Dirty Cowboy

by Alycia Taylor

  “Don’t worry; it’s not happening until next month. But we will probably need your help with the whole thing. Actually, Trace, we might need your help too. This is going to be a big movie. So, expect a lot more of that,” he said and pointed at the envelope in Trace’s hand.

  “Okay! I think I’m starting to like ranch work now.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at Trace. He acted so much like a teenage boy sometimes. There was something quite endearing about him, and I could see why he had so many friends.

  “Well, it will be interesting, that’s for sure,” I said.

  “It was such a bizarre phone call to get. But I’m quite excited,” Harold said. “You know me. I was starting to get a little bored lately. This will be a fun thing to be a part of. So, I need the ranch in tip-top shape before they get here,” he said and then laughed. “Of course, it already is thanks to you, Brady.”

  I smiled. It was good to see Harold excited about something again for a change. But I still wasn’t sure how happy I was about a bunch of stuck-up idiots walking around the farm as if they owned it. I was looking forward to getting the ranch into shape before they came, but I wasn’t looking forward to them actually being here. I had nothing in common with people like that. I just wanted to put my head down and work, but it wasn’t going to be easy with them in the way. And what exactly would my job be while they were here, anyway? I just hoped I wouldn’t be turned into the errand boy. I had a bad feeling about this. This small little farming community in Wyoming was about to get a whole lot of exposure. And that did not bode well for the lifestyle that I knew and loved.

  Chapter Four

  Sloan

  I was excited when my agent called me and invited me to her office for a meeting. I hoped that she’d asked me there because she had a role for me. Although my last movie had been a huge hit, I hadn’t had any offers since then, and the last thing I wanted was to have to grovel for work again. I’d thought that having a blockbuster hit would guarantee more work, but it had already been six months without any, and I was starting to get nervous. Especially since I’d bought such an expensive apartment to live in. I needed the money to maintain the sort of living I was now getting accustomed to. I’d been told that the industry would be scary, with constant ups and downs, but I hadn’t quite realized the truth of that until now. I was doing well, but I hadn’t quite made it.

  I made my way to the agent’s office. Dorothy Bertham was twenty years my senior with a savvy attitude and an intense disposition. She wasn’t the friendliest woman I had ever met, but she was brilliant at what she did. And in this industry, friendly was not the most important attribute to have. I’d heard a lot of stories about her, and a lot of actors didn’t want to work with her because she said things as they were. But I’d always admired that about her, and so far, she’d only been nice to me. I knew that one day if she wasn’t nice to me, there would be a reason for it. And I’d rather know where I stood at all times. It was better than someone sugar-coating things.

  “Sloan, great to see you,” Dorothy said the moment I walked. “What I’d give for those legs,” she said as she eyed me up and down. “Now, what can I get for you? Coffee?”

  “Coffee sounds great, thank you.”

  Dorothy picked up the phone to call her assistant. “Two coffees. Thank you.”

  Five minutes later and the assistant had two steaming cups of coffee on the desk, along with a variety of different creamers, including dairy-free options, sugar-free cookies, sugar and honey, all laid out on a tray.

  “Wow, this is great,” I said as I poured almond milk into my coffee and took a cookie.

  “Yeah, she’s a great assistant. You know, one day, you should get yourself one too.”

  “An assistant? What would I need one for, though?” I asked. I liked the idea of having someone working for me. I’d never been a boss before. But I wasn’t sure I had much need for an assistant.

  “Oh, you’ll see. Once you get super famous, you’ll have so little time to do everything yourself. It might actually help. For now, though, I’ll be the one helping you. And my lovely assistant will bring us the coffee. Now, enough about her; tell me about you. How are you doing? I hear you got a new apartment?”

  I grinned. News traveled fast when you were in my line of work. Sometimes it still took me by surprise. “Yeah, I did. It’s beautiful. It overlooks the whole city.”

  “Wonderful. I knew that movie would be good for you. Your fame has shot up since then. Now, I have a list of people that want to interview you. So we’ll set up a schedule for them. The more interviews, the better, as it keeps you on the forefront of everyone’s minds. I’ll send you the dates and details, and you can let me know what works for you and what doesn’t.”

  “That sounds great, thank you,” I said as relief washed over me. I’d done a lot of interviews when the movie came out, but they’d gotten less and less over the past few months. “Why are we doing more now? I thought they were over?” I asked out of curiosity.

  “Oh, that’s a little something I do. It’s part of my marketing skills. I organize interviews right at the beginning, and then again around four to six months later, just to get people talking again.”

  “You’re brilliant!” I said and grinned at her.

  “Nice of you to say,” she said in an attempt to sound modest, but I knew she completely agreed with me. “Now, the reason I called you in today is not about the interviews. I have a big opportunity for you. You interested?”

  I chuckled. “Are you serious? Of course, I’m interested. I’m all ears.”

  “Well, there’s a new movie coming up, and one of the producers contacted me. He’s a good friend of mine, and we’ve done a lot of work together in the past, so I think he trusts me to find the perfect person for the role. Now, how would you feel about being the lead role?”

  I gasped. My acting career had been on the rise for the past few years, but I had yet to get the leading role in a movie. Getting the lead role would change everything for me. It would elevate me to a level I had not been to before, and it was what I had been trying to achieve since I started.

  “The lead role? Are you serious?”

  She nodded and grinned at me. “I’m serious.”

  “Yes! That sounds amazing.” I almost said yes without even hearing the plot. That’s how excited I was.

  “Okay, so the movie is a little different from the films you’ve done previously. It’s a cowboy love story set on a ranch, and they want you to play the cowgirl. It’s going to have lots of twists and turns, but the core theme is romance. It’s going to be one of those salt-of-the-earth romances that leaves everyone thinking about their own lives. One of those movies that really tugs at your heartstrings. A crowd pleaser.”

  Dorothy was always going on about ‘crowd pleaser’ movies. They were the types of movies that the actors might not necessarily want to be in, but they would be the movies that made them well-loved and well-known. They were important in any actor’s career. Once you’d done a crowd pleaser movie, you’d have the chance to do something you really wanted to do. But first, you had to gain the approval of the public.

  “A cowboy love story? That’s . . . interesting,” I said. “I wonder why they chose me?”

  “You’ve got something about you that they said would suit the role. Even though you dress like a New Yorker, you’ve got this down-to-earth look about you. The sun-kissed hair and bright blue eyes. They said you’d be perfect for the role.”

  “Really?” I blushed. “That’s nice. Only thing is I don’t know the first thing about being a cowgirl. I hope they know that.”

  “Of course. They don’t expect you to know. But they do want you to learn as much as you can. You’re going to get a full month to learn the ropes, and they’ll be shooting out on a ranch in a town called Buffalo, Wyoming. They found the perfect farm for it, and the entire crew will be staying there for quite a while. Not sure how long exactly. A month, maybe two. They want it t
o feel as authentic as possible, which is why they don’t want to do it in New York.”

  “Whoa! A month or two in Wyoming? Seriously?”

  “Yeah. There’s not going to be much to do out there, so you should get into the role pretty easily. So, what do you think? I know you have to take a month away from your normal life for this, but I think you’ll be smiling when you get paid. If you thought you got paid well for the last job, you’re going to be very happy with this one. And if you nail this one, I envision lots more leading roles for you in the future. You’re in a very good place right now, Sloan. And I definitely think you should roll with it. So, you in?”

  I grinned. Was I in? There wasn’t even a question in my mind. “I’m in!”

  “Wonderful. I knew you would be. This one has your name all over it, I promise. I’ll call you with the details soon. The production team will be leaving in about a month, but I’ll make sure you have all the details before then so that you can prepare for it. We’ll set up a meeting with the rest of the cast soon.”

  “Thank you so much, Dorothy. I couldn’t have chosen a better agent.”

  “It’s my pleasure. But as you know, I can’t do my job without people like you. So continue doing what you’re doing, and I think we’ll have a wonderful future together.”

  I was still grinning the moment I got home. I’d never pictured myself as a cowgirl, but if I wanted to be a brilliant actress, then I was going to have to learn to take on various different types of roles. And there was no way I could turn something like this down yet. I wasn’t at the stage in my career where I had too much choice with roles. I was so busy thinking about what had just happened that I almost didn’t see Victoria getting into the building at the same time as me. She looked at me in surprise.

  “Oh hey, I was in the area and thought I’d see if you were home,” she said.

  “Oh, good timing. I just got back from a meeting. I was actually going to call you anyway, so I’m glad you’re here. Come on up. I can’t wait to tell you all about it.”

  We got up to the loft and I poured us both a glass of champagne. I handed her a glass.

  “Wow, it’s early for champagne. Not that I’m complaining, of course. Does this mean we’re celebrating something?”

  “We sure are!” I beamed.

  “Ooh, tell me more.”

  “Well,” I said and took a sip of the champagne. Champagne was delicious at all times, but it always tasted better with a reason to celebrate. “I got cast in a new role.”

  “You did? That’s wonderful. See? I told you that you had nothing to worry about.”

  “Thank you. I should listen to you more. And guess what?”

  “It’s alongside Brad Pitt?” she said.

  I giggled. “I wish. Actually, I don’t know who the main guy is, but I’m highly doubtful that it’s him. But they want me to play the main role!”

  “They want you to play the leading lady? Are you serious?”

  “I’m serious! I can’t believe it. When Dorothy told me, I almost fell off my chair. I didn’t think it would happen to me so quickly.”

  “Sloan, that’s incredible. I’m so excited for you! You are leading-lady material, that’s for sure. I actually thought they should’ve cast you as the lead in the last one. I bet you they regretted not doing that. That’s probably why you got this role. They could see that you were made for the screen.”

  “Thank you, Vic. That’s nice of you.”

  “So, tell me about the movie. Did they give you details? I want to know everything.”

  “They didn’t give me too many details just yet. I haven’t read the script yet or anything, but she said I should get it this week. All I know is that it’s going to be some cowboy romance.”

  “Ooh, I like the sound of that.”

  “Yeah, very different from the last movie but sounds like fun. And it’s going to be set in Buffalo,” I added.

  “Buffalo? As in upstate?”

  I chuckled. “As in Wyoming.”

  “Wyoming? Seriously?”

  “Yeah. They want it to be as authentic as possible, so they found a nice ranch to film at. They’re going to send me the details on the farm, too, but they said it doesn’t have a website or anything, so I don’t really see how knowing the details on the place is going to help.”

  “They don’t have a website? Are you serious? How can you run a business without a website?”

  I chuckled. “I said the same thing. They are a fully functioning farm, and they have also just recently started doing professional rodeo there. So, doesn’t seem like they need the business or anything. I suppose they make their money from the locals.”

  Victoria pulled a face. “I bet they don’t even have Wi-Fi.”

  “Oh yeah, I didn’t think about that. Nah, I’m sure they do. They have to. Right? Anyway, they want us there for a full month, and they want me to learn all there is to know about being a cowgirl.”

  “What? Are you serious? Have you ever been to Wyoming before?”

  “No, why? Have you?”

  She shook her head. “You wouldn’t catch me dead in a place like that. I know someone who went there once. She hated it. It’s going to be awful. There’s absolutely nothing to do there. No nice shops at all. And you’ll be surrounded by hillbillies all day.”

  I grimaced. “You make it sound pretty bad.”

  “Ah, sorry about that. I didn’t mean to put you off. I’m sure they love it out there. But you can’t compare living in New York to living in the middle of nowhere. Do you really have to go for so long?”

  “Yeah, I have to. It might even be longer, from the sound of it. They want to me really throw myself into the role. Which, to be honest, is pretty exciting. I’ve always wanted to play a character that’s so completely different from who I am now.”

  “Does that mean you’re going to take it?”

  I laughed. “You sound surprised by that. Did you think I’d turn it down?”

  “A full month stuck on a farm just sounds so terrible to me.”

  “Yeah, me too. But the leading role in a big movie sounds awesome, right? It’s worth it. And anyway, the money is going to be amazing. There’s no way that I can turn something like that down. Word might get around that I think I’m too big for my boots and they’ll kick me out on the street.”

  “Yeah, that’s true. It’s not the easiest industry to be in.”

  “Exactly. And the last thing I want is to end up like those homeless people we saw. I mean, look around,” I said as I gestured around the big loft. “I want to keep this place. So, yeah, I’m definitely going to take it.”

  Victoria grinned and held up her glass of champagne. “You’re a brave woman, Sloan Hill. But you’re going to make it big. Here’s to your new adventure! Let’s hope your leading man is absolutely gorgeous.”

  Chapter Five

  Brady

  When Harold had first told me about the film crew coming in a month, I wasn’t sure I really believed it was going to happen. Why would a big movie production choose us out of all the ranches in the country? I was sure that they were going to call to say that they had changed their mind. Every time I saw Harold, I thought he’d tell me that it was canceled, but each time he just seemed to get more excited about the whole thing. Last week was the first time that I’d allowed myself to fully realize that it was really going to happen.

  I woke up this particular morning with a sense of dread weighing heavily on me. I drank two cups of coffee just to make myself feel a little bit better about everything, but even that didn’t help. On my way out, I saw Grant and walked over to him.

  “Good morning,” he said cheerfully. He took one look at me and cocked his head to the side. “What’s wrong? Doesn’t look like you’re having a very good morning.”

  I sighed. “The film crew are arriving this morning.”

  “What? Already? Damn, that month went by quickly. I thought you still had at least another week to go.”

&nbs
p; “Tell me about it. I wish I still had another week. Well, I better go. I’m hoping I can just keep my head down and work. I hope I don’t have to get involved.”

  “Hey, maybe you’ll get a role in the movie! That would be so cool.”

  I groaned. “Oh, I hope not. Thanks for putting that idea in my head now. There’s no way I want to be in a movie. I don’t even want the ranch to be in a movie, let alone myself.”

  Grant laughed. “Well, good luck, man. Here’s hoping the month goes by fast.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  I walked off wearily to my car and made my way over to the ranch. The moment I got there, I saw Harold talking to someone in a suit. I felt immediately annoyed at the sight. Suits did not belong on the ranch. Was he really going to walk around like that all day? I parked the car and wondered if I should go and say hello or if I should try to keep a low profile for as long as I could. I’d already decided on the low profile angle when Harold saw me and waved me over. I took a deep breath and plastered on a smile, even though I knew it probably looked completely fake.

  “Brady! Glad you’re here. I want you to meet Roger. He’s heading this whole operation.”

  “Part director, part executive, part everything right now,” Roger said and laughed.

  “You sound just like me. It’s good to get involved in everything. Roger, this is the man I was telling you about. The hardest worker you’ll ever meet.”

  I smiled and stuck out my hand to shake Roger’s. His handshake was a little limp, and his hands were so soft I wondered if he’d ever worked outdoors in his life. And if I wasn’t mistaken, he looked like he was wearing makeup. I tried not to groan out loud.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

  “Brady, I’ve heard such wonderful things about you from Harold. You’re exactly the sort of man we want to portray in the movie. Hardworking, serious, handsome. Any chance you’re also an actor?”

  I thought of what Grant had told me that morning and felt fear run through me. Please don’t make me get in front of the camera! My smile wobbled slightly. “Oh no, I’m a man of simple needs. I’m definitely not meant for the camera. I like being out on the field doing my work.”