Wilde Horses. Jannine Gallant

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СКАЧАТЬ we aren’t ganging up on you. We’re just doing what needs to be done.” Her grandpa cleared his throat. “Boyd, what did that producer say he’d pay us?”

      “Fifty grand.” Her dad took a swallow of his iced tea. “After two years of severe drought, we’ve dug into our reserves for cattle feed. The barn needs a coat of paint and there are a lot of costs associated with throwing a double wedding for your brothers. That check is going to help me sleep nights.”

      Eden opened her mouth then closed it. She didn’t have a reasonable counterargument that didn’t make her sound petty and selfish. She let out a slow breath. “I didn’t know the ranch was having cash flow problems. I’m sure Griff and Sawyer would be happy to chip in for wedding expenses if they knew.”

      “Your brothers already have.” Her mother tucked a strand of short brown hair behind one ear. “But we’d like to lay down new gravel on the driveway and put in an irrigation system for the back lawn where the ceremony will take place so the grass will be nice and green.” She waved a hand. “Generally spruce the place up so the ranch looks its best in June.”

      “Dahlia’s right.” Her grandpa forked up another bite of potatoes. “We want to impress the future in-laws.”

      “Not to mention the barn is so faded it’s closer to pink than red.” Her dad winced. “We’ll have to paint it before they start shooting the movie. Our vintage barn is one of the main reasons the producers went with our spread.”

      Eden let out a sigh as resignation set in. “Why’s that?”

      Her grandpa reached for a roll from the basket in the center of the table. “Settlers painted their barns red, and this movie is an old-fashioned Western.” His smile stretched. “You know, the type John Wayne used to star in with cowboys and Indians.”

      “Native Americans, Grandpa, not Indians.” When her parents exchanged a long moment of wordless communication, tension banded across Eden’s chest and squeezed. “Oh, now I get it. They want my wild horses.”

      “They intend to use them in background shots.” Her father leaned forward to plant his elbows on the table. “I made sure the contract stipulates you have final say over anything to do with your horses.”

      “Well, thank God for that.”

      “Within reason.”

      She scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

      Her mother let out a quick breath. “They can film the horses, but you’ll be a consultant for those scenes.”

      Eden’s head throbbed, and she reached up to rub the nape of her neck. “Yet, you didn’t ask me first?”

      “No one mentioned your horses would be part of the equation until today.” Her dad’s gaze held steady. “We tried to call, but you didn’t pick up your phone. The studio’s representative made it clear he couldn’t wait around an extra day to discuss a minor point with you. Your mother and I did our best to protect your interests.”

      Eden gave a short nod. She wasn’t going to flip out…at least not until she read the fine print in the contract.

      “They said they’d pay you for consulting services.” Her mother’s strained voice nudged aside her thoughts. “It may be a deal breaker if the horses aren’t part of the bargain, but if you really oppose this—”

      “I’m not going to be a total jerk. While I’m not thrilled with the whole situation, I respect your decision. I’ll work with the movie people.”

      “That’s our girl.” Her grandpa laid his calloused palm over the fist she’d clenched on the tabletop. “By the time they finish filming, you’ll have all those Hollywood types eating out of your hand…just like your horses do.”

      Eden couldn’t help responding to his smile. “Let’s hope so.” Her appetite gone, she pushed back her plate. “When will this three-ring circus start?”

      “Beginning of May.” Relief filled her mother’s green eyes. “They should finish filming well before your brothers’ double wedding at the end of June.”

      “Two weeks until all hell breaks loose. Ugh.” Eden pictured the peaceful solitude she so valued disrupted by production crews and prima donna actors and actresses. She straightened in her chair. “Who’s starring in the movie?”

      Her grandpa rubbed his hands together. “Blake Benedict. Can you believe a huge star like Benedict will be here on our ranch?”

      An image of the actor’s laser blue stare beneath pale blond hair flashed through her mind, and her pulse thrummed a little faster. The man was so hot he should come with a warning label. Not that she was going to share that particular insight with her family… Anyway, the man probably had an ego the size of their barn.

      “I thought he only starred in action movies. You know, the kind with lots of car chases and gunfire.”

      Her dad wiped his hands on the napkin he dropped on his plate. “The producer we talked to said he was looking for something different, a role with more depth. This film digs into the atrocities between the settlers and the Native Americans.”

      “Hmm. I wonder if Benedict has the skill for a role like that.”

      Her mother met Eden’s skeptical glance and smiled. “One thing’s certain, the man is extremely easy on the eyes.”

      “And probably expects to be treated like royalty since the female masses fawn all over him.”

      “Not according to Sawyer and Griff.”

      Eden turned to stare at her father. “How the heck would my brothers know anything about him?”

      “They filmed a few white water rafting sequences for his next blockbuster, Raging Waters, on the Colorado River last summer. Sawyer organized the trip, and Griff helped him out for a few days. They both said Benedict is a pretty down-to-earth kind of guy.”

      “Huh, quite a coincidence he’d show up on the Wilde radar a second time.”

      “Not really. Benedict is the one who suggested our ranch when they were looking for the perfect place to film. Sawyer had talked about our place when they were on the river together.” Her father pushed back his chair and eyed Eden’s half-full plate. “If you don’t intend to finish your meal, I need to make a few phone calls.”

      She rose to her feet. “Go ahead. I’m not very hungry. I plan to do the dishes then head out to the barn. I have a couple orders for belts I need to finish tonight.”

      Her mother stood then dropped a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll clean up in the kitchen. It’ll only take me a few minutes. You go ahead and work on those orders.”

      Eden forced a smile. “If you don’t mind, I’ll take you up on your offer. It’s been a long day, and I don’t want to stay up too late.”

      “Go.” Her mother shooed her toward the doorway. “Enjoy yourself. I know working with leather relaxes you.”

      “Thanks.” Eden headed down the hall and out the back door onto the patio then СКАЧАТЬ