Mending The Billionaire Movie Star (MacLachlan Brothers Romance Book 1)

by Bree Livingston

  “Another shopping spree?”

  “No. I’ve got something else in mind.” She winked and walked out.

  Chapter 41

  Penelope felt as if she were coming out of a fog, and a sterile smell stung her nose. She opened her eyes and glanced around. She was alone in the room, and the sun was beginning to pour in. Her mouth was dry and sticky.

  “Hey!” Angus smiled as he greeted her from the door. Two long strides, and he was sitting beside her.

  Her heart jumped into her throat. She’d never been happier to see anyone. “Hi.”

  “Feeling any better?” he asked, skating his fingertips across her cheeks and jaw. He seemed to be making sure she was real.

  She nodded. “I’m feeling better.

  “Are you thirsty?”

  “A little.” She licked her lips. “A lot.”

  Angus poured her a glass of water from the pitcher sitting on her nightstand and held the cup as she drank it. The water tasted so good, and she could feel the cool liquid as it raced to her stomach.

  After her third cup, she asked, “How long have I been here?”

  “About thirty-six hours, give or take.”

  “What happened?”

  Angus wouldn’t meet her eyes. “We think the stalker got in the house and switched your insulin. What you took was not what the label said it was. It was fast-acting insulin.”

  “So, I was poisoned that first time.”

  “I think so. The lab is still having a hard time determining what was in the creamer. I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  He slowly brought his gaze to hers. “I feel responsible.”

  Penelope sat up. “You aren’t.”

  “If I’d done as you asked. Not followed you outside…”

  “I’d have missed spending time with you.” She smiled. “Besides, as much as I didn’t want you doing it, it’s not like I was complaining. And didn’t Barb want us spending time together?”

  Angus crushed her to him. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  She wrapped her arms around him. “This isn’t your fault.”

  Angus leaned away and smoothed her hair back as he locked gazes with her. “I’m not trying to hide or be secretive. There’s no filming here. I’m telling you so you’ll know, and I don’t expect anything back yet. I love you, Penelope Cooper. If something happens to you, it’ll kill me.”

  Her heart was so far up in her throat that she couldn’t speak. He’d said them. Those three deadly little words skittered off his tongue, out of his lips, and curled around her like barbed wire. They were embedded. If he took them back, there’d be nothing but raw hunks of her left.

  “Angus…” she whispered.

  “I meant every word.” He kissed the side of her face as he held her flush against him. “You have my heart.”

  Penelope curled a lock of his hair around her finger. “There’s still almost two weeks of the show left.”

  “Aye, which is why I can’t scream it, but you can know. When this show is over, we’re flying to meet the rest of my kin. To show you where I come from.”

  She wanted to say those three words back, but…she’d said them to Tom too quickly. She didn’t want to say them this time until she was sure.

  “I know you can’t say it yet, but I see it. I feel it. When you finally do, it’ll be like standing under a waterfall.”

  Penelope desperately wanted to say something in return. “I can’t say them yet, but I can tell you I’ve never felt safer or more loved by anyone. I feel such shame that I misjudged you and hurt you so many times. I wish I could take it back.” She cupped his cheek. “You are warm, kind, and caring. Your laughter and your smile give me goosebumps. Everything about you is so much more than I could have ever guessed.”

  He kissed her soft and slow. “I love you, Penelope Cooper.”

  Penelope broke the kiss. “What about the stalker? What if they hurt you?” Fear gripped her. The thought of losing him took her breath away.

  “They’ve never tried before.”

  “But haven’t they changed the way they do things? The letters were different, right?”

  “Aye.”

  “So, who’s to say they won’t?”

  The door swung open, and Clara stood in the doorway. She sauntered in with her mouth twisted into a smirk.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t let anything happen to my Angus,” she purred.

  Chapter 42

  Clara’s toxic presence filled the room. Her bag hung on her forearm, and she cocked a hip as she stood by the bed, staring him down.

  “I’m not yours.” He stood and glared at her.

  “You’re mine for at least two more years. Also, according to your contract, you have to meet contractual obligations for any production you’re involved in; otherwise, I have the choice to either sue you for breach of contract or extend it. It seems to me that you being here isn’t meeting the obligation you made. The show needs you, and you need to get back to the lodge.”

  “What about his stalker?” asked Penelope as she covered his hand with hers.

  “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll keep him safe.” Clara sashayed to Angus and dangled her arm over his shoulder.

  “I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, pushing her arm off and standing.

  “No, he won’t,” Clara growled.

  Angus took her by the arm and pulled her out of Penelope’s room. “What are you doing here?” he hissed.

  “I told you. I’m looking out for my interests, and currently, my interest is you. You need to get back to the lodge. Unless, of course, you want to extend your contract.” Clara walked her fingers up his chest and circled her arms around his neck. “Or I could be persuaded by a third option.”

  Angus pulled her arms down and stepped back. “We’re done. The only thing we have between us is that blasted contract. I’ll fulfill it, and that’s all.”

  Clara stuck out her bottom lip. “Aww, but I need you. Timothy isn’t you. In more ways than one.” Her gaze roamed down his face and body.

  She sickened him. How he could have ever loved her or continued to run back to her baffled him. There was no way he was extending the contract or anything else with the woman.

  “I’ll say goodbye to Penelope and go back to the lodge. You’ll stay away from her. You hear me?”

  Clara leaned back, arms crossed over her chest. “You don’t make the demands. I do.”

  “The contract is only valid if I continue acting. I love acting, which is why I put up with this for so long. But if you push me, I’ll quit.”

  “You will not. I know you, Angus. This is where you belong. You’d never give up acting.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “I would for her.”

  Clara’s mask of confidence dropped for a fraction of a second. “Say your goodbyes. I have a car waiting downstairs. You have ten minutes.”

  “Fine.” Angus scowled and walked back into Penelope’s room. “That woman,” he muttered as he sat next to her.

  Penelope placed her hand flat against his chest. “I’m so sorry.”

  He covered her hand with his. “It’s my own fault for being stubborn and unwilling to listen to anyone. She’s a mistake I can’t seem to put behind me.”

  “I wish I knew what to do for you. Plate breaking won’t help this, I don’t think.”

  Angus snorted. “Only if I was throwing them at her.”

  “She wants you to leave, doesn’t she?”

  He nodded.

  “It’s okay.”

  “I’m going to quit acting. It’s the only way to be free of her. If I quit, the contract is done. I can’t act again, but I’m tired of her.” Angus waited to see Penelope’s reaction.

  “No, you can’t do that. You love acting. We’ll figure a way out.”

  He sighed heavily. “I want that to be true. I can’t take it anymore.” If he told her it was because he wanted her more than acting, she’d leave him. For her, he’d quit and
never look back. “I have to go.”

  Penelope combed her fingers through his hair. “I know. I’ll be fine. I’ll see you in a few days.”

  “I don’t want to go. I hate that show.”

  “I don’t. Not anymore.”

  He slipped his arms around her. “A few days, but I get a late-night talk when you’re feeling up to it.”

  She chuckled. “Okay.”

  Angus stood. He rubbed his thumb across her lips, bent down, and kissed her. Without another word, he walked out of the room to the car waiting for him.

  Clara’s smug face greeted him as he got in. “I was almost beginning to think you’d broken our contract.”

  He looked out the window and remained silent.

  “I own you, Angus. The sooner you get on board, the happier you’ll be.”

  Angus cast a glance at her. He seethed.

  Her lips were twisted into a half-snarl. “You’re pretty hung up on that dime-store tramp.”

  He wasn’t going to take the bait. This time, he’d keep his temper in check.

  She switched sides in the limo and pressed herself into him. “You smell good, Angus.”

  “We’re done, Clara.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Angus took her by the shoulders and pushed her back. “We’re done, Clara.”

  Clara slinked back to her side. “I’ll get what I want. I always do.”

  He sat in silence until the car pulled in front of the lodge and then jumped out, nearly breaking into a run to his room.

  Chapter 43

  Three days later, a little after sunrise, Penelope checked out of the hospital. Barb had planned to personally pick her up later in the day, but when the hospital changed her discharge to that morning, Barb had no choice but to send a car.

  For most of the day, Penelope stayed in her room, resting. That evening, as she walked out of the bathroom, dressed and towel drying her hair, she heard a knock at the door. She opened it, and Barb walked in.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t check on you earlier today. I had some calls I wasn’t expecting. How are you feeling?” she asked.

  “Better. I expected Angus to be here. Where is he?” She hadn’t seen him since Clara came for him at the hospital, and she missed him.

  “Clara has him jumping through hoops. They flew out to California for meetings with producers. We halted filming while you were gone. If I’d been smarter, I wouldn’t have, for his sake. I don’t know if he’s coming in tonight or tomorrow morning.”

  “She’s awful to him.”

  Barb lifted an eyebrow. “You have no idea.”

  “Isn’t there a―I don’t know―a clause for behavior from her? Like something that says she has to act a certain way? Or maintain a professional relationship?”

  Barb’s forehead wrinkled. “I don’t know. We gave the contract to a lawyer to go over, and he told us Angus was stuck.”

  “Did you get a second opinion?”

  Her eyebrows furrowed. “Why? He’s the best lawyer in LA.”

  Penelope narrowed her eyes. “How long has he been practicing?”

  “A couple of decades.”

  “Does Clara know him?”

  Barb’s eyes widened. “I don’t think so, but it never occurred to me to ask. He’s the best lawyer in town with a pristine record of being honest.”

  Penelope chuckled. “That just means he hasn’t been caught.”

  “Where did this spunk come from?”

  Penelope lifted an eyebrow. “I was an accountant. I’ve seen people get away with a lot until they get caught. It’s amazing what comes out then.”

  Barb smiled. “Do me a favor.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t tell Angus. Don’t say a word about a second opinion. I don’t want to get his hopes up.”

  “Okay.”

  Barb stopped at the door and paused. “He loves you.”

  “How is that possible in just a few weeks?”

  “Darling, trying to define or put a time on those things is something I’m not qualified to do.”

  “It seems so fast. And we’re here. This isn’t real. Real life is hard. There are arguments, disagreements, harsh words. Love…is messy.”

  Barb grinned. “Yes, and it’s a decision no one can make for you. I just know Angus. He’s over the moon for you.”

  Penelope nodded. “He told me at the hospital.” He’d said the words, but what if it was a heat-of-the-moment thing? What if he’d said them because he was so caught up? What if he’d just been worried or stressed?

  “Darling, Angus doesn’t say things like that just to say them. When he loves, he loves. It’s all or nothing with him.”

  “Okay.”

  Barb took one last look at her and slipped out of the room.

  Penelope dropped back on the bed. He loved her. She loved him. At least he had the guts to say it.

  A few moments later, another knock came at the door. Penelope answered, hoping it was Angus this time. She was disappointed. “Hello, Zora.”

  Zora leaned against the doorframe and let her gaze roam over Penelope. “You look like you feel better.”

  “I do feel better.”

  “You had a pretty good scare. Are you okay?”

  “I guess.”

  “Had it happened before?”

  Penelope nodded. “When I was younger and just learning to control my diabetes. I had a few episodes. None were as scary as that one. One moment I was fine; the next minute I wasn’t.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re okay,” Zora said and touched her arm. “Despite what you might think, I don’t hate you or want to see you hurt.”

  Talk about unexpected. Penelope sure hadn’t been anticipating that. “Thank you for checking on me.”

  Straightening, Zora nodded and walked away.

  As Penelope stepped out of her room, walking toward the patio, Amber was walking by and stopped. “Hi, how ya feeling?”

  “Better. Thank you.” Amber was being polite?

  “Oh good. I’m glad to hear that.”

  Penelope nodded. Had she returned to the lodge, or was she in the Twilight Zone?

  She continued to the patio, hoping to relax in front of the fireplace, but she found her spot occupied. She inhaled the scent of the fire mixing with the cool evening air. It was so nice to be outside again. By the time she was released from the hospital, she was going stir-crazy.

  “Hey, I was beginning to wonder if we’d ever see you today,” Jeanie said.

  “I was beginning to wonder myself.”

  “Do you know what happened?”

  Jeanie didn’t need to know about the stalker. “Somehow my insulin was switched out with a different insulin.”

  Jeanie’s eyes widened. “Oh my gosh. Have you contacted the pharmacy where it was dispensed? They should have a record of it.”

  “Not yet.”

  “Well, I hope you find some answers.” Jeanie stood. “I know you enjoy sitting out here alone, so I’m going to go busy myself with something inside.” She stopped as she came shoulder to shoulder with Penelope. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.” She smiled and walked into the house.

  Penelope sighed and walked to her chair. Well, the one she called hers.

  She was excited to get out of the hospital. Mostly because she was missing Angus. She’d pictured seeing him and his smile. She loved his smile. Well, she loved all of him.

  Penelope wrapped her arms around herself and curled her legs under her. It was the middle of November, and while she was gone, it had snowed. It was white and beautiful as far as the eye could see.

  Only a week and a half left of the show. What would her life look like then? Twelve weeks had sounded like an eternity in the beginning, but once she began to really see Angus for who he was, time had flown by.

  She leaned her head back on the chair and closed her eyes, listening to the fire crackle and pop. It was music, and before she knew it, she’d fallen asleep.

  Chapte
r 44

  Angus rolled his head, trying to ease the tension in his shoulders. He’d flown to LA with Clara. When Barb halted filming, Clara had filled his schedule with back-to-back meetings while Penelope recovered. He’d come back with two scripts and a promise to read three more. In the grand scheme of things, it had been a productive three days.

  He was exhausted. Both from the lack of sleep and from fending off Clara. Angus suspected she thought she could run him into the ground and, in a moment of weakness, he’d ruin what he had with Penelope. That wasn’t going to happen, though. He could be a zombie and remain faithful to her.

  When she realized Angus wasn’t going to relent, she’d decided to remain in LA, so he’d flown to Montana alone and actually found peace in returning to the lodge. He hoped she’d leave him alone for the rest of the show.

  “Hi,” Zora said as he walked in the door.

  Now that he was standing still, he didn’t feel good. And he didn’t have any patience for Zora. “Hi.”

  “How was LA?”

  Exhaustion was settling in, and his shoulders sagged. “Tiring but productive.”

  “That’s good news.”

  Amber bounced into the room. “Oh, hey, the stranger returns!”

  He nodded. “I’ve returned.” His stomach turned a little, but he shrugged it off, blaming it on the travel.

  Jeanie must have heard Zora and Amber because she joined them seconds later. “Hey! Are you okay?”

  “Just tired from the meetings and travel.”

  They gathered around him, clucking like hens. Even Jeanie was joining in, which surprised him. The longer he stood there, the more he wanted to lie down. He wished they’d relax and stop trying so hard. Pretending was too much for him at the moment.

  If Penelope was out of the hospital, he would be excited, but when he’d spoken to Barb last night, the word was that she would be staying another day. Part of him had wanted to go straight there, but it was late, and she needed to rest.

  Barb stepped onto the first floor and stopped next to him. “Now filming can resume.”