Hope Ignites

by Jaci Burton

  Colt sat on her sofa, stretching out his long legs. "Thanks, babe. Tony thinks so, too."

  She laughed. "Seriously, though. We have chemistry through the roof, and it shows on-screen. If you can pull that off, who cares who you love offscreen?"

  "Well, I sure don't. And you don't. And probably most of America doesn't give a shit, either. But my management team does care. And they say no to coming out."

  She plopped onto the sofa next to him. "I'm sorry. You should be able to live your life freely and not have to parade around with a bunch of women you don't care about while Tony is stuck loving you behind the scenes."

  Colt let out a sigh. "I know, love. But it is what it is, and I guess it's going to stay that way for a while. Maybe someday we'll be able to change that."

  She pushed off and stood. "Hopefully sooner rather than later. I want you to be happy."

  "I want you to be happy, too."

  She gave him a smile. "I am happy. I'm living my dream here."

  "Sure you are."

  "Did you get dinner ordered?"

  "Should be here in about fifteen."

  "Pop open a bottle of wine for us, then. I'm going to hop in the shower."

  Des stripped and got into the shower, washing away the body makeup from the day's scenes and the sweat from her run. She thought about Colt. They'd known each other since before either of them had even gotten their first part in film, when they'd bunked together in a one-bedroom apartment in Hollywood. They'd become fast friends and had stayed that way. She'd found out right away that Colt was gay--hard to hide that kind of thing from your best friend and roommate. And when they'd started getting roles together, they'd bonded and supported each others' careers. Fortunately, they'd also been lucky enough to score roles in films together. Which, of course, made love scenes sometimes awkward to film, because as close friends, it was hard to play lovers. But they were professionals and they were actors. And because they were so close, they had a natural chemistry that lent itself well to the camera, so they worked at using that chemistry. They were comfortable together and lit up the screen. They were often linked together in the gossip circles, which Colt found hysterical.

  So did Des. She didn't mind bearding for him, and often went to premieres and out to dinner with him to give him a cover when he didn't feel like playing the role of a straight guy with some other woman.

  Until she'd met James and had started a relationship with him.

  Which had recently gone up in flames. But she wasn't going to think about him anymore. He'd already wasted enough of her time. She was never going to have a relationship with another actor.

  Now she was free to hook up with Colt again. At least on the surface.

  She got out of the shower and put on a pair of shorts and a tank top. The smell of dinner made her stomach clench. She was hungry, so she hurriedly combed out her hair and went into the main room of the trailer, where Colt was laying out forks and plates.

  "Chinese food?"

  "Yeah."

  "All that salt. I love looking puffy in front of the camera."

  Colt grinned. "You couldn't look puffy if you tried. Sit down and eat."

  They ate, sipped wine, and roughed out tomorrow's scenes in between bites.

  "I met Logan McCormack, the owner of the ranch, today," she said as she grabbed a fortune cookie.

  "Yeah? What's he like?"

  "Incredibly sexy, in a brooding, loner cowboy sort of way."

  "Really. Would I like him?"

  She laughed. "I think you'd love him. And Tony would kill you."

  "Hey, I'm devoted and madly in love and you know that. Doesn't mean I can't ogle."

  "I invited him to the set. He said his house manager is a big fan, so he's going to bring her tomorrow."

  "Hmm."

  She looked at Colt. "Hmmm what?"

  "You're interested. Now I really can't wait to meet him."

  "I didn't say I was interested in him, only that he was interesting."

  "Same thing, isn't it?"

  "Not at all." She cracked open her fortune cookie and popped a piece into her mouth as she unfolded the fortune and read it.

  Your life is about to change in new and exciting ways.

  She'd believe that when it happened.

  Chapter 2

  "HOW'S MY HAIR?"

  Logan looked over at Martha as they rode toward the set. "What?"

  She smoothed down her hair and checked herself in the mirror. "My hair, Logan. It's humid out here. What if I get to take a picture with Desiree or Colt? How does it look?"

  "It looks fine."

  Martha shot him a glare. "That is not a helpful statement."

  "Your hair looks nice, Martha. Definitely picture-worthy."

  "Too late. Just drive."

  Logan shrugged, not understanding why this whole thing was such a big damn deal. But he loved Martha, so he'd endure it for her.

  There was a designated parking area, and he gave his name to security, who checked him off the list and gave Martha and him a day pass, which irritated the crap out of him.

  "Why the hell do I have to have a pass to walk on my own goddamned property?" he grumbled as they were led through a gate.

  "Oh, quit complaining," Martha said, her eyes wide as she soaked it all in.

  "This isn't freakin' Disneyland, you know. It's McCormack property. You've been here before."

  "Oh, no, Logan. To me, it's Disneyland. By way of Hollywood. Look at the set, all the people running around. They've turned the land into something magical."

  When he'd told her yesterday that he'd run into Des, she'd squealed, dinner forgotten as she asked him the celebrity version of twenty questions. What was Desiree like? Was she nice? What had they talked about? Was she as pretty in person as she was on the screen? Had Colt been there with her?

  Damn, but the woman had been incessant. And when he'd told her Des had invited them on set, her eyes had grown wide as saucers, and he thought he might have had to hold her up. She'd gripped the counter and told him he was lying. When he'd assured her he wasn't, she'd abandoned dinner and gone home, claiming she had to figure out what she was going to wear. Good thing dinner had been ready so all he and Martha's husband, Ben, had to do was serve it up.

  "This is amazing," Martha said as they wound their way onto the set.

  Didn't look amazing at all to him. It looked like someone had taken piles of rocks and blown them up. There were plenty of trees and hills, but a lot of it was scrub. He supposed it was stark and desolate enough for their movie, though he had no idea why they didn't film it in the desert in California.

  He'd asked them that question and they'd told him there were no clouds out there, not the right kind of scenery for the location they required. Here, there were plenty of clouds to give them the gloomy feel for the shoot. Plus, it could potentially rain, and they needed that. They'd given him a lot of explanatory bullshit about this being the ideal location, Also, it was private property, which meant they could keep the movie secret from the media.

  Whatever.

  He had to admit they'd done a lot in the short time they'd been here. There were buildings and caves, all painted and kind of impressive. On the north end there were giant, steel-like structures painted gray and forbidding, which resembled some kind of futuristic metropolis.

  Maybe it was supposed to look like that. Though only half of it looked like the set. The rest of it was cameras and what appeared like a train track and equipment and a hell of a lot of people.

  "You must be Logan." A young dark-haired woman came over, wearing capris and a tank top. She also had on a headset and carried a phone, a clipboard, and a digital notebook. "I'm Jessica, Desiree's assistant."

  Logan shook her hand. "Nice to meet you. This is Martha."

  Jessica shook her hand. "Des told me you were coming today. We have chairs already set up for you to watch the filming. Follow me."

  Jessica led them to two chairs with a clear view of the set.
"Right here. Is there anything I can bring you? Would you like a drink?"

  "I'm fine," Logan said.

  "Me, too. Thank you, Jessica," Martha said, smiling so wide Logan was afraid her face was going to break.

  "Des will be out shortly to greet you, but then she'll have to get right on set."

  "Fine with me. Thanks," Logan said, hoping they could just watch a scene, Martha would be placated and then they could get out of there. He had work to do. Cows didn't exactly manage themselves. And while his crew would work fine alone, he didn't take days off. It wasn't in his nature.

  "This is so exciting," Martha said, nearly wriggling in her chair. She really had gone all out, getting dressed up in her fancy slacks and Sunday blouse. She'd even put on makeup, something Martha did only for church and special events.

  He supposed, for Martha, this was a special event.

  Logan had worn what he always wore. Jeans and a T-shirt. And his boots. It was just as hot and dusty out here as it was on the rest of the ranch. Besides, he saw no reason to get dressed up for these movie people. They were just regular people like him, right?

  "You two look comfortable. You ready for the day?"

  Martha clutched his arm as Des appeared from behind them.

  She sure looked different from yesterday. Instead of her scrubbed, clean look, she was dressed in tight cargo pants and a black tank top. They had her hair mussed, her face streaked with dirt, and what looked like a bloody gash on her arm. She wore a strapped thigh holster and some kind of mean-looking futuristic weapon tucked onto her hip, another longer, rifle-type one slung across her back. And some very kickass boots with laces and buckles that even Logan had to admit looked sexy as hell on her.

  Martha slid out of her chair and held out her hand. "Good morning, Miss Jenkins. I'm Martha Fleming. Thank you so much for letting us come to your set today."

  "Hi, Martha. I'm so pleased to meet you, and I'm glad you could make it today." Des gave Logan a wide smile. "Nice to see you again, Logan."

  Logan nodded. "Des."

  "Are you ready for an action scene today?" Des asked them.

  "They sure have you made up, don't they?" Martha asked, looking at Des. "How long does that take?"

  "Not too bad for today. About an hour and a half in hair and makeup. I'm going to get a little more roughed up, but Colt will take the worst of it, so unfortunately for him, he'll have to sit longer in the chair than I will after this scene."

  "How exciting." Martha was practically vibrating.

  "They're ready for you, Des," Jessica said.

  Des nodded. "I'll be right there." She turned back to Logan and Martha. "I hope you enjoy it. The scene is fairly short, so I'll be back to check on both of you after."

  She walked away and was soon joined by a tall, sandy-haired man dressed similarly to Des.

  Martha gripped his arm again. "Oh, my Lord. That's Colt Stevens. Isn't he handsome?"

  The guy was muscular, for sure, showing it all off in his half-ripped sleeveless top. Colt and Des smiled at each other as they got into position. The director--or Logan guessed it was the director--started calling out something. Des pulled her weapon and crouched down behind one of the buildings, Colt right next to her in a similar position. Several other actors dressed in black combat gear and wearing some type of creature makeup were on the other side of the buildings. They were armed, too. It looked like it was Des and Colt against an army of at least a dozen.

  When the director called "Action," Des and Colt started talking. It appeared as if they were trying to strategize an escape, but the guys in black made the first move, firing their weapons. Des and Colt fired back. No sounds came from the guns. Logan assumed those sounds would be dubbed in later. The firefight lasted only about a minute, but Logan had to admit he'd leaned forward, getting into the action, especially when Des and Colt bolted from their position of security, the aliens advancing on them. When her gun was out of imaginary ammo, she holstered it and slung the rifle over her shoulder and began to fire.

  Logan smiled at the way she held the rifle. Des needed some lessons on rifle fire. If it were an actual shoot-out, she wouldn't hit the broad side of a barn with that thing. Then again, this was all make-believe, so it didn't matter.

  She was hit, presumably in the leg, because she dropped her weapon and went down, clutching her thigh. A bright burst of red came from her thigh and the aliens advanced on her.

  Des was captured, dragged away through the dirt by one of the taller men. Colt started to come for her, but he was jolted back as if he had been hit by gun or laser fire, though, of course, there was no gunfire sound.

  Des screamed out, arms flailing, yelling for Colt to run, not to come for her. Colt hesitated, special effects smoke billowing all around them.

  Nice. It was over in a minute or two, the director yelled "Cut" and everyone got up.

  "That was a good take, everyone," the director said. "We'll regroup for scene seven in thirty minutes."

  Des brushed herself off and went over to Colt. Heads bent in conversation, gesturing and pointing over the scene they'd just shot, Logan studied the two of them as they talked. The connection between them was obvious. The smiles they shared and the way Colt touched her made it seem as if they were intimate. He wondered if they were dating.

  "Wasn't that exciting?" Martha asked.

  "It was interesting."

  "Interesting?" Martha nudged him. "I barely breathed the entire time."

  "Okay, it was a pretty good scene."

  "Look, she's bringing Colt over." Martha straightened her blouse, and Logan rolled his eyes.

  "You gonna leave Ben for this guy?"

  Martha shot him a look. "Of course not. Colt's young enough to be my son. He's younger than you, for heaven's sake."

  "Then I don't think you need to primp."

  She slapped his arm. "You're a mean man, Logan McCormack."

  "How did you like the scene?" Des asked.

  "Oh, my," Martha said. "It was amazing."

  Des waited.

  "It was good," Logan said.

  "Logan, Martha, this is Colt Stevens."

  Colt gave them a genuine smile and shook their hands. "Pleasure to meet both of you. And, Logan, thanks for the use of this ranch. I'm hoping to get out and explore, that is, if you don't mind."

  Logan was predisposed not to like Colt, but he was friendly and not arrogant. "Do you ride?"

  "Some. I spent time on a ranch in my errant youth, but I'm a little rusty."

  "Oh, you have to come over to the ranch. In fact, you and Des should come for Sunday dinner." Martha frowned. "What do you eat around here, anyway?"

  Des wrinkled her nose. "Either takeout from town or whatever catering gives us."

  Martha crossed her arms. "Which is?"

  "Nothing edible, that's for sure," Colt said with a laugh.

  "Then you definitely have to come for Sunday dinner. I make home-cooked meals every night, and it's not that far. It sure beats takeout and whatever your catering truck is going to fix for you."

  "We wouldn't want to put you out, Martha," Colt said. "We're used to eating in our trailers."

  "Nonsense. You'll come for dinner. I insist. Besides, it'll be a treat for me. I'll get to pick your brains about the movie business."

  Des looked at Colt, who then grinned at Martha. "Sounds like a win-win to me. Besides, I'd really like to get back on a horse again, provided Logan doesn't mind."

  If he said he minded, Martha would likely kill him. "I don't mind. Come for dinner, like Martha said. The more people Martha can cook for, the happier she is."

  "This is true," Martha said with a smile. "Sunday dinner is my specialty."

  "Sunday dinner it is, then," Des said. "And thank you. If I never see a Chinese-food box again, I'll be happy."

  When the bell rang, Des and Colt had to leave to get ready for their next scene. Colt was talking to Martha, and Des moved in next to Logan. "You sure you're okay about us coming to the ranc
h house for dinner?"

  "Hey, I'm not the one cooking. If Martha wants you, consider yourself invited."

  "Still, I'd hate to intrude."

  "You're already here on the land. A couple extra people at the house won't make any difference."

  She patted him on the chest. "That's what I like about you, Logan. So warm and inviting." She tilted her head back, and he was caught again by her ever-changing eyes. "See you later."

  "What was that about?" Martha asked after Colt and Des left.

  "Nothing."

  "I think she likes you."

  "I think she likes Colt."

  "And I think you know nothing about acting. Or women."

  "That much is true." What he did know was they were going to have guests for dinner on Sunday. And one of them was Des, a woman he didn't understand at all. Not that he understood any woman, but her in particular.

  And when she'd touched him, he'd felt something, which bothered him.

  He liked the type of woman he could categorize--the kind you took to bed and the kind you stayed away from.

  He'd like to stay away from Des.

  He'd also like to take her to bed. She had a smart, sassy mouth, a sexy smile, and an attitude a mile long. But he figured that Colt guy was her boyfriend, and he didn't get in the middle of a relationship, so he planned to steer clear of her.

  He was good at staying away from women, had lived thirty-four years without tangling himself up in a woman. He had enough trouble just managing the ranch, which was enough to handle.

  Women were a lot more work.

  A woman from Hollywood? No way in hell was he tangling with that.

  Chapter 3

  "THIS ISN'T EXACTLY a Hollywood premiere, Des. Let's get a move on."

  Colt paced impatiently in Des's trailer while she put the finishing touches on her hair, which had decided not to cooperate today. Damn Oklahoma humidity. Her hair was flat and uncooperative and looked like a mop. Ugh.

  Not that she was trying to impress anyone or anything. That someone she was definitely not trying to impress would likely not even notice her, anyway, so why would she even bother? She was only going over there for the home cooking.

  She finally gave up and pulled it back in a high ponytail, slipped on her boots and came out of her bedroom.

  "I'm ready."

  Colt gave her the once-over. "You look cute."