Mustang Hollywood: A standalone, small town, enemies-to-lovers romance (Mustang Ranch Book 3)

by Eva Haining

  “Of course. I doubt you have the propensity for anything close to real emotion.” He opens his mouth to reply, but we’re interrupted by the same man who ushered me in here.

  “She’s here. You can go now.” I’ve been given a stay of execution. Nothing good could come from continued conversation with Mr. Savage. It would seem he brings out the worst in me.

  I slip from his grasp, gather the papers at his feet, risking an upward glance. His eyes are burning into me, watching my every move.

  “Wait.” There’s something in his gaze—regret? I’m sure he regrets that he won’t get the chance to tear me a new one. I don’t want to find out.

  “Goodbye.” My walk turns to a jog as I leave him behind, bursting out into the morning air, gasping as if I were starved of oxygen. I lean against the rough sun-bleached wood, taking a moment to catch my breath.

  “Are you okay?” I recognize his voice—familiar and welcome on a day like today.

  “Thomas, what are you doing here?” Thomas and I went to school together. He’s never shown any interest in acting.

  Thomas Knox was a jock and the star football player on our high school team. Like me, he hasn’t found it easy to leave town since graduation. An injury during his senior year put him out of the running for a full scholarship, and I know as well as everyone else, his family couldn’t afford the tuition. He’s been working with his dad, learning the family trade to one day take over. It’s how life turns out for most of us. Kingsbury Falls has a strange way of clinging to its residents like quicksand. Generation after generation, we scramble to break free, but very few of us make it out.

  My mom was a true southern belle, born and raised right here in Kingsbury Falls. She and my dad were star-crossed lovers. She was head cheerleader for the high school football team, and he was a linebacker for the rival team from the next town over. Apparently, it was a big scandal at the time. That’s what my momma always told me. They’d meet in secret at the edge of town and fell in love over milkshakes at the truck stop.

  When my dad proposed, they flipped a coin to decide which town they’d live in. Kingsbury Falls won the toss, and the rest is history. They thought they were going to grow old together strolling through the town square on warm summer nights. I guess fate had other plans. All that remains of their love story is the modest little house I call home and me.

  I was always the weird drama kid who would rather watch old movies at the shoebox that passes for a movie theater than be drinking and fooling around under the bleachers on game night. I paint myself like the town crazy, but I really wasn’t. I just never found my way to being in with the hot girls. I get it. I’m not going to be the next leading lady of Hollywood, but every stunning actress needs a somewhat pretty accomplice! Great lines in movies come from the supporting actors.

  “Maisie? Are you all right? Come with me, I’ll grab you some water. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He wraps his arm gingerly around my waist. “What the heck happened? Is it nerves?”

  “I wish. I just bawled out J.J. Savage.” Hearing the words out loud, I want to crawl under a rock.

  “You what?”

  “It’s a long story, but it ends with me accusing a movie star of having zero real emotion and chastising him for not using southern manners.”

  “Did he hit on you?” He turns to walk back to the barn, balling his hands into fists at his side.

  “Stop! It was nothing like that. Are you kidding? A guy like him wouldn’t look twice at me.”

  “Maisie Bryant, don’t you be getting all caught up with these LA types. None of them hold a candle to you.” I’m not used to this side of him. He seems different now. Gentle but strong—masculine. The last time I noticed, he was just a boy, and I don’t think I ever realized just how good-looking he is.

  “I didn’t know you wanted to be an actor? Why have you never tried out for anything here in town?” He smiles a bright, beautiful grin.

  “Me? I’m no actor. I saw this come up, and I thought it might be a good break from working the farm. Plus, I figured you’d be here. There’s not a guy in town who would blame me for wanting to spend some time with you before you go off to be a big star.”

  “You didn’t do this for me? You’ve hardly spoken to me in years.”

  “Let’s just say you being here is an added bonus. Can we leave it at that?” He ruffles my hair like he used to when we were kids.

  “I’m glad you’re here. I don’t know anyone else, and they don’t seem all that friendly.” As if on cue, a headset screamer directs us to our positions, but my gaze finds its way to the barn, to the man inside getting up close and personal with his new female lead. I wouldn’t mind being her—working across from J.J. Savage is going to catapult her into the spotlight. Hopefully, one day I’ll get a break like that with anyone other than him.

  The rest of the day is entertaining. Having Thomas around is great. We sit back and observe the LA wannabes like wildlife at the safari park. They are a whole other species from a small-town, flouncing around with their skinny, half-caf frappe-happa-chinos, complaining about the heat. Some of these girls have never experienced the joy of humidity mixed with a perfectly coiffed hairstyle. In this respect, I excel! I’ve been taming my mane since kindergarten.

  This is going to be the experience of a lifetime.

  Chapter Two

  JASPER

  This production is every bit as bad as I expected. My leading lady, Reagan Turner, is a terrible actress. Just awful. I’m hoping it was first-day nerves on her part, but if she continues like this, I’ll be demanding a replacement. I could see it in the director’s face when we wrapped for the day. He’s concerned. My fee alone has got to be half the budget of this B-movie. My name needs to carry it over the line and get me back on track, but something in me wants to fight it.

  I shouldn’t have to cross my fingers and hope I can get back in the good graces of Hollywood. I’ve paid my dues, and now I’m taking a step back in my career because of Cece. She was a good lay, but she isn’t worth all this. She’s the one who ended our relationship, but lying about it just made it more of a kick in the teeth. She’s living it up in my house, screwing whoever she feels like while I’m exiled to Hell’s armpit.

  I need a drink.

  When the set is cleared, and there’s nothing to hear but the hum of crickets in the grass, I venture up to the main house. Maddox Hale and his very pregnant wife, Annabeth, are sitting on the back porch watching their kids run around in the field, laughing and joking. It’s idyllic in its own way.

  “Hey, J.J. What can we do for you?” I already like Maddox. He doesn’t talk to me like I’m a movie star. In fact, there’s almost disdain in his voice when he speaks my name. I don’t know why that should please me, but it does.

  “Call me, Jasper. Only assholes and sycophants call me J.J.” Understanding is evident in his smile.

  “Well, all right, then. What can I do for you, Jasper?”

  “Where does a guy go to get a drink around here?” He looks surprised. God, I hope they aren’t a dry house. I need people to drink with for the next few months.

  “You sure you want to do that? There’s one bar, and I guarantee every member of the cast and crew are there right now. Do you really want to be swarmed by locals and aspiring actresses?”

  “Got a b…?” Before I finish the words, Annabeth hands me a beer. “Thanks.”

  “Anytime. Mad understands being chased by the ladies.” She shoves his shoulder playfully, but I can see the heat in her eyes. Surely, with two kids and a third on the way, they’re past this stage.

  “Don’t listen to her. She’s a possessive little minx.” She stands, brushing off her jeans, shouting at the kids to come inside.

  “Don’t leave on my account. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

  “This lot needs to be fed and watered before bed. They’re worse than the animals. You’re welcome to stay and eat with us.”

  “Thanks, Annabeth, but I don’
t want to get in your way.”

  “Nonsense. You’re in the south now. The sooner you get used to our hospitality, the better. I insist you stay… and call me A.B. Only my momma calls me Annabeth, and it usually precedes a lecture of some kind.” She leans down to kiss her husband, and he has the same doe-eyed expression she does as he watches her retreat inside. I feel like a third wheel.

  With a long swig of his drink, he turns his attention to me. “How’s small-town life treating you? Ready to climb the walls yet?”

  “Is it bad if I say yes?” A cool beer was just what I needed.

  “I get it, man. I left here and never looked back. Didn’t think I’d ever live out in the sticks like this again. Had no desire to follow in my father’s footsteps, but here I am.”

  “You were rodeo royalty, right? Why’d you quit at your peak?”

  “Knocked up a groupie and gave it all up to marry her and move back here to raise our daughter.”

  “A.B. doesn’t strike me as the groupie type.” Maddox sprays his mouthful of beer in laughter.

  “She wouldn’t be caught dead fangirling. I was married before. Sally Rae’s biological mother cut out on us when she was a baby. Couldn’t take living this kind of life. It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure.”

  “So, you just gave it all up like that?”

  “It didn’t feel like a sacrifice. Rae is better than anything I ever achieved career-wise. She means more to me than fame ever did.”

  “I wish I felt that way about… anything.”

  “You’re at the top of your game. What’s happening in the tabloids right now is just a blip. It’ll pass.”

  “I’m not so sure. Everyone thinks I am a misogynist with a penchant for kink.”

  “Is what they’re saying true?” There’s no judgment in his question, and so I calmly answer.

  “Not even close. This is what really happened.” I go on to explain the whole sordid situation in detail. I find myself telling him things I’ve not said out loud until now—not even to my agent and friend, Ethan. A few beers later, A.B. calls out from the kitchen that supper is ready. Maddox slaps my back with the steady hand of a cowboy.

  “You keep yourself right, and the rest has a way of working itself out. Trust me.” For some reason, I’m inclined to believe him, but I don’t see how my life is going to get back on track out here. This is so far from where I’m supposed to be.

  I’ve been waking up before dawn every day this week, enjoying the quiet of the ranch in the hours before the crew arrives to set up for the day. Anyone who knows me understands how unusual this is. I like to party late and sleep even later. I’m the last one on the set at the beginning of the day, but what I lack in time management, I make up for in hard work. For some unknown reason, Mustang brings out the early riser in me.

  Exploring the ranch in the secluded isolation the slumbering sun affords me, I’ve gotten a glimpse of what actually goes into keeping this place profitable. Maddox and his best friend, Jax, are up and tending to the horses even before I surface. They’ve put in a day’s hard labor before most people’s alarm clock signals daylight.

  I’m fascinated by how these two work together. They’ve known each other their entire life, and both have homes on the ranch. They have a shorthand that no one else understands, and between them, they’ve created the thriving hub of this small town. I’ve done my research on this place and its owners since that first night I sat down to supper with Maddox and his family.

  I’d heard about Mad’s career, but now I’ve poured over the articles that track not only his rise to fame, but his fall—or so it was perceived. The rodeo world was at a loss to understand why a guy like him would choose a different path for himself. They decided the facts of his story, and nothing else mattered until he reappeared a few years back by accident. It makes me wonder if I’d be received with the same acceptance of the truth in my situation.

  Learning more about how this place operates can only enhance my performance for the movie. I confess the extent of my prep for this one has been less than stellar. I watched some John Wayne movies and a few Hallmark ranch romances. I’m a dedicated actor, but my recent setback has taken a toll on my enthusiasm to immerse myself in the role.

  The first week has been a grind, and every time I see that smart-mouthed little extra, she stares me down with hellfire in her pretty green eyes. I attempted to find out more about her to send a replacement camera, but Jax told me I’d find it lodged up my ass if I went within fifty feet of her, so I guess she’s a hometown girl. He’s not as trusting as Mad, but he seems like a good guy if not a little overprotective.

  This morning, they enlisted me to help them muck-out the stables to get my pretty boy hands dirty. I’ve never sweated this much in my life. I don’t understand how anyone can stand the humidity here, let alone get any work done in the great outdoors. I thought I was in shape, but I’m struggling to catch my breath while these guys are barely breaking a sweat.

  “Listen. Thanks for the hands-on training, but I gotta get cleaned up for the shoot.”

  “Sorry, pretty boy. I forgot you need to manicure your nails and have your makeup done.” They descend into laughter at my expense which irks me more than I let on.

  “You boys enjoy your day shoveling shit.” They take my retort in the same good humor of their own jibes. I shouldn’t take it personally, but lately, it’s all I seem to do.

  Wardrobe and makeup have primped and preened me as much as a leading man can withstand. I look like the cowboy from The Village People. Staring at myself in the slender mirror inside my trailer, I don’t even recognize myself. Who am I, Jasper or the famous J.J. Savage?

  There’s a hesitant knock at the door.

  “Who is it?”

  “It’s… it’s Jack. Jack Reynolds.” This can’t be good. Why is the director at my door with the timidity of a church mouse? Something’s wrong.

  “Come in.” Sliding into the booth-style seating, I gesture for him to sit. “What can I do for you, Jack?” Wringing his hands on the table between us, his gaze flits from his fingers to the floor without so much as a glance in my direction.

  “I don’t know how to say this, J.J., I can’t believe it myself…”

  “Just say it already.”

  “Reagan quit.” I must have heard him wrong.

  “You’re shitting me, right?”

  “She got a recurring role on The Bold and the Beautiful. I guess she thought it would be better for her career. Her agent is in talks with the studio to get her out of contract.”

  “So, what you’re telling me is a Z-list actress has blown off working with me… J.J. Savage… because she got a better offer?”

  “She’s at the start of her career. A TV role is a steady job. It’s not a reflection on you.”

  “The fuck it isn’t!” I rip the table from its bolts in the floor. “I should be the one walking away. This is career suicide. Look at me. I look like a fucking caricature of a cowboy right now… and why? Because I let that scheming bitch lie about me.” Jack’s ghostly demeanor reflects my own self-loathing.

  “I’ve already got some calls in to find a new actress. We can still make this work, J.J. Tell me what I can do to make this right.”

  “Get me a goddamn DeLorean!” Without another word, he disappears out the door, leaving me to my destructive rage. I grab and pull at anything to throw, the windows shattering around me in a cacophony of despair. I’m at a loss for what to do next. With every device, plate, glass, and piece of furniture torn and discarded from my trailer, I slump to the floor, my breath heaving in my chest. Six months ago, there wasn’t an actress in Hollywood who would turn down the chance to work across from me. Now, I’m reduced to this?

  “Knock, knock.”

  “Go away!” The door opens regardless. “Maddox? What are you doing here?” With his hands tight in his pockets, he takes in the devastation I’ve inflicted on this small inoffensive space.

  “Could hear you te
aring this place up from a mile away. I heard what happened. It’s all anyone out there is talking about.”

  “I bet. I’m sure they’re already tweeting my latest humiliation.”

  “I don’t think so. You need to get your head out your ass, man. All of these people are depending on you. This goes south for you, and you’re no worse off… not really. These guys are counting on this paycheck to cover next month’s rent. You can fix this.”

  “I’m not the hero I play in my movies.”

  “You can be. You just have to figure out a way to do it. Think about it. The director is sending everyone away for the day. You need to clear your head. Do you know how to ride?”

  “I took lessons for this role, but I’m mediocre at best.”

  “Okay. Come out on the ranch today with Jax and me. We’ll show you how real cowboys ride. Maybe the great outdoors will inspire you.”

  “What’s the point?”

  “Maybe there isn’t one. But, your alternative is to get on a plane back to LA and admit defeat. Come find me up at the house when you’re ready to face this like a man.” As he turns to leave, he glances back at me. “And for God’s sake, take off that ridiculous outfit before you come riding. It’s an affront to anyone who sets eyes on it.”

  I sit for hours, silence creeping around me, circling with outstretched hands, attempting to steal what little dignity I have left. And then, it dawns on me.

  I have the beginnings of a plan.

  Taking Maddox up on his offer, I clean myself up and head out to ride with him and Jax. It’s quite something to watch them wrangle these huge beasts with such finesse. Jax is a true horse whisperer. The animals respond to him in a way I’ve never seen. Like everyone else, I’ve watched the occasional episode of The Dog Whisperer with cynicism about such things. If that seemed like a neat magic trick, this is a God-given talent.