Page 198 of Promise Not to Fall for the Rich & Famous

ELLIE’S COWBOY CONTRACT

WITNESS PROTECTION - RANCHER STYLE: NASH'S STORY

CHAPTER 1

Ellie watched the scenery through the window of the backseat, long stretches of swaying gold and fields of green. The pastures were dotted with livestock, hundreds, maybe thousands of them.

She couldn’t remember going such a distance by car without spotting even one human, yet just as the thought struck her, Ellie spotted a man plowing the far end of his field on a tractor. The farmer spun a look over one shoulder as their town car passed, pinched the rim of his hat, and nodded in their direction. The rear windows were tinted enough that she couldn’t be seen, but Ellie couldn’t help but nod in return.

In LA, you could barely get from one side of the street to another without bumping into dozens of people. Here, you probably couldn’t bump into someone if you tried. Similarly, while her hometown was packed with structures—high rises, restaurants, shopping centers at every turn—here, well, let’s just say one couldn’t stroll to their favorite deli or café. Ellie felt like Dorothy after the twister; she was definitely not in Los Angeles anymore.

She let out a long, dread-infused sigh. She didn’t want to be stuck in this ghost town of a place away from everyone she loved.Lately, hanging out with her friends, as self-absorbed as they might be, was the only thing keeping her sane, and now she’d be separated from them for heaven knew how long.

"I know this is hard for you, baby,” her dad said from the passenger side of the backseat, “but I hope you understand that this is what’s best for everyone.”

For everyone…that was the problem, wasn’t it? She didn’t get to make life decisions based on what would be best forher,not as a child, not as a young adult, and most definitely not as a single, twenty-four-year-old woman. It was always about the people who would be affected by her decisions—fans, casting agents, directors, and her managers, of course, one of which was her very own dad, who’d been handling her career since she auditioned for her first commercial.

Ellie sucked in a long, slow breath, willing it to stop her from lashing out. Dad would only use it against her, tell her how right the tabloids had been—she reallywasout of control, and it was a good thing she was headed to rehab.

“And in all fairness,” Dad continued, “you're the one who got arrested and put your movie deal in danger. If Geneva says this is what has to be done to save your image, then we best believe it.”

Ellie traced the handle of her designer bag, still unable to believe she’d been sentenced to such a fate, and that her dad and Geneva were so insistent she go along with it. Ellie didn't need a rehabilitation center; she needed an escape from the demands of her high-profile life.

"It sucks, okay?” her dad said. “I admit it, but we’re simply trying to save your reputation here."

"Byconfirmingthe rumors that I'm some drug addict who's lost control of her life? I tookonestupid pill for thefirsttime after sayingnoall the other times, and yetI’mthe one who got busted.”

“A pill that could have been traced with fentanyl. Your first time could have been your last. Don’t you get that?”

Ellie sobered as she thought back on the class she’d been forced to take, the tear-filled testimonials about the dangers of such pills. Not that she’d been totally ignorant to it, but she ran in a very different crowd. Who knew that one of Bree’s suppliers would end up being an undercover cop?

“What made you do something so reckless?” her dad persisted. “Do you really want outthatbad?”

The answer struck her with chilling certainty.Yes, she did.

When she didn’t speak up, Dad continued. "Listen, the arrest aside, you’ve been spending a lot of time in the party scene, and we’ve got the tabloid pics to prove it. How else can we salvage your reputation? You'll be blacklisted in Hollywood for breaking a contract for a role most women would give their right arm for. But if we can put a twist on this…” He waved a hand through the air and squinted his eyes. “We’ll createnewheadlines: ‘Ellie Blaire—overcomer—has cleaned up her act and is ready for the big screen once more.’”He shrugged. “Everyone loves a redemption story.”

Ellie kept her face flat.

“Once you’ve put your time in, you’ll be ready to get back into it."

Ellie groaned. “I don't know why you think this is some phase, Dad. I don'twantto get back into it. I'm sick of doing this. I just want to have a normal life."

"Well, now you sound like your mother talking. Just let all your talent go to waste while you go off, make babies, and live some blasé life."

Ellie glared at him. "Blasé toyou,” she corrected. “Luxuryto me.”

“You think your mom’s living in luxury despite the fact that she abandoned her firstborn?”

Ellie ignored the low-blow. It wasn’t Mom’s fault that her ties to Ellie made it nearly impossible to give Ellie’s half-siblings a normal life. Mom remarried shortly after the divorce; she and Brent had four kids together after that. And with every year that went by, Mom grew more distant and more protective of her new family. She’d never agreed to put Ellie in acting; she didn’t want her kids to be in the spotlight like that. She was protecting the only ones she could.

Ellie understood. And the fact that Dad had a dangerous history of his own lessened the sting; Mom was probably avoidinghimmore than she was Ellie.

Still, part of her wished she could do what Mom had done. She wanted her name to swiftly fade away like a shooting star—making room for new ones while she slipped into the shadows. A deep longing burned through her. “I don't know if I'll ever be able to enjoy anonymity now."

"Absolutely, you won't,” Dad said proudly. “I made darn sure of that. And so did Geneva, for that matter. You should be grateful."

Grateful. That line got her every time, didn’t it? Had her feeling guilty for not loving all the things that came along with a career like hers, even if she’d stopped wanting the career after she turned thirteen. Wanted to leave Dad too, move in with Mom and Brent, and watch her younger half-siblings grow up.