Red Lines

by T. A. Foster

  He quietly closed the door behind him and jogged down the stairs. He wasn’t sure he had ever felt this happy at the ranch before. Corny as it sounded, every step felt lighter.

  The kitchen was bright and smelled like coffee. God, he had missed being home.

  “Good morning, Mr. Carlson. I have coffee and was planning on making fresh omelets for you and Miss Haven.” Lenny stood behind the kitchen island, a clean white apron starched against his chest.

  “Good morning. Coffee sounds good.” Evan straddled a bar stool, watching the cook work. The paper was lined up near an empty coffee mug. “I’ll wait for Haven to have breakfast.”

  He shook the paper open and flipped to the entertainment section. There he and Haven were. Front page of the Austin Pop page.

  Carlson home with new love interest

  He scanned the article. He had only given a few quotes, and Haven had remained silent through the maze of reporters. It wasn’t the Texas greeting he wanted for her. He shook the page, urging the paper to stand tall so he could finish reading.

  Evan Carlson, Hollywood heartthrob and star of America’s favorite movies, is starring in his own real-life drama. Spotted at the airport last night with a new leading lady on his arm, the well-known bachelor returned home for the first time since April. Speculation continues to grow whether he will star in Red Lines with Emmy Harper, his ex and the film’s most popular choice for the role.

  “Dammit.” He folded the paper in half.

  “Everything all right, sir?” Lenny filled the mug with dark coffee, so dark Evan wondered if he had added something to it.

  “Yes, just press. You know how it is.” He pulled the sports page from the center. There had to be something better to read than this shit.

  “Yeah, we’ve had a few reporters at the gate over the summer, but nothing we couldn’t handle.” Lenny paused. “I think there’s a crew out this morning. You might want to call up at the gate.”

  “What do you mean ‘a crew’?” The coffee was hot, but he liked whatever brew it was.

  “Looks like they camped out last night. I haven’t talked to Bud, but it’s the press for sure.”

  “Dammit.” Evan pulled his phone from his pocket. It had been awhile since paparazzi had followed him to the ranch. There was a reason the house was in the center of two hundred acres. “Hey, Bud, what’s the situation at the gate?”

  The man he had hired to run the ranch security two years ago cleared his throat before giving him the rundown. “I’d say there are about seven camera crews—not too big—and they are staying on the other side of the road so not much I can do about it.”

  “Good. Good.” Evan chewed over the information. “No one tried to cross the fence?”

  “Nope. They’d get a pretty good shock if they tried.” Bud laughed a deep, hearty laugh. Evan had always liked Bud. He was more like a character you might see on the Dukes of Hazard than a top Jason Bourne agent, but he was from this part of Texas and Evan liked that about his head of security. Bud knew the land, he knew the people in town, and he knew how to set up obstacles that had managed to keep prying eyes off the property. That’s all that mattered.

  “Keep me posted if anything changes.”

  “Will do, sir. And by the way, good to have you home.”

  “Thanks, Bud.” Evan shoved the phone in his pocket and resumed his seat on the stool.

  Haven shuffled into the kitchen, her hair piled high on her head, Evan’s T-shirt draping off her shoulder.

  “Hey, darlin’.” He smiled, hoping she hadn’t heard any of the briefing he had exchanged with Bud.

  “Hey.”

  “Good morning. Can I get you some coffee?” Lenny seemed eager to make Haven comfortable, a gesture Evan appreciated considering all they had dealt with in the past twenty-four hours.

  “Yes, coffee. Thank you.” She nodded then wrapped her arms around Evan’s shoulders.

  He wished Lenny wasn’t here, and that the kitchen was quiet and vacant so they could be alone and talk about last night. Or pick things up where they started on the counter. However, he couldn’t dismiss the cook in front of Haven; that would only make things more awkward.

  He squeezed her palm instead and pulled out the stool next to him. “How’d you sleep?”

  He noticed the crimson on her cheeks and the blue flare in her eyes. “Good.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “I like your bed,” she whispered.

  “I like you in it.” He leaned toward her ear, his lips brushing against the bottom lobe.

  “How does a bacon and cheese omelet sound?” Lenny hovered near them on the other side of the sprawling island.

  “Sure, man. Two omelets.” Evan spun on the stool, his knee pinning the outside of Haven’s leg next to his. It was hard to be this close to her and not touch her how he wanted.

  She reached for the paper. “Any news?”

  His instinct was to grab it from her and toss it in the recycling bin, but what would that do? If they were going to survive the hounds, they would need to do it together and that meant sharing more with her than he ever had before.

  “Actually, we made the Pop page.” He unfolded the section and laid the paper flat so she could read the headline. He searched her face for a reaction.

  “Red Lines? So that’s really a thing? You might be in Red Lines?”

  What the hell? That’s what she took away from their picture?

  “No, I’m not planning on it.”

  “But did you finish reading it?” She looked serious. “How far did you get in the book on the flight?”

  He scratched his head. “I’ve got a few chapters left, not much.”

  “And you seriously don’t want to be in it? It’s huge. Huger than huge.” She smiled at Lenny as he placed a hot cup of coffee in front of her.

  “I don’t know. I’m kind of taking a break.” He mumbled the last part. He wasn’t comfortable discussing his hiatus from acting in front of one of the staff. Nondisclosure agreement or not, he didn’t like taking a chance.

  “Hmm.” Haven twisted her lips. “But it’s hot. It’s Red Lines.”

  “Yeah, it is.” He had tried to focus on the plot when he read it and figure out the cult fascination with the story, but it was hard to ignore the pure sexuality of the book. He knew why women were insane over it. A millionaire playboy with a kinky sex fetish that drove women to toe-curling screams. Yeah, he got it.

  “Here you go.” Lenny delivered two piping hot omelets with sides of fruit and two glasses of orange juice. “Let me know if you need anything else.” He hung his apron on a hook and walked toward his apartment.

  “Thanks, Lenny,” Haven called after him. She took a bite of the omelet, cheese oozing off her fork, bits of bacon crumbling on the plate. “I can’t believe you have someone who cooks for you. You know this is unreal.”

  “I guess maybe it is.” He popped a grape in his mouth and thought about the breakfasts he had in Silver Belle. For the first few weeks, beer was his breakfast staple, but eventually he moved into more of the basic food groups.

  It was nice to have to take care of himself, cook his own meals, even do his own laundry, but he wasn’t about to downsize the ranch staff. He was reminded during the summer of who he really was. The simple things in life helped clear his head, but he was back in reality. This was part of Hollywood ranch life. And he enjoyed it.

  “So back to the movie. What’s holding you back?” Haven asked.

  “The break, remember? I’m trying to ease out of the spotlight, not jump back in it.”

  “Right. You’re going to disappear again? Find another island?” she teased.

  He chuckled. “No, that kind of break is over. I have too many responsibilities to keep that charade up, but I don’t know if getting involved with another film is such a good idea. Thought I could focus on my foundation, maybe hang at the ranch, maybe help a pretty girl write some music.” He winked.

  “I don’t know anything about your foundation.” Her
forehead crinkled. “It’s one of those things you never mentioned.”

  He felt a sharp stab in his chest. There were so many things he had kept from her as Jay Grady, the fictitious writer. The secrets were over. He wouldn’t keep things from her again.

  “Well, the foundation is a pretty big deal to me. I wish I could take all the credit, but it was my sister’s idea. She runs it, but I’m still the ultimate decision-maker, and I have to make appearances from time to time.”

  “But what is it? What does it do?”

  He smiled. The foundation was one of his proudest accomplishments. Although, few people knew it existed. If only it got the same amount of attention as what he ate for lunch.

  “It helps kids from underprivileged families get involved in sports. We pair them up with mentors and coaches. Help them buy gear that they need, practice, work on homework. All that stuff. It’s unbelievable. Really, the best thing I’ve ever done.” He paused, remembering the last time he threw passes with a group of sixth graders. “When I get a chance to spend time with the kids, it makes all this work seem worthwhile.”

  She turned toward him with a smile. “It sounds amazing. I can’t believe you have that on top of everything else. You have a lot going on, Mr. Movie Star. And all this time I thought your biggest problem was screwing up the kayak rentals.”

  “Hey, that only happened once. And I think it was only my second day. You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?”

  “No, never.”

  His phone rang and Evan looked down to see Bud’s number pop up. “Hey, Bud, something wrong?”

  “Just thought you would want to know the crew numbers have almost tripled. We went from seven to twenty.”

  “What the hell? Why?”

  “I don’t know, but I’ll see what I can find out.”

  It was the first time since Evan had fired Allan that he missed the guy. He might have been a snake, but he could scour news reports and had more sources than Evan could fathom. Too bad he still hadn’t interviewed the new guy.

  “Is there something wrong?” Haven looked worried.

  “Nah, just press gathered up at the gate. Don’t worry. I promise they can’t get in here, and you have nothing to worry about.”

  “Are they going to follow me to Blue Steel?” A sudden look of panic swept across her face.

  “No, no. They want some kind of statement or interview. Hell, I don’t know, but I’ll go with you and make sure they leave you alone.”

  He noticed she shifted on the stool and started biting her lip again. “Wait, you don’t want me to go with you?” he asked.

  “It’s not that I don’t want you to go, but maybe I should do this on my own. That was the plan, right? I was headed here to sign my contract and meet with Carly and Bruce. If you go, it might turn into…”

  He didn’t need her to finish her sentence. He knew exactly what she was alluding to. If he went, there would be a media circus descending on Blue Steel Records, and though Bruce was a friend, it might not be wanted.

  “All right, well if I’m not going, I need to send someone with you. You can’t go out in that by yourself.”

  “Like a driver?”

  “More like a bodyguard.”

  “Bodyguard?” He thought she lost a little color in her cheeks. The idea was supposed to make her feel better, not worse.

  “Do I really need that?” She pushed her omelet around on her plate.

  “It’s your first time in Austin, right? Might as well have someone get you to your meeting on time and keep the press out of reach. You don’t want to have to worry about parking downtown. It will be no big deal.”

  “Ok.” She picked up her coffee cup. “If you think it’s the best thing.”

  He nodded. She acquiesced, but he was having a hard time believing she was up for this. This was his life, not hers. Putting her in the fishbowl was tearing at him. There had to be another way; he just didn’t know what it was.

  “I do. What time is your meeting?”

  “Two o’clock.”

  “My interview isn’t until three, so sounds like we’ve got some time. All right, how about I give you a tour of the ranch?” He jumped off the stool. He knew if he let her sit here all morning, she would worry about the meeting, worry about the press, and worry about the bodyguard. Best to keep this pretty girl distracted.

  LAST NIGHT was a mix of everything Haven loved and a dash of things she was uncertain about. Evan seemed comfortable and relaxed at the ranch, not unlike how he was on the island, but something was different. Maybe it was the staff and the responsibilities he had to face, or maybe it was the fact she knew his real name, his complete identity, and that made her see him in an entirely new light.

  Regardless of the confusion swirling in her head, she was excited about seeing the ranch. She followed Evan to the far end of the garage.

  “We have to drive?” she asked.

  “Sorta.” He pulled the cover off a four-wheeler. “This is how I like to see the ranch.” He walked to the opposite wall and retrieved a few helmets.

  She secured it over her head and clasped the buckle in place against her cheek. “How does this look?”

  “I’d say it’s the best lookin’ helmet in Texas. Ready?” He straddled the ATV and patted the back of the seat for Haven to sit behind him.

  She followed his instructions and slid her hands around his waist.

  “Hold on tight.” He revved the engine, threw the four-wheeler into reverse, and peeled out of the garage.

  The sun was glaring as Evan turned the bike onto a dirt path. She always thought August in North Carolina was hot, but this was a whole new level of heat. She was glad they were going fast. The wind whipping through her hair gave the illusion that it wasn’t a scorching Texas day.

  The house disappeared behind them, and eventually, they were rolling through an open field. Haven couldn’t see the road or a single building. They were actually alone.

  Evan called over his shoulder, “This used to be a grazing pasture, but the cattle have been moved to another part of the ranch to let this part grow back.”

  She nodded, but wasn’t sure he saw it. There was a huge grin on his face as he steered them deeper into the rolling fields. He turned them toward a cluster of trees.

  “I want to show you my secret fishing hole,” he yelled, then spun them hard left until they were in the shade of low-growing oaks. They emerged after a few seconds in front of a pond. Evan cut the engine.

  Haven noticed a few chairs, and the stone circle of a campfire pit. It made her smile.

  “This is my escape when I’m here.” He led her toward the chairs.

  “Why do you need to escape at the ranch?” she asked. He had everything he needed at the house, not to mention you could get lost trying to find the bathroom. She thought the house was his escape.

  He picked up a few rocks and started skipping them across the stillness of the pond. The ripples carried from one end to the other.

  “’Cause, sometimes it’s too much. And I like to be alone.”

  “Oh.” She twisted her lips into a frown.

  “Not like that. I didn’t mean that. Not alone away from you. I meant away from the staff. Away from work. This is my place. I wanted to share it with you.”

  “I think it’s beautiful.” She stooped to grab a handful of pebbles and walked closer to the pond. “What kind of fish are in here?” She tried to skip the rocks but could only get two hops at a time.

  “Catfish mostly, but since I haven’t been here all summer they are probably enormous. Want to fish with me?”

  “Yes, let’s do some fishing. I’ve never fished in a pond before. We don’t exactly have any on the island.”

  “Maybe there is something I can teach you about the water after all.” Evan chuckled. He strolled to the four-wheeler and unhooked a cooler and two rods that were strapped to the back.

  Haven reached for one of the rods.

  “Ok, so the beauty of
fishing here is the fish can’t escape.”

  She laughed. “That seems cruel. They don’t have a chance.”

  “Then they shouldn’t take my bait. Trust me, we need to fish this pond. It’s probably overrun by now.” He attached bait to the ends of their lines and cast his lure into the center of the pond. “Need help?”

  Haven shook her head. “Oh no, I can cast. Grew up on an island, remember?” If there was one thing she could do, it was catch a fish. When you spend your summers as a kid on the docks outside your parents’ store, you get good at perfecting your fishing techniques. She was excellent with a cast net, a crab net, and had won her fair share of pinfish tournaments.

  “Right, right.” He pulled the chairs closer to the edge of the pond and stretched into the seat.

  It was quiet, but not the same kind of quiet Haven was used to. There were no sounds of crashing waves, or boats cruising by. She couldn’t hear the squawk of seagulls, or the sound of wind chimes bouncing around from a sea breeze. Ranch quiet had its own sounds, and she couldn’t identify them all.

  Evan reached into the cooler and pulled out a beer. “Want one?” He offered the cold bottle to her.

  “No, I don’t think I should drink before my interview. What if I mess up?”

  “Darlin’, it’s not an interview. You already have a contract. It might take the edge off.” He pushed it in her direction and she finally accepted it.

  “I guess I do have a few hours.” She twisted the top off and took a big gulp. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a beer in the morning, probably never, but this one tasted good.

  “Isn’t this perfect?” He smiled.

  “Yeah, it is.” She relaxed in her seat. Evan’s hand rested on her knee. Her line was in the water, and they were alone. It was completely perfect.

  HAVEN HAD changed outfits three times. Finally, she settled on a black skirt and a sleeveless button-up blue shirt. She thought it combined a professional and stylish look, even if it wasn’t like anything she usually wore. Evan kept reminding her it wasn’t an interview, but it felt like it. She was meeting Carly Stone, her favorite singer, who was interested in singing Haven’s first three songs.