Flawless

Rhett ignores Kip’s texts and phone calls, which demand that he come to Hamilton Elite to discuss the media disaster in person. As his plane lands in Calgary, Rhett fantasizes about returning to his family ranch, Wishing Well Ranch, which is located in Chestnut Springs, where he lives with his father and brothers. Rhett is 32 and is considered old for his sport, but as a two-time World Champion, he wants to win one more championship before retiring permanently to the farm. Moreover, the money that he makes with bull riding helps his family support the farm. As he exits the plane, an older woman chastises him for his derisive remarks about milk, seeing it as an insult to Calgary’s farming community. Rhett knows that he made a mistake and apologizes to the woman.

On the drive from the airport in his vintage truck, which he plans to paint blue to honor his dead mother, Rhett’s younger sister, Violet, calls to check on him. She left the farm to start a family but is still protective of her older brother. Violet worries about Rhett’s physical health because bull riding is so dangerous, but she also worries about his public image. She encourages him to remember who he is: “a boy from a small town. Not Rhett Eaton, cocky bull rider extraordinaire” (17). Rhett recognizes his conflicting personas and wishes that more people knew his true character.

At Hamilton Elite, Rhett meets with Kip, Geoff, and Summer and reflects that Summer is lovely but “uptight.” Kip delivers the bad news that Dairy King has dropped Rhett’s sponsorship; Kip worries that other sponsors will follow suit. Rhett dislikes the power dynamic between him and Kip, given that he is the one paying for Kip’s services. However, he recognizes Kip’s value and appreciates the fact that he helped Rhett avoid getting arrested for punching the reporter. Rhett feels like Summer is staring at him and judging him for his actions, and the thought makes him angry. Kip announces that Summer will follow Rhett everywhere until the World Championships in two months to ensure that he maintains a positive public image. Rhett protests, claiming that he doesn’t need a “babysitter,” but Kip threatens to terminate their relationship if Rhett does not comply with this arrangement. Kip adds that Summer is his daughter—his “princess”—and he forbids Rhett from insulting her in any way. Rhett leaves the office, furious that he has no recourse to reject this plan of action.

Kip texts Summer and reminds her not to let Rhett seduce her. On the way to Rhett’s ranch, Summer chats on the phone with her best friend, Willa, who encourages Summer to make the most of her time with her childhood crush. Summer reflects that Willa has always been there for her through the tough times, like her breakup with her ex-boyfriend, Rob. Willa’s fun, spontaneous energy is a good balance for Summer, who is more serious and driven.

Summer soaks in the scenic view and is thankful to be free of her stuffy, high-rise office. She is anxious to prove herself to her father but recognizes that she is missing out on Calgary’s natural beauty. Although Summer maintains a tough outer persona, she privately wrestles with self-doubt and fear of failure. She knows that she must succeed at keeping Rhett in line in order to prove to her father that she can do the work required to advance at Hamilton Elite. Rhett’s father, Harvey, greets Summer when she arrives. He is weathered but genteel and tells Summer that she has her work cut out for her, saying, “I’m not sure anyone has ever truly handled Rhett (5). Harvey escorts her through the log-cabin-style house, which is decorated with mounted animals. As he leads her to her room, Summer conceals her anxiety.

Rhett is still fuming over Kip’s decision to appoint Summer to watch over him and monitor his actions. He texts Kip, demanding that he call off this plan, but Kip refuses, reminding him about the importance of retaining the brand deals. Rhett tries to release his stress by working on a fence project with his brother Cade, but his mind is racing. Rhett is also struggling physically, as his body is still bruised and sore from previous bouts of bull riding. However, he refuses to admit that he is getting too old for the sport. Cade teases him about Summer’s presence, and although Rhett jokes that he has enough women already, he privately reflects that he is tired of having meaningless flings with women on the road.

Cade’s four-year-old son, Luke, interrupts them to announce that Harvey is looking for Rhett because Summer has arrived. Rhett notices that Summer has changed from her preppy business attire into casual jeans, which is more appropriate for the setting. He also thinks that she looks great in jeans. Harvey introduces her and is impressed that she is a recent law-school graduate. Cade asks Summer why she’s there, and she claims that she is there to learn about Rhett’s life. Luke interrupts to announce that he is hungry, and Summer uses the interruption to avoid fully answering Cade’s question or revealing that Rhett needs supervision. Once they are alone, Rhett says that he noticed that she lied to Cade, but she claims that it wasn’t a lie, as Summer is technically a new Hamilton Elite hire who can learn from Rhett. Despite his attraction to her beauty and his recognition that she covered for him, Rhett refuses to see Summer as anything but an enemy.

Summer exchanges texts with Kip, sharing that Rhett loathes her presence at the ranch. Summer forces Rhett into a planning meeting with her to review his travel schedule, tasking him with explaining how the professional bull-riding circuit works. As Rhett explains the World Bull Riding Federation’s competitive structure and scoring system, Summer notices how he lights up with excitement. Summer will travel with Rhett to his various competitions, which will culminate in the championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, in two months.

Cade returns with Luke and their other brother, Beau, who is home on leave from the military. Summer finds the house to be a “testosterone overload,” but she also admits that she enjoys the warm family atmosphere, which differs from her own upbringing. Summer tries to downplay her role to Beau, but unlike Cade, he has seen the video of Rhett punching the reporter and knows that she is there to babysit Rhett. Summer tries to leave the family alone for dinner, but Beau insists that she stay for a family meal and spill all the juicy details about Rhett’s misbehavior. Later, he wants to take her into town to have a drink and meet his friend Jasper Gervais.

Summer and Willa exchange texts, and Willa encourages Summer to show romantic interest in Rhett. Rhett and Summer drive to a bar called The Railspur, and despite Rhett’s annoyance at Summer’s presence, she is charmed by the small-town quaintness of Chestnut Springs. Inside the bar, locals coddle Rhett, referring to him as a “good boy,” and Summer realizes that Rhett’s problem is that no one ever holds him accountable for his reckless behavior. Still, she cannot deny his good looks, and she steals glances at him throughout the night and catches an intoxicating whiff of his cologne.

In the bathroom, Summer overhears a group of women giggling over Rhett and mentioning that Amber will be happy to know that he’s back in town. Summer groans, knowing that she will be forced to spend the evening keeping Rhett from having a fling with a woman. She joins Beau at the table; he is sitting with Jasper, a Canadian Olympic hockey star and a client of Hamilton Elite. Rhett is entertaining a group of women at another table, but Summer suspects that he is not wholly present. Beau says that Rhett won’t seduce any of these women but is too kind to give them the cold shoulder. Jasper adds that Rhett “doesn’t have a mean bone in his body” (68). Still, to help Summer do her job, Beau sends milk-based drinks to the table and asks the waitress to announce that the drinks are from Rhett’s fiancé. Although Beau knows that this will infuriate Rhett, it will also keep the women away.

Kip texts Rhett to let him know that several sponsors have agreed to stay, but Rhett must remain on his best behavior and stick with the plan. The waitress delivers Rhett a white Russian, a chocolate milkshake, and a glass of warm milk. Rhett is furious at the prank and looks across the room to see Beau, Jasper, and Summer snickering at him. He marches to their table and insists that the joke isn’t funny, but he is distracted by Summer’s lips and his sudden attraction to her. Rhett softens and laughs with them, downing the white Russian and pretending to love it.

Later, Rhett’s injuries prevent him from sleeping. He knows that it’s time to retire, but he is unsure of what to do with his life without the thrill of bull riding. He walks to the kitchen to get some pain pills and discovers Summer sitting on the couch. He is only wearing boxers, and she is in skimpy pajamas, but neither shows any embarrassment. He can see that she has a scar on her chest. Summer claims that the bar scene was stressful because she is under strict orders from Kip to make sure that Rhett doesn’t have sex with anyone for the next two months; the goal is for Rhett to develop a more “wholesome” image. Rhett counters that his sex life shouldn’t be her business. Summer insists that he cooperate with her because she has his best interests in mind. Rhett’s growing attraction to Summer helps him to comply.

Summer needs to work out to relieve her stress, but she shares breakfast with Harvey before she leaves; they have bonded quickly over their shared frustration with Rhett. After returning from the gym, Summer sees Rhett slumped over his phone at the table. Another sponsor has dropped him, and Kip thinks that Rhett should publicly declare his love for milk in order to repair the situation. Summer laughs, and Rhett is hurt because she believes that his situation is funny. She explains that she thinks the public’s overreaction is absurd. Seeing that Rhett is distraught, Summer sits closer and rubs his back supportively. As a child, Summer spent a lot of time in the hospital after surgery, and her father used to rub her back consolingly. She shares her mantra with Rhett, saying, “If these were your last few moments on earth, would you go happy?” (92). Rhett says no and thinks that his life is a mess. Summer wonders if he should take Kip’s advice, but Rhett says that he can’t do that because he genuinely hates milk; he was forced to drink raw milk every day as a child. She encourages him to avoid allowing Kip to force him to lie. Summer reflects that the moment marks a “breakthrough” in their relationship. She notices Rhett ogling her in her athletic tights and can’t stop thinking about seeing his body last night.