When I stepped outside, I saw Grant. He waved me over.
“Morning,” I said.
“Morning. Man, things have been so busy. I’ve been meaning to come over, but every day something has been happening. I was away for a week with the boys too. I went on this training week out of town. I’m sorry I haven’t popped in. I have another busy day today. I’m hoping to pop into tomorrow or Friday to meet the film crew.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. Anyway, they leave today already.”
“What? Today? Don’t tell me it’s already been a month.”
“Yeah, it’s already been a month.”
“Whoa. Time flies. You must be so excited. You finally get your ranch back to yourself. Imagine the peace and quiet you’re going to get tomorrow.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, it’s going to be good.”
“What’s up? You seem a bit strange today.”
“I’m fine. Sorry, I just had a bad night’s sleep for some reason. Anyway, I better get going. I need to see if I can help them on their last day. And then, like you say, it’s peace and quiet tomorrow.”
“You sure?”
“I’m just tired. I’ll see you around, Patriot.”
“Yeah. See you, Shotgun.”
He looked at me a bit strangely but didn’t say anything. He knew I was usually a man of few words and he’d always respected that about me. I was glad that he didn’t know anything about Sloan and I. I thought Ryan might end up telling him but it hadn’t come up. The fewer people that knew, the better, although I figured Grant would find out. The whole town had seen us together at the fair. And Sloan had kissed me in front of everyone. I wondered if she regretted being so close to me. She was more than likely going to go back to New York with a myriad of questions about the two of us. I’m sure that was the last thing that she wanted.
I climbed in the car and made my way to the ranch. The crew was already there, and I watched from the sidelines as they worked. Part of me hoped that they would ask for my help with something, and part of me hoped that they didn’t need me at all. For the most part, they didn’t need me, and I continued with my own work while I kept an eye on them.
It was the early afternoon when I heard Roger shout, “That’s it, guys! Congratulations, team!” and everyone burst into applause. I saw Harold walking up to Roger, and after a few minutes they looked around and called me over.
I’d grown quite fond of Roger, even though he insisted on still dressing like a city boy during his entire stay. It had stopped bothering me after a while. It was simply who he was, just like being a country boy was who I was. Neither one of us was right or wrong. We were just being ourselves. And I admired him for staying true to who he was.
“Brady! Can you believe we’re all done?”
I shook my head. “I can’t. It went so quickly. So, how did it go? Did you get everything you wanted?”
“I sure did. It went well. I have a feeling this movie is going to be great. I don’t like saying that just in case it flops, but I’m usually good at figuring it out beforehand. And my gut feeling is that this is going to be great. I cannot thank you both enough for everything that you have done for us. I was just telling Harold here that I’m not used to dealing with people who are so willing to help. The movie wouldn’t have been the same without you. Especially with Sloan. Brady, you managed to turn that city girl into something completely different. I can’t thank you enough.”
“Oh, it’s my pleasure. It was actually nice having you here.”
Roger laughed. “You sound surprised by that.”
“I guess I am. You know what I’m like—I’m a bit of a loner. I like my space, and I don’t like people in it. I honestly thought I would hate having you all here for a full month. I thought it was going to be the longest month of my life. But it was actually a lot of fun having you all here. The month went by almost too quickly to be honest. And I learned a lot about your business. I was far too quick to judge. I’m looking forward to the movie.”
He beamed. “You’ll get front row seats. Oh, look, you have a crowd of people coming to say goodbye.”
I turned around and saw the rest of the crew. I shook hands with Roger and then made my way through the hoard of people, shaking hands and promising to stay in touch. It was a bit surreal. Even though I didn’t know who most of the people were, I was still aware that I was conversing with people from a whole different world. I never in my life thought I’d be surrounded by movie stars, especially ones that were shaking my hand. I was surprised at how friendly everyone was being. Although, perhaps they were just excited to finally be going back home.
Sloan was the last one to walk up to us. She was still dressed in her cowgirl gear, and my heart did a little jump when I saw her. I didn’t want her to go back to her old life, especially when this one suited her so much. She was a completely different person to the one that I had seen that first day. I still didn’t know which one was more real. She walked up to Harold and embraced him.
“Thank you so much for everything, Harold. You’ve been amazing. I can’t thank you enough.”
I knew she was genuine with her interaction with Harold. Despite their differences, they had gotten along so well.
“Oh, it’s my pleasure. I’m just so glad I had such a beautiful girl walking around my ranch every day. And you’re such a wonderful woman, Sloan. Remember all the things I said to you.”
She smiled. “I’m going to miss you. Keep in touch, Harold. And please come and visit anytime.”
“I might take you up on that offer. I haven’t been to New York in a very long time. And come back anytime too. You know you are always welcome here.”
Then she turned to me, her blue eyes filled with emotion. “Hey, Brady, walk me to the car?”
I smiled. “Sure.”
“I said goodbye to Betty. I think she knew,” Sloan said.
“Yeah, she probably does. I still believe she’s part human.”
“Look after her, will you? Tell her every day that I miss her. Oh wow, I can’t believe I’m getting so emotional about a horse.”
“I told you. Betty is special.”
“I’m not getting emotional about that bull, though. He’s too mean.”
I chuckled. “I won’t tell him every day that you miss him.”
“Good. So,” she said with a sigh as we got to the car. “This is it.”
I had my hands in my pockets, and I shuffled my feet from side to side. “This is it.”
“Thanks for everything you did for me, Brady. I won’t forget it. We . . . we should keep in touch.”
“Yeah. Well, you have my number,” I said nervously. I tried to picture her in her different life. I tried not to see her cowgirl outfit. Instead, I pictured her in New York clothes and attempted to harden my heart. “I guess this is where our story ends.”
She didn’t argue the fact. Instead, she stood up on the tips of her toes and kissed me on the cheek. Then she climbed into the car where the driver was waiting for her. I watched as she closed the door, and the car drove off. I stood there for a while, just staring at the space where the car used to be. A strange feeling had come over me that I couldn’t quite explain. An emptiness. The place suddenly seemed too quiet.
I turned around and saw Harold sitting on the porch. I nodded at him.
“It’s so quiet,” I said.
He smiled sadly at me. “Life sure has a funny way of messing with people, doesn’t it?”
I nodded but didn’t say anything.
“Well,” Harold said. “Why don’t you go home for the day? But I’ll see you tomorrow?”
I nodded again. “Sure. See you tomorrow.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sloan
It was the second day that I’d woken up in New York. The second day that I’d slept in my king-sized bed. And still, I wasn’t used to it. For a full month, I’d been living in a tiny hotel room, and I thought I’d be excited finally have my space back again. But as I l
ay there, looking around at the big loft, I couldn’t help but wonder what the point of it all was. I was just one person. Why did I need so much space? Sure, the bed was comfortable. The shower was great. But it all had felt a little fake.
Both nights I’d gone to sleep with Brady’s shirt on. I wasn’t even sure how it had ended up in my suitcase, but when I’d gotten home to unpack, I’d found it in between my clothes. I’d lifted it up to my nose and breathed in his scent. I wondered what he’d think about me sleeping in it now. I pulled it off and threw it over to the side. I needed to get a grip. Nothing was ever going to happen between myself and Brady. We were too different. And he clearly didn’t want a future with someone like me. It had been fun while it lasted, but it wasn’t meant to be. And the shirt was not helping me get over it. But then, as I saw the shirt lying crumpled in the corner, I realized that I wasn’t ready to let go of it just yet. I got up and put it back on.
I was just about to climb back into bed when someone knocked on the door. My immediate thought was that it was Brady, but then I realized where I was and shook my head. I opened the door and smiled at Victoria.
“Vic, it’s so good to see you,” I gushed.
Her eyes widened at the sight of me, and she quickly walked in and closed the door behind her. “Oh my goodness! Look at you. I cannot believe you just opened the door looking like that.”
“Looking like what?”
“Look at you! You have no makeup on. You haven’t brushed your hair. And what on earth are you wearing? A man’s t-shirt?”
I tugged at the shirt. “Ah, sorry, I just woke up.”
“That could’ve been a reporter at the door.”
“No, the security guy knows only to send up people I’ve approved.”
She laughed. “And you believe him? You know the media will go to great lengths to find their way up here.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I said. What was wrong with me? I would never have opened the door looking like this a month ago. I really needed to clear my head and remember where I was.
“Anyway, forget that. It’s so good to see you.”
I grinned at her. “It’s good to see you too.”
“Come on, get in the shower and put some clothes on. How about I get us some coffee in the meantime? Did you see there’s a new café downstairs?”
“I saw that. Okay, sounds good. Give me ten minutes.”
“Since when do you take ten minutes to shower?”
“Since you mentioned the word coffee,” I said.
I pulled some clothes out of the closet, grabbed a towel and made my way to the bathroom. I showered quickly, not bothering to wash my hair, climbed out and got changed. I tied my hair up into a high ponytail so that Victoria wouldn’t comment on the fact that it wasn’t clean, and put a touch of makeup on. I wondered if Victoria would notice that I hadn’t put as much on as usual. Of course she would. I sighed and quickly put on a bit more.
When I stepped out of the shower, she was sitting on the bed with two takeout cups on a tray.
“Whoa. That was quick,” I told her.
She chuckled. “I just called them and got them to deliver. Oh, and by the way, they came right up to your door to deliver the coffee. Your so-called security guard didn’t think twice about letting them up.”
I groaned. “Really? I’d better have a word with him.”
“Yeah, I told you. Anyone could get up. Anyway, here’s your coffee.”
“Thank you,” I said.
I took a sip and grimaced. I’d gotten used to drinking strong coffee at the ranch. Every now and again Brady would add some cream to it, and the texture and flavor had been incredible.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like it? I think it’s amazing. It’s a skinny latte.”
“Oh, no, it’s lovely,” I said. “I was just making a face because it’s hot.”
She laughed. “Well, it is coffee, what were you expecting? Now, sit down, I want to know everything.”
I sat down and smiled at my friend. It was good to see her again. And hopefully being around her would snap me right back into reality again.
“Everything went so well. I have a feeling this movie is going to be amazing. I mean, the setting was absolutely perfect for it. You’ve never seen anything like it really. Wide open spaces, horses trotting around, and quite possibly the most glorious sunsets and sunrises you’ve ever seen.”
“Wow, sounds like you actually enjoyed it.”
“I did. It was quite an experience.”
“An experience. I’m sure. It must’ve been so different from New York. I guess it was good to be there to really feel like a cowgirl. But can you imagine actually living like that? I mean, how many times did you wear your dresses? Did you even get a chance to go out and dress up?”
I laughed at the thought of me dressing up in my New York clothes ready to go horse riding. “Not really,” I said. “Maybe once or twice. I did go to a very nice restaurant, and I got a chance to dress up. But on most days, I was wearing what everyone else in the town was wearing.”
Victoria pulled a face. “Which was what exactly?”
“Well, just jeans and t-shirts mostly. Shorts on the really hot days. And a lot of the time I was in riding gear.”
“Riding gear?”
“Yeah, I got to ride the horses. There was one sweet horse called Betty. You would’ve liked her.”
She looked at me as if I had spoken in a foreign language. “I’m not a fan of horses, to be honest. Did you actually have to ride one?”
“Yeah. I was petrified at first. But after a few lessons, I got the hang of it. Soon I was riding even when they weren’t filming.”
She groaned. “Oh no. Look what that place did to you! Although, I suppose you had nothing much else to do during the day when you weren’t filming. Argh, but Wyoming must’ve been such a drag. Where exactly were you?”
“Yeah, it was in a small farming community, a town called Buffalo.”
“A small farming community? Sounds awful. And how about the people? They must’ve been all gaga over you. I mean, I doubt any of them have ever even met someone famous before.”
I thought of how Brady hadn’t even cared about my celebrity status. I thought of the wonderful Harold, who had gone out of his way to be nice to me. I thought of the staff at the hotel, who had been kind and friendly every day. But I didn’t feel like telling her about any of that. If I spoke about Brady, I’d only miss him more. And anyway, Victoria wouldn’t understand.
“Yeah, they were interesting,” I said.
“Okay, well, enough about Wyoming. I’m sure you’re sick to death of thinking about that place. How about we go out and do what we do best? I’ve been dying to go shopping with you all month.”
“Sure,” I said with forced enthusiasm. “Let’s do it.”
The entire morning out with Victoria felt awkward. It was good to see her again, but I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy the shopping experience like I used to. Every time we threw money on the counter, I would feel a stab of guilt at how much I was spending on just one outfit. Thankfully, Victoria was having such a fabulous time that she didn’t seem to notice my dismay. I kept thinking about the people that I’d met over the past few months, and how they had accepted me for who I was, and not for what I was wearing.
“Now this is going to look amazing on you,” Victoria said and snapped me out of my reverie. She was holding out a small black dress with a plunge top.
“I don’t know, Vic. It looks like it won’t cover all that much.”
She laughed. “That’s the point! And anyway, you should flaunt what you’ve got.”
I bought the dress and wondered when I would ever wear it. I made a mental note to make a plan to wear it to the next event, and to get over the strange feelings that kept coming over me. My life was here in New York, not in Wyoming. I’d worked hard to become an actress. I’d worked hard to make a life for myself. I deserved this little dress that cost more than a mont
hs’ worth of grocery shopping in Wyoming. I deserved it!
Once we’d finished shopping, we decided to go out and have something to eat.
“I think I’ll order the triple cheese sandwich,” I said as I eyed the menu. It came with bacon and tomato and was served with a side order of fries. My mouth was drooling at the thought of it.
Victoria laughed. “You’re so funny. Imagine if you actually ordered something like that? You’d be all over the front pages of the magazine. Oh, that reminds me, I had a little bit too much wine the other night and ended up eating carbs for the first time in like, forever. Let me tell you, it is not worth it, no matter how delicious it was at the time. I was so angry at myself for caving in so easily. Oh, here comes the waiter. I’m going to order the house salad. How about you?”
I forced myself to smile. “The salad sounds great.”
After we finished our salads, we made our way back to the apartment. I saw a car with black tinted windows parked outside, but I didn’t think much of it. Then, just as we were about to walk inside, a man got out and ran toward us.
“Miss Hill, are the rumors true?” he said as he reached me.
I turned around in surprise at the sound of my name. “Sorry?”
“Are the rumors true?” the man said again. I realized that he was a reporter. He was holding out his phone to record me and looking at me with those eager eyes that only a reporter had.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t been here for the last month. I’ve been away, filming. So I haven’t heard any rumors. Would you care to elaborate?”
“Is it true that you lied about your entire past?”
I stared at him.
“Excuse me?”
“Is it true that you lied about your entire past?” the man said again.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Victoria stepped up and pulled me away.
“Sloan, you don’t have to answer their questions. Come on, let’s go inside. And you,” she said to the reporter, “go away and give her some privacy.”
Victoria took my arm and led me inside. I tried to look as if I didn’t know what he was talking about, but my head was swarming with thoughts. How could he know the truth about me? And what exactly did he know? Some of it? All of it? In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to run away.
Dirty Stepbrother - A Firefighter Romance (The Maxwell Family) Page 145
