Chapter 5
Windsor’s blue eyes were wide with shock as she stared at him. “Boss?” she said.
“You don’t have to call me that. Unless you want to, that is,” he replied. “It’s good to see you. It’s been a while.”
“Wait. I’m missing something.” Her gaze cut from him to the house and back to him as Eph opened the other truck cab door.
I’ve definitely missed her. God, she is gorgeous.
Windsor was one of the few actresses he knew who was always more beautiful in person than on-screen. There was something about being in her presence that amplified everything.
She spun in her seat, her thick blonde hair swinging. “This is your boss?” she asked Eph.
Bo grinned as Eph replied, “Yes, ma’am. Going on seven years now. Ain’t that about right, Boss?”
“Seven years this fall.” He wondered if she’d noticed his absence from Hollywood.
“This is your ranch?” Windsor blinked several times. “We’re filming here?”
“Yeah. Worked out a sweet deal with the studio. We have plenty of room for the cast and crew, and you won’t find better scenery in Montana. We even have an old ranch house we’ve rehabbed, but kept as original as possible.”
“This is where you’ve been?” Her surprise was impossible to miss.
So, maybe she has noticed I bailed on LA.
“Yeah. Took a minute to get out here full-time. Been here for almost five years now.”
“I can see why,” she said. “It’s incredible.
And clearly, it suits you.” Her vivid blue eyes made a quick sweep down his yellow-and-brown flannel shirt, black canvas pants, and alligator skin boots.
“Damn, Bo. You look straight out of central casting.” The appreciative gleam in her eye did not go unnoticed.
“Once upon a time. Now this is just life.”
“It looks good on you.”
He held out a hand as he smiled. “You look great too, Win. City girl does country.”
Her jeans and tall black boots were exposed under her long camel-colored coat.
“Lyric said it would still be cold, even though it’s spring, and I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I’ve never been to Montana before.”
She took his hand and let him help her down from the lifted truck. “To be honest, I get why I never see you anywhere in LA anymore. I’d vanish, too, if I had this place.”
She definitely noticed. A surge of satisfaction shot through him.
“There’s still snow on the mountains. It could be cold through June.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope. You’re not in LA anymore, Win.”
He led her up the ranch house steps with a hand at the small of her back. He was finally living a surreal moment he had visualized more than once.
“Wow.” Her gaze lifted to the soaring beams and acres of glass and wood.
“I’ll have your trunks brought up to your room. And I’ll make sure you get some lunch and sparkling water as soon as possible.”
Bo looked down at the petite brunette near the tailgate of the truck and couldn’t miss his foreman’s attention locked on her. “Lyric, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Bohannon.”
“You go on ahead and let Eph get you settled in. I’ll take care of Ms. Reed.” He lifted a chin at Ephraim. “Have Ian bring the luggage up to the master suite while I give Ms. Reed a tour of the house.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Win’s head swung toward him. “Master suite? Isn’t that yours?”
“Not while you’re here. Like I could sleep at night without giving you the best room in the house. Not a chance.”
Her stare was curious, but all she said was, “Thank you. That’s very thoughtful.”
He pushed open one massive glass and wood door. “Come on in. Let me show you around.”
He loved watching the surprise, shock, and amazement flicker across her features as he gave her a tour of the lower level of the house. He’d been to her sprawling Spanish-inspired Hollywood Hills home and been suitably impressed at the time, but this ranch house was a showstopper, and Bo knew it.
He would probably never tell her that one of the thoughts in his mind when he’d flown here to look at the place was, I wonder what Win would think.
It was fit for a queen, and that was essentially what she was—Hollywood royalty. And from the news he had seen a few months back, she was now the last of her dynasty.
They stood in front of the three-story-tall stone fireplace as she stared out at a few more acres of glass that overlooked the river and a stunning view of the mountains beyond.
He couldn’t help but ask, “You like it?”
“Like it? I’m in awe. I don’t know what to say.” She turned toward him. “I’d never leave either. I’d probably learn to hike, go horseback riding, maybe try my hand at fly fishing. This is one of the most gorgeous places I’ve ever seen.”
Energy surged from his chest and through his whole body. Trying to maintain his nonchalant posture, Bo smiled. “We can accommodate all those activities here at Granite Point. In fact, you’ll definitely be riding a horse, as I read that in the script.”
“And riding you, as I read in the script.”
There she is, the Win I remember who doesn’t mince words.
“Don’t worry; I’ll have my cock sock on. Actually, I was surprised you’d signed on to this one. You never do full nude. I heard that was an unbreakable rule of yours.”
Windsor turned to face the river again, and he watched her profile.
“Everything changes, doesn’t it? It was either evolve or let someone else ride you. And truthfully, that sounded worse than breaking an unbreakable rule.” Her blue gaze shifted sideways to his.
“Win …” He stepped toward her. “What exactly does that mean?”
She turned, and her pouty red mouth was partially open. “I know you wanted me before.”
“Good read.”
She paused, and he hoped she would continue. “Well, let’s just say, I had another unbreakable rule that I’ve been reconsidering recently.”
“What rule is that?” He had a damn good idea that it was her I’ll never date another Hollywood type ever again rule.
“I’m pretty sure you know.”
He took another step closer. “They said you didn’t take the part until I signed on.”
“That’s right.”
“You got a thing for me, Win?”
“Don’t you have a thing for me?”
“For years.”
“Likewise.”
He couldn’t help but smile. “Glad we got that out in the open.”
“Exactly. We’re both mature adults. Professionals. Why not … indulge?”
That was when Bo knew that what he wanted and what she intended were not the same.
“What kind of indulgence?” He came another step closer.
Her gaze flicked away from his for a beat before returning. “The mutual kind.”
“The riding kind, you mean?”
Her lips tugged into a smile. “Definitely the riding kind.”
“Why do you think I put you in my bed?”
Her smile turned up to man-eater wattage. “Because you want me there.”
“Have for years.”
He took one last step and stopped inches from her. Win turned to face him. Even in her boots and with him in his stocking feet, she stood about a half a foot shorter than him, and his shoulders were twice as wide as her body.
“Then it’s lucky for both of us that I’m going to be here for a few months.”
She was negotiating an affair. Bo was angling for something much more permanent. But Windsor Reed didn’t need anything spooking her, especially his intentions.
“Very lucky.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“I’ll be happy to show you.”
Her voluptuous chest lifted with her indrawn breath. “And the rest of the cast and crew?”
“Definitely not showing them.”
“So, we agree—this is solely between us, and no one else ever needs to know.”
“Solely between us,” he agreed. The rest, he left out.
“What about the others staying in the house?”
“They aren’t.”
“They aren’t? All this room, and it’s just you and me in this giant house?”
He couldn’t stop himself from lifting his fingers to move a lock of her golden-blonde hair from where it had fallen into her face.
“Just you and me.”
“That’s rather … fortunate.”
“I thought so.”
She stilled. “You planned this.”
“As soon as you signed that contract, I flew to LA and offered the ranch for filming.”
Her blue gaze widened. “Because of me?”
“All because of you.”
She took a controlled breath in. Windsor was nothing if not controlled. “Well, that’s … news.”
“Since we’re laying some cards on the table, Win, you might as well know I’ve been waiting for my chance with you for a long time. I only took this part because they said you had asked for yours.”
“Seriously?”
He nodded, and then Ian cleared his throat from the other side of the great room. Bo stepped away from her and took it as a sign that any other confessions could wait.
“Ian, this is Ms. Reed. Ms. Reed, this is my nephew Ian. He lives here and helps around the ranch. If you need anything, either he, Ephraim, or Marta—who you’ll meet shortly—can help you.”
“Hello, ma’am. Nice to meet you.”
“Hi, Ian. It’s my pleasure. I didn’t know Bo had a nephew.”
“Seven. There are seven of us.”
Her mouth opened, and her eyes widened as she looked from Ian to him. “Oh. Wow.”
“Luggage has been delivered to the master suite. You want me to send Marta in to get lunch ready?”
“Yes, please. Much appreciated. Also, can you make sure Cookie knows that more guests are arriving tomorrow around noon so he can start prepping early?”
“Yes, sir.” He gave Bo a nod. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Reed. You’re definitely prettier in person.”
Her smile was magnanimous, and Bo knew it wasn’t the first time she’d heard those words.
“Thank you, Ian. It was lovely meeting you.”
His nephew crossed to the hallway and was out of sight.
“Well, he’s a charmer. Must run in the family.”
“My sister’s oldest. She’s got a big family.”
“All seven are hers?”
He nodded.
“She must’ve been pregnant forever.”
“For about a decade.”
“Wow.” Windsor blinked as if it was something she’d never considered.
“Let me show you to your room.”
“You mean, your room?”
“While you’re here, what’s mine is yours.”