Chapter Three
Church stepped out of the truck and the noise hit him. Generators hummed and crew members of the movie set shouted to each other across the clearing. A young woman jogged by carrying a headset and a clipboard like they were both life support.
Yesterday the valley was quiet. Today it looked like a small city had landed in the middle of the mountains.
As he rounded the truck to join Zee, he scanned the area, taking in any changes to the landscape.
The road was the same, the line of sight clear.
Equipment trucks lined one side of the lot, creating a blind pocket someone could easily use for cover, but the only way in was through the woods, and the Malones cleared that.
Apparently the landowner was one of the salt of the earth types that kept a tight rein on who accessed their land.
With that worry out of the way, he turned his attention to Zee. She was completely still, facing the mountains. Even though she wore a pair of big sunglasses, he knew she was staring at the view.
He stepped up next to her.
“It’s so beautiful,” she breathed.
The breeze caught a tendril of warm chestnut hair and sent it dancing around her jaw. She hooked it behind her ear and glanced at him, a soft smile playing around the corners of her lips.
For a second, the noise of the set faded.
“Not a bad place to spend the day.”
He huffed. “Could be worse.”
She nodded because she understood. They’d both lived through the darker moments of life, and it seemed Zee had a way of appreciating the sweeter things.
He tried to see the land through her eyes. The mountains rose sharp and green, their peaks cutting into the clear sky. Sunlight glared off the rock faces, and Zee lifted a hand to shade her eyes.
As he drank in the view, the scent of her perfume—light and warm—filled his nose.
A shout from behind seemed to break her trance. They turned to the set.
“Ready for this?” He searched her face.
“How bad can it be?”
A faint wince pulled at the side of his mouth, which made Zee laugh.
And hearing Zee laugh caught him off guard. The sound was rich and easy—and far too distracting for a man who needed to stay focused on the job.
“Let’s go check in with Nigel.”
They set off across the expanse of grass, the taller blades swishing around their legs. As they approached the set, Nigel appeared, weaving through the crew to meet them.
“Mr. Upchurch.” He offered a quick nod. “Glad you’re here. And this must be your wife.”
“This is Zee.” He started to reach for her, thinking to place his hand on her back, but he lowered it to his side instead.
“Zee. A pleasure.”
“Nice to meet you. Thank you for inviting me to the set. It’s very exciting.”
As she spoke, he watched Nigel’s face light up. Clearly, her natural charm worked on everyone.
“We’ll start with a quick walkthrough before filming begins. Miss Collins is in makeup.”
Church fell into step beside him, Zee keeping pace easily on his other side.
Nigel pointed out different sections as they moved through the busy clearing. “Wardrobe trailers are here.” He pointed. “Catering is set up behind the equipment trucks if you’d like a refreshment.”
They stopped in front of a long white trailer near the center of the activity. “Makeup,” Nigel said, opening the door. “Miss Collins is inside preparing for her first scene.”
Church ducked his head and stepped inside with Zee right behind.
Bright lights lined the mirrors along one wall. The actor sat in a tall chair, a makeup artist leaning over her as she worked on the star’s eyes with a thin brush.
The actor glanced up in the mirror when they entered. “Mr. Upchurch. Good to see you again.”
He nodded once. He’d met her the day before when he returned to tell Nigel that his wife would be joining him on set.
Miss Collins was young. He’d be surprised if she was even twenty years old, but after reading more about her, he knew she had sixteen movies under her belt, starting from childhood.
She was pretty, but her beauty was the brand he’d seen all over the screen.
She had the look that the world wanted right now.
And she was nothing at all like Zee. Her features weren’t perfectly created by a surgeon’s scalpel. But they were the kind that lingered in a man’s mind.
Matt had often talked about how beautiful she was, and he was right.
The makeup artist paused mid-brush to study Zee openly. “She seems a little old for take-your-daughter-to-work day.”
He felt Zee stiffen beside him.
“This is my wife.”
The makeup artist blinked. “Really?” Her gaze bounced between them. “Isn’t she a little young?”
Zee leaned into Church, curling around his side like the gesture came as natural as breathing, and she brought a hand to his chest.
He got the sense she wasn’t only acting—she was holding him back.
He slipped his arm around her, cupping his hand around her side. God, she was so thin. A lot thinner than she had been when he last saw her. He was too aware of her ribs under his fingers. Grief had made changes in her.
The actor had already turned back to the mirror, chatting with the makeup artist about creating a smoky eye for an upcoming scene.
Seeing they were supposed to fade to background noise, he led Zee back out of the trailer. As soon as they took a few steps away from the trailer, he muttered, “I’ve been insulted by a twelve-year-old.”
Zee had pushed her sunglasses up on her head, and her eyes gleamed with amusement. “She probably started as a social media influencer. She could be thirty for all we know. Botox goes a long way, and she’s contoured within an inch of her life.”
“I don’t know anything about those things. Come on. Let’s find you a chair in the shade.” He walked over to the area where the food was set out and grabbed a folding chair. He set it up for her and returned to the table of food, snagging a pastry and a paper cup of hot tea.
When he held them out to Zee, she tipped her face up to him, that glimmer back in her eyes. Not quite happiness, but a step above contentment.
“Thank you, Church.” She pitched her voice low. “Uh—I guess I should call you Grant. You didn’t have to bring me food.”
He didn’t want to say she could use some snacks. That he knew she hadn’t been taking care of herself since Matt’s death. Between the hollowness in her eyes and the fact she needed to gain at least fifteen pounds, he could see the toll the last few years had taken on her.
She dipped her head. “Thank you. It was sweet.”
He offered her a smile. “I should stand in front of the trailer door. Act like a bodyguard.”
“I do think it’s part of your job.”
He paused. “You’re going to be bored sitting here.”
She met his stare, her eyes as deep green as the pines in the distance. “I don’t need to be entertained. Even though I am your daughter. I can look after myself.”
A groan escaped him. “Christ, do I look that old?”
She sobered. “To her? Yes. But to me…no.”
An unexpected warmth flickered in his chest.
And Church had a feeling pretending to be her husband was going to get complicated fast.
* * * * *
Zee shifted on the folding chair outside the trailer, stretching out one leg in front of her while she watched the bustle of the set.
The morning sun had climbed high enough to warm the ground beneath her boots and she slipped the glasses back over her eyes, partly to block out the sun and partly so she could watch the crew without looking like she was gawking.
Crew members moved past carrying cables, and a woman pushed a wardrobe rack with squeaky wheels.
It felt strange sitting still in the middle of the commotion. But Church had asked her to stay put. So she stayed put.
She lifted the cup of tea he’d brought her and took a small sip, letting the warmth settle in her stomach. She hoped the caffeine perked her up, because she didn’t sleep well the previous night.
She didn’t feel safe in the vacation rental, even though she’d spent several nights there. If she thought about it, she realized the last time she felt safe was on base as a military wife.
She fled the last apartment in a rush and left behind several belongings, including her security system. The cameras and the rubber door wedge she shoved under the door to prevent people from breaking in while she slept were things that helped her feel safe.
But that day when she came home from her retail job, she saw the door was cracked open.
At first she hoped maybe she’d forgotten to pull it shut all the way when she left. She’d stood there in the hallway staring at the gap, her brain trying to find an explanation even though she already knew the answer.
Someone had forced their way in. And before she even pushed the door open, she knew what she’d find.
The place was ransacked, yet nothing had been taken.
Still, the quiet of the apartment when she stepped inside made her stomach drop. So did the sight of the drawer in the small entry table hanging open, the contents dumped on the floor like they were looking for something.
Her little jewelry case was there, along with the spare cash she kept tucked in a mug in the kitchen cabinet. She didn’t own a television, but the laptop she’d been using to apply for jobs was untouched.
Whoever broke in hadn’t stolen a thing. Well, nothing but her ability to sleep.
Of course she’d called the police. They’d come eventually, taken a report and left with her knowing that nothing would come of it. Not that she’d expected anything else.
This wasn’t her first rodeo, as people said.
Zee took another sip of the tea and glanced down at the danish Church brought her. She couldn’t eat thanks to the knot in her stomach, but she broke off a piece to keep her hands busy.
The sugar hit her tongue and made her realize she actually was hungry. After she took two more bites, a shadow crossed the ground in front of her and she looked up.
A young man stopped, a heavy cable looped over his shoulder and his cowboy hat tipped low over his eyes. “Ma’am.”
She smiled. “Hello.”
“Let me get you something. Be right back.”
Before she could guess what that was, he hurried away. A minute later, he returned without the cable but he carried a small table. He set it beside her chair and straightened with a crooked smile.
“Now you can set down your food and drink.”
“Thank you. That was really sweet of you.”
He grinned. “I’m a grip. It’s part of my job to anticipate what people need on the set.”
She pushed her glasses back on her head. For some reason that made his smile widen. “It sounds like you’re pretty important around here.”
“I don’t know about important, but it’s nice to travel and meet the actors and producers.”
“I bet that’s exciting.”
“Are you from around here?”
She paused, then realized that—now—she was. She’d agreed to stay in Willowbrook for six months. As long as nobody broke in and drove her off.
“Yes,” she told him.
“The town’s quaint. And that view.” He pivoted toward the mountains and let out a low whistle.
She shaded her eyes to take in the sight as well. “It sure is stunning.”
He turned back and smiled at her. She smiled back.
“Well, I’d better get moving. It was nice talking to you.”
“Thanks again for the table.”
As he strode away, she watched him for a beat, aware in some distant portion of her mind that he might have been flirting with her. But she was so far removed from that sort of thing. The last person she’d flirted with had been Matt, and he married her.
The young man disappeared around the corner of the trailer. When she looked up, she saw Church standing a few yards away, his stare locked on her.
Her stomach gave a small flutter for reasons she couldn’t begin to understand. All she knew was it wasn’t the same knot that sat in her stomach when she thought of the break-in.
Their gazes held for two full heartbeats before the trailer door opened and Church’s attention returned to his ward. Miss Collins stepped out, and he escorted her to the wardrobe trailer. Even from this distance Zee could see the way he scanned the area, constantly watching for danger.
The memory of the break-in and her poor night’s sleep pushed back into her thoughts. She set the pastry down on the table and reached for her phone.
A quick website search brought up the same security equipment she’d owned before. Cameras. Motion sensors. Door wedges. She ordered it all again, tapping her way through the checkout screen.
The tea had warmed her a little, but she still felt shaky.
Playing Church’s wife earlier in the trailer had stirred up things she hadn’t expected. Standing close to him, feeling his arm around her waist like it belonged there…
It pulled memories loose she’d spent years trying to keep carefully packed away.
She took another sip of tea and forced her attention back to the set. The day passed in a blur of bustle and voices. The sun slid slowly across the valley until the crew finally called it a wrap.
By the time Church walked her back to the truck, the sun was setting over the mountains.
They talked little as he drove her to the small Airbnb she was staying in. She pushed open the door and climbed out.
“See you tomorrow, Zee.”
“Why don’t I meet you at the facility next time?”
“That sounds good.”
“Tomorrow,” she echoed, trying to give him what she hoped was a warm smile.
Inside, she kicked off her boots and sank onto the couch before pulling out her phone again. She checked on the website to see if there were any more available days she could extend.
Nothing.
Booked solid.
Tomorrow was her last night.
Panic hit.
This wasn’t the first time she didn’t know if she’d have a place to sleep. She pulled in a deep breath. She could find a place. She was resourceful.
A quick message to the owner brought an answer within minutes.
Sorry. No openings. Leaf peepers booked everything weeks ago.
She stared at the screen.
No other options? Do you have any other units? she typed back.
The reply came quickly.
I don’t have any and I don’t know of any others. Town fills up this time of year.
She let the phone drop onto the cushion beside her. For a moment, she sat there, acknowledging the familiar heaviness settling over her and leaving her feeling flat after the brief lift she’d experienced earlier.
One more night in this place.
After that…she’d have to figure out somewhere else to go.