Tempted By The Movie Star

“The truck’s new, so look for the academy logo on the door. Oh, Matt, I’m so glad you’re coming home. I feel the need to see you.”

“I feel the need to see you, too.” He swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. “Gotta go. We’re about to load.”

He disconnected and stared at the floor while he pulled himself together. Six months ago he’d called Rosie with the life-changing news that he’d been given the male lead in his first big-budget film. She’d whooped and hollered for a good five minutes before she’d been able to speak rationally.

What a beautiful moment that had been. He’d cherished the idea that she could brag to her friends about her son the movie star. He’d loved giving her something special to celebrate after all she and Herb had done for him. And now that shiny moment had been tarnished.

At least his folks were in Wyoming, far from the ugliness. He never wanted it to touch them. Their privacy meant everything to him and he’d protect it at all costs.

Chapter Two

Matt had no trouble spotting the ranch truck as he stood in the cool night air outside the Sheridan airport waiting for his ride. Cade drove up in a tan, four-door long bed with the Thunder Mountain Academy logo on the door. Lexi wasn’t with him, after all, so Matt climbed into the front seat and grasped Cade’s outstretched hand.

“Hey, Matt.” A straw cowboy hat shadowed Cade’s face, but his subdued greeting telegraphed his concern. “No luggage?”

“Nope.” Matt closed the door and fastened his seat belt.

“At least you stayed ahead of the peasants with the pitchforks.” Cade put the truck in gear and pulled out.

“Barely. Nice truck.”

“Mom likes me to drive it whenever I come to town. She thinks it’s good for the academy’s image.”

Matt leaned back against the seat. “Yeah, until some derelict gets in.”

“Now that you mention it, you do look a little rough around the edges, bro. Is the scruff for your next role?”

“The scruff is for lack of a razor, although I figured it also might keep people from recognizing me.”

“Oh.”

“So, where’s Lexi?”

“She thought we might need some brotherhood moments so she’s waiting at the ranch with Mom and Dad.”

“Wow.” Lexi’s understanding touched him. “That’s...really nice of her.”

“That’s my lady. She has it all going on.”

“You’re a lucky guy.”

“Yes, yes, I am.” Cade stopped at a red light and took a deep breath. “And since she’s given us the chance to talk, let me say this whole thing bites. I mean, one damn kiss. It’s not like you were boinking that woman in the middle of Sunset Boulevard. And wouldn’t you know some jackass would be there with a camera.”

“Of course he was.” In spite of his exhaustion, Matt’s anger flared to life. “She hired him to be there.”

“What?”

“She set me up.” Matt’s stomach clenched as he said it out loud for the first time. “I can’t prove it yet, but the long layover in Denver allowed me to think through all that’s happened and I’ve put the pieces together. I realize everything started on the last day of shooting when she propositioned me.”

“Aw, hell. Seriously?”

“Afraid so. I’ve never told anyone about it, though, so keep it to yourself.”

“Goes without saying.”

“Anyway, she was a little drunk, but not that drunk. She said Cliff wasn’t man enough for her anymore.”

“Anymore? They’ve been married for like three years, tops!”

Matt shrugged. “Who knows what their relationship is like? She promised we’d be discreet and no one would ever have to know. I turned her down as nicely as I could, but—”

“Now she hates you with the heat of a thousand branding irons.”

“Sure looks that way. She invited me to lunch yesterday, supposedly to apologize for her inappropriate behavior. Instead, she kissed me in front of witnesses and then told the media I was the aggressor.”

“Holy shit on a swizzle stick.”

“Yeah.” He glanced over at Cade. “But now that I’m out of paparazzi range it should die down. Without me to harass they’ll focus on some other poor slob. At least, that’s my plan. And I’d like to forget Briana Danvers while I’m here, so let’s talk about something else. You still have that gray tabby cat?”

“You remember Ringo?”

“Absolutely. He was one of the highlights from that quick visit last year.”

Cade chuckled. “Ringo’s living the life. Ever since Lexi moved into my cabin he prefers staying there with us instead of patrolling the barn looking for mice. He’s turned into a feline couch potato.”

“Smart cat.”

“Smarter than we are, that’s for sure. Listen, you may want to forget about Briana, but I’m just getting started thinking about her and I want justice.” Cade smacked the steering wheel. “Here’s an idea! We’ll call a press conference so you can tell your side. We can’t let her get away with this crap.”

His brother had his back. The heaviness lifted from Matt’s shoulders and he smiled for the first time in twenty-four hours. A press conference in Sheridan, Wyoming. That would be a first, especially if they could get any members of the press to show up, which wasn’t likely.

“I don’t know how to organize a press conference,” Cade continued, “but I’ll bet you do. Or you know people who know people. We can make it happen.”

“Look, it’s a good impulse and I appreciate the moral support, but a press conference won’t work for a lot of reasons.”

“What she’s done is wrong, damn it! It’s character assassination and you need to defend yourself.”

“I doubt I can. She’s a very good actress who knows her camera angles. She orchestrated that kiss so I’d look guilty as charged. Even if I try to tell my side, hardly anyone will believe me.”

“They might if you tell them about the proposition.”

“Not doing that.”

Cade groaned. “I should have known you wouldn’t. You’re too noble for your own good, buddy. She doesn’t deserve your overdeveloped sense of chivalry.”

“It’s not her I’m thinking about. It’s Cliff Wallace. I respect the hell out of the guy. He has lousy instincts when it comes to women, but like I said, Briana’s a very good actress. He may eventually find out the truth about her, but not because of me.”

“You had some love scenes with her, right?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Hot?”

“Yep.”

Cade was silent for a while. Then he cleared his throat. “Let me just say I respect the hell out of you, cowboy. A lot of guys would have taken her up on that offer.”

“Not if they were members of the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood.” Matt took great pride in being a part of the group Cade had started years ago with Damon Harrison and Finn O’Roarke, the first three foster boys. Now every guy who’d lived at the ranch was included.

“True.”

“And not if they’d been raised by Herb and Rosie.”

Cade grinned. “Also true. And for the record, Mom’s been informing everyone that the tabloids got it wrong. You never would have behaved that way.”

“God, I love that woman.”

“Don’t we all.” He looked over at Matt. “Are you planning to tell her everything you just told me?”

“Probably not.”

“I wouldn’t, either, unless you want her to buy a ticket to LA and open up a can of whoop-ass on Briana. She’s already put a couple of DVDs in the trash compactor.”

Matt chuckled at the image of Rosie listening to the crunch as the DVDs bit the dust. “That’s why I had to come home, so I could hear stuff like this. Mom’s destroying DVDs and you’re ready to call a press conference. It’s a far better reaction than what I got from my PR rep this morning.”

“Which was?”

“She wanted me to publicly show remorse for my behavior.”

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.

She was still debating what to do when the front door opened and a redheaded woman came out holding a baby who looked to be about five or six months old. A tall guy tugged on the brim of his cowboy hat as he followed her out and started to close the door.

“I still say she said my name,” called someone from inside, someone who sounded a lot like Matt.

Laughing, the cowboy swung the door open again. “You’re dreaming, bro!” he called back.

“Aw, come on, Damon.” The redhead was busy fiddling with the baby’s blanket and obviously hadn’t spotted the SUV yet. “Let Uncle Matt have his little fantasy.”

“You heard her,” the guy named Damon said as he closed the door. “She was saying ma-ma like she always does. She—hello, who’s this?” He put a protective hand on the woman’s shoulder and looked in Geena’s direction.

She moved away from the vehicle and came toward them. “My name’s Geena Lysander and I’m here to see Matt Forrest, but apparently I’m interrupting a celebration.”

“Geena Lysander,” the woman said. “Your name came up tonight. Aren’t you his PR rep?”

“Yes, and I’m here to discuss—”

“Let me stop you right there, ma’am.” The tall cowboy descended the steps. “From what I understand, he’s not interested in having any more discussions. He came here to get away from all that, so I’m afraid you’ve made a trip for nothing. My wife and I can lead you back into town and get you settled in a hotel room, though.”

Despite Geena’s height, augmented by four-inch heels, she had to look up to meet his determined gaze. Judging from the set of his jaw, he planned to do whatever was necessary to keep her from going up to the front door. Clearly he intended to protect Matt from the likes of her.

As she debated her next move, the door opened again and Matt stepped out holding a pacifier. At first he looked confused by her presence, but gradually his expression hardened into a mask of anger.

She despaired of getting through to him but she had to try. “I realize you’re not happy to see me.”

“No, ma’am, I’m not.”

“But we need to talk.”

Instead of responding to her comment, he gestured to the SUV. “Is that your vehicle?”

“Yes. I rented it.”

“No worries, bro,” Damon said. “We’ll lead her back to town and help her find a hotel room.”

Matt shook his head. “I appreciate the offer, but this is my deal and I’ll handle the problem.” He gave the pacifier to the redhead. “Found this on the sofa and thought you might need it. You two head on home with Sophie. I’ll grab the keys to the ranch truck and make sure Geena has a place for the night.” He glanced over at her. “And a plane reservation in the morning.”

“We’re not in a rush,” Damon said. “We’ll hang out here until you fetch the truck keys.”

“Listen, you don’t have to stand guard over me.” Geena glanced toward the baby, who was starting to fuss. “I promise to stay right here while Matt gets those keys. I’m sure you’d like to get home.”

“We would. Sophie’s hungry.” The redhead jiggled the bundle in her arms. “I think you can stand down, cowboy. Geena doesn’t look dangerous.”

“Okay.” Damon faced Geena and touched the brim of his hat in farewell. “Ma’am.”

“Bye.” She felt wistful as she watched them walk toward the vehicles parked near the barn. She couldn’t remember a time when anyone had stood between her and a potential threat. Must be nice.

Chapter Three

Geena had solid brass ones. Matt would give her that much, but nothing else. She’d made it as far as the driveway, but she wasn’t coming any closer than that. Once he’d escorted her to a hotel in town, he’d fire her like he should have done yesterday. Then she’d have to fly home because she wouldn’t have any reason to hang around.

He stepped inside the house and paused to take a calming breath. Barreling in looking agitated would provoke a bunch of questions. He’d like to do this with as little discussion as possible. He’d already talked about the subject more than he wanted to.

During dinner Phil had asked whether he had publicity folks doing damage control and he’d described his meeting with Geena. He wasn’t surprised that Damon had been ready to escort her straight back to town, but that wasn’t his responsibility or Phil’s.

The living room furniture had been moved aside for dancing, and now that Damon and Phil had left, only four people occupied the floor. Cade and Lexi were teaching some elaborate new move to Herb and Rosie. Matt hated to break that up, but it couldn’t be helped.

As he approached the group, Cade glanced at him. “How about you partner with Lexi? I know this already.”

“I’d be glad to, but I have a little errand to run. Can I borrow the ranch truck for a couple of hours?”

Herb looked puzzled. “Certainly, but I can’t imagine what sort of errand you’d have to run at this hour.”

“Don’t pry,” Rosie said. “Maybe he’s heard from an old girlfriend.”

Cade nudged back his hat. “That would be a trick, since he made such a huge deal about turning off his phone for the next week.” His voice softened. “What’s up, bro?”

“We have an uninvited guest and I need to escort her back to town.”

Rosie blinked. “A woman’s outside? Did some starstruck fan follow you here?”

“No, she’s not a fan. Look, if it’s okay, I’ll just get the keys and take care of this.”

“Hang on,” Cade said. “If it’s some damned reporter, let me go out there with you. I’m sure between the two of us we can convince her to get lost.”

Matt sighed. He probably should have spit it out in the beginning. “She’s not a reporter, either. It’s Geena. If I can borrow the truck for a couple of hours, I’ll—”

“Great.” Cade started for the door. “I’m delighted she’s here and she’s not going anywhere until I’ve told her exactly what I think of how she treated you.”

“No!” Matt blocked Cade’s progress. “Nobody’s going out there except me. All I need is the keys to the truck. She doesn’t know the area so I feel an obligation to make sure she gets back to town okay and has a hotel room. Then I’ll make damn sure she knows that she has to leave in the morning.”

“Matt.” Rosie sent him a look of reproach. “The woman traveled all the way from Los Angeles to see you. I realize you’re annoyed with her, but shooing her away after she’s made that kind of effort isn’t good manners.”

He stared at his foster mother. “She showed up uninvited. That isn’t good manners, either.”

“True, but two wrongs don’t make a right. Sending her back where she came from might give you temporary satisfaction, but it’s not the gracious thing to do.”

“But—”

“Is she an evil person?”

“No.”

“Has she deliberately harmed you in any way?”

Matt sighed. He’d lived with Rosie long enough to know where this was going. “No.”

“Then you need to take the high road, son. Invite her to join us and I’ll offer to put her up.”

Every instinct told him that this was a bad idea. “I don’t want her here, Mom.” He clenched both fists. “Whatever nastiness happened in LA stays in LA. I don’t want you and Dad involved. Or anyone in my family, for that matter.”

Rosie studied him for a moment. “I understand that and I appreciate your desire to protect us. That’s very gallant. I can tell you’re very angry that she’s come here, but let’s think about why she did. Her job is to make you look good, right?”

“Supposedly, but I don’t like her plan or the fact she came to my home uninvited. I’m going to fire her.”