Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
TUCKER
“What are we, twelve?” I glare at my best friend of thirty years, Zack, and the asshole smirks before he tugs me in for a hug, clapping my back. “Only you would come home once in a blue moon and want to meet up at the ice cream shop.”
“Fuck off, it’s the best ice cream in the world,” he says. “And I should know. Don’t be grouchy just because you missed me. I’ll be home for a whole week.”
Shaking my head, we walk into Sundae’s, and the bell above the door jingles, alerting every one of our arrival.
It’s a good thing that Silver Springs is a sleepy town, especially on a Wednesday afternoon, because if we were anywhere else, Zack would be surrounded by a horde of women and maybe accosted. I’ve played bodyguard more than once in our friendship.
I always wanted to stay in our home town and take over the ranch from my father, which I’ve done. Zack wanted to be famous.
And he is. Actually, famous is an understatement. I don’t think there’s anyone in the world who wouldn’t recognize him from one of the dozens of movies he’s starred in. From the cologne ads, the award shows, the tabloids. Talk shows. You name it, his face has been on it.
We couldn’t be more different. Maybe that’s why we’re still such good friends. I’m not a yes-man, I don’t blow smoke up his ass, and he knows that when shit gets to be too much, he can always come home for a good heaping dose of reality.
“Welcome in.” Indie, the owner of the ice cream shop, greets us with a smile. Shit, we’ve known her since she was just a kid. Her grandparents opened this shop fifty years ago, and she’s worked here since before she was a teenager. “I think spring has finally sprung out there.”
She tucks her dark hair behind her ear and gives us a smile, her dimples winking at us. To her credit, she doesn’t cry and faint at the sight of my megastar best friend.
It’s happened. I’ve seen it.
“Are Esther and Art around?” Zack asks. “I’d like to say hello.”
Indie doesn’t even flinch. “Oh, they passed away about two years ago.”
I press my lips together. I told him that after it happened, but I’m not surprised that he doesn’t remember. It’s not because he’s an asshole or he doesn’t care. There’s a lot going on in Zack’s head.
“Oh shit. I’m sorry, I hadn’t heard. They had a granddaughter who used to work here. Cute little thing. She liked to pour the sprinkles on my cone.”
Indie grins at him. “Indigo?”
“That’s her.”
“That’s me,” she replies and smiles again. “Hi, Zack. Welcome home.”
Zack stands shell shocked next to me. Indie isn’t the little girl who sat on a stool behind the counter doing homework in between customers anymore.
Gone are the braces and glasses and awkward teenage body.
She’s grown into a beautiful woman with all her curves and her thick hair, pulled up in a messy bun today.
“Let’s try this again,” Zack says smoothly, shoving his hands in his pockets and giving her a devastating smile. “Hey, Indie, you’re fucking beautiful. I sure am sorry about your grandparents. They were the best. How’s business?”
Indie laughs and brushes her hands down the front of her black apron with the Sundae’s logo on the chest.
“Business is great. I own the shop now, but not much has changed around here. Do you want your usual?”
“You remember my usual?”
Indie taps her temple and winks at him. “I remember everything. Tuck, do you want your usual too?”
“Yes, please.” I laugh at my friend, who’s watching the pretty brunette as if she’s the most amazing thing he’s ever laid eyes on. “She’s fifteen years younger than you,” I mutter so only he can hear me.
“Fuck off,” he mutters back.
Less than five minutes later, we’re sitting at a table in the empty ice cream shop, and he’s barely taken his eyes off Indigo.
“Do you want me to leave you alone with her?”
“Yes. Go away.”
I snort and scoop up some espresso ice cream. “So, what’s happened that brought you home for a whole week? You don’t usually spend that much time here. You must have really fucked up.”
He blows out a breath and scoops up his huckleberry ice cream with sprinkles, takes a bite, and then spins his cup in a circle on the table.
“I didn’t fuck up. I’m just tired, man.”
“Don’t tell me you’re over being famous. Because that would be a lie.”
He doesn’t meet my gaze for a minute, and then he shrugs one shoulder and takes another bite.
“I’m between projects, and I wanted to slow down for a week. LA is sucking the life out of me, one sunny day at a time.”
“You could move home. Base out of here.”
He nods. “I’m thinking about it. Maybe. After this next movie, I’m taking a year off.”
My eyebrows climb into my hairline. “No shit?”
“No shit. My agent’s pissed, but creatively, I need a break.
I have to keep my body in shape for the costume for this film, and it’s fucking rigorous.
If I have to eat another chicken breast, five goddamn times a day, I might kill myself.
If my trainer knew I was eating this ice cream, he’d rip me a new one. ”
“Yeah. Being the coolest superhero ever invented must be really tough. I feel so sorry for you.” My voice is monotone, my face sober, and Zack flips me off. “Not to mention the women who fling themselves at you. Weren’t you with a lingerie model at the last fancy thing you went to?”
“Yes, and that’s not the point.”
I snort and finish my ice cream, then toss the cup away. “I know you work your ass off. What you do isn’t easy. Take the year. Hell, you could retire. You don’t have to work another day in your life. Your grandchildren don’t have to work if they don’t want to.”
“It’s not really about the money anymore,” he admits.
“Filthy rich people can say that,” I reply.
“You just keep reminding me how much I missed you,” he says.
“Okay, I’ll stop giving you shit. What’s it about then?”
“I enjoy the work. I always have. But Hollywood is a shit show. I’m thinking about taking a step back.
I’ve always been private, but I need to kick that up several notches.
My publicity team is scrambling because I’ve already shaken things up, and they’re putting pressure on me to rethink everything.
But the thing is, I don’t care if I’m making their lives harder. Things will calm down.”
“What do you need from me?”
He smiles softly. “You know, after more than fifteen years in the business, you’re still the only true friend I have? You, your family, this town are what’s real. I don’t need anything more than that.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” I check the time. “Except home. I have a new vet intern coming today. They’ll be staying at the ranch for the next year or so, working under a local vet.”
“I don’t remember you doing that before.”
“Because I haven’t.” I shrug as we stand from the table, and I give Indie a wave.
“Have a wonderful day, gorgeous,” Zack says to her, making her roll her eyes. “I’d like to spank her perfect ass for that.”
The last sentence is muttered, but I snort.
“Please don’t break any hearts while you’re in town.”
“Impossible. So, this is your first intern?”
“Yeah. Trent Fisher, a large-animal vet I’ve worked with quite often, is mentoring her and asked if she could work on my ranch. I can use the help, so I thought I’d give it a try.”
“Good luck with that. You don’t exactly love having strangers around. I’m gonna go see your dad.”
My dad was more of a parent to Zack than his own was. Of course, my dad has a habit of bringing lost people into our fold. It’s his way. And I love him for it.
“Tell him I said hi.”
The drive out to the Hendrix Ranch takes about fifteen minutes. After I park in the garage, I walk out back to feed the goats before heading over to the small guest cabin to double-check that it’s ready to go for the new intern.
Pushing into the cabin, the air is fresh, and everything looks clean, which is great because I hired someone to come out and freshen it up since it’s been sitting empty for so long.
The cabin is a one bedroom, one bathroom unit with a living room and kitchen.
Some might call it a mother-in-law accommodation.
It’s been empty since my ranch foreman, Scott, got married and moved to town last year.
But it looks like the cleaners made it shine.
It smells clean, like lemons. They even hung the curtains that I bought on the windows, and there are fresh sheets and blankets on the bed.
There’s no TV in the living room, so I make a mental note to get one in here.
I’ve just closed the door behind me when I hear tires on the gravel driveway out front, and when I walk around the house, I see a white SUV come to a stop, the driver’s door opens, and a woman steps out.
She takes a deep breath and pushes her hands in her hair, giving it a shake, then turns my way, and when her glacier-blue eyes meet mine, I feel my heart stutter.
Well, hello there.