Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open (Hollywood Legends #2)

by Mary J. Williams

  “Who knew that toilet paper ruled the movies?”

  Paige loved her father’s stories. Even the ones she had heard a thousand times. They fascinated her as a child, filling her head with ideas. Dreams. As she grew older, she put those dreams aside for a more practical life. She was happy with her life. What they did on the ranch was grounded in reality — not fancy. Something her father needed to be reminded of.

  “It’s probably for the best, Dad. Making a movie, even one on a shoestring budget takes time and know-how. We have neither.”

  “What’s time?” Chuck dismissed the notion with a wave of his hand. “You need to loosen the reins a little, Paige. Ambition is fine, but your mother always made time for fun.”

  “I have fun,” Paige mumbled defensively.

  “When was the last time you went out with… anyone?”

  “Lottie and I do things all the time.”

  “Getting coffee in Basic with your best friend doesn’t count.”

  “You think making a movie is the answer to my social woes?”

  “I think it will be fun. For both of us.”

  For the first time, what her father said began to sink in. He needed this. Maybe it was his way of staying connected with his wife and moving on at the same time. It was hard to argue with that.

  Then there was the other part of it. Fun. Paige wondered when she had become such a stick in the mud? She knew the answer. Her mother’s death had hit her hard. In trying to make the most of the time she had, Paige had lost sight of everything except work. If it didn’t involve the ranch and horses, she wasn’t interested.

  Paige let the idea of a movie flow over her.

  She had the business in a good place. A very good place. Every horse on the ranch was spoken for. Paige had plans to expand next year. She wanted to add on to the stables. Make the corral bigger. That meant hiring extra help. At the moment, they had one full-time employee and three part-timers. If her vision became a reality, those numbers would grow a little each year.

  If her father wanted to play for a few months, now was the best time he could have chosen.

  Paige was about to tell him that she was on board when her father dropped his bombshell.

  “I’ve decided to finance the movie myself.”

  “Are you out of your mind?”

  “Watch your tone, young lady.”

  “This isn’t your daughter speaking, Chuck.”

  “You’re afraid I’ll lose the ranch.”

  “The thought had crossed my mind.” Paige set the cocoa aside. With her stomach in a knot, the sweet hot chocolate no longer held any appeal. “Not that I have any legal say. Technically, I work for you. The ranch is yours to do whatever you want with.”

  “Low blow, Paige.” Chuck leveled a steady look toward her. “The Double C is your legacy. I might be the legal owner, but we are equal partners in every other way.”

  “Then don’t do this, Dad.”

  “It’s already done.”

  “What?” Paige felt the knot turn into a fiery ball of anxiety. “Exactly what is done?”

  “I’ve mortgaged half of the land. The house and all the buildings aren’t included.”

  And that makes it okay? Paige wanted to shout. The land that the horses ran free on? Where, as a child, she ran free?

  “That can’t be enough money. Even a do-it-yourself production costs several million dollars.”

  Even as she said the words, Paige wondered at the amount. Millions. She dealt in thousands of dollars. When she occasionally reached into the tens of thousands, her palms would sweat. Her father wasn’t batting an eye.

  “It is an all-volunteer cast and crew. I promised them screen credits and a percentage of the profits.”

  “Profits? You expect to make a profit? And who have you recruited?”

  “Like I said before, this is for fun.” Chuck patted her hand. He put his bowl in the dishwasher before rinsing out his cup and setting it beside the half-full coffee pot. He would use both later in the morning when he came in from feeding the stock. “As for who is on board? Myra Winslow is doing the catering. She has a small part, too. Then there’s Sonny Dawson. He can fix anything with an engine. That’s bound to come in handy. I thought he would be good for the grandfather. He has experience in local theater.”

  “He played Santa Claus at the high school pageant, Dad. No lines.”

  Chuck shrugged. “Hence the grandfather. He only has a line. It will all work out. You’ll see.”

  “I suppose I should be grateful you told me about it before you started production.”

  “Don’t be snarky, Paige. I’m telling you now.” Chuck kissed her forehead before grabbing his jacket from the peg by the door. “We’ll go over everything after dinner.” He reached for the door. “And Paige.”

  “Yes.”

  “It will all work out. Trust me.”

  Trust me.

  Paige had trusted her father all her life. Without reservation. She wanted to trust him this time. However, with so much on the line, she decided she needed some help knocking sense into her father’s head. That was why she wrote to Caleb Landis. It had been a long shot.

  Instead of a calming influence, what had she gotten? Not only hadn’t the legendary Hollywood producer discouraged Chuck, he gave him money. Then to top it off, he sent his son.

  Paige shifted the truck into second gear. She had dropped Lottie off before heading back to the ranch. Her passenger seemed content to ride in silence. Strange. She imagined all Hollywood types to be talkative. And their favorite subject of conversation — themselves.

  Nate Landis wasn’t conforming to her ideas. But it was early.

  “How much of this belongs to your family?”

  “As far as the eye can see. And beyond. It isn’t big by some standards, but it suits our needs.” At least it was theirs for now. After her father was finished, who knew what would be left.

  “This is beautiful country. Living at the base of the Bitterroots. All that open, undeveloped area. You’re very lucky to have all this.”

  There was nothing condescending in Nate’s tone. Why Paige expected it, she couldn’t say. From the moment she found out about his impending arrival, she had been on edge. Now that he was here, Nate Landis posed a different problem than she had anticipated.

  She wanted him. Plain, simple, unadulterated lust.

  Paige couldn’t remember the last time she felt this kind of instant attraction. Oh, when she was a teenager gushing over the latest heartthrob’s music video. But that didn’t count. At fourteen, she wouldn’t have known what to do with one of those boys if he had magically appeared before her.

  She was well past the age where she had figured it out. She knew exactly what she would like to do to Nate. Over and over again.

  Sneaking a quick look, she almost sighed aloud. No one should be that good looking. Not that looks mattered. She could ignore the muscles and the chiseled jawline. They were a nice bonus. Her problem was that Nate Landis practically oozed sex appeal.

  The man smelled good enough to eat. Clean and masculine. That was it. Good Lord. He wasn’t wearing expensive cologne. It was straightforward soap and something that was uniquely Nate. Bottle that and you could make a fortune.

  On top of everything else happening, she would be dealing with sexual frustration. Nate was not for her, even short-term.

  First, he was attracted to Lottie and the feeling was mutual. That signaled off limits in big neon letters. Second, he wasn’t here to give her a tumble. Nate’s father sent him to help, not to scratch an itch she hadn’t known she possessed until he stepped off that plane. Third, in spite of the instant attraction, something about him rubbed her the wrong way.

  Nate Landis, with his confident swagger and scuffed boots, was too casual about his appeal. He had to know that he was sex walking, yet there he sat. Cool and relaxed. It pissed her off. And knowing it was irrational pissed her off even more.

  Layer upon layer of frustration w
ith no end in sight.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  “You were muttering something under your breath, and then you gave a long sigh.” Nate pulled down his sunglasses, his eyes meeting hers. “Something is wrong. Want to share?”

  “Blue eyes.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You have blue eyes.”

  So blue. Like the clear mountain lake on the Double C. She swam in that lake every summer. Just as she swam in his eyes right now. With effort, Paige broke away, shifting her gaze back to the road before she drove into the ditch. Dangerous. That’s what he was. It was something she would have to keep reminding herself.

  “And yours are brown. Like rich, dark chocolate.”

  “No.”

  “You’ve lost me again,” Nate chuckled. “No what?”

  “Do not flirt with me. You see this.” Paige motioned over her body with her hand. “This is off limits. I don’t know what you’re used to, but around here you get one woman at a time.”

  “And you are one woman.”

  Nate’s voice lowered. Deep and a little husky. The sound shot straight into Paige’s bloodstream, causing her pulse to throb. Along with certain other parts of her body.

  “Lottie is my best friend.”

  “I figured.”

  “Well, there you go.”

  The woman was confusing as hell. Nate looked out the window, a grin plastered on his face. Confusing and fascinating. She seemed to think her friend had dibs on him. Normally, the sweet, curvy Lottie would have been right up his alley. However, the long-legged blond made him think of a soft bed and those legs wrapped around him — hour after hour.

  Paige Chamberlin was a little prickly, but she had a sense of humor. He liked a woman who could laugh at herself. With that long, honey-blond hair and full mouth, she was just the right combination to keep him interested while he was in Montana.

  There was only one problem — a big one. She was the daughter of his father’s friend. A man who would be his host for as long as he was here. There were rules about this kind of thing. Nothing written in stone, but rules nonetheless.

  Nate wasn’t a rutting boar. He was capable of keeping his dick in his pants. But oh, Lordy. He shook his head when he glanced at those long legs. This was a temptation he didn’t want to resist.

  “I read the script.”

  Paige gave him a surprised glance.

  “Where did you get a copy?”

  “When Dad called your father to tell him I’d be coming, Chuck expressed me a copy.”

  “And?”

  “You want me to say it stinks, don’t you? It would be easier to talk your father into shutting down production if it’s badly written.” Nate laughed when he saw guilt flash across Paige’s face.

  “There’s a reason my mother only wrote the one thing. She found out she wasn’t cut out for it.”

  “According to your father, she decided it didn’t make her happy. That isn’t the same thing as not being good at it.” Unconsciously, Nate scratched at the edge of his cast.

  “True,” Paige conceded. “Then tell me. What did you think of it?”

  “Other than being a little rough in patches, it’s pretty good. Readable. Your mother had a unique voice, Paige. I was impressed.”

  Paige had the overwhelming desire to cry. It wasn’t fair! Her mother should be hearing this. She deserved to know that her screenplay was good. A unique voice. That was her mother to a T.

  The fates that decided who lived a long, healthy life and who died much too soon were evil in their capriciousness.

  Erin Chamberlin was the anchor of her family. Loved. Respected. She helped her community and was a good friend. She wasn’t a saint, thank goodness. Her bawdy sense of humor precluded that classification. However, she was the best person Paige had ever known.

  God, she missed her mother.

  “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.” Paige turned her head, wiping at the tear on her cheek. “I got something in my eye.”

  “Paige…”

  “I don’t want your sympathy, Hollywood.”

  “We’ll have to work on the nickname. I’m the least Hollywood person you’ll ever meet.”

  “Mmm.”

  Paige kept her opinion on that subject open. So far, she would agree. Dressed like a regular person. He hadn’t balked at her mode of transportation. Then again, she had known him a grand total of one hour. She liked him. The attraction she felt was off the charts.

  Wait and see, Paige. She could almost hear her mother’s voice telling her not to jump either way. Conclusions, she used to say, are best kept at the end of the story.

  Paige didn’t know how it would end with Nate, but she was willing to give it more time. He might surprise her.

  Perhaps you’ll surprise yourself. Paige smiled. Her mother had always given the best advice. This time? She definitely would have to wait and see.

  “We’re about five minutes from the house. Dad will be—”

  Her words trailed off when to her surprise, she found that Nate had fallen asleep. Boom. He hadn’t seemed tired. Relaxed, yes. But sleepy?

  Paige shook her head, chuckling quietly. Nate must be one of those people who could sleep anywhere. He was lucky. Personally, if she didn’t have a soft bed and her favorite pillow, she tossed and turned all night. It made camping out difficult even though she loved lying under the stars. Getting any rest was another matter. Nate would probably drop off in a heartbeat.

  She could add that to the reasons he pissed her off list. Except in all fairness, that was her failing, not his. Paige might be looking for the negative when it came to her passenger, but her innate fairness wouldn’t let her purposely stack the deck against him.

  The truck hit an unexpectedly large pothole, causing Paige’s shoulder to slam into the door. Thank goodness for seat belts or the bounce would have caused her to hit her head on the roof of the cab. She glanced at Nate.

  “Sorry. I’m usually better at avoiding those.”

  No response. Not only could Nate fall asleep at the drop of a hat, once he was out? He stayed out. Interesting. Paige laughed aloud. She wondered what it took to rouse the big man.

  “I like that sound.”

  Startled, Paige whipped her head around.

  “I thought you were sleeping.”

  “I was.” Nate stretched, every muscle in his long body rippling. “Your laugh woke me up.”

  “You’re kidding. I hit a hole back there that rattled my teeth and you didn’t stir. I hardly made a sound.”

  “My sleeping habits are… unusual.”

  “How unusual?”

  Paige suddenly pictured Nate walking around in the middle of the night. Asleep. Naked. That couldn’t be all bad. No. There was something slightly perverted in the idea of watching a man who wasn’t in the erotic loop with you. If she ever saw Nate without his clothes, she wanted him fully conscious.

  “I’m not a good sleeper when I’m alone.”

  “That shouldn’t be difficult. Between the way you look and your family name, women must pop out at every corner.”

  “You like the way I look?”

  Of course, that was what Nate zoomed in on. The man was a born flirt. Normally, Paige would simply ignore him. Even in the wilds of Montana, she had learned how to handle interested men. Sometimes she was interested back. That made things easy. When she wasn’t, and the man wouldn’t take no for an answer, she used her sharp tongue to cut him down to size. On rare occasions, a knee to the balls never failed to get her point across.

  Nate was different. She couldn’t flirt back. He seemed to like when she gave him verbal grief. And as for his balls? Right now, he was a guest that she was responsible for. The good hostess in her didn’t think hobbling a man was the proper way to make him feel welcome.

  Not rising to his bait seemed the safest way to handle him. For now. If she ever decided he was getting to be a problem, jabbing
his hanging appendages was always an option she could fall back on.

  “My dad will be your only sleep buddy option at the ranch. You will have to work that one out between you.”

  Nate turned back to the scenery. There was another option. The prickly Paige. He wondered if her thorns were as tough as she tried to make out. Grinning, Nate crossed his arms. He didn’t know if he would be here days or weeks. When the trip started, Nate hoped the problem had an easy solution that would put him back in Los Angeles by Saturday.

  The more he was around Paige, the less he worried about that timetable. She interested him. More than any woman in a long time. The countryside was beautiful and so was the woman next to him. He could think of worse ways to spend the time until his cast came off and he could get back to work.

  Montana and Paige. Untamed. Nate couldn’t wait to start his exploration.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “IT WAS GOOD of your father to send you, Nate.”

  “He and my mother wanted to be here. When they get a break in shooting Mom’s movie, they’ll take a few days and come up.”

  “They will?”

  Nate gave Paige a slow smile. “You need to rethink your idea of Hollywood. If you had a friend who needed your help, what would you do?”

  Help, of course. Paige understood what Nate was saying. Friends were friends, wherever they lived. Still…

  “Your parents aren’t the neighbors down the road, Nate.”

  “They could be.”

  When Paige gave him a give me a break look, Nate’s grin got bigger. “I don’t deny that Callie Flynn and Caleb Landis are different. What I’m saying is that they still think like the people they were before all the fame and fortune. Small town values don’t wash away in the California rain.”

  “I didn’t think it rained in California.”

  “Smartass.”

  Chuck watched the rapid fire, back and forth banter with amused bewilderment. He searched his memory trying to remember when Paige had seemed this… what was the word? Engaged. That was it. Men weren’t her focus. They never had been.

  In high school, when her friends worried about boys and getting asked out on Saturday night, Paige preferred spending time with the horses. She had a social life. Boys, then men, naturally gravitated to Paige. She had a beauty not easily defined by the usual standards. Like her mother, Paige glowed from within, drawing admirers to her irresistible light.