Chapter 18
Josie
Alex held my hand as we strolled toward the camp.
It felt easy because he was unapologetic about doing it.
A couple of times, he broke away, but he would grab my hand again after only a few steps.
There were mountains in the background, but it was dark out, and I could hardly see them. They were in the distance, anyway.
The Sutters ranch was east of Missoula and set in a spot with a lot of flat land surrounding it.
That was what made it perfect for this film, which was supposed to take place on the plains of Missouri.
The stars and the moon were out, so it was light enough to see where we were walking and stay on the path.
We held hands and talked. Alex told me a story of something that had happened earlier that night, before we got there. I told him Judd had mentioned an egg scene, and he confirmed that I had inspired it. We were ten minutes into our walk when Cameron came up behind us on a golf cart.
"Cam's taxi. Do you guys want a ride? Ty and Amelia need a ride back to their trailer, so I'm headed to pick them up. I'll probably have others, too. People just call me when they don't feel like walking. Do you guys want to get in?"
"Yeah, we'll hitch a ride the rest of the way," he said, pulling me by the hand.
He stood back and offered for me to get in the seat ahead of him.
I went to the middle of the front seat, trying not to bump into Cameron.
I smiled at her before we took off, and she smiled back.
Alex was on the other side of me, and his leg was pressed against mine.
We drove a lot faster than we walked, and we were back at the campsite within a minute or two.
Cameron talked to him about a scene they were going to re-shoot, and I just listened.
We rode all the way to the place where they had the campfire going.
It was smaller now than it was before, but it was the campfire for the actual set, so our surroundings were picturesque.
The cameras weren't rolling, and I had a gritty, authentic feeling of nostalgia as I looked out at the scene of people.
They looked like we were set back in time.
No one was looking at phones. There was nothing modern around except for the golf cart, which was behind me now.
In front of me was a gorgeous scene of people having a conversation around a campfire.
Most of them were in period clothing. There were only ten or twelve of them still there, and my sister was among them.
She was sitting next to a guy, one of the musicians.
I stood next to Alex and took it all in while he bantered with them, and then announced that he had to go get something from a wagon.
Cameron asked if we needed a ride back, and Alex said that we would be walking.
She said we should call if we changed our minds.
He told her goodnight, and then he pulled me along. I smiled and waved at everyone.
"The campsite is beautiful," I said. "I love the set. I'm glad we came back here so I can take a look at it again."
"I'm thankful. Henry really came through with this ranch and the horses. The horses make it."
"The horses are beautiful," I said. "The whole thing is looking so good. I could see the camera screen some of the time."
"Judd's helping me with a lot of the photography. Judd and Cameron are both just such good artists."
"I love it that you give other people the credit."
"Only when they deserve it," Alex said.
"I see you working, and you're amazing, that's all. You're a great leader."
He took me around the back of one of the wagons and stopped at the back door.
"This is Wagon Two."
"Is it special?" I asked.
He nodded. "We have our cameras and equipment stored in here—things we don't lug with us every time we shoot out here."
"Are Wagons One and Three full of equipment too?" I asked him.
He reached up, opened the door, looked inside, closed it, and locked it.
"No," he said, casually as he moved. "Not One.
Wagon Three is for equipment, though. All of them are pretty big on the inside, so Three's pretty empty.
One is different. That's where I'm taking you.
It's our set. It's all fixed up in there, packed with authentic set pieces that the travelers would have had.
We have some scenes that are filmed inside the wagon, and that's all done in One.
" He had been walking while he was talking, and we approached the back of what I assumed was Wagon One.
He gestured to the back of it. "Would you like to go inside?"
"I was going to ask if I could see it," I said. "Is this Wagon One?"
"Yes," he said. He unzipped a piece of fitted canvas and shifted it to the side, exposing the back of the wagon with the canvas that was gathered in a circular frame around an open window. He opened the lower, wooden door part, and I stepped onto the ladder-style steps and made my way inside.
"Whoa, this is what it was like?" I asked, sounding as shocked as I felt.
"What did you imagine?" he asked, coming to stand next to me in the cramped living space.
He stepped past me and turned on a light.
It was a small flame.
"How'd you light that so fast?"
"It's gas." He pointed at another oil lamp, but he didn't move to turn it on. "They're made to look just like an oil lamp. We have several of them."
"This is crazy," I said, looking around. "Is this seriously what they were like on the inside?"
"Yeah, I'm sure it differed a little, family by family."
"It's a living room," I said, looking around.
"What'd you expect?"
"I don't know… completely full of supplies…
impossible to move around. I don't know why, but I never actually imagined the people were in here.
I thought they were walking alongside and these were just the supplies.
" I laughed at myself and shrugged even as I said it.
"I don't know why I thought that. I just definitely didn't picture a living room.
Is this real? Can this hold weight?" I asked, pointing to a rocking chair.
"Yes, would you like to sit in it?" he asked, stepping aside.
I sat in the rocking chair, anchoring it with my feet and being careful not to make it rock too much. Alex sat on a nearby wooden chest. Our legs were almost close enough to touch, and I wanted to scoot toward him and make it happen. The light flickered, and he was irresistible.
"This is unbelievable," I said, looking around. "I love it in here." I touched a piece of colorful cotton that was draped over a nearby box. "This fabric. It's vintage. I love it. Everything is so authentic."
"I'm pumped about how it came together," he said. "We gave a kid a blanket today with some other fabric Cameron found in here."
"I saw that kid. He was cute, dragging that blanket."
"Yeah, thank you, it added to the shot. And speaking of that, could you try to stay?"
"Stay where?" I asked.
"In Montana. Somewhere close. Somewhere that's accessible to me. For the immediate future."
"I was thinking of extending my trip," I said.
He grabbed a handful of fabric near the knee of my jeans and gave me a tug that made me laugh. "Come here," he said. "What were you thinking? Tell me, tell me."
I laughed and then shrugged. "My sister had mentioned me staying a few days longer so Lu can have me around. And I thought since I'm done with school."
"Oh, so it has nothing to do with someone you met?"
"I did sort of meet someone," I said. "He took me on a date to a covered wagon."
"Not sure how romantic that is, now that I hear it said out loud. Not to judge the guy, but…"
"Oh, no, it's romantic, trust me. You should have seen the way he set it all up.
For two days, I watched him talk to people and draw these amazing performances from them.
I watched as he made this beautiful artistic vision come to life.
I watched him be a total boss. And then we took a walk, and there was this unbelievable set piece—a wagon.
A little jewel out in the middle of nowhere, like a gypsy caravan.
There was a flickering light, and we were just hanging out. "
"So, you liked that date?" he said.
"Yeah, I did. I liked it. It was, dare I say, one of the best dates I've ever been on."
I was being a little bit silly when I said it, and he put a hand on my thigh and gave me a tug.
"Josie, since I found you again, I've been having a good feeling in my bones.
I know that's a weird way to put it, but it's all I have.
I feel good with you being near me, and that feeling of goodness translates into…
it trickles down to my crew and the cast, and…
what I'm trying to say is it too much to ask for you to just be in Montana until we're done shooting? "
"Oh, no. That's fine to ask," I said, my heart pounding.
"How do you answer it?"
"Yeah, I mean, it's good timing for me, honestly, with school and work and everything. And my sister already mentioned it."
"Josieee," he said, still touching my thigh. "Are you staying?"
I nodded.
"For my whole project?"
I nodded again.
The doubting, planner side of me wanted him to make things black and white between us. I wanted to start asking him for some sort of label or commitment when I talked about staying in Montana. But I didn't need that. He didn't owe me that. I could just stay for a while and get to know him.
"It really does work out with Lu and everything," I said. "I'm thankful I stumbled upon you and your little operation at a grocery store."
"No kidding. What are the chances? We have Lu to thank for that."
I smiled at the memory of her announcing that she was finished using the restroom.
"Little Lu Bird," I said. "She's going to be happy I'm staying around. I'm happy too. I'm gonna get my old jobs back. At least the restaurants."
"I go to Missoula twice a week," he said, grinning with a pleased expression and taking his hands off of me to stretch. "I'm so excited you're staying close, Josie."
"Yeah, of course. I'll stay for the project. That'll be fun."
"How do you do it?" he said.
"What do you mean?"
"How do you just agree to things like this—change your mind—go with the flow?"
"I have my master's, and I'm proud of that and everything, but honestly, I look at you and your life, and I think, 'how does he do it?' It's you who's doing the big things."
"Not from my perspective," Alex said. "The story, it all feels like it was just dropped in my lap. But you, you're like switching gears, making moves, and taking care of Lu, all while getting your master's. I don't know how you do it."
I let out a little laugh at the thought. "Honestly, I hang on by the skin of my teeth sometimes. God's bailing me out of fear all the time. The Bible. I wouldn't be stable if I didn't have that book in my life."
Alex sat back, regarding me. He was sitting on a box, but it was near a different, taller box that he leaned against. He looked at me with an unreadable expression.
He was a work of art—his resting face was different than his smiling face, and both of them were so handsome.
I stared at the lines of his cheek and jaw…
and his mouth. That wide, curved mouth started to gently curve upward at the corners, and I felt weak in the knees.
He nudged his chin toward the back door of the wagon where we had come in. I was slightly closer to it.
"There's a cover that comes down from the inside," he said. "You just have to unroll it."