Tempted By The Movie Star. Anna DePalo
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Название: Tempted By The Movie Star
Автор: Anna DePalo
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Короткие любовные романы
Серия: Mills & Boon M&B
isbn: 9781474097277
isbn:
“No, he’s not.” Matt looked over at her and grinned. “There’s no running water in the cabins.”
“Really? How could you manage without indoor bathrooms?”
“Oh, we had indoor bathrooms,” Cade said. “We just had to go outdoors to get to ’em. Rain or shine, sleet or snow, down the path we would go.”
“Sometimes we had to shovel first, like if we had six feet of snow,” Matt said.
“And that was if you could get out your door to shovel.” Cade shifted his mop to the other shoulder. “Once the snow was so deep we couldn’t pry the doors open. I don’t think you’d arrived yet, Matt. Dad dug us out or we would’ve had to climb out a window. I’ll bet we had a good ten feet that year.”
She couldn’t imagine, but then she was a California girl. “I suppose there are bathrooms in the cabins now, though, for the academy students.”
“Nope.” Matt shook his head.
“No?”
“They have to do the same thing we did. It’s tradition. Toughens them up.”
She held out the bucket she was carrying. “So, you’re saying in order to mop the floors we have to haul water from the bathhouse?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Wow, this will be more of an adventure than I thought!”
“You really don’t have to do this.” Lexi came over to put an arm around her. “Offering to help was a nice gesture, but I’m starting to feel bad about having you do manual labor on your business trip. The three of us can handle it.”
“Nice try, but there’s no way you’re getting rid of me now. I was the kid who never went to camp. I would have loved to—” She stopped in her tracks as the semicircle of four cabins came into view. Nestled in a grassy meadow, they did look as if a family of settlers might have constructed them. Tall pines ringed the meadow and wind sighed through the top branches, making a sound that was hauntingly familiar.
Benches surrounded a fire pit in the middle of the cabin area and the lingering scent of charred logs blended with the aroma of pine. She longed to sit on one of those benches, roast marshmallows and tell ghost stories. Then she’d pile into a cabin with her friends and zip herself into her very own sleeping bag.
“Like it?” Matt’s question brought her out of her daydream.
“I don’t just like it. I love it.” She realized everyone was watching her with a bemused smile. “This may sound ridiculous, but seeing this meadow is like finding something I didn’t know I missed. I can’t hear traffic noises or sirens or jackhammers. Maybe I’ve always needed a place like this in my life. I just didn’t know it.”
Matt had been bowled over by Geena’s transformation from city girl to country girl thanks to Rosie’s magic closet. Then she’d made those heartfelt comments as she’d stood gazing at the log cabins where he’d spent the happiest years of his life. She’d reacted to the meadow exactly as he had the first time he’d laid eyes on it. She was rapidly turning into the girl of his dreams.
Now he really wanted to take her over to his ranch so she could picture herself going there with him next time he came home. He wouldn’t let himself plan too far into the future because that would be foolish. But if he’d found a woman who loved both the film industry and the rural beauty of Wyoming, they could have some fun together.
Once she’d finished exclaiming over the rustic beauty of the cabins and their setting, Cade handed out directions. “We only have one vacuum so we’ll have to trade that back and forth. You two can take it first and we’ll wash windows until you’re done. Then you can wash windows and mop floors while we vacuum. We’ll reverse the process for the next two.”
“Got it.” Matt said.
Cade settled his hat more firmly on his head. “You need to flip the mattresses and look for any items they left behind. After the fall semester we found somebody’s credit card.”
“Aye, aye, sir.” Geena gave him a snappy salute.
Cade’s eyes sparkled with laughter. “You’ll do, recruit. See you in a few.” He and Lexi headed off.
“Nice salute.” Matt carried the vacuum cleaner, and Geena took the bucket and mop.
“Learned it in an acting class in case we ever had an audition for a military role. Did you take any classes or are you just a natural born talent?”
“I took community college courses while I was here and enrolled in a couple of acting studios once I hit LA. That was expensive, though, so mostly I watched Westerns because I knew that’s where I could shine.”
“Lots of John Wayne.”
“Yes, ma’am. Plus Steve McQueen, Lee Marvin and every Western Cliff Wallace made. The man can act with his back to the camera. Brando could do that, too. Impressive.” He hustled up the steps ahead of her so he could open the door.
“Thank you.” She took off her hat and hung it on a hook by the door. “Nice setup.”
“It is.” Adrenaline pumping, he followed her in and closed the door because he knew from experience it was easier to vacuum that way. Yeah, right. That’s why he’d closed the door, so they could clean more efficiently.
Now they were alone, more alone than they’d ever been. The intimacy teased him with possibilities as he stood behind her, trying to breathe normally. Wisps of hair that weren’t long enough to fit into her updo curled against the tender skin of her nape. God, how he wanted to kiss her there. Other places, too. Lots of other places. But they had a job to do and there was no telling how fast Cade and Lexi would finish up and come over here.
So he did what most guys did when they couldn’t decide whether a move would be appropriate. He babbled about nothing. “Last year I managed a quick visit home after Damon and Phil added the built-in loft beds and desks. We just had regular bunk beds when I was here. This is better. Everybody gets a top bunk and their own private area.”
“It’s a great idea.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and laid it on the nearest desk. “So we’re supposed to vacuum, flip mattresses and look for stray items. Does that cover it until we move into the next phase?”
“Yes, ma’am.” She still had her back to him. He thought he’d detected a faint shiver and her shoulders seemed tense, but he could be imagining things. If she was determined to go straight into work mode, so would he.
She swallowed. “Do you want to kiss me first or—”
He put down the vacuum and spun her around so fast she squeaked. “I want to kiss you more than I want to breathe.”
“I see.” Her green eyes simmered with heat. “Then I won’t be needing these.” Slowing removing her glasses, she perched them on top of her head where they nestled against her glossy hair.
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