“I like the sound of her already. I thought all the girls around here were prudes.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Oh, that’s one thing they’re definitely not.”
“Wow, maybe I should consider moving here too, then. So, what does a brother have to do to get some coffee around here?”
“You’re very lucky I want some so badly myself. Come on, sit down, I’ll get us a cup.”
I made my way to the kitchen while Brady mocked me for being such a perfectionist when it came to the coffee. He saw me measuring the beans and grinding them, and he laughed.
“You’re such a hipster.”
“A what?”
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t you know what a hipster is?”
“No. I’m assuming someone that likes coffee.”
“Well, sort of. But many other things too. You don’t have a bicycle hanging on your wall do you?”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
He laughed. “Nothing. Sorry, I forget that you’re in your own little world now. I mean, you don’t even go on the internet.”
“Are you going to sit there and mock me all morning or are you going to be nice? Because I’m close to pouring your coffee down the drain and drinking mine in front of you.”
“Have I told you lately how much I love you? And how good you are looking?” he said and grinned at me.
I shook my head. “You’re a pain. You know that. I’m going to need more than one cup to get going this morning.”
“I thought you were an early riser.”
“I am. But four is pushing it a little.”
“So, what time do you usually wake up?”
“About quarter to.”
“Six?”
“Five.”
“So I only woke you up forty-five minutes early, and you’re complaining?”
“Hey, I’ll have you know that those forty-five minutes are important to me. You’re lucky I’m happy to see you.”
He chuckled. “I knew you would be.”
“I still can’t believe my little brother is an MMA fighter.”
“Not so little anymore,” he said, and he flexed his muscles.
I groaned. “Please don’t tell me you use that line on women.”
“I don’t have to use lines on women. And it’s not like I’m that much younger than you, anyway. But yeah, I know what you mean. Who would’ve though I would’ve done this with my life? Remember how scrawny I used to be?”
I chuckled. “You and me both.”
“Man, I must say, despite how I busted your chops, this coffee is damn good.”
“Thank you.”
“So, how’s life on the farm? Tell me everything about this movie. Are they still shooting? Do you get involved at all? Are you in the movies too?”
I laughed. “So many questions. Well, it’s going well. They came for just over a month, so we still have a little bit of time left. I was so annoyed at first. I mean, you know what I’m like with that place. It’s like my sanctuary. And all of a sudden there are all these people in suits and dresses who do not look like they belong at all, and they’re in my space.”
Ryan snickered. “I can so picture you getting annoyed with something like that.”
“Yeah, it was super annoying. But I guess I’ve just gotten used to it now. It’s not that bad. And it’s interesting to see how it’s all put together. I mean, I thought they filmed a movie exactly the way it’s going to play on screen. But they do little bits and pieces all over the place and then put it together at the end. It’s interesting.”
“And what are the cast like?”
“Oh, I’m not sure if you’ve heard of Patrick Restler?”
“He’s in the movie? Of course I’ve heard of him! Wow, what’s he like?”
I shrugged. “He doesn’t talk much to me. I mean, I’m supposed to be there to help them if they have any questions, but he doesn’t seem like the guy that wants to admit to not knowing anything. He’d rather look it up on the internet.”
“Jerk. So, who else?”
I rattled off some of the names that I remembered, which wasn’t many, and then I casually told him about the lead actress. “Her name is Sloan Hill. She’s —”
But before I had the chance to finish Ryan gasped. “SLOAN HILL! Are you kidding me?”
“I take it you’ve heard of her?”
“Uh, yes. Everyone has heard of her. Oh no, don’t tell me you hadn’t?”
“Of course not. Why would I know who she is?”
He laughed at that. “I bet she wasn’t too impressed with that.”
I pictured her asking if I wanted her autograph and I laughed. “Yeah, she wasn’t impressed at all. But she’s not so bad.”
“Oh yeah? Not stuck up?”
“She was, at first. But she’s really gotten into the role of someone who lives on a ranch. And now that she’s not prancing around in her fancy outfits, she’s actually really nice. She’s easy to talk to.”
“Is there something going on between the two of you?”
“What? Why would you say that?”
He laughed. “Because I know you better than you know yourself sometimes. Go on, spill the beans, is there something going on between you and Sloan Hill?”
“Well,” I said and finished my coffee so that I didn’t meet his eye. “I mean, we’ve hung out a few times. I’ve been showing her what life is like out here.”
“Has she been here? In your house?”
“Maybe.”
“Brady, come on, I’m going to get it out of you so you might as well tell me. Spill it, have you kissed?”
I nodded.
He grinned. “Nice. Anything else?”
“Okay, we slept together. Twice.”
“Hang on a second. Are you telling me that you have slept with a famous actress twice?”
“It’s not such a big deal for me because I didn’t even know who she was.”
Ryan boomed with laughter so loud I wondered if he’d wake up Grant in the house next door. “Oh Brady, I’m so proud of you.”
“Weird thing to be proud about.”
“But what’s going to happen when she leaves?”
I shrugged. “She’ll just leave. There’s nothing going on or anything.”
“Okay then. Well, I hope I get to meet her.”
“Sure, you can meet her today.”
“Nice! Man, this is gearing up to be a very interesting day already. Hey, I wanted to ask you, have you spoken to Pop at all since he got cancer? I know he’s better now, but I wondered if you’d spoken to him?”
I shot Ryan a look that I hoped portrayed everything I wanted to say without having to say a word. Thankfully Ryan just nodded and said nothing more.
“So, how about another cup of coffee before we get ready for the ranch?”
“Yes, please!” Ryan said. “And then we can go and meet some famous people.”
Later that morning, I took Ryan over to meet up with Harold, who was walking around the ranch with his tea. It was becoming quite a habit to see him there early now.
“Morning, Brady,” he said.
“Morning, Harold. Bright and early again, I see. I wanted to introduce you to my brother Ryan.”
The two of them shook hands and immediately got into a conversation. Ryan was telling him all about the MMA fighting, and Harold was telling him all about the farm. I stood there looking at the two of them and marveling how easy it was for some people to talk to strangers. It always took me such a long time to warm up to someone.
“You’re certainly much more talkative than your brother here,” Harold said to Ryan and the both looked at me.
“Yeah, he’s always been the quiet one in the family.”
“And Ryan has always been the family clown,” I said, and Ryan punched me in the stomach lightly.
“Oh hey, there’s Sloan. Come on, let me introduce you.”
We walked over to Sloan, who grinned when she saw me coming. The m
oment I saw her, my mind went back to the night at the hotel. I didn’t seem to even notice what she was wearing anymore because the only thing I could think about was what was underneath.
“You must be Knuckles,” she said.
Ryan turned to look at me. “Are you kidding?” Then he turned back to Sloan. “Knuckles, or Ryan if you prefer. It’s great to meet you, Sloan.”
“Ryan, it’s good to meet you too. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
The two of them spoke briefly until Sloan was called away to start the first shoot. I stood back with Ryan as we watched them. He was fascinated by the whole procedure and as excited as Harold was. I usually kept to myself throughout the shooting, so this was the first time that I had actually stood to watch them.
“Come on, I can’t stand here all morning. I need to get some work done,” I said to Ryan.
“Okay, I’ll come and keep you company,” he said. “Although, keeping company doesn’t mean working, you know.”
“Well, you could maybe help me with some of the heavy lifting, at least.”
“I’ll think about it,” he said.
We walked over to the barn and I asked him what he thought of everyone.
“It’s so much fun watching them. And Sloan is even more beautiful up close. She seems nice. I mean, she was very friendly to me. But . . . she’s maybe a little too materialistic for someone like you. Sleeping with her is fine, but it’s good that she’s going. No offense or anything. I mean, I’m complimenting you here. She just doesn’t seem to be the type that could truly understand a man like you.”
“Yeah,” I said and then abruptly changed the subject.
I thought about the conversations I’d had with Sloan and realized that I didn’t see her in the same way I used to anymore. Ryan had taken one look at her and seen her as a materialistic person. But I was sure that there was more to her than what meets the eye. I’d seen a different side to her that was hard to un-see.
Chapter Eighteen
Sloan
It felt bittersweet to me when I was packing up that day. It was Friday afternoon and another week had officially come to a close. I wasn’t sure how I felt about going back home to New York. Part of me felt excited, and part of me felt sad. I’d gotten used to the lifestyle here. The early mornings. The rides on the horses. The long strolls along the quiet streets. I’d even miss the people, who were nothing like the hillbillies Victoria and I had assumed they would be. They were all kind and caring, and everyone seemed to go out of their way for one another. At first, I thought that they were just being nice because I was famous. But then I realized being nice was just in their nature. They were nice to one another, as well as to the film crew.
I saw Brady and his brother in the distance and thought I’d go and say goodbye for the day. I hadn’t seen much of Brady this week. We’d been shooting nonstop, and there hadn’t been much time to socialize. And I didn’t see him as much in between takes because he was mostly with Ryan. We spoke every now and again, but it was always different when it wasn’t just the two of us.
“Hey guys,” I said as I got there. The two of them were sitting on hay bales, and for a second the whole thing struck me as funny. “You both look like cowboys. Even you, Ryan,” I said.
Ryan chuckled. “This is what happens when you hang around Brady for too long. You start acting like him.”
“Tell me about it,” I said and grinned. “Well, I just wanted to say goodbye. It’s been a long week. How much longer are you here for, Ryan?”
“Tonight is my last night.”
“It is? Well, it was a pleasure meeting you. Pity I couldn’t have gotten you aside so you to tell me more about Brady.”
“Nah, Ryan wouldn’t have told you anything. He’s got my back,” Brady said.
Ryan laughed. “No, I don’t. One beer is probably all it would take. Hey, are you free tonight?”
“Tonight? Yeah. Why?”
“Come over to Brady’s place. We’ll have dinner. It’s my last night, and it’s not every day I get the chance to hang around someone famous.”
I chuckled. I looked at Brady, and he smiled and nodded.
I smiled back. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be there. But only if we can have steaks on the outdoor grill.”
“Deal,” Brady said.
I walked away grinning to myself. I hadn’t expected an evening with Brady. And hopefully Ryan would shed some light on some of the things that I found so confusing about him.
My driver dropped me off for dinner early.
“You’re early,” Ryan said as he reached over to kiss me on the cheek.
I grinned. “Yeah, I have to get here early,” I said as I snuck a look at Brady and then back at Ryan. “I once got to my riding lesson late and Brady sent me back to the hotel and told me to come back the next day.”
“What? You didn’t do that! Did you?” he asked his brother as we all made our way outside.
“She was two hours late and wearing a dress for horseback riding!”
“Still. To send her back and make her come back the next day? That’s awful.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Brady, you didn’t tell me your brother was so nice.”
“He’s not!” he said and laughed. “Red wine?” he said to me.
“I’d love some. Thank you.”
I sat back and sighed as I looked out at the wide open space. “You know, I’m going to miss this,” I said.
“You are?” Ryan said.
“You seem surprised.”
“Well, I just can’t imagine going from a place like New York to here. As much as I love it here, I’m not sure I could live here.”
“It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure,” Brady said. “But some people just fall in love with it.”
“Have you fallen in love with it?” Ryan asked.
I looked out again. “I’m not sure. But it has messed with my head a little.”
“So, how did the shoot go this week, by the way?” Ryan asked.
“It went well. Everyone is finally in the groove of this place. I think it took us quite a while to find our feet. Some more than others even. But we’re getting there. I think the movie is going to be amazing. We got this incredible sunset shot the other day. I have a feeling that’s the scene everyone is going to be talking about. I hope so at least.”
“That’s cool. And . . . uh, what about Blaire? She also enjoying herself?”
I chuckled to myself. I hadn’t known Blaire until we’d gotten to Wyoming. She was just a small role in the movie, so I didn’t get a chance to hang out with her all that much. But the more time we spent together, the more I liked her. She was a sweet girl. Very pretty, but normal-looking. Her best feature was most definitely her smile, which she seemed to offer easily to the world. I’d caught her and Ryan talking one day, and I got the sense that he liked her. But so far, neither of them had said anything about it.
“Blaire? She’s having a great time. But she’s the type of girl that always sees the best in everything. It’s a great trait to have. She’s a nice girl. I saw the two of you talking the other day.”
“Oh, yeah. I tried to meet everyone. Like I said, it’s not every day that you get to meet celebrities.”
“You should’ve invited her tonight,” I said. I wished I thought of it myself.
“Oh, I heard her saying that she had a dinner thing with the producer or something.”
“Oh yeah, I heard about that. Sounds boring. Pity. She would’ve enjoyed it here way more.”
“Yeah, pity,” Ryan said.
“Why, are you interested in her?” Brady said.
“No!” Ryan said almost a little too loudly. “She was just very friendly. That’s all. Anyway, stick to cooking the meat, big brother.”
Brady laughed. “You see what I have to put up with, Sloan? Now imagine growing up with a guy like this. Constant ripping me off.”
“Ha! You’re the one that’s older than me. It was me who got teased all the time. You
should feel sorry for me, Sloan.”
I chuckled. In the short time that I had known Brady, I had come to know that it wasn’t easy for him to feel comfortable around people. But with Ryan, it was different.
“I wish I had a sibling. I’d take the teasing any day.”
“Oh yeah? Well, you can be my sister then,” Ryan said.
“Don’t do it, Sloan. You’re in for a world of pain if you do.”
I chuckled. “I’m sure I can handle it.”
“Well then, welcome to the family, sis.”
“It’s a pleasure to be here, bro. Ooh, I just realized that I now have an MMA fighter for a brother. I like this. You can beat up anyone that gives me grief.”
“Would you like me to beat up Brady? He’s taking too long with the food. I’m starving.”
“You’re in luck. The food is ready.”
We all sat around outside, eating the food that Brady had prepared. It was the same steak, salad, and fresh rolls that he’d made the last time I’d come over. He’d told me that it was really the only thing that he could cook well. But I didn’t mind. It was delicious. And Ryan was easy to talk to. He spent a lot of time talking about the fights and the training that he did for it, and Brady kept telling him to talk about something else. But I was interested and kept asking questions. Meeting Brady and Ryan had opened up two completely different worlds to me that I hadn’t known before. It made me realize how small minded I had been the past few years, and how much I’d lacked social interaction with different people.
“This was delicious; thanks, Brady,” I said.
“Yeah man, so good,” Ryan agreed. He couldn’t tease his brother about the food; there was simply nothing to tease about.
“Let me clean up,” Brady said and stood up.
“I’ll help,” I said.
“No, you will not. And Ryan, you won’t either.”
“I wasn’t going to,” Ryan said and laughed.
“Honestly Sloan, you’re my guest. I won’t take long, anyway. And I’ll bring out some coffees when I’m done.”
He walked off carrying all the plates, and I smiled at Ryan.
“He’s such a nice guy.”
“He is. I’m glad he’s had you to talk to these past few weeks,” he said. His voice went low, and I knew he didn’t want Brady to hear the conversation. “Between you and me, Brady isn’t the type of guy to bring a woman home. In fact, I’ve never met a girl before that Brady has spoken of as highly of as you. I was starting to think there was something wrong with him. In all the time we’ve known each other, I’ve never seen him with a girl. I mean, I know he’s had girlfriends and all, but he’s never introduced me to them.”
Dirty Roomie_A Maxwell Family Romance Page 78