Entangled Hearts (9 page)

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

“D
o 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 at 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.

Two hours later at an exclusive boutique on Rodeo Drive, Kenya had tried on several form-fitting dresses that fit like a second skin on her behind, but eventually she, Penelope, and Fiona had settled on one: a reverse V-neck, cutout mini-dress that would shock, awe and inspire envious glances. This cocktail dress had a sexy piping, corset-style top with a V-neckline and exquisite lace trim with a padded bust that made her breasts look like they were tumbling out. Megan was styling the dress with dangling spike earrings, finished with high-gloss stilettos and a sequined clutch.

“You are rocking that dress,” Fiona said from the sidelines. “And when Lucas sees you in it, he's going to wish he was dating you for real.”

“Thanks.” Kenya gave a half-hearted smile. “I'm going to get undressed and ready for dance rehearsal.” As she closed the door behind her to the dressing room, that very same scenario was what Kenya was afraid of. That kiss from Lucas the other night was a complication she hadn't expected and certainly didn't need. She didn't need Lucas trying to get close to her,
to Chynna
this week. She needed to keep him at bay because if he should get too close, he might realize the truth. If that should happen, it was only a matter of time before Chynna would have to come forward, and Kenya didn't want that. Not just because Chynna needed the time and space away from the spotlight, but because as hard as it was, it was kind of fun to be someone else for a change. Kenya was enjoying stepping outside herself for a while and trying something new.

Lucas stared at the latest sales reports for his low-performing artists, but it might as well have been in a foreign language because he couldn't focus on them. He threw them down on his cherry wood desk and leaned back in his executive chair and rubbed his head.

Chynna. Damn that woman
. She'd been in his thoughts ever since that kiss last night. Rather than review sales, he'd much prefer to be at the dance rehearsal watching Chynna sashay those curves of hers across the dance floor, watch the sweat form on her bosom and wish that she was sweating underneath him as he pumped deep inside her.

Oh Lord!!
Lucas shook his head. What the hell was happening to him? He'd never been this horny for a woman before and certainly not without acting on it to relieve himself. Problem was, the moment he'd decided he'd like to take Chynna James to bed was the moment she'd decided she was no longer interested. Of course, her response to him last night had proved she wasn't as immune to him as she protested, yet that brought him little solace. He was not used to having to court to get a woman's favor. With his stature in Hollywood, women came to him. So, it was a bit disconcerting that he might actually have to romance a woman.

Lucas chuckled.
Guess I'm about to find out if chivalry isn't dead after all.

Kenya was nervous yet excited as she sat waiting for Carter Wright to come into his office. Several minutes ago, his perky brunette assistant had let her in and offered her a bottle of Perrier, but Kenya was too nervous to drink. She'd dreamed of working with Carter her entire career, but the odds of an unknown actress such as herself on an underrated television series getting that opportunity was slim to none; but here she was in his office.

She knew she wasn't there based on her own talents, but rather Chynna's name, but that still didn't mean she wouldn't give the performance of her life and convince him that Chynna was worth keeping on the film and not replacing with another actress. She'd done her homework and read the script from cover to cover.

Kenya was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't hear Carter come into the room until he was standing right in front of her.

“Well, if it isn't the elusive Chynna James,” Carter said. He glanced around the room. “And without her entourage,” he said with a thin-lipped smile. “I'm impressed.”

Kenya rose from her chair with self-assured confidence to face the older Caucasian gentlemen. He was a tall man with nearly white hair and a beer belly, but he was a master of film. “I'm perfectly capable of speaking with you myself.”

Carter raised an eyebrow. “Someone's feeling confident today. Perhaps your two-week stint in obscurity played a part?”

Kenya walked toward him and stared him directly in the eye. “I took some much needed time off, not only to allow the vultures time to cool their heels, but also to get my head back on straight and prepare myself for this film.”

“I'm not sure there will be a film,” Carter responded. “The producers are skittish about pairing you and Blake together again after this incident. Blake and Giselle are America's sweethearts, and you're viewed as the interloper. They think the movie will tank if we move forward, and I can't say that I disagree with them, especially given your performance prior to this debacle.”

Shit. Shit. Shit.
Chynna didn't need this. Kenya needed to salvage Chynna's film career. She couldn't let it go up in smoke before it had even gotten started. “I appreciate your candor, Carter,” Kenya replied, “but I can assure you my performance will be much improved.”

“You couldn't deliver your lines with one shred of emotion.”

“Try me,” Kenya boasted. She knew she was a damn good actress and could convince Carter Wright of Chynna's capabilities.

“Alright, Chynna, you're on.” He went behind his desk and pressed the intercom button. “Suzie, get me Liam for a reading.”

“Yes, Mr. Wright,” said the female voice on the other end.

Kenya pulled off the cropped leather jacket that Megan
had paired with her edgy skintight leather leggings and poplin white shirt, and she prepared to knock the socks off the director. He expected Chynna would be nervous and unprepared, but Kenya was going to deliver a stellar performance.

Several minutes later, a ruddy-faced, blond man came into the office. “You wanted to see, Mr. Wright?”

Carter waved him inside. “I sure did. I want you to read with Ms. James.” He flipped open the script. “Scene twelve.”

Kenya knew the scene intimately. It was a scene that required Chynna to give a nuanced performance of sadness at losing her daughter before giving way to passion between her and the hero, which in this case, would be Liam. Carter was sure hitting below the belt with this one. Kenya wasn't sure Chynna would have been able to pull off the scene in a cold read, but Kenya was a seasoned pro. She was used to working with actors she didn't know.

She sat down on the sofa and put her head in her hands. “I can't believe she's gone,” Kenya wailed. “She's all that I had.”