Chapter 32
32
Birds loudly chirping broke the silence in the room. Keith barely opened his eyes to stop the alarm on his phone. The full moon shone brightly through his window. Even as he groaned, a small semblance of a smile tugged at his lips. This was going to be a good backdrop for the horse scene. He flipped the covers back and dressed before brushing his teeth and washing his face. He looked in the mirror and chortled. They wanted an unshaven, scruffy face, and, by God, that’s what they’re getting. He rubbed his hand over his whiskers, hoping Michelle would like it. He needed to keep the look for a while.
Banging on his bedroom door alerted him that Chip had arrived. He slipped on his boots and opened the door.
“Wow, you’re up. I thought for sure I’d have to wake your ass,” Chip said as he handed Keith a cup of coffee.
“Nope, ready to get this done and on the road.”
“I haven’t seen you this excited to be up at the ass crack of dawn in a long time.”
Keith chuckled. “I haven’t had a carrot like Michelle dangled in front of me before. I get to see her today, so let’s get this scene in the can.” He passed by Chip on his way out the door.
Dressed in blue jeans, a flannel shirt, jacket, cowboy hat, and boots, Keith walked into the corral with the horse. He let the animal sniff him before they got started. Keith rubbed the horse. “All right, big fella, we need to get this right the first time. I have someplace to be today. Can you work with me?” The horse nudged Keith. “You get the carrot after you work.” He leaned closer to the animal. “Believe me, buddy, I’ve got my own carrot, so let’s get this done.”
The sun was starting to rise over the mountain behind them when the director yelled, “Action.”
With the trainer directing the horse behind Keith, he reared. Keith held up his hands to calm the horse as the trainer continued to lead the horse’s movements. Keith spoke softly to the animal, “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. You and I need to trust each other. My gut tells me that you’re the one. You’ll help Robin and her kids win the prize money so they can keep the ranch.” He walked toward the horse with his hand out. “You can trust me. We’ll make a great team.” The horse shifted right on cue and snuffled Keith as if giving permission for him to touch the animal. “That’s right.” Keith spent the next hour filming the scene where he earned the horse’s trust.
“Cut!” yelled the director before speaking into a walkie-talkie. “Mike says he’s got a lot of good footage. That’s a wrap, but same time in the morning. I want to keep this light. Get some rest. We have a full day tomorrow.”
Keith was walking toward the cabin before the director finished speaking with strides that ate up yards at a time. Chip jogged over to fall into step with him. “Plans?”
“I’m going to shower. You and Max be ready to leave in thirty. What time is it?”
“Eight.”
Keith nodded.
Michelle slept in later than normal. Breakfast was light, only a cup of coffee and a piece of avocado toast. She curled up in a comfy chair in the den to scroll through the news on her phone and eat.
On the entertainment page, there was a picture of Keith. The article talked about him being on the East Coast filming his next movie. She scanned the article to find hidden in the next to the last paragraph the mention of Keith being spotted with a woman on the dance floor of a local hotel. There was no mention of her name, only speculation of who the woman was, and she smiled.
After breakfast, Michelle started preparing for the day. She wanted everything to be perfect. She set the formal dining table so they’d have enough room for everyone. The table had a live edge with a wood and metal frame. The chairs and sideboard matched, giving the room an elegant mountain feel. The candelabras were made of antlers along with the chandelier and drawer pulls. The room was masculine, but Michelle loved it. To counter the masculinity, her table setting was all feminine—lace placemats, fine bone china plates, crystal stemware, and hammered flatware. She pulled two bottles of wine from the rack to be opened later. Standing back to look at the room, she was pleased with the appearance.
With the dining room set, she was ready to take care of getting herself ready. She hadn’t heard from Keith, so maybe he was still working. Walking back into the kitchen with her hair still wet and sans makeup, she took items out of the freezer. Her derriere was in the air when a light tap sounded on her door. She quickly turned to see Keith’s smiling face with a pizza in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other. Her mouth fell open, staring at him through the window. When she composed herself, she flung the door wide.
“What are you doing here so early?” She touched her hair. “My hair isn’t done.”
He laughed. “This is the first time I’ve seen you flustered. I finished early. Can I come in?”
“Yes, yes.” She moved aside. “Where are Chip and Max?”
“They have some errands to run, then they’ll grab dinner in town.” He kissed her cheek as he walked past. “Do you know how hard it is to find a restaurant open on Sunday?”
“I do live here. There aren’t a lot of places open on Sunday. I kinda like it. Reminds me of a slower time in life.”
“I get that, but it sure makes it tough on a guy trying to surprise a girl with lunch.”
She giggled. “Thank you.” She smelled the flowers as he sat the pizza on the counter. “These are beautiful.”
“Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman. I’m sorry they aren’t tulips, but apparently, you can’t get them this time of year. Who knew?”
A big, bright smile stretched across her face. “Come in and make yourself at home while I dry my hair.”
He followed her into the den, taking in everything on their way. The den had French doors that led to a deck overlooking the valley. The built-in shelves held pictures and books along with a few plants and puzzles. He walked over to the glass doors. “This is beautiful.”
“Thanks. Here’s the remote for the TV if there’s anything you want to watch.” She opened her iPad and pulled up the music icon. “There are several playlists on here, some full albums, or just the library if you’d like to listen to music. I’ll be back in a few.”
She walked down the hall and left him in the den, a room that contained memorabilia of her family as well as her secret. She hoped he’d just find something on TV and not pay attention to anything else.