CHAPTER TWO
Chelsea
No handbook can prepare a girl for her debut into the public spotlight. It’s a sink or swim situation. I knew as long as Ben kept his hand wound around mine I’d be on the swimming end. If he let go, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to come up for air on my own.
I clasped a little tighter around his palm. I felt steadier this way. Ben wouldn’t let them drown me like they did in the store parking lot. He was here this time. Together. We were together.
I hoped I had convinced him with enough smiles and laughter that I could take on the press. With the crowd gathered below, nothing could be farther from the truth.
The flashes came in rapid succession until I felt my feet hit the runway pavement.
“Ben, where’s Rebecca?”
“Is this the new girl?”
“Welcome back to Texas.”
“Is Rebecca still heartbroken?”
“Have you spoken to her?”
“Do you feel responsible for ending the relationship, Chelsea?”
My head whipped in the direction of the last question. The questions and comments flew from all angles. The tenseness started in my shoulders, rounded my elbow, and locked in my fingers. Ben knuckles were probably white from how hard I held on.
I studied him amid the flashes, looking for the same panicked look that had crept across my face, but he was smiling.
“Hey, y’all. Just happy to be back home.” He grinned, his white teeth in perfect rows forming a killer smile. He slapped one of the reporters on the back as if they were buddies. “There’s no place like Texas.”
The comment stung a bit, but I reminded myself he had to play the part for the reporters. He was a professional. There was a reason the press liked him so much.
“What about Love & Bondage, Ben? Have you signed yet?”
“The author tweeted today she wants you for the movie.”
“Did you hear Chip Heart is up for the role too?”
I followed Ben as he weaved through the crowd, navigating a path like an expert. He didn’t acknowledge the Love & Bondage questions.
He threw his free hand in the air to wave to the group. “We’ll see y’all later. Have a good night.”
He held the glass door open and shuttled me inside the private airport.
“You did great.” He smiled. “One more door and we’ll be on our way to the ranch.” He started down the tiled corridor, his boots echoing off the walls. “Chelsea?”
Maybe this is what stage fright felt like. Maybe it was what rookie singers dealt with before a performance. It was one of the reasons I stuck to songwriting. I couldn’t form a word. My throat was dry, and if I was supposed to take another step forward, I wasn’t sure how to make my legs execute the movements. The resolve I had felt when we were on the plane melted as soon as the reporters started pelting us with questions. All I could think about was the day they assaulted me in the General Store parking lot. It was sickeningly familiar.
“Darlin’, what’s wrong?” Ben’s hands were on either shoulder, his grip firm. “Hold on, let’s sit down for a second.”
He led me toward an open door, maneuvered me into the room, and placed me in a recliner. It didn’t look like a regular lounge room. I noticed the navigation charts on the walls, the warming coffee pot, and the low hum of the news channel running in the background. This must be where the pilots congregated before flights.
Ben shoved a cup of cold water in my hand. “Take a sip,” he ordered.
I did as he commanded, as if under some kind of hypnosis. The water felt cool on the back of my throat, soothing the dryness.
“Ok, I know that was a lot to handle out there, but if we can make it through one more door, it will be over.” He knelt in front of me, brushing the hair away from my face. “The ranch is gated, and there are twenty acres between the road and the front door. No press there, I promise. But you take your time. We’ll stay here as long as you need.”
For a few moments, I felt my lungs fill then relax as they were depleted of air. Was it only this morning I had packed her bags for Austin, prepared to make this journey alone? There was no Ben. There was no us. No we. I was tackling this trip on my own. Diving headfirst into my songwriting career. All that changed the second he spotted me on the ferry.
“Chelsea?”
His voice urged me to answer.
“Yeah?”
“Do you want to try it? The car is right outside the door. We’ll be out of here in a second, baby.” His hands rested on my knees as I sipped the last drops of water.
He had warned me about the Rebecca questions, but hearing them still startled me. When I was with Ben, I didn’t think about anyone else, especially not his ex. But Rebecca was clearly on everyone else’s mind. The cocoon we had lived in on the island all summer was over. From now on, I would be sharing Ben with the prying eyes of the world. The problem was, I wasn’t sure I was ready for it.
He ran a hand through his sandy brown hair, keeping his gaze on me.
“Ok,” I whispered.
“Ok?”
I nodded. “I’m ready. One more door, right?”
Ben stood tall in front of me, and then pulled me against him. “One more door. That’s it. You’ve got this.” He led me to the corridor.
It was a simple glass door. The kind that allowed people to enter or exit the private terminal. There was a single doorknob on it, with a chime that rang every time someone opened it. I stared through it as we walked closer, knowing there was more to this door than any other I had faced.
The camera lights bounced around us. Ben ushered me into the passenger side before jogging to the driver’s seat. An airport worker handed him a set of keys, gushed a few fan words, and then closed the door behind the star.
Ben’s hand slid to my knee. The paralysis that had gripped me was finally subsiding. It wasn’t normal, but breathing felt easier.
“Ready to see the ranch?” He winked then shifted the car into drive. “You just made it through the hardest part.”
***
The only ranches I was familiar with were in movies. There was nothing even close to resembling a ranch on Brees Island unless you could call Paul McIntire’s place a beach ranch.
Wagon wheels, rustic fences, and open fields with running horses were the first images I associated with Ben’s home, even though I had never seen a single picture of it. It was a clichéd stereotype, but it wasn’t as if he had given me anything to go on.
I should know these things about where he was from. We had spent an entire summer together. When you spend that much time with someone, shouldn’t you know what his house looks like? What color his bedroom is? If he even has a single houseplant? I wondered if there were more things I didn’t know than I did.
So much had happened since this morning.
We had put ourselves back together. It felt real and secure, but at the same time, I knew it was delicate. I only had four days in Austin to work out my contract with Blue Steel before I was scheduled to return home. What if we couldn’t make all the broken pieces fit together the way they did before?
“Hey, what’s going on over there?” Ben turned down the radio.
“What do you mean?” My gaze had been set out of the window ever since we pulled away from the terminal curb, but I couldn’t recall anything I had seen on the drive.
“You look like you’re thinking about something, and I have a feeling it’s not lyrics.” He slowed the car to a crawl and turned onto a dirt road. “But if there’s a song in there, I want to hear it.”
I shrugged, not wanting to sour his happy mood. This was part of the delicate stage we were in. I was still trying to find my footing. “No song. Just taking in the scenery. Are we at the ranch?” I looked at the big B displayed over the gate’s archway.
“Yep. This is it.” He rolled down the window and entered an access code into the keypad.
I watched as the iron fence separated just enough for the car to pass through. He waved at a man stationed in a small hut by the gate. The gates closed behind us as Ben drove over the threshold of the Baldwin estate.
I tried to quell the excitement that had started to bubble. I prided myself on not getting wrapped up in celebrity, or in this case, all the perks of being with a movie star. But it was becoming more evident that Ben lived a completely different life than I did.
“Tomorrow, when we have some daylight, I’ll show you the whole place. I know it’s kind of hard to see right now.” Ben pointed out a few of the fields and ponds along the way, explaining what kind of fish he had stocked or where the particular cattle came from.
I listened and watched as the acres rolled under the tires and the car drove deeper into the ranch, turning around sharp corners and following the fence line.
“All of this is yours?” I asked.
“Sure is, darlin’. And see? Those reporters can’t get in here. The perimeter fence is wired, there’s a gate, and I have a security system on the house. You’ll be as far away from that mess as I can get you.”
His eyes focused on the driveway that had sprung up out of the gravel. I stared at the house in front of me. If you could call it that. It wasn’t a house. It was a resort.
“This? This is your ranch?” I pointed to the sprawling set of buildings. It was bigger than South Fork. It was bigger than the White House. It was a monster ranch.
“What do you think?” He waited while one of the ten garage doors opened and he could steer the car inside.
“When you said ranch, I thought you meant a little house out in the open. This-this is…” I didn’t know how to finish the statement without hurting his feelings.
Now that I was here, I could see what a contrast it was for him to spend an entire summer in a camper. Silver Sand Dollar was probably the size of his pantry. How could the same person live in this mansion?
I stepped from the car and waited for Ben to direct me. There were multiple doors surrounding us, and I didn’t know which one would take me inside. Suddenly, I felt off balance again.
“Right this way.” He ushered me in the closest door, and we walked through a short hallway before emerging in the kitchen.
“Wow.” I had never seen anything like it. It was as if I was standing in the center of an Architectural Digest spread.
“Lenny’s probably still awake if you want something.” Ben tossed our bags on the floor.
“Oh no. I’m good.” My hand slid along the smooth granite, feeling it’s coolness against my palm.
“How about a drink?” He opened a closet door. No, it wasn’t a closet—it was a beer fridge. Ben had an entire walk-in closet stocked with beer. Cold beer.
I nodded. Over the summer, I had gotten used to drinking it with him. It might help make things feel grounded again. Because standing here in his opulent kitchen, I felt like the girl from a small island was more like a fish out of water.
He twisted off the tops and handed me an icy bottle. “Welcome to the ranch.” His bottle tapped against mine.
I smiled before taking a sip.
“Mr. Baldwin, you’re home.” A man in his mid-thirties appeared in the doorway.
“Hey, Lenny. Yep, just got in.” Ben crossed the kitchen to shake his hand. “This is Chelsea. She’s going to be staying at the ranch.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Chelsea.” Lenny grinned.
“Oh, you can call me Chelsea. No need for the ‘miss’ part.” I grew up calling people “miss,” but I didn’t feel old enough for someone to use it on me, and especially not someone who was older than me.
“Certainly, Miss—er, Chelsea.” Lenny blushed then took a step toward the refrigerator. “Can I fix a late dinner for you two? I’m sure you’re hungry from the trip.” He started rummaging through a crisper drawer.
Ben tipped his eyebrows in my direction. “Lenny’s the best. You sure you don’t want something? An omelet? Grilled cheese? A steak?”
I shook my head and clasped the cold bottle in hand. “Still not hungry.”
“All right, Lenny, I think we’re good. See you in the morning.”
“Good night, Mr. Baldwin. Good to have you home. We missed you around here. Call if you need anything.” Lenny disappeared through the side door.
“Does he live here?” I asked. I hadn’t checked the time, but it had to be close to ten o’clock.
“Sure does. He has an apartment off the kitchen and has a garden courtyard. He grows fresh herbs. Pretty amazing guy.”
“Wow, that sounds incredible. He grows all the herbs?”
Ben stepped closer, placing his bottle on the counter. His arm circled my waist. “What do you say I show you the main suite? Particularly the shower?” He winked.
I giggled. Our last shower had been in a two by two, cramped camper. I could only imagine what this one would be like.
“Yes, I like the sound of that.” I bit lightly on my lower lip as Ben’s hand slid along the back of my shirt, inching above my waist.
His lips pressed into mine, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him deeper into me. His tongue swirled, and the little moans that escaped my throat surprised me. Somehow, after a week apart, this still felt new. I felt my hips settle on the counter as Ben lifted me on the smooth surface.
All the burning I felt for him surfaced in rapid succession as his kisses trailed from my lips down my throat. His mouth toyed at the base of my neck as his fingers began unfastening the buttons holding my shirt together.
“Ah-hem.”
I jumped as I heard a woman’s voice at the other end of the kitchen.
I grasped at the corners of my shirt to button them back together.
“Excuse me, sir.” The woman’s eyes focused on the floor.
“Hi, Nan.” Ben took a step away and straightened his jeans. I had to fight off a giggle. He was clearly struggling with the stretched and hardened bulge in his jeans.
“I heard you were back and wanted to welcome you home and see if there was anything you needed.” Nan still hadn’t brought her eyes any higher.
“We were just headed up.” Ben grabbed my hand and helped me down from the counter. “This is Chelsea. She’s going to be staying at the ranch.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” Nan nodded and smiled.
I couldn’t fathom a more awkward introduction. I was practically half-undressed from the waist up, and Ben’s mouth had been torching my skin when the woman walked in. I could still feel heat radiating from my neck.
“Nice to meet you too.” I smiled weakly, still clasping my shirt.
“Should I prepare one of the guest suites?” Nan asked.
Ben chuckled. “No, no, I think I can take care of her accommodations.”
If the woman was fazed by his directness, she didn’t show it. I hoped that wasn’t a sign that Ben regularly hosted women in his room. I had to stop thinking like that.
“Certainly. Let me know if you need anything this evening.” Nan walked out of the kitchen.
Ben turned toward me. “Sorry about that. I guess I should have thought about the employees. It's just hard to keep my hands off you.” He squeezed my inner thigh, pressing with his thumb.
“How many more are there?” I asked.
“In the house? Just two more, but they don’t live here. Out on the land, I have twenty,” he replied.
“Twenty?” I gulped.
“Yep. Security, maintenance, landscapers, ranch hands for the cattle and horses. It’s kind of a long list. Then there are the others who work for me directly or for the foundation that I meet with regularly. None of them live here.”
I tried to process the information. There was basically a Ben Baldwin army at his disposal.
“What did they do while you were gone all summer?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not sure. I kept them on payroll, so I sure as hell hope they kept working.”
“But Nan lives here?” I prodded. “Like Lenny?”
“Yes. You could say she’s like the mother hen of the place. She watches out for me. Sometimes a little too closely, but I’d rather her be dedicated to her job than not give a damn.” He grabbed my hand. “Come on. I want you to see the shower.”
At least there wouldn’t be any more interruptions tonight, but I wasn’t sure I could get used to the fact that my bachelor didn’t actually live alone. Would we ever be alone? Were Nan and Lenny always at the ranch? Tonight probably wasn’t the best time to ask more questions, but I knew this was just the beginning of trying to understand the brand and the world that was Ben Baldwin.
###
Keep reading for three of my absolute favorite books from my friend Violet Paige. If you love bad boys, you’ll love these sexy Texans!