“Thank goodness I found
you!” Brigit collapsed into the nearest chair, and brushed damp
hair from her eyes. “The chopper should be here in about half an
hour, an’ Jerry wants me to accompany Dale to the mainland hospital.
“What are you doing?” she
suddenly demanded, noticing Kayla’s bags spread across her narrow cot.
“Darlin,’ it’s sweet of you, but I’ll only be gone overnight.
There’s no need for you to pack up an’ come with me. You’ll
survive just fine here.”
“I wasn’t thinking that.”
Kayla’s voice was low with foreboding as she folded another skirt, and
laid it neatly on top of her favorite blouse. “After what happened
this afternoon, Jerry’s sure to want me to leave. He won’t want me
staying to provoke any more fights, regardless of what really caused
it.”
Brigit stared at her in
blank confusion, then began to laugh. “Oh darlin,’ you are a
corker!” she chuckled. “There won’t be any more fights. It’s
hot, the filmin’ schedule’s intense, an’ everyone’s tired. You
have to expect a few blowups now an’ then. Mac an’ Tommy were
actin’ like best friends again while I was settin’ Dale’s leg!”
“They were?” The
tight band around Kayla’s chest eased. Relieved, she leaned back
against the wall and heaved a grateful sigh.
“Aye, an’ himself was
full o’ compliments about how you’d kept your head, an’ sent Charlie
with the very supplies I needed. Jerry’s main concern was whether
you could cope without me for a night.” Brigit’s cheery wink was
both teasing and sly. “I expect you’ll suffer more from too
many volunteers than not enough.”
Kayla could feel heat
rising in her cheeks, and ducked her head to hide the telltale reaction.
“I guess I’d better unpack, then,” she mumbled. “Thanks for
letting me know--before I made a fool of myself again.”
“Again? When you
do it the first time, be sure I’ll let you know,” Brigit crisply assured
her. “You’re no one’s fool, Kayla Farrell. An’ don’t you be
forgettin’ it. Now, I’d best be gettin’ ready myself.
MedEvac pilots aren’t known for their patience.”
• • • • • •
It felt strange to be alone in the script hut.
Kayla was used to
solitude. Heaven knew, she’d been forced to endure it often enough
during the past three years. She knew how to keep her body and
mind occupied. Usually it involved grueling physical therapy, or
throwing herself headlong into her writing. Either one focused her
attention completely for long stretches of time.
Tonight, neither option
was working. But she didn’t feel comfortable heading down to swap
wild lies around the campfire. Despite her protests, the men felt
compelled to mind their manners when females were present. She’d
only ruin their fun if she intruded.
And so she was hovering
in the shadows, watching with wistful eyes as Marcus treated the crew to
a hilarious parody of Dean’s accident, complete with comical pratfalls
and melodramatic moaning. The agile stuntman had a real talent for
humor and mimicry. She wondered whether he’d ever use it to launch
his own career.
“Hi.” Alex’s rich
baritone suddenly materialized out of the darkness at her elbow.
She jolted in surprise,
then forced her racing pulse back under control. “Hi.”
He looked uncomfortable.
And well he should, she thought with a rare burst of vindictive
satisfaction. His behavior that afternoon had been appalling.
“He’s good, isn’t he?”
Alex glanced past her as Marcus did something that made the crew roar
with bawdy laughter. “Jerry’s going to use him as a stand-up
comedian in an episode next season.”
“He’s sure, then, that
the movie’ll be successful enough to keep the series going past its
syndication limits?” Kayla’s eyebrows rose in surprise. It
was rare that any television series was continued past the customary
seven-year limit. Most were killed off, then revived in a series
of spin-offs that might or might not succeed. If Jamieson was that
confident about this movie’s potential, the filming must be going even
better than she’d dared to hope!
“He’s already sent some
sample clips to the network,” Alex informed her with a smug grin.
“The last supply shipment we got included new contracts. I hear
he’s planning to offer you a full-time writing position, if you’ll take
it. Brigit, too, after what happened today. He was quite
impressed with her competence when Dale got hurt.”
“A broken leg’s not
exactly brain surgery.” But her sarcastic retort was
absent-minded. A full-time position, as a series scriptwriter!
That was more than she’d ever dreamed possible!
Patrick, can you
believe it?
“Listen, I was wondering...” Some subtle alteration in his voice snapped her attention
back. ‘Mac’ was gone? Was Alex really going to let her see
behind the mask for a few brief, precious moments?
“Would you like to go for
a walk? You haven’t been to either of the cave sets yet, and it’s
a nice night,” he offered, lifting one broad shoulder in a diffident
shrug. “Jerry’s closeted in the conference trailer with Paul, so
we could probably sneak away in his ATV. He won’t notice, as long
as we return it before dawn.”
Kayla hesitated, torn
with indecision. On the one hand, it might be fun to sneak away
like a kid playing hookie, and enjoy a gorgeous starlit evening with
Hollywood’s most popular leading man.
On the other hand...
She racked her brain, but
couldn’t think of a single good reason to refuse. So she’d find
out later why he was suddenly being so friendly. For right now
she’d just play along. And store away one more special moment in
her memory.
“Sure, why not?
Though there’s no way I can make it all the way up the mountain,” she
warned.
A mischievous grin
lit his mobile face. ‘Mac’ was back in full force. “Leave
that to me!”
No one seemed to notice
as they cautiously edged through the darker shadows toward Jerry’s
battered ATV. Alex settled Kayla in the passenger’s seat, then
pushed the cumbersome vehicle several dozen yards further away from the
dancing campfire. “They shouldn’t hear it all the way from here,”
he finally decided. “Let’s go!”
Kayla held on as he
bounced into the driver’s seat, and the ATV lurched into motion.
She knew how versatile it was, but she hadn’t expected the ride to be so
bumpy! Then he turned north, toward Set Three, and the drifting
sand cushioned their stealthy passage.
It had taken her nearly
an hour to reach that spot on crutches. The ATV whizzed by in five
minutes. She might resent Jerry’s insistence that she get around
under her own power--but she couldn’t fault the results, when she’d made
more progress in the last two months than in the entire previous three
years.
Still, it was
awfully nice to be traveling at a normal speed for once.
“Having fun?” Alex
glanced sideways at her as they rounded the bend. She was leaning
forward, eagerly clutching the dashboard for balance. Her silky
hair was flying loose, and her eyes were sparkling with delight.
He wondered if she realized just how beautiful she was.
Kayla was too busy
absorbing everything to hear. Even despite the jarring addition of
expensive high-tech filming equipment, the northern beach looked just as
she’d imagined it. Golden-white sand gleamed in the rising
moonlight. The restless waves were silver-tipped with frothy mist
that blew inland with every powerful surge. Tiny stick-legged
sandpipers were dashing down the wet sand, nipping at stranded bits of
seaweed before the next wave chased them back up, out of danger’s way.
Graceful palm fronds waved overhead in the light erratic breeze.
Spindly camera booms were
jutting up against the star-speckled sky at odd angles, like a giant
skeleton frozen in some wild, ungainly dance. The massive blocky
power generators at their bases were dark, silent. They reminded
her of squat trolls crouching in a lopsided circle around some hapless
prey.
The sudden mental analogy
to “Lord of the Rings” made her laugh. Oh, she could see
Troy MacAllister with long hair, a short beard, and a blue-tipped elven
blade, slashing at frenzied orcs and goblins! What a marvelous
Aragorn he would have made!
Her bubbling laughter
kindled an unexpected heat inside Alex, and he scowled. The last
thing he wanted was this unwelcome magnetic attraction to a writer who
scared the hell out of him.
He had to admit, though,
she had guts. It took courage to overcome the devastating hurdles
she’d faced. Holding her own with a rowdy set crew was no mean
feat, either. And more than that, earning their friendship and
respect! He’d figured that when her contract week was up, she’d
turn tail and race back to the mainland’s safety as fast as her
wheelchair could carry her!
And now she was
walking, albeit with crutches. And getting pretty darned good
at it, too. How long would it take before she found the courage to
stand alone?
The ATV bumped to a stop
beyond the jumbled equipment, and he shut the engine off. A noisy
chorus of croaking frogs and chirping crickets rose to fill the sudden
silence. Beside him, Kayla released a deep sigh of satisfaction.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it, Mac?” she murmured, looking out to sea.
“Every morning I have to pinch myself, just to prove it’s not all a
dream!”
Suddenly he felt an
intense urge to hear her whisper his real name in that low sultry voice.
And that was just insane, because he didn’t want to want her at
all!
“The cave you wrote for
us is just up that slope,” he said, pointing. “Fortunately this
island is riddled with them, so it didn’t take much terraforming to
adapt one to our uses.” The ATV rocked slightly as he swung out
and came around to offer her a hand.
“I’ll need my crutches.”
Instinctively she twisted around to retrieve them from the cargo rack.
“You really don’t, you
know.” The words were out before Alex could draw them back.
Kayla spun back around to fix him with a startled look. He
hesitated, fighting a ridiculous surge of panic, then summoned Mac’s
most charming smile. “I’ve watched you. Really, you only use
them occasionally for balance now. I’ll bet you could walk without
them if you wanted.”
“No, not yet.” As
much as Kayla yearned to be free of them, she knew when to be cautious.
“I still get muscle spasms if I push too hard. When those stop--then
I won’t need them anymore.”
If she starts
believing she can’t do it--she won’t. Alex could still hear
Brigit’s fierce warning echo in his ears. He hoped that the
hopeful seed he’d just planted would blossom.
“Well, suit yourself.
You know best,” he shrugged, and reached back to grab them for her.
“Let me know if you need help climbing the slope.”
Kayla blinked in
confusion as he turned and gestured at a faint path the crew had already
worn through the lush bushes. First he acted concerned, then he
was totally indifferent. When would she learn to read him
accurately? Which personality was the real Alex Matthews?
What did it matter?
She was here to watch the filming, and learn from it, so she could write
an even better script next time. That was all. Alex Matthews
meant nothing to her, nor she to him.
Piqued, she swung her
legs out, and pushed herself upright. The slope was shallow, no
challenge for a normal person. She could easily lose her balance
trying to navigate it--but she was damned if she’d let him see her
struggling.
Alex saw the defiant
glitter in her eyes as her chin lifted, and hated himself for angering
her. But it was for the best. He could offer her passion,
and God knew that would be a heady pleasure! He couldn’t remember
wanting a woman more.
But emotion?
Caring? Commitment? His treacherous ex-wife had been right.
Those were qualities he simply didn’t possess.
“After you,” he invited,
sweeping one arm out in an exaggerated bow. “I’ll go fire up one
of the generators, so you can look around.”
Kayla blinked back hot
tears as Alex disappeared into the darkness. He’d asked her out
here like he’d genuinely wanted her company. Now he’d withdrawn
behind his damned protective shield again. Never trust an
actor, she bitterly reminded herself.
Well, she was
here, and she did want to see the cave set. So she’d get
herself up that hillside, with or without him. And to hell with
charismatic Hollywood hunks who were too damned paranoid to relax and
enjoy life!
Alex flipped the proper
switch, then watched with a pounding heart as Kayla struggled up to the
cave’s brightly lit mouth. She’d never know how he longed to run
back, snatch her up, and carry her safely up the slight incline.
Dear God, when had he
fallen so desperately in love with her? That golden day they’d
met, when their hands had touched and sparks had exploded through his
veins? Later, when he’d watched her courageously struggling along
the double-bars? Just now, as she defiantly forged through his
cool challenge?
It didn’t matter.
For better or worse--and he already knew it was likely to be worse--he
was hooked.
Better learn to deal
with it, Alex old boy, he sighed. She’s not like Cheryl
Anne--but the end result will be the same. She wants Troy
MacAllister. Alex Matthews has nothing to offer a woman like her.
So be it, then. Now
it was even more important that he keep Mac’s flamboyant personality
firmly in place, for as long as she was here. Then at least she’d
want to spend time with him.
And when it was over, and
she inevitably left...
He’d deal with that when
it happened.
