She laughed. This was absurd. “You want me to climb a mountain in heels?”
“We’ll take the easy path, I promise. And if you get too worn out, I don’t mind caring you.” Dan might have winked then, but it was hard to tell in the encroaching darkness.
“But why a mountain? And why right now?” she argued. While this destination didn’t make much sense, she had to admit it was original—and, for that, she was impressed.
He shrugged as they continued toward the trailhead. “You wanted to go somewhere they wouldn’t think to look for you. Everyone is out trick-or-treating, back at the party we left, or at some other party we don’t even know about. Nobody is hiking this time of night. Nobody except for us. C’mon, let’s go.”
He reached for her hand, and she let him take it. Apparently they were going to climb a mountain now.
“The best part of Anchorage,” he told her as they began their ascent, “is the scenery, hands down.”
Josephine kept close beside Dan, worried she’d take a spill and aggravate the ankle that had only just recovered.
“If you climb Flattop during the day, you can see the whole city laid out before you and miles of mountains and ocean in the other directions.”
“Are we going to the very top?” she asked, worried that even if she had the energy to reach the summit, she wouldn’t be able to get back down to the safety of Dan’s truck waiting for them below.
“Not right now. I mean, we don’t have to. I figured you’d want to kill some time before I took you home, to make sure those guys were well and truly done following you.”
“Home?” she asked, her mind blanking on that single word. Josephine had houses on each coast and the best hotel suites money could buy, but the only home she’d ever known lay miles off the beaten path in upstate New York.
“You didn’t want to go back to the party. Did you?” Dan asked with a laugh.
“Oh gosh, no!”
“Yeah, I’m partied out for the night, too.” He sighed here. “Maybe for the year.”
“You seemed to be having a good time,” she pointed out as the path before them became steeper and harder to climb.
“Well, that’s only because I found you.” He gave her hand a little squeeze.
“Funny, you don’t seem much like the fan boy type.” She tried to play it off with a quiet chuckle, but the sound came out as too brash, fake.
Mercy! She couldn’t even act right around this man, and if she didn’t have her skills, then…
She glanced over to Dan who smiled at her and cocked his head to the side. “That’s a good place to sit and wait out your mosquitos.”
“But we’ve hardly climbed this thing at all,” she protested, suddenly desperately wanting to reach the top—or at least to keep moving as a way of keeping her addled brain occupied.
He took a deep breath and sunk onto a boulder roughly the size of a park bench. “Yes, but as you pointed out, you’re in heels and a ball gown. If you really want to climb this thing, let me bring you back during the day when you’re properly attired.”
Jo’s heart leapt, only to come immediately crashing back to earth. She’d love to come back out here with this rugged, heroic Prince Charming, but that would be a terrible, terrible idea. Not only did her filming schedule keep her plenty busy, but she just couldn’t afford another broken heart.
Yes, Dan thought it was great fun—awesome!—running out the paparazzi this time, but that excitement would get old, fast. And the very thing she liked most about him, that he was an average guy who treated her like a regular girl, wouldn’t last. It just couldn’t.
As soon as the world got wind of his ties to Josephine, he’d be a celeb in his own right. Which would mean he’d have to deal with all the criticism and invasions of privacy that came with it.
No, she couldn’t. She liked him far too much to subject him to that.
“I think we should probably get going. Do you mind dropping me back off at my hotel?” she asked, watching Dan’s face fall as he realized what she already knew.
The two of them could never work.
Dan saw the exact moment he lost her. Josephine did a great job keeping a poker face most of the time, but every now and then she faltered, letting a true glimpse of authentic emotion slip through.
When he’d invited her to come back to the mountain on another day, her brows had pinched together and she’d lowered the edges of her mouth in a frown. Less than a moment later she faked a yawn and said she needed to get home—but he had seen the truth.
For whatever reason, she didn’t want to spend time with him. She was nice enough when they bumped into each other unplanned, but she’d never agree to let him take her on a proper date.
At least not yet.
That meant he needed to bump into her again—and soon.
Luckily, his cousin-in-law, Lolly, could be his inside source. She’d see Josephine again for her cameo in the movie and for the music video shoot, too.
So, that was decided—he’d take Josephine home as requested, but then he’d make sure he was at the film set as soon as Lolly could get him there. Maybe she could find him a role as an extra or a back-up dancer.
Yes, it was all coming together now.
So what if he hated dancing and wasn’t good at it either? All he needed was an in—an in to see this wonderful, mysterious, infuriating woman once more. Maybe then she’d agree to go on a date with him, or at least explain why she ran so hot and cold in his company.
“What do you look so happy about?” Jo asked when he reached forward to pull the truck’s passenger door open for her.
As good as she was at hiding her emotions, Dan had always worn his heart on his sleeve—and right now, that heart beat wildly for Josephine Hannah.
He tried to sound smooth as he said, “About getting to spend time with you tonight. It was fun.”
“Yeah, I guess it was. I’ll probably have blisters on my heels tomorrow, but it’s better than seeing my face plastered across all the gossip sites with some made-up scandal.”
She slid into the truck’s cab, picked up her mask from the dashboard, and slid it back over her beautiful face. “Just in case,” she explained with a sad smile.
“Why do you keep doing it?” Dan had to know. “If you hate all the trappings that come with fame, why not stop?”
Jo folded her hands in her lap and pointed her face toward the window instead of in Dan’s direction. “I don’t hate all of it. I love the acting, becoming someone else, rising to the challenge of a new character every single time I step foot on a set. It’s…”
She took a deep breath before finishing. “Exhilirating.”
“But why do you need to become somebody else to be happy? I really like the real Josephine.” He stared at her, waiting for her to turn toward him, for her to show another flash of the real person hiding inside.
“You don’t even know the real Josephine,” she said with a small chuckle and a quick, composed glance his way.
“I’ve seen glimpses, and she’s as great as they all say, you know.” He nudged her thigh, finally eliciting a smile and a bit of real eye contact from her.
“Maybe,” she conceded. “You know what the worst part of it all is, though?”
That you’re lying to yourself about us, he thought. That you know we could be great together, but you’re running away all the same.
Instead of voicing these thoughts aloud though, he simply said, “What?”
“The more I avoid the photographers, the higher the price goes for a candid shot of me, and the more they pursue me. It’s a pretty vicious cycle.”
He reached over to squeeze her hand while keeping the other planted firmly on the steering wheel. “Well, any time you need a getaway driver, just call me up.”
They’d reached the hotel now, and Josephine unbuckled her seatbelt, letting her hand linger at the door. “You know, I just may do that.”
And then something wonderful happened.
&n
bsp; She leaned over and gave him a kiss on his cheek. It was a small, polite gesture, but it made Dan want so much more—starting with another chance to win her over.
“Thank you for tonight,” she whispered, pulling away quickly. “And goodbye.”
For now, Dan finished in his head. Just for now. I’ll find you again, Josephine Hannah, and next time, you’ll tell me what’s really in your heart.
Chapter 5
Josephine smiled to herself as she thought back to the Halloween charity ball. That had been nearly two weeks ago. Now she’d be seeing the hostess, Lolly Winston, again for the first time since she’d disappeared with the singer’s cousin from that same party.
She’d tried not to think about Dan, but still somehow found herself picturing him when reading over her lines or filming some of the more flirtatious plot moments with her co-star.
Jo blushed when the director praised her for her newfound vulnerability when it came to filming these scenes, making heat rise to her cheeks which, in turn, made him even happier with her performance.
When Lolly arrived on set to shoot some of the scenes for her music video, she came with her own entourage of musicians, dancers, and extras, making the large set feel crowded. Jo would be in a few of the shots since Lolly was playing a member of her friend group in the movie. She strode over to say hello before wardrobe, hair, and makeup could lay their claim to the songstress for the better part of the morning.
“Jo!” Lolly cried, giving Josephine a gentle hug so as not to upset her already complete styling. “It feels like ages since I saw you last. Did you enjoy the party?”
Jo smiled warmly. “It was wonderful. And you got my check, right?”
Lolly nodded and put a hand to her heart. “Very generous. The SDRO thanks you.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
Lolly dropped her voice to a whisper and leaned in close. “I really like you, so please promise me you won’t be too mad.”
Josephine almost fell when she reflexively took a step back. “Mad? Why would I—?”
That was when none other than Dan Rockwell himself burst onto the scene. “Did someone call for a getaway driver?” he teased with a smoldering glance toward Jo.
“What are you doing here?” she cried, worried she might literally cry and ruin the hard work of her makeup artist.
“I invited him as one of my video extras,” Lolly supplied with an apologetic shrug. “He really wanted to come.”
“But…” Jo sputtered, though she was unsure of what argument she could give. But I don’t want to see him because I’m worried I like him too much? But I’m trying to protect him from a lifestyle that doesn’t fit him, even though it doesn’t really fit me, either? But I’m too scared to find out what we might have together?
“It’s good to see you, Jo,” Dan said with an enormous grin. “I was hoping we might bump into each other again.”
“This isn’t bumping,” she argued. “This is a deliberate run-in.”
He simply shrugged. “Yeah, maybe. But I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.”
“Did something happen between you two that I don’t know about?” Lolly asked, suddenly reminding Jo that she and Dan were not alone in this moment—and making it all the more embarrassing for precisely that reason.
“No,” Josephine insisted at the same time Dan shouted, “Yes!”
Lolly looked from one to the other and laughed. “You guys like each other that much, huh?”
Jo scowled at the singer until she stopped laughing.
“It was like fireworks,” Dan said, sweeping his gaze over Jo, much to her chagrin.
“That was just the snapping of all those photographer’s flash buttons,” she muttered in defense.
“Then how do you explain the ambulance? And the mountains? Because we had definite sparks there, too.”
Sparks. Josephine had felt them as well, but she also knew from past experiences that innocent little sparks could lead to huge, hot fires that raged until they destroyed everything in their path.
She remembered then that Dan wasn’t just a paramedic, but also a firefighter. He’d just used the words fireworks and sparks to describe what was building between them. Was this a flame he hoped to stoke to life, or did he, too, know they could only end in a blaze of glory?
Well, Josephine knew that it was easier to put out the beginnings of a fire rather than waiting for it to build to something big and strong and dangerous. And this was one spark she fully intended to snuff.
“Have a good shoot today,” she told Lolly, giving her another quick hug. She eyed Dan suspiciously. “You, too, I guess.”
“Oh, I will,” he promised as she rushed away toward the safety of her trailer. “We will,” he called again after her.
Dan watched the sudden burst of pink bloom across Josephine’s face. Oh, yes, she definitely liked him—there was no denying that. Less than five minutes after they’d said hello, she made an excuse to rush away from him and Lolly. But he had expected that, and he had a plan for it, too.
“Wow,” Lolly said with a low whistle. “She’s normally so composed. You must really have gotten under her skin.”
Dan tried to pick out Jo’s silhouette across the lot, but she’d already disappeared from sight. “Yeah, well, the feeling’s mutual.”
Lolly sighed—whether wistfully or in irritation, Dan couldn’t quite tell. “If she decides to hate me after this,” his cousin-in-law said, “I’m going to send Oscar to beat you up.”
“I wouldn’t expect any less.” Yup, he definitely had the best, most helpful family in the entire world. That was probably why he’d never even dreamed of leaving Anchorage in his rear view.
Lolly stuck out her chin and sucked air through her teeth as she looked in the direction Josephine had disappeared. “So was that it? Or do you have another trick or two up your sleeves?”
“I’m not giving up yet,” he promised, wondering if he’d ever truly be ready to stop fighting for Josephine Hannah and somehow also knowing it wouldn’t come to that. She’d come around soon enough. He just had to find the right approach.
During their first two meetings, he’d come to her rescue—first with her ankle and then with the photographers. Luckily, rescue was kind of his job, though he didn’t usually get the opportunities to rescue fair damsels in distress. He’d been on the set all of five minutes and already he could tell that Jo was in charge here. If trouble arose, there would be dozens of others to tend to her needs.
So where did that leave Dan?
“I’ll see you around,” he told Lolly before heading off in the direction in which Josephine had departed.
“Thanks again!” he called back over his shoulder. He heard her laughs follow him as he stalked across the lot. Maybe it was okay not to have a plan. Both of their previous encounters had been unscripted. Might he get lucky again for a third time?
“Excuse me,” he asked a man passing while typing furiously on his phone. “Can you tell me where Josephine Hannah is please?”
“We don’t give that info to extras,” the man mumbled without looking up. “But stick around long enough, and you’ll probably run into her for yourself.”
Well, that was not helpful. Still, Dan pressed forward. He spotted a row of trailers lined at the far end of the lot and quickened his pace once more.
Sure enough, a door opened bringing down a fold out set of steps with it. “What are you doing here, Dan? Really?” Josephine said, emerging from the trailers with a dour expression painted on her face.
“I came to see you,” he admitted. “Is that bad?”
“I thought I made it clear that I didn’t want to see you again.”
“Did you? Because from where I’m standing, you definitely did want to see me. You never told me otherwise. You even thanked me for our night together and ended it with a kiss.”
“On the cheek!” she corrected.
“A kiss nonetheless. So now it’s my turn to ask a question.” He crossed his
arms over his chest to brace himself. “Why are you avoiding me?”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“Did it ever occur to you I don’t have time for dashing firemen who want to sweep me off my feet?”
“So you think I’m dashing?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. What matters is that—”
“Yes,” he interrupted. “It does matter what you think. Also what you feel.”
She stood mute, a real first with her.
Seeing her resolve crumbling right before him, he decided to press further. “Let me tell you what I think. I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. You’re sweet and funny and smart and a million other things I have yet to discover but know I’ll be crazy about.”
She cast her eyes to his feet before slowly meeting his gaze again. Everything appeared to tighten—her shoulders, the firm line of her mouth, but most of all, her still, tall posture.
“As for what I feel,” he continued after licking his lips. “I feel that if I don’t do my best to spend time with you now, I’ll end up regretting it for my entire life to come.”
Jo let out a little whimper but stood her ground. Her normally composed expression was brimming with emotion: fear, intrigue, attraction, determination.
If she let him down now, it wouldn’t be easy, but at least he’d know he tried. Dan waited, watching her, until at last Josephine nodded.
“I do like you, Dan. I shouldn’t, but I do. I really, really do.”
Chapter 6
Jo sucked in a deep breath as Dan drew closer. Now that she’d admitted she liked him, what would happen—and even more importantly, who might see? How she wished for the opportunity to pursue their attraction confidently and privately… but that just wasn’t her life.
She leaned back against the trailer door, twisted the knob, and stepped backward into it. It was the closest thing she had to a private space. Funny that she could make so much money but only really have a few hundred square feet to call her own.
The Alaska Sunrise Romances: A 9-Book Sweet Romance Collection Page 59
