The dilemma became—would he rather listen to his dad complain about his mom and her damned weasels, or help Beau Jones celebrate his pending marriage to Belle?
Sheik Ali chose that moment to make his appearance.He’d resurrected his Sheriff Earp wardrobe, no doubt left at the lodge for him by Pearl.The guns and holster were absent, which was a relief.Sheriff Earp had an itchy trigger finger and wasn’t an especially good shot.
Ali’s arrival reminded Jayce that remaining in Burning Scrub had one more mark against it, and it was a big one.
Malika.
Ali addressed the three men.“Pleased to see you again, Huck.Good morning, Adam.And Jayce…” Ali’s smile fixed on him and widened, showing sharklike white teeth, which wasn’t alarming.“The man I came to see.”
Oh no.Jayce sensed impending disaster.Ali had figured out that a Wild West adventure wasn’t for Malika and wanted him to escort her down the mountain.
Ali could find someone else.Potential excuses whirligigged in his head.“Can it wait?My horse needs to walk off some nerves.”
Side-eye, properly reading the room and ready to help prove a point, stepped on Jayce’s foot.White light swamped Jayce’s vision and a jolt of pain lanced straight upward, into his thigh.He breathed in and out through his mouth until it subsided, then put weight on his foot.Nothing appeared to be broken, but he’d likely have a bruise to match the one on his arm.
“I will walk with you,” Ali said.
“Good idea.You can show him how to handle a damned horse,” Jayce’s dad added.“If that damned horse doesn’t settle down soon, it’s headed to the damned auction.”
Side-eye was safe.His dad was just blowing off steam.But that must have been quite the fight he’d had with his mom and Jayce wasn’t sorry he’d missed it.His parents had an excellent marriage, and it worked for them, but sometimes watching them made him tired.
And maybe—just maybe—a tiny bit jealous.
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.
