Chapter 30
CHARLIE
Iwoke up long before the crack of dawn to have breakfast with my family before the day of filming started on the ranch.
We’d decided to eat early this morning to be ready when the film crew arrived, and while I still wasn’t a fan of being on camera, I was looking forward to spending the day with Olivia.
Dad looked around the table as we were finishing up. “I know there’s going to be a lot of excitement around here today, but I need all of you to keep your phones nearby and to check on that pregnant goat as the day goes on. It looks like she might go into labor soon.”
I chuckled at the thought of Olivia seeing that but nodded. “We won’t forget about her.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll keep an eye out.” Colt glanced at me before he turned to look at the others with a smug smile. “I actually have some pretty exciting news to start off our exciting day.”
Mom smiled. “What’s that, honey?”
“I think I might’ve won Olivia over the other day at lunch,” he said. “She let me kiss her hand and drink her champagne. That’s a good sign, right? Should I buy a ring already?”
Dad dropped his fork with a clatter and glowered at my idiot brother. “Do I really need to remind you that the only relationship you should have with her is of a professional nature? If it does turn into something more, you’d better tread lightly, Colt. She’s not a woman to play games with.”
“Tell Charlie that,” he muttered under his breath, but I still heard him.
Letting my foot fly under the table, I kicked him hard and narrowed my eyes at him in warning, but other than a quick wince when my boot connected with his shin, he didn’t seem too concerned. He laughed and shrugged a shoulder at me, and fucking Wyatt pumped his eyebrows.
I scowled. Much to Mom and Dad’s confusion, the expression on my face only made my brothers start giggling like two little girls. I sighed.
Assholes.
“I don’t think I want to know what just happened over there,” Dad muttered, sending a glance my way before shaking his head.
“All of you need to remember that Olivia is not only Nathan’s daughter, but she is taking over our account at the firm.
If you can’t handle the kind of heat that might bring, then stay out of the dang kitchen.
I’m not going to be looking for another marketing company just because you boys can’t keep your heads on straight around a pretty girl.
” His gaze lingered on mine. “She is to be respected and treated as the CEO of a highly successful, multi-national firm, because that is what she is. Got it?”
“They’re multi-national?” Cody frowned. “I didn’t know that.”
Dad huffed out a breath. “What you don’t know about that company could fill a novel. Now, are we clear?”
“We’re clear,” I said, waiting for my brothers to do the same before moving on to the next order of business.
“Olivia asked us to prepare a few things for them to film today that will really give the viewer an idea of what our day-to-day is like, so prepare to be on camera while you’re moving the herd to pasture nine, alright? ”
Some groans rang out, but Dad gave me an approving nod.
Not long after we’d wrapped up the rest of the plans for the day, Olivia arrived with a whole camera crew and team in tow.
It was like watching a convoy pull up. Immediately, large cameras were being unloaded from vans and people rushed out of the cars behind them like army ants.
Olivia was right in the thick of things, big black sunglasses covering her eyes as she gave orders and instructions.
I watched from a distance. She got everyone set up and ready to roll, and as much as I didn’t like the thought of appearing on camera, I had to admit that it was low-key attractive to see her in her element like this.
I’d definitely underestimated her work ethic and the amount of respect she commanded from those around her.
When she’d first brought her team out here, I hadn’t paid much attention to them, but now that I could see the whole picture, it was pretty darn obvious that these people admired her as much as they respected her.
They listened when she spoke, took her advice and followed her instructions to the letter. She was efficient, but polite—maybe even kind.
When they were finally ready, she turned toward the house and saw me on the porch. She waved me over and tapped her foot impatiently while she waited. As I reached her, she pushed her sunglasses into her hair, exasperation shining clear as day in her eyes as she looked up at me.
“I thought you were supposed to be meeting us when we arrived,” she said, voice tight with frustration. “Where have you been?”
“Right over there.” I tipped my head back to indicate my parents’ house. “I figured I’d give you some space to get ready.”
“I don’t need space today, Charlie. I need footage. We now have video of us rolling up to the famed Anderson Ranch to spend the day with the Andersons, and guess what? There wasn’t a single Anderson in sight when we got here.”
“To be fair, we don’t usually spend our morning waiting around for people to arrive, so the footage you’ve got shows the ranch exactly how it looks every morning.”
She blew out a frustrated breath but turned away from me to speak—with much less sass—to a camera guy nearby. “Dave? Could you come here, please. We need to set up our first shot so we’ve got the main lodge in the background when Charlie introduces himself.”
Dave nodded.
“Remember what I said,” she hissed when she looked back at me. “Authentic. Honest. Charming.”
I stared into the depths of those gorgeous green eyes, wondering if I should call her out for being so sassy with me, but I decided to take it instead. There was no need to make a scene—especially not since it might end up being caught on camera.
Dave dutifully snapped to attention, bringing his gear as well as his minion with him. Together, they started setting up to get the shot she wanted and I stood there, awkwardly waiting for something to happen.
Eventually, I pulled out my phone to check it and Olivia arched an eyebrow at me. “Oh, I’m sorry, are we keeping you from something?”
I glanced up at her, shrugging, and slid it back into my pocket. “Just a pregnant goat. It looks like the baby might come today, so we promised Dad we’d keep our phones nearby. Is that going to be a problem for you, your highness?”
My response seemed to knock her off her sass for a minute. She even cracked a smile as she looked back me. “There’s a baby goat coming today. Really?”
“Maybe,” I said, gentler now as I drank in that smile. “Wouldn’t that be something, huh?”
“It really would.” She glanced at Dave and cleared her throat when she realized he seemed ready to get started.
Her expression hardened again and she looked at me.
“Alright, Charlie. The cameras are going to start rolling now. As soon as you see the red light go on, you can introduce yourself and the segment like we discussed, okay?”
I lowered my chin in a slight nod, discomfort sliding over my skin. I looked at the camera and waited for the little light to come on. While I was not a natural at this, my family had all been in agreement that I should be the focus of the day.
More often than not, I was the face of the ranch. These last few years, I’d been meeting with our suppliers and customers, I’d dealt with the logistics, and I’d managed the business. Dad was still in control, but he’d taken to remaining behind the scenes ever since I’d stepped up.
Colt had a few things planned throughout the day to give me some breaks and the others would be in a couple shots themselves, but the rest of it was all on me. As I stared at the camera, I shifted on my feet and hooked my thumbs into my belt buckle. Of course, that was when the camera came on.
Thankfully, I’d been psyching myself up for this moment.
A smile appeared on my lips even if I hadn’t summoned it.
“Hey, guys. So, we’ve seen a few of you asking to see more of life on Anderson Ranch, so here it is, an exclusive, twenty-four-hour pass to our everyday lives.
I’m Charlie Anderson and I’m looking forward to showing you around. ”
Olivia sidled up next to Dave, glancing at the little screen on the side of his camera before sending me a thumbs-up.
Taking it as my cue, I started walking, knowing they would follow.
“Around here, our days start at four a.m. sharp. Unless they start earlier, which happens a lot more often than you’d think. ”
As I literally walked people through my day, I noticed my discomfort about being in front of the camera lessening a little. It didn’t disappear, though. Trying to focus on just doing what I did, I spoke when I could and cared for the animals as I normally would.
My brothers popped in from time to time, giving the cameramen random facts and quips before they’d leave me to it again. Olivia kept up her tough girl act for most of the day, but every once in a while, I caught her softening.
It was usually while I was being in the moment with an animal. Still, it’s better than nothing.
The morning seemed to drag on forever before Mom called us for lunch.
There was a second large table set up in the barn today to accommodate all our visitors.
A couple of the cameras kept rolling during the meal, which I thought was weird, but at least their operators went around interviewing some of the people who worked for us rather than only filming me while I ate.
The afternoon was much of the same. By the time dinner rolled around, I was more than grateful that our twenty-four hours were almost up. Olivia and all her people would be staying the night, but the cameras would be off unless something crazy happened.
Some footage was recorded of the meal. Then I showed a few of the crew members to the guest floor of my place while my brothers took the others to some of the cottages on the property.
After only a couple shots had been taken on the way to my house, the dreaded light finally went off and I felt like I could breathe again for the first time all day.
“How was that?” I asked Olivia as she and I stayed behind in the kitchen to do a bit of a debrief after the crew went upstairs. “I thought it went okay.”
Those vibrant greens cut to mine, a dark blonde eyebrow hooking up as she lifted a beer to her lips. “You were a little stiff. Maybe you’ll do better tomorrow.”
I looked back at her, wondering if she really planned on keeping up this act for the rest of our dang lives. “Do you want to walk with me?”
She frowned. “Excuse me?”
I raked a hand through my hair, very close to being done with her attitude.
After a whole day of constantly just letting it go, my patience was wearing thin.
“I need to check on the pregnant goat, Liv. I was wondering if you might like to accompany me to see her. Last week, you would’ve loved to visit a soon-to-be mama goat. ”
“Fine. I’ll come. If she does go into labor, someone will have to run back here to get the camera crew.” She pushed away from the counter she’d been leaning against, set the beer down on the table, and motioned for me to lead the way.
I stomped past her, but I could’ve sworn she’d told me just yesterday that I needed to be in the moment.
Pretty rich coming from someone who suddenly can’t turn her ass without thinking about where the cameras will be when she’s doing it.
As we left the house, I inhaled a deep breath of the fresh evening air, trying to let the familiar scent of grass, manure, and spring calm me down. An owl hooted in the distance, reminding me of that first night she’d been here.
God, how could things have gone so wrong?
Meanwhile, Olivia was obviously completely oblivious to how close to the edge she’d already pushed me today. While I was trying to rein in my temper and bite my tongue, she seemed hellbent on ensuring that I lost the battle.
“You know, Charlie,” she began in that snooty voice again, carefully picking her way across the dirt in her high-heeled shoes and that skirt she could barely move in.
It was sexy as hell, the way it curved around her ass and hugged her thighs, but I had no idea how one was supposed to walk in a garment like that.
“In order to connect with viewers, you’ve got to let them in.
I know that being sincere and open doesn’t come naturally to you, but you do need to offer something real about yourself to forge a genuine connection. ”
I ground my teeth, my fingers rolling into fists at my side, but she just kept going, too focused on not falling over on those ridiculous shoes to notice my muscles tensing.
“I’m not asking you to sacrifice even a shred of your privacy, but people need to see how personal this is to you.
We caught a few snippets of that today, but we need more.
We need honesty. Maybe I should call Dallas.
He’s the only person who seems to be able to pull that kind of thing out of you. ”
“Yeah, okay. I’ve had enough.” I stopped walking abruptly and spun to face her. “I’m going to tell you now what actually happened that night, whether you’re interested in hearing it or not. This attitude of yours has got to go.”