Read Online Continental Divide by Dyanne Davis - Free Book Online Page A

It was kind of rude don’t you think, to just
leave me in your house alone with a man I just met? How did you
know that he wouldn’t take advantage of me, or that I wouldn’t take
advantage of him? That was so not cool, Heaven.” Tanya was putting
a bit more mean into her words than she felt because frankly
it was bothering her how Imran was watching her. And it was
bothering her even more about the reaction she was having to him.
He was ruining all of her plans. If he were one of Hamid’s brothers
or even rich she’d stop her search. But he wasn’t. And besides
having the ability to make her hot and being able to go toe to toe
with her, he seemed darn boring. She turned her back toward Imran
wanting to block him from her line of vision. “Well, Heaven? Is
this how my entire vacation is going to be?”
    “Hamid needed to be at the clinic early and
you were sleeping so soundly I didn’t want to wake you. I didn’t
want to leave you alone. So I called Imran. I was looking out for
you.”
    There it was again. Tanya hadn’t imagined
it. Heaven and Hamid were giving each other looks. Then it hit her
like a lead pipe. I have one of Hamid’s cousins who would be
perfect for you…oh no she didn’t. She was being set up, so not
cool. Okay, if that was the way the two of them wanted to play it,
she’d just call them on it right here, right now, right in front of
Imran. It would be good to let everyone get their cards on the
table.
    “Imran, have you realized yet that these two
are playing matchmakers?” She put her hands on her hips. “What do
you think about that?”
    “I like it,” Imran grinned.
    Now she was taken aback. What the heck?
“Don’t play with me, Imran. You don’t like me. You said I’m rude
and a gold digger.”
    “And you are. But I find it ironic that you
traveled all the way here to Pakistan to find yourself a
millionaire husband and your friend has plotted to set you up with
the one member of the family that everyone considers a
failure.”
    “Imran, cut it out. No one considers you a
failure. Teaching is an honorable profession,” Hamid defended his
cousin’s career choice
    “And the writing?” Imran stopped teasing
Tanya to look at Hamid. “What about that? You were there when my
father practically disowned me for wanting to write.” He shrugged
and looked toward Tanya then back to Hamid. “He doesn’t think I’m a
man.” Imran shrugged again. “He thinks writing is demeaning and not
so manly.” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter how many well
known authors I point out to him who are married.” Imran’s voice
went soft and for a moment he didn’t speak. “You wouldn’t say all
of that makes me the family failure?” he asked Hamid quietly.
    For a long moment Hamid and Imran stared
hard at each other, both communicating silently. Then Hamid sighed
heavily and spoke. “Parents are sometimes very foolish. You know
that. Your father loves you and is angry that you won’t come into
the business with him.” Hamid paused and glanced toward Tanya
deciding not to talk of family business in front of her.
    Hamid’s discretion wasn’t lost on Imran.
Family matters were never discussed in front of strangers. He also
glanced at Tanya. There was something about the way that she was
looking at him that made him want her to know all about him and his
family, to know that he was the shame of the family. He didn’t want
her to have any wrong perceptions of his place in the family. She
might as well know that he was going to continue his pursuit of his
dream.
    “Of course my father worries. He worries
that I’m being as foolish as he had been. He wishes that he had
followed your father’s advice sooner. He would also be a
millionaire and I would be one of the millionaire cousins. I do not
care about money, Hamid, nor do I care what the family thinks. Look
at you. Look at Sassa, neither of you did what the family wanted.”
He glanced toward Heaven. “Yet you’re happy.