The Movie Star Rescue

by Jenna Brandt

  “I’ll do it,” José volunteered. “Let’s get this done and seal the window up so we can all go back to sleep.”

  “While you guys are working on this, I’m going to go lay down. I’m exhausted.” Britney stood from her chair and turned to leave.

  “Do you want me to go with you?” Nicole offered, glancing around at the men.

  Britney shook her head. “Why don’t you stay out here in case there’s anything you can do to help?”

  The men made quick work of cutting the remainder of the trunk. They threw the top outside, then pushed the rest of the bottom out with help from Matt. Next, they lifted the plywood over the window while James nailed the corners into place. Nicole got a blanket to put over it to keep it insulated.

  “I think that should do it,” James said, stepping back with pride. “We did a good job everyone. Thank you for your help.”

  “Now that this is all done, I think I will head back to bed, too.” Matt took off down the hall to his own guest room and disappeared out of sight.

  “And I think I will go lay back down on the couch,” José turned towards the living room. “All that sawing has worn me out.”

  “Let me walk you back to your room so you can try to go to sleep,” James offered to Nicole. “Sorry your warm milk got ruined by a tree falling on it.”

  “Speaking of that, why don’t I help you clean up the remaining mess before I go to sleep. You shouldn’t have to do it by yourself.”

  The two of them picked up the shattered mugs, the tree branches, and the carton of cookies. They threw away the broken items, then swept up the debris and put it in a garbage bag. James looked around the area and was fairly certain they cleaned everything up. “I think that about does it.”

  “You can walk me to my room now,” Nicole said with a smile. “I feel like I can finally sleep.”

  James walked her down the hall, stopping just outside the door. He leaned against it, giving her a wide grin. “You did a good job of remaining calm when your friend got hurt. You’re tougher than I first thought.”

  “I’m glad to hear I surprised you,” she said as she returned his smile.

  “More than you know.” James tilted his head to the side, wondering what it would be like to kiss her. They were so close right now, if he just moved a fraction closer, he could place his lips on hers and find out.

  “It goes both ways, you know. I thought you were just a mean, gruff mountain man who didn’t care about anyone but himself.”

  “And now?” he said, putting his hand on the side of her face.

  “You’re still a gruff mountain man,” she jested with a wink, “but I realize now, there’s far more to you than just that.”

  James couldn’t help himself—her lips were far too tempting. A desire to kiss her consumed him. He had to find out just how incredible they would feel against his own. He moved towards her, his body brushing against hers as his mouth drifted down.

  Before their lips could touch though, Britney asked through the door. “Nicole, is that you out there making all that noise?” Then the door swung open, and James stumbled forward, nearly toppling over in the process before he righted himself.

  When Britney realized what she just interrupted, her eyes rounded with embarrassment as she stammered out, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you weren’t alone.”

  “It’s okay. I was just about to come to bed anyway,” Nicole said as she moved past him into the room. “Goodnight, James; I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  “Looking forward to it,” he said in return, as he stepped back and watched the door shut down his chances to kiss Nicole, at least for tonight. Of course, when they woke up, that would be a different story. He knew now, he was determined to get another chance.

  8

  Everyone slept in the following morning, so by the time they woke up, the blizzard had calmed. It hadn’t dissipated all the way yet. James told them that by the following day, it might be safe enough to travel to the resort; however, that meant that Nicole would be leaving. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

  James had nearly kissed her last night, and if he had, she would have let him. The question was, what would that have meant for her? Sure, she was attracted to him, but was there any possible way it could be more than a random kiss? They came from completely different worlds, but weirder things had happened. Julia Roberts married her cameraman, and Ellen Pompeo met her husband at the grocery store. Why couldn’t she meet someone while trapped in a cabin by a blizzard?

  “Are you awake?” Britney inquired from the other twin bed beside her.

  “Yes, I just haven’t gotten the motivation to climb out of bed. I feel so sore from yesterday; I can’t even imagine how I’m going to feel once I get up.” Nicole rolled over and looked at her friend. “How is your arm doing?”

  Britney gingerly lifted it up and moved it around. “James must have really given me some great pain relievers, because it’s only a dull throb.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Nicole stated optimistically. “I was really worried about you.”

  “That’s because you’re a good friend.” Britney stood up and slipped her socks and shoes back on. “If you’re ready, I think we should head into the kitchen. I’m starving.”

  “Me too, just give me a minute.” Nicole stood up and put her own shoes on, then looked in the mirror to fix her hair and makeup with the items she had in her purse.

  Britney came up behind her with a knowing smile. “Getting ready for a handsome rescue officer who happens to be in the other room?”

  “I’ll only admit that if you admit you’re doing the same for a certain ski patroller.”

  Britney froze with her hands in her curls, realizing she was just as caught as her friend. “I guess we can agree to not mention this again until we’re both ready.”

  The friends exited the room and headed down the hallway. Nicole was ready to cook breakfast, but to her surprise, James was already bringing out plates of food to the table.

  “What’s all of this?” Nicole inquired with surprise.

  “I was just about to come get you both. I woke up before everyone, so I decided to make biscuits and gravy. There’s also fresh fruit and scrambled eggs.”

  “You sure know how to spoil a girl. I could get used to this.” As soon as she said the words, she realized it was a rather revealing comment. Her eyes met his for a split second before she let them fall to the table. She didn’t want him to think she was expecting anything to develop between them beyond her stay at the cabin.

  Britney must have not noticed the awkward tension, because she leaned over the table and picked up a strawberry and popped it into her mouth. “Delicious; I can’t wait to eat.”

  Matt and José joined the rest of the group around the table and they served themselves. The conversation was easy, talking about the happenings on the movie set and José’s work with the ski patrol.

  “You know, your ski patrol team sounds like it could be an interesting premise for a great rom-com,” Matt noted. “I know some producers who are always looking for new ideas. I could pitch it to them. What do you think about that, Nicole? You’ve never done a rom-com in the snow before. I think your fans would love it. You’ve managed to handle yourself pretty well up here for your passion project; it’d be smart to use that experience to make some actual money.”

  Nicole stiffened, hating that Matt was talking about her current movie as if it were little more than giving into a spoiled child’s whim. She wasn’t sure how to respond, but before she made a decision, she heard James jump to her defense.

  “I think Nicole should do ten more crime dramas if that’s what she feels like doing,” James asserted, setting his mug down on the table. “It’s her career, after all.”

  “You shouldn’t comment on something you know nothing about,” Matt fumed with narrowed eyes. “It shows how little you really know about the movie industry and how it works. A lot of people have invested a ton of time and mon
ey into making Nicole West’s name synonymous with rom-com. That isn’t something you just walk away from because you decide you want to change directions in your career.”

  “I think you need to realize that Nicole’s more than just a name, she’s a person,” James countered. “If you took the time to ask her what she wants, you might realize she doesn’t want what you’re trying to force on her anymore.”

  “I think I’ve had enough to eat,” Matt grumbled as he stood up from the table. He leaned over and placed a fatherly kiss on Nicole’s head, adding, “I’m going back to my room to go over some scripts for you. Let me know when we can leave this place and put all of this behind us.”

  “Why don’t we clear the table and do the dishes,” Britney suggested, elbowing José in the side.

  Once Nicole was alone with James, she tried to do damage control. “I’m sorry about that. I know he appears ungrateful for all you’ve done for us, but he’s just overprotective. I’ve had a lot of people try to take advantage of me over the years, and he’s had to fend all of them off. He just doesn’t want me to get hurt.”

  “I respect that, but I’m not someone who is ever going to hurt you,” James vowed. “I only want the best for you, Nicole. You deserve to be happy.”

  Nicole’s heart warmed at the kind words. It wasn’t often that someone seemed to care about her just for herself—usually they wanted something from her. “Thank you, that’s very sweet of you.”

  “So, I know I didn’t offer a lot of options for things to do last night while we waited for it to be safe enough to travel, but I do have a secret stash of board games in one of the cupboards in the living room.”

  “Board games?” Nicole clapped her hands together in excitement. “I love board games. Which ones do you have?”

  “Let’s go take a look. I’ll let you pick out what we play.”

  They headed over to the bookcase and opened the cabinet below. There were dozens of games, and she pulled out a game called Sequence. “This is my favorite. I used to play it all the time with my mom when she didn’t have to work.”

  “What does she do for a living?”

  Nicole’s smile wavered for a moment, as she choked back the tears that were forming in her throat. “She was a registered nurse and worked at the local hospital where we lived in Arizona. She raised me as a single mom and did a wonderful job at it. I had an older brother, but he took off when I was ten and we never heard from him again. My mom was diagnosed with cancer when I was a senior in high school. Shortly after graduation, I started working to pay the bills. She passed away when I was nineteen. I’d acted in several school plays and loved it, so once I was on my own, I decided to move out to Hollywood and try my hand at it professionally.”

  “And look at what you did with it. You’re one of the most famous actresses in all of the world. I think your mom would be proud of you.”

  “I’d like to think that,” Nicole admitted, knowing it was a bittersweet idea. “My mom loved coming to my plays. She recorded every single one of them while she sat in the front row.”

  “It sounds like you had a wonderful mom.”

  “I did, and I miss her every day.” Nicole leaned back against the bookshelf, holding the game against her chest. “What about your parents? Are you close to them?”

  “I was, but they passed away in a car accident three years ago. We lived in Denver when I was a kid, but spent our summers here at our cabin on Clear Mountain. I inherited this place from my parents and couldn’t bear to part with it, even though I now live a day’s drive away at the academy in Texas. I re-connected with José when I came to check on the property after their death. We used to work together in the junior ski patrol every summer, and I even went to college in Clear Mountain until I heard the Colorado National Guard had openings for full-time rescue officers. I jumped at the chance.”

  “How did you end up working with Siku?”

  “My commanding officer saw potential in me, and told me I could advance faster if I was certified as a K9 handler. My family never had pets, so I wasn’t even sure if I would get along with a dog, but I didn’t want to disappoint my lieutenant. When I met Siku though, we just clicked, and there was no going back for me. When a spot opened up at the Disaster City Search and Rescue Academy in Texas, which is the most elite training program in all of the world, I decided I had to apply. When Siku and I got offered one of only two spots for the snow rescue team, it was the happiest day of my life.”

  “That’s really impressive, James; I can see you really love your job.”

  “It was what I always wanted to do. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

  The comment made Nicole re-think what she was doing with James. He just made it clear, he wasn’t willing to give up what he did. Even if there was a possibility there was a connection between them, how could they explore it with her career being in California, and his being in Texas?

  Nicole took the game over to the coffee table and set up the board filled with painted cards on it. She then handed James the red tokens and took the blue ones for herself. “I hope you’re ready to get schooled on this game. I’m really good.”

  “Can we join you?” Britney asked as they came into the room. “We’re finished with the clean-up.”

  “Sure, but I’m teaming up with Nicole,” James said, handing his own tokens over to Britney.

  The four of them spent the next couple of hours playing games together. On the third round of charades, Britney did something with her arm which caused her to flinch.

  “What’s wrong?” James asked, coming over to inspect her wound. “Did you notice anything when you changed the bandage this morning, José?”

  He shook his head. “It seemed fine to me. I mean, it was swollen and red, but I figured that was normal because of how deep and jagged the wound is.”

  James unwrapped the bandage and sighed. “This isn’t good. It’s actually getting redder. Plus, now there’s a small cluster of tiny spots on the skin.”

  “What does that mean?” Britney asked with fright. “Am I going to die?”

  “No, but it means we can’t wait until tomorrow to head to the resort,” James explained, as he reached up and placed his hand on her forehead. “And you’ve got a fever developing, too.”

  “We need antibiotics to treat her wound, and they have a stash of them at the resort,” José added. “She’s probably starting to get an infection. If we wait too long, she could get blood poisoning.”

  “Blood poisoning?” Britney squeaked out. “That sounds really bad. Can’t we just call for help?”

  “The phone lines are down, and there’s no cell reception. We won’t be able to get help for days most likely. That’s why I need to get to the resort and get the medicine and bring it back here. I don’t want to risk taking everyone out there until some time has passed and we know the storm is all the way over.”

  “If you can make the trip, then we can, too. Our goal was always to get back to the resort, so you’re not leaving without us,” Matt said, as he came into the room.

  “I know you don’t want to risk everyone’s life out there, but what if Britney gets worse while you’re gone? There’s only so much I can do without antibiotics,” José pointed out. “I think Matt’s right, and we should all go together.”

  For a moment, Nicole thought James might argue with the men, but instead he nodded. “If we’re all going, we need to pack up quickly, so we don’t get caught outside after sunset.”

  The group spent the next half-hour getting ready to go. The roads were impassible, so they’re only way out was to take the snowmobiles. They locked up the cabin and headed outside, where they shoveled a path to the vehicles.

  “There’s only room for four people,” Matt explained. “Maybe you should just stay here in your cabin where you belong, James.”

  Nicole could tell Matt wanted to keep James away from her. It didn’t matter though; it wasn’t about whatever was going on between her and James. Right n
ow, all that mattered was getting Britney help.

  “I want to go and make sure Britney is okay, and since I have my own snowmobile, getting there won’t be a problem.” James went over and pulled out his own vehicle from the shed. “I’m going to load each snowmobile with a survival and avalanche kit.”

  “I know what’s in a survival kit, but what’s in an avalanche one, and why would we need it?” Nicole asked with confusion.

  “There’s an avalanche beacon, probe, and collapsible snow shovel. With all this fresh snow, it can create an uneven snowpack. The ground could shift, and we could get caught in one. The kit could save our lives. I also have two avalanche backpacks.”

  “I think Nicole should wear one,” Matt declared, stepping over and grabbing one to put on her. “She’s the most important person here.”

  “And Britney should have one since she’s injured,” José added, taking the other one and putting it on her.

  “I’ve only seen avalanches in the movies. I don’t really understand how they work. Can you explain them to me so I understand how this thing is supposed to save my life?” Britney asked with concern, as she gestured to the backpack she was now wearing.

  “Imagine it like this; you tip a coffee table up on its edge and a book slides off the table. Now, imagine you’re standing in the middle of the book. The way the backpack works is when the avalanche settles, you pull the cord. It’s designed to make you rise to the surface of the snow.”

  Britney gasped, the look of fear clear in her eyes. “I wish I hadn’t asked.”

  “What about the rest of us? What are we supposed to do if we get caught in an avalanche?” Matt inquired with worry, glancing around at the snow surrounding them.

  “You would need to make an air pocket for yourself until you are rescued. That’s why the shovel is so important. The beacon is so someone knows where to find you.”

  “How do I know how to use any of it? It sounds like way too much to remember,” Matt complained.