with spices and a  sweet mint tea. Elora didn't always make El Farahn food, so Steph knew  it was her way of getting her accustomed to what she would be eating  from now on, though part of her wished she'd made scrambled eggs and  toast, just for one last hurrah as a full-time American.



The family enjoyed a pleasant breakfast before locking up the house and  loading the car with their luggage. Steph took the time to really listen  to the radio, feeling a sense of doom. Everything was the last-the last  breakfast, the last car ride, all of it. With each step they took, it  was getting harder for her to tell herself that it wasn't actually going  to happen.



They parked in long-term parking at the airport, taking a shuttle to the  main terminal and checking their suitcases. Somehow, Steph had managed  to pack everything that really mattered to her in a regular-sized  suitcase. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not; she had had a  full and wonderful life up to that point, so shouldn't she have had  more to show for it?



As they boarded the plane, Steph squeezed in between her parents in  coach, prepared for a long, uncomfortable flight. An attendant walked  down the aisle until she stopped and looked at their seat numbers.         

     



 



"Are you the O'Hanlon family?" the woman asked, and Jerry confirmed that they were.



The attendant smiled. "If you'll please come with me," she said, taking a step back.



Steph and her parents looked from one to the other in confusion. Not  knowing what else to do, they stood and followed the woman up the aisle  toward the front of the plane. She stopped at a row in first class.



"You have been upgraded, courtesy of your future son-in-law. He didn't provide any other information outside of that."



Steph and her parents stared at the woman, as though they were waiting  for a punch line or for her to send them back to coach, and then they  all burst into laughter.



"See, I told you he was a catch!" Elora said, beaming from ear to ear as  she settled into one of the plush seats with plenty of leg space.



Settling into her own seat, Steph couldn't help but be charmed by the  generous gesture. It had cost her dad a pretty penny to get the three of  them out to El Farah, and this upgrade was a reminder of the lifestyle  they had once enjoyed. As Jerry sat down next to his daughter, she  leaned in, ready to pry out some details.



"Okay, spill. You have to tell me something about this guy, Dad. Just one tiny little detail!"



Jerry shook his head, casting a glance at Elora, who was accepting a  glass of mimosa while she perused the movies that were available to  watch during the flight. Her expression was one of pure bliss. Steph  realized that her mother had lost much when their stock had turned  against them, though she had never once complained. She had simply  soldiered on, ensuring that the rest of the family did, too.



"Not a word from me, missy. I will not suffer your mother's wrath by breaking with tradition. I'd never hear the end of it."



"Come on, she's not even listening. Look!"



Elora had her headphones on and what looked like a romantic comedy  playing as she snuggled under a plush blanket and sipped on her morning  cocktail. Jerry hesitated, and Steph saw an opening.



"I'm going to marry this man, Dad. Don't you think I deserve to know  about him? What's his job? What does he like to do for fun? Anything!  Throw me a bone here!"



Jerry considered her request, pursing his lips as he stroked his cleanly  shaven chin. "All right," he said, turning to her in a conspiratorial  way. "He's the kind of man who would put your whole family in first  class on the way to meet him. Doesn't that speak volumes about his  character?"



"I guess," Steph mumbled, disappointed. It was clear that she wasn't going to get any more information before the big day.



Pulling up her own blanket and pointedly ignoring her father, Steph  snuggled in and picked a very long movie. She would be watching several  of them on the way to her new home country.



That was, if she could really stomach the possibility of what waited on the other side.









Many hours later, the pilot came on the speaker to inform them that they  would be landing in El Farah in twenty minutes. It had been a luxurious  day of lounging, snacking, and watching movies, as Steph had opted to  make the most of the situation by enjoying some of her last moments with  her parents as a single woman.



By the end of the week she would become somebody's wife, and according  to her mother, that took precedence over her relationship with anyone  else besides any children she might have. Steph tried to ignore how old  fashioned that sounded as she fought to savor every little bit of her  time with her parents. As the ocean came to an end, an arid desert  landscape, laced with palm trees and scattering pieces of oasis, came  into view. A few gleaming cities dotted the scene, but the country  seemed to be comprised mostly of beaches and desert.



Steph watched with curiosity as her mother's homeland came into view. Of  course she had seen pictures, but nothing compared to the real thing.  The plane approached the runway, landing gently as it touched the  ground, sealing Steph's fate.



There would be no turning back now. She was in El Farah, possibly  forever. She felt a sudden wave of homesickness wash over her, and she  silently chastised herself. How many times over the years had she wished  for an opportunity like this? To get away from her small Vermont life  and see the world and all it had to offer? Missing home wouldn't do her  any good, she reminded herself over and over until eventually the  feeling subsided.         

     



 



Being in first class, the O'Hanlons were among the first off the plane.  They quickly made their way through customs before stepping out into the  hot, desert air.



Steph lost her breath in the dry heat, which was scorching compared to  Vermont. She instantly longed to be sitting by her town's lake, basking  in the gentle Northeastern sun, not being beaten down by this harsh  desert one. Her father hailed a cab, and before she knew it, Steph was  speeding along toward their hotel, staring out the window at this  foreign land that shouldn't have been foreign.



Steph should have traveled more. Her father had certainly had the money  for it when she was younger, but what he'd lacked was the time. He was  always working, sometimes day and night, and there was never a good time  for a family vacation. By the time she was old enough to take one, all  she could afford was a road trip with some high school friends down the  East Coast, which wasn't exactly as exciting as she'd thought it would  be.



As they drove, Steph watched her mother's face. Elora's expression was  wistful as she laid eyes once again on the land of her birth.



Steph placed a gentle hand on her mother's knee. "Please tell me. Just one thing."



Elora looked down at her daughter, then, laying a reassuring hand on top  of hers. "He is kind hearted, good looking, and wealthy. That is all  you need to know for now. The rest you will find out on your own."



Steph bit back a frustrated sigh as they drove on in silence, her mother  lost in memories, her father lightly snoring with his head drooping  onto his chest, and the driver listening to music she had never heard  before. When they arrived at the hotel, her father jolted awake before  paying the man and getting their bags. They stopped at the concierge to  check into their room.