Tempted By The Movie Star. Anna DePalo

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СКАЧАТЬ don’t care about that. We can open the windows to let in fresh air. I’ll bet Rosie has a dustpan and whiskbroom we could take along. We’ll clear a spot and spread a blanket on the floor. I would be so honored to be the first person you entertain at your ranch.”

      “And I’d be honored to have you.” So much for his picnic in the meadow, but maybe this would be better.

      “I think everyone needs a place to get away from the pressures of a job, but judging from my experience, actors may need it more than most.”

      “I wouldn’t have thought so, but now I do.”

      “Do you regret getting into the business?”

      “Never. I had some bad moments after the story broke, but it’s my life. I love what I do.”

      “I’ve never asked why you chose this kind of work.”

      They’d reached the steps and he paused to glance at her. “No, you haven’t.”

      “Is it the wrong question to ask? I can withdraw it.”

      He could smell bacon and coffee. He was hungry and wanted nothing more than to head on inside to enjoy the breakfast Rosie had prepared. But he and Geena were making a connection, and this would come up eventually.

      “No, don’t withdraw it.” He held her gaze. “Just know that none of this can ever go in a press release.”

      “I would never repeat something you told me without your permission.”

      “Then I’ll make it short, and then we won’t have to talk about that anymore, either.”

      “Okay.”

      He took a deep breath. He hadn’t told this story in a while. None of his new friends in LA had a clue he was a foster kid. “I never knew who my dad was and my mom didn’t enjoy having me around.”

      Her green eyes clouded. “That’s hard to imagine.”

      “Don’t worry. Rosie got me counseling and I’ve accepted that it wasn’t my fault. I was in the way of her delusional plan that a guy would come along and sweep her off her feet. Maybe it happened. One day she was supposed to pick me up from school and she never showed.”

      “Oh, Matt.”

      “I finally got a friend’s mom to give me a ride home and I found a note that said she’d gone to look for a better life. She left the phone number for the foster care division of the town’s social services and I called it. Rosie was still working in that department then, and she offered to take me. End of story.”

      Geena swallowed. “Have you ever heard from your mother?”

      “No, ma’am, and I’d rather not.” He tugged the brim of his hat lower. “At this point, by her standards, I’m rich and she might think she could cash in.”

      “I’d like to see her try!”

      Geena’s protectiveness made him smile. It also made him glad he’d told her. “Thanks for that.”

      “Maybe you should give me her name in case she has the nerve to contact you through me.”

      “Mindy’s her first name, but no telling what her last name is now. It could have changed six times since then.”

      “If anybody named Mindy comes looking for you, I’ll let you know.” She gazed at him. “And I had the audacity to whine about my childhood.”

      “Money doesn’t make everything okay. You had it tough, too. Don’t forget that I ended up with Rosie and Herb, plus all my brothers. The way I look at it, my birth mom did me a favor. She went looking for a better life, and thanks to her I found one.”

      “I suppose, in a way, she did the right thing. She wasn’t a positive influence.”

      “Except she was the reason I got into acting. Whenever the school put on a play, I was the first to stick my hand in the air. It was my favorite escape, a chance to pretend I was someone else.”

      “But when you came here, you didn’t give it up. That much I do know about you from your résumé. You were in a ton of high school productions.”

      “By then I was hooked. If I could make an audience laugh or cry, or even get mad, I was thrilled. Now I’ll have to go to my own movies to get that buzz.”

      “Or take a shot at live theater.”

      “Maybe.”

      She stood on tiptoe and brushed a kiss over his cheek. “Thank you for trusting me with your story. It won’t go anywhere.”

      Pushing back his hat, he took her by the shoulders and gave her a quick, fiery kiss. Then he noticed that her glasses were fogged and began to laugh. “I see what you mean about steaming things up. Let me help.” He gently took them off and pulled a bandanna out of his back pocket. “I hope I end up doing this a lot.” He cleaned the lenses and carefully slid the glasses back into place. “In fact, I’d kiss you again right now, but it’s almost time for breakfast.”

      “Can I have a rain check?”

      “Lady, you can have anything you want from me.”

       Chapter Eight

      She could have anything she wanted from Matt. Geena wished she believed it, but she knew his comment didn’t extend to whatever she had in mind for his goodwill campaign. He’d made it clear that his foster-kid story was off the table. Now that he’d told her the details, she understood why.

      As she tucked into what was possibly the best breakfast she’d ever eaten, she reviewed the situation. Before hearing that his mother had abandoned him, she’d hoped he’d consent to a heartwarming article or video interview about how Rosie, Herb, his foster brothers and this ranch had shaped his life. She’d discovered that trying to refute bad publicity never worked, but replacing it with good news almost always did.

      Unfortunately, she couldn’t use the Thunder Mountain angle. Once she opened that door, celebrity gossip magazines would dig for the story behind the story. An enterprising reporter might find his mother. Or his mother would contact him. Since he didn’t want that, they’d have to take a different approach.

      She had no idea what that would be, but the conversation at the breakfast table had shifted from the weather to what everyone planned to do after breakfast. That was her cue to propose the cleaning plan. She glanced across at Matt, who gave her a subtle nod.

      Somehow, in the midst of taking seats at the round table, they’d ended up on opposite sides. Herb and Rosie sat on her right and Lexi and Cade were on her left. She focused on Rosie and went into her spiel.

      Rosie listened politely as she sipped her coffee. At the end of the speech she put down her mug. “That’s a wonderful offer, but here’s the deal. I didn’t expect either of you to be here during this time, so we have it covered. Matt needs a break and you probably have calls to make. I doubt your business has come to a screeching halt because СКАЧАТЬ