Hot Winter Nights

“Oh, please... Blackfoot Falls, of course. Who knows?” She batted her lashes. “I might get discovered.”

Clint shot a look at his brother. The night Anne had died in the accident, she’d sneaked off to audition for a play.

Nathan didn’t seem bothered, he just laughed. “Well, you call me before you sign any contracts.”

“Deal,” she said, padding in to give him a quick kiss. “Text me if you think of anything you want.” On her way out, she squeezed Clint’s shoulder. “We’re having chicken and tortilla casserole for supper if you want to stay.”

“Thanks. Another time.” The second she was out of earshot Clint grinned at his brother. “She’s got you eating casseroles?”

Grunting, Nathan leaned back. “Wait till you get married. You’re gonna find yourself doing a lot of crap you swore you wouldn’t do. Hey, you still seeing Kristy?”

“Not for months. It wasn’t going anywhere.” He shrugged. “I think she might have itchy feet. Wouldn’t surprise me if she moved away from Twin Creeks.”

“Is that what’s got you hesitating to take over from Dad?”

“Nah.” Clint shook his head for emphasis. “Anyway, it’s nothing. Just thinking things through.”

“You guys having any financial problems I should know about?”

“Nope.” It was a fair question. Years ago their father had made some poor decisions that had nearly bankrupted them. “We’re in the black.”

“Thanks to you,” Nathan said, his worried pucker beginning to ease. “But I heard you leased horses to the Hollywood people, so it made me wonder.”

“Didn’t do it for the money. Ben Wolf asked me for a favor. They wanted a couple of showy chestnuts. We have geldings with cream-colored manes and tails that fit the bill.” Clint had unloaded the horses without talking to the head wrangler. For some reason, he’d trusted Erin Murphy’s word the runaway stallion was an isolated incident. But he had every intention of driving back later to make sure they weren’t being careless with the animals. “You ever heard of Lila Loveridge?”

Nathan frowned. “Nope. She live around here?”

Clint wished. “She’s an actress. Blonde. About five-eight. I just met her. You and Beth watch more movies than I do, so I figured you might’ve seen her in something.”

“I can look her up,” Nathan said, straightening and reaching for his laptop.

“Nah.” Hell, he should’ve thought of that himself. “She’s so far out of my league, it isn’t funny.”

Even before seeing Nathan’s startled look, Clint regretted the stupid remark. What a dumb-ass thing to say. He’d just made idle curiosity sound like it was a big deal.

Jesus.

“Some jerk asked if I wanted to be in the movie. I wouldn’t have to say anything. Just stand next to a horse and look like a jackass.”

Nathan grinned. “What did you say?”

“What do you think?”

Lucky for him, his brother’s phone rang.

Clint stood. Perfect time to make an exit.

Glancing at the cell, Nathan said, “Sit. It’s only Woody.”

“I’ve got to go.” Clint glanced at his watch and started for the door. “We’ll talk another time.”

“You sure you don’t wanna stay for some of Beth’s casserole? I guarantee she made plenty.”

Clint laughed. “I heard leftovers are even better the next day,” he said on his way out of the office, grinning when he heard his brother curse.

Despite Erin’s assurance, Clint figured he’d go see if the head wrangler had showed up. Although if he was being honest, he wanted to see Lila again.

* * *

THE SUN HADN’T dipped behind the Rockies yet, but the sky was overcast, which meant it would get dark early. Everyone was rushing to make use of the daylight and making more mistakes. It was just one of those days. Lots of small, annoying things had gone wrong, and everyone seemed to be on edge. The two bars in town would likely be hopping tonight.

Lila wasn’t much of a drinker, but even she was considering a trip into town with everyone else. A beer shouldn’t cost too much.

She watched an older man transfer his chew of tobacco from one cheek to the other, and managed not to cringe. Disgusting. In the three months she’d been working on location in cattle country, she’d grown used to many unfamiliar customs. But chewing tobacco? Yuck.

The man was an extra, not an actor, but they were using him for several close-ups during the bar-fight scene. So Lila had been called to the set to make sure his fake injuries were consistent for each shot.

Initially she’d been in charge of hair, and hadn’t done much makeup. But she’d been learning a lot, and she liked having the variety, so she never minded pitching in when they asked for her.

“You need to make the scar longer,” Erin said, studying the photo and then the man’s jaw. “Bring it closer to his ear.”

“I’m back.” Glenda, an intern, showed up to take over.

“Let Lila finish the scar and then—” Erin glared at the man. “Would you stop chewing?”

He stopped.

Lila and Glenda exchanged private smiles. Erin was their hero. She was never mean or petty, but if someone wanted to be coddled, they’d better look elsewhere.

Every film needed someone as smart and efficient as Erin. Especially a low-budget, indy project like this one. So much was riding on it for a lot of people—including her and Erin. The film’s success could make their careers. Or conversely, bankrupt them. The two of them were low-level investors, but it had taken every penny they’d saved, every favor owed them, and they’d even taken out small loans. Lila tried not to think about that too much. It made her queasy.

She quickly went to work on the man’s scar, and just as she applied the finishing touch, Erin said, “Guess who’s back?”

Lila’s pulse quickened. “Shut. The. Front. Door,” she said, staring at her friend. Erin’s teasing smile was a big hint. Had to be the cowboy Lila had been daydreaming about all afternoon. “Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack. But don’t turn—” Erin sighed when Lila whipped around for a look.

“Where?” A black truck parked near the corrals hadn’t been there ten minutes ago. No sign of Clint, though. “Is he—oh, crap,” she muttered when she caught sight of Baxter.

Erin’s expression changed completely when she saw him hurrying toward them. “What do you want?”

“That guy...Landers.” Baxter was out of breath. “He’s back.”

“So?”

“Jason wants to use him tomorrow.” Baxter was so clueless. Whatever it was he wanted, his haughty tone wasn’t going to win Erin over.

“Need anything else, Erin?” Glenda asked, already backing away.