Chapter 3
Chapter
Three
HEARTbrEAKER
Shaw
“It only took me one look. One look and I was done for.”-S
I ’ve been sitting in silence for ten minutes, my thoughts wandering from Ben’s request to what is expected of me while guarding the heiress when I hear her stir. Lifting my gaze from the steering wheel, I turn to look at her as she sits up and tries to get her bearings. There’s no denying her beauty—the kind that crashes into you, leaving you no choice but to stop and stare. Like right now. I can’t help but stare.
“Hey,” she says, her voice groggy from sleep as she straightens in her seat. “Why didn’t you wake me up?” She must have drifted off halfway through the long drive; the change in time zones has probably left her tired. And I’m sure finding out there’s a sick fuck after her and her family must have taken a toll on her.
It sure as fuck has me on edge. I might be a mean bastard, but I’m not heartless. She’s in a shitty situation, yet she hasn’t fallen apart.
Turning off the engine, I pocket the keys, grab her small bag, and get out of the truck. I quickly start unloading her stuff from the back. How many things does one woman need? “You’re awake now.”
“Whoa.” The girl breathes out, making me stop mid-suitcase in the air to look her way. “I wasn’t expecting…”
I watch in silence as she takes in the scenery before us. The ranch. Sunshine Stables. It’s no ordinary ranch. It’s an estate with more space than I need. The three-story ranch house was a legacy inheritance—one that was left to my mother, and when she passed, it ended up in my hands.
I never wanted it. Not the place nor the responsibility. But I was left with no choice.
Dark memories try to make their way to the forefront of my mind, but I shove them the fuck back like I always do. They hold no power over me. Liar…
I focus on the moment instead and ignore the ugly thoughts. The ranch. It’s just a place—a pretentious one, but the way Ella is looking at it makes me feel a pang in my chest. I feel… proud.
My mother left this place in ruins when I left Montana at eighteen. Since returning, I’ve dedicated myself to repairing and transforming it into what it is today. It no longer looks like the estate my grandparents left Mom. I made a few changes of my own, and those changes have helped keep the ghosts buried. I’ve also worked on the structure and the live cattle to keep this place running.
I hated it when I was younger, but as I got older, I came to appreciate the silence and peace this land offers me. The flora and the animals are a great distraction as well. The people here are nicer and not too consumed by trivial things. Everyone is friendly—too damn friendly for my taste. But with all the shit I have going on here at the ranch, I barely visit the town unless I need to, which is rare since Phoenix, my right-hand and good friend, handles most of that shit himself so I don’t have to.
Ripping my gaze from the front of the house, my eyes clash with curious blue ones. Those eyes make me feel as if she can see right through me. Can she? I wonder. Feeling too damn exposed, I open my mouth and do what I do best. I fuck it up. “What were you expecting, princess? A small cottage up in the mountains?”
Ella narrows her eyes, and I see a fire there—a fire blazing with determination. “No, grump. But I wasn’t expecting something of this…”
Grump?
This girl…
My mouth twitches, but I quickly conceal it and get to work on her damn suitcases. Who takes five large-as-fuck suitcases to Europe? Ellaiza Kenton, that’s who. Ripping my eyes from her before she sees more than I want her to, I hand her one of the smaller suitcases for her to take into the house herself.
“Something of this…” I repeat, wanting to know what she thinks of my ranch for some reason unbeknownst to me. She then turns and meets my gaze. Her pretty eyes light up, and suddenly a strange feeling coils in the pit of my stomach. Not this again. “Something so beautiful.”
Thud.
Another pang in my chest while the intense feeling in my stomach grows stronger as she keeps staring at me. Then, as if she forgets herself, she shakes her head, trying to make the pink hue on her cheeks fade away. Blush. She’s blushing so prettily.
Clearing my throat, I force myself out of this strange trance this girl has placed me under and move toward the front gates of the ranch house. She follows me to the main entrance and waits while I enter the code in the keypad and then push open the door. Once inside, I hold the door open and wait for her to step in.
“Welcome to your home for the upcoming weeks, Miss Kenton,” I murmur as I place her bags on the floor and lock the door behind us. Nobody knows she’s here except for her parents and Ben, but I won’t be taking any chances with her life. After the freak is caught, I’ll return her safely to her perfect world, and everything will go back to normal. Same old normal. Lonely. Boring. Just how I prefer it.
“Please call me Ella, Shaw. We’re not strangers.”
But we are. I don’t know this girl. I only knew the five-year-old she once was briefly, but this woman who resembles her mother, Arianna Parisi, in looks and mannerisms—I have no connection with her, nor do I wish to. My focus is solely on doing my job.
Harsh? Perhaps. But life is cruel for the rest of us. The ones who weren’t born with a silver spoon in our privileged mouths. Why make it harder? You don’t get hurt if you have no one to lose. I learned that the hard way.
“Shaw.” Her sultry and sweet voice brings me back to the moment. I lift my gaze, and my eyes clash with her gentle ones.
“Let’s go,” I grumble before turning to carry her bags up the long staircase to one of the many empty rooms in this place. It is one of the nicest rooms here and as big as the master room—light and airy with white wood walls that give it a cozy feel, furnished with a king-sized bed, floor-to-ceiling mirrors, bedside tables, a red quilt on the bed—but probably not the glitz and glamor she’s accustomed to.
I set her suitcases on the long stool at the bottom of the bed and turn around to find her right in front of me. I rake my hand through my hair, trying to shake off the strange feeling I get whenever I’m near her.
Fuck.
What is happening?
What a strange fucking feeling.
I need to get out of here.
Edging out of the bedroom, I take the stairs down to the main level with her following on my heels. “Come looking for me if you need anything.” I am on the last step when she calls my name. I look over my shoulder, my brow cocked in question.
She looks nervous and… disappointed. “You’re leaving?”
I give her a dull look. “Get some sleep. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”
She reaches upwards and plays with a long curl—a nervous tick, I guess. Twirling the black, silky strand, she speaks again. “A long day? Why’s that?”
“Work,” is all I say. This is no vacation. She’ll learn that soon enough.
One dark brow furrow in confusion. “Work?”
A smile almost slips out again.
“What? You thought this was a vacation, moonshine?” Her slow intake of breath reminds me that I fucked up again. I clear my throat before speaking. “We’ll go into town tomorrow to get you some appropriate clothes.”
She looks down at her outfit, confused. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”
I raise an eyebrow. “You’re not in D.C. anymore, Ellaiza.” She narrows her eyes, looking annoyed. Even angry, the heiress is so damn pretty. “Goodnight.” With that, I turn and leave her standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at me in confusion.
It isn’t until I’m outside that I can breathe properly again.
Dammit.
These are going to be a long few weeks.