“Nope.” Travis held her jacket out for her. The weather had taken a cold turn and she needed the extra layer.
“Then walk beside me. I feel odd having someone’s eyes on my ass.”
“I don’t watch your ass.” Travis fell into step beside her. “Much.”
Paige laughed. It was impossible to get Nate off her mind, but she liked Travis and she appreciated his humor. He had become a friend and she didn’t feel like she needed to keep up a running dialogue. They walked for several minutes in a companionable silence.
“I’m sorry you had to stay behind. You’ll miss all the action. Did you draw the short straw?”
“I volunteered.”
“Why?”
Surprised, Paige glanced at him. He really was handsome. Not as handsome as Nate. However, if she were honest, she could be a trifle biased.
“Nate needs to stay focused. He’ll rest easier knowing I have your back.”
“I hate this.” Damn. She was not going to cry.
“Promise me a dance at your wedding?”
Paige knew what Travis was doing. Shifting the conversation from serious to light. Since she needed the distraction, she went along.
“Nate hasn’t asked me to marry him.”
“He will.” Travis picked up a stick, tossing it for a delighted Beauty to chase. She hadn’t mastered the return part yet, but she was terrific at fetching. “Or you’ll ask him. Either way, you two are getting hi— Hey, isn’t that your neighbor?”
Glancing across the field, Paige frowned. The black truck headed their way was indeed Lyle’s. It seemed odd for him to be out here where there was no road. He never drove in the fields because he didn’t like wear and tear on his vehicle.
“Paige. I called the Double C and your father said you had headed this way. I hoped you would come by my place. I’ve decided to redecorate and I would love your opinion.”
“Me? I don’t think we have the same taste, Lyle.” Paige knew it for a fact.
“Perhaps.” Lyle laughed, but there was an edge to it. “It was really just an excuse. I heard that Nate Landis left and I thought you might need a friend. I know the two of you became close while he was here. I know you must be missing him. Come for a drink.” When Paige hesitated, he added, “Please. Nothing romantic. Let me be a good neighbor. Your friend and the dog are welcome, too.”
Paige felt a wave of sadness. Mixed with her fear and worry over Nate, it made her vulnerable to Lyle’s sympathy.
That was how she found herself in Lyle’s living room. She knew the moment she climbed into his truck, it was a mistake. When they reached the house, she saw the relief on Lyle’s face when Travis said he would wait outside with Beauty. If they left now, they could cut across the fields and make it home in time for her to start dinner.
“One glass of wine. It’s the kind you like.” Lyle handed her a glass. “Then I’ll drive you home.”
Paige wondered at what point trying to be polite morphed into idiotic. She hated this wine. She wasn’t going to drink it simply to make Lyle feel better. With a smile, she raised the glass to her lips. She only wet her lips, but that was bad enough. God, she hated this stuff. It made her lips tingle. That was odd. She didn’t remember it doing that before.
“I need to get going, Lyle.”
“One more sip.” Lyle looked eager, his eyes strangely intense.
“I don’t want any more.” Paige set the glass down near the offensive bottle of wine. Before she had taken two steps, Lyle grabbed her arm.
“Drink the wine, Paige.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Paige tried to pull away. For a man with scrawny arms, he was surprisingly strong. “Why are you obsessed with me drinking that stupid wine?”
“Because.” His voice was low and calm. “It’s drugged. It will be much easier to get you on the plane if you are unconscious.”
Paige felt a shot of panic. Lyle was crazy. Why hadn’t she seen it before? His eyes looked almost feverish. His tongue kept darting out, wetting his lips. She had to get away.
Travis. Paige felt a wave of relief. Help was only a scream away.
“Your friend won’t be of any help,” Lyle said as if reading her mind. Paige jumped when a gunshot rang out. “There. End of problem. Now, my dear, you have a choice. Come with me of your own free will. Or drink the wine.”
“I pick door number three.”
“What?” Lyle looked genuinely confused. “Door? What door?”
“This one, motherfucker.”
In a flash, Paige grabbed the wine bottle from the bar and swung at Lyle’s head with all her might. It was almost comical the way he crumpled into a heap.
“What door?” he mumbled, grasping his head.
“My mistake. I meant bottle.”
“What?”
“She said bottle, asshole.”
“Nate!” Paige didn’t care where he had come from or if she was hallucinating. He looked solid and that was all that mattered. She threw herself into his arms, swearing to herself that she would let never go.
Nate held Paige close, happy to breathe in her welcome scent.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
NATE DIDN’T WANT to let go of Paige. Hell broke out all around them. Men with guns rushed in. Lights flashed in the driveway. Lyle Wilson was dragged away in handcuffs still muttering about door number three.
All Nate cared about was holding Paige and reassuring himself that she was all right. The hell with the chaos around them. She clung to him for dear life — shaking. He soothed her with whispered words and soft kisses.
“Travis,” Paige tried to pull back. For the first time, tears began to flow. “I heard a gunshot, Nate.”
“Shh,” Nate gently wiped her cheeks. “There he is. Safe and sound.”
Nate pointed across the room to where Travis conferred with Danny Floyd and Jack Winston.
“What happened, Nate?” Paige laid her head on his chest, her body burrowing as close as possible.
“We’ll sort it out. Right now, just hold on. You’re safe. That’s all that matters.”
THE NEXT MORNING they sat around the dining room table at the Double C, drinking coffee with friends and family. From the outside, it looked like any other gathering. The subject matter changed the complexion completely.
“Lyle Wilson started singing, or should I say squawking, before his lawyer arrived. And continued. The lawyer couldn’t shut him up.”
Jack Winston looked like a man who hadn’t slept in days. And that wasn’t far from the truth. Though he had no official capacity, the local police had let him witness the interrogation of Lyle Wilson.
“Why?” It was all Paige could think to ask.
Like Jack, none of them had slept. After giving her statement, Nate took her home. Chuck was with them, having arrived at Lyle Wilson’s house minutes after Paige called him to let him know what had happened.
Once they were back at the ranch, Paige curled up next to Nate and Beauty on the couch, her father nearby, and insisted Nate fill in some of the blanks.
Nate told them about the phone calls he and Jack had received.
“After that, Jack drove like a maniac and I called Chuck. When we got to the ranch, he showed us the direction you and Travis took. We drove until we hit Wilson’s place. We heard the gunshot just as we arrived.”
Nate shuddered when he remembered the terror he felt when he heard that sound. If Jack hadn’t stopped him, he would have jumped from the truck before it stopped.
“The first thing we saw was a man on the ground and Travis with his gun drawn. Beauty wisely hid behind Travis.”
They had to wait for the rest of the story. Around ten in the morning, Jack and Travis drove up. They were rumpled and tired but ready to fill everyone in.
“I thought you had been shot,” Paige hugged Travis, happy to see her bodyguard looking none the worse for wear.
“I might have been if it weren’t for Beauty. I tossed the stick for her when she suddenly stopped in her tracks,
whining like crazy. I’d never heard her make that noise and it sent a shiver up my spine. I pulled my gun and hit the ground. The bullet missed me by inches. I played dead until I saw a pair of wingtips by my head. I knocked his feet out from under him and that was when the cavalry arrived.” He smiled at the sleeping dog. “I owe her steak for life.”
“Now it’s your turn,” Nate said to Jack. “Wilson spilled his guts?”
“He was outraged that Paige hadn’t been arrested for assault.”
“What?” Paige couldn’t believe her ears.
“When that didn’t play, the air went out of him fast. He started crying and everything poured out. His obsession with Paige. The attempt on Nate’s life was a mistake. His paid assassin, the guy that shot at Travis, killed the bomber and others over the years. Once Wilson started, his confession covered years of shit no one would have thought to link to him.”
“He was crazy.” Paige would remember Lyle’s eyes for the rest of her life.
“Yes,” Jack agreed. “The longer he talked, the prouder he became. He wanted to brag about his imagined accomplishments.”
“And me? What was I supposed to be?” Paige hated to ask but she needed to know.
“His playmate.” Jack shrugged knowing it sounded ridiculous. “He became bored easily. Something about his superior intelligence. He saw you as his match. He liked that you didn’t fall into his lap. You were a challenge. When Nate came along, he thought getting rid of him was the answer. Then it was decided. Nate was too high profile to kill. They would wait until he was gone and take Paige out of the country where no one would find you.”
“And then?” Paige knew there was more.
“When you no longer amused him, you would disappear for good.”
“Jesus Christ.” Chuck had turned white. “Right next door. I could have lost you.”
“But you didn’t,” Paige hugged her father.
“Thanks to Paige’s bravery and ingenuity.” Nate’s eyes filled with pride and love.
Paige smiled back. “Thanks to a lousy bottle of wine.”
“I FEEL NORMAL.”
“That’s good.” Nate kissed her bare shoulder. “Normal is good.”
“After the last few days, I agree.”
They were in Nate’s bed. Beauty slept soundly at their feet. It could have been like any other night. However, everything had changed. The danger that had hung over them was gone. They no longer doubted how the other felt. Love. It freed them in so many ways.
“Best of all,” Nate said, cupping Paige’s bare breast. “No nightshirt.”
Paige shivered when Nate rubbed his thumb over her hardening nipple. “And no underwear.”
“Watch the roaming hands,” he warned her when she caressed his butt. “I have things to say. Then you can have your way with me.”
“Look who’s talking about roaming hands.”
“Want me to move it?” Nate gave her breast a gentle squeeze.
“No. Do you want me to move?”
Nate smiled when Paige squeezed his ass, none too gently.
“No.”
“I love you, Nathaniel.”
“I love you.” He waited for a beat. “We haven’t had time to talk about the future.”
“Will we be together?”
“Forever.”
“In Los Angeles.”
It wasn’t a question. “Is that really what you want? What about the ranch? Your father? Your horses?”
“I love the ranch. Before my mother died, I had plans to see the world. I put that dream aside — happily.” Paige turned to face him. She laced her fingers with his. “Dad already hires extra hands to help out. And he has Irene.”
“That is a good fit.”
“Perfect,” Paige agreed. “As for my horses. Rollie and Winter have a home here for life. I hope we will visit. Often?”
“Yes.”
“Montana isn’t the only place that has horses that need rescuing. You mentioned that big place of yours in Laurel Canyon.”
“I’ll set up a meeting with my architect. You tell him what you need, we’ll build it.”
Paige kissed him. Sweet, with the promise of heat.
“We’ll need a kennel. I want to expand the rescues to dogs. Not every puppy is as lucky as Beauty.”
Nate kissed the back of her hand. He was the lucky one. A stupid accident. A broken arm. They had led him to Montana. Here he found his heart. His love. His life. His Paige.
EPILOGUE
MOVIE PREMIERES WERE a pain in the ass. Dealing with logistics, the press. Dressing up in a suit and tie.
Nate would have skipped the last bit if Paige hadn’t pointed out that at least for tonight, he wasn’t a stuntman. He was a director. The director of Erin’s Dream. Besides, according to his fiancée, he looked sexy in a custom-tailored suit. How was a man supposed to argue with that?
Erin’s Dream. All through production, they had referred to the movie as the production. There was no title because Erin never gave it one. Chuck hadn’t thought far enough ahead to consider a finished movie that would be released to the public.
The title worked on every level. Originally, the female lead was named Marjory. Chuck changed it to Erin. When Nate suggested calling the film Erin’s Dream, Chuck was overcome with emotion. The perfect tribute to his beloved wife. The perfect way to move on with Irene while never forgetting Erin.
“She’s a natural.” Callie slipped her hand through Nate’s arm. “Paige has charmed everyone here. Look at that old gasbag, Myron Potts. She has the toughest critic in Hollywood eating out of her hand.”
“Who can blame him? She’s the perfect package. Brains and beauty.”
Paige glowed. Her blond hair cascaded down her back like a streak of honeyed sunshine. The dress that Callie helped her choose showed off her long, lean body to perfection. His mother informed him the color was summer peach. It made Paige’s skin appear creamy and soft — and he was the only man in the room lucky enough to know she felt better than she looked.
“You were worried about her.”
Leave it to my mother, Nate thought affectionately.
“Not worried. I know Paige can handle any situation. I was afraid she would take one look at this circus and regret leaving Montana. I find it a lot to take in and I’m used to it.”
“She’s happier with her animals.”
“Yes.”
Paige had accomplished miracles in only a few months. The new buildings around the Laurel Canyon property already housed two horses and three dogs. She had homes for the dogs and expected more to arrive next week. The horses would take more time, but Nate knew with Paige’s loving touch, they would recover and live long, happy lives.
“Go.” Callie smiled, pushing Nate toward Paige. “Rescue her before that man bores her ears off.”
“I can’t remember the last time a movie moved me so much.” Myron Potts waved his hands, wildly emphasizing every word. “The raw emotion was startling.”
“Paige’s mother wrote an amazing story.”
“Nate took it and turned it into an amazing movie.”
Taking her outstretched hand, Nate’s blue eyes lingered on hers. He would never grow tired of seeing the love shining for him. He planned on treasuring it for the rest of his life.
“I know you’ve stated publicly that Erin’s Dream doesn’t signal a change in careers. With the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response, you must be reconsidering.” Myron leaned closer, hoping for an exclusive scoop.
“Nate is a stuntman.”
“But surely—”
“You heard Paige. I’m a stuntman. Excuse us.” He gripped Paige’s hand and started to walk away. Then he turned back, unable to resist. “And don’t call me Shirley.”
“I love that you did that.” Paige was still laughing when Nate pulled her onto the dance floor. “By the look on Myron’s face, I’m not sure he got the reference.”
“Then shame on him. He can look it up.”
N
ate danced with an easy grace, leading her with a sure touch. He didn’t do this often, but having Paige made him consider making it a regular thing. Date night. After their unconventional courtship, they enjoyed going out. Dinner and dancing would be a nice addition.
“Your dad was beaming all evening.”
“He loved every minute. I know he’s never going to forget seeing Mom’s movie on that big screen. Thank you.”
“Thank you, Paige.”
“Me?” Paige laughed. “What did I do?”
“You gave me something I didn’t know I was missing. Your heart.”
“And you gave me yours. Promise me something? Never ask for it back.”
“Never.”
Nate lowered his mouth to hers. Cameras clicked. Within seconds, Nate’s fans all over the world sighed with envy, dreaming they were in his arms.
Nate no longer cared. Paige was his dream come true. And he never had to close his eyes.
COMING SOON
MAY
DREAMING OF YOUR LOVE
(HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS BOOK THREE)
JULY
DREAMING AGAIN
(HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS BOOK FOUR)
DECEMBER
DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS
(HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS BOOK FIVE)
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
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Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open (Hollywood Legends #2) Page 31
