by Dee J. Adams
“Dude. I know you’ve done a lot of your own stunts, but I’m not comfortable with you falling off a horse. That’s one you haven’t tried before.”
“True. But you’re a good teacher, Rex. I can handle it.” He hoped.
Rex groaned. “I hate this. Be careful. Don’t make me have to visit you in the hospital.”
Leo chuckled. “Quit worrying. I’ll be fine.” He said it to Kim, too, as she glared at him. “I’ll give you a call when it’s over.” After listening to all of Rex’s last minute words of wisdom, Leo hung up, watching the group surrounding the horses.
“No way, Leo,” Kim said, not hesitating to blast him. “You canno—”
“Yes. I can. I have to. No other choice. So if you can’t say something positive, don’t say anything at all.” The longer he stood there, the more he realized what could happen if the stunt went wrong. Yeah, he had a trust, but now he had no holdings in that trust to provide for Megan. She’d only have his life insurance and that would run out in a handful of years. What happened to her then?
Holding his yellow notepad, Kim clenched her jaw and stewed in front of him. She may have called his financial shots the past two months, but this rodeo belonged to him. He took the notepad out of her hands along with the pen behind her ear. “I’ll give this back to you in one sec,” he said. Then he took a few steps and scrawled out a note to Kim about his little sister: where she lived and what it cost to keep her there. Kim would make sure his money got there. She’d earned his trust in very little time with her no-nonsense approach to business and life. Not only that, but she’d been a rock through this whole miserable ordeal and he counted on her.
So far he’d been making enough money in residuals to keep Megan at The Marion Institute, but those would eventually dry up. Every day when the mail came, he prayed for envelopes from his agent and when they arrived, he ripped them open, hoping there were enough to cover his payment. He’d barely made last month’s payment and knew this month’s or any after that weren’t guaranteed.
After finishing his note, he folded it multiple times and handed the pad and pen to Kim. He tucked the note in the inside pocket of the leather vest.
“What’s that?” Kim asked, eyeing him carefully as if she could read his mind.
“Just a note.” He didn’t plan for her to see it unless she picked it off his dead body if this stunt didn’t go right. “I see you met Smokey,” he said.
She scowled at his change of subject, but grudgingly went with it. “He’s gorgeous. I haven’t been on a horse in years. He makes me want to ride.”
“You ride?” No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t picture her on a horse. Then he had a vision of her on Smokey in a short skirt and sky-high heels in the stirrups. He could totally imagine climbing up behind her on the saddle and feeling that spectacular ass against his crotch.
“I do a lot of things,” she told him cryptically, breaking into his day dream. “But, yes, I do ride. I learned at summer camp when I was a kid and I’ve always enjoyed it.”
“Maybe if you play your cards right, Kyle will let you take Smokey for a spin after we do the stunt.”
“Really?” Her face lit up with genuine interest. “I would love that!” She turned back to the horse. “He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?”
“He’s not the only one,” Leo murmured.
Kim slowly pivoted and faced him, her head cocked. “What?” Her smile had faded, but her interest shone bright in her eyes. She’d heard him loud and clear.
“Leo,” Kyle, his grizzled old horse wrangler called from the trailer. He broke the spell Leo always fell into looking at Kim’s eyes. “Rex just called and told me what’s going on. Let’s set the stirrup and the step and get this show moving along. I’ve got a date tonight.” Perfect timing.
He headed off, walking backwards as he tipped his hat to Kim. “Gotta run. Catch you later. Don’t worry, we’ll be done with this before you know it, then you and Smokey can get acquainted.” He winked and continued on. Hopefully, since he’d covered his bases, everything would go off without a hitch.
Kim checked her watch again. It had been a full forty-five minutes since Leo had told her it would be done before she knew it. Apparently, he’d been mistaken. Seriously mistaken. She’d had to take cover under the craft service tent because the breeze had disappeared and sun was starting to melt everything—and everyone—in sight.
Whatever Leo had written on that note was important enough for him to keep from her, and the longer that piece of paper stayed in Leo’s vest, the more she wanted to read it. What did it say? Was it for her? About her? Was it something about the baby? The questions tumbled on.
His gorgeous comment still had her flushing like a teenager. She knew better than to let any man sweet-talk her, but somehow Leo managed to get past all her defenses.
To take her mind off the stunt and his earlier observation, Kim had hung around Smokey for a while. She’d never ridden a Mustang before. He was a sleek, dark machine at fifteen hands.
Leo walked the track that had been built for the camera. From what Kim had overheard, the track would stay even with Leo as the horse galloped along, then as the animal picked up speed, the camera would slow down and watch Leo ride into the sunset. At the last minute, Leo would get hit with a bullet and fall off the horse.
For the better part of an hour, he’d walked and talked out the stunt. They’d “fluffed” the landing pit by turning the soil and creating a soft spot on the desert floor. Kyle, the horse wrangler took Smokey’s reins and met Leo near his starting point or first mark as they called it.
Still holding Leo’s phone, Kim looked down as it vibrated in her hand. Rex had sent a text message.
Don’t do the stunt!
A cold wave of chills shot down her spine as she looked up at Leo on the horse. No, it wasn’t her phone or her business, but she cared about the jerk and if the stunt man thought it was a bad idea, then she agreed with him.
She heard Leo calling out final instructions as he adjusted the Stetson on his head and got low in the saddle. Kim felt heat rise in her cheeks as she took a breath to yell, but Leo barked, “Action!” The camera started its move and Leo’s horse bolted forward.
“No, no, no,” Kim said, jogging closer to the action. A sick roll of panic churned in her stomach as she clutched the pad and phone in her hands. She squinted into the bright sun.
A shot rang out and Leo tumbled off the horse. He landed with a thud and dirt jumped in the air before settling around him. It seemed as if he landed in the spot he’d prepped earlier, but a terrifying silence settled over the crew and Kim started running.
“Cut!” Leo lifted his head. “Got that?”
Kim stopped, her heart beating out of control, her mouth parched and limbs shaking as she watched Leo get up and head toward the horse, taking the reins and walking him back.
“Let’s roll that back and see how it looks,” Leo said. “If I don’t have to do it again, I won’t.”
Kim liked that idea, and watched as a few crewmembers gathered around a monitor set up under a blue tent. After a few minutes of discussion, some of the guys dismantled the track and started moving equipment.
“One more from a different angle,” Leo said, sauntering up to her. “I want to get one from the front with the guys on the chase. Then you can have a crack at Smokey.”
She’d seen this option on his shot list. The riders “chasing” Leo were the horse wranglers he’d hired for the day and all they had to do was follow Leo and pretend to be shooting at him.
Leo headed toward the water bottle he’d set down before the stunt and took a swig. Kim took the opportunity to give him Rex’s message.
“He’s a worrier. He was a girl in a past life,” Leo said. “I’m fine. I only need it one more time and we’re done with that shot.”
“I don’t like it,” Kim grumbled. “It’s too dangerous.” Leo grinned and her heart took an extra bounce for a different reason. “Don’t look at me l
ike that,” she threatened. “Don’t think that one smile is going to distract me or make me happy.”
Leo moved right in front of her. Close enough that she smelled the leather and horse and sweat that burned off his skin. Standing next to him like this tested every speck of will power she owned. Because she’d never wanted to touch a man more than she wanted to touch Leo right this second. He bent close to her ear, his hat tapping the side of her head. “What would make you happy?” His sexy whisper reeked of Leo the player.
Instead of making her angrier or turning her off, it lit her fuse. All her girl parts saddled up for the ride. She leaned back a fraction to see his eyes. They sparkled with humor…and heat.
“It would make me happy if you didn’t do this stunt again.” She showed him the text on his phone. “If your stunt double thinks it’s too dangerous, then shouldn’t you listen to him?”
Leo set his hand on her shoulder and quickly readjusted to cup her neck so his thumb stroked under her jaw. The caress sent tingles all the way down her back. With his every touch, her body responded.
“I’m not going to lie to you,” he said, his gaze glued to hers. “I like that you care.” His thumb did that little graze against her skin. “But I have to do this. This is my best chance to pull out of this money issue. I’ve got to get this film out as soon as I can. No film, no money.” He leaned in, brushed his lips against hers and it was the first time they’d shown any affection to each other in public. Kim felt a flush from her neck to her cheeks as Leo pulled away. “One more time and I’m done. Don’t let Rex freak you out.” He sauntered away and Kim let out a sigh. Whether from the situation or his kiss…she wasn’t sure. She just knew that Leo was growing on her more and more.
So far this whole day had been a complete waste of his time. Wilson swatted away a fly as he stood in the shade of the horse trailer. Watching his cousin sink her claws into Leo Frost pissed him off as much as her getting Carolyn’s inheritance. Apparently ten million dollars wasn’t enough for her. Now she needed to snag a guy worth millions of dollars too.
His plan of getting alone time with Kim had derailed like a train on a bent track. So maybe he should go back to his other plan of plain old extermination. Of course, if she had some kind of terrible accident that scarred her for life, no guy would want her, but that meant her bastard baby would get the inheritance. Shit. She had to go and get pregnant.
Next to him, the horse sneezed and blew nasty snot all over his sleeve. “Shit!” he muttered. He wiped at the mess then eyed the horse staring at him with one giant brown eye. “What the hell are you staring at?” The horse shook his head and snorted again, but Wilson dodged the spray. He’d seen Kim petting the animal earlier and talking to the wranglers.
He’d even heard Leo say she could ride him when the stunt was over.
Well now…the stunt was over and everyone was crowded around the monitor watching it, which meant Kim would probably get her ride.
Wilson held back a smile. Not everyone could ride a horse as well as Leo Frost. He’d bet money his cousin couldn’t. Especially if the horse got out of control.
He bent down and tied his shoe, picking up a little something that fit in the palm of his hand as he stood. Too big to be a burr, but much too small to be a tumbleweed. Once he tucked the strip of cactus under the horse’s saddle blanket and once Kim kicked him, it was bound to be a hell of a ride. Falling from a horse, might even be good cause for a miscarriage. No baby meant he had a better chance at that inheritance.
Loving this impromptu plan, Wilson took a few steps toward the horse and patted his neck. “Easy does it, boy,” he murmured. He checked around him one last time then lifted the blanket and placed his gift right where Kim’s knees would squeeze the horse to get him moving.
Wilson could see it now. A hospital waiting room, a doctor explaining Kim had sustained life-threatening injuries and despite all their capabilities they were unable to revive her. A bad fall from a horse could accomplish that.
Oh, yeah…too bad the cameras wouldn’t be rolling when Kim mounted the horse. Wilson couldn’t wait. A lot of terrible accidents happened from getting thrown from a horse. Look what happened to Christopher Reeve. And even if it didn’t kill her, it might put her out of commission for a while. Long enough to make sure he was the only one she could count on. Long enough to get her alone.
“One more take!” Leo called out.
Wilson glanced up as the crowd around the monitors separated and a few of the cowboys headed his way. “Oops,” he muttered to the horse. “Looks like you get to toss the movie star after all.” He patted the horse’s neck. “I don’t care how I get Carolyn—Kim—alone as long as it happens.”
Chapter Twelve
Leo felt stupid for writing the note about Megan. Though he’d been a little nervous about the stunt, he’d landed right on “fluffed” soil and the fall wasn’t as bad as he expected. After that run he felt a hundred percent more confident about doing it again from another angle. Besides, he kind of had to get the shot.
Forty minutes later when they had the track set up and all the equipment moved, Leo grabbed the reins and mounted Smokey. Unlike last time, the mustang pranced and skittered and Leo had a hard time keeping him under control. He’d been on horseback plenty of times and not much scared him, including a testy horse, but this seemed out of character for Smokey.
“Easy, boy. Easy,” Leo soothed, leaning forward and patting his mane. “Let’s get this going,” he called out. “All set?”
His cinematographer, Yanic, gave him the high sign and so did the riders behind him.
“Call it when you’ve got the shot,” Leo yelled, since this time the camera started on him unlike the last shot.
“Aaaaand…” Leo readied for the word from Yanic. “Action!”
Leo dug his knees into Smokey and the horse bolted forward like a bullet. Instead of running straight as they’d done during the first take, Smokey started bucking like he was a wild stallion needing to be broken. Leo held onto the reins and horn with white knuckles, struggling to keep his seat. It was nearly impossible with only one stirrup to balance himself on. The step worked against him. As familiar as he was with riding, he’d never experienced the bucking bronco scenario. His head whipped back as his legs went forward. Every time Smokey landed it was like a shockwave of pain up his spine. The scenery blurred as Leo whipped through the air like a rag doll. His hand went numb in the reins because he’d wrapped the leather around it in hopes of keeping a grip. Smokey continued to buck and kick and one particular twist took Leo out of the saddle for good. He flew sideways, sailing through the air, an unearthly silence deafening his ears. When he tried to turn in the air to at least land so he could roll, his body snapped tight as his foot caught in the single stirrup at the same time Smokey bolted forward.
Oh shit. The bad was just beginning. The thought splintered in his head as he hit the ground moving, sliding over the desert floor as helpless as a baby.
Smokey ran like he didn’t have a hundred and eighty pounds of man attached to his saddle and Leo felt every rock, tumbleweed and cactus that skimmed the entire length of his body. Pain ruptured from every place at once. He finally managed to twist his foot when Smokey turned and whipped him sideways. His freedom came exactly when his head connected with something solid. A bright flash of light exploded in Leo’s head before everything went black.
“Leo!” Kim screamed as she sprinted for him along with every other crewmember. Fear and panic ran a race as her heart thundered. The EMT Leo had hired at the last minute was the first to reach him. He’d started moving the second the horse had lost it.
“Call 911!” he yelled over his shoulder and three different crewmembers stopped in their tracks and pulled out their phones.
Kim saw the blood from ten feet away. It splattered along the rock Leo had slammed into and covered the side of his face. She crouched next to him, her hands shaking as she set her palms on his arm. Dirt covered him from head to toe. H
is chaps and vest had protected him a little, but the fabric on his arms was torn, bloody and filthy.
The EMT worked on him quickly and quietly, searching for the hole where all that blood came from. “There it is,” he muttered, finding the gash along Leo’s eyebrow. It bled down his face in a sheet of bright red and Kim swallowed back her panic-induced tears. “Shit,” he swore, rifling through his kit one handed while he held gauze to the wound. “I need my other box.” He glanced up at her. “Hold this here tight. Keep pressure on it. I’ll be right back.” He scrambled up and made a dead run for his truck fifty yards away.
Leo’s eyes fluttered open and Kim shifted to block the sun from his face. He didn’t try to smile or joke it off. The fear she saw was as real as the blood flowing out of the gash. Despite pressure on the wound, the gauze pad quickly turned bright red, staining her fingers with his blood. “Note in my vest pocket,” he muttered. “Take it.”
“I don’t care about the damn note, Leo,” Kim said, terrified at the resolute tone of his voice. She used anger to keep from falling apart on the spot. He never should’ve done this stunt.
“Important,” he said, his eyes fluttering closed. “Need you to do this for me.”
“Stop it. You aren’t going to need me to do anything. You’re going to be fine.” But what if he wasn’t? What if he went into a coma or hemorrhaged? What if this was one of the head injuries that slowly bled in the brain until—?
He grabbed her arm, his knuckles bloody. “Not about me. Take the note.” His eyes rolled back as his lids closed and Kim felt every hair on her skin stand up straight.
“Leo? Leo!” Her vision blurred as she reached into his tattered vest and pulled out the folded note he’d tucked away earlier. She stuffed it in her back pocket. Kim hadn’t been much on praying since her parents died. Though she considered herself spiritual, she had trouble believing in a God that let useless or tragic things happen. Miracles happened every day, she knew that, she’d witnessed it herself when Chelsea had nearly been beaten to death. Her best friend had recovered a hundred percent. But what about her parents useless death? How was she supposed to reconcile that?
