In The Cowboy's Arms

Cade met that comment with several choice swear words. “So, did you fire her?”

“Not yet. She doesn’t know me that well and the photo convinced her I’d forced myself on Briana.”

“Did you tell her you hadn’t?”

“Yeah, I said it was the other way around—that Briana kissed me—but Geena didn’t think it mattered who kissed who. I’m supposed to suck it up and be apologetic.”

“That’s her name? Geena?”

“Geena Lysander.”

“Well, this Geena person should have believed you. She should have taken your side. Apologize, my ass.”

“In a way, she was trying to take my side. She kept telling me it would be okay and we’d fix this.” He thought of the earnest light in her eyes as she’d laid out her plan. She had pretty eyes, and when they took on that special gleam, he had the urge to kiss her. Like that would ever happen.

“Well, you’re not apologizing.”

“Nope. I’ll just hide out for the next few days. My phone’s been off for hours and I’m growing fond of that mode. I might leave it off.”

“But you’re a big-deal actor now. Don’t you have to stay in touch with your peeps?”

“My peeps are all right here in Sheridan. You, Lexi, Rosie and Herb. Plus Damon and Philomena. How’s their baby doing, by the way?”

“Sophie’s cute as hell, bright red hair just like her mother’s. And Jake Ramsey moved back to town. He’s working at the fire station and engaged to Amethyst Ferguson. Remember her?”

Matt laughed. “Doesn’t everybody? I can’t hear ‘Santa Baby’ without remembering her sexy performance back in high school. I thought she’d be giving Taylor Swift a run for her money by now.”

“Turns out she’d rather stick to performing locally.”

“You know, after what just happened, I get that.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re hanging it up because of this nonsense.”

“No, I’m not. I’m starting a new movie next month.”

“Awesome! I don’t think I heard about that.”

“It came up pretty fast, and I kept meaning to call Mom but then this thing hit.” Matt let out a weary sigh. “But I’ll hang in there. I love acting. Always have.”

“The ultimate escape.” Cade glanced at him. “Do you remember telling me that?”

“I do, actually. School plays were great when I was a kid, but this...you can completely disappear into the role. You don’t have to worry about what to say because they hand you a script. You don’t have to wonder how everything will turn out, either. It’s all written out.”

“Sounds damned appealing. It’s a wonder more of us didn’t get into that line of work. Perfect way to forget about things you’d rather not remember.”

“Sure is. But I need a break. I’m ready to unplug, at least for the next week or so. Let’s talk about your wedding. Third weekend in August, right?”

“Yep.”

“I want all the deets, bridegroom.”

“You won’t be bored?”

“Not a chance.” He settled back, ready to hear about something positive for a change.

Once Cade got started on the subject of his upcoming nuptials, he barely stopped for breath. Matt got a kick out of his excitement. By the time they turned down the dirt road leading to the ranch, the humiliation of the past twenty-four hours seemed unimportant compared to Cade’s obvious joy in marrying the love of his life.

The tabloid blitz had loomed large back in LA, but moonlight shining on the massive bulk of the Bighorns put everything in perspective. Cade parked in the circular gravel drive in front of the low-slung ranch house and Matt swung down from the cab. Lamplight coming through the windows allowed him to see Rosie, Herb and Lexi sitting in the Adirondack chairs lined up on the long porch.

They called out a greeting as they started down the steps. Matt hadn’t shaved or showered in two days, but nobody seemed to care. Arms outstretched, they gathered him close. Coming home had been the right thing to do.

* * *

As the crow flew, Sheridan didn’t seem that far from LA. Geena wished she could get there by crow, because clearly traveling by passenger plane would take all flipping day. The layover in Denver was ridiculous, but it gave her plenty of time to think about where she’d gone wrong with Matt Forrest.

And she’d gone very wrong with him. She’d also underestimated Briana Danvers’s thirst for publicity. Somehow the woman had learned that Matt had left town and she’d made a huge deal of it, calling his departure an admission of guilt.

That was exactly why Geena had wanted him to stick around, but she’d handled the situation poorly. Because she’d dealt with her fair share of clients caught in compromising situations off the set, she’d assumed Matt fell into that category. She’d expected him to agree with her plan to contain the damage. Instead, he’d stormed out of her office.

So she’d gone into research mode. A friend had sent her the dailies from Preston’s Revenge. The scenes between Briana and Matt were off the charts, but did that mean he’d aggressively pursued her?

She was less and less sure about that. Briana was married to a revered but aging Western movie star. What if she’d been captivated by Matt? He claimed that she’d initiated the kiss.

And, unlike other clients, he seemed horrified by the drama that photo had created. Some stars were thrilled by any publicity at all, even if it was potentially negative. Not Matt. He’d chosen to hide out.

It might have been a workable strategy except that Briana obviously planned to keep stirring the pot. Matt needed to fight back or he was liable to be forever labeled with Briana’s taunt of run, Forrest, run.

No other celebrities were doing something stupid this week, so the gossip mags were hungry for anything Briana fed them. The situation reflected poorly on Geena’s firm, which she’d started only three years ago, but that wasn’t why she’d decided to make a trip to Sheridan. She couldn’t bear to stand by and watch Matt take a beating.

So she’d booked her flights to Sheridan, a place that was not easy to get to. But she’d brave a puddle jumper if that’s what it took to talk to Matt face-to-face.

He wouldn’t be happy to see his PR rep, though. She reminded herself of that as she drove her rented SUV down some of the darkest roads she’d ever seen. Thank God for her GPS or she’d surely have ended up in some pasture staring at an angry bull.

She almost missed the turnoff to Thunder Mountain Ranch. At the last minute she saw it, thanks to a small spotlight trained on the carved wooden sign. A second sign hung below it proclaiming this the Home of Thunder Mountain Academy.

She had no idea what that was about, but the ranch was listed as Matt’s home address so she’d forge on. Presumably his parents, Rosie and Herb Padgett, lived here. He’d probably changed his last name to something less jarring than Matt Padgett, which was smart marketing.

The dirt road leading to the ranch was even darker than the highway. If she’d spent the night in Sheridan, she could have tackled this road first thing in the morning. But Matt would have an easier time turning her away in broad daylight. A gentleman didn’t send a lady back out into the night after she’d traveled all day to see him. And Matt Forrest was a gentleman.

She’d allowed the turmoil Briana had created to obscure that basic fact. Briana might be irresistible to the majority of males out there, but despite her famous allure, Matt would never succumb to it in a public place. Such behavior would have violated his personal code of conduct, one that probably had its roots right here on this extremely authentic-looking ranch and in all the John Wayne movies he’d memorized.

Arriving unannounced with a small overnight case in the passenger seat was cheeky. She planned to leave it there and see what happened after she knocked on the door, but in movies ranch houses always had spare bedrooms. Staying in the same house as Matt would help the cause, since she didn’t expect instant cooperation.

The SUV’s tires crunched on a layer of thick gravel as she navigated the circular drive and parked by the front door. Hers was the only vehicle there, but several more were down by a large hip-roofed barn. The Adirondack chairs lined up on the long front porch were empty, but when she stepped out of the car, she heard country music coming from the house. And laughter, both male and female. It seemed she’d arrived in the middle of a party.

Well, that made sense. His folks had probably decided to celebrate his success and ignore the scandal. No wonder he’d wanted to come back to that kind of love and support.

She paused beside the SUV. Her arrival would be about as popular as Maleficent crashing a baby shower. On the other hand, having lots of people around might be a good thing. She was fine with crowds. Growing up with a Hollywood star for a mom, she’d learned to handle herself in any circumstance, no matter how bizarre or awkward.