Starstruck Cowboy (Working Man Series Book 1)

by Elizabeth Rose

  She ran toward her horse and grabbed onto the side of the saddle. The thundering became louder along with the sound of angry cattle. This was the part when Star was supposed to let go of the saddle and the horse would leave without her. Instead, the horse reared up and Star hung on.

  “What the hell is she doing?” Luke looked behind him but the cloud of dust from the cattle blocked his view of the herd. “She’s going to get herself killed.” He kicked Isobelle in the sides and took off in a fit of fury.

  Star was now hanging on to the horse, swinging from the side of the saddle by one foot as the scared stud ran in circles.

  “Damn it, Star!” Luke took off after her at breakneck speed. He had no idea how he’d be able to get her foot untangled from the reins before the cattle got there, but he had to try. “Give me your hand!” he shouted, reaching out for her. Isobelle danced nervously beneath him. The stallion started to veer off in the opposite direction, but somehow Star controlled the animal from her hanging position and brought it back toward Luke.

  The cattle were nearly on top of them now and he had no choice but to abandon Isobelle at this time. He jumped from his horse and landed atop the skittish brown stallion. “Get the hell out of here, Isobelle!” he shouted, sending his horse to safety.

  In one quick move, he pulled his knife from his belt. Grabbing Star with one hand, he used his other to cut the reins that entangled her foot. Quickly, he pulled her up into the saddle in front of him.

  “Yah! Yah!” He slapped the horse on the rear, then reached around Star to grab a fistful of mane. The reins were broken, fallen on both sides of the stallion. He cleared the field just as the cattle came through behind him. Mere inches by his calculations. Too damned close for comfort.

  Star’s body shook like a leaf. He felt her press back against him for protection. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his nose in her long, loose hair.

  “Damn it, Twinkles! Don’t ever give me a scare like that again.”

  She didn’t say a word. And when he tilted her chin up to look at her, he saw the tears in her eyes. She bravely blinked them away and wiped some dirt from her face with the back of her hand.

  “I wasn’t trying to scare you,” she said softly. “I did everything you said, only the horse was skittish and I wasn’t used to these boots.”

  “Shhhhhh.” He stroked her hair and kissed her gently atop her head instead of chewing her out for almost getting them both killed.

  “Tyler, get over here!” came Brent’s bellow. “Stop those cameras already,” he ordered the crew. “I said cut. Cut! You’re wasting film.”

  Luke managed to calm down the stallion and, by mere pressure of his legs alone, he directed it over to Brent. This was it. Brent wasn’t going to take another screw-up. This just might be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

  “What is it, Brent?” Luke slid off the horse and motioned for a crewmember to hold it. He reached up and grabbed Star around the waist. She held on to his shoulders as he slowly lifted her off the horse and slid her down his body to the ground.

  She looked at him with those big green eyes and all he could think of was kissing her at that moment. It took all his strength not to pull her closer, scoop her off her feet and head for the house.

  “It’s that girl,” said Brent, pointing toward Star.

  “Her name is Star,” Luke growled. “And she’s a woman, not a girl.”

  “Whatever,” said Brent, throwing down his clipboard and coming closer. “Why didn’t you tell me you changed the scene, Tyler?”

  “Changed it?” Luke was confused. “Look, Brent, I know the scene didn’t go as planned, but I’m sure we can get hold of another stuntwoman and re-do it without too much trouble.”

  “Re-do it? Another stuntwoman?” Brent laughed when he should have been angry. Luke didn’t get it at all. “Star is marvelous. The scene was so much better than originally planned. I loved it!”

  “You did?” Star spoke up.

  “Yes. You were fantastic.” Brent put his arm around her and led her through the crowd. “That was a one take scene. I can’t wait to see what you’ll do with the next bit of stunt work we’ve got planned.”

  “She’s not doing any more,” Luke told him, not able to go through another episode like this again.

  Star turned around and gave him a look that melted him in his boots. Her sad eyes and cute little pout made it hard for him to say no.

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “Because, I said so.”

  “Tyler, she was the best stuntwoman we’ve ever had. You two work great together.”

  “I’m not working with her again,” Luke announced.

  Brent stopped in his tracks and turned, bringing Star with him. “If you want to keep your job, you will.”

  “She’s going to get hurt. Star is not cut out for this kind of work.”

  Daisy ran up and grabbed Star by the hand. “Star, you were wonderful. Tonight we’ll celebrate your new job. I’ll tell Louise not to bother cooking. We’ll all go to town for dinner.”

  Star looked over at Luke but didn’t say a word. Time seemed to stand still as their eyes locked and everyone else seemed to fade away. Her bright red hair tumbled down her shoulders, and dirt smudged her face. The ruffle of her dress was pulled extremely low past one shoulder from the ordeal they’d just been through. Her eyes begged him to accept her. Her body tempted him in ways he didn’t know could exist. All he could think of was how Star nearly got killed and it was all his fault for not stopping her from doing the scene.

  “Let’s wrap it up and call it a day,” said Brent with a smile directed toward Daisy. “I’ll tell the crew we’re going to celebrate the birth of a new star.”

  “I know a great place we can go,” suggested Daisy. “It’s over in the next town, but well worth the drive.”

  “We’ll take the limo,” said Brent. “Daisy, you, Star, and Velvet can come with us. Heck, why not just ask Louise and the boys if they’d like to come along, too? After all, there’s plenty of room in the limo.”

  “Your treat?” asked Daisy.

  Brent took a minute before answering. Almost as if against his will, he finally agreed. “My treat,” he said softly. “C’mon, Tyler. I’ll give you time to get cleaned up and let’s be on our way.”

  “Go ahead without me,” Luke replied, not feeling like celebrating. Star begged him silently with her wide eyes, and even Brent seemed a bit surprised that Luke had rejected a free meal.

  “Turning down a party, Luke?” asked Brent. “That’s not like you at all.”

  “I’ve got things to do,” he answered.

  “If you say so,” said Brent. “And when you get done with all those things, maybe you could go over your lines for the love scene. After all, you need a lot of work on that one.”

  Luke didn’t say a word. He just turned away and went to hunt down Isobelle. Somehow, he knew it was going to be a long and lonely night.

  Chapter 13

  Star hadn’t enjoyed herself at the celebration because Luke wasn’t there. Rolling over in bed, she found it hard to sleep and she wished she hadn’t gone at all. Her mother had carted her away and pushed her into the limo before she could object or even have a chance to talk with Luke.

  Star wanted to tell him so many things, yet she hadn’t had a chance to say a word. I’m sorry and thank you for saving my life would have been good for starters. How she longed to run her fingers through his hair and place gentle kisses up and down his face, far away from everyone and everything involved with Jimmy the Outlaw.

  She’d taken the stunt job though she knew Luke didn’t want her to do it. Now that she thought about it, she had only agreed to it to spite him. But it was for the money as well. Star didn’t know the first thing about acting. Although she’d always been reckless, she knew nothing about performing stunts.

  If only she had listened to Luke that day in the barn when he said it was too dangerous for her. Now, she had ruined ever
ything. After tonight’s celebration, there was no way she’d get out of her new role of stunt double for Velvet. Brent and the crew thought she was brilliant when, in reality, she was nothing but a fool. From now on, she would be trapped in a role, just the same as she was once trapped in a loveless engagement to a man who meant nothing to her at all.

  It was time she told Luke the truth about what her mother was planning to do. If they took money away from Valens Motion Pictures, it might mean money from Luke’s pocket as well and she didn’t want that. Her mother had already managed to get Brent to agree to pay Star more than he was paying Amber. Since she only had two more stunts to do until the end of the movie, Star didn’t feel it was fair.

  Of course, the pay would make up for the money she’d lost when her truck overturned, and also pay for a used vehicle. But it wasn’t nearly enough to keep up the ranch. They had sold off most of their cattle when her father died last year. The fifty head that were left wouldn’t be big enough to sell until spring.

  And since their bull died two weeks ago, there would be no more breeding until it was replaced. In the meantime, they still needed to pay the taxes on their ranch. Without that money soon, they would lose everything her parents had worked so hard to attain their entire lives.

  After weighing out the options in her mind, Star decided she couldn’t tell Luke about her mother’s devious plan. Not yet. But then again, she couldn’t let her mother bleed Valens Motion Pictures dry, either.

  Getting out of bed, she headed to the bathroom. She needed to talk to Luke, and it couldn’t wait. It was late and glancing at Luke’s connecting door, she realized the room was dark. She raised her hand to knock, but then decided not to.

  What if he was entertaining a woman in there like he was last night? She didn’t want to know. This conversation could wait until morning.

  After pacing her room for a few minutes, she stopped and looked out the open window. The moon shone brightly in the sky, surrounded by millions of tiny stars. She remembered Luke singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star in the shower. Had he been thinking about her when he was making love with someone else?

  She cursed under her breath when she saw a dim light coming from the stables. Someone must have forgotten to put out the lantern. Probably Zeke or Garvey, as they were well in their cups when they returned from the celebration.

  “Damn!” she whispered. “I can’t leave that lantern burning. If a horse kicks it over, our whole ranch could go up in flames.”

  Rushing out the door, Star didn’t bother to grab a cover-up. After all, everyone would be asleep at this ungodly hour. Besides, it was a warm night. Star had often walked outside in the oversized T-shirt she used for a nightgown. None of the ranch hands ever seemed to notice . . . or at least they didn’t show signs of it if they did.

  Tiptoeing from her room so as not to wake her mother or the rest of the guests that were staying there at her mother’s request, Star stopped in front of Luke’s bedroom door. She didn’t hear any noise coming from within and jealously wondered if there was a woman curled up in Luke’s arms. She thought about Velvet in her little string bikini and the way Luke looked at her. Star had noticed.

  She wished Luke would have looked at her that way. But then again, he had caressed her hair and held her tightly in his arms after he saved her from a mishap. And he shockingly didn’t accuse her of anything. He’d only smoothed down her hair and given her a kiss on the head. Could it mean something?

  No, she decided and continued down the stairs. She meant nothing to him at all. He had played her for a fool, making her think he really cared for her and then spent the night with someone else. But that kiss!

  Star tried to muffle the sound of her beating heart by pressing her hand against her chest. Just the thought of Luke kissing her again had her tingling in places she had never known existed. Then she thought of the love scene he was about to do with Velvet and her spirits fell.

  By the way he had eyed up Velvet the other day, she had no doubt he’d enjoy the love scene. After all, Ms. Berry-belle, as Luke called her, was a gem. Star looked down at her bedraggled bed garment, ran a hand through her tangled hair, and sighed. She would never be anything like Velvet even in her dreams. She was nothing but a simple farm girl.

  Strolling silently toward the stables in deep thought, the light from the full moon fell around her, throwing her shadow on the dusty ground. She watched the swagger of her shadow as it kept pace with her stride. Once again, she found herself thinking of Velvet’s walk with the seductive way she swayed her shapely hips.

  With a smile breaking across her face, Star’s eyes swept the area for anyone who’d be crazy enough to be out there at three o’clock in the morning.

  No one. Good! She watched her shadow once more as it walked alongside her. This time is was different. This time it jutted out in different areas, as its curves drastically moved from side to side.

  “Eat your heart out, Ms. Velvet Barabelle!” Star chuckled.

  Stopping at the stable door, she surveyed her shadow one last time. Letting out her breath, she watched as her chest sunk at least two inches, and her posture relaxed to a normal position. Another sigh escaped her lips.

  Quietly pulling open the stable door and stepping inside, Star came to the conclusion that the life of a star, decked out in expensive designer clothes and wearing gobs of makeup, was not for her. Never could she learn to act like the fine-bred ladies. They always put on acts, and tried to be someone they weren’t at all. It was something she could never do. Still, a small part of her conscience wondered if she could. It seemed Luke Tyler took a liking to these kinds of women. Maybe if she conducted herself in a similar way . . .

  “Take me now, my outlaw,” came a woman’s voice from inside the stables. “If I’m to live another moment without feeling your body within me, I shall die.”

  Star stopped in her tracks and felt her heart sink in her chest. There was no doubt in her mind, that voice was definitely Velvet’s.

  “I will, you little wanton,” came Luke’s low, seductive drawl. “My body’s achin’ for the pleasures you have to offer.”

  Star dove behind a barrel, eyes wide at the idea that Velvet Barabelle . . . the woman who complained that the smell of these stables made her ill . . . was sneaking away in the middle of the night to make love in the hay with a man she pretended to despise.

  “Take me, my love,” came Velvet’s voice again. “I’ve waited a lifetime for a man like you. I love you.”

  That conniving, wretched, lower than beetle dung woman! She had told Star to her face that she despised Luke, and now she acted this way in private. What was her game? Did she find it amusing to treat men lower than a worm during the day and expect them to come crawling to her in lust at night?

  Star peeked around the side of the barrel and spotted Luke’s bare shoulders above the top of one of the stalls. His dark hair was tied back and he was leaning over slightly, looking down at the floor. She watched the glow from the lantern throw his masculine shadow upon the wall behind him. For a slight second, she imagined her own shadow embraced with his, dancing with the rhythm that was older than time. She saw herself in place of the lustrous Velvet Barabelle who must have been laying spread eagle atop the hay on the floor right now.

  “I love you, too!” came Luke’s reply. It angered and, at the same time, saddened Star to hear Luke’s confession, even though she half-wondered if he spoke the truth. His words seemed stiff and forced. Just like they did the other night when she listened at his door. As a matter of fact, he was using the same lines on Velvet that he used on the last girl he was with. How unimaginative and disgusting.

  “I don’t care,” Star hissed through her teeth. “If he wants Velvet, it’s none of my business.” She turned to leave but, one last time, threw a glance over her shoulder. Luke’s head disappeared behind the wall of the stall, and he mumbled something she couldn’t decipher.

  Star bit her bottom lip to keep from crying. She had hoped L
uke would someday want her the way she secretly wanted him. Hope had filled her heart that the rumors she heard about Luke Tyler being a womanizer to get what he wanted were untrue. Well, what she stumbled upon tonight sealed her suspicions of him bedding women for mere pleasure. What a wretch of a man he was to play with women in this way.

  “No,” she decided as her anger replaced her feelings of pity. “He won’t get away with this if I can help it. I’ll put an end to this nonsense once and for all.”

  Turning on her heel, she stormed toward the stall that Luke and his lover occupied. Soft clucking and cooing noises from inside turned her stomach. She didn’t want to have to listen to that woman’s sounds of lovemaking for one more second.

  Star kicked open the door to the stall, her mouth dropping open at the scene before her.

  “Damn you!” shouted Luke. “You good-for-nothin’ bitch, you ruined everything!”

  The gate smashed into the wall, and it snapped back in the opposite direction. Star expected to see an angry, naked cowboy ready to kill her for interrupting his intimate moment. But instead, she witnessed Luke Tyler, bare-chested, but in a pair of jeans, leaning over an old tape recorder. His hand fastened on to a cassette tape that was hanging half-chewed out of Maxi’s mouth. Baby was pecking at the buttons, making the door eject and reclose.

  The gate creaked on its rusty hinges as Star stood motionless, watching. Luke slowly turned his head to face her.

  “Well, if it isn’t Ms. Star Bright,” he drawled as he eyed up her oversized sleep shirt. “Out for a moonlight stroll?”

  “I . . . I . . .” Star felt embarrassed by the way she had acted. It was obvious now that her mind had run rampant. A blush rose to her cheeks as she stood before this half-naked, handsome devil. Her usual witty tongue seemed to tie into a knot. Pushing back her shoulders proudly, Star regained her confidence. “I am most certainly not!”

  “No?” Luke’s eyes swept her body from the top of her head to the tip of her bare toes, causing a flash of heat to surge through her.