“You know how I told you, a few months ago, that you’d need to start looking for someone to replace me on the show …”
A wave of relief swept through Mia at her words; this was about the show. Not Hunter. Hunter, who’d she’d shared the most amazing night with. Hunter, who she was falling harder and faster for with each passing day. It took a moment for her mind to shift gears, recall what her friend had even said. A replacement … Oh yeah, she did know that.
“Mia?” Karen urged.
“I kind of remember.” The truth was, the conversation had been hard to forget. She’d simply ignored it and hoped that Karen would change her mind. After all, the woman’s super-long-term engagement to Eddie seemed to dictate the idea. And the last time she’d heard, they still had at least another year before wedding bells would ring. That meant she’d at least have another six months to find her replacement.
“I put in an application at KIRO in Denver, where Eddie’s parents live. I had my second online interview with them before we left.” Her voice was small and hesitant.
“You did?” Despite the concern the news brought, genuine excitement coated Mia’s words. “You’re kidding! How did it go?”
Karen pulled her hands off her face and hoisted herself onto her elbows. Her eyes met Mia’s. “They called twenty minutes ago. The job’s mine. I start at the first of next month.”
Mia squealed. “That’s so exciting!”
“I know,” Karen said hesitantly. “It is, right?” She sat up, and Mia threw her arms around her.
“Yes,” she assured. “It’s awesome! I’m so happy for you.”
Karen tossed her arms around her in return. “You’re not mad?”
“I want to be mad,” she admitted with a laugh. “But I always knew you wanted to pursue a …” She paused, not liking the phrasing she was about to use. “… a professional career.”
“Mia,” Karen said through a teary grin, “this is a professional career. You’re so successful, and it’s growing bigger every day. But Eddie and I want to live closer to family. And since his parents are more involved than mine will ever be …” She shrugged. “It just feels right.”
“Yeah,” Mia said with a nod.
“I’ll help you pay the last two months of our lease, and help you look for a new roomie so you can sign another six months if you’d like.”
That was fair. Horrible, but fair. “So the wedding will be in Denver?”
Karen nodded. “Yep. I’ll stay with Eddie’s sister until then. And you’ll still be my bridesmaid, you know? You don’t mind coming out for the wedding …”
“Not at all,” she assured. “That will be fun.” Mia had no idea what this meant for her or the Try My Life show. Only knew that she was basically losing her entire filming crew, her closest friend, and her roommate all at once. And the timing—it was horrible! She’d finally worked up the nerve to take a break away from the demands of the show, and now this.
Her strongest instincts told her it was a bad idea to stay now. That she couldn’t afford to if she wanted to keep her show going. And could she really find a roommate before it came time to sign the lease?
“Mia?” Concern formed in Karen’s searching gaze. “You okay?”
She nodded. “Of course. I really am thrilled for you. It’s a lot to take in, but I know things will work out.” She gave her friend another hug, figuring it had to be true.
“They definitely will,” Karen said. “And like you said, this week’s segment will be our biggest yet.”
Mia wanted to believe that, but the ugly fear of failure roared to life once more, breeding a familiar desperation. One that caused Mia’s mind to race with ideas. She reached for her pen and planner and flicked open the page.
“What if we could squeeze a few extra shoots in today? In addition to the shoot at the chicken coop, we could do another at the rodeo. Hunter’s not announcing tonight, but he said he can get me in the booth so I can at least interview Bill. I wasn’t going to do it, but I’m thinking now that I should. And then tonight at the bar, we can shoot another one with the mechanical bull. So that’s three more segments to spread out over the next few weeks, meaning we can store up the subsequent ones and spread them out.”
“That’s brilliant! Then you don’t have to stress out about staying the extra week.”
“Right.” The word might have fallen from her lips, but Mia wasn’t sure if she meant it. Already she was wishing she hadn’t skipped the first day. Gramps would have been fine either way. “You know, I’m really wishing we’d have shot a segment with Hunter showing me how to ride or something.”
“But you already knew how to ride,” Karen said.
“Yeah, but it would have made really good footage.” A vision of dumb Daniel came to mind; she couldn’t let Karen’s exit be the beginning of the end for Try My Life. “I wonder if we could sneak something like that in this morning and say it was recorded back on Day 1 …”
She died off there, halted by the sight of Karen’s face. The expression was one she’d seen before, but it usually wasn’t aimed at her.
“What?” Mia asked.
“Are you serious right now?”
She kind of was, but the idea was obviously not great. “Well, how about we add another shoot during lunch?” Mia offered instead. “Skinny Alex likes spicy foods. I’ll try anything on the menu—the hotter the better. Then, between me, you, and the ranch hands, we can gear up some excitement among the locals.”
Karen’s shoulders lifted. “That’s a much better idea. What if I call the local press and see if we can create some buzz that way? If I send them links to news clips that featured us back home, we’re bound to get a response.”
“Yeah,” Mia said, “let’s do that.” She couldn’t remember why she’d objected to the idea in the first place.
“So you’re saying yes to the press now?”
Mia nodded, an ounce of trepidation sinking in as she considered Hunter’s reaction. He might not appreciate it. Heck, she should probably okay the idea with Gramps, but she couldn’t risk having him tell her no. Not with her career hovering in the delicate internet balance. Besides, it wasn’t as if she were shooting on the property. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission. “Yeah, let’s go for it.”
“This is awesome! In a town this small we’ll totally get local reporters to come out.”
Mia pushed past the building nerves within her and scribbled on a fresh sheet of paper. “Find out where lunch is going to be. We should be able to build some hype there with the help of the restaurant owner. Let’s tell the city recreation that we’ll be at the rodeo, too, shooting a segment for our show. And then,” she added, scribbling Stoke’s Brews on the slip, “we’ll shoot the big finale at the bar, where I’ll cling to that bull like my life depends on it. Maybe my life will depend on it.” A mixture of dread and adrenaline stirred within her.
“Perfect!” Karen let out a cheer as she sped out of the room. “This is going to be awesome …”
Mia shut her door behind her, anxious to get started. Already she was recalling the reasons she’d been against news reporters and that kind of hype. She’d wanted to focus on Gramps, which she’d already done. And to protect their privacy, which she’d still do. Viewers would get a vague idea of where the ranch was, but no full names or addresses would be revealed.
Of course, cowboy-crazed women were more likely to look for Hunter if they gathered attention before the segments even aired, but this would be good for the show. And that’s what mattered most right now. The men who cared for her would agree as well; Mia had simply worked too hard to let the show fall apart.
She glanced at her phone on the nightstand, fearing that her plan to extend her stay might not be the best move. An image of boarding tomorrow’s plane floated to mind. Leaving Gramps and Hunter behind. She’d hate to do it, especially after telling Hunter she planned to stay, but the truth was, Mia might not be staying after all.
Chapter 15
Mia grinned, her gorgeous blue eyes shifting from the view to him, and then to the view once more. “Yep. Wow, look at that crowd.”
For the last two blocks, the streets of Walkersville had looked more like a stream of consecutive parking lots. And now, a good fifty yards down the way, a massive crowd awaited them out front of Stoke’s Brews. Bright lights, including those of local news stations, lit the ridiculously crowded lot. A flimsy stream of flagged banners led to the red carpet Stoke’s had promised would be waiting after the rodeo.
Try My Life’s week had started off calm and quiet. Heck, it’d remained that way nearly the entire time, which had suited Hunter just fine. But something had changed in Mia. It was like she’d gone to bed as one person and woken up as someone entirely different.
She’d assured Hunter that it was necessary. She’d need the extra footage in order to stay longer, with Karen leaving the show and all.
But the crowds, the media … Hadn’t she said she wanted to keep it more remote?
They hadn’t even looked at the mechanical bull Mia was about to mount, but already the day had been one long and eventful ride. Earlier, a small media crew had gathered at the BBQ Pit, where Mia took on the buffalo wing challenge. She’d tried, failed, and made an adorable mess of herself in the process. They’d awarded her with a shirt bearing the restaurant’s name while a handful of cameras flashed.
The folks at the rodeo had made her the center of attention, this time on a larger scale. Handmade signs welcoming the Try My Life crew waved from the stands and the arena alike. And oh, how people knew her name. Hollered it like they were trying to wave down a close friend.
For Hunter, the sudden entourage had sparked a fierce urge to protect the woman he’d thoroughly fallen for over the last week. He’d become her self-appointed bouncer and an ornery one at that. He didn’t like sharing her with so many strangers.
Thank heavens Mia was staying an extra week. As far as Hunter was concerned, the day had been a total waste. A series of circumstances where Mia ignored him while smiling at and joking with her web audience.
But now … Karen, Wayne, and the ranch hands had gone ahead to discuss filming options with the local news crews. All this to watch her ride a mechanical bull. Hunter didn’t know whether to be impressed or annoyed.
“So when did you say your hometown did stuff like this for you?” he asked.
“First one was a long time ago. We were pretty new still,” she said. “They’ve come to a few others, but they’re getting bored of us now. Karen always said we could get more hype by traveling around and stuff, getting media coverage from other cities and states.” Mia shrugged and shook her head. “I wasn’t sure it was true, but this is pretty exciting.”
Lava bubbled deep in his gut, the words just like Vanessa floating along each edge. He shouldn’t have let himself get so pulled in by her. Why hadn’t he just … run before the host of Try My Life had taken ahold of his heart?
Mia pressed the lever to lower the passenger window, bringing the distant cheers to life.
“Some people will do anything to get on TV,” Hunter grumbled.
“Hmm,” Mia mumbled in return. “That’s the only reason they’re here?”
He shot a look at her, realizing how it must’ve sounded. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sure a bunch of them know who you are.”
“Oh, I’m not offended. I’m sure you’re right. They’ve probably never heard of me and are just wanting to wave at Mom for the morning news.”
She’d barely finished saying it when a tap came to Hunter’s window. He cracked it open the slightest bit and set his eyes on a duo standing just outside.
“Melinda Post from Channel 8 News, sir,” said a woman in a suit coat and skirt. “Would you mind if my crew and I rode along in the back seat while you pull into the lot of Stoke’s Brews? We’d love to get a shot of Mia’s reaction to such an awesome reception.” She nodded to the man standing beside her. Cords hung around his neck while he balanced a large recorder and a microphone.
“I don’t think—”
“Sure,” Mia chimed. “Come on in.”
Hunter spun to look at Mia, but couldn’t catch so much as a glance. She held her focus on the back of the truck expectantly.
“He’ll open it up for you,” she hollered toward the pair.
The lava lake within him burned. He let a curse slip from his lips as he tore off his seat belt, hopped out of the truck, and opened the back for them. It took every ounce of patience Hunter had to remain quiet as the news lady instructed Mia.
“As he drives forward, you’ll want to alternate every few seconds,” the woman continued. “Attend to the crowd for a beat, interact with a few of them, shouting thanks, so glad you came, that type of thing. Then glance back at Shawn and give the camera a reaction. We’ve got the length of the lot, so you should be able to go back and forth approximately four or five times.”
Mia nodded, her shoulders straightening as she glanced in the visor mirror.
“Oh, no need for that. You look beautiful, Mia. I loved your teaser footage for Blue Sky Ranch, by the way,” she said. “You’re very natural in front of the camera.”
“Yeah, unless someone tells her exactly what she’s supposed to do and say,” Hunter grumbled. He knew he was misbehaving, but he couldn’t help it. This was all too much.
“We haven’t forgotten about you, Hunter,” the woman said. “I have strict orders to get footage of the two of you clanking mugs inside.”
Hunter cleared his throat. “Mia doesn’t drink.”
“Not unless I’m celebrating,” Mia said, turning to face the front once more. “And this definitely looks like something to celebrate.”
“I’m just about set up here,” the guy with the recorder said.
“Hunter,” the reporter said, “when Shawn gives you a go, you’ll want to move forward in a slow crawl. That will get us the best footage. Plus we don’t want to roll over anyone. We always have a few Anxious Arnies in the group who’d do anything for airtime.”
Hunter kept the truck out of gear, his foot on the brake, his eyes on Mia.
“Hey,” the newswoman spoke once more. “How about a quick kiss before we take off? There’s already a whole lot of talk about possible sparks between you based off the teaser alone. Let’s give folks something to talk about.”
That finally got Mia to look at him. She searched his face, a sudden furrow creasing her brow. It looked as if she were trying to master arithmetic in her mind. “I will if he will.”
He didn’t like the circumstances; there was no doubt about that. But that possessive spark flared up in him again. If Hunter didn’t agree to it, they’d have no trouble finding someone who would. And that was something Hunter would not put up with. He glanced down at her lips. Full and inviting. Chants and cheers sounded in the distance, reminding him of just how wanted Mia really was. She was a star, and—at least for now—she wanted him. Wanted his kiss.
“As you wish,” he said.
Their morning had started out with a kiss. Short, but sweet. Between shoots he’d snuck in the occasional taste of her lips as well. And now, in mere moments, she’d be wooing the crowd, riding the bull, and clanking glasses too. The fans of Try My Life might get her smiles, her jokes, and her charm, but Hunter would take this moment to show them all who owned Mia’s heart. Perhaps he needed the answer to that more than all of them.
She moistened her lips as he leaned in, taunting the flames in his belly. With their lips a breath’s space apart, Mia jerked back. “We can’t,” she whispered, shaking her head at Hunter. She turned to their company in the back seat. “You know what? We’re going to have to keep things between Hunter and me a mystery for now. We still have several episodes to air, and we can’t have the audience knowing how things end up between us.”
A mean ache gathered in Hunter’s belly, replaci
ng the warmth that stirred there only seconds ago.
“So,” the newswoman said, “you’re saying that there is, in fact, something between you and Hunter, but you simply don’t want to reveal that to your audience before due time?”
Mia shook her head. “No, that’s not what I said.”
“Are you concerned that the ladies won’t be as interested in the show if they know he’s taken?”
Mia shot Hunter a sideways glance, the words help me flashing in her eyes. But he couldn’t help. He was too caught up in a flashback of Vanessa and a party she’d brought him to. Several Hollywood producers and agents were in town to find the finest talent Texas had to offer. Big opportunities awaited her; Vanessa was sure of it. And though they were engaged to be married, Vanessa had kept Hunter at arm’s length the entire night. “Just let me mingle with the agents,” she’d said. “I’ll get more attention if I’m alone.” She’d even taken her engagement ring off, whispered a flimsy promise while dropping it into his pocket. “I’ll make it up to you,” she’d said. He should’ve left when she took off that ring. Hadn’t that been evidence enough that he wasn’t what she wanted? What a tool! And then he’d gone and married her three months later.
“No kiss, huh?” the newswoman said, snapping him back into place. “Well, let’s get on with the entrance, then. Everyone ready?”
Hunter caught Mia’s nod, then managed one of his own.
The woman spoke up from behind. “Ease forward in three.”
Mia flashed him an apologetic grin.
The countdown continued. “Two.”
“I’ll make it up to you,” Mia mouthed, the words barely a whisper.
“One.”
Hunter shifted into first gear and eased toward a path that looked very much like the one Vanessa left him for.
Once Hitched Twice Shy (Unlikely Cowgirl) Page 11