“Hello, ladies. How do you like your digs?” Justin spread his arms, gesturing at the room around them.
The women clapped and cheered. One sporty girl Tyler remembered stood and hooted, shaking her arm in a circular manner. Several other girls shot her a withering glance, and he didn’t blame them. She wasn’t high on his list either and probably wouldn’t make it through the night.
“Good, but don’t get too comfortable because only fifteen of you will be staying.” Justin’s smile looked almost genuine as he gazed out at the shocked women. “Tyler is going to get the next two hours to get to know you better. Then we’ll have the ceremony. Whoever doesn’t get a miniature cowboy hat from Tyler will have to return home.”
Evidently the women had not been informed of this little tidbit of information either. Dropped jaws and worried expressions filled the room.
“Who would you like to start with, Tyler?” Justin continued as if he didn’t see the women.
Tyler was still processing the women’s reactions and his own feelings, so the question caught him off guard. He stared out at the sea of faces not remembering any of their names for a moment. Then his gaze landed on Heidi and Jade and Michelle - all women he wanted to get to know better, but that hadn’t been what Justin suggested. Justin had suggested picking the women he wasn’t sure about. He continued to scan the faces and landed on the woman he thought worked at the fire department. Cassidy? He found her pretty but wondered if they would have enough in common to form a lasting relationship.
“I’d like to start with Cassidy.”
Her eyes lit up and surprise colored her face as she stood and crossed the room to him. Daggers issued from the other women’s eyes and Tyler felt certain he had just put a target on Cassidy’s back.
“This is when it starts to get interesting,” Maryanne whispered to Laney as she scanned the room with the camera. They would have to follow Tyler outside in a minute, but Maryanne had insisted she needed some footage from inside.
“What do you mean?” Laney looked around the room, but other than the lack of furniture and the number of women filling the living room, she saw nothing out of place.
“Notice there’s no television. They get their phones taken away when they arrive too.”
Realization dawned on Laney, and her eyes widened. “So, they have no entertainment besides each other?”
“And Tyler when he comes around. They have a full bar though.”
At that moment, a woman stumbled into the room and called out, “Ya’ll there’s a pool. Who wants to jump in with me?”
“Oh my gosh, is she drunk already?” Laney couldn’t believe any woman would drink enough to get sloshed on the first night of the show, but she supposed nerves played a large role. She didn’t know the women’s names, but she had begun giving them nicknames based on their looks or actions and this one deserved the name Tipsy from now on.
Maryanne smiled. “Yep, and it only gets better. The bar is open twenty-four hours a day, there are only two bathrooms, and they bunk the women four to a room.”
Laney’s eyes widened. “Are they trying to get one of these women killed?”
“It rarely gets that far, but it does make for some comedic moments. Come on, we better get outside.”
Laney followed Maryanne, but her eyes remained on the women. Now that she knew what she was looking for, she found nearly every woman had a drink in her hand. None looked quite as inebriated as Tipsy, but it was still early, and Laney wasn’t sure who she felt sorrier for - the women placed in this awkward position or Tyler who had no idea what was going on in here. She wondered if they would allow him to watch the recorded footage.
Outside there was indeed a pool, and a small gazebo area which was where Tyler and the pretty brunette were sitting now. This one seemed nice, and Laney had a hard time coming up with a name for her. As Maryanne focused the camera, Laney stood to the side and tried to be inconspicuous. It felt awkward being close enough to hear their conversations.
“So, a firefighter, that must keep you busy,” Tyler said.
Firefighter, hmm? Then Flame it was.
“It does. It’s quite the hectic schedule, but the good news is that it’s fairly easy to get a job wherever you go. I love Illinois, don’t get me wrong, but I think I could love Texas just as much.”
“Do you work in a large city in Illinois?”
Flame shrugged. “Just over a hundred thousand people I guess.”
Tyler opened his mouth to respond, but a second brunette cut him off. This one had dark black eyeliner extending like cat eyes. “I believe it’s my turn now,” Cat Eyes said as she stared at Flame.
“I believe I still have some time,” Flame said returning the stare. Laney wasn’t a better, but had she been, she would have placed her money on Flame. Cat Eyes was way out of her league.
“It’s okay,” Tyler broke in, “we can continue this later.”
Flame evidently took this as a hint she would be around after the ceremony and gave up her seat. Cat Eyes swooped in and scooted as close to Tyler as she could. Any closer and she would have been in his lap which was probably her goal. “I’m Debra, and I must say you have the most amazing eyes.”
Laney turned away from the scene. Being professional didn’t mean she had to watch the women fawn all over Tyler. His makeup was fine, so surely, she could take a break for a minute. She signed to Maryanne what she was doing and then walked away from the filming.
11
Tyler stood in the small room staring at the pictures of the women. It was late, and exhaustion covered him, but Justin claimed they had to have the ceremony tonight. He rubbed his bloodshot eyes and took down Stacie with an IE’s picture. There was no sense leaving her up there as they would never make a good pair.
And Debra R, he took her down. During his conversation with Cassidy, she had rudely interrupted demanding time with him. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she’d been extremely handsy and tried to kiss him. He needed none of that. But that was only two. He needed to trim three more and he honestly didn’t know how he would do that. He glanced at his watch. It was after midnight. No wonder his body was so tired. Generally, he was in bed by nine.
He ran a hand across his chin. Okay, maybe it would be easier if he made a pile of those he wanted to keep. Heidi, Jade, Michelle for sure - he had felt a connection with them. Rachel B had seemed nice, Cassidy, and Bristol. Six? Good grief, this would take him all night at this rate.
Tyler scanned the rest of the pictures. Okay there was Nikki, the outspoken sporty one, he removed her and Stephanie - the tipsy one who’d jumped in the pool in her evening gown, but he honestly remembered nothing about the remaining women. He hated judging them by looks alone, but if he didn’t, they would probably lock him in the room all night and he still wouldn’t have a decision. They just hadn’t given him enough time. He removed the woman he was least attracted to, hating himself as he did it, and placed her in the pile with Stacie with an IE, Debra R, Nikki, and Stephanie. Tyler could only hope he would get to know the rest of the women before the next ceremony. He pressed the small button to inform Justin he was ready and waited to be escorted out.
Twenty minutes later, Tyler stood staring out at the sea of women. They all wore hopeful, worried expressions and he hated himself a little more. He was going to hurt five women’s feelings, and the thought made him sick. Nancy hadn’t warned him about this part, about how hard it would be to dash women’s dreams.
“Ladies, you’ve had some time to get to know Tyler, and he’s had a chance to get to know you a little better. There are twenty of you here, but after tonight, only fifteen will remain. Tyler has a stack of miniature hats. He will call your name and offer you a hat. You have the choice to accept it or reject it and leave of your own accord. If you do not receive a hat, you must leave the house immediately and return home. Tyler, when you’re ready.”
Justin’s face held a look of satisfaction and Tyler wondered if he didn’t sadistically enjoy
this part of his job. Perhaps, he hadn’t always been this way. Maybe the show had jaded him. Tyler would have to guard himself, so he didn’t end up like Justin, but that was a worry for another night. Tonight, he had to get through this ceremony. He had to hand out these hats to fifteen women and send five others home feeling dejected. Hopefully, the ending would justify his actions tonight.
He took a deep breath and picked up the first hat. It felt light in his hand which was odd considering the weight it carried. “Heidi.” Tyler said the name without looking at the women. While he would have liked to see Heidi’s smile, he held no desire to see the hurt, angry, fearful faces of the rest of the women.
When Heidi’s shoes came into sight, he forced his eyes up, careful to keep them focused on her face and nowhere else. “Heidi, will you accept my hat?”
“I’d be delighted to.” She flashed a smile, accepted the token, and then walked to the side.
Tyler picked up the next hat. “Jade.” He waited for her to reach him. “Will you stick around a little longer?”
“Of course.” She took the hat and walked over to join Heidi.
One after the other, he picked up the hats and handed them out to women. As the stack dwindled, the tension in the room increased and a trickle of sweat snaked down his back.
“All right ladies, this is the final hat tonight.” Justin’s voice broke the somber mood momentarily, but as soon as he stepped back, the temperature dropped in the room. The mood shifted from somber to icy. Palpable feelings of hope, rejection, disbelief, and anger circulated through the room, and Tyler had to force himself not to run out of the room.
He picked up the final hat and bit his lip. This one shouldn’t bother him so much. All the women he’d felt a connection stood on his left, but this hat held the uncertainty. With this hat, he would send away five women, only four of which he was sure he saw no future with. That left one he was unsure on. What if he sent the wrong woman away? He dared his first glance at the women. One had her eyes closed, a few shot daggers his direction as if they couldn’t believe he hadn’t picked them already, one clutched desperately at her necklace. He shut his eyes and took another deep breath. “Lila.”
A chorus of sighs rushed his direction, and a lone sniffle broke the silence, but he couldn’t focus on that. He needed to give Lila this hat, so this night could be over. Not only was he exhausted physically but mentally as well. He needed sleep and a few hours away from the pressure of this show. “Lila, will you accept this hat?”
“Thank you. I was so afraid you were going to send me home.” Her lips formed a small hopeful smile as she took the trinket and joined the other women.
“Ladies, if you did not receive a hat, please say your goodbyes.”
Debra R placed a hand on his shoulder. “You have no idea what you’re missing,” she whispered to him before walking away. Stacie with an IE sobbed on his shoulder, and the other women did their best to keep a brave face on as they thanked him for the opportunity and wished him the best. Tyler saw the blanket of rejection on each one of them. It draped across their dejected shoulders and lay in their hurt-filled eyes. He knew the sting of rejection and it pained him that he was now passing on that sting to these innocent women. Even worse, he would have to do it five or six more times. Why had he ever let Nancy talk him into this?
When the five women left, he turned to the remaining fifteen knowing he should feel excited about them and the journey ahead, but he just felt zapped. He felt empty and cruel and he wanted nothing more than to crawl into his bed and pretend this day had never happened, but he couldn’t. Justin had told him he had to toast with the women and let the camera catch the happy moment, so he did. He lifted his cup of apple juice - he had stipulated no alcohol for him at any time in his contract - and said his memorized toast. “To the future.”
“To the future,” they responded, and glasses clinked around the circle.
The words ‘cut’ had never sounded more amazing to Laney. Exhaustion radiated down to her core. It was nearly one am, and she was awake way past her normal bedtime. The last time she had stayed up until one in the morning was in high school when she and her partner had been cramming for a debate tournament the following day. She had barely made it through the tournament and Laney knew she’d feel the same way later today if she didn’t get her eight hours of sleep.
“Ladies, please go find your suitcases. Our crew delivered them to your rooms. You may change beds but please do not change rooms. It is important we know who is in which room for safety reasons.” Justin’s sprayed on smile had faded and he was now all business. Probably tired himself. “Tyler, if you’ll come with me, I’ll take you back to your house.”
Laney joined Maryanne and the rest of the crew as they followed Justin and Tyler out of the living room. Before they reached the back door, an irate voice carried down the hall. “Are you kidding me? We have to sleep four to a room?”
“Think of it like a summer camp,” Laney mumbled to herself as she stepped out into the cool early morning air. She felt just a little sorry for all the women though. Summer camp had been fun for a while but a few nights of sharing a small room with other girls had a way of grating on the nerves of even the most patient person. She was certainly glad she had a room to herself.
Laney locked the door behind her and stumbled to the bedroom. She pulled back the covers and fell onto the bed. Her eyes were closed before she even hit the pillow.
12
A blaring noise startled Tyler awake, and he thrashed his arm about hoping to silence the object making the noise, but he struck nothing but air.
“Sorry, it’s not an alarm clock.” Tyler forced his bloodshot eyes open. Justin stood over him, a smug look on his face and an alarm clock in his hand. “Or, not your normal one at least.”
“What time is it?” The windows were still dark. It couldn’t be past seven am.
“Five-thirty. Time to get up.” How did he sound so chipper?
“Five-thirty? Dude, we just went to bed four hours ago. Why are we getting up so early?”
“That’s the filming schedule for you. We have to get you in the makeup chair and you need to decide which girl you want your first solo date with. You only get one this week so use it wisely. The rest of the girls will go on two group dates with you.”
Solo dates, group dates, the words swam together in Tyler’s head. Three hours of sleep was simply not enough time for him to function like a normal human.
“Come on, Laney will be here in ten minutes to do your makeup. You have just enough time to get up, shower, and get dressed. She won’t knock.”
“All right, man. I hear you.” Tyler pushed back the covers and stumbled out of the bed. As he crossed to the dresser, he was glad the room was spacious but sparsely furnished. His vision was still fuzzy from sleep, and he could picture ramming his toe into a large chest or some other piece of hulking furniture.
He opened the drawers to the dresser, rifling through them until he found his shower items and a change of clothes. At least he had his own bathroom. One of the women had told him the night before they only had two to share between all of them.
Ten minutes later, though dressed, Tyler wasn’t sure he felt any more human. He pulled on clothes he hoped matched and stumbled out to the main room. Laney sat in the chair, her chin perched on her slender hand, her eyes closed. She’d probably gotten as little sleep as he did. He hated waking her as she looked so peaceful.
“Laney.” He spoke her name softly as he shook her shoulder.
Her eyes popped open. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I did not mean to fall asleep.”
“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. I’m exhausted too.”
She stood and stretched, then motioned for him to sit in the chair. “I sure hope the hours aren’t like this every day. I’m too old to stay up like this.”
“Old? You can’t be more than twenty-five.”
“Twenty-eight, actually, but I feel older. I haven’t st
ayed up like this since high school.” She poured the liquid makeup in the air brush machine.
“You mean it isn’t always like this?” Tyler was glad he had Laney to talk to. At least conversation kept his eyes from closing.
“I don’t know. This is my first time doing the show. The regular girl had to take maternity leave. But don’t worry, I’m qualified,” she added quickly as if afraid he might request a new girl.
“I never assumed you weren’t. Are you required to do all the women’s makeup as well?” The question was more to keep him awake than curiosity.
Laney chuckled as she turned on the air brush machine. “Nope, they are responsible for their own hair and makeup. They only spring for the Cowboy.”
“I guess I should feel flattered?” The statement came out more like a question.
“Hah, you should. I wouldn’t want to be those girls trying to cram into those tiny bathrooms.”
Tyler nodded. He didn’t have any sisters, but he’d dated enough women to understand they not only took over bathrooms but needed hours to get ready. He wondered if the women had gotten any sleep.
The front door opened, and Justin entered with a coffee in each hand. Tyler hoped one of them was for him. He might even rethink his judgment of Justin if it was, but alas, Justin handed the cup to Laney. She took it but appeared apprehensive. He couldn’t blame her; Justin didn’t give him warm fuzzies either. “Did you decide who you want to take on your solo date?”
Tyler ignored Justin’s question. He couldn’t think about the women when his mouth was salivating just thinking about a warm cup of coffee. “Hey, how can I get one of those?”
The Cowboy's Reality Bride Page 6
