Caught Kissing the Cowboy: A Return to Snow Valley Romance

by Cindy Roland Anderson

  “I’ll sue you,” Jake said defiantly.

  “You do that,” Ian said evenly. “I know the owner of this barn, and I’ve got an attorney on retainer and enough money to counter the lawsuit. You’ll be so tied up in courts you won’t be able to afford Botox.” He leaned in close enough to see the tiny blood vessels in the whites of Jake’s eyes. “And you’ll need more than a few injections to fix your face after I’m done.”

  It was all hyperbole. Mostly. Ian did know Lance Christensen, the owner of the barn. He figured Gabe Wesson would be his attorney. He did have money, but not enough to waste on a lawsuit that would drag on forever. The one absolute truth was how messed up Jake’s face would be if Ian followed through with his threat. He hoped it didn’t come to that.

  “Fine.” Jake wiggled to free himself, so Ian released his grip.

  “Now apologize to the lady,” Ian said, turning slightly to indicate Tomi.

  “Sorry,” Jake said, sounding more like a snarky teenage girl than a grown man. Ian got the feeling the insincere apology was for something else entirely, but let it slide. The actor’s lips curled into a sneer as he straightened his shirt. “I’m going to my trailer to take an Ambien. Nobody better bother me.” In a dramatic flair, he stomped out of the barn. Once he was out of sight, everyone started clapping.

  “That was amazing,” one of the grips said, giving Ian a fist bump. “Dude, you’re like a real cowboy.”

  “Yeah, why isn’t he the Horse Whisperer,” someone else said.

  There were more compliments and slaps to Ian’s back from several more crew members. Then someone whistled loudly to quiet everyone down. Rob Edwards called it a wrap for the day, and then he ordered the lighting and camera crews to take pictures of the damaged equipment before cleaning up.

  Rubbing the back of his neck, the director walked over to Ian and Tomi. “I’m not sure where this project is going, but right now I need a drink.” He dropped his hand, giving Ian a half smile. “Man, you were impressive. Too bad the camera wasn’t rolling. I would love to watch that again.”

  More than likely, someone had captured the incident on video. Not everyone adhered to the no-cell-phone rule.

  “Tomi,” Rob said in a conciliatory tone. “Let’s talk tomorrow, okay?”

  “Yes, sir.” She slid her hand into Ian’s, threading her fingers with his. “You have my cell, right?”

  “I imagine someone does.” Rob reached out and playfully slugged Ian in the arm. “I may look you up someday.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Ian whispered as soon as Rob was out of earshot.

  “I think it means he’d cast you in one of his movies if you were ever interested in acting.” She lifted one shoulder up in a shrug. “Maybe you could put in a good word for me. I don’t think I have a job anymore.”

  “I’m sorry, Tomi,” Ian said, feeling responsible for what had happened. “Does Jake really have that kind of pull?”

  “This isn’t your fault, Ian.” Her lower lip quivered. “Jake’s uncle is backing the film, so his threats aren’t idle.” She offered him a small smile. “Thank you for coming to my rescue, by the way. You were very formidable the way you stayed so calm.”

  “I learned that from my dad. He was much scarier when he didn’t yell.”

  “I’ll have to remember that.” She tried to laugh it off. “That wasn’t the first time I’ve been yelled at, and I doubt it’ll be the last.”

  Before he could ask her who else had talked to her that way, one of the production assistants walked by and thanked Ian for stopping Jake’s rant. She avoided eye contact with Tomi when she told her she’d text her about the schedule once the dust settled. Ian didn’t know much about the movie industry, but he got the underlying message that Tomi wouldn’t be coming back.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Tomi said, tugging on his hand. “I think I’m in the mood for frozen custard and a large order of fries.”

  He could tell she didn’t want to talk about what would happen if Jake followed through with his threat. But what did it mean for them? If anything, the turn of events hastened their time left together. He wanted to make plans, but he wouldn’t push her.

  They went straight to wardrobe so Tomi could change into her own clothes. A few minutes later, she came out wearing a pretty flowered sundress and the same pair of cowgirl boots she’d worn the day before. Ian knew that wasn’t what she’d had on this morning.

  “You still don’t have clean clothes?” he teased.

  She gave him a genuine smile. “Vickie heard about what went down and doesn’t think it’s fair.” Tomi twisted side to side, so the skirt swirled around her knees. “She insisted I wear this home since it’s one of my outfits for tomorrow’s shoot.”

  “So, you didn’t get fired?” Ian asked hopefully.

  “Haven’t heard yet, but Vickie says if I get canned then I should consider the outfit a gift from her.” Tomi held up a plastic bag. “Besides, the clothes I wore somehow ended up soaking wet. Vickie had no idea how it happened, but I saw the empty water bottles in the trash.”

  Ian laughed, liking the clothing designer even more. Tomi didn’t want to leave her sister’s car on the lot just in case some crazy person decided to slash the tires or something. They parked it at the clinic and then picked up food from Big C’s.

  “Do you want to go home or have a picnic in the park?” Ian said once they were back inside his truck.

  “Picnic in the park sounds perfect,” she said, snitching a French fry. “I’m not ready to talk about everything, and I know my sister will want to talk, especially once she gets a notification from the assistant director to all the extras that today’s shoot is canceled.” Tomi wiped her hands on a napkin and picked up her phone. “In fact, I’m going to text Piper that I’m going dark at least for the next hour and will call her once I turn the phone back on.”

  Ian started the truck and backed out of the parking space, wondering if that meant she didn’t want to talk to him. It was killing him not to know what her next move was. If she didn’t have a job, maybe she could stick around Snow Valley a little longer. She really was a good assistant—entertaining at least—and a lot of fun to be around.

  Before pulling onto the road, he glanced over and read the grim expression on her face as she typed in a message to her sister. She didn’t need him pressuring her and would just have to be patient. He knew how it felt to be grilled about life-changing events when you had no answers yet.

  She sent off the text, turned her phone off and leaned her head back, closing her eyes. Ian wished he could turn his phone off too, but his profession didn’t allow him the luxury. Although he’d hired a traveling veterinarian from the agency to cover for him until he was done with filming, Colby may have questions that only Ian could answer. The young doctor was qualified, but Ian had more practical experience in their field.

  Due to the time frame, the park was relatively quiet. Kids were still in school, and it was well past the noon hour when most people frequented the park to eat lunch. They found a shady spot under a tree and spread out a blanket Ian kept in his truck. A light breeze rustled the leaves that had started turning red, a sure sign fall was just around the corner.

  They kept the conversation light, talking about their families and more about their childhoods. By the time they finished lunch, Ian felt like he knew her a lot more. He hoped he could introduce her to his family sometime soon. His mother loved musical theatre, and he knew she’d love Tomi too.

  Ian finished off the rest of Tomi’s raspberry custard when he got a text message from Colby.

  Sorry to bother you, but I won’t be able to check on the new colt at the GH for a while. Just about to head into the OR to operate on a German shepherd hit by a truck. The temporary veterinarian you hired is highly experienced with surgery, so I think we’ve got this. I notified the GH to keep an eye out for any signs of infection until one of us can get there to draw the routine bloodwork.

  When Tomi
asked if everything was okay, he read her the message. “Do you mind if we make a quick stop at the ranch?” Ian asked.

  “Of course not,” Tomi said with a genuine smile. “I want to see the foal, and I’m dying for an update on Ivy and the baby.”

  Ian typed in a quick reply that he was off for the rest of the day and would take over the post-24-hour care of the new foal. He offered to come in and help in the OR if needed, but Colby’s quick answer affirmed he and the other doctor could handle everything with the surgery.

  Ian was a little relieved he wouldn’t have to go in. He had a soft place in his heart for German shepherds. His dog, Molly, had been his since high school. The beautiful German shepherd had died from cancer more than a year ago, and Ian hadn’t been able to bring himself to get another dog yet.

  “I hope the dog will be okay,” Tomi said as she folded the blanket while Ian gathered up their trash. “My dad had a German shepherd when I was little. I remember when she died it was the first time I ever saw my dad cry. We never got another dog after that. Dad said it was too hard saying goodbye.”

  “I can understand how he felt,” Ian said, depositing the garbage in a trashcan situated near his truck. Once they were in the truck and on the way to the GH ranch, he told Tomi about Molly. “I do want another German shepherd,” he said a few minutes later. “When the time is right, I’ll try to track down the breeder where my parents got Molly. It would be awesome if I could get a new puppy from the same bloodline.”

  Tomi grew quiet as they drove past the Christensen ranch. Ian was surprised by the number of people milling around the film location. It looked like a lot of the extras scheduled for the rodeo scene hadn’t gotten the message about the cancelation. He also noticed there were a few local news trucks parked outside the fence perimeter.

  “I wonder who tipped off the news stations,” Tomi said, searching the crowd as they slowly passed by. “I wouldn’t put it past Jake to pull this kind of stunt. He probably wants to get his side of the story out before the truth is revealed.”

  “You think it’ll go public?” Ian asked.

  Tomi snorted a laugh. “Oh yeah. There was probably a half dozen cell phones recording Jake’s rant. More, once you showed up to defend me.” She craned her neck to look over her shoulder. “In Hollywood, there’s supposedly no such thing as bad publicity, but that’s a myth. Jake’s PR people will try and spin this in his favor, but once any videos of him ranting and raving goes live, it’s going to be tough to make him look good.”

  Ian wasn’t sure how he felt about any videos of him threatening Jake going public. Maybe he did need to get an attorney in case Jake filed a lawsuit against him. He didn’t voice his concerns. Tomi already had enough to worry about.

  “Speaking of PR people,” she said with a sigh. “I should let my agent know what went down today before she sees it on the Internet.”

  “Will she be upset?”

  “Not with me.” She held on to her phone but didn’t turn it on yet. “I’ll text her once we’re done here,” she said as Ian pulled into the GH ranch.

  Ian was surprised to see Kellen talking with Jace and George Holbrook. He assumed he’d be at the hospital. “Hey,” he said once he and Tomi exited the truck. “How’s Ivy and the baby doing?”

  “Fantastic!” Kellen lifted a chin in the direction of his house that sat adjacent to the barn. “I just brought them home about an hour ago, and they’re both sleeping soundly.”

  “Good to hear,” Ian said, accepting a thank-you-hug from the new father.

  “Yep,” Kellen said, stepping away from Ian. “You’re a hero.”

  “Your wife is the real hero,” Ian said, feeling embarrassed by all the praise.

  A smirk appeared on Kellen’s face. “He doesn’t know,” he said, looking at Jace and George.

  “He will soon enough,” George said, shaking his head.

  “Know what?” Ian and Tomi asked at the same time.

  “A video of you and that actor is blowing up social media,” Jace said. “You’ve just been dubbed the Hot Cowboy Hero.”

  Chapter 19

  The next twenty-four hours had Tomi’s head spinning as if she’d just stepped off the Mad Tea Cups ride at Disneyland. Truthfully, things had gotten so nuts it was almost like she’d followed Alice down the rabbit hole and ended up in a world as bizarre as Wonderland.

  Sure enough, multiple videos of Ian dressing-down Jake had gone viral, spreading faster than the actor’s fans had turned on him. No amount of spinning could erase the foul language he’d used to tell Tomi off while insulting everyone on the film project, including the horse, Thunder. He’d cursed the horse, calling the animal and its kind, stupid and annoying creatures. At the time, she’d been too stunned by Jake’s outburst to absorb everything the irate actor had said. Needless to say, it wasn’t good. Especially, here in Montana where horses were like family.

  As suspected, Tomi had been fired from the show. However, instead of Jake ruining her career, as he’d promised multiple times during the tirade, she’d become America’s Sweetheart.

  The video of Ian and Jake wasn’t the only footage to go viral. Somehow, the video of Tomi’s escapades while assisting Ian on vet calls had been released. Zach swore up and down he hadn’t done it, but the recordings were all from his phone, including stuff she didn’t even know the kid had captured. He had footage of her turning a sickly color of green and nearly puking at his grandparents’ sod farm, as well as Ian gallantly sweeping her up into his arms, carrying her away from the smell and then kissing her soundly. The recording of her singing to Marigold was everyone’s favorite. There was even a meme going around of her singing “Just Keep Pushing.”

  “Okay, thanks for getting to the bottom of it,” Ian said into his phone. “No, I promise Tomi doesn’t hate you.” Ian gave Tomi an exasperated look. “Seriously. I’ll have her call you when she can, okay?”

  He ended the call and set his phone down on the kitchen table. “Zach figured it out,” Ian said, tunneling his fingers through his hair. “Apparently, his kid sister shared the videos with a few friends who then shared it with a few more friends who then posted it on several social media sites.” He blew out a breath. “Anyway, it wasn’t on purpose. She was just excited her brother knew a famous actress.”

  “I think I’m more infamous than famous,” Tomi said wryly. “It’s hard to compete with the Hot Cowboy Hero.”

  Ian’s eyes tightened at the corners as a muscle in his jaw ticked. He didn’t like all this attention. Not that Tomi did either, but it was kind of nice to be so popular. Her agent assured her she’d have no trouble finding Tomi an astounding part. She even predicted she’d have multiple offers coming through.

  “I wish people would stop calling me stuff like that.” Ian rubbed a palm across his beard. “It’s embarrassing. Kellen texted me while I was on the phone with Zach to say they decided to have their son’s middle name be after the hot cowboy hero who delivered him.”

  “Ian!” Tomi said, pushing her chair away from the table to stand up. “That is so sweet.” She came around and settled onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. “What’s his full name?”

  “Kade Ian…I think. It’s a little hard to recall with a pretty girl sitting on my lap.” He covered her giggle with a soft, sensuous kiss that liquefied her bones. If the public knew how good he was at kissing, they’d add “Hottest Kisser” to his growing list of accolades.

  “Break it up,” Gabe said, coming in from the garage. “There are young, impressionable eyes about to enter the kitchen.”

  The delicious kiss ended as she and Ian parted. Tomi slid off his lap and onto her own chair just as Shane and Lindsey barged into the kitchen. “You’re so famous, Aunt Tomi,” Lindsey said. “My friends want to get your auto-giraffe.”

  “Autograph, stu—silly,” Shane said, amending his word at his dad’s sharp look of warning. Her nephew obviously didn’t want to lose screen time two nights in a row.

 
; “You two have thirty minutes of free time, and then you need to do your homework,” Gabe said.

  Surprised by the change with their usual do-homework-first-play-later after-school routine, both kids didn’t question their father’s sanity and darted out of the kitchen.

  “Do you need us to leave too?” Tomi asked, wiggling her eyebrows up and down. “The kitchen is the place you guys like to make out, right?”

  “She’s on to us, babe,” Piper said, giving her husband a quick kiss before handing over a sensational newspaper that seldom told the whole truth. “Thought you might like this. One of the teachers gave that to me just before I left school.”

  Ian glowered at the picture of him on the cover of the tabloid. Tomi tried not to drool. He looked hot, wearing his favorite cowboy hat, well-worn jeans, and a black V-neck tee that strained to fit around his bulging biceps. Okay, so maybe the tabloids occasionally got it right as the header above his picture named him the Sexiest Cowboy Alive.

  “My brothers are never going to let me live this down,” Ian grumbled, sitting back in his chair.

  “Hey, if the hat fits,” Tomi said with a suggestive undertone that earned her a small smile from him. “Besides, it could be worse.” She pointed to the picture of Jake Kelley positioned directly below. The photo was terribly unflattering, depicting him with his nostrils flared, mouth open, and his eyes narrowed into thin slits. In the background was a picture of Thunder—or a horse meant to look like Thunder—with ears pinned flat to his head and his eyes wild. The caption next to the picture was just as unfavorable as the snapshot of Jake. Horse Whisperer or Horse Hater?

  “Ouch,” Gabe said, leaning over Tomi’s shoulder. “This is horse-loving country…I hope nobody sends a lynching party over to Lance’s.”

  “I’m sure Jake’s already high-tailed it out of here,” Tomi said. “He’s probably on his way to some remote spa on a tropical island for his Zen time.” She stood up and stretched her neck to one side, trying to release some of the tension knotting her muscles. “Ten bucks his PR team concocts some story about sleeping pills being responsible for his deranged episode.”