“Maybe you should move away from California. Make your current movie, then get out of town until the next one. Turn acting back into a career instead of a lifestyle.”
He sighed. “I’d love to do that, but usually I have publicity appearances included in my contracts.”
“Blake.”
“What?”
She met his gaze in the rearview mirror. “In case you didn’t realize it, your name alone sells movies. I bet you can call the shots and still get all the roles you want.”
“Hmm, that’s a thought. I’ve always been so damn accommodating, but promoting my movies seemed like the right thing to do. Maybe I’ll talk to my agent about scaling back the promo ops before I completely burn out.”
“You’re a smart guy. You’ll figure it out.”
He grunted then shifted on the seat. “Not as smart as you, apparently.”
“I’m not so smart.”
“Why not?” He touched the pad on his leg where dampness had penetrated the layers of gauze. Damn.
“You don’t want to hear my problems. Seems like you have enough of your own right now.”
“Yes, I do.” He raised his knee slightly and pressed harder. “I could use the distraction.”
Her gaze met his in the mirror for a long moment before she returned her attention to the road. “My leather goods business is growing faster than I can handle on my own. I need help to stay on top of the orders.” She cruised around a slow-moving pickup then glanced back at him. “One of our hands, Roman, is interested in learning the trade, but he has other duties that take priority. To make hiring a full-time employee affordable, I’d have to increase marketing to generate more sales, and that could balloon out of control.” She grimaced. “I also have a space issue since my work area is small, and there’s the time commitment involved. My horses require hours of my attention every day when I have a group in training.”
“So you have to decide between running your leatherworks as a cottage industry and turning it into a serious business venture.”
“Yes, and I’m not sure what I want to do. Making belts and purses started as a hobby. You know, gifts for friends and relatives. Then my brother, Sawyer, suggested I create a website to earn a little extra money. Word of mouth has kept the orders coming in pretty steadily, but now the volume is increasing. It’s a bit of a quandary.”
“We have a lot in common.” Blake let out a breath as she exited the highway and drove into the little town. Blood seeped through the bandage despite the pressure he was putting on it with his hand.
“Oh? What do we have in common?”
He lifted his thigh to keep from staining her upholstery and wiped his fingers on his pants. “Uh, we both started out doing something we loved, and then our work took a turn we never anticipated.”
“You didn’t plan to be rich and famous?” She pulled into the lot next to the urgent care center and parked.
“Not hardly. I originally hoped to make enough money so I wouldn’t have to wait tables forever. I got lucky. A producer noticed me in my first bit part and offered me a supporting role in his next film because I had the look he wanted. The rest, as they say, is history.”
Eden turned and smiled. “Sometimes life is definitely all about being in the right place at the right time.”
He winced as he pushed open the door. “Yes, it is. Fate changed my future.”
Her smile faded. “You look a little pale. Is your leg hurting again? What’s wrong?”
“The wound’s bleeding pretty freely. I’m trying not to mess up your car.”
Her eyes widened. “Don’t worry about the seat, but let’s get you inside.”
He nodded and stepped out onto the pavement then leaned against the door.
Eden grabbed her purse and the bag with his clothes, then slid her free arm around his waist. “Maybe I should go get a wheelchair.”
“No, I can make it across the parking lot if I lean on you. Let’s go.”
She glanced down as they left the car and frowned. “Oh, wow. That bandage is soaked through. At least we shouldn’t have to wait long before they see you.”
“True that.” His grin turned into a grimace. “Nothing like the sight of blood to get fast service.”
His prediction was accurate. He’d barely had time to fill out all the paperwork before a nurse arrived to whisk him back to an exam room. When Eden gave him an encouraging smile and turned toward the exit, he gripped her arm. “Don’t you want to come hold my hand while they stitch the wound?”
Her brows shot up. “Seriously?”
“I’m not good with needles. Maybe if you talk to me, I won’t pass out.”
She grinned. “How can I turn down a request like that? As long as it’s okay with the doctor…”
“Dr. Iverson won’t mind.” The pretty brunette nurse whose nametag read Nancy smiled. “Come on back.”
Blake stripped off his ruined pants then laid on the exam table in nothing but his briefs and a blue paper drape the nurse provided. She took his temperature and blood pressure then prepared a tray with antiseptic wipes, bandages, sutures and a syringe filled with something Blake assumed would numb his leg. The room tilted slightly as he stared at the long silver needle. Gripping Eden’s hand, he tried to focus on her steady blue gaze instead of the tray.
“Are you okay?” She tightened her hold on him.
“I will be. Blood doesn’t bother me. Just needles.” He shuddered.
When the door opened, Blake glanced past Nurse Nancy and her instrument of torture. A man about his age wearing a white lab coat hurried in. The doctor gave him a quick glance then smiled at Eden.
She smiled back. “How’s it going, Dave?”
“Excellent. I’m looking forward to your brothers’ wedding party. I can’t believe Griff is beating me to the altar. Back in high school, he was voted most likely to stay single until he was forty.”
She laughed. “I guess he found the right woman ahead of schedule.” She turned. “Dave, meet Blake Benedict. Blake, this is an old friend of my brother’s, Dr. Dave Iverson.”
Blake released Eden’s hand to shake the doctor’s.
The man’s smile broadened. “When Sandra out at the front desk told me we had a movie star in the exam room, I thought she’d dosed her cornflakes with vodka instead of milk this morning.”
Eden grinned. “Didn’t you hear a Hollywood studio is filming at the ranch?”
“I missed all the recent gossip while I was on vacation.” He pulled on a pair of latex gloves. “Let’s see what we have here.”
The nurse turned away from her tray. “Sorry, I haven’t had time to prep the wound yet.”
The doctor smiled. “I’ll do it. I was in a bit of a rush to get in here to see who had Sandra in a tizzy.”
Blake clenched his teeth as the doctor pulled off the bloody bandage along with some of the hair on his thigh. “Son of a bitch!”
“Sorry about that. Maybe I should have let Nancy do it. How’d you slice up your leg?”
“I rolled onto a chisel hidden under the hay while we were filming in the barn.” When Eden reached for his hand again, he clung to it.
“You’ll definitely need a few stitches. This might sting a little.”
Just as he glanced back, the needle pricked his thigh. The room wavered and went black.
“Blake.” Eden’s voice came from a distance, high and full of fear. “I think he passed out.”
He fought against the hollow ringing in his ears and pushed through the darkness. His eyelids fluttered. “I’m good.” His voice croaked.
“Drink some water.” The nurse filled a cup and handed it over.
Feeling like a moron, Blake gathered his wits enough to take the cup and sip awkwardly from his prone position. “I’ll be fine, honestly. I can’t feel a thing anymore.”
“That’s the point. Right now, I’m cleaning your wound. I’ll stitch you up in a minute. Mayb
e you want to keep your sights focused on Eden’s pretty face, though, instead of what I’m doing back here.”
“Probably a good idea.” Blake’s gaze locked with Eden’s sparkling blue eyes then dropped to the grin curving her lips. “Hey, are you laughing at me?”
Her smile grew. “You scared me for a minute there, but when I think about big, tough Hollywood hero Blake Benedict, afraid of a little needle…”
“It wasn’t little. It was huge.” He couldn’t help smiling back. “Don’t tell anyone, okay? My reputation would be crushed.” When she bent closer, his heart beat faster, and he forgot all about the needle.
“Not to worry. I can keep a secret.”
His gaze held hers. “I have complete confidence in you. Every time I turn around lately, you step in to help me out.”
“Eden never could turn down anyone—or anything—in need.” The doc spoke from behind him. “I think she single-handedly saves half the wild horses the Bureau of Land Management pulls off the range.” He chuckled. “Back when we were kids, Griff used to talk about how his little sister stuck up for every misfit at school. Didn’t you humiliate a bully once when he was picking on a new kid?”
Her eyes gleamed with humor. “You must be talking about Wilson Neely. He’d taken this girl’s lunch money. I told him to give it back or he’d regret it. When he laughed in my face, I dropped him to the ground with a move Sawyer taught me then gave him a wedgie.”
“Seriously?” Blake snorted with laughter. “How old were you?”
“Ten.”
“Remind me to stay on your good side.” He squeezed her hand. “Not that you have a bad side…”
The doctor stepped around beside him and snapped off his gloves. “You’re good to go as soon as Nancy puts a gauze pad over that wound. I want you to keep the area clean to avoid infection, but it should heal quickly. I put in ten stitches. That was quite a gash.”
Blake grimaced. “No wonder it bled so much.”
“You should take it easy for a while. Don’t do anything strenuous that might bust it open again. Those stitches will dissolve, so you won’t have to come back unless there are complications. You can pick up instructions and a script for pain killers out at the front desk.” Dr. Iverson glanced over at Eden and smiled. “I’ll see you at the wedding.”
“You bet. Thanks, Dave.”
“Happy to be of service.”
The doctor left the room, and after the nurse finished applying a bandage to his leg, she smiled and followed him out.
Blake rolled over then swung his legs around to sit up and eyed Eden steadily. “Is that what I am?”
She glanced up after pulling a pair of jeans from the bag Pris had packed. “Huh?”
“Am I your latest project? A lame duck to protect?”
She laughed out loud. “That’s hilarious. You’re not exactly a lame anything. I’m pretty sure you don’t need a champion.”
He returned her smile. “Maybe not, but it’s nice to know you’d have my back in a pinch.”
She handed him his pants then patted his bare knee. “You can count on it.”
Chapter 10
Eden wiped sweat off her brow then resettled her hat as she held the Appaloosa mare to a canter. The horse snorted and shied whenever they passed a fencepost, but she was beginning to obey basic commands. Some distance away, the small herd of bison the production company had imported grazed peacefully. The mare eyed the beasts closely whenever they moved in their direction, but Eden didn’t push her luck by getting too close. She smiled as Cookie and Cracker circled a lone calf that had strayed away from the herd, apparently thinking the bison were their personal responsibility.
Yesterday, she and Blake had caught the end of the stampede scene after they’d returned from the clinic. Eden grimaced, remembering the choice words he’d used as Max doubled for him. The stuntman had taken a fall from his horse and had damn near been trampled by one of the buffalo. Though she hadn’t mentioned it to Blake at the time, she was relieved he wasn’t the one dodging those deadly hooves.
“Hey, Eden.” The shout came from behind her.
She gripped the reins and clamped her thighs tight as the Appaloosa reared then tried to bolt. By the time she brought the horse back under control, Blake had ridden up and stopped outside the corral fence on Bramble. Pris, who sat easily astride Flint, gave her an amused look when the Appaloosa gave one last kick.
“Sorry about that.” Blake kept his voice low. “I guess I got a little overly enthusiastic when I saw you.”
“You should be sorry. Jezebel’s making progress, but she’s still damn skittish when she’s startled.”
He cleared his throat. “Pris and I are going for a ride. When I saw you out here, I thought maybe you’d like to come along.” His gaze silently pleaded with her to say yes.
Pris looked less than enthusiastic about the plan. Hazel eyes registered irritation as she tilted back the brim of a black felt cowboy hat.
Eden narrowed her gaze on Blake. “Are you sure you should be on a horse? Didn’t the doctor instruct you to take it easy?”
“We’ve been playing cards all morning, and my thigh doesn’t ache as much today as it did yesterday.” His tone was short. “I needed some fresh air, and I don’t intend to ride hard.”
She relented in the face of his obvious misery and nodded. “Jezebel may be tired enough for an outing with other horses. She’s starting to get used to those two, anyway.”
“Great.” He let out a breath. “You choose where we ride.”
“How about out to the caverns? Even if we don’t climb up to the caves, there’s a pretty little stream nearby where we can stop.”
“Caves?” One blond brow rose as Pris regarded her with curiosity.
Eden waved a hand toward the mountains to the west. “The Shoshone National Forest borders our ranch. There are several caves in the side of a cliff out there containing old Native American drawings.”
“Sounds interesting.” Blake nudged his horse forward to the gate and opened it to let Jezebel through. “Let’s go.”
Handling the skittish mare with a firm grip on the reins, Eden whistled for her dogs as he shut the gate behind her. “I guess I still owe you a tour of the ranch.” She grinned. “Consider my debt paid.”
“Not exactly what I had in mind, but…”
Pris glanced between them and frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Blake kept his gaze locked on Eden. “I rode one of those wild horses. Eden didn’t think I could.”
Eden’s grin broadened. “Riding would be a slight exaggeration. More like you clung to Apollo longer than I expected.”
“Whatever. I still won the bet.”
Pris squinted into the sun. “Great. Now you can show both of us around. Yesterday, when I went out for a couple of hours, I stuck to the open range since I didn’t know anything about the terrain.”
“I’ll take you back into the forest.” Eden smiled at the other woman. “You’ll enjoy it.”
Blake nudged Bramble into a trot. “Maybe we’ll see a bear or an elk out there.” If his resigned expression was any indication, he wasn’t any more thrilled with their newly-formed threesome than Pris.
Eden didn’t mind one bit. The last thing she needed was more alone time with Blake. Not when she was determined to keep him at arm’s length. Literally. “Let’s hope we don’t see any wildlife. Jezebel would lose it, and I’d probably wind up dumped on the ground on my ass.”
He nodded toward the mare. “You name all your wild horses?”
“You bet. Makes them seem more domesticated, which is the ultimate goal.” She patted her horse’s withers. “This girl has some serious attitude, so the name fits.”
Pris’s lips curled. “If you’re used to getting bucked off, shouldn’t you take it in stride without complaining?”
Eden shrugged. “Oh, I’m used to it. Doesn’t mean getting thrown is ever fun.”
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Blake kept his distance as Jezebel broke into a canter before Eden reined her back in. “She’s certainly more responsive that that big brute, Apollo.”
Eden laid a hand on the mare’s quivering neck, damp with sweat and nervous tension. “She’s probably pretty tired by now. We’ve been working for a couple of hours. Jezebel’s made a lot of progress since the BLM pulled her off the range, but she’d still rather run than walk.”
“You’ll tame her. You’re the original horse whisperer.”
She laughed. “Maybe not the original.”
“Hardly seems like work, playing with horses all day.” Pris let out a sigh. “I’d like a job where I could be around animals. I like them better than most people.”
Eden could relate. “So do I.”
Pris nudged Flint up closer to Blake then pointed toward Cookie and Cracker who ran ahead of them, feathery tails waving along with the prairie grass. “Maybe I’ll get a dog. I’m not allergic to them the way I am to cats.”
He glanced over at her. “Do you intend to stay in Blue Valley?”
She shrugged. “I haven’t had time to make any plans for my future. Before Josie…” Her voice broke. “I never wanted to think about my sister being gone. It didn’t seem right.”
“Blue Valley doesn’t have much in the way of employment opportunities.” Blake’s tone was matter-of-fact. “You might want to consider moving to a larger community.”
“I don’t think I’m brave enough.” Pris’s hazel eyes glittered with emotion. “If I went someplace where I had a good friend to lean on, that might be different. As for a job, I don’t have much experience…”
“After all the years you cared for Josie, your nursing skills must be excellent.” Eden spoke up as the horses began to climb, and the grassland gave way to forest. “Have you thought about going to school to get a degree in health care?”
“I wouldn’t know where to start, and I honestly don’t think I want to do that sort of work any longer. I’ll probably just get a job at the diner in town.” Her shoulders slumped. “It’ll be a lot less complicated. Since my house is paid for, I don’t need to make a lot of money to live.”
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