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As if accepting the challenge in her comment, and needing to answer it he said:"You're the first woman I've brought here."
There was a long silence. Maybe he'd expected her to react to that statement with some kind of expression of disbelief, or even with a joke or dismissive comment. But she could see he was being completely sincere, once again.
"So why the two tents?" she asked glancing at the two large structures. "Seems like a lot for just one man," she said lifting a brow.
"One tent is for sleeping. The other is for whenever I receive guests during my stays."
"Guests?"
He nodded. "At my personal invitation," he said. She thought the way he said that sounded so grand, his voice suddenly filled with a haughty pride.
"You're telling me you hold court here? What are you, some kind of desert potentate?"
He squinted at her, almost as if he wasn't sure if she was making fun of him. "I am respected in these parts. I invite some desert chieftains, from time to time. They don't stay, but I feel obliged to provide hospitality. And that tent is where I do that."
Gemma heard the way he'd explained it to him.She could understand what that might mean to him. It must be his way of making himself feel a part of this place. She could only imagine what that hospitality would look like. Was that what he was about to offer her?
She felt the tightness on her muscles being replaced by a sudden tiredness. It had been a long day. Even though it probably wasn't even near midnight, she felt the tiredness of the horse ride easing through her body.
He seemed to take note of her weariness. Of course, he would, she told herself. He'd know exactly how much a desert journey would take out of someone who wasn't used to it.
"You can sleep in the main tent," he announced leading her toward the larger of the two. "The one with the bed," he added with a hint of a grin at the corner of his mouth.
"There's only one bed?"
He nodded. "I'll bunk down in the other tent. It isn't going to be a problem."
He opened the large flap opening of the tent and held it, making it obvious he wanted her to step inside.
Crossing the threshold, she glanced at him. Their eyes met and she felt a sudden flickering of heat in her middle. This was his domain and she was about to try and make herself a part of it. Even if only for a day or two.
As she stepped inside the tent, she almost felt like an intruder in his world. But when she saw the interior by the soft light cast from the open tent entrance, she gasped quietly in spite of herself.
The space was large and rectangular. There was a soft, thick-looking carpet on the ground. Everywhere she saw a myriad of multi-colored cushions strewn all over the floor. It was as if someone had just thrown them everywhere in a fit of temper.
In the middle of the space there was a low, wide wooden table. Surrounding it were even more larger cushions. She wondered why he'd need so much. But before she could ask he followed her inside and dropped the entrance closed behind him.
The interior was cloaked suddenly in an impenetrable darkness. For a moment, she froze, a flickering of anxiety taking sudden hold of her. She wondered what he was about to do.
She listened for his movements. Then she heard him move to her right, his footsteps soft on the carpet, and then there were the sounds of something metallic being manipulated by his hands.
Moments later, she saw the glow of a small, electric lamp, she supposed something operated by batteries.
From within the curved, clear glass, the bulb filled the room with a warm glow. She felt her unease fade as quickly as it had appeared.
He held the lamp up, and she smiled at him. She was sure he'd noticed the relief on her features.
"What do you think?" he asked.
She gazed around the room, taking in the brightly colored interior walls of the tent. There was an exotic quality to this place, she told herself.
"It's lovely," she said.
He looked disappointed. "Just that? Lovely?"
She tilted her head. "I have seen movies, you know. I do know what the inside of a tent looks like," she joked.
He placed the lamp on the table. "I'll get your stuff from the saddlebag. I need to take care of the horse, too. I'll be back in a minute."
