Dirty Stepbrother - A Firefighter Romance (The Maxwell Family)

by Alycia Taylor

  “Good, now I want you to reach out and touch her. Just gently.”

  “Uh, do I have to?”

  I laughed. “Sloan, you have to. Come on,” I said. I took her hand and gently put it on the side of Betty’s face. Her hands were soft and small inside mine, and as she touched Betty’s fur, she grinned.

  “Hey, this is nice,” she said.

  I chuckled. “I cannot believe this is your first time touching a horse.”

  “Yeah, me neither. I just haven’t ever had this opportunity. I’ll be honest, I never really saw the appeal until now.”

  “You’ll see, by the end of your stay here, you’ll love Betty as much as I do. She’s hard not to love.”

  “She’s a beautiful horse.”

  “She sure is. Look, she likes you,” I said. I still wasn’t too happy with having to spend my entire day with a diva like Sloan, but I was glad to finally see her at least trying. When she didn’t have her barriers up, she was actually a pretty pleasant person to be around. “Come on, then. Let me show you the proper way to saddle your horse, and the best way to mount them. We won’t do too much today, but by the end of the day, I want you to have at least gone on one ride.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll be standing right here the whole time. And if you need help, I’ll be here. Just wait and see—you’ll be fine. Betty is a great horse to ride for the first time. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she said, and I saw her visibly relax.

  For the next two hours, I taught her everything I knew about riding a horse, and what I thought she’d need to know for the movie. I’d never actually taught anyone before, and it was quite nice to show someone what I knew about them. I actually hadn’t realized I knew so much until that moment. Then, as we were finishing up, I helped her get on for her first ride.

  “That’s it,” I said as she got up. “So, how does it feel?”

  “I kinda like the idea that I’m taller than you now,” she said and laughed. “It’s wonderful, Brady. She’s beautiful. Come on, let’s ride.”

  It was the first time that I’d seen her enthusiastic about anything, and when we got back from our ride, I could see that she had genuinely enjoyed it. Her eyes were bright, and I wondered if perhaps I had misjudged her. Grant had already warned me that I should be giving these people more of a chance rather than taking them at face value. Perhaps he was right all along, as much as I hated to admit it. But then, she ruined it all by opening her mouth again.

  “That was amazing. I really enjoyed today. I cannot wait to tell everyone about this. They won’t believe me. You know, I’m going to sleep well tonight after this. Which, might I add, will be the first real sleep I’ve had since coming here. I don’t know how they can even have beds like that in a hotel. It’s tiny, and not great for my back at all. You should see the bed I have back at home. I stay in a loft, you see, and the bed is huge. You don’t even want to know how much I paid for it. It’s ridiculous, really. But there’s no price on good sleep and a fabulous view, I say.”

  And just like that, I felt annoyed again. I didn’t say much when she was talking about her big apartment overlooking New York. But as we were closing up, I turned to her.

  “You know, Sloan, I’m happy that you have such a wonderful apartment. It’s good to enjoy your home, especially since it’s the place that you probably spend the most time in. But if you want to come across as authentic in this role, then you’re going to have to understand that material things are not as important as you think they are. Maybe it’s different in your life, but out here, things are done in a different way. This is the opposite of a materialist world. Out here, our values are different. I’m not trying to be nasty or anything. I mean, I know we are two very different people. But just bear that in mind when you’re acting, and you’ll do great.”

  She just stared at me, and then nodded. That was unlike her. We said our goodbyes and I watched as she walked back to her car. She stopped about halfway and turned around.

  “Thanks for everything you did for me today, Brady. I know you took time out of your day for it. And I really do appreciate it, even if I don’t always show it.”

  I immediately felt bad about the things I had said to her. She’d actually been really pleasant the whole day, and I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge. I sighed.

  “Sloan,” I said before I could change my mind. “Maybe we can get dinner sometime? I can explain a bit more about how things are around here. And you can ask me any questions that you have about the ranching lifestyle.”

  She didn’t say anything at first, and I wondered if she was going to laugh at my request. But finally, she smiled and nodded. “Well, we’re not shooting on Wednesday. Does that day work for you?”

  “Wednesday is great.”

  “Wonderful,” she said and walked away.

  The moment she got into her car and drove away, I wondered what had come over me. I snapped back into reality and groaned at the thought of spending an entire evening with her trying to make small talk. What was wrong with me? Oh well, I thought, at least Harold would be happy that I was finally making an effort.

  Chapter Ten

  Sloan

  For the first time since arriving in Wyoming, I was feeling good about the movie. Ever since I’d been told that I’d be the leading lady, I’d been worried that they had chosen the wrong person for it. Not just that, but I’d been worried that they would realize they had chosen the wrong person. From the moment I stepped out of that car, I’d felt like I didn’t belong. Most of all, I felt like a complete fraud. I wanted to be able to take on any role. I wanted to be an amazing actress whom the whole world admired. But I was scared this movie was going to be the one that showed me for the fraud that I was. I’d never truly felt comfortable, but I’d managed to hide it because everyone kept telling me I was great. But today, all that changed.

  I put my heart and soul into words, and every time I spoke, I thought about what Brady had told me. I put aside all thoughts of material good. I stopped thinking about my loft. I stopped thinking about my king-sized bed. Instead, I thought about what it would be like to be a down-to-earth cowgirl leading a happy life in a small town she never wanted to leave. And as I spoke, I felt the authenticity ooze out of me.

  As we worked, I kept wondering if Brady was watching me and what he would think about my performance. I knew I still didn’t have the western accent down right, but I was better than I had been when he’d stumbled upon me practicing. I had stopped trying so hard, and it seemed to be working. Every now and again I would catch sight of Brady. He never seemed to be watching the scenes. Instead, he seemed to be absorbed in his work, his head down and the sweat running down his face. Harold had been right: he really was the hardest working person I had ever seen. I found myself wondering more about him. He was a mystery, to say the least.

  “Okay, I think that’s it for the day,” the director said as he gathered us all in together. I was surprised at how quickly the day had gone. If he had told me that there was still another two hours to go, I would’ve believed him.

  “Thanks to everyone for all the hard work today. I think we’re finally finding our feet here, and the movie is coming along just as I had imagined it. A couple of pointers, though,” he said, and he started to rattle off a long list of things that some of the actors had done wrong. He as a great director, and a bit of a perfectionist, so while he was annoying to work with, he also always got the best work out of his actors. I waited patiently to hear what I had done wrong, but he never once mentioned me.

  Afterward, as we were all packing up, he came to talk to me.

  “Sloan, I’m glad you haven’t left yet. I wanted to talk to you about your performance today. I was hoping to catch up with you without anyone around.”

  I groaned. I’d been on cloud nine when I didn’t hear him say my name, but maybe I had just done so badly that he didn’t want to say anything in front of the others. But he laughed w
hen he saw the look on my face.

  “Why do you look so worried?” he asked.

  “Did I do a bad job?” I asked. “Let me know, and I’ll make sure to work on it. I’m doing my best, but I’m sure I have areas that could use improvement.”

  “Are you kidding me? I pulled you aside because I wanted to tell you how amazing you were out there today.”

  “Really?”

  “Of course. You really shouldn’t doubt yourself so much. I just didn’t say anything earlier because I didn’t want them to think I was taking sides or anything. You know how touchy some of these people are. But I was so impressed with you today. I knew that we had chosen the right person when we chose you. You did great. I don’t know how you managed to go from this famous New Yorker to a ranch-hand girl in Wyoming, but you managed to channel it beautifully. Maybe just work on the accent a bit more. But other than that, I’m so happy with you.”

  I grinned. “Thank you. I honestly wasn’t sure I could pull it off,” I said honestly. “So, I’m happy to hear that. It’s going to be a great movie. And I’ll definitely work on the accent.”

  “Just try talking like that every day. You’ll see. Eventually it will come naturally. Hang out with the locals a bit more,” he suggested.

  I grinned at the thought of Brady. “Great idea.”

  “But don’t forget tomorrow is our day off. So, put your feet up and enjoy yourself. Might be a great time to immerse yourself in the culture here.”

  “I think I’m going to do just that. Hey, thanks for the kind words. I appreciate it.”

  “Well, thanks for the good acting. You’re making my job a lot easier.”

  I grinned as he walked off. I couldn’t believe that I’d managed to pull something like this off. And it was only week one. I was surely going to get better. And after the busy day that I’d had today, I was more than ready for a day off. Although, I wasn’t sure what I was more excited about: my day off or my dinner with Brady. For some reason, he wasn’t getting on my nerves so much anymore. And I wanted to know what made this man tick. He might still irritate me, but I couldn’t help but find him interesting.

  I made my way over to the barn to see him, and was glad to find him sitting there, talking to Betty.

  “Do you always talk to her?” I asked as I walked in.

  He turned around, surprised to see me standing there, and grinned. “Like I said, she’s like a human. So yeah, I talk to her all the time.”

  “Hey, Betty,” I said as I walked up to say hello. I reached out to stroke her and then chuckled. “I cannot believe that I’m saying hello to a horse. I never thought I’d do something like that. You’re right; she is like a human. A very beautiful human.”

  He laughed too. “Yeah, I never thought I’d see you do that, either. Good day?”

  I nodded. “Wonderful day.” I wanted to tell him about what the director had said about me, but I knew that Brady wouldn’t take too kindly to me boasting. So I said nothing more.

  “Good,” he said. I waited for him to say something else, but he didn’t. I’d never met a man who seemed so comfortable with silence before.

  “So, still on for dinner tomorrow?” I asked.

  “Sure,” he said and looked at me. “Do you know the two houses down the road, as you’re coming into the ranch?”

  “Yeah, I’ve seen them.”

  “Well, mine is the one on the left. Be there at six, and I’ll start dinner then.”

  That wasn’t what I had expected at all. I thought he was going to take me out for dinner. The last thing I had expected was for him to actually make me dinner at his house. I was surprised to find that it thrilled me. What was it about this man that intrigued me so much? And why did he suddenly look so sexy to me? Was one week away from New York all it took for me to forget myself?

  “I’ll be there,” I said and walked away before he could see me smiling.

  The moment I got back to the hotel, I got a call from Victoria, and even though I hadn’t been away for a long time, it was strange to hear her voice. Her New York accent seemed very strong to me now suddenly. Something I had never really noticed before.

  “Hey, Vic,” I said. “Good to hear from you.”

  “You’re still alive!” she said.

  I laughed. “I’m still alive. Alive and kicking.”

  “Wow, you don’t sound nearly as depressed as I thought you’d be.”

  “Depressed? Why would I be depressed?”

  “Uh, because you’re all the way over there and away from this amazing city. So, how is the shoot going?”

  “Actually, it’s not too bad. I’ll be honest, I battled for the first few days, but I think I’m finally figuring things out. It’s actually a very pretty little town. Better than I thought it was going to look. And the shoot is going well. I got some big compliments from the director today. I mean, the guy pretty much trashed everyone else, but he only complimented me. It was quite an ego boost. I just need to work on my accent, but hopefully that will come in time.”

  “Wow, I’m impressed. I honestly thought that you’d be miserable over there.”

  “It’s not so bad. But obviously, I’m not loving it or anything,” I said. “I mean, it’s not New York.”

  She laughed. “I’m sure it’s not. I don’t even want to know how different it is from the city. So, how much longer do you have there?”

  “I think roughly about three weeks or so.”

  “Three weeks! Oh, that’s like forever.”

  I chuckled. “Nah, it’s not so bad. This first week went by so quickly, and they’re keeping us very busy. I have a feel the time is just going to fly here. I thought a month was going to drag, but I don’t think so anymore.”

  “Okay, well that’s a good thing at least. And how about the locals? Are they as backwards and weird and we thought they would be?”

  I thought about the sweet Harold and how he had gone out of his way to make us all feel comfortable in his farm. I thought about Brady and wondered if I should tell her all about the dinner we had tomorrow night. But for some reason, I decided not to.

  “Some of them are. And some of them are actually really nice.” I almost pointed out that there were both wonderful and awful people in New York too, but I didn’t.

  “Well, you better come back soon.”

  “It will go quickly. How are you?”

  “Oh, you know me. Nothing much is going on, except the usual. I have so much to tell you about Keren, though.”

  “You do? Why, what happened?” I asked. Keren was another friend of ours that we sometimes went out for cocktails with. She was more Victoria’s friend than mine, though. I generally only saw her when she saw her.

  “Oh, she’s broken up with Brandon and is now hooking up with Pete. The whole thing is a big mess. But I’d rather tell you in person. It’s a long story, and we need cocktails while I tell it to you. I miss you here. And I hate the thought of you in that small town with nothing to do. I want you back in New York so we can go shopping together. Keren wants to go with me, but it’s not the same. Hurry up, will you.?

  I laughed. “I’ll hurry up.”

  “And I’ll make sure I have a delicious skinny latte waiting for you.”

  “Thanks, Vic,” I said and smiled.

  I thought about the coffee that Brady had given me the other day, and I suddenly lost all craving for the skinny latte. In fact, even the thought of shopping didn’t seem as great to me as it used to.

  Chapter Eleven

  Brady

  “What are you doing?” I said to myself in the mirror.

  Sloan was due in just over an hour for dinner, and I still wasn’t too sure why I had invited her in the first place. She’d been nice that day with the horses, for the most part at least, but other than that she’d been a complete annoyance to me. She was a beautiful woman, but she was the sort of woman that expected the whole world to bow down at her feet. And I hated people like that more than anything. She was the opposi
te of me in every way possible.

  And yet, I’d watched her act the day before, and I’d seen something in her that I had seen before. A sense of vulnerability seemed to be lurking beneath the person she presented to the world. Although, she was and actress, so perhaps all I’d seen was someone who knew how to change in front of the camera. I had, however, been impressed with her acting skills that day: something I never thought I’d be.

  I sighed as I got things ready for the night ahead. I should’ve invited Grant and Emily so that I’d at least have some backup. But that would feel too much like a double date then, and I didn’t need the pressure. This wasn’t a date, anyway. It was just me being far too kind. Also, if Grant caught wind of the fact that I’d invited her over, he’d think that I was interested in her. He’d been yapping at me for years about meeting the ‘right woman’ and all that jazz. He’d stopped pestering me lately, mostly because I think he’d just given up on me. I didn’t need him to start all over again. When I heard a knock on the door, I sighed. There was still an hour until Sloan was due, so I knew it must be Grant at the door. How was I going to get him out quickly without him suspecting anything?

  I opened the door and was just about to say something when I saw Sloan standing in front of me. I looked at the time again and raised my eyebrows in question.

  “You’re early,” I said.

  “Well, I know what you’re like about people being on time, and I didn’t want to be kicked out for dinner. I figured I’d get here early in case.”

  I laughed and shook my head. “Well, come on in. It’s good to see you.”

  Sloan walked in and I went to close the door behind her. I realized in that moment that her car would be spotted by Grant if he even just happened to look outside, but when I peered out, I didn’t see anything.

  “Where did you park?”

  “Park? Oh, I don’t drive. The driver dropped me off.”

  I tried not to show my annoyance. “Oh, of course he did. Well,” I said to change the subject. “Shall I show you around?”