22. Chapter 22
Aura
I may have started out the ride nervous about taking my riding outside the safe confines of the ring, but Quint putting his hands on me got me flustered for a completely different reason.
My skin is still a little tingly and restless an hour later.
If his goal was to get me hot and bothered, mission accomplished.
Not to mention, I really want to teach him a lesson.
I’m itching to put him back in his place—under me.
The only good part is having Hayden directly in front of me. He keeps twisting around in his saddle to try to make conversation and flash that movie star smile at me. While I’m chatting with him, I’m constantly aware of Quint behind me, tracking my every move. He kind of deserves it.
The barn is in sight as we break through the trees.
Thank god. My ass is killing me, and my arms are getting scratched up from the branches infringing on my space as we walk by.
I duck down to avoid another one smacking me in the face, but before I’ve had a chance to straighten up, Flash’s steady body lurches underneath me and she leaps ahead.
I flail around, trying to grab the horn—her neck—anything—but I can’t quite gain my balance back.
All I can do is watch the grass as it speeds toward me.
Pain shoots through my shoulder as I hit the ground with a thump. Thundering hooves sound from ahead and I look up to see Hayden flying ahead toward the barn. Shayla’s voice rises above everything else as she yells at the star.
There’s a soft thud next to me as a familiar pair of boots lands in the grass. I shift, pushing myself up from the ground.
“Aura, don’t move. We should check you over.”
I ignore Quint’s concerned words while embarrassment scorches a trail through me. I don’t really want to look up at my fellow cast members, so instead I focus on him. He’s kneeling in front of me, arms out to try to stop me from getting up. But that’s not for me. I’m not the helpless maiden.
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? We should double check anyway.” He starts running his hands over me, my arms, my back, my sides. I’m not sure what he thinks he’s checking for, but his touch is causing a different sort of heat to spread through me.
“Quint, stop.”
He ducks his head down to peer into my face. “What’s the matter, what hurts?”
“Nothing but my pride, and I might have a bit of a bruise on my shoulder.” I reach up to rub at it, glancing around, but most of our party is gathered a short distance away.
A couple of them are watching us, but most of them are watching the show back at the barn.
Shayla is clearly not happy with Hayden.
She’s yelling at him and jabbing him in the chest. The playboy star looks suitably chastised, but she keeps laying into him.
I laugh, and Quint follows my gaze over to the pair.
“Looks like Hayden met his match.”
Quint chuckles along with me. “Looks like it. Are you sure you’re okay? No back pain, no neck?”
I shake my head. “Like I said. Just my pride, although…”
His hands slide to my biceps. “Although what? What is it?”
My voice drops to a soft whisper. “Although maybe you could check me over later tonight. Just to make sure.”
“Really. Sounds good to me.” He clears his throat and his fingers flex around my arms. “As long as you’re okay?”
“I’m good, but maybe you can help me up. You don’t think they’re going to figure out I can’t ride, do you?” There’s been a knot of fear lodged in my chest since we started this adventure, but it had eased up. Until now. The only thing keeping me together right now is his hands on me.
He tilts his head looking down at me with amusement. “You can ride, Hollywood.”
I throw my hands up. “But I fell off. In front of everybody.”
The asshole has the audacity to chuckle. “You’re not a real cowgirl if you’ve never fallen off, so I think congratulations are in order.”
I nibble at my lower lip, hoping he’s right. “What happened, anyway?”
He rolls his eyes. “Hayden decided it would be fun to show off, and he took off at a gallop for the barn. That’s like one of the first rules of horsemanship: never encourage your horse to run toward home.
That’s how you create a monster. Maybe I should have put him on Flash like Shayla wanted. She never would have done that.”
His calloused hands are warm and familiar under mine as he helps me to my feet. “Shayla wanted him to ride Flash?”
“I think she suspected he might pull something stupid like this.” He bends down to gather Flash’s reins off the ground. She’s quietly tearing away at the grass, green goo flying out of her mouth around the bit. “Looks like she was right. God, I hate it when she’s right.”
I laugh. “Why’d you say no?”
He turns away from me to tug my horse up from her feast. It takes some effort. She’s not so eager to give up on her unexpected snack. “I wanted you to be comfortable for your first trail ride. Thought it would help to at least be riding a familiar horse.”
Why is he so sweet and thoughtful? I don’t even know what to do with that. It’s too much. He can’t be real. I rub at the ache in my chest. Now I feel like a humongous jerk for leaving him that note. It was so impersonal.
“Thank you, and sorry about the note. I should have told you my plans in person.” It’s inadequate, but it’s all I’ve got.
“No need to thank me. Let’s get back to the barn before my sister scares Hayden away.
” He hands me the reins to his horse, who obediently follows along behind me, while he struggles to keep Flash from faceplanting into the grass again.
“Although, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad idea. How well do you know that guy?”
“Not that well. He guest-starred on one episode of Paisley and I’ve met him handful of times over the years. Bound to happen when you’re of a certain age and success level in Hollywood.”
He leaves it for a moment as we get closer to the barn. “Well, he certainly seemed friendly with you on the ride.”
There it is. Even the nice guys can’t seem to keep that jealous streak in check.
“We’re castmates. We’re all going to be getting to know each other quite well over the next few months.
And hopefully we all get along. It’s much better than the alternative.
I know what it’s like to work with people I don’t get along with, and let me tell you, it’s no fun.
So don’t ruin this for me, please. Even if we were dating for real, I’d be pissed if you tried to cut me off from people I have to work with. ”
He has the decency to look abashed. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way.
You know I would never do that, though. Tell you to stay away from other guys.
That’s gross. But I am still pissed that he put you in danger like that.
” He tilts his head, squinting at the bright sun blanketing the barn in its warmth.
“I’ve gotta go untack quick and then go check on the broodmares.
Chipper especially is getting pretty restless. You okay to look after our girl?”
I nod, then catch sight of Savannah watching us with a smile from the barn door. I lean in, placing a hand on his shoulder and steal what’s supposed to be a quick kiss for show, but I linger longer than I should, and he doesn’t pull away.
***
By the time I’ve finished untacking and brushing Flash, my hair is damp with sweat and every muscle in my body is aching.
A hot shower and a nap are both calling to me before we have to come back for some rehearsals this afternoon.
But I hang out with Flash a little while longer, leaning on her solid body while she grazes.
It’s just so peaceful out here, and I know that’s all going to be gone soon with the hectic filming schedule.
Delaney walks up to me, black velvet riding helmet tucked under her arm and looking as fresh as she did when we started. How did she avoid getting a speck of dirt on her? Even her hair is smooth and glossy, pulled back in a long ponytail. No sign of helmet hair.
“How did you pull that off?” I ask.
Her big pale blue eyes crunch together. “What?”
“Looking so perfect. Did you not brush your horse?”
“I did, and I’m far from perfect.” She brushes her hands down her front. Her nails are painted pale pink and perfectly shaped. “Look at all that hair.”
“Whatever you say.”
“Listen, we were planning on heading out for lunch. Little get-together sort of thing. Just the main cast. You have to come.”
Exhaustion wars with the FOMO. This could be an important moment.
A chance for the cast to get to know each other a little better before we’re hurled into the crazy world of pretending to be other people.
My practical side is screaming at me to say yes, while my exhausted side is fighting for that nap I’ve been dreaming about.
“Okay.” FOMO wins out once again.
She hops, clapping her hands together. “Excellent. We originally thought somewhere in Calgary, but the break isn’t going to be long enough to drive all the way there. You’ve been here for a while now, right? Any restaurant recs?”
“Actually, no. But Calgary is definitely too far, and even if it wasn’t I’ve only been there twice. Once coming from the airport, and once to this restaurant that felt more like it belonged back in LA than anywhere near here. We should find a real country place. I could ask Quint?”
Her pink-glossed mouth twists up at the corner. “You do that. But don’t take too long. We’ve got to get back by two for the walkthrough and set check.”
“It’s just one question. I think I can handle it.” Although the tension that built up over the course of our ride might say otherwise.
I lead Flash out to her small field, and she immediately goes back to eating without giving me so much as a farewell nicker. Then I make my way over to the breeding barn, peering into stalls and doors. I thought I saw Quint’s lanky figure walking back this way, but I could be wrong.
I’m reaching for my phone to send him a text when I spot him rummaging through the big cupboard. He steps back, turning on his heel, and flashes me a surprised smile when he spots me in the doorway. He’s got a red first aid bag and a ball of pink bandage in his hands. I could make use of that.
“You want to help out, or just stand there ogling me?”
I startle out of my trance, pushing off the door frame I was leaning against. “I wasn’t ogling.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I don’t have time to help. Maybe you can teach me another time.” Although the idea of staying here with him is more appealing than going to a noisy restaurant with a group of strangers. But I do need to get to know them. This is a crucial time.
“I’d love to.” He looks up from the bag, staring me directly in the eyes, and then his gaze wanders over to the green tack box to his right. A flush creeps up my cheeks. Boy needs to be put in his place.
“That’s not what I’m here for.” I hate how off balance he makes me feel lately. It’s uncomfortable, but still oddly nice. “Do you have any restaurant recommendations? Somewhere not too far, to get some real Alberta cuisine. We’re doing a little cast get-to-know-each-other lunch.”
The bandages slip from his hand he’s laughing so hard. “Cuisine? Not sure about that.”
“Whatever. You don’t need to be rude about it.”
“I’m not even sure what you’d classify as ‘Alberta cuisine’ other than maybe a good steak or burger. Some bison. We do like our meat here.” His words are weighty, laden with innuendo again, which I absolutely do not have time for.
“Like, country, kind of…cowboy. I don’t know.” I hold up my hands, at a loss for how to explain.
“Did you know Chinese food is actually a staple here? Ginger beef was invented in Alberta.”
“What?”
“It’s true, but I assume that’s not what you’re looking for.
” He bends down to pick up the wrap that fell to the floor and rolled away.
He gets to rerolling it and it’s like his hands are magnets that keep drawing me in.
Long fingers, calloused from real labor, but soft and gentle when he wants them to be. When I let him.
“Another day.”
“Well, if you want good food with a touch of that country feel, you can all head to the Riverbend Café. It’s about a twenty-five-minute drive, in the next town over.
It’s in an old barn, painted red with white trim.
That perfect stereotypical experience you’re looking for.
But the owners are good people and the food is amazing.
Get the steak sandwich or a bison burger and flapper pie for dessert. That’s a real prairie dish.”
“Thank you.”
“You can thank me with a piece of pie when you get back.” He tilts his head, studying me. “And maybe a kiss.”
I frown at him. “A kiss for mocking me?”
“No, for the excellent recommendation.”
“Hmm, we’ll see how good it is. If it lives up to expectations, I’ll consider it.”
“You do that. Drive safe.”
“I’m not driving. I got the restaurant recommendation covered. Someone else can do the driving.”
“Smart,” he says.
I almost turn around to ask if I can take a shower at his place. But that’s not fair. I moved out to put some distance between us. Because it’s harder to resist his questions and promises when I can feel his presence seeping through the thin wall between us at night.
Better to not look back. Because if I turn around, I might not be able to walk away.