Chapter 15
The alarm jarredLondyn awake in the early hours of the morning.
Nash pulled her close and held her for a long moment.
She loved the way his skin felt against hers and how her body molded perfectly to his. “I wish we could stay here all day,” she whispered.
“Me, too,” he murmured. “But we have to move if we want to get to the set before they start filming.”
“Yeah.” Londyn sighed, drew in a deep breath and stretched.
Nash rolled out of the bed and stood, his gorgeous body kissed by the remaining starlight streaming through the window.
Heat coiled at Londyn’s core. “Do we have time to?—”
He grinned and shook his head. “If we start, I won’t be able to stop. We’ll miss our departure time and have to explain to your mother why.”
Londyn grimaced and pushed to her feet. “You can have the bathroom first. I’m still questioning my existence.”
“I won’t be long,” Nash jammed his legs into the jeans she’d secured for him and padded out the door barefooted.
Londyn dressed quickly in nice trousers, a rib-knit blue sweater and, of course, her boots. She had just started smoothing the tangles out of her hair when Nash stepped through the door.
He crossed to take the brush out of her hand and gently worked through the tangles until all were gone and her hair was smooth and silky.
She turned in his arms and leaned up on her toes to kiss him. “You could hire out your hair-brushing skill and make a fortune.”
“I reserve that skill for special people.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “The bathroom is all yours.”
Though she’d rather stay in the circle of his arms, Londyn hurried out of the room and into the bathroom. Minutes later, with her face washed and her teeth brushed, she was ready to go.
They descended the stairs to find her mother standing at the bottom, a robe wrapped around her, her face free of makeup. She enveloped Londyn in a tight hug. “No matter the mistakes I’ve made along the way, know that I love you and only ever wanted you to be happy.”
“I love you, too, Mother.” Londyn leaned back. “Are you staying here for a while?”
Her mother nodded. “I think so. I have unfinished business I need to tend to.”
Londyn cocked an eyebrow. “Namely, Ben Standing Bear?”
Her mother’s cheeks flushed with color. “After all these years apart, I didn’t think I’d have any feelings left for him.” She laughed. “I was wrong.”
Londyn hugged her again. “Life is short. You have to follow your heart.”
“I asked one of the ranch hands to drive you out to the plane,” her mother said. “He’s waiting in the truck.”
Londyn left the ranch house, her heart a little lighter, knowing her mother was still there and that she might finally get her happily-ever-after.
The ride to the plane didn’t take long. It stood on a dirt landing strip used by local crop-dusting pilots.
She climbed up into the small plane, settled in a seat and buckled her safety harness.
Nash dropped into the seat beside her and buckled up. They pulled headsets over their ears and listened for instructions from the pilot.
Soon, the plane was taxiing down the hard-packed dirt runway, gathering speed. Moments later, the wheels left the ground, and they were in the air, heading south to Yellowstone.
Nash had called Dan Mitchell at the T-Bar-M Ranch the night before and asked for the closest landing strip to the movie set at Yellowstone. Mitchell had offered the dirt strip on his ranch and added that he’d be happy to transport them from there to the Yellowstone location.
The roar of the aircraft’s engines and the use of headsets limited casual conversation.
Londyn calmed her nerves by looking out the window at the plains below them and the snow-capped Rocky Mountains in the distance. She was incredibly lucky to live in such a beautiful area of the country and hoped she never took it for granted.
The drive that had taken four hours took a mere hour in the plane. They landed as the first gray lights of dawn brightened the sky.
As promised, Mitchell was waiting for them in his truck, and he’d brought food.
“Cookie heard I was picking you two up before dawn and insisted on sending breakfast burritos.” He handed Londyn a small cooler. “There’s orange juice in there as well, or you can have the coffee in the thermos.” He nodded toward the thermos in the front seat.
“Coffee,” Londyn moaned and handed the cooler to Nash. She poured steaming brew from the thermos into the empty cups positioned in the truck’s cup holders.
After Londyn capped the thermos, Mitchell shifted into drive. “I got word from Dr. Matheson. He was able to get the test results quickly. They found traces of amphetamines in the blood sample.”
“Amphetamines?” Londyn shook her head. “You mean she didn’t eat something bad?”
“Not unless she got a hold of a bottle of amphetamines lying around,” Mitchell said.
“Which means someone gave her the drugs,” Nash said.
Heat rose up Londyn’s chest and neck into her cheeks. “I can put up with being the target of some asshole trying to kill me, but they better not fuck with my horse.”
Mitchell shot a glance her way. “Someone is trying to kill you?”
Nash explained the damaged props and explosives that destroyed her trailer.
Londyn set her coffee cup back in the cupholder to prevent it from spilling. Her hand shook too much from the anger burning through her. “And now, they’ve attacked my horse.”
“That’s some serious shit,” Mitchell said. “Are you sure you want me to take you back to the movie set? Sounds too dangerous to me.”
“I’m going back,” she said, her jaw tight, her nostrils flaring. “Now that my horse is safe at home, it’s game on. I’ll find who’s responsible, and I promise I’ll make them pay.”
Londyn spent the remainder of the drive to the film location in brooding silence, planning all the ways she’d hurt the person making her life and horse’s life miserable.
When Nash offered her a burrito, she declined. Her stomach was roiling at the thought of someone drugging her horse.
Thankfully, she had enough time on the drive to cool down. By the time they reached the movie set, her heart rate had returned to normal, but her determination to find and destroy the person behind the attacks was set in stone.
When Mitchell pulled into the parking area, the sun had risen, and people were already at work, manning cameras, adjusting lighting and positioning props.
Londyn dropped down from the truck and shook hands with Mitchell. “Thank you for all your help. If you’re ever in my area of Montana, my door is always open to you,” she said. “I’d love to have you visit.”
“I hope you find the snake in the grass,” Mitchell said.
Londyn’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, we will.”
Mitchell glanced toward the set. “The ground should dry within a couple of days. I’ll see you when they come to shoot the cattle drive.” He climbed into his truck and lowered the window. “I look forward to seeing your movie. I can’t wait to say I knew you when.” He grinned, pulled out of the parking area and headed back to his ranch.
Londyn squared her shoulders and marched toward the set.
The cameras were positioned around the barn. Director Haynes stepped back, out of view of their lenses, and yelled, “Action!”
Craig and Troy acted out the fight scene Londyn’s character Lana was supposed to break up.
Julia Banes burst onto the scene in Londyn’s costume, her black curls straightened. Dark foundation makeup covered her face and hands.
Londyn strode into the middle of the scene, at which point the director yelled, “Cut!”
“Oh, sorry,” she said, touching her fingers to her lips. “Were you filming?”
“Damn right, we were,” Haynes groused. “Why are you here? I thought you quit.”
Londyn gave him a tight smile. “If I quit, you’ll know I quit because I would tell you.”
Haynes, brow furrowed. “What else was I do believe? I was told you quit yesterday.”
“Who told you that I quit?” Londyn asked.
Haynes looked around as if trying to remember. His gaze landed on Craig and Julia. He frowned at them. “You two were the last ones to get back from the T-Bar-M Ranch. It was you who told me she wasn’t coming back, wasn’t it?”
Craig frowned. “Yes. Julia was the last person to talk with Miss Tyler-Lovejoy as they were leaving yesterday morning. She was shocked that Londyn changed her mind at the last minute and said she wouldn’t be coming back to the set and that she wanted us to let you know.” He shook his head. “I was shocked as well after Londyn told me that she planned to come back after she got her horse home. I was going by what Julia said. What reason would she have to lie?”
Julia’s eyes widened. “I wasn’t lying. I swear Londyn told me she’d changed her mind. Maybe I heard her wrong, but I thought that’s what she’d said.”
Londyn shook her head. “Our last conversation was you telling me our director called to let us know we’d be on a three-day hiatus to let the sets dry out. I specifically said I could be available as soon as they started filming again. Nowhere in anything I said did I say I was quitting.”
Julia raised her hands, palms up. “I’m sorry if I got the message confused.”
Director Haynes glared at both actresses. “I don’t care who said what. Time is money, and we’re burning through both.” He pointed to Julia. “Give the costume to Londyn.”
“She has no acting experience,” Julia said. “The only reason she’s here is because she’s Dana Tyler’s daughter.”
“Costume. Now,” Haynes said, his voice low and angry.
“You want the clothes?” Julia said. “Take them.” She kicked off the boots, unbuttoned the trousers and shoved them down her legs. Then she whipped the blouse over her head and flung it at Londyn. “When this film flops, you’ll only have yourself to blame.” She turned and stalked away in her bra and panties.
None of the cast or crew said a thing. Like Londyn, they were likely stunned by Julia’s dramatic exit.
Haynes’s eyes narrowed as his gaze followed her off the set. “We’ll have a discussion later about your actions and your contract,” he called out, then turned and pointed at Londyn. “You have twenty minutes to get into costume, hair and makeup.”
“What scenes are we working on?” Londyn asked.
Haynes glanced at the clipboard in his hand. “We’ll shoot?? the fight scene again, then we have the big cabin fire.”
Londyn hadn’t had time to practice her lines for the fire scene. She’d only have the time it took for hair and makeup artists to work their magic to figure it out. If she remembered correctly, there weren’t many lines in that scene, just action.
When Londyn hesitated, Haynes snapped his fingers. “Go!” He glanced around. “Someone give hair and makeup the heads-up.” His assistant hustled off to find the ladies in charge of hair and makeup.
Londyn gathered the garments Julia had thrown on the ground and looked around. With no trailer to change in, she headed for the cabin.
Nash fell in step beside her. “Do you need help getting ready?”
“No, but I need a copy of the script. I left mine in my truck at the ranch.” She glanced around. “Do you remember the trailer where I got the last copy?”
He nodded.
“If you could get that for me, it’ll save me from going there and give hair and makeup more time to work on me.”
Nash frowned. “I don’t want to let you out of my sight.”
“Then find someone who can get it for me.” She stopped in front of the cabin. “Right now, I have to change.”
“After I check inside.” He opened the cabin door, stepped inside and was back out a few moments later. “It’s empty. I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be here,” she said with a smile. She started to enter the cabin, changed her mind and caught his arm. “Thanks for being here for me.” Londyn leaned up and brushed her lips across his. “I’m getting used to having you around.”
He caught her around her waist, crushed her to him, wad of clothes and all, and claimed her lips. “I like being around,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’m counting on it,” she said a little breathlessly. She went into the cabin as Nash spun and hurried away in search of someone to run her errand.
With just minutes to make it happen, Londyn stripped, pulled on the costume designed for the barn fight scene and shoved her feet into the boots.
She was shoving her own clothes into a drawer in the prop cabinet when the door to the cabin opened behind her.
“That was fast,” she said as she turned toward Nash.
Only it wasn’t Nash standing in the doorway. It was one of the ground crew who helped with a variety of jobs, including moving equipment into position, adjusting lighting and managing props.
She frowned. “Do you need to adjust a prop in here or something?”
He nodded without speaking. His vibe was...unsettling.
Londyn gave him a stiff smile. “I was just leaving.”
As she started for the door, the man stepped in front of her.
“Excuse me,” she said. “I need to be on set in ten minutes.”
The door behind him opened.
Londyn breathed a sigh of relief. Nash would handle this guy.
When Julia entered the cabin, Londyn’s relief was short-lived.
She frowned when she saw Londyn and then said to the props guy, “What are you waiting for? We don’t have much time.”
“I need to get back to the set,” Londyn said with as much false confidence as she could muster. Her gut was telling her that shit was about to go down. “Do you think you can get this guy to move out of my way?” She had to stall them from whatever they had in mind until Nash returned. He said he’d be right back. Where was he?
“If you’re looking for your boyfriend, you can forget about him.” Julia’s lip curled back in a sneer. “He won’t be coming to your rescue this time.”