Book excerpt: Exile or marriage, the choice is hers… Sheikh Tariq al Askeba knows Lila Halliday is trouble… From the moment the Australian pediatric doctor arrives wearing an ancient amulet stolen from his family years before, scandal precedes her. Lila is stunned to discover the sordid history of her birth mother's pendant. She came to Karuba to discover her true heritage, not set the whole palace in uproar!Knowing there's no other way to quell the upheaval, Tariq gives her a shocking ultimatum: leave…or become his desert bride!