Breaking Bailey's Rules

“So what brings you out of Westmoreland Country so early?”

“I’m meeting Pam in a little while. She wants me to sit in on several interviews she’s hosting today. She’s hiring a director for her school.”

Bailey nodded. Dillon’s wife, Pam, was a former actress and had opened an acting school in her hometown of Gamble, Wyoming, a few years ago. The success of that school had led her to open a second one in Denver.

Taking her by the arm, Chloe said, “Come sit with us a minute. Share a cup of coffee and tell me how you like your office.”

“I love it! Thanks to the both of you. The view is simply stunning.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Lucia said, smiling. “That used to be my office and I regretted giving it up. But I have to admit I have a fantastic view in here, as well.”

“Yes, you certainly do,” Bailey said, agreeing, glancing around the room that was double the size of her office. When her gaze landed on Lucia’s computer screen, Bailey went still.

“Recognize him?” Lucia asked, adjusting the image of a face until it took up the full screen.

Bailey sucked in a deep breath as she felt the rapid thud of her pulse. Even if the clean-shaven face had thrown her for a quick second, the gorgeous eyes staring at her were a dead giveaway, not to mention that smile.

“It’s Walker Rafferty,” she said. He looked years younger, yet his features, sharp and sculpted, were just as handsome.

Chloe nodded, coming to stand beside her. “Yes, that’s him. At the time these photos were taken most people knew him as Ty Reklaw, an up-and-coming heartthrob in Hollywood.”

Shocked, Bailey looked back at the computer screen. Walker used to be an actor? No way. The man barely said anything and seemed to keep to himself, although she knew he’d formed a pretty solid friendship with her brothers and male cousins.

What had Chloe just said? He’d been an up-and-coming heartthrob in Hollywood? Bailey studied his image. Yes, she could definitely believe that. His grin was irresistibly devastating, to the point where she felt goose bumps form on her arms.

She glanced back at Chloe and Lucia. “He’s an actor?”

“He used to be, around ten years ago and he had quite a following. But then Ty Reklaw left Hollywood and never looked back,” Chloe said, sitting back down in her chair.

A frown bunched Bailey’s forehead. “Reklaw? As in Reklaw, Texas?”

Lucia chuckled as she poured Bailey a cup of coffee. “I doubt it. Probably Reklaw as in the name Walker spelled backward. You know how movie stars are when they don’t want to use their real names.”

Bailey’s gaze narrowed as an idea popped into her head. “Are you sure Walker Rafferty is his real name?”

“Yes. I asked Dillon.”

Bailey’s brow raised. “Dillon knew who he was?”

“Only after Pam told him. She remembered Walker from the time she was in Hollywood but she doubted he remembered her since their paths never crossed.”

Bailey nodded. Yes, she could imagine any woman remembering Walker. “So he used to be an actor with a promising future. Why did he leave?”

Lucia took a sip of her coffee. “Pam said everyone assumed it was because of the death of his wife and son. They were killed in a car accident.”

“Oh, my God,” Bailey said. “How awful.”

“Yes, and according to Pam it was quite obvious whenever he and his wife were seen together that he loved and adored her. His son had celebrated his first birthday just days before the accident occurred,” Lucia said. “The loss was probably too great and he never recovered from it.”

“I can understand that.” Having lost both her parents in a tragic death a part of her could feel his pain. She reflected on their conversation last night when she’d asked if he was married. He’d said no and hadn’t told her he was a widower.

She then remembered the rest of their conversation, the one that had left them both angry. From his comment one might have thought the sanctity of marriage didn’t mean anything to him. Or had she only assumed that was what he’d meant? She shuddered at the thought.

“Bailey? Are you okay?”

She looked up at the two women staring at her. “Not sure. I might have offended Walker big-time last night.”

“Why? What happened?” Lucia asked with a look that said she wished she didn’t have to ask.

Bailey shrugged. “I might have jumped to conclusions about him and his attitude about marriage and said something based on my assumptions. How was I to know he’d lost his wife? I guess he said what he did because the thought of marrying again is painful for him.”

“Probably since, according to Pam, he was a dedicated husband and father, even with his rising fame.”

Bailey drew in a deep breath, feeling completely awful. When would she learn to stop jumping to conclusions about everything? Dillon and Ramsey had definitely warned her enough about doing that. For some reason she was quick to automatically assume the worst about people.

“Is that why you rushed in and out of Dillon and Pam’s place last night? Because you and Walker had words?” Chloe asked.

“Yes. At the time I was equally mad with him. You know how I feel about men who mess around. Before marriage or after marriage.”

Chloe nodded. “Yes, Bailey. I think we all know. You gave your poor brothers and cousins hell about the number of girlfriends they had.”

“Well, I’m just glad they came to their senses and settled down and married.” Bailey began pacing and nervously nibbled her bottom lip. Moments later she stopped and looked at the two women. “I need to apologize to him.”

“Yes, you do,” both Lucia and Chloe agreed simultaneously.

Bailey took a sip of her coffee as a question came to mind. “If Walker was so hot in Hollywood, then why don’t I remember him?”

Lucia smiled. “If I recall, ten years ago you were too busy hanging with Bane and getting into all kinds of trouble. So I’m not surprised you don’t know who was hot and who was not. I admit that although I remember him, he looks different now. Still handsome but more mature and definitely a lot more rugged. The beard he wears now makes him nearly unrecognizable. I would not have recalled who he was if Pam hadn’t mentioned it. Of course when she did I couldn’t wait to look him up this morning.”

“Was he in several movies?” Bailey asked. She intended to find any movies he’d appeared in as soon as she left work.

“No, just two. One was a Matthew Birmingham flick, where Walker played opposite actress Carmen Atkins, as her brother. That was his very first. He was hot and his acting was great,” Chloe said, smiling. “According to Pam, although he didn’t get an award nomination, there are those who thought he should have. But what he did get was a lot of attention from women and other directors in Hollywood. It didn’t take him long to land another role in a movie directed by Clint Eastwood. A Western. He’d just finished filming when his wife and son were killed. I don’t think he hung around for the premiere. He left for Alaska and never returned.”

Bailey didn’t say anything. She was thinking about how to get back in Walker’s good graces. “I’ll apologize when I see him tonight.”

“Good luck,” Chloe said, chuckling. “When I left this morning, Thorn and his brothers and cousins had arrived for the wedding and you know what that means.”