Chapter 8
LENNOX
The private jet is obscene. Cream leather seats, polished wood accents, a full bar, a bedroom in the back with a door that closes.
The Drake logo, a stylized longhorn with a crown, which is the same as the hotel logo and their whiskey business, is embossed on everything from the headrests to the cocktail napkins.
I stand in the doorway at the top of the stairs, looking at the luxury that will carry me to my new prison and feel the last threads of my old life snap.
My apartment is gone. Packed up by strangers while I was spread on an examination table, having a doctor verify that my husband had fucked me.
Everything I owned, my books, my photos, the quilt my grandmother made me, the coffee mug I bought at a gas station in Nevada on the drive to California, all of it is either in the cargo hold of this plane or locked in some storage unit I won’t see again for two years.
I have nothing; I am nothing. I’m reduced to being just Mrs. Sebastian Drake.
“Sit.” Sebastian’s hand presses against the small of my back, guiding me inside. Claiming. Always claiming. “We’ll be wheels up in five minutes.”
I sit in a chair at the back of the plane, hoping he’ll get the hint that I want to be alone, but of course he follows anyway. Sebastian takes the seat directly across from me, his long legs stretching into my space, making it impossible to ignore him.
A flight attendant appears—young, pretty, wearing the Drake logo on her uniform, and Sebastian orders whiskey. Neat. She looks at me expectantly.
“The same,” I say. My voice sounds so hollow.
She disappears, and Sebastian leans back in his seat, studying me with those dark eyes that see too much.
“You handled the exam well,” he says.
I stare out the window at the tarmac, at the California coast beyond, at everything I am leaving behind. “Did I have a choice?”
“No. But you could’ve made it harder.” The flight attendant returns with our drinks, and Sebastian takes his without looking at her. All his attention stays on me. “Instead, you were composed. Dignified, even.”
“You mean I acted like a good wife.”
His smile is sharp. “It’s what you are now.”
The engines start, a low rumble that makes the whole cabin vibrate. I take a long swallow of the amber liquid, welcoming the burn. Anything to feel something other than used.
“Tell me about your family,” I say. If I’m going to walk into the lion’s den, I need to know what I’m facing. “You said your mother will love me. Why?”
Sebastian swirls his whiskey, watching the amber liquid catch the light.
“Because you’re exactly what Eleanor Drake has been praying for.
Good bloodlines. Strong stock. She’s been on my ass for years to settle down with someone appropriate.
Someone who understands legacy, duty, the responsibilities that come with our name. ”
“And your father?”
“Walker.” Sebastian’s expression doesn’t change, but something darkens in his eyes. “He’s tough. He’s had to be to raise three boys and my sister all to the standard he wanted. But he’s fair, as long as you don’t cross him.”
The casual cruelty of that statement makes my stomach turn. “And your siblings?”
“Nathaniel is the oldest. Forty, runs the ranch, does everything Dad wants without question. The dutiful son.” There is an edge to Sebastian’s voice now.
Resentment, maybe. “His wife died almost a year ago. He has twin girls who are four years old, Harper and Hadley. They are amazing, but Nathaniel has his hands full with them.”
Sebastian’s entire aura changes as he speaks about his nieces. This is a brief moment of humanity I’ve seen in him since we walked off the stage together. Harper and Hadley have their uncle wrapped around their pinky fingers, and it is actually super cute.
“Then it’s me, then came Caroline. She’s thirty-five. Manages the oil leases. She’s brilliant, ruthless, probably has more secrets than the rest of us combined.” Sebastian takes another drink. “Don’t underestimate her. She seems sweet, but she’s a viper when she needs to be.”
I snort. “She would have to be to put up with you.”
“And James is thirty. He’s the baby, the oops, a wild card, if you will. He runs the whiskey distillery.” He sets his empty glass down. “He’ll probably be the only one who doesn’t immediately try to figure out how to use you for his own purposes.”
The plane starts moving, taxiing toward the runway. My hands grip the armrests, knuckles white, because I hate walking into situations where I’m behind the eight ball.
“What do they know about me?” I ask.
“Not much yet.” Sebastian leans forward, elbows resting on his knees, closing the distance between us. “My father texted in the night. I might run the auctions, but he’s never very far from every business that we run.”
“Did you tell him anything about me?”
“No. I’m sure Dad’s figured out who you are, but if he knows your family, he hasn’t said anything to me.” The plane accelerates, engines roar, and then we lift off, California dropping away beneath us.
Sebastian stands and walks away from his seat, and I turn back to the window, watching clouds rush past. Three hours to Texas. Three hours before my life once again changes into something I don’t recognize.
“There are rules,” Sebastian says, returning to his seat with a fresh drink. “For when we’re with my family.”
“Of course there are.” I sigh.
“First, you don’t contradict me. Ever. If I say something, you agree. If they ask you questions, you defer to me.” He watches me over the rim of his glass. “Second, you’re affectionate. Hold my hand. Let me touch you. Act like we’re newlyweds who can’t keep our hands off each other.”
My stomach turns again. “Right, I’ll try to remember that.”
“Don’t embarrass me in front of my family.” His voice is sharper than I expected. Maybe sharper than he intended.
“I’m not feral, Sebastian, I know how to be appealing and accommodating. You’re well acquainted with that side of me.”
“Third,” he continues, “you don’t discuss our arrangement with anyone. The entire family knows about the auctions, but we don’t discuss them. What happens between us stays between us, and our agreement stays between us.”
“Yeah, no kidding.”
He stands and walks to the back of the plane. “I’m going to make some calls. There’s food in the galley if you’re hungry.”
Then he disappears into what I assume is an office, leaving me alone with my whiskey, my thoughts and the reality that I’m flying toward a family that will smile at me while assessing my worth both as a wife to a powerful man and a new member of an influential family.
I must have dozed off at some point because I wake to Sebastian’s hand on my shoulder, shaking me gently.
“We’re landing in twenty minutes,” he says. “You need to cover up.”
I blink, disoriented. The sun is lower now, late afternoon light streaming through the windows. My neck aches from sleeping at an awkward angle.
Sebastian holds out a silk dress, deep burgundy, expensive. It has long sleeves and a high neckline, with a delicate slit that stops mid-thigh. Pure elegance.
“You can change in the bedroom.” He points to the door he exited moments ago.
Without hesitating, I walk to the back and into the bedroom.
It looks like the rest of the plane, but the large bed takes up most of the space.
There is a desk with some papers neatly organized, and part of me wants to snoop, but instead I just change into the dress.
“Now you look fit to be presented as my wife,” he says when I walk back into the main cabin.
Wife. I can’t get used to the idea, but I don’t react. I won’t give him the satisfaction.
I look out the window as the plane descends. Texas spreads out beneath us, flat, brown, endless. So different from Montana’s mountains and California’s coast. This is Drake country: their land, their rules, their world.
And now mine.
The plane touches down on a private airstrip, bouncing slightly before smoothing out. Through the window, I can see buildings in the distance, massive barns, what looks like a main house, vehicles moving on dirt roads. The Drake ranch.
“Remember the rules,” Sebastian says as the plane taxies to a stop. “Smile. Be charming. Act like you’re in love with me.”
“I barely know you.”
He moves his finger under my chin, lifting my head to look at him. “You can and you will. You’re my wife, that’s the only thing that matters.”
The plane stops. The flight attendant opens the door, and hot Texas air rushes in, carrying the smell of dust and cattle and something else I can’t identify. Money, maybe? Power?
Sebastian stands, straightening his shirt, running a hand through his dark hair. Then he offers me his hand.
“Come on, wife. Time to meet the family.”
I take his hand, letting him pull me to my feet. My legs are unsteady, whether from the flight or nerves or exhaustion, I can’t tell. He wraps his arm around me to steady me, his eyes looking to my mouth before he lowers his head and steals a quick kiss, making my head spin.
We walk to the door together, and I look out at the Drake ranch spread before us.
A black SUV is parked near the plane, and beside it stands a man who can only be Sebastian’s father.
Walker Drake is in his late sixties but looks like he could still work a full day on the ranch without breaking a sweat.
Tall, broad-shouldered, with weathered skin from decades in the sun.
He wears jeans, boots and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, showing forearms corded with muscle and marked with scars.
His hair is mostly gray, cut short, and his eyes – even from this distance – are sharp. He has a cowboy hat in his hands.
He looks like a king surveying his kingdom.
Sebastian’s hand tightens on mine as we descend the stairs. The heat hits me like a physical force, so different from California’s coastal coolness or Montana’s mountain air. This is oppressive, demanding, the kind of heat that makes you remember you are at nature’s mercy.
Walker Drake doesn’t move as we approach. Just stands there, watching us with an expression I can’t read.
“Dad,” Sebastian says when we are close enough. His voice is different now, harder, more guarded. “This is Lennox. My wife.”
I feel Walker’s eyes on me, traveling from my face down my body and back up again. Assessing. Just like Sebastian warned.
I lift my chin and meet his gaze directly. I might be Sebastian’s wife, but I am still a Briggs. I know how to face down men who think they own the world.
Something flickers in Walker’s eyes. Surprise, maybe. Or respect.
“Warren Briggs’s daughter,” he says finally. His voice is deep, rough, carrying the weight of decades of giving orders and being obeyed. “I always enjoy seeing your father at conferences or cattle shows. I sure was sorry to hear about his health problems.”
“Thank you, sir, he’s doing much better,” I say, keeping my voice steady.
“Sir.” Walker’s lips twitch. “Polite too. That’s good. Eleanor will appreciate that.” He finally uncrosses his arms and extends his hand. “Welcome to Devil’s Ridge Ranch, Lennox. Hope you’re ready for what you’ve married into.”
I shake his hand; his grip is firm, testing, his palm calloused from work, and I force a smile. “I’m looking forward to it.” Lying hasn’t ever come easy for me, but these words roll off my tongue with ease.
Walker looks at Sebastian. “Your mother’s beside herself. She’s been driving the staff crazy. She wants a full family dinner tonight.” His eyes cut back to me. “Hope you’re ready.”
“Dad,” Sebastian starts.
“It’s fine,” I interrupt, surprising myself. “I know how these things work.”
Walker’s smile is sharp. “Do you now?”
“Yes, sir. New stock gets inspected. Everyone wants to see what is acquired, decide if the investment is sound.” I meet his eyes steadily. “I’m prepared for that.”
For a long moment, Walker just stares at me. Then he laughs, a short, rough sound.
“I like her,” he says to Sebastian. “She’s got grit. That’s good. The women in this family need it.” He turns and walks toward the SUV. “Come on. Your mother’s waiting, and you know how she gets when she’s kept waiting. There’s a box on the back seat for you, also.” He looks at Sebastian.
Sebastian’s hand finds the small of my back again as we follow his father. He leans down, his lips near my ear.
“That went better than expected,” he murmurs. “Keep it up.”
I don’t respond. Just keep walking toward the SUV that will take us deeper into Drake territory.
A small royal blue box sits on the seat. I don’t dare touch it. Sebastian gets in the SUV and reaches for it. He opens the box, and I look upon the most beautiful diamond ring I’d ever seen. There is one huge diamond in the center, flanked by baguettes and round diamonds surrounding it.
“I hope you like it. This ring belonged to my great-grandmother. Grandpa left it to me after he passed.” Sebastian slips the ring onto my finger, and I notice there is also a band with it.
An eternity band sparkling with diamonds.
“The band is new, maybe we’ll pass it down one day.
” He smiles, and it takes everything in me not to roll my eyes at him.
“They’re stunning, Sebastian, thank you,” I manage to say. He slides a gold band onto his left hand. Now it is real and people can see what we are.
Married.