Seduced by the Sheik (The Raminar Family #1)- Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,23

of the stable hands had caught her and spanked her. She’d been so furious, she’d gone straight to their parents and told on the stable hand. Then she’d been spanked again for putting the horses in danger and the stable hand had been given a bonus.

Harper smiled and laughed, frowned at some of the stories and rolled her eyes at others. Around midnight, she slipped away and, this time, no one stopped her. In fact, Talia, Gaelen, and Tarin didn’t even notice. When she glanced back, only Amit saw her go. It was at that moment that she realized that Amit hadn’t shared any stories. He’d listened and nodded, smiled at some, but he’d kept to himself throughout the evening.

Chapter 9

Harper hummed as she walked down the hallway the next morning. Progress had been made the previous night, although there was still a lot that probably needed to be done. She had interviews all day today with teachers around the city, but she wanted to stop by and say good morning to the girls. She’d purposely missed breakfast this morning, wanting to give the family members a chance to continue talking privately. No matter how many times she was welcomed into their midst, Harper still felt like an intruder. They might be suffering in silence, but they were a close-knit family and had obviously gone through a lot together. This was just something they hadn’t expected to have to deal with and weren’t prepared for.

So it was a shock when she stepped into the girls’ room to find only Amit there. He was doing something with a notebook. She couldn’t see what, but his pen was flying over the paper and he was focused on his work with an intensity that she couldn’t ever imagine being able to accomplish.

Looking around, she didn’t see the girls, but she heard them. They were splashing around in the bathroom, most likely brushing their teeth and washing their faces, their nanny giving them directions.

“So you couldn’t even take a morning off to talk with your nieces?” she asked with a huff and a bit of sympathy. “Amit, really, what is so important that you can’t take a few minutes to talk with your nieces? Maybe connect with them a little?”

He glanced up at the first sound of her voice, those strange, hazel eyes of his blinking, then sparkling with amusement.

She shifted on her feet as he looked up. “Oh, this is funny?’ she snapped. Pointing towards the bathroom, she said, “Those girls are hurting, Amit! They need you and…” she stopped when the nanny called out that the girls were now “presentable” for His Highness.

The two little darlings raced out of the bathroom, practically throwing themselves into Amit’s arms. Amit caught both girls, kissing each shining head and laughing at Harper as he did so.

“So, did you clean behind your ears?” he asked. Immediately, both girls nodded and shifted so that Amit could check behind their ears. He nodded with feigned seriousness. “Good. Good,” he muttered. “And your feet? Are they clean? I saw your boots when you came back from the stables.” He stopped when both girls landed on their bottoms and lifted their pink-soled feet into the air for inspection. Amit smothered a chuckle as he inspected each foot, even moving each girls toes as if making sure that there was no dirt between their toes.

Harper shifted, covering her mouth with her hand…stunned as she watched the ever-so-serious Sheik of Izara gravely inspect four tiny feet for dirt.

Finally, he gave the girls an approving nod. “Okay, I think that both of you are clean enough.”

The girls scrambled to their feet and stood up again, leaning on either side of their uncle, almost bouncing with eagerness for whatever treat he’d promised.

Amit picked up the notebook again and Harper’s heart sank with disappointment. Was this to be a lesson in economics or politics? Was it…? She couldn’t believe how disappointed she was in Amit. For a moment, she’d believed that he would give them something incredible.

He flipped the notebook over and, for a long moment, the girls just stared at the picture on the page. Slowly, Ellora lifted her hand, her tiny fingers moving over the paper. Then both girls turned and grinned up at Amit, hugging him.

The nanny chose that moment to call the girls away. “Time for class,” she called, clapping her hands.

The girls lifted up onto their toes and kissed his cheeks, one girl on either side. Then they raced away,