The Cast

by Danielle Steel

  She realized that this was the quiet before the storm, and that from July on she’d be running like a madwoman to attend their shooting schedule, work on the scripts with Becca, help solve problems on the set, and write her column and blog whenever and wherever she could. And it occurred to her that Carmen’s original suggestion had been a good one. She wanted to take a vacation with her children, while she still had the time to do it and before her schedule got away from her.

  She called and asked each of them to set aside a week in June. They had to wait until Merrie and Lucie Anne got out of school, and she researched places online that would be fun for all of them and easy to get to. The BBC had decided not to send Candace on heavy assignments for a while, much to her chagrin, so she said she could make it too. The location Kait homed in on was a ranch in Wyoming, outside Jackson Hole, which sounded ideal. She checked back with all of them, set the date, and booked rooms at the ranch for the second week in June, which suited her too, since she and Paula had agreed that she would start her “work at home” arrangement with the magazine on June first. She didn’t have to go to the office, and she had agreed to continue to respond to letters and write her column till the end of the year. They would revisit the subject again then, depending on plans for the show.

  She couldn’t wait to go to the ranch with her kids, and they were excited too. And so were the girls. She sent her granddaughters pink cowboy boots in the sizes Maribeth gave her, and Tommy emailed her pictures of them wearing them with little denim skirts and cowboy hats. They were all set for their big adventure, and the date came faster than expected.

  There was a lunch for Kait at the magazine on her last official day of work onsite. She was turning her office over to one of the senior editors, and Carmen looked mournful at not having Kait to visit anymore during their workday. She whispered to Kait during lunch that she was trying to get a column now too.

  Everyone was thrilled for Kait and excited about the show. The network had made a big announcement on May first, with posters everywhere with teasers, and photographs of Dan, Charlotte, and Abaya to appeal to younger viewers, and others with Maeve, Agnes, and Phillip Green, the actor who would play Loch, and some that showed the entire cast. TV commercials for the show would begin in September, from scenes they’d have shot by then. They were spending a fortune on advertising, and people were talking about The Wilder Women with anticipation. It gave Kait a rush every time she saw one of the posters, and Zack said there were billboards up on Sunset Boulevard in L.A.

  Her colleagues at the magazine were sad to see her go, but everyone wished her well.

  And when Kait left for Wyoming, she couldn’t wait to spend a week with her kids. Zack mentioned to her on the phone the night before she left that Nick Brooke’s ranch was an hour outside Jackson Hole. He said he had a big spread with lots of horses.

  “Maybe you should call him and say hi,” Zack suggested. They were keeping him a dark secret until the last episode of the show, a teaser for season two. A hot romance between Maeve O’Hara and Nick Brooke would be a tremendous draw, and bring everyone back for sure. So his joining the show was very hush-hush, but he had signed his contract for the final episode, and a provisional one for the second season, provided the show was still running. They had paid him a fortune, but Zack and Kait agreed that it was worth it for the viewers it would attract. Women of every age went crazy over Nick.

  They had Dan to appeal to the younger women, and Nick was a powerful draw. He was fifty-two, but didn’t look it, and had the kind of rugged, masculine image that made women swoon. And their male viewers could lust over Charlotte or Abaya, or Maeve. Their older audience would be ecstatic to see Agnes again. There was something for everyone on the show. And some great flying scenes during the war with the vintage planes they’d be using. The show had everything it needed to be a huge success. And Nick would be an important part of it. He had a big movie coming out that summer, which would be a great prelude to his appearing as a surprise on the show.

  “Won’t he think I’m weird, just calling him to say hello out of the blue?” Kait had responded to Zack when he told her to call him. They were shooting him in late August or early September for the last segment on a closed set, and everyone had to sign confidentiality agreements not to reveal that he’d be on the show.

  “Of course not,” Zack answered her question. “You’re the co-executive producer. He might have questions about the character, and it would be nice to get to know him.” Zack and Kait had met him in a meeting with his lawyer, and Kait had shaken his hand, and was struck by how handsome he was. He was a quiet, retiring person, and Kait knew he never went to L.A. unless he was working. He was originally from a small town in Texas, and had bought an enormous ranch in Wyoming when he started to do well. He was supposed to be very professional, no problem to work with, and kept to himself. And whatever he did with his personal life, he managed to keep out of the press. He had said he was reluctant to do interviews about the show, even once he was officially part of the cast. “You don’t have to spend the week with him, just make contact. I want him to feel like he’s part of it, even if he’s only appearing once this season. Meeting him there might be an easy way to break the ice.”

  Zack had discovered that Nick had started his career as a country music singer in Nashville but wouldn’t sing on their show. Nick said that was past history, but Zack had found an old CD of his, and said he had a great voice.

  Nick’s personal life was a mystery to everyone except a few close friends, and his agent had informed them that he intended to keep it that way. No one knew if he had a girlfriend, who he dated, or what he did when he wasn’t working, other than run his ranch, where he bred horses. He was occasionally seen at high-end auctions, buying champions to breed. They were his passion, and the horses he sold were said to be among the finest in the state. Zack texted Kait his number, but Kait wasn’t sure if she would call him or not. She wanted to concentrate on her kids, and didn’t want to steal time from them with business meetings for the show.

  They were each flying to Wyoming separately. Candace was flying from London to Chicago and from there to Jackson Hole, Stephanie and Frank had a direct flight from San Francisco, and Tommy and his family would be using his father-in-law’s plane. Kait was flying to Denver from New York, and from there to Jackson Hole, and they would all meet up at the ranch within a few hours of one another. The only caution was that Candace couldn’t expose her recently burned arms to the sun. But they were all planning to ride, and Kait had already arranged for mountaintop picnics, a fishing expedition for Tommy and Frank with a guide, and she wanted to take them all to the rodeo. There was apparently a great one on Wednesday nights that all the locals went to and the tourists loved. She’d asked the ranch to organize it for them.

  Kait finished her next column on the flight from New York. She knew she’d have to be artful now to find the time to do it, once she was spending her days and nights on the set. She watched a movie during lunch, and when they landed in Jackson Hole, she noticed how many private jets were sitting in a designated space. It was a beautiful place, a watering hole for the rich and famous who didn’t want to go to the more obvious locations like Sun Valley or Aspen. The Teton mountains looked majestic as she got off the plane.

  She claimed her baggage and found the driver the ranch had sent for her. He told her on the way to it that Tommy and his group had already arrived about an hour before, and were settling in. She knew there was a pool for the children, and they would be in a cluster of cabins, with specific horses assigned to them for their stay, according to their equestrian ability. Tommy’s girls had their own ponies at home, which their grandfather had given them, and Maribeth was an expert rider. Kait’s children knew how to ride, but had never spent much time doing so, since they had grown up in New York, but they were proficient enough to enjoy it at the ranch. She had booked a sunset ride for all of them that nigh
t.

  Tommy and Maribeth and the children were in the lobby waiting for Kait when she arrived, and Merrie put her arms around her and gave her a big hug, while Lucie Anne explained that she was going to ride a horse that was bigger than her pony, and this horse was named Rosie and she was very nice.

  “Are you going to ride with us too?” she asked her grandmother. She was wearing the pink cowboy boots Kait had sent them, and pink shorts and a pink T-shirt with the map of Texas on it. Tommy thanked his mother and said their cabin was great. Kait was just as pleased with her own when she saw it. They were comfortable and luxurious and simply decorated. An hour later, Stephanie and Frank showed up, in their usual hiking gear, which was their uniform for all occasions, including work. They were holding hands when Kait saw them, and Stephanie whispered to her a little later that Frank was afraid of horses but wanted to be a good sport.

  “I’m sure they’ll put him on a nice, tame horse, they must deal with all kinds of people who aren’t great riders here. Just be sure you tell them at the stable, and he doesn’t have to ride with us if he doesn’t want to.” Kait wanted everyone to have a good time, and didn’t want anyone to be forced to do things they didn’t want. She told Frank and Tommy about the fishing trip she’d arranged for them the next day. Tommy loved to fish, and he went deep-sea fishing with his father-in-law in the Gulf of Mexico every chance he got. He knew this would be less exciting, but fun too, and he liked Frank and was happy to spend time with him.

  It was four in the afternoon when Candace arrived looking pale and tired, but delighted to see them all. She had on a long-sleeved blouse so you couldn’t see the dressings she still had to wear on her recent burns. Her mother noticed that she’d lost weight but didn’t comment. The vacation would do her good after what she’d been through. They were all thrilled to be there, and loved the idea of the sunset ride, and they turned up at the main barn promptly at six in jeans and boots. They were given helmets and introduced to their horses. The two little girls looked adorable astride their very sedate horses, and Frank was assigned an equally quiet one. They had a female guide who was a senior at the University of Wyoming and said she worked at the ranch every summer. She led them out on a path into the hills, between fields of wildflowers, and pointed out landmarks of interest. She was from Cheyenne and told them about the Indians who had lived in the area long ago, and encouraged them to make sure they went to the rodeo on Wednesday night.

  “And we have our own rodeo here at the ranch on Friday nights. You just missed it, but you can sign up if you want to be in it next week. And you can even win a ribbon,” she said to the girls, and they begged their mother to let them do it.

  They were back from their ride in time for dinner in the main ranch house, and had their own table, and the girls were happy playing with their two aunts.

  “My daddy said you got blown up and hurt your arms,” Merrie said seriously to Candace, and she smiled.

  “Yes, I did, sort of, but I’m fine now,” Candace said, and Merrie showed her some of the games on her iPad, and they helped themselves from the buffet. There was a barbecue every night, and a campfire afterward where two of the stable hands played guitar and sang familiar songs, and everyone chimed in and sang along. It was exactly what Kait had hoped for, and she sat back, watching them with a peaceful smile on her face.

  “You look happy, Mom,” Tommy said when he noticed, and she nodded.

  “I always am when I’m with all of you.” This was a rare treat for her, and a longer time than she had spent with them in years. She was grateful they had each made the effort to spend a week as a family with her.

  Stephanie and Frank were the first to leave the campfire and go to bed, and Maribeth and Tommy took the girls back to their cabin when Merrie started to yawn. Lucie Anne was already asleep on her father’s lap, and he carried her easily to bed. Candace and her mother sat enjoying the songs for longer, and had a glass of wine at the bar afterward. Candace teased her that several of the old cowboys had been watching Kait. She had noticed it too, but didn’t pay any attention. She assumed they were just curious and not attracted to her.

  “You’re a beautiful woman, Mom. You should get out more. Your new venture in TV will do you good.”

  “I’m going to be busy on the set with the cast and the scripts, not picking up men,” she brushed off Candace’s comments.

  “They’ll be picking you up.” Candace smiled at her. She didn’t admit it, but she had missed her mother after she left London. As much as it annoyed her at times when Kait fussed over her, it was nice to know that someone cared.

  “Are you feeling all right?” her mother asked her. “You looked tired when you arrived.”

  “It’s a long flight for me. And it’s been boring stuck in London. I miss being out in the field, working on the documentaries. A desk job just isn’t my style. I think they’ll send me somewhere next month. Dealing with the dressings on my arms has been a drag. I have a nurse come in to do it now. They’re almost healed. It took longer than I thought it would.”

  “I was hoping you’d stay around London for a while, and rethink what you’re doing. Driving over a land mine, as a normal occurrence in your line of work, is not what I want for you,” Kait said quietly, it had been haunting her since it happened. “You could have been one of the unlucky ones who got killed,” she reminded her. She had thought of it a thousand times.

  “It doesn’t happen often, Mom,” Candace said and sipped her wine.

  “You only have to get killed once.” Kait looked at her sternly, and Candace laughed.

  “I get the point. I’m always careful. I don’t know what happened this time. We had a lousy guide.”

  “Which can happen. Just do me a favor and think about it before you go running off again to some godforsaken place.”

  Candace nodded but didn’t promise. “I guess I don’t know what I want to be yet when I grow up. Stephanie has always been exactly what she is now, a total geek, and she’s good at it. And Tommy seems so sure of his Texas life and being the fast food king one day when Maribeth’s father retires. And I can’t see myself coming back to New York to sit at a desk. I’ve always wanted to make the world a better place and right injustice. I’m just not sure how anymore. We see so many terrible things when we’re on the road. And there’s so little we can do to change them. What we do with the documentaries feels like a drop in the bucket sometimes. And too often the women who cooperate with us and let me interview them are severely punished afterward, which makes things even worse.”

  She had always been the idealist who wanted to stop man’s cruelty to his fellow man, and was discovering that it was not easily done. It was a bitter pill for her to swallow. “I feel so guilty when I’m sitting around London or New York, leading an easy life in my comfortable apartment, or even here. You’ve made it so nice for all of us, but while we’re sitting here, eating barbecue and riding horses and singing songs, children are starving in Africa, and dying in the streets of India, and people are killing each other for a variety of reasons we can’t change and maybe never will.” It had been a depressing discovery for her, and she felt helpless at times.

  “Maybe part of growing up is accepting that, Candy.” Her mother hadn’t called her that since she was a little girl, and Candace smiled. “What you’re doing is noble, but if you get killed, it won’t do anything to help them. You’ll just be another casualty of their wars, and it would break my heart,” she added in a whisper, as Candace reached out and touched her hand. They had a special bond. “Please be careful, I love you.”

  “I love you too. But I have to do what I think is right. I can’t do it forever. Someday I’ll settle down,” but Kait wondered if she ever would. Her middle child had a restless soul and always had. Candace was a seeker, and she hadn’t found what she was looking for yet, nor felt she had done all that she was put on earth to do. And Kait knew that un
til she came to peace with it, she would continue roaming around the world, trying to do whatever she could to help.

  “I wish you were more selfish, and didn’t feel you should be curing the ills of the entire world.”

  “Maybe that was what I was born to do, Mom. We each have our own path.”

  “And mine is to do a TV show?” Kait smiled at her ruefully.

  “You’ve helped a lot of people with your column, and you’ve been wonderful to us. You have a right to some fun.”

  Kait nodded, thinking about it, but she also knew that Candace wasn’t ready to give up her dangerous job yet. They finished their wine and walked back to their respective cabins, which were luxurious and beautifully decorated in the lush, natural setting, and the mountains loomed over them, looking mysterious in the night sky filled with stars.

  “I’m glad we came here,” Candace said as she kissed her mother good night.

  “So am I,” Kait said, smiling at her in the moonlight. “I love you.” And then they left each other and went to bed, each with their own thoughts.

  Except for Tom and Frank who had gone fishing, the others met at breakfast in the morning, and were startled by the enormous buffet with a station for pancakes, waffles, and eggs any style. The ranch offered a hearty breakfast before the activities of the day, and by the time they finished Tom and Frank were back from their fishing expedition, and the kitchen was going to clean their fish for them, so they could have it for dinner if they liked.

  The girls had a riding lesson in the corral, and afterward the women went into Jackson Hole to look around, and Tom and Frank kept an eye on the girls at the pool, and they all met up again for an enormous lunch.

  “I’m going to gain ten pounds while we’re here,” Maribeth commented while helping herself to a slice of apple pie at the end of lunch, and Candace picked at a salad. She hadn’t had much appetite since the accident, but was trying to make an effort to please her mother, and had cheesecake for dessert. The food was fabulous, and all the adults went for a hike that afternoon to counter the effects of lunch, and the girls took a crafts class with other children their age, and emerged with baskets and bracelets they had woven and a key chain for their grandmother, which she promised to use forever. She loved spending time with them and getting to know them better, and she offered to have them sleep in her cabin with her that night, which would give their parents a break too.