Chapter Four #3
Jayce led Side-eye out of the stable and took a step back in time that never failed to affect him.
Burning Scrub looked much the same as it had in the 1800s, when miners and outlaws and entrepreneurs flooded the carefully groomed streets.
The buildings wore bright coats of paint.
The town’s boardwalk was scrubbed clean.
There was a lot to be said for a time when a man’s word was his honor, and courage and a strong work ethic were the keys to success.
When life was simple. He suspected that was why a man like Ali, who’d thought nothing of spending a million dollars on one week’s adventure, kept coming back. No one here made demands on his time.
Ali fell into step beside Jayce. “I’ve never attended an American bachelor party. Will there be dancing girls, and a naked woman jumping out of a giant cake?”
Burning Scrub had begun its resurrection as a commune under the evangelical leadership of Benny Jenkins.
Benny was never one to miss an opportunity to make money, but he hadn’t forgotten he was a man of the cloth or his mission to instill morals into his flock.
The flock in question did its best to oblige him.
Plus, it was highly unlikely that any of the women in town would entertain the idea, even if Benny didn’t object or despite how much money was offered.
“You watch too much television,” Jayce said.
Ali sighed. “I didn’t think so.”
They walked a few minutes before Ali got to the point.
“Malika is to be married soon and will return to Djitania and set up a household for her new husband. Money has exchanged hands and she’s aware of her duties.
She’s the youngest of my siblings, but she’s also the one who is most like me.
Until the wedding, I’d like for her to have an adventure. ”
Malika was to be married.
Jayce didn’t experience the rush of relief the news should have brought him, no doubt because of the offhand way Ali referred to an exchange of money. He did, however, feel a strong surge of pity for the prospective groom. Did the guy know what he’d bought himself into?
Maybe Jayce had it wrong. Maybe Ali had paid the guy to take Malika off his hands. He could see that.
“Burning Scrub doesn’t seem like the type of adventure your sister would enjoy,” Jayce said carefully.
“Nonsense. I told you. She’s like me. She already loves it.
” Ali waved a hand to dismiss any concerns.
“Besides, she needs to be where I know she can’t run away.
She’s led a very sheltered existence. She’s never worked a day in her life.
I pay her credit card bills. She throws cash around as if it comes from some magic, bottomless pot.
She’d never survive on her own, and I’ve found her a very rich husband to take care of her.
She has no objections to marriage. She simply doesn’t wish to be his second wife. She sees it as beneath her.”
Jayce digested that information. Lots of cultures practiced arranged marriages. It was having more than one wife that he couldn’t get past. “If that’s her only objection, then why not find her a husband who isn’t already married?”
“Djitania is a small country with a very small, elite upper class, and unfortunately, Malika’s reputation precedes her. It has taken me several years to find a man of her station who is willing to wed her.”
Jayce wondered what type of reputation she’d earned. He might think she was arrogant, spoiled, and entitled, but from what Ali was describing, those didn’t appear to be flaws, because Ali was all of those too, and he seemed quite proud that she was the same.
What Jayce also was hearing, however, was that he wouldn’t be escorting her down the mountain today. The day was looking up.
“Which is why,” Ali continued, dashing his hopes, “I need you to keep an eye on her for me while she’s here, because she’ll try to leave Burning Scrub on her own once I’m gone, and if she dies in the attempt, it will be difficult to explain to her future husband.”
Sheik Ali didn’t have enough money to make him do it. He’d made up his mind about that.
But he was curious. “Why me? Why not Adam? Better yet, why not Tilly or Pearl? What about Mavis?” There were so many better babysitting options than him.
“Malika has a weakness for beautiful men, and you’re also a man of honor,” Ali said. “She’s safe in your care. Besides, she’d never obey a woman.”
He hated being referred to as beautiful. Beau Jones liked to dig him about it, as if a pretty face was all he had going for him. While he might not be a famous musician like Beau, he still had a brain.
And Malika would never obey a man either, no matter how good-looking he was. Not according to the bruise on his arm. He suspected a rich man wouldn’t fare any better.
But he couldn’t say that.
He could, however, refuse. He gripped Side-eye’s reins in one hand and grabbed the horn of the saddle, stuck his boot in the stirrup, and prepared to mount. “Sorry, but I—”
Ali interrupted before he could finish. “Benny and Mavis have already agreed. You’re to look after my sister for eight weeks on my behalf and make sure she enjoys her adventure until I return. In exchange, I’ll pay Burning Scrub twenty-five million dollars.”
Twenty-five million dollars.
More than triple the town’s normal rate. Of course they’d said yes. The county hospital wanted to add a new wing. Benny wanted to get the town’s abandoned silver mine operational again, so they could add a new adventure. Jayce’s dad wanted to build a new barn.
His boot slid from the stirrup and dropped to the ground. His stomach landed on top of his boot.
It turned out that Sheik Ali did, in fact, have enough money.