Page 6 of Sheikh's Unexpected Triplet Babies

She took his hand, and with nothing more than that, he led her back out into the street.

Bedelia was startled at the difference that an escort made. Before, she had been almost painfully aware of being an outsider, of being someone who was not quite a part of things, who would never belong. On Jahin's arm, however, even with her pale skin and painfully unfashionable clothes, she felt like people simply looked over her, accepted her as a part of things. It was a strange lesson, and one that she was still thinking over when he led her to a trailer that had been staked out a little way apart from the rest of the fair.

There were plenty of people who were camping out and sleeping rough, but there was something distinctly luxurious about Jahin's camp. There was a yurt that looked as cozy as a real house might be, and there were two spacious horse trailers, which suggested that he was interested in bringing home more than one horse.

Tethered next to one of the trailers, placidly mouthing some hay that had been left out for him, was the black, whose small and almost delicately-shaped ears perked up at their approach. For a moment, Bedelia was nervous that she and Jahin would need to run, as the animal threw its head up and snorted. But then, without a trace of fear, Jahin stepped up to the stallion, offering it his hand.

Bedelia held her breath, and after a long, long moment, the horse nuzzled Jahin's hand in a surprisingly warm and friendly way.

"It's all right now," he said. "He's a little nervous, but sweet once you get to know him."

Bedelia came to stand next to Jahin, and then it was her turn to be inspected. Up close, the black looked somehow even bigger, even more imposing, and the fact that such an enormous animal could look at her so gently and nuzzle her hand with such affection startled her.

"He really is quite gentle," she said, stroking the velvet of the black's nose. To her surprise, there was a tiny patch of white under his chin, and when she tickled it with her fingers, the horse made a sound that was so close to a purr that she laughed.

"Oh, he wouldn't be if we were stallions who wanted his territory or an idiot groom who thought that a horse like this can be treated like a cow," Jahin said with a shrug. "But this is a horse who wants his own way, and as smart as I think he is, he might be right a high percentage of the time."

"So you need to respect his intelligence?"

"Exactly. When I am adding new blood to my stables, I look for intelligence as well as strength and heart. This beauty seems to have all three."

"Lucky horse," she found herself saying, and she was startled when Jahin laughed.

"Why do you say that?" he teased. "You sound almost jealous."

"Oh...you, I was..."

Bedelia knew she was stuttering with a face that was likely bright red. There was nothing to do but to try to explain herself as best she could.

"Go on," Jahin said, a slight smile on his face. "Exactly what were you thinking of?"

"Oh, well, I guess among other things, I was thinking of what a good home he would have with you, and how few animals ever got a home that understood them that well. And I suppose I was also thinking while I was at it that precious few people ever did either, and if you have to really consider it, then heart, intelligence and strength wouldn't be terrible things to look for when you were looking for...for a partner...I suppose..."

She knew she was babbling, and when she realized that at no point was Jahin going to stop her, she trailed to a stop on her own. Her reward for her ill-advised little ramble, however, was a laugh from Jahin that seemed to warm her up from top to bottom, and he shook his head.

"You are truly a fascinating little thing, aren't you?" he asked. "I suppose you are not wrong, though I am certain that is not going to be what I am looking for when the time comes for me to wed."

There was a small voice in her head telling her that it might be a really good idea to get off of the topic of women and wives, but she couldn't help herself.

"I think that sounds like a fairly universal criteria for someone that you want to spend your life with," she hazarded. "I mean, what else could you ask for?"

Jahin gave the black one final pat, then led her away back to the bustle of the crowd. For a moment, it felt as if she were back in Iowa, walking through the county fair. Of course, back then, she had never been on the arm of a boy, let alone a man, let alone a man as handsome as Jahin.

"Hmm. That's a good question. Well, the first thing I suppose I would look for is beauty."

For some reason, his response stung her more than she thought it would. Of course men would say they were looking for beauty, but she wasn't sure how many of them would say it so bluntly and so baldly.

"Beauty?"

"Oh yes. The woman that I marry will need to be a beauty. After all, she is the one who will be bearing my children, and I do feel a certain responsibility to give them every advantage they can have in that regard."

Bedelia eyed him skeptically. "So a beautiful spouse is just so your children turn out well?"

He winked at her. "Well, maybe not just for them. I am a man with a man's needs, after all. I think a beautiful woman could keep me from straying the way a plainer one would not."

"I think you're the one that needs to keep yourself from straying, not her," Bedelia said tartly. She couldn't imagine the woman that Jahin might find someday, but she suddenly felt a deep and visceral sympathy for her.

"If you say so. And of course the woman I marry must be composed and suited for the social events I attend, both for work and for pleasure. I expect her to have...let's say, her own charity or some kind of work, but I also expect her to be well aware of what I am doing so that she can speak about it convincingly."

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