Tempted By The Movie Star

“I love getting hugs.” Rosie smiled at her. “The more the better.” She gestured to the wall of pictures. “My boys are all good huggers. Some of them came here with the idea that it was unmanly. They got over it.”

“I wish I could have seen this place back then. It must have been something.”

“I have videos. Maybe while you’re here we could have a movie night.”

“I would love that.” Geena gazed at the two smiling people who’d been so suspicious of her last night. “Do you have videos of little Sophie?”

“My first grandchild?” Rosie’s blue eyes glowed with pride. “You know I do! I’m supposed to get a studio picture for this wall any day now, too.”

“I guess you could end up with a lot of baby pictures, couldn’t you?”

“I hope so. I’ll start a new wall somewhere else in the house if I need to. Now, let’s go find you something cool to wear. It’ll be a scorcher today.” She led the way into a master bedroom containing furniture that was probably as old as the marriage. It wasn’t a fancy room, but the bed was neatly made with a white chenille bedspread and the surfaces looked freshly dusted.

“This is my stash of hand-me-downs.” Rosie slid back the doors of a large wall closet tightly packed with jeans and shirts hanging from the rod and boots lined up along the floor. “Some kids leave stuff and friends donate things. Sometimes I shop at the thrift store. It’s all washed and mended.”

“This is amazing, Rosie.”

“Thanks.” She gave Geena an assessing glance. “I could let you go through them, but it’ll be faster if you let me pull some things out. By now I’m pretty good at knowing what will fit and look good.”

“All I care about is the fit. Looking good isn’t a priority.”

Rosie laughed. “Oh, yes, it is. Everyone functions better when they like the way they look. That was one of the first things I learned when I worked in social services. Get someone a decent outfit or two and their entire attitude changes.” She quickly chose three shirts and three pairs of jeans. “Not that I think you need an attitude change. Yours is excellent.”

“Why, thank you.” Geena flushed with pleasure. “What a nice thing to say.”

“I know quality when I see it.” Rosie handed over the clothes. “Go into the bathroom and try those on while I sort through the boots. That’s trickier. Are you about an eight?”

“Nine. I really appreciate this, Rosie.”

“I appreciate you going the extra mile.” She hesitated. “Nobody likes to be falsely accused, but Matt’s more touchy than most. His birth mother used to blame him for all kinds of things he didn’t do.”

“I’m not surprised. Any mother who can walk away and leave her kid...”

“Did he tell you about that?”

“This morning.”

“Good. Then he must trust you, because he doesn’t share that with many people.”

“I completely understand that he’s a very private person. But I’m desperate to find a way to improve his image. I was hoping to use his background, but he doesn’t want that for many reasons. Reporters aren’t the only ones who could show up here asking questions.”

Rosie nodded. “Right. There’s Mindy. I’ve been worried about her ever since he landed that role. She could already be trying to find a way to contact him, but no point in making it easy for her.” Rosie patted Geena’s arm. “I know this is a knotty problem, but give it a little time. You’ve only been here since last night.”

Geena laughed. “Funny, but it seems much longer. I feel as if I’ve known you for years.”

“That’s a lovely compliment.” Rosie held her gaze. “I’m going to help you figure this out. Like I said, give it time.”

Geena drew a deep breath. “Okay.” She chose not to mention that time wasn’t their friend. Even as they stood there discussing the problem, Briana’s PR machine was spewing out garbage about Matt. The longer he stayed in hiding, the more likely people would believe all those hateful lies.

* * *

After Geena changed into her borrowed clothes, she checked in with Larissa and took notes for the calls she’d make after she finished cleaning. The hour’s time difference would be a bonus. Matt, Cade and Lexi had gathered the supplies and were heading to the porch by the time she left her bedroom.

She’d taken everything Rosie had chosen and put on the outfit she liked best. Rosie had also come up with a straw Western hat to keep the sun out of her eyes during the walk to the meadow. Geena had twisted her hair on top of her head and shoved the hat over it.

The boot-cut jeans were a little snug on her, but they were soft and amazingly comfortable. So were the boots Rosie had found. The button-front green plaid shirt was designed to tie at the waist, which gave it a sassy feel. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed that she was finally wearing something that fit the occasion.

Matt’s wide smile told her she passed muster. “You look great.”

“Thanks.” She noticed he’d taken time to shave, which could mean there were kisses in her future. The thought warmed her all over and she worried that her cheeks were pink. Couldn’t be helped. “What should I carry?”

“How about a bucket and a mop?” Cade handed them to her and then divided up the rest of the supplies. He was clearly the person in charge.

While Geena had been trying on clothes she’d asked Rosie to fill her in on Cade, whose function wasn’t clear to her. It turned out that besides being the ranch foreman and primary student chaperone, he also taught an academy class in horse psychology. He and Lexi lived in a new log home near the meadow and the pasture, and Rosie had said they couldn’t manage without him.

As they all started down toward the meadow, Cade put a hand on Matt’s shoulder. “Have you provided Geena with any background on these historic log cabins, bro?”

“He has not,” she said. “For one thing, I didn’t know they were made of logs. And there are four?”

“Now there are,” Cade said. “But originally there were only three. Damon and Phil built the fourth one last summer, so technically only the first three are historic. Especially the first one.” He glanced at Matt. “Is it okay if I tell her about the brotherhood?”

“Go for it.”

“I should hope you can tell her,” Lexi said. “She volunteered to clean cabins, for pity’s sake. She’s working hard to save Matt’s reputation. Geena’s aces in my book.”

Geena flashed Lexi a smile. “Thanks.”

“So, the story of the brotherhood.” Cade adjusted his grip on a second mop he carried on his shoulder like a rifle. “The first three guys Rosie brought home were Damon Harrison, Finn O’Roarke and me. Damon’s—”

“I know who Damon is,” she said. “And Finn’s the guy who brews the beer we drank last night.”

“Exactly. So we created the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood. We had a blood-brother ceremony in the woods where we swore to be straight with everyone, protect the weak and be loyal to one another for life.” He stated the pledge without a trace of mockery. He’d obviously believed in the concept then and he believed in it now.

Geena’s throat tightened as she imagined three homeless boys pledging to stick together through thick and thin. “That’s very cool.”

“We thought so, too, but unfortunately we were kind of exclusive. We claimed the first cabin and although it sleeps four, we wouldn’t let anybody else in.”

Matt shook his head. “Tell me about it. You acted like you were royalty.”

“I know. We were obnoxious. But we finally grew up and realized that every guy who shared the experience of living here with Rosie and Herb should be a part of the brotherhood, so now it’s official. Everybody’s in.” He reached over and punched Matt lightly on the arm. “I hope you weren’t too traumatized by being excluded for a while, big guy.”

“Nah. There’s always the cool crowd and then the rest of us.”

“Yeah, but today I’m just a lowly cowhand and you’re a famous movie star.”

Matt grinned at him. “Bite me.”

“And get sued by your studio for damaging the goods? No, thanks.” He turned back to Geena. “Anyway, that was life in the cabins. Never a dull moment.”

“Yeah, and I loved it,” Matt said, “despite being lorded over by three megalomaniacs. I used to pretend we were all living on the frontier.”

“Which wasn’t so far from the truth, considering we had to hike down to the bathhouse in the middle of the night to take care of business. Speaking for myself, I felt like Davy Crockett every time I made that journey.”

Geena blinked. “You’re kidding, right?”

“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.”

Chapter Nine

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.

His heartbeat picked up speed. Shoving back his hat, he pulled her close. Her full lips parted on a sigh. He could almost taste their velvet softness “This is risky.”

She wound her arms around his neck. “Is it?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He slid his hands over the warm denim covering her backside. For someone so slender, she perfectly filled his cupped hands. His breathing hitched. “Once I start kissing you, I’m liable to forget about cleaning.”

She pressed her sweet body against his. “I’ll remind you.”

“You do that.” He took her mouth with the desperation of a starving man. He’d only had a few chances to kiss her, but it seemed that was enough to make him addicted to the supple movement of her lips and the erotic dance of her tongue.

She caught fire immediately and he dove into the richness that was Geena’s mouth. His hat fell to the floor. He left it there. He might yearn for a peaceful meadow, but he craved this, to be engulfed in a passion that made him forget his problems, forget everything but the heat of her body and the sound of her moans.

He’d told himself to go slow, but they were alone in this cabin and he wanted...more. Heart pounding, he untied her shirttails and worked his way up the row of buttons. He gave her time to object, but instead she deepened the kiss.

When he’d breached the barrier of her shirt, he discovered the front catch of her bra. What a terrific invention. Anticipation made him clumsy but eventually he flipped open the clasp.

She gasped as his hand closed over her breast.

Breathing hard, he lifted his mouth a fraction from hers. “Do you want me to stop?”

“No.”

That one word traveled like a flame along a fuse. Cupping her warm breast, he supported her with his arm and leaned down. His tongue grazed her nipple and she whimpered. Now he knew what that meant.

Slowly he drew her in and listened to the wild sound of her breathing as he hollowed his cheeks and created a rhythm with his mouth and tongue. Her soft whimpers turned into nearly incoherent words.

He lifted his head again. “What?” he murmured. “Tell me.”

“I want you so much,” she wailed. “But we have to clean!”

Clean. His passion-soaked brain struggled with the concept and finally delivered the bad news. He might have a bed available, although they’d have to climb a ladder to get there, which lacked class. He might have an erection as rigid as the logs used to build this cabin. He might even have a condom in his jeans pocket.

Didn’t matter. Instead of making sweet love to Geena, he had to vacuum floors and flip mattresses. Life wasn’t even remotely fair.

With a resigned sigh, he released her soft, inviting breast. He didn’t dare let go of her completely, though. If she was anywhere near as jacked up as he was, she might lose her balance. He wasn’t entirely confident that he wouldn’t lose his.

She gulped in air. “I shouldn’t have started this. I should have known we couldn’t just kiss each other without...”

“Right.” He swallowed. “But don’t take all the blame. I had a hunch things could get out of control in no time.”

“You did?”

“Yes, ma’am. But I was willing to take the risk because kissing you is my new favorite thing.”

“Kissing you is mine, too.” She took a shaky breath. “Okay, you can let me go. I’m reasonably steady and I should put myself back together so we can get to work.”

He did as she asked and edged away. But he couldn’t stop looking at her, although he definitely should because his package strained against his fly. Her creamy breasts trembled with each breath and her nipples, the rich color of burgundy wine, remained taut and eager for his mouth.

Then she gathered all that bounty into the white lace cups of her bra and fastened the catch, depriving him of that particular view. But he still had the tantalizing sight of her unbuttoned blouse and the inviting shadow of her cleavage. He willingly suffered continued pain in his crotch.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she buttoned her shirt and tied the tails in a loose knot. Last of all, she retrieved her glasses from the top of her head and put them on. “All done.” She took another deep breath. “Do you want to vacuum or flip mattresses?”

“Neither. I want to strip off all your clothes. Then I want to kiss you until we’re both crazy with anticipation. Then I want to make love to you for as long as it takes for both of us to be so satisfied that we can’t imagine wanting even one more orgasm.”

A fire burned in her green eyes. “That sounds amazing. And we’ll do that eventually, I’m sure. But right now, we have to—”

“Clean cabins. I know.” He sighed. “I’ll flip the mattresses. I’ll be done first so I’ll haul water and put it on the front stoop for later.”

“But I want to haul water.”

That made him smile. Apparently she really did look upon this as an adventure. He clenched his hands into fists so he wouldn’t reach for her again, because she was just that appealing. “Okay. Want to split some kindling while you’re at it?”

“Could I? That would be awesome!”

“Don’t see why not.” He picked up his hat from the floor and dusted it off. “In fact, there’s a dead tree about fifty yards into the forest that Dad wants to cut down.”

“There is?” Her eyes widened.

“Yes, ma’am.” He stroked a hand over his face so she wouldn’t notice his grin. “He mentioned it yesterday. When I fetch the ax from the barn, I could also gas up the chain saw. That way you could—”

“Now you’re making fun of me.”

“Just a little.” He settled his hat on his head. “The thing is, if I don’t tease you I’ll just have to kiss you again. A woman who’s excited about hauling water and chopping wood is tough to resist.”

“So is a certain cowboy who took the time to shave before coming out here to clean cabins. I expected you’d still have the scruff.”

“And I expected to steal kisses, so the scruff had to go. I don’t like giving ladies whisker burn.” He backed away. “But I’m staying out of the temptation zone until we get something accomplished. FYI, there’s an outlet under each desk.”

“Does this happen to be your cabin?”

“It was, in fact, although the built-ins change the look so it feels a lot different. But the outlets stayed the same. Oh, and the vacuum’s old and cranky, but everybody’s used to it so Mom keeps getting it repaired instead of buying a new one. It’s sort of an heirloom.”

“I like that.” She leaned down and gave the canister vac a pat. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I’ll treat you with the respect you deserve.”

He figured she was kidding, but as he turned over the mattresses and checked for anything tucked in corners and crevices, he noticed that she used the vacuum efficiently but gently. She didn’t bang it against the furniture or drag it by the cord. Every minute he was finding more reasons to like her, more reasons to make her a part of his personal life as well as his professional one.

The mattresses didn’t take long and he only found some gum wrappers, a couple of small purple hair clips and a crumpled picture of a popular boy band. Obviously girls had been living in this cabin. Although he’d known all along that the academy was coed, he hadn’t grasped the concept that girls might occupy the same cabin where he’d spent his pivotal teenage years. That was more of a shock than the loft beds.

Geena shut off the vacuum. “I found a gold anklet. At least I think it’s an anklet.” She dangled it from one finger. “Could be a bracelet. I’m glad I didn’t suck it up. Her name’s engraved on the little gold heart, which means Rosie can mail it back to her.” She tucked the delicate gold chain in her jeans pocket.

“I don’t think these are worth mailing, though, even if Mom found out who lost them.” He showed her the hair clips.

“Nope. Those are easily replaced, but I’ll take them. Rosie might want to add them to her stash. I don’t know if she has hair doodads, but she might keep some on hand in case the girls lose theirs.”

Matt handed them over. “I’ll bet she gets a kick out of having girls around for a change.”

“She and Herb never considered taking in foster girls, too?”

“Not that I know of. I think when they started with boys, it might have been simpler to stick with that.”

“Probably.” She shoved the clips in her other pocket and gazed at him. “You know...” Then she blew out a breath. “Never mind. I should go get the water.” She gestured to the vacuum. “Your heirloom awaits. I finished the left side of the room so the right side is all yours. Be right back.”

“Wait. You obviously had something to say.”

“There’s no point. You won’t like it.”

“I might. You never know.”

“Yeah, I do, but I might as well finish my thought. Finding that engraved gold chain brought it home to me that there were teenage girls living here last semester, girls who would go wild if they knew Matt Forrest had been on cleanup duty in the very cabin where they stayed.”