Sunshine & Shadow 4
Love and Lies
Novella by Alie Williamson
Copyright @ 2015 Alie Williamson
All Rights reserved
Published by POWWOW Books, Canada
Cover photography: Monika Paterson
Models: Katie Giroux and Tyler Bergeron
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 1
Three weeks had gone by, and early January was taking its toll on April. She was used to cold weather, not the luke-warm air that rushed through the Hollywood hills. There was also no snow. It didn’t seem like winter.
April’s work on the movie lot hadn’t changed much; she brushed horses, tacked them up for Damian, supervised shooting and discussed training tactics with actors. But she did her utmost to avoid bumping into Lex. She wouldn’t have known what to say to him. Seeing him from a distance, moving around the lot, was hard enough, and he always seemed to be where she needed to go. It was impossible to steer clear of him.
April chose to spend her free time watching Prime Time work. The only downside was seeing how little Violet knew about horses and Prime Time’s patience gradually, but steadily, decreasing every time she mounted.
She tried to spend as much time as possible in the studio because she hated the looks she got from the grooms as she went about her business in the barn. They followed Violet around like puppies, worshipping her, and to them, April was the enemy.
Even Damian seemed angry. Nothing she did was good enough; grooming the horses, mucking the stalls, cleaning the tack. Damian looked at her work with a blank expression and moved on. She was beginning to think leaving had just made everything harder. Not only had she ruined her relationship with Kip, she had destroyed all respect she had gained from her co-workers in L.A.
She wondered how long it would be before everything went back to the way it was before.
The movie had put her up in a hotel across town for the first few nights. Then claustrophobia set it. Re-learning how to function in L.A was hard enough; with the constant noise and flashing lights at her windows, April’s sleep was suffering. After only a week in the hotel, she found a small cottage to rent on the outskirts of the city, on farm land. She didn’t know how a one acre lot that bordered three others was considered rural, but it was better than the dark hotel room.
Her new home was small, but functioning, with an open-concept kitchen/dining room and a spacious en-suite bathroom. The only problem was the loneliness she felt whenever she was there. She didn’t know more than a handful of people in this strange and intimidating city, and most of them hated her.
Entering the barn on the lot was still her favorite part of the day, as the horses seemed to be happy to see her in the mornings. She went from stall to stall, feeding them mints from her pockets and scratching each one behind the ears. She purposefully steered clear of Prime Time, as she didn’t want to give Violet even the smallest reason to think she had interfered with the horse.
He nickered softly as she passed, remembering her scent as that of a friend, and she bit her lip. It was difficult to ignore him, but she knew it must be done, if she had any chance of keeping her job.
“Good morning, Damian,” April said, grabbing a mug from the shelf in the staff lounge and filling it with coffee.
“Morning,” Damian replied. His face was somber, as usual.
“What do you want me to do today?” April wanted to get started, so she didn’t have to be around Damian’s irritable attitude for long.
“Lex needs a hand with his escape scene. The horse is giving him problems.”
“Benny is giving him trouble?” Benny was one of the easiest going horses in the barn. Nothing seemed to faze him.
“No, he’s been on Trinity for a week now. The little grey mare in stall sixteen.”
Ah, April thought, the firecracker mare.
“What happened to Benny?” she asked.
“Nothing. Campbell thinks a lighter colored horse looks better with the dark clothes Lex wears.” Damian looked at his watch. “Lex is coming in early. He’ll be here in ten minutes. If I were you, I’d go tack up and be ready by the time he gets here.”
“Is Violet…?”
“She’ll be here at 2:00 pm, as usual.”
April nodded, and left the staff room, holding her coffee mug in both hands to warm them.
Miss Trinity, as April called her, was a spritely dapple-grey mare. She had the most attitude of any other horse in the barn. The only horse that was a close second was Prime Time, and his was an entirely different story. Needing an experienced handler kept Trinity away from most of the actors on set. She was usually only ridden by the stunt-riders, the experienced equestrians that bore an unlikely resemblance to the actors. After his stint at Blue Haven, Lex had chosen to do some of his own stunts, but April still didn’t think he was experienced enough to ride Trinity.
The plucky mare nibbled April’s sweater as she tacked her up, being careful not to get kicked as she tightened the cinchy horse’s saddle. Trinity turned to bite her and April held up her finger.
“Now little miss, are you gonna give me trouble today or be a good girl?”
As she pulled on the cinch once more, the horse reached around to bite her again.
“Miss Trinity, you are lucky it’s not me who’s gonna be riding you. Just don’t throw Lex, because he won’t be happy if he gets his jeans dirty,” April said.
“Didn’t know you thought I was so vain.” Lex suddenly appeared at the stall door and slipped inside.
Seeing him after avoiding him for so long hit April in the stomach like someone had punched her. She found it hard to breathe. His eyes were bright, his pupils small. She felt herself drowning in them, much like the first time she had looked at them. She felt like Icarus flying too close to the sun, bound to get burned.
“Lex,” she said.
“Good morning, April.” Lex leaned over the stall door and peeked down the aisle.
“What are you doing?” April asked.
“The grooms won’t leave me alone. They follow me everywhere now.” He turned to the horse and stroked her face. “You gonna give me a hard time again, missy?”
“What’s she been doing?”
“It’s like she’s bored, if you ask me. We do the same thing over and over again on set, and by the third or fourth time, she starts acting up, like a teenager, almost.”
“Bored...” April mused, looking at the horse. That could explain why she was nibbling and aggressive. “You might be right. Let’s test that theory today.”
“I’d be bored too if I was you, girl. It would suck being in this box for your whole life.” Lex looked at April. “Don’t you think?”
April nodded. Watching them together gave April an idea. “Let’s take her out. I’ll tack up Benny and we’ll go on a trail ride.”
“I don’t think we’re allowed…” Lex said, “The gates are crawling with paparazzi.”
“You think I’m gonna take you down the paved road on a trail ride? We’ll go out the back, into the hills. I’ll just clear it with Damian.”
“I’ll tack up Benny while you’re gone.”
April went to find Damian. She noticed a couple of grooms drop their heads quickly as she passed, having obviously been eavesdropping. She hoped they would have the sense not to follow them into the hills.
She found Damian in Prime Time’s stall.
“Damian, I have an idea for Trinity.”
“What is it?” Damian poked Prime Time roughly in the ribs, causing the horse to exhale a l
ungful of air so he could tighten the cinch quickly.
April winced for the horse. She shook her head; not her business. “I want to take her and Lex on a trail ride.”
Damian looked at her, raising his eyebrow like he usually did. “We aren’t in cattle country anymore, April. We don’t go on trail rides. Just do what you’re paid to do; take the horse in the arena and fix the problem.”
He led the horse from the box stall, giving him a sharp slap on the rear when he didn’t want to move.
April followed them down the aisle.
“But I think that’s the problem, Damian. She’s bored. She’s been in the arena or on set, or in her stall, for months now. When was the last time she even smelled grass? I think it’ll work. I can fix this; I know I can. Just give me a chance.”
Damian looked at her, stonily. “You have four hours until Violet gets here to start shooting with Lex. Be back in three. And make sure your radio’s on loud when you leave the lot. If we need you back, you’d better make it snappy.”
“I was gonna ride Benny, if that’s okay?”
He nodded. “He hasn’t been used in a while; it’ll be good for him.”
Giving Prime Time another hard tug on the halter, he led the horse into the arena and away from April.
She hurried back to Lex. She found him arguing with a groom.
“I’m tacking up the horse,” he said.
“Sir, I insist...” The groom reached for the bridle in Lex’s hand.
“Seriously, man, thanks for the offer but I can tack up a horse for myself. I don’t need your help.”
“But...sir...?”
April smiled and went to offer assistance.
“It’s okay,” she said. The groom turned to look at her, his eyes cold. “I can take it from here. Thanks for your help, though.”
“We’re supposed to tack up the horses,” the groom said, stubbornly.
“We’re also supposed to mind our own business,” April replied with a hint of a smile on her face.
The groom dropped his head and shuffled away from them, embarrassed.
“See what I mean?” Lex said.
April nodded. “Thanks.” She took the bridle from his hands and their fingers brushed minutely. Pulling away quickly she turned from him, trying to calm her beating heart.
“I’ll go get Trinity,” Lex said.
April bridled Benny and led him from his stall. The leggy chestnut followed her obediently.
The Hollywood Hills were laced with hiking trails. Hoping not to see many people, April and Lex headed for the overgrown ones. April was looking for one thing in particular; a meadow, where they could give Trinity a long gallop.
They barely spoke for the first few minutes, the silence welcome to both of them, versus the constant chatter on the lot, where you could never get any peace to think.
Finally, April took a deep breath and said, “It’s nice to see you, Lex.”
Lex looked over at her, his fingers moving from his leg for a moment like he was going to reach for her hand. “It’s good to hear you say that. I was afraid you hated me.”
“I don’t hate you. You explained everything.”
“I know, but you avoided me for two weeks. Since you came back, I haven’t even seen you once.”
She nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. “But I do understand. I know you have to be with Violet now. For the baby. I guess I just wish...things weren’t so complicated.”
“You have no idea how much I want things to go back to the way they were, even if it was difficult. I know how hard it is to be okay with what’s going on, because I feel it too, April. It’s killing me to be this close to you and not be able to touch you, kiss you....”
April nodded. “It’s nice to know I’m not the only one having a hard time.”
“You’re definitely not. Should we give ‘em a run?” Lex picked up the pace, lengthening Trinity’s stride. April followed, grateful for the distraction.
They left the trees behind as a long stretch of undisturbed meadow grass opened up in front of them. The sky was clear blue and the wind was crisp, with just enough chill to make the horses energetic.
“Let her fly!” April shouted ahead to Lex.
Trinity’s stride lengthened even more and she bolted into the meadow, tossing her head and sticking her tail straight out behind her. Her hooves pounded into the soft earth. Benny barely kept up with the much smaller mare. April could see the horse having fun, throwing her lithe body to the side every now and then in high jinks.
Lex laughed. “She’s having a blast!” he called out.
“Bring her down. We’re almost at the trees again.”
They had crossed the long meadow in record time, and when they stopped, both horses were beginning to sweat and breathing hard.
“Let’s walk for a bit and find them a drink.” April lead the way into the trees, feeling Lex’s grin on her back.
The trail curved this way and that, weaving through the fir and spruce like it was man-made. April could see the difference between this and the park trails lower down the mountain; the trail here often went underneath low hanging branches or down steep hills, showing it had been made by the deer and other wild animals that called the hills home.
Ahead, they could hear running water.
They sat on rocks at the base of a small waterfall, which fed a slow travelling river, winding its way through the forest. The horses grazed nearby, happy to find fresh grass, instead of the dried hay they were used to at the lot.
“Were you lonely at the ranch?” Lex asked.
April flushed crimson.
Lex noticed.
“I’ll take that as a no.”
“I was very lonely, Lex. I tried not to think about you. But…nothing I did could distract me long enough to forget everything we had. Nobody could…”
“Who?”
Cheeks burning, April said, “...Kip.” Just saying his name made her heart ache.
“Oh,” Lex said with his lips tight. He looked at the pool of water in front of them. April could feel the anger emanating from him. The horses looked up, feeling it too.
“Please don’t be angry.”
“I’m not...Not at you, at least.”
“Please don’t be angry with Kip. It was unfair of me to use him as a distraction. It’s not his fault.”
“Are you kidding?” Lex turned irate eyes on her. “It is his fault. He used you. He knew how vulnerable you were and he took advantage of it.”
“No, Lex, no he didn’t. If anything I used him.”
“...You, what?”
April nodded.
“It’s not like you love him though, right?”
She didn’t say anything.
“April...Do you love him?”
She bit her lip, refusing to answer again.
“April, do you love him? Answer me.”
She nodded slightly. “But not like I love you! It’s different, Lex. I love him, because he’s my best friend. And you...”
“What about me, April? Why do you love me? After everything I’ve done.”
“I don’t know why I love you. But I do. You’re...different and you challenge me to be stronger, and braver.”
Lex stared at her incredulously. “Do you mean that?” he said after a long pause.
“Of course I mean it.”
“I guess after everything I’ve done, I just expect you to hate me. Miracles don’t exist in real life.”
April hated to point out the obvious but she had no choice. “It’s not exactly a happy ending, though.”
Lex scoffed painfully. “I guess not. God,” he said, putting his head in his hands. “How could everything have gone so wrong?”
He reached for her. April wanted to pull away, to protect herself, but the desperation in his eyes made her let him take her hand and hold it in his lap. He ran his fingers along hers, feeling the tremor that went through her as he did.
“Whatever happens, Lex, I’ll be
here. I’ll be your friend. You’re not gonna lose me.”
“Promise?” He turned terrified eyes up to her face.
“I promise.”
She let his cheek lay against her chest and wrapped her arms around his back, one hand resting on his soft hair.
The ride back to the lot was a quiet one. It was comfortable silence. Lex seemed a lot more relaxed than before they had left.
Trinity was calm and willing whenever Lex gave her a command. April thought that Lex had been right with his diagnosis; the horse had been bored with her daily routine. April would request she be transferred to an outdoor field, instead of living her life in the box stall.
When they arrived back on the lot, they untacked Benny and put him in his stall. As they were grooming Trinity before the afternoon of filming, Damian arrived for an update.
April followed him into the staff lounge.
“So, what’s the verdict?” he asked.
“I think that’s what she needed, Damian. We had a nice long run and let them graze for a bit. And on the way back Trinity was way more willing to work and seemed a lot happier. I really think she should be kept outside, where she has a bit more room.”
“She spends her off-season in a field. While she’s at work, she’s in the barn. That’s just the way it is. Even I can’t change that; there’s just nowhere to put her.”
“Then at least have a groom take her out every couple of days for a run. Honestly, Damian, I really think it helped.”
“We’ll see, I guess. Violet Rose just arrived. A groom should be taking Trinity to the set right now. Let’s go.”
Chapter 2
Lex and Violet were standing by their horses when April entered the set with Damian. They were filming, so the two walked silently to the seats behind Campbell and watched.
“My father will never accept you, Malcolm! You’re a thief and a liar...” Violet’s eyes filled with tears and she wiped them away.
“I used to be, Elizabeth, I know! But you’ve changed me, made me into the man I am today. That man is who I want to be forever, and I have to have you beside me if I have any chance of making that happen. Please, don’t leave me.”
Love and Lies (Sunshine & Shadow Book 4) Page 1