Ruining the Rancher (Masterson County Book 3)

by Calle J. Brookes

  And he was going to be there for her today in case she needed him.

  Bowles had his actors in position. But Pandora was the focus of this one. Pandora and that damned Hunter Clark. The guy was too smooth for Levi's liking. And he'd made no bones about the fact that he found the two unattached Masterson sisters more than a little attractive.

  Clark was a player, and Levi recognized the type. He was a reformed player himself, after all.

  He definitely didn't like the idea of Clark kissing Pandora.

  10

  Hunter Louis Clark was a professional.

  His current co-star and on-screen love interest most definitely was not. She was talented, but her inexperience showed.

  He didn’t know yet whether he wanted to pursue her or not; he'd certainly never had trouble getting a woman once he decided he was interested. And not just since becoming one of Hollywood's top male leads in the last five years.

  No, if he wanted little Pan Tyler he would have her. No matter what Bowles had to say about his actors sleeping with the neophytes that Bowles somehow always seemed to collect.

  Hunter had been looking forward to the scene with Pan for days. He wanted to have her in his arms. Just once. Before he decided.

  Still, she was young and he didn't like the idea of embarrassing her in front of the crew. So he would behave himself, no matter how hard it was. Sometimes getting beneath Bowles’ skin was so worth it.

  He crossed the set to her; it was an outdoor shot, filmed in the early morning, she was in her human garb, and not her fairy costume. So pretty. It was a good day to kiss a pretty red-headed fairy girl. Even if it was all pretend.

  It was a fall day—exactly like it was on the script—she looked beautiful, wholesome, loving, lovely. It was the red hair that first caught a man’s attention.

  Hers was a lighter shade, but still more red than gold. The twins and the eldest sister Phoebe all had darker red mixed with brown, but Pan's had enough gold to make it look like fire in the sun.

  They all had those ridiculously blue eyes. Pale flawless skin, petite bodies that were exquisitely curved. They had some cousins floating around with the same coloring and he'd taken a look at a few of them, as well. They weren’t as intriguing as Pan. It was her mind that caught him. Had him wondering if he should push to get to know her better, to compete with Levi Masterson for her.

  Pan had a mind like a steel trap, and five minutes of conversation with her made that very clear. She was not meant to be an actress, and Pan knew it. But she was giving one hundred percent to Bowles.

  She was a businesswoman first, and this movie of Bowles’ was just her way of cementing that.

  Levi Masterson was a real anomaly, though. Two of Pan’s sisters were married to two of Levi Masterson's brothers. Perci was just as gorgeous and intriguing, but Hunter had learned his lesson with women like Perci before. He was staying far away from her. Highly intelligent but fiery as hell. Women like her terrified him.

  Pan was the one who intrigued him the most. He'd always considered himself a businessman; he knew his brand inside and out. She was just figuring her way into the business world, but he suspected that this woman would succeed. He'd always found ambition attractive. And intelligence. Far more than a pretty face, Hunter prized intelligence.

  Too bad so many of the women he came across in his line of work now only saw his outward appearance. His reputation and fame. They didn't realize that he was a man with a plan, a man on a mission, a man whose very future was at stake. Hunter was a planner, as well.

  The woman he was about to kiss for the first time could possibly understand exactly that. He looked toward the crowd watching the filming, his gaze landing on a particular rancher. He had always enjoyed a challenge, after all.

  Hunter smirked.

  He just had to get her away from Levi Masterson first.

  11

  Pan could practically feel his eyes on her. She told herself that was ridiculous—people could not really feel eyeballs.

  Pan had never quite understood that expression until now. She darted a glance at Levi; he was staring at her.

  Just watching, like he always did. She swallowed and squared her shoulders—it was just Levi.

  Just Levi, funny.

  She got through the scene, probably because she was more focused on Levi then on being nervous about kissing one of the hottest actors in Hollywood. Even when Hunter took her in his arms like Bowles directed, there was nothing. No flutter of nerves, no anticipation. Nothing like it had been with Levi. Of course, they were working at the moment. Nothing more. But she should have at least felt something, right?

  It wasn't a bad kiss…she didn't think. Hunter Clark definitely didn't leave her feeling all wobbly-kneed like an idiot.

  Not like Levi.

  What did it mean for her that one of the hottest men in the world did nothing for her, but some arrogant playboy rancher had her practically ready to forget every plan she'd ever made? None of it made any sense.

  Hunter leaned down near her ear, as they finally walked off the set for the day. He was a tall man, at least six-foot-two. Not as tall as Levi, though he was still a good ten inches taller than she was. Levi just seemed bigger all around.

  She was going to have to find a way to deal with the man and she knew it.

  It was better to start now than sit around and be a wimp about it.

  Levi looked at her; she didn't look away, not even when Hunter leaned down and tried to talk to her again.

  "You didn't do too badly today,” the man said. “Although I could sense your heart wasn't in the scene today. You have a problem with your boyfriend?”

  She finally looked away from the rancher and stared at the actor. “No, he’s not my boyfriend or anything like that. I’m not involved with anyone. Not really.”

  A part of her felt disloyal even saying that. Which was ridiculous. She wasn't involved with Levi, no matter what he and the rest of the town seem to think.

  “So the fact that Masterson over there hasn't stopped staring at you or glaring at me since Bowles called cut means nothing?"

  Well, she wouldn't say that it meant nothing. Because it did mean something. She just didn't know what yet.

  "It's not like that with me and Levi. He's just my boss."

  “Really interesting. Very possessive boss. It’s because of the family connection, I assume? Because your sisters are all involved with his brothers, he thinks he has control of you?”

  Pam wasn't stupid she knew what the man was trying to do. He was trying to alienate her from Levi. Why was he doing that? She had certainly given neither man…well, she had certainly not given this man reason to think she was interested.

  She’d kissed Levi Masterson. She had now kissed a total of two men in her life and both of them were looking at her. Pan didn't know what to do, so she chose the most strategic option. She retreated.

  12

  Hunter Clark. That little pain in the ass Pan Tyler had gotten to kiss the Hunter Louis Clark. It wasn't fair. It wasn’t right at all!

  Not only did Pan have Levi drooling after her but she got to be in a movie and got to kiss Hunter Louis Clark! Pan didn't deserve that.

  Why didn't anyone else see that the girl was trash? All the Tylers were. Everyone knew that—constantly getting into trouble, constantly causing trouble. Two of her sisters had almost gotten Matt and Joel killed, after all. Didn’t that matter? It wasn't right that all those Tylers were taking all of the Mastersons. It didn't seem fair. Not at all.

  Viv had had a thing for Levi Masterson since they were teenagers. But other than a few dates back in high school, he had barely looked at her. Once he was finished sowing his oats everywhere around the county—it seemed like he had dated almost every single woman under the age of thirty in Masterson County—he was going to finally come back to her, where he belonged.

  But not if that bitch Pan Tyler got her hooks into him first; she half feared the other woman already had.

&n
bsp; Ever since that last dance at the Masterson Community Center, it had been clear to the entire damned town that Levi was being led around by the balls by that woman—a girl almost ten years younger than he was, who cleaned houses for a living.

  She was his damned housekeeper. Surely Levi knew better than to get involved with the hired help.

  Yes, Tylers were physically well put together—the Tyler who worked as her father’s foreman certainly was—but they were trash. Everyone knew that.

  Viv had grown up with two maids; well, one maid and one housekeeper, who had been paid to see to her every need. She certainly didn't consider them her equal.

  People like that never were equal to people like her.

  Levi Masterson was tall, good-looking, wealthy in his own right, and a damned fine catch. One of the best around this Podunk place.

  She’d considered leaving Masterson County before, but her father had made it clear that if she wanted to keep the lifestyle she was now accustomed to—he was one of the wealthiest ranchers in Masterson County—that she was going to have to stay close to him. Her father had insisted she learn the business of ranching, something she absolutely despised, as well as managing his other assets. He told her before that she had to work with her mind in order to inherit what he had worked on with his hands.

  Her daddy had weird ideas like that. He'd given her everything she wanted as a kid, but once she became an adult, he expected her to work for it.

  Her daddy worked close with Levi. And he'd forced her as an eighteen-year-old girl to go to the Masterson place and learn, right alongside with him, as he’d done business with the older Masterson.

  Everyone knew Pan’s sister Perci had her hooks in Nate Masterson really good. It was just a matter of time before that bitch took him off the market too. Just like her twin had taken Matt, and the eldest sister Phoebe had taken the sheriff. But Viv hadn't wanted the doctor, the vet, or the sheriff. If she had, she would have gotten them long ago. No, she wanted Levi.

  He was perfect for her needs. If she married Levi, he could take over everything her daddy was forcing her to do—not to mention he was the prettiest man she'd ever seen.

  She'd always had what she wanted, and Levi would be no exception.

  She just had to deal with Pan Tyler. The girl would come out on her feet after she lost Levi; her type always did. Hell, she'd probably capture someone exactly like Hunter Louis Clark, or even the director Rowland Bowles.

  Especially in a county where women were outnumbered, that girl wouldn't stay unattached for long. Some damned cowboy would snap her up in a heartbeat. Viv just had to detach her from her Levi. Somehow.

  The Mastersons had everything, and it wasn't right. John Rutherford hunkered down behind the smallest barn on the Masterson place and watched everything that was happening. With all of the people coming and going from the Masterson's place, with the movie crew, plus all the hands, no one ever really looked at him. He’d been walking the back edge of the Masterson property twice a week for weeks now. No one ever even gave him a second thought.

  Of course, he had made that happen deliberately. He'd had nowhere else to go, but Masterson County. He didn't have any money, didn't have any family now, either. His brother Tom had been it.

  He hadn't even been allowed to go to the funeral. He was reduced to hunkering down in an old barn on the Mastersons’ property that no one ever came to anyway. He bounced between it and an old cabin high up in the mountains no one even remembered existed. Like him. He had all but been forgotten.

  John risked it; he had to wipe the drip from his nose before it drove him insane. He was hidden well enough. And those Mastersons were too damned sure nothing could be wrong on their place they didn’t even notice him. Again.

  John would probably spend the rest of his life trying not to get noticed. And it was all because of them.

  A couple of the Masterson brothers were working with the bull, two hundred feet away from where he hid. John had laid there in the dark for hours.

  He and that bull had tangled before. But he'd taken care of that yesterday. All it had taken was that old box of rat poison he'd found in the corner of the shed.

  Bull was now a sick as the proverbial dog. John was surprised the animal wasn't dead yet. He thought one of the brothers was the vet. And it made sense. The other one had to be that damned rancher himself. All those Masterson assholes looked alike.

  Just like those bitches who had caused his brother to die. He saw them running around the ranch sometimes. Especially that twin who’d married a Masterson and that one who was supposedly their housekeeper.

  He'd gone to school with the Tyler twins and their slightly younger sister. He knew enough about them recognize them when he saw them, but not enough to tell the three older ones apart at a distance. Damned Tylers were the reason why his brother was dead. Those Tylers and Mastersons had ruined everything.

  The very least they deserved was to lose that bull of theirs.

  Well, John had already taken care of that. And as soon as those assholes were out of his way, he’d hike the seven miles between the Masterson spread and the one directly behind it--he needed to make a purchase from the one woman in town who knew exactly what he needed, and wouldn’t turn him in to that damned sheriff.

  13

  Movie actress by day, housekeeper by night. Pan finished cleaning the floors quietly, her mind on what had happened that day. She’d kissed Hunter Louis Clark—the Hunter Louis Clark, the honest-to-goodness hottest guy in Hollywood. She had kissed him and had felt practically nothing.

  In fact, she’d spent the whole kiss thinking that she wished it was Levi playing her love interest the way his brother was playing Pip's.

  And that was just stupid. Pip and Matt were in love, married; it made sense, the two of them being together on screen.

  Pan felt like an idiot.

  She scrubbed the floor a little harder than she possibly should have. She was so consumed what she was doing, what she was thinking, that she didn't hear the door open behind her until it was too late.

  She looked back over her shoulder, the devil she expected to see right there. Levi often came up behind her when she was on her hands and knees. He always had a particular look in his eyes when he did. A look that she didn't quite understand, but one that made her extremely wary. She dropped the cloth back into the bucket, and stood.

  She didn't like it when he loomed over her like that. He was big, strong, beautiful—was it any wonder she felt a bit intimidated by him right at the moment?

  "Levi, I saved you some leftovers." He had been up in the back pasture dealing with some sick calves, along with Matt. She had automatically saved him a plate like her sister had saved one for his brother. She’d tried to tell herself that it wasn’t because she was concerned about him or anything like that. But she was. Levi hadn't been able to make it back in for lunch, either. He hadn't taken anything with him.

  She was just being a good housekeeper; she was paid damned fine money to take care of him.

  Well, him and the rest of his family. Including her sisters. She tried to push the slight worry she’d felt about Pip all afternoon away, too. Her sister was a big girl; if Pip needed a break from the movie, than she’d know to take it.

  After Pip had made Matt a plate, Pip had gone straight to bed—pale and quiet.

  Pan had used the time to finish cleaning the kitchen, and to think. About her sister. And about him.

  He might get under her skin, and he might be the biggest player of Masterson County, but one thing she could not deny and never would—Levi Masterson worked his ass off.

  He wasn't one of those wealthy ranchers that sat back and let everyone else do the work for him. No, if there was work to be done, he would be right out there doing it with them. A few times when she'd been too busy he had grabbed the broom and swept the kitchen floor when it had needed it.

  He was not the least bit lazy—annoying, capable of getting under her skin, capable of making her
dream things she just was not ready to deal with—but lazy he was not. And if he got too busy, he would often neglect his own needs to get things done. "Did you get everything done?”

  Stupid question. Nothing was ever completely done on a ranch, especially one of the size. There was always something that still needed done.

  One of the reasons why she had once dreamed of leaving Masterson County far behind. Not going too far, she guessed. Just down to a bigger city, somewhere where she could do something besides deal with cows or goats or boy children coming out her ears.

  Pan didn't regret what she’d had to do since they’d lost her mother. Far from it. She had been there for her family when they had needed her, and she’d kept the family afloat financially for two years. Even though she had three older sisters, everyone had just assumed Pan would handle the money side of things, like her mother once had. And she’d done it without complaining even once. Even when she’d been so terrified she’d make a mistake and they’d lose everything.

  But she had once had her own dreams, too.

  Pan made the best of the hands she’d been dealt. One of those hands had led her to right where she was. She’d make the most of it, too.

  As long as Levi didn’t continue to be the curve ball she didn’t know how to handle. She stood, and focused on the bedraggled cowboy in front of her. Levi favored his left arm, and he looked beyond exhausted. Pan fought the immediate worry that rushed through her.

  She wasn’t used to Levi looking like that.

  Pan washed the grunge from mopping off of her hands and turned back to him. “Levi, what did you do? Did you hurt yourself badly?"

  "One of the bulls got a little cranky. He got my arm. Matt’s dealing with him now, but he sent me back here in the hopes that Nate would be around somewhere. I don't think it's broken, but you know how older siblings are."