The sight of Noah with sweat glistening off his hairless chest took Chynna by surprise. He was so magnificently rugged and manly she had to force air into her lungs as a rush of lust surged through her. Her heart jolted, and her pulse began to pound.
As if sensing he was not alone, Noah turned around to find her staring at him from the corner. “Do you always sneak up on people ... wearing next to nothing?” he asked, taking her in from head to toe. His eyes didn’t miss a beat as he perused her skimpy tank top and shorts. Rylee was much more slender than Chynna, so her shorts didn’t cover much.
“Not usually,” Chynna replied to Noah’s question. She found her voice despite the tightening she felt in her breasts when he stared at her like that. His eyes seemed to zero in on them for the merest of seconds before returning back to his horse and task. “And I have on clothes.”
“Very little,” he mumbled.
“Do you always get up this early?” Chynna asked, lifting one leg and then the other over the fence so she could jump inside the bullpen with him.
The Arabian horse became skittish as Chynna approached and began pacing around the pen away from Noah.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked, glancing at her.
“I just wanted to see what you’re doing.”
“Well, Max doesn’t like visitors.”
“Kind of like you?” Chynna said, raising an eyebrow. He hadn’t disguised the fact he was less than pleased to have her as a house-guest.
Noah looked disconcerted for a minute. Had she finally caught him off-kilter?
“What do you mean?”
“I know you don’t think of much of socialites who go to Canyon Ranch, and apparently, actresses fall into that category as well.”
Noah laughed. It was the first time Chynna had heard him laugh. It was rich and throaty, and he needed to do it more often because when he did, his whole face softened and he was instantly more approachable.
“Ms. James.” Noah walked toward her. “I don’t have an opinion of you one way or the other.”
Chynna sauntered toward him, her hips swaying in each direction. “I disagree. I believe you said socialites wouldn’t be caught dead here on your ranch.”
“I did because it’s true. They or you for that matter wouldn’t last a week on my ranch.” Noah turned his back to her and began speaking softly to the Arabian horse.
Chynna’s eyes narrowed. She hated when someone told her she couldn’t do something. When folks back home thought she wouldn’t be a successful singer, she’d proved them wrong and look where she was now—one of the biggest stars of the millennium. “Then I’ll prove you wrong.”
“What did you say?” He turned around with a confused expression.
“I’m going to stay at this ranch for a week and prove to you that this actress and socialite can do more than just get mani-pedis and do yoga.”
Noah stopped brushing the horse and let the brush fall to the ground. He walked toward her with a fierce purpose. “You don’t have anything to prove to me, Kenya.”
Chynna stood upright and stuck out her chest. “I know that.” She didn’t have anything to prove to him, but maybe she had something to prove to herself—that she was more than just a pretty face, that she actually had some grit to take her life back in her own hands.
Noah leaned back and stared at her long and hard before saying, “I’m calling your bluff, Kenya James. Go change out of those skimpy clothes and put on some real cowgirl clothes, and I’ll put you through the paces.”
An easy smile reached Chynna’s mouth. Noah was actually taking her seriously. She didn’t know what she was getting herself into, but she had a feeling that the next week was about to change her life.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Rylee asked Chynna as she took her through the general store at the ranch later that morning so Chynna could buy some clothes rather than wear Rylee’s hand-me-downs.
Chynna spun around on her heel at the doubt in Rylee’s voice. “You don’t think I can do this?”
“It’s not that—”
“Sounds like it,” Chynna replied.
“Have you ever been on a horse?”
“I’ve been horseback riding several times.”
“Horseback riding a few times and helping Noah during roundup is a completely different scenario,” Rylee said.
“Why does everyone think they know what’s best for me?” asked Chynna. “It’s so frustrating not to be taken seriously.”
Rylee touched Chynna’s shoulder, and she jumped away. “Is that why you needed a break from your real life?”
Chynna rolled her eyes upward. “You have no idea, Rylee. My label, my manager, my publicist, they all think I’m an idiot who has to be led around by the nose. I’m not a horse that just does their bidding. I have my own thoughts and ideas.”
“Then you need to stand up for yourself.”
“I know.” Tears formed in Chynna’s eyes. “And I will. I’m taking my life into my own hands, starting now. I have to do this, Rylee. Not just to show Noah I’m not an airhead, but to prove to myself that I’m capable of more—to find that strong Chynna I know exists.”
“Then you have my support,” Rylee said. “I have your back.”
“Thank you, because I think I’m going to need it.”
After she’d found some clothes at the general store and changed into a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt, Chynna headed to the stables to find Noah. She had no idea just how hard or how smelly manual labor was until Noah had her cleaning out the horses’ stalls and adding fresh hay. She doubted she would ever forget the smell of manure.
“Ready for a break?” Noah asked, poking his head into the last stall Chynna was working on.
“Just about,” Chynna said, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a bandana she’d bought at the store.
Noah smiled broadly. He seemed surprised that after four hours she hadn’t given up and begged to be taken back to Canyon Ranch for a manicure and pedicure.
“Lunch is ready,” he said. “C’mon. I’ll buy you a glass of ice cold lemonade.”
She didn’t need to be asked twice. Chynna quickly threw the dreaded rack down on the stall floor and followed Noah outside. Thank God she’d had the good sense to buy a cowboy hat and some sunglasses, because the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly when they emerged from the stables.
Chynna noticed that they were not heading to the main house, but rather were going toward the Golden Oaks Ranch café. “We’re not going to the house?”
Noah glanced back at her. “You said you wanted to be treated like everyone else. Well, they don’t get an invite to the main house for lunch. They eat here in the corral with the guests.”
Chynna held her tongue from making a scorching comeback and said, “Of course.” She followed him into the air-conditioned café that was full to capacity with the day’s lunch crowd, everyone from paid guests to ranch hands. Before she could wonder where they were going to sit, a tall, dark-skinned man yelled Noah’s name across the room, and they headed toward his table in the corner.
Noah turned to Chynna at his side. “Jonas, this is Kenya. She’s a guest of the family but wants to experience the ranch like a true cowgirl.”
She knew he didn’t believe she could do it, and she gave a twisted smile as Noah held out her chair. Ever the gentleman, she thought.
When the waitress brought over a pitcher of lemonade without asking, Chynna wasted no time leaning over to grab it and pour herself a generous glass. She leaned back and chugged the cool drink. When she looked up, both men were staring at her.
“Thirsty?” Noah’s brown eyes were laughing.
“As a matter of fact, I was.” She looked over to Jonas. “Your boss is quite the slave driver. He put me out there in the hot stables and didn’t even leave me with water
. I bet he does more for his horses.”
Jonas turned to Noah and gave him a surprised look. Noah merely shrugged.
“So, how long are you staying, Miss Kenya?” Jonas asked.
“Dunno, a week, maybe two.”
“Two weeks?” Noah sputtered the lemonade he’d been drinking. He’d known she said a week, but he wasn’t sure he could take that many cold showers. Just being near Kenya had raised his libido.
Clearly, he’d thought she wouldn’t be around very long. Was his treatment of her today a way to keep her at arm’s length and make her leave sooner?
The waitress reappeared to take their order. Chynna was so hungry after her strenuous morning that she ordered the pulled- pork sandwich and French fries. If she was in L.A., she wouldn’t dream of having the carbs and fried food, but she was living like a Tucson local.
Lunch with Noah and Jonas was more fun than Chynna expected. Noah was relaxed around the other man and, in turn, was much better company, cracking jokes and telling stories that made Chynna’s stomach hurt from laughing so hard. When was the last time she’d truly laughed because she was having fun? Too long.
“Kenya?”
She glanced up and realized Noah had been speaking to her. “Yes?”
“I asked if you were ready to get back to work.”
“Sure.” She rose to her feet, and Noah was right there to pull out her chair. “Thanks,” she said as she passed him by.
Noah inhaled deeply as Kenya breezed past him and caught that feminine scent that was uniquely hers. When she was around, he felt different and more aware of a female than he’d ever been since Maya passed. And he didn’t like it. It made him feel guilty because Kenya had him thinking lustful thoughts of taking her to bed and how she would sound when he made her come.
Reluctantly, he shook Jonas’s hand and followed her out the door. She was waiting for him outside.
“What’s next?”
“Not ready to throw in the towel yet?”
She raised an eyebrow. “No, plus I doubt you’ve even gotten started.”
He laughed. He hadn’t. He was taking it easy on her for now, but if she continued to keep up this charade for a week, let alone two, it would drive him mad with lust. And he would be forced to play hardball to keep her at bay. “C’mon,” he said, and instead of going back to the stables, he took her to the petting farm.
Several families and their small children were congregating throughout the farm area, petting animals ranging from rabbits to sheep to goats to llamas. Kenya didn’t strike him as the type who loved children or animals, so this would be excellent payback.
She looked up at him warily, and Noah knew he’d hit the nail on the head. Kenya had never been around animals other than horses. “What do I have to do?”
“Why don’t you help Nancy here with the kids and animals,” Noah said, coming toward an older Caucasian woman with leathery skin from the sun. She wore jeans and a similar plaid shirt like Kenya’s, except her colorful cowboy boots were worn and decorated with horseshoes and arrows.
“How so?”
Noah didn’t answer her; he merely continued walking toward Nancy.
“Mr. Noah,” Nancy said, nodding to him. “What can I do you for?”
“My guest here, Kenya, is living like a ranch hand for the week. I thought she could help you here in the petting farm, like filling up the feeds, helping with the children ...” His voice trailed off.
“Sure thing, Mr. Noah.” Nancy smiled warmly as he turned to leave. “C’mon, Kenya, I’ll get you started.”
Kenya held up a finger. “Wait a second.” She caught up with Noah at the entrance to the farm and lightly touched his arm.
The tiny gesture didn’t escape him, and he met her hazel eyes with his own dark-brown ones. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, and he wasn’t imagining the heat emanating between them. When she eventually removed her hand, his arm felt as if she’d singed him.
Kenya nervously shifted from one foot to the other. “Listen, I ... I don’t know anything about animals, let alone children.” He watched her glance down at a small boy who couldn’t have been more than five years old who’d followed her to the entrance.
Noah couldn’t help smiling as he knew this was far out of her league. “You’ll be fine. Nancy will take good care of you. I’ll see you back at the main house for dinner. Six o’clock sharp. Mom hates when we’re late.”
He quickly turned on his heel and fled from the farm as quickly as he could, because if he didn’t, he’d take the beguiling actress in his arms and kiss her until they were both senseless.
Chapter 8
“Do you have time to go over the facts on Lucas in the dossier I e-mailed you this morning?” Fiona asked Kenya over lunch on the deck of Chynna’s estate.
“I already did.” Kenya gulped some of the strawberry fruit smoothie she’d just inhaled after a grueling two-hour workout session with Chynna’s trainer.
Fiona gave her a disbelieving look, but Kenya didn’t care. She was exhausted and the day had only just begun. Her intent had been to sleep in after a late night until she was due back at the dance studio to rehearse for the tour. She had no idea Chynna’s beefed-up trainer with Hercules-sized arms would wake her and ask her to do a warrior workout at six a.m.
She hadn’t known what a warrior workout entailed, but she’d soon found out. The trainer, named Doug, had Kenya running six laps around the estate, doing a hundred lunges, a hundred push-ups and a hundred sit-ups before embarking on jumping rope, pushing tires and performing burpees in her home fitness center until she lost count. Kenya thought she’d been in shape with running three miles a day, but nothing had prepared her for Doug. He pushed her so hard that by the end of the workout, her T-shirt was soaking wet.
Kenya had happily bid him adieu at eight a.m., so she could mercifully sit at her kitchen counter and watch her personal chef create a strawberry and banana smoothie. It may have been Chynna’s favorite, but Kenya despised bananas and it took every effort in her being to finish half the smoothie.
“Alright, if you looked this over, tell me where he grew up?” Fiona inquired.
“South Central.”
“What college did he attend?”
“UCLA.”
Fiona eyed her suspiciously and looked down at her fact sheet. “And how did he get the money to start R&K Records?”
“He convinced several of his college buddies to loan him the money before buying them out.”
Fiona looked up in surprise. “You really did study this, didn’t you?”
“You sound surprised,” Kenya said, watching Fiona carefully. She had to be sure she wasn’t overplaying her hand.
“Well ... it does usually take you a few times to remember interview answers.”
“Well ...,” Kenya mimicked her, “I need to be prepared. If I’m going to go on all the talk shows and convince them Lucas and I are legit, I need to know him like the back of my hand, correct?”
“Of course, of course,” Fiona replied. “I didn’t mean otherwise. It’s just so unlike you to be so—”
“Prepared?” Kenya finished.
Fiona shrugged and didn’t answer.
“What else do you have for me today?” Kenya replied testily. She had to remember that Chynna wouldn’t stand for this kind of doubt from her employees.
Before Fiona could answer, Penelope came and placed several photographs in front of Kenya. “I need you to sign these promotion shots, please.”
Kenya scribbled her signature across the first document, realized her mistake and ripped the photo into pieces.
“What’s wrong?” Penelope asked.
“Nothing,” Kenya snapped, reminding herself that Chynna didn’t have to answer anyone. “I asked what’s on my agenda for today. Can one of you ...” She paused, looking a
t Fiona and Penelope, then picked up another photo to sign, “help me out here? I don’t have all day.” Kenya knew she sounded like a bitch and hated behaving this way, but she was Chynna after all and her sister was known for her sometimes bad behavior.
“We have to go shopping for a dress for you for Lucas’s party tomorrow,” Penelope said.
“And you have to make an appearance,” Fiona threw in. “And I’ve come up with a memorable one.”
“Oh, yeah?” Kenya acted as if she was bored signing the photographs and looked up from the task. “What’s the idea?”
“You’re going to pop out of Lucas’s birthday cake, à la Marilyn Monroe and sing ‘Happy Birthday.’”
Kenya let out an exaggerated sigh. “Fiona, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I think it’s a great idea,” Fiona huffed. “Just the sort of thing the public will expect from you, something over the top to express your love and adoration for your new man.”
“It just seems so cliché.”
Penelope chuckled. “Maybe, but it’s exactly something you would do.”
“Fine!” Kenya threw her hands up in defeat. She had to remember that she wasn’t the one who would be jumping out of the cake, but rather Chynna. Her sister’s image was of a fun, single party girl, but it was also the image she was trying to avoid, maybe even fix for her twinie.
“We have to find a super-sexy outfit for the occasion,” Penelope said, even though she dressed the exact opposite. “One that will show off your figure and have men, including Lucas, drooling.”
Kenya rolled her eyes upward. The sexifying of her sister was something that was perpetrated by her record label and apparently amped up by her entire team. Has everyone forgotten that Chynna is a normal human being underneath this sex kitten image they’ve created?
“Great, what else?”
“Then you have your dance rehearsal and a meeting with Carter.”
Kenya rubbed her hands in glee. Now this she was looking forward to. To meet a great director like Carter Wright was the icing on the cake of imitating her sister.
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