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

by Mary J. Williams

  Not expecting an answer, Chuck poured half of the pitcher of syrup over his hotcakes.

  Nate barely noticed. His mind was filled with one thought. He was stuck. For the life of him, he couldn’t think of any way out. Garrett would bust a gut laughing when he heard. Wyatt and Colt would never let him live this down.

  Directing a movie? Son of a bitch!

  “Excuse me, Chuck. I’ll be right back.”

  Nate rushed after Paige. She hadn’t gone far. She was outside, leaning against the building. She had gotten her laughter under control and wiped the tears from her eyes. When she saw Nate, she almost lost it again.

  “What the hell was that about?”

  Paige cleared her throat. “Sorry.” The look he gave her said he didn’t believe it for a minute. “Honestly, Nate. I had no idea Dad would react like that.”

  “Why did you bring it up?”

  “It’s your fault.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.”

  Paige pushed away from the building. She was considered tall. Her boots had a two-inch heel. Yet she had to tip her head back to look Nate in the eyes. Happily, the journey was a scenic one. She started at his chest. Took in the strong curve of his neck. His alone was worth the price of admission — Paige considered herself lucky. She had a close up view — for free.

  “What was I saying?” she asked, her eyes fixed on his mouth. Such a nice mouth.

  “Has focusing always been a problem?” Nate moved closer. “Or has something, or someone, rattled your brain.”

  “There you go. That is why you’re to blame. You don’t just flirt. You F-L-I-R-T!” Paige put a hand on Nate’s chest. Her intention was to push him away. Instead, she sighed, her hand rubbing ever so gently.

  “Paige.”

  “Hmm?” Nate’s chest was huge. Superhero huge. Swallowing, Paige tried to picture him without his shirt. It was easy. Too easy.

  “Paige? Concentrate. You threw me under the bus. I don’t want to direct. Not this movie. Not any movie.”

  “Really? I thought wanting to direct was the ubiquitous Hollywood dream.”

  “Not in my family. We have two producers, two actors, and one director.”

  “And a stuntman.” Another piece of the Nate puzzle. “You like what you do, don’t you? I bet you’re good at it.”

  “I am.”

  “The best?”

  “Top five.”

  Nate would never put himself at the top of any list. However, he knew his worth. In his corner of the entertainment universe, people respected the Landis name. Nate Landis. Nate liked where he was. Who he was. He wasn’t an aspiring anything. He was a stuntman.

  “Top five is good.” Paige nodded. “Great.”

  “When it comes to other things?” Nate trapped Paige’s wandering fingers, flattening her palm against his beating heart. “I’m number one. Want to hazard a guess what they are?”

  “What is wrong with you?” Paige pulled at her hand. With a smile, Nate let her go. “You’re always saying things that make my mind wander into dangerous territory.”

  “Sorry.” Nate didn’t sound contrite. Just the opposite.

  “Lyle accused you of being on steroids.”

  “Asshole.”

  “My thought exactly.”

  “If you talk your dad into directing, I’ll let you feel my ass. And anything else you want.”

  “If I don’t?” Paige swallowed hard. In jeans, Nate’s ass was amazing. Naked? She swallowed again. Her mouth watered at the thought.

  “You know the answer. You want to touch any part of me?” This time, Nate’s smile was slow and full of promises. “All you have to do is ask.”

  “This is dangerous territory.”

  “Only if you make it that way. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a kiss, Paige. Or a touch. Or…”

  Hoping Nate would take the decision out of her hands, Paige felt a wave of disappointment when he backed away.

  “Nate…”

  “I’m not going to kiss you, Paige.” Nate’s eyes no longer held a teasing light. “After last night? If I pushed myself on you, even thinking you wanted me, I wouldn’t be any better than your neighbor.”

  “You’re nothing like Lyle.”

  “I like the woman in my arms to be willing.” He shrugged; his voice dropped to a deep whisper. “Don’t get me wrong. In bed?” Nate smiled when heard Paige sigh. “I can dominate with the best of them.”

  “Dominate?” Paige’s eyes widened.

  “I don’t hit.” Nate didn’t want any misunderstandings between them. “A pat on the ass is as far as I go. Light bondage, if we’re both in the mood.”

  “Oh, my.”

  “I’ll leave the rest up to your imagination.”

  “Thanks a lot.”

  “You know what to do, Paige.”

  Nate gave her one last look, and then headed into the house.

  “Now what?”

  He paused, his hand on the doorknob. Looking over his shoulder, Nate sighed. He cocked his head toward the road where several cars traveled their way.

  “Looks like we’re making a movie.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CALLING THEM RAG-TAG would be kind.

  Nate looked at the group assembled in the Double C barn. For a first-time director, this wouldn’t be anyone’s idea of a Dream Team. A few local theater members and a whole lot of enthusiastic greenhorns.

  Chuck was one of them. Enthusiastic and inexperienced. The time he spent in Hollywood had prepared him for the basics. Setting things up was one thing. He had called some old friends and recruited some current ones. He knew what he needed to make a movie. However, when it came down to it, Chuck gladly handed control over to someone else.

  That someone was Nate.

  “Everyone?” Chuck raised his voice, getting the attention of the thirty-seven people who filled the barn. “First. Thank you. Taking time out from your busy lives to help us make this movie, well, it touches me to have friends like you. I can’t promise you fame and riches.” The crowd laughed. “I hope when we’re done, we’ll be better for the experience. And we’ll all have a DVD we can bore our families with for years to come.”

  “If my kids want to inherit the Wash and Go, they’ll have to show it every year on my birthday. I’m putting it in my will.”

  “You have three lines, Bert.”

  “My name will be in the credits, right?”

  “Sure,” Chuck nodded.

  “Then they can damn well sit through the movie to see it. No fast forwarding.”

  Nate laughed, drawing the attention of the crowd. Chuck took the opportunity to make the introductions.

  “Most of you have heard that we have been lucky enough to enlist the help of a man who knows the movie business. He learned at the knee of one of the greats and has years of personal experience. He has graciously agreed to direct the movie.”

  That announcement got the group talking.

  “Everyone, say hello to Nate Landis.”

  This was it. He had two choices. Run for the hills. If he did that, he might as well keep running because he would never be able to face his father’s disappointment. You don’t leave friends in the lurch.

  That left Nate with plan B. This movie was going to be made. He would do the best job possible. And, the most important thing, they would have some fun. This was his crew. Their experience level didn’t matter.

  From this point on, it was up to him to make the most of their abilities — whatever they were. If they saw that he believed in them, they would believe in themselves. That meant it was up to him to set the tone. Starting now.

  Nate hopped onto a bale of hay, clapping his hands.

  “Before we do anything else, let me introduce myself.”

  “We know who you are. You’re Colton Landis’ brother.”

  The speaker looked to be about sixteen. She and five girls quickly huddled together, giggling like… like teenage girls. Nate gave a resigned sigh. He w
as used to the reaction. His brother was a God to these girls and millions like them.

  Colt reveled in the attention — most of the time. He had the perfect personality to be a movie star. Nate didn’t.

  What he did have was infinite patience. He smiled at the leader of the pack, signaling for her to step forward. The girl hesitated, but her friends, still laughing, pushed her toward Nate.

  Not wanting to intimidate her, Nate stepped down. She still had to look up at him, way up. She might be used to strapping ranch hands, but she had never seen anyone like Nate Landis. The awe in her eyes made Nate smile. He was used to the reaction. He was a big, muscular man. To a girl who stood just over five feet tall and maybe weighed a hundred pounds, he must have looked like a mountain.

  Wanting to help the girl feel at ease, Nate smiled. That was all it took. From that moment on, Nate had his first unofficial fan club. Colton Landis was gorgeous, but so was his brother. More importantly, Colton wasn’t here, Nate was. Six teenage girls hadn’t left Colton Landis behind; they simply added Nate and were now devoted to him. All it took was one dazzling smile.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Jenna.” The girl giggled, and then squealed excitedly when Nate put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m afraid Colt won’t be making any surprise visits. You’ll have to settle for me.”

  “Okay,” Jenna sighed. “How tall are you?”

  “Six-six.”

  Nate’s answer was automatic. He didn’t see anything unusual in the question. When the girls gave a collective sigh, he looked around. The men in the crowd seemed as perplexed as he was. Some of the women were smiling odd, knowing grins; a few made fanning motions with their hands.

  He recognized the look on Paige’s face. He’d seen it earlier. She tried not to laugh.

  What? Nate asked her silently. She simply shook her head.

  “First,” Nate gently herded Jenna back to her friends. “I want you all to understand. I am not a director. My end of the business involves falling out of airplanes and jumping off cliffs. Most of the time I’m good at my job. Sometimes…” He held up his cast. “I got lucky.”

  “A broken arm is lucky?”

  The question came from a middle-aged man toward the back. Nate needed to learn their names. But there was time for that.

  Nate nodded. “Considering the alternative, I was damn lucky.”

  “I forget the lead actor isn’t doing all those things. I guess that’s the idea.” An attractive woman in her early forties waved at Nate. “I’m Naomi Littlefield. This is my husband, Owen.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  Nate shook Naomi’s hand, then Owen’s. It started the ball rolling. Soon everyone introduced themselves. The rush of names and faces might have been overwhelming, but Nate was used to a lot of people all at once. The first day on any set was like the first day at a new school. If you were lucky, you knew the main players. However, more often than not, Nate began each job acquainting himself with the cast and crew. Depending on the prevailing attitudes, it was sometimes easier said than done.

  There was a pecking order on a movie set. The director was top dog. Stunt people were considered a necessary evil. When that was the attitude, it could make for an uncomfortable shoot.

  Early in his career when jobs were at a premium, Nate put up with the attitude. Now that he could pick and choose, he passed on projects he knew would be more trouble than they were worth.

  Nate didn’t want to be a director. However, since there was no turning back, he wanted to start on the right foot. There was a fine line between maintaining the respect his position deserved and coming off like Pol Pot.

  As his brother was fond of saying — director did not equal dictator. Nate considered himself lucky to have worked with and learned from one of the best in the business. Garrett Landis. His twin and his best friend.

  Things quickly got out of hand. It wasn’t enough to introduce themselves; everyone wanted to talk. About themselves. About Nate’s family. They all loved his mother. Who could blame them? Nate was fond of her himself. Having Callie Flynn as a mother was nothing but a joy. Except when some guy would forget who he was talking to and proceed to make a salacious comment.

  Nate couldn’t think of anything as uncomfortable as hearing about how sexy his mother was. She was beautiful. Vibrant. Smart. Loving. A legendary screen goddess.

  She was also the woman who gave birth to him. Some things a son shouldn’t have to hear in relationship to his mom.

  “Let’s give Nate some room to breathe, folks,” Chuck said after a few minutes. “He isn’t going anywhere. You’re coming at him all at once. I’ll be surprised if he remembers his own name, let alone any of yours.”

  “My mom taught me a trick. She meets new people all the time and hates forgetting names.” Nate deftly rattled everyone’s names.

  “That’s impressive.” Naomi Littlefield brushed up against him, seemingly unconcerned that her husband was two feet away. “I’ve been told that I had the looks to be in the movies. But I decided to get married instead. I suppose you see beautiful women every day.”

  “Hollywood has a never-ending supply.”

  Nate loved to flirt. He also knew when not to. Married women with wandering eyes were not his cup of tea. Whatever Naomi’s game, she would have to find a different partner. He wasn’t going to play.

  “Nate?”

  Chuck waved. Happy for the excuse, Nate crossed the barn.

  “They’re an interesting bunch.”

  Chuck nodded. “And green as grass. I’m sorry this morning has been so disorganized. It isn’t exactly what you’re used to.”

  “It’s the first day, Chuck. No one knows what to expect. They’re nervous and excited. Things will settle down.”

  “I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear you say that.” Chuck gave Nate a companionable pat on the back. “I thought this might have scared you back to Los Angeles.”

  “No. I’m not going anywhere.”

  As soon as he said the words, Nate knew it was true. Physically he was committed to this job. He had been resigned to making the best of it. Montana. He liked these people. He especially liked Chuck and his hardheaded daughter.

  Nate looked around, his eyes lighting on Paige. She laughed with Lottie and two other women. The sound was happy and natural and it gave Nate a funny little jump in his gut. Pleasant — but decidedly odd.

  When Paige caught him staring, he didn’t look away. Neither did she. If anything, her smile got wider, her eyes warm. Nate didn’t know what she was thinking, but whatever it was, he didn’t want her to stop.

  Chuck claimed his attention with a question about lighting and location. Reluctantly, Nate pulled his eyes away. He had plenty of time to look at her. The thought sent that feeling through his gut again. Odd, indeed.

  PAIGE COULDN’T KEEP her eyes off Nate. The other women seemed to have the same reaction. He filled the room with his size and personality. People gravitated toward him. He was a big, sexy satellite drawing in the lesser bodies around him.

  “I thought I might have exaggerated his yumminess in my mind.” Lottie sighed. “He’s even better than I remembered. How is that possible?”

  “I’ve never seen anyone so…” Lisa Stanhope couldn’t find the words. She worked at the library, though with her shoulder-length red hair and curvy body, she didn’t look like the prototypical librarian

  “Sex on a stick.” Paige decided there was no harm in verbalizing what everyone thought.

  “Yes,” Lisa nodded. “Will I melt into a pile of female goo if I get too close? I didn’t think men like that existed outside of the movies and my fantasies.”

  “Hold yourself together for a second and look at this.”

  Lottie scrolled through the pictures on her phone, and then held it out for the others to see.

  “Four of them?” Lisa licked her lips.

  “Four Landis brothers. The world knows about Colton. How have they kept the others under
wraps?” Lottie pushed a few buttons, making the picture her screensaver.

  “Who cares? We have them now.”

  “What do you think, Paige? Can you believe that gene pool?”

  “It’s impressive,” Paige nodded. “Imagine how many women have gone swimming in that pool. Excuse me. Peter Minor is about to dump horse manure down Holly Lopez’s shirt.”

  “She’s awfully blasé.” Lisa shook her head after Paige left. “If Nate Landis were staying in my house, I’d be over the moon. And a little sick to my stomach. I might dream about a man like that, but I’m not sure I would know what to do with him.”

  Lottie laughed. “Sweetie, a man like Nate Landis knows all the moves. All you would have to do is enjoy the ride.”

  “Where do I sign up?”

  “Nope. To ride that one you have to be this tall.” Lottie held her hand up several inches above her and Lisa’s heads.

  “What does that mean?”

  “Paige.”

  “But—”

  “Do you think I didn’t make a play? My flirting had no effect on him. And you know that isn’t something I admit easily.”

  “Because it never happens.”

  “True.” It wasn’t said with any ego. A fact was a fact. “He only has eyes for Paige.”

  “And Paige?”

  “She’s stubborn.”

  “True.”

  The women exchanged smiles. Loving someone didn’t mean you overlooked their faults. Paige was a fierce and loyal friend. She also had a habit of digging her feet in when she didn’t want to face the fact that she didn’t always know what was best.

  “I know that look,” Lisa grinned. “You have a plan. What is it and how can I help.”

  “For the moment, I’m taking a wait and see approach.” Lottie slung her arm over Lisa’s shoulders. “Nate isn’t going anywhere. I’m hoping he’ll do his part. If the hungry wolf look he gave her yesterday is any indication, he will make his move. Soon.”

  Lisa sighed again. “What do think the chances are the other brothers will drop into Basic?”

  “Slim to none.” Lottie gave Lisa a commiserating look. “But there’s always hope.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT