STUDS AND STILETTOS (Romantic Mystery)

by Bev Pettersen

  “That’s switched to tomorrow as well,” Emily said.

  “Thank you,” Mrs. Hamilton said, politely inclining her head. “We’ll come back then. Do you happen to know when the scene starts?”

  Emily paused. Her new call time was eight but it was rather disconcerting how the Hamiltons considered her an expert. Still, nobody else seemed inclined to answer. “Eight o’clock, I think,” she said.

  “What about the scene when Reckless crashes through the rail?” Mr. Hamilton pushed in front of his wife, standing so close Emily could smell stale coffee and his liberal application of cologne. “Are they going to do that tomorrow as well?”

  Emily doubted Dan would let one of his horses crash through a rail. He seemed very protective of anything under his care. “I’m not sure.” She crossed her arms and edged back, trying to escape Hamilton’s hot breath.

  Suddenly Dan stood beside her.

  “Morning.” He nodded to the Hamiltons. “Tomorrow is the next scene with Reckless. We’ll be using the horse you saw last week. Anthony’s assistant has a revised schedule ready.” He turned to Emily. “We need to go.”

  She followed him from the barn into the bright sunshine, not sure exactly where they were going but relieved to leave. It had been almost three hours of shooting for what appeared to be a one-minute clip. No wonder Shania looked grumpy off camera. There was a lot of standing around and waiting. Obviously it was the people behind the movie scenes, not the actors, who had the most fun.

  “So, what did you think?” Dan asked, as though reading her mind. “Still want to be in the movies?”

  “Of course but, well…” She hesitated but he remained silent, one of those rare people who didn’t rush to complete someone else’s sentence. “I was surprised it took so long to shoot a one-minute scene,” she finally said. “Is the director always that fussy?”

  Dan chuckled, and laugh lines bracketed his lean jaw. “Anthony demands excellence. That’s why I like to get the horse scenes right on the first take. There’s a strict limit to the amount of galloping or rearing they can do. And delays are expensive.”

  Emily clasped her hands, trying to control her flutter of nerves. She hoped she didn’t mess up and cause a re-shoot. But there were so many people and cameras and direction. So much confusion.

  Shania hadn’t seemed to notice the equipment focused on her face. But what if Bruno refused to rear? Worse, what if Emily dropped the lead line, or stumbled or didn’t have the expression they wanted. So many things could go wrong.

  “You’ll do fine,” Dan said. “Anthony wants us to do a run-through with Bruno today. You’ll be ready by tomorrow.”

  “I’m starting to get scared.” She blinked, rather shocked by her admission. She needed to impress this man, yet for some reason kept blurting out the truth. “Not scared of the rearing,” she added. “I think it’s the director and cameras watching every move.”

  “You’ll forget them around a rearing horse. There’s no time to pretend. Just be ready.”

  “That sounds like a warning.”

  A smile played around the corners of Dan’s mouth. “Anthony often throws in an element of surprise so he can capture more emotion. Just get a good night’s sleep and try not to worry. Do you live close by?”

  “No. In Louisville,” she said absently. “Good gosh, what’s that?” They were skirting the track now and a wheelbarrow and pitchfork were propped against the outer rail. The wheelbarrow was filled with the strangest-looking manure.

  “It’s fake, made of paper,” Dan said wryly. “Shania doesn’t like the smell of the real stuff. And this section of rail is cardboard too. Bruno will be galloping through it later in the week.”

  “Oh,” she said, still eyeing the paper manure in disbelief. “The Hamiltons were asking about the scheduling of that scene. Did Reckless really smash through a rail?”

  “Yes,” Dan said. “Apparently he was uncontrollable after his groom left. I was twelve at the time and remember hearing he wouldn’t make the Derby.”

  “You’d think she would have returned,” Emily said, “once she heard how much Reckless missed her.”

  “Maybe working for Mr. Hamilton wasn’t the easiest thing for a young woman.”

  Emily glanced up, alerted by the change in Dan’s voice. His jaw had hardened, his expression so cold it reminded her of Burke. Hard, tough, protective. “Did one of your wranglers have a run-in with him?” she asked, remembering how quickly Dan had whisked her away from Hamilton.

  Dan’s head swiveled. “How did you know?”

  “Just a guess. It’s clear he considers himself a bit of a stud. But he’s probably harmless.”

  “Lizzie doesn’t think so,” Dan said. “She doesn’t like being alone with him.”

  Emily hid a smile. Lizzie looked at Dan like he was a walking God, and it was doubtful the wrangler with the cute Aussie accent genuinely feared for her safety. It had been no coincidence that Emily had been assigned Bruno in the skills test, although that had certainly worked out in her favor. No, she sensed it had been Dan’s encouraging wink that Lizzie resented.

  Not that Lizzie had reason to worry. Emily touched her unflattering ponytail. She’d need considerable ammunition for someone like Dan to give her more than a wink. Maybe with makeup and proper clothes. Maybe if she were richer, smarter, skinnier…

  “It’s not a good idea for anyone to be wandering around here at night,” Dan said. “There isn’t much security for the size of the estate.”

  He sounded genuinely worried and she lowered her hand, rushing to reassure him. “I’m sure Lizzie has been in places far more isolated. Horse people are usually quite capable. Have you worked together before?”

  “We met in New Zealand on the Spartacus set. She’s part of the team I assembled for a couple movies.” He pointed toward a footpath. “This is the quickest route to the stud barn. But at night, it’s best to use the lighted driveway past the caretaker’s cottage.”

  Emily had followed this same path yesterday and already knew it saved time. And she was extremely surefooted, even in the dark. Cutting through the woods was second nature to her and Jenna. They hadn’t had a car when they were kids, so the path behind their trailer had been very well tramped.

  Dan reached over her head, solicitously pushing aside a drooping branch. A flush warmed her face. She felt like she was fifteen again and on her first date with the quarterback of the football team. She scrambled for something to say. “This is a pretty walk,” she said.

  “Very pretty.”

  His eyes held hers for a heated moment. It was almost as if he was talking about her. But she wasn’t pretty, not without makeup. Her father had always poked fun at her freckles and, except for Jenna, Emily didn’t let anyone see her barefaced. She froze then turned so awkwardly she stumbled over a gnarled root.

  Dan gripped her elbow, steadying her. He quickly lowered his hand but she could feel the imprint of each finger, and her skin still tingled. Unless it was poison ivy. She discretely checked both sides of the path but spotted only benign shrubs. Besides the tingle was nice.

  Surprising but nice.

  She considered stumbling over another root, just so he could help her again. But if she acted like a klutz he might pick someone else for the rearing scene. Ironically, she could have run over this path in two-inch heels and barely slowed.

  And then they emerged from the path into a beautiful clearing and there were no more roots. Except for six fenced paddocks, the expanse of grass was completely manicured.

  “That’s the barn they built for Reckless.” Dan gestured at the attractive building with the red tiled roof and white shutters. On the second level, French doors led to a cozy balcony edged with a wrought iron railing. “Reckless had his own paddock and sand pit, out of sight of the training track. I believe there are living quarters on the upper floor.”

  “It’s lovely,” Emily murmured, feeling rather guilty pretending she’d never seen the barn. Of course, it had b
een dark last night and barely dawn when she left this morning so she hadn’t really seen it.

  “Two of our horses are here,” Dan said. “One is on stall rest with a strained tendon. The other is for company.”

  “Do you own them?” she asked, noticing he didn’t call either horse by name.

  “No, they were supplied by a stock contractor. It took quite awhile to find enough Reckless doubles, and I wanted some extras.”

  “Hey, Dan,” an accented voice called.

  They both turned as a breathless Lizzie burst from the path behind them.

  “Thought I saw you going this way,” Lizzie said. “I fed them this morning. Just came back now to give their noon hay.”

  “We can do it,” Dan said. “Did the vet check the bay?”

  “Yes. He suggested stall rest and wrap, cold water application and an anti-inflammatory. Hand walk if possible. The contractor will pick him up with the others once the shoot is over.”

  Dan dragged a hand over his jaw. “We’ll have to work his care into the schedule. But it’ll be tight.”

  “I don’t have time to walk him,” Lizzie said. “And it’s not your horse. I tried to persuade the contractor to pick him up now, but he wants to save a trip.”

  Emily glanced down the aisle. The bay’s head stuck over the stall door, his white blaze vivid. She already knew that one stall down, there was a very comfortable bed of hay, and she’d love a reason to hang around. Besides, after sharing his barn and blanket last night, she felt an attachment to the friendly horse.

  “I can look after him,” she said. “At least for the couple of days that I’m here.”

  Lizzie’s gaze swung to Emily for the first time that morning. She didn’t look at all pleased. “I don’t think background performers are qualified to wrangle,” she said. “Are you even in the union?”

  Lizzie’s dismissive tone rankled. Emily’s fists tightened but she forced her voice to remain level. “I doubt the horse cares if I’m union,” she said.

  “I don’t care either,” Dan said, his voice decisive. “As long as you’re working directly for me and don’t handle a horse on set, there won’t be a problem. Keep track of her hours, Lizzie. It’ll save you from walking over here.”

  Emily relaxed, flattening the palms of her hands against her jeans. She’d hadn’t expected to be paid, didn’t need to be, but this was perfect. A sweet horse for company and a place of her own to sleep.

  A grin cut the sides of her mouth, one that even Lizzie’s dark scowl couldn’t squash. There may have been a couple glitches but this day was definitely improving.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “Are you sure the hotel’s full?” Dan asked, speaking quietly into the phone.

  “Absolutely. Shania uses the entire top floor.” Anthony sighed. “But I need to keep her happy. She and Dexter don’t have much chemistry. Hopefully the lobster dinner will help.” His voice sharpened. “You are coming tonight?”

  It sounded more like a request than a question.

  “Wasn’t planning on it,” Dan said mildly. “I have a few injured horses.” He glanced down the barn aisle to where Lizzie was outlining care and feeding instructions to Emily. “And I need to find someone a room for a few nights,” he added.

  He moved further down the aisle, distancing himself from Lizzie’s rising voice. She didn’t use that snippy tone often but Emily clearly knew how to get her riled, and neither girl was the type to back down. It probably wouldn’t be wise to ask Lizzie to make room in her trailer for Emily.

  He tucked the phone against his shoulder and fingered the padlock on the locked door. It must lead to the apartment upstairs although obviously it hadn’t been opened for some time. “What’s the deal with the little stud barn?” he asked. “Are we allowed to use the apartment above the stalls?”

  “I assume so,” Anthony said. “Hamilton gave blanket access to all the horse facilities. It’s probably in the contract.”

  “Great.” Dan rattled the padlock. “I’d like to put my background girl up there. Can you get the key to the door? Or send someone over with bolt cutters?”

  “And then you’ll come tonight?” Anthony asked. “We’ll work together to humor Shania?”

  “Sure,” Dan said. “I’ll even crack open her lobster.”

  He shoved the phone into his pocket and strode back to the two girls. The bay gelding was now tied to a ring in the stall. Emily wrapped his front legs while Lizzie watched with a critical eye. Clearly though, Emily was competent. Despite an unorthodox style, someone had taught her well. Probably the sister. Anyone who massaged horses tended to have a good foundation in horse care.

  “You can go and grab something to eat now, Lizzie,” he said. “I’ll help Emily.”

  “But that bandage needs to be higher.” Lizzie frowned at the left leg.

  “Yeah. I’ll check it. See you at the main barn in an hour. And make sure Splash gets turned out today.”

  Lizzie shot a disapproving look at Emily’s bandaging then shuffled out the door.

  “Should I start over?” Emily peered up at him, her cheeks slightly flushed.

  He crouched down beside her and checked the bandage. Perfectly snug and even, perhaps a little low, but Lizzie was being unnecessarily fussy. “No, this is pretty good,” he said. “Tonight you can hose and rewrap him for the night. Next time bring the wrap up another eighth of an inch. By the way, there’s hot and cold water in the wash stall, along with shampoo.”

  Her face sparkled and she touched her hair in anticipation. She had the liveliest expressions. Her teeth weren’t boringly straight, her lips had a rosebud shape and her bottom lip was big and full and sexy.

  “Shampoo. Can’t wait!” She clamped her lips, as if embarrassed by her enthusiasm. “I didn’t have time to shower this morning,” she added, “so it’ll be great to wash my hair, along with the horse.”

  He nodded, completely understanding why she’d been so skittish. “One time in the winter I went six days without a shower. Finally stuck my head under a cold barn tap.” He grimaced. “It was ice cold but worth the chill to get clean.”

  Her gaze shot back to him, the wariness in her eyes replaced by curiosity. “Was that on a movie set too?”

  “Yeah, I was fifteen,” he said. “Too young to be hired as a wrangler but I hoped by hanging around the horses, I might have a shot. My dad always said if I wanted something, I’d better be smart enough to grab it.”

  “My father always said I wasn’t very smart, so I better slap on a lot of makeup.” She laughed, but he noted the tightness of her mouth.

  He kept his hands on the gelding’s leg, resisting the urge to give her a hug. No wonder she’d looked uncomfortable this morning. “And is your father’s advice usually good?” he asked gently.

  “God, no. He was an asshole and a drunk.”

  “Then perhaps it wasn’t the best advice.”

  She tilted her head, her mouth curving in a rueful smile. “You’re right, of course. But it’ll still feel nice to look better.”

  Her natural beauty didn’t require much help. However, it was apparent she didn’t feel the same way and he was sure she’d heard that opinion plenty of times before. He silently rose and untied the gelding. The horse flicked his ears, as if wondering why they lingered. Dan actually wondered himself. His days were already stretched, yet here he was, spending time he didn’t have with a horse he didn’t own. He’d sent Lizzie away and even switched off the volume on his phone.

  “This horse’s big trick is picking up halters,” Dan said, ignoring the vibrating cell in his pocket. “He’s going back to the stock contractor at the end of the movie.”

  “You don’t keep them? After all the training?”

  He shook his head. “I only hang onto a few, like Splash, Ice and Bruno. The rest I train as required.” Shipping was expensive and at one point, his herd had numbered over seventy. He tended to get possessive of his animals so now he only kept the more advanced stunt horses.r />
  “How do you train a horse to take something from your hand?” she asked.

  “There are lots of methods. I usually start with some grain wrapped in a towel. A horse will automatically pick it up. After that, it’s all about reward and consistency.”

  “So you could train him to pick up anything?” Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “Like a wallet or something?”

  He gave her ponytail a teasing tug, guessing the direction her nimble mind was heading. “I had a cow pony who’d lift things from my friends’ pockets,” he admitted. “It was great fun.”

  She smiled up at him. “Wish I had done that with Peanut. We could have demonstrated at the fair and maybe raised enough to buy cotton candy. Who wouldn’t want to donate to a cute little pony?”

  I sure would have. He yanked his gaze away from her face and unbuckled the halter. But she looked so happy when she spoke of her pony and he wanted to keep her smiling. “How long ago did you have him?”

  “Oh, we still have Peanut,” she said. “He’s part of the family. Even when we couldn’t afford him, my sister somehow managed. I never realized we were so broke.” Her voice trailed off but she certainly seemed more relaxed, now that she wasn’t so preoccupied with her appearance. She even held the stall door open for him, smiling without a trace of artifice.

  “Let’s check out that wash stall,” he said, reluctant to leave despite the insistent vibrations of his phone. “You’ll need to be here early tomorrow if you’re going to feed and be ready for your scene. Do you have a place to stay?” He hung the halter over the hook, watching her reaction.

  “I certainly do.” Her eyes flitted to the empty stall and then back to his face. “And I can be here as early as you want. Believe me, it’s no problem.”

  But it was a problem. He didn’t want to squeeze into a chair again tonight, and there was no way he was letting her sleep alone in this isolated barn. “We’re trying to get the door open to the apartment upstairs,” he said. “I don’t know what the condition will be, but it’s probably better than sleeping in a stall.”