Flash!
The bright light blinded me for a second, and before I could recover from it, another flash erupted. My hands covered my face as I quickly picked up my drawing kit and ran in the direction of the car where my driver, John, had already opened the door with a worried expression on his face.
Flash!
Flash!
Flash!
“Serena!”
“Are you painting for your mom?”
“Is it hard to come here?” they all shouted behind me, and I couldn't take it for one more second. After I jumped into the limo, the door shut swiftly, leaving me in the numbing darkness and silence. Breathing heavily, I grabbed the bottle of water from the car fridge and took a huge gulp. The cooling sensation spread through me. My hands shook from my emotions, causing some of the water to spill on my white T-shirt. Tears rapidly slid down my cheeks.
It all became unbearable, slowly driving me insane with each passing day.
The press hadn’t given me any peace since my mom died; every opportunity they got, they tried to snap pictures and make me talk with them. All those photos of me in the papers and magazines, either in tears or sitting by my mother’s grave, they turned my grief into a circus. I didn't know how to deal with the pain that consumed me. The reason I came was to draw. I hadn’t been able to touch the canvas since the funeral, but nothing helped. Every time I tried, Mommy came to mind and my hands couldn’t paint one single stroke.
Emotional outbursts, the press, tears, emptiness inside me.
I couldn't live like that anymore.
I had to change.
I had to create another Serena who didn't care about a single thing and preferred to party all night. I had to wipe out the old Serena, the one who shared every aspect of her life with her mom. Memories threatened to destroy me and I was desperately trying to survive. Taking a deep breath, I wiped my cheeks and dialed Becky’s number. She’d know what to do.
Serena
The next morning, no one was at the table during breakfast, but it wasn’t surprising. Dad could be harsh when he didn’t like my behavior, so no one was crying when I left. I was given tickets and money—some in cash. There was even a paper with my so-called backstory. According to it, I was Serena Dane, college student who needed extra cash because her family wasn’t wealthy. And it did say I studied in New York. Hilarious if you ask me.
Downstairs, Jonathan took my suitcase and put it in the car. Checking my bag one last time for all the documents, I put my sunglasses on and went outside. I was wearing skinny jeans, a white T-shirt, a scarf, and simple ballerinas, and had my wild hair in an easy ponytail that somehow gave it an elegant look. The soft breeze on my cheeks was calming and soothing.
The car was parked right by the sidewalk. I was about to slip inside, when a hand grabbed my arm and turned me around to face Dad. Did I really think he would let me leave without saying goodbye?
“Come here, baby girl.” He hugged me, and my eyes closed as I enjoyed the much-needed feeling of safety. His arms were strong and embraced me like a big bear hugging his cub. “For the record, I’m still angry with you for yesterday and think you should apologize.” Keeping my mouth shut seemed like the best option. He continued after a beat. “I know you think I’m punishing you and all this seems unfair, but, baby girl, I think you really need this to have a better perspective on life. Carter will pick you up.”
Hawk was out of town and two men were supposed to help me settle in, though they didn’t know the truth about me. Dad squeezed me one last time and then nudged me toward the car, and I quickly got inside.
“Hope you’ll enjoy your stay, Miss Serena,” Jonathan said softly, making me smile. He had been with us since I was a kid and always tried to cheer me up if my mood was low. Jonathan was like a big grandpa. Taking a candy from his jacket pocket, he handed it to me; it was sort of tradition. Whenever I was sad, he made sure to have candies stashed without my parents knowing. “Always find good in any situation, okay, missy?”
I nodded and squeezed his arm for a second, enjoying one more person who brought stability to my life. “Thanks, Jonathan. I’ll bring you a souvenir from Texas.”
He chuckled and winked in the rearview mirror. “Just bring yourself, in one piece, okay?” Considering I was going to be on a ranch, his request didn’t seem funny at all.
“I’ll try.”
Ten hours later, I was freaking exhausted from all the travel. My body ached, my eyes hurt, my clothes were sticking to my body, I felt dirty, and I desperately wanted a shower It turned out the town had a small airport, so I had to board a tiny plane with a private pilot who was waiting for me in Houston. Since he had an awful hangover, his son was the one who was piloting the plane, and he was so skittish and nervous I seriously thought the end had come. Then it seemed they needed more oil, and we made an unexpected stop, where I had a bad sandwich, which made me sick to my stomach, and finally we arrived at another airport.
The view of the city was unexpected—or rather, the fact it was nothing but a big desert.
“Make sure to call us again, miss, once you want to go back,” said Elliot, the pilot who was partying last night, if his breath was anything to go by.
“Yeah, right,” I muttered, exiting the plane. My eyes wandered around for some cowboy-looking guys, but there was no one. The airport was busy; several planes had passengers waiting for them. But there was no one with a name placard. A girl could use a hint.
“So am I supposed to shout like a lunatic for this guy?” I muttered to myself.
“No need. I wouldn’t want you to embarrass me.”
I glanced over my shoulder in the direction of the amused voice, and my eyes landed on an old guy with gray hair and eyes, medium height, and wearing cowboy clothes. He looked friendly enough, so I smiled. Plus, it was a good thing to be polite to older people. I couldn’t act out with them.
“Hello, I’m Serena.”
He nodded and took my luggage, which I gladly gave to him. The old man already had points from me for being kind and considerate. “Carter. Quite a heavy bag you have here.”
Heavy? How exactly did women travel here if he considered the one small bag—in my opinion—heavy?
When we went to the parking lot, I was greeted with intense heat. Fanning myself with my hand brought no relief. Well, I should have known better and checked the weather before I decided what to wear. Shorts would have been more appropriate; my jeans were killing me, and my body produced more sweat than I believed was possible. No need for any cardio, women just had to walk several minutes in the Texas heat, and those damn calories would burn themselves.
Carter stopped near an old truck that had seen better days—and by that, I mean like thirty years ago. Rusted doors, scratches all over the hood, and dirty, with dust attached to the mirror. Underneath it all, though, it had an artistic approach to design with orange flames spreading down the entire side, as if a dragon had breathed the fire. Plus, different symbols were scattered around the edges, arousing my curiosity about their meaning.
I could admit it had class. As an artist, I could appreciate that. Quickly, I took a photo of it and climbed inside. All the leather was old, but it looked nice. The smell of cinnamon filled the interior. I saw an interesting round object inside that looked like some ancient totem. Curious, I touched it and discovered it was made of fine wood, and the design was amazing. Every small detail was well thought out. Shaped in the form of a wolf ready to attack, and each of his teeth were carved with care. It was almost as if someone captured the wolf’s expression while looking at him.
As Carter opened the door and climbed inside, my eyes studied him as I tried to measure his character. He was relaxed and fresh, and while I was sweating like a pig, he seemed cool and comfortable. Maybe, after some time, the heat didn’t affect people as much around here.
“It’s beautiful,” I said, pointing at the wolf figure.
He started the engine and looked around the road before opening his window, which meant air conditioning was out of the question. I did the same with mine and could feel dust flying in my face, which was annoying, but it was either that or the heat. The breeze won.
“Yeah.” Well, he clearly wasn’t a talkative one, but I couldn’t sit in silence.
“Does it mean anything?”
“It’s a Native American symbol for protection.”
That was my guess, too. Last night, after Becky told me they had ancestors on reservations, I did some research. “So, are you from the tribe?” He didn’t look like one, but maybe he was of mixed race.
“Nope. Hawk is.”
“So he made it?” I wanted to know the artist, too. I loved exquisite work, and I wouldn’t mind having something like that. It would be a nice souvenir for the folks at home.
“Nope.” His one-syllable answers were freaking frustrating. I had to drag every word from him. Was it a bad choice to try to have a conversation or what? I didn’t think I was being offensive, or it was wrong of me to be interested.
“So… is the ranch far away?” The view ahead held nothing but the road and sand on either side, but I still used the opportunity to snap a picture. Just how far away was the ranch from the town?
“One-hour drive to Moonlight Rose, and two hours to Rising Star.” Which meant the ranch was an hour away from the town, and if I had no car—and I didn’t think I could have rented one, since I was supposed to be a struggling student—I would be stuck on the ranch all the freaking time. Just great.
Since Carter continued to be silent and didn’t even turn on the radio, I took out my headphones and clicked on my favorite song, “Shine” by Collective Soul. When I was nervous or felt out of place, it always managed to calm me down. Maybe it was like that, because my mom used to sing it to me as a lullaby and later on showed me how to play it on the guitar.
She was gone, and nothing could fix that. People say at some point you stop grieving, and maybe that’s true, but I hadn’t yet. Everyone had moved on, even Dad with Alice. However, I couldn’t. I missed my beautiful mom, the society darling, Isabelle Devlin.
Dad and Mom met in college, at Harvard, where Mom got a scholarship because she was valedictorian of her high school class. She was from a foster home, so she had no money or family, and whatever she had, she worked hard for. Dad used to say, the moment he saw her, he fell in love.
After a year of being in a relationship, he introduced her to my grandparents, who instantly liked and accepted her. I always wondered why, because those were the same people who never said hello to people who worked for them—that was how snobby they were. At the age of twenty-five, my parents married, and two years later, they had me. Mom worked with charities and programs to help kids who were less fortunate, as she once was. And she spent a lot of time with me.
We loved to shop, play guitar, and enjoy music. She used her law degree to protect kids from child abuse, so we traveled a lot. Dad liked it, because he was proud of Mom and always supported her. It was heaven. Until she was diagnosed with cancer. That changed my life forever. Despair, depression, grief—that was all I felt when I remembered my mom and the disease that took her away from me. By the time she died, nothing was left of the young, beautiful, and vibrant woman she once was.
“Hawk said you needed the job for the summer. You study somewhere?” The interruption was like fresh air for me, taking me away from my depressing thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m a college student and need to make money over the summer. My dad knows Hawk.” My answer sounded believable enough. I should have paid more attention to the backstory on that stupid paper.
“Good.” That was the end of the conversation.
I glanced around and noticed we were near a town. After New York, many cities seemed quiet, the rhythm not as fast. Because of having traveled a lot in my life, I knew the difference and sometimes even appreciated it.
Moonlight Rose was nothing like anything I had seen before.
The town seemed as if it were out of some kind of fairy tale. The buildings were painted in shades of blue, pink, purple, and yellow, and everything was so vivid. People were outside at cafés, and kids were running around laughing. They all appeared so friendly and happy that it almost looked and sounded unbelievable.
“There's the school.” Carter pointed to a huge brown building with a football field that was empty, which wasn’t surprising. Who would want to hang out there during the summer? “There's the library.” The huge building was painted pink; apparently, people liked to read here. I wasn’t much of a fan of it, preferring to draw more, but Becky loved reading. She was always trying to make me read some romance novel, but I refused. I wasn’t interested in love, and when we watched a movie, I preferred a thriller or action. “This is Franny’s bakery. Folks love to have tea and her baked goods. God knows that woman can cook.” Well, obviously, since it seemed the majority of the town was hanging around there. “Then that's where the tourists stay.” He pointed at the purple building with roses around it, and I saw quite a few old people sitting on the chairs outside. I nodded at his other explanations, but that one made me pause.
“You have tourists here?” I couldn’t hide the disbelief and laughter from my voice, no matter how much I tried. Carter looked at me and chuckled, shaking his head.
“Young people these days.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it, but you know… it is a small town in the middle of nowhere, so I don't really see why people would want to come here.” Great way of explaining it; sometimes I wanted to face-palm myself. Not that I said something I didn’t agree with. It was just plain rude to be disrespectful to the town in front of a resident.
“Quite a lot of people come here.”
My brows furrowed. “They do? What for?”
He chuckled again, but didn’t elaborate. We drove to the edge of the town, and he pointed to several other places like the daycare, supermarkets and some places to eat. But overall, it was very small and flowers were everywhere, mainly roses.
Once we left the town and started to move along a narrow and bumpy road, which again showed nothing ahead but sand and gravel, I felt my ass stiffen painfully. All I wanted to do was leave the vehicle and stretch a bit.
When the car came to a sudden stop, I woke, realizing I’d drifted to sleep. I opened my eyes and stretched a bit, looking around. The ranch was huge. It had stables and a ring to train horses—whatever that thing was called. The main house was massive and seemed like it was built several decades ago. Some paint wouldn’t hurt it, either. It was made from brown wood and had a porch filled with lilies.
Several dogs were barking, and people were busy doing their thing. Some of the men worked with hay, others were with the horses, and a couple stood around talking and laughing. It was like I stepped into man-land, where women were not allowed to enter. I got out of the truck and smelled the country: horses, chickens, and cows. I had a big suspicion I smelled shit, too, and prayed not to step in any. I couldn’t help but wince at that thought. I think Carter noticed, because he started laughing.
“You’ll get used to it.”
I doubted it, but didn’t feel like sharing. Good thing I brought several perfumes with me. I would need to use them every hour to block out all those smells. Taking out one and spraying it all over the place would probably be impolite.
“Carter, you’re back, man?” called a deep, slightly husky voice that instantly put my body on alert. It came from somewhere inside the stable, which was closer to us. The ranch apparently had several, if all the other buildings far away were anything to go by.
“Yep.” Clearly, he wasn’t silent just with me. I was glad I didn’t take offense to begin with.
“I’ll be out in a minute,” the sexy voice said, making me wonder whom it belonged to.
Carter put my suitcase down, gave me a short nod with his hat, and took off in the direction of the house. Why the hell was he leaving me here?
Suddenly, I felt heat behind me, and my body experienced an awareness I wasn’t too familiar with. Almost dreading it, I spun around and discovered the most handsome guy I had ever seen, and given the fact I’d seen a lot of guys, from actors to models, it was saying something. He was tall with broad shoulders and long black hair, which was pulled into a messy man bun, giving him an even more masculine vibe if it was possible. My fingers itched to play with his soft-as-silk-looking hair. His eyes were deep blue, like the sky, which contrasted with his tanned skin. His shirt was off, so I had a good view of his six-pack. I couldn’t see an ounce of fat on his body, and it looked hard as steel. He must exercise a lot. Several tattoos graced his skin.
Warrior came to mind, but I quickly dismissed the word.
I didn’t need to have a knight-in-shining-armor fantasy playing out here. His stare brought heat to my cheeks and forced me to look down. He was walking, breathing sex on a stick.
An image of him naked in my bed while he caressed my body played in my mind, and I almost groaned in embarrassment. Who the hell had such thoughts about a guy they had just met?
Before either of us could say anything, a motorcycle roared our way before parking just a few feet away from us. A guy in a helmet and gloves cut the engine and got off the bike. He had on black jeans and a black T-shirt that hugged his body like a second skin. He was tall as well, probably as tall as the warrior guy, with broad shoulders but a leaner body. He didn’t seem to have as much muscle.
He removed the helmet, and holy crap, he was hot, too! He had blond hair that touched his shoulders and the grayest eyes I’d ever seen. He watched me with interest. His face was beautiful in the classical sense, and he looked almost too pretty for a guy, if it were possible. If one was a warrior, then the other was a Norwegian Viking.
Who knew small, quiet towns had gods living in them? If everyone knew, the population would rapidly increase, because all the girls would pack their bags and move here. Maybe they were what Carter was talking about when he mentioned tourists and young people.
Serena, focus. What the hell are you thinking?
However, no matter how good-looking he was, he didn’t create the same awareness in my body as the black-haired guy did. When my eyes ran back to the warrior, his narrowed and hardened. I wasn’t sure if it had to do with me or with Blondie, but either way, my stomach flipped.
“Hey. I’m Serena.” My voice was friendly and steady, thank God.
“Shane.” How was my shiver supposed to go away if his voice was raspy, almost like he was scratching me with it? Extending my hand, I expected him to shake it, but he ignored it and moved toward the blond guy. Well, I guess I had my answer.
“Ren, what the fuck are you doing?” he growled, almost in the other guy’s face, fierce stance and all.
“Why, little brother, I thought you would be happy to see me.” Little brother? They had nothing in common, but maybe they had mixed parents. Ren studied me as his lips lifted in a half smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. They were hollow and didn’t hold much interest for me, even if he tried to act as though he did. “Hello, beautiful.” He was a flirt, too, and knew how to use his husky voice to his advantage. He had the confidence of a guy who got around.
“Hey.” Before I could do anything, he took my hand, pressing it to his lips, lingering longer than appropriate. I snatched it back and glanced at Shane, whose jaw clenched. “Um, okay.” Not that I wasn’t used to the courtesy, it was quite common among European men, but it seemed out of place. Plus, I still felt the tension around me and didn’t want the fury of the warrior unleashed on me. Not to mention giving the wrong idea to Casanova here.
“Shane, if you had told me you had such a beauty here, I’d have made it sooner.”
“Ren, get your shit together. You know damn well you are not supposed to roar in on the bike while Lane is training horses. They don't react to it well.” It was hard not to wince at his harsh tone.
“Is Hawk around?” Ren asked casually, as though he wasn’t bothered at all with the whole scene.
“No. What does that have to do with anything? I said—”
“I don't answer to you, little brother, so don’t waste your breath.” With those words, he went inside the house, and it was almost possible to touch the anger in the air. Well, clearly, this family had some issues, and lucky me to be in the middle of it in my first five minutes at the place.
Yay, me!
Shane turned his head toward me. “I’m gonna show you around, and we’ll go over when you start and everything else.” Without another word, he started moving, and I had no other choice but to follow him.
The day was becoming much more confusing by the second. Unfortunately, his walking in front of me gave me a hell of a view. He had to have a great ass, too. Not that I looked at men’s asses generally, but—
Freaking focus, Serena!
Shane
I should have known, with my luck, Hawk would hire a knockout for a housekeeping job.
Long legs, creamy skin, and although she was fit, she had some nice tits and an ass. Curves in all the right places, which my hands would gladly touch and pleasure. And if that wasn’t enough, she had amazing green eyes that stood out, especially with her red hair. It was thick, and even though it was in a ponytail, I had enough experience to know she probably looked even better with her hair down. The few freckles on her face didn’t take anything away from her beauty; they just emphasized it. I had the deep desire to lick each one of them and search for more on the rest of her body.
What the fuck was going on? Not once in my entire life had I ever reacted like that to a girl.
I couldn’t think when I looked at her, which resulted in me acting like a dick when she didn’t deserve it.
If a girl like her came to a town like Moonlight Rose, which was in the middle of nowhere, that meant the job was important to her. I should have acted decent and put her at ease. I remembered how it was for me. No one liked me much, and it was hard to adjust to the rhythm here. I was used to big cities and crowded places. This town, with fucking purple and pink everywhere, wasn’t my jam exactly.
I mentally cursed, because Ren and his fucked-up behavior was something I didn’t need. I should have known that the minute Hawk left, he would start acting out as he always did. Plus, his whole flirting with the girl thing, I fucking didn’t like it. For no reason, some deeper possessive beast roared inside me, demanding elimination of possible competition. Ren fucked everything that moved and had no morals about it. Not that I was one to judge, because I did exactly that last year, but not anymore. Nobody was touching the girl. She was under my protection. I promised to keep an eye on her, and I would.
“So, your room is upstairs at the end of the hall. You have your own bathroom, not big, but separate. In the house, there is me, Ren, Hawk, and Carter. The rest live in the outlying cabins or barns. We usually start the day at 6:00 a.m., so breakfast has to be ready by that time. You have to clean house and do laundry, also the sheets and stuff like that. Once a week, you’ll be going either alone, with Carter, or with me to buy groceries. Every two weeks, you’ll get your salary, and on Saturday night, you're allowed to go into town. Any questions?”
By the look on her face, she was fucking confused by everything I’d said, and when I mentioned the time for breakfast, she paled a little. What did she expect? It was a ranch, not a beach resort. She’d have to do the job; otherwise, we wouldn’t keep her—no matter how hot she was. And I so didn’t need to think about how hot she was, because it created all the images in my head I didn’t want. Like her naked on my bed while I came inside her. My dick twitched, a sign I needed to change my thoughts or she would run away from here shouting harassment. It wasn’t like I hadn't seen beautiful women before. There was something about her, though, that made all those women pale in comparison. As if my life was not already fucked-up enough.
“Um, yeah, I guess. I’ll start tomorrow, then?” Her tone was hopeful, and I noticed how she was waving her shirt, which was stuck to her body, and she was rubbing her forehead with the other hand. It was late afternoon and some good dinner wouldn’t hurt, but I couldn’t make her work. She needed rest.
“Sure.” I was about to move away from her, when her eyes caught mine. God, those green eyes were so beautiful, like the finest emeralds shining under the sun. I needed to get laid. If it wasn’t a sign, I didn’t know what was. The dry spell I’d inflicted upon myself was making me think crazy thoughts about the girl I’d met just a few minutes ago. Problem was that any thought about doing it with anyone else put my dick back in place.
She shifted from foot to foot, took a deep breath, and quickly muttered, “I don’t know how to cook.” What the hell? What was the point of her being here then? We needed the house cleaned, but the main reason we wanted her at the house was the guys were getting tired of pizza, sandwiches, and the occasional barbecue from Alan. Why would Hawk hire her? Suspicion ran through me, but I tried to ignore it. There was no need to search for something that wasn’t there.
“Does Hawk know about that? Because no way would he hire you without the cooking clause.”
“I don’t think so. He made the agreement with my dad, so no clue what he told him.” Yeah, he just bet she didn’t. Who agreed to work on a ranch and not ask what responsibilities awaited him or her there?
“Weren’t you interested to know at least something?”
“I needed a job. Thanks to Dad, I got one. Didn’t seem like it was important going into details.” She needed the cash badly or else she wouldn’t have come here. She seemed too polished, too straight, and too snobbish to be just a common college student struggling to make ends meet. Plus, her proud stance and wrinkling of her cute little nose in distaste at the smells outside… there was more to the story, but I wouldn’t ask. Hawk knew what he was doing; besides, it wasn’t my business to know what brought her here.
“Fine, then you’d better learn how and quick, because you have thirty men to feed. See you tomorrow. In case you need anything, my room is across the hall from yours, first door on the left. Carter’s room is last from the right.”
I didn’t want to spend one more minute with her, because she was a temptation I had to resist. I nodded without waiting for her reply and went back to the stable where I was working before she arrived. Lightning was moody and didn’t want to listen to anybody but me, so I had no choice but to train him. It wasn’t my strong suit though; actually, nothing in ranching was. Sometimes I had no clue what the fuck I was doing.
I couldn’t keep the whole situation with Ren out of my head either. The animosity between us couldn’t be ignored. He hated me, and I knew I’d screwed up. I didn’t try to hurt him intentionally, but he just never cared enough to listen to what I had to say.
One more reason I shouldn’t have come here in the first place.