by Ryanne Corey
“Really?” Jacob smiled politely. “What did you expect?”
Natalie waved her hand in the air. “Oh, you know, someone a bit more…imposing. After all, you’re the head of a big television network. I expected someone rather blustery and bossy, to be frank.”
“Perhaps someone taller?” Jacob suggested.
Natalie smiled prettily. “I would never say that.”
“I suppose it must be rather hard on you,” Jacob went on innocently. “Being so unnaturally tall yourself, you probably have to look down on everyone.”
“Not everyone. Just the short people.”
Connor’s panic was increasing by the second. If this barbed conversation continued, he feared Jacob and Natalie would come to blows. “You know,” he said quickly, “You two have something in common. Jacob collects antiques with a passion.”
“Are you interested in antiques, Mrs. Calhoon?” Jacob inquired. “Perhaps a little hobby of yours?”
“Something like that,” Natalie replied with sugary sweetness. “I have a little hobby shop in town.”
Connor planted a smile on his face and stepped between them. “Natalie, maybe you should see what’s keeping your daughter.”
“My daughter will come out when she’s good and ready to come out. I don’t mind telling you, Connor, she wasn’t too happy to see you arrive with Mr. Stephens. She was under the impression you weren’t going to be involved in the interview.”
“He’s here at my request,” Jacob said smoothly. “It’s been a while since I sat in front of the camera, and there’s no one better than Connor to guide me through it.”
Just then Maxie came sailing into the room in a cloud of perfume. “How lovely to meet you, Mr. Stephens,” she said graciously, holding out her hand. “I’m Maxie Calhoon.”
Ordinarily, Jacob was the most sophisticated of men, but Maxie’s staggering beauty rendered even him momentarily speechless. She had changed into white linen slacks paired with a body-hugging white sweater. Her hair was loose, framing her face in a soft, dark cloud. She had applied her makeup with an expert hand, emphasizing her glorious eyes and the lavish curves of her generous lips. “Well,” he managed finally, “at last I know what all the hoopla is about. No wonder you’re having trouble shaking the media, Maxie. With the exception of your dear mother,” and he gave Natalie an overly sweet smile of his own, “who I’ve just met, you’re quite the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
Maxie shook her head modestly. “It’s all done with mirrors, Mr. Stephens.”
“Call me Jacob,” he replied easily. “I’m certain we’re going to get along famously. For a good interview, one must be comfortable, and I’ll do everything in my power to make certain you are.”
Connor was tired of being invisible. “You look beautiful,” he told Maxie bluntly. “But I think I prefer the overalls. You’re a bit more approachable in overalls.”
“Since you won’t be approaching me,” Maxie said without looking at him, “we won’t have a problem. Shall we start filming, Jacob? I thought I would give you a tour of the place while we chat. Later on we can set up in here for a more formal discussion. And please feel free to ask me anything. I have nothing to hide.”
Connor was stinging from her rebuff, but his overriding concern was Maxie’s protection. “That’s not a good idea, Maxie,” he said. “Go over a list of questions and approve them or throw them out. You need to know what’s coming.”
Maxie turned to face him for the first time. “That’s so true,” she said coolly. “If I had known what was coming when you walked into my life, I could have saved myself a great deal of time and trouble. What are you doing here, Connor?”
“I brought him,” Jacob intervened quickly, putting a casual arm around Maxie’s shoulders and turning her toward the front door. “I thought he might be useful. Don’t worry about Connor, Maxie. The only thing you need to be concerned with is looking wonderful for the camera, and you’ve already managed that. Shall we begin?”
Jacob and Maxie left, neither of them giving Connor a second look. He walked mutely to the window, watching Jacob introduce Maxie to the crew. Without exception, the men wore identical expressions of stunned admiration.
“She knocks men down with a simple smile,” he commented tonelessly to Natalie. “They fall like dominoes. What’s amazing to me is that they don’t see the real beauty, they don’t know what’s inside her heart. She’s a miracle.”
“From what she told me,” Natalie countered, “you weren’t much interested in the real Maxie Calhoon. It was all about Glitter Baby.”
“It was never about Glitter Baby,” Connor replied fiercely, facing Natalie with burning eyes. “Never, not since the first day I met her. She showed me her mind and her heart and her soul, and I fell in love for the first time in my life. But she doesn’t believe that, and she never will.”
Natalie considered this for a moment, her brows drawn together thoughtfully. “My daughter spent eight years wearing a mask, Connor. Everyone she met was drawn to Glitter Baby, no one was interested in Maxie Calhoon. She was hurt terribly. She had no identity, no self-esteem. Never once in all that time did she date anyone seriously. Never once.”
“I know,” Connor whispered softly, a shadow clouding his eyes. “She was so afraid they didn’t want her. And now…now she believes I didn’t want her, either. She’s so damned vulnerable.”
Something in Natalie’s features relaxed. She placed a gentle hand on Connor’s shoulder, her Mona Lisa smile an exact replica of her daughter’s. “You understand, then. That’s good. Maxie’s endured enough pain for one lifetime. All she wants now is to have her own safe place in the universe. And I think it would be absolutely lovely,” she paused, choosing her words with care, “if she had someone to share that place with her. She’s been alone so long.”
“How do I convince her? How do I make her believe I don’t give a damn about Glitter Baby? I hate hearing that name, I hate looking into her eyes and seeing the wounds when she thinks about that time in her life.” His bleak gaze strayed back to the window. Maxie, Jacob and the camera crew were heading towards the barn. He wanted to go outside and pick her up in his arms, carry her away from any reminders of Glitter Baby. He felt like he was losing her all over again with every step she took. “Believe me, Natalie. I want nothing from your daughter but her love.”
“I do believe you,” Natalie said quietly. “Now you need to convince her. It’s not going to be easy, either. She has a bit of her mother’s feisty spirit.”
Connor had to smile at that. “She does. You know, you were giving Jacob a pretty good run for his money a few minutes ago.”
Natalie laughed. “I was bad, wasn’t I? Come along, then. Let’s go outside and I’ll make nice.”
“Maxie doesn’t want me around.”
“And your point is…?”
Connor was broken-hearted, frustrated and depressed, but he found himself laughing with helpless abandon. “Natalie, you’re a remarkable woman. I can see why Maxie is so special.”
“Thank you.” Natalie looked at him with gentle reassurance. “I like you, Connor. More importantly, I believe my daughter loves you, whether she admits it or not. I was testing her before you arrived today. Try as I might, she wouldn’t let me say anything truly bad about you.”
“I guess that’s something,” Connor muttered doubtfully. “Maybe if I just let Jacob do his thing and stay in the background, she won’t pitch a fit.”
“Stranger things have happened,” Natalie replied breezily. “But I wouldn’t count on it. Come along, then. Once more into the breach, my friend.”
It turned out to be a very bad idea.
Things went well for the first few minutes. Other than giving Connor a hostile look when he and Natalie walked up, Maxie completely ignored him. She was leaning against the fence, with thirty cows in the background acting as local scenery. The camera crew was ready, the equipment in place. Jacob adjusted his tie, gave Maxie’s shoulder
a reassuring squeeze and the filming began.
“To say this interview is rather special,” he began, smiling at the camera, “is a vast understatement. I’m standing in this beautiful country setting with Glitter Baby, the woman who disappeared—”
“Cut,” Connor yelled.
“Cut?” Jacob threw Connor a quelling look. “You are not here as a director,” he said. “Did you ever hear me ask you to be the director?”
Connor flushed, but persevered stubbornly. “Jacob, you’re talking as if Maxie is Glitter Baby. You can’t do that, you can’t feed the media that kind of bait. They’ll never leave her alone.”
Jacob glowered. “Fine, you had your input. Now if you’ll allow me to continue?” He signalled the cameraman and started again. “I’m standing in this beautiful country setting just a few miles north of Oakley, Wyoming—”
“Cut!” Connor pushed his way past the cameras, stepping between Maxie and Jacob. “Why don’t you just draw a freaking map for the world? Hell, give her address and phone number while you’re at it! Jacob, you’ve got to protect her anonymity. You can’t just stand there and blurt out—”
“Have you lost your mind?” Jacob demanded, suddenly looking much taller than five feet six inches. “Do I have to put masking tape over your mouth, or are you going to let me do this interview?”
“Then do the damn interview, but use a little professionalism. Is that so hard? Hell, you’ve been in this business for thirty years. You know the ropes. Why are you acting like an amateur?”
Maxie stared at Connor, her mouth half-open. The members of the camera crew looked at one another with mute ecstacy. Natalie covered a laugh by clearing her throat.
“Are you quite through?” Jacob asked softly, his eyes promising retribution. “Any further instructions?”
“No,” Connor said, aware that he was acting like an idiot, but quite unable to monitor his mouth. Love was hell, he discovered, on one’s dignity. “Just…be careful with her.”
“I will try my poor best,” Jacob grated out with an overdose of sincerity. “May I proceed, please?”
Connor disappeared behind the cameras, retreating to the shade of a pine tree with Natalie. He felt helpless, barely stifling a desire to smash every camera in the vicinity.
“Well,” Natalie said, when she was quite sure she had her giggles under control. “That was…quite extraordinary. Do you take such a fierce personal interest in all your interviews?”
“No,” Connor said flatly, hotly flushed from the neck up.
“That may be a blessing. Your career might have been rather short.”
Connor shrugged. They were too far away from Jacob and Maxie to hear what was being said, but that didn’t stop Connor from trying to read their lips. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. Before we drove out here today, I quit.”
Natalie regarded him with disbelieving eyes. “You what?”
“I quit. Hell, why do think Jacob didn’t fire me just now? I beat him to it. I don’t have the stomach for this business any longer. I don’t know if I’ve suddenly gone insane or if I’m just crazy in love. It doesn’t really matter why, anyway. I did what I had to do.”
“I wonder what Maxie will say about that,” Natalie murmured.
“I doubt she’ll care.” Connor rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling drained. “Look, I’m sorry, but I can’t put myself through this, Natalie. I’m making everything more difficult than it is. I have to get out of here. I’m going home.”
“Just give it a little more time,” Natalie pleaded. “Don’t do anything final. Give her a chance to think about things.”
“She knows what she’s doing. Your daughter isn’t a victim any longer. She’s in charge of her life, and that’s what she’s always wanted. Tell her…just tell her…”
“Tell her what?” Natalie asked softly, staring at him intently.
“I don’t know.” Connor’s eyes focused one last time on the lovely, dark-haired woman haloed in golden sunlight. She was animated, talking easily with Jacob, using her hands to express her thoughts. She was the most beautiful and vibrant creature on God’s green earth. He had to force himself to release her from his sight.
“Tell her I’m proud of her,” he said.
Eleven
“I’m sorry,” the ticket agent told Connor. “There’s going to be a slight delay boarding the commuter flight. There’s a moose on the runway.”
Connor was in a foul mood. He’d driven four hours from Oakley to Jackson Hole, arriving at midnight only to find the next flight was not until 8:00 a.m. the following morning. He’d found himself a bar and passed a couple of hours downing shots of tequila. Well-oiled and wobbly, he’d taken a cab back to the terminal and curled up for the rest of the night on a chair obviously made of the hardest hard-wood in the world. When he roused himself several hours later, he was literally bruised from head to foot. He also had a raging hangover, which was being irritated by this young woman’s perkiness.
“What kind of airport allows moose to run free on the runway?” he demanded, leaning heavily against the counter. His balance wasn’t quite up to par. “This never happens in Los Angeles.”
The ticket agent showed him dimples and a toothy smile. “You’re so funny. We all know moose don’t live in cities, don’t we?”
“We know nothing,” Connor muttered, “except that we have a killer headache. Where can I get some aspirin?”
She giggled, apparently finding him terribly amusing. “Someone’s in a grouchy mood,” she said, blond curls bouncing energetically. “You can buy aspirin at the gift shop, just down the corridor. By the time you get back, I’m sure we’ll be ready to board. No errant moose will get the best of Rocky Mountain Airlines! Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“No,” Connor growled. His stomach was threatening revenge for all the tequila he’d consumed. Connor had never been a good drinker, had never really enjoyed drinking. He had thought to block his growing depression, but the alcohol had only increased it. From now on, he vowed silently, he was a milk drinker.
Which made him think of cows, which made him think of Maxie, which made him even more depressed. Leaving her, knowing she was beyond his reach forever, had given new meaning to the word despair. The pain was with him all the time, drunk or sober. It prickled along his spine, it blurred his vision periodically, it made his heart hurt in his chest. Now that he knew what it was to be with her, how it felt to be so alive and fulfilled by her, how could he ever survive without her? The contrast was unbearable.
The first thing he noticed in the gift shop was the newspaper rack, overflowing with scandal rags. Of the six magazines offered for sale, five had cover stories on Glitter Baby and her new cross-dressing companion. Connor wondered how he would ever forget her if her picture was going to be everywhere he looked. He knew that smile personally, he knew the magic in her violet eyes, he knew how her lips felt against his. The photographs only reminded him of how much he had lost. It seemed that everywhere he turned, there was yet another picture. Why did the only love of his life have to be one of the most recognizable faces in America?
Heartsick, Connor tugged his baseball cap further down on his head, on the off-chance someone might recognize him as the star of the pink-bathrobe fiasco. He wasn’t in the mood for any complications; he was too busy being miserable. He was standing in line with his bottle of aspirin when a conversation between a couple of young men behind him caught his attention.
“Man, she’s the hottest thing on the planet. Whenever I’m scoring with another woman, I close my eyes and pretend it’s her. So when you think about it, I’ve slept with Glitter Baby a hundred times.”
“Who hasn’t?” his companion said. “You can tell just by looking at her picture that she’s a nympho. That’s not something you can just put on for a camera. No, she wants it, that’s for sure.”
“I’d like to be the one to give it to her.”
That did it. Connor turned to face them in a sing
le fluid movement, a blood vessel throbbing wildly in his temple. Fury burned in his dark eyes and gave a white-hot edge to his voice. “I’d advise you two to keep your filthy mouths shut.”
“Or what?” The taller of the two took a step forward, pushing hard on Connor’s chest. “What are you, some damned missionary?”
“Yes.” Connor smiled slowly. “And I’m going to help you two get to heaven…right now.” Before the fellow could react, Connor swung, planting a fist directly in his face. The force with which he connected was astonishing. As a matter of fact, he was pretty sure he’d broken a couple of knuckles. Before his target hit the floor, he’d rounded on the second man. This time he missed the nose, which he was aiming for, but managed to land a pretty good facer anyway. The man shook his head a second, then with a roar lunged at Connor, knocking over the candy stand in the process. Somewhere in the middle of it all, Connor heard a woman shouting for security. He ducked a punch and swung again, sending his opponent to the floor amidst rolling packages of candy. At that point someone new entered the fight, telling him to calm down and trying to grab him from behind. Before Connor could shake him, a determined security guard put an end to the melee by bringing his nightstick down on the back of Connor’s head.
At that point it was lights out.
Once it became public knowledge that Jacob Stephens had landed an exclusive interview, the flurry of reporters staking out the ranch gradually began to thin out. Maxie was tremendously relieved now she had no more secrets to hide. Jacob had been wonderful, quite protective after Connor had left the scene. He’d gently led Maxie through the dark recollections of her anorexia, giving her the opportunity and encouragement to speak her mind. She left no doubt of her opinion of society’s infatuation with starved bodies and superficial beauty. What other people thought of her, Maxie stressed, was no longer her business. She only hoped that there were those who would benefit by her mistakes.