“Do you always lay it on this thick? You’re not making me regret my decision to ditch your ass right now.”
“I’m just messing with you. I’m surprised to see you here actually.”
“Likewise.”
“Are you having any regrets, Cha-Cha?”
“Cha-Cha?”
“That’s what I’ve been calling you, in my mind.”
Amanda wouldn’t have been surprised if her body picked that exact moment to start ovulating. She swallowed, then schooled her features though and focused on the easy task of petting two dogs at once. “You’ve been thinking about me, have you?”
“I have.”
Amanda froze as Sam tipped up the brim of his hat, then leaned over. His breath lightly brushed the shell of her ear as he spoke. “But next time we’re together, I’d like to call you by your real name. Amanda, is it?”
Right at that moment, Amanda knew she should have ended this conversation before it began. Politely excused herself from Sam and his adorable dogs and walked the grounds or hidden under her bed back in the lodge until it was time for dinner. Anything to avoid him because even though everything out of his mouth was corny and over the top, it worked for her. Every second she spent at Big Rock Ranch, she knew she was in big trouble.
Chapter 6
To buy some time, Amanda deliberately turned to watch Helene as she made her way down the aisle on her father’s arm. She was wearing a light cardigan over the flowing cream maxi dress she’d changed into. She wanted to make sure she chose her words carefully, and she wasn’t sure she could do that if she was looking into those brown eyes shaded by the brim of that white hat.
“First of all, young man. Have you ever considered I wanted that one-time thing to be just a one-time thing.”
“I was hoping you wouldn’t say that.”
“Well, lucky for you it’s not true.” Amanda refused to look at him, but she didn’t miss the quiet chuckle he let out. “But there are a few things you need to know about me.”
“Fill me in, girl.”
“For one. I am a very private person and while no one is paying attention to us now, maybe don’t broadcast what might be happening over here by practically licking my neck while you’re talking to me.”
“Excuse me.” Sam groaned as he sat up a bit and moved so there was now an empty seat between them. Euca and Clementine shimmied by and wasted no time filling the space. Amanda still refused to look at Sam’s face, but she didn’t miss the way his strong, but manicured fingers slid over Clementine’s fur. She hadn’t forgotten the way they felt on her skin, how they felt between her legs. “Please. Go on.”
“There’s one night, but if we’re moving to the massive commitment of a two-night stand, I feel like you should get to know me just a little bit.”
“Okay, so let me get to know you then. What you do? Where you from? What your mom and dem like?”
Amanda smiled despite herself. “I’m from Rhode Island. My mom is a nurse at the health center at the U Providence campus. I’m an only child.”
“And what do you do?”
“Um—I’m a writer.” Which she was, when she had the time. Which she hadn’t lately. And maybe she didn’t get paid for it either. But she did write, and if she was honest with herself, she was pretty damn good at it.
“Oh. Alright. What are you working on now?”
“I have a few top-secret things in development.”
“I understand, no need to give me details. Give me a hint though. Sci-fi? Horror? Comedy? A sweeping romantic saga? Please tell me you’re bringing back full-length feature porno.”
“I don’t know where you’ve been. The full-length feature porno is alive and well. Um, it’s a cross between Lost in Space and Pirates of the Caribbean with four hundred percent more Black people and a love story that isn’t cursed. But there is magic.” That was the elevator pitch for the script she’d been sitting on. A script that would never get made.
“Damn, that sounds amazing. Little sci-fi, fantasy action. I like it.”
Amanda suddenly didn’t feel comfortable talking about herself anymore. “How long have you known Helene? Did you two meet at Juilliard?”
“Actually, I didn’t go to acting school. I didn’t go to college.”
“Really? Not that you needed to go to college. I just—”
“I was performing on the rodeo circuit with my brother, and he and I got a chance to do stunts for that movie Rodeo Kid. Did you ever see that?”
Amanda covered her burst of laughter. “Oh my God. I ran that movie into the ground. I used to have such a huge crush on Bryan Michael Weston.”
“Okay, so I did all of Pudge’s stunts. Helene’s dad produced that and I met her on set one day. We reconnected on Inferno. I was working steady through my teens and then got called in to actually speak on camera during Patriot’s Promise.”
“Now that movie was terrible. I’m sorry,” Amanda blurted out, but Sam seemed pleasantly surprised by her honesty.
“Thank you. It was complete garbage, but they cast me right as I finished up my GED. Came to a deal with my parents that I would go back to school as soon as the work dried up and I’m very fortunate it hasn’t yet.”
“And now you’re officially Hollywood royalty. Wielder of the golden knight.”
“You know, some sex-crazed woman tried to steal my statue from me? Can you believe it?”
“Anyway.”
A strange look came over Sam’s face as he continued to run his fingers over Clementine’s shiny coat. Amanda realized she’d stopped lavishing Euca with the proper attention, but she didn’t seem to mind. The dog let out a sigh and made herself comfortable, resting her head on Amanda’s feet.
“Can I be real with you for a second?” Sam said.
“Yes, of course.”
“Whatever I’m feeling? Right now? It’s a combination of surreal and anticlimactic.”
Amanda was not expecting him to say that. She glanced up as the minister had them reset for another run-through, before giving her full attention back to Sam. This ceremony was rather involved. “What do you mean?”
“I feel this sort of... drop, like I expected something else to happen, something bigger.”
“You wanted our Lord in heaven, our savior Jesus Christ himself to descend from the heavens and present you with the award himself?”
“Okay. Okay, I know I sound a little poor little rich boy right now.”
Amanda winced, but nodded all the same. “You kinda do, yeah.”
“I can’t explain it.”
“Well, if you’re struggling with some sort of letdown, look at it this way, you accomplished something so many people dream of and you did it with a part you should be proud of. Did the movie get a little white saviory? Yes.”
“Damn. Tell me how you really feel.”
“I mean, you didn’t notice that when you read the script?”
“Amanda, listen, I’m a super-famous, very important actor. I’m not accustomed to people speaking to me in this manner.”
“Sorry, Your Highness, but I don’t know or like you enough to protect your feelings.”
Sam let out another deep laugh that made her thighs melt. She should really get up and take a lap, just to cool off, but she stayed right where she was.
“All I’m saying is, even though the movie wasn’t exactly what I would have wanted, you were amazing in it. You gave one of our ancestors a voice and the Academy actually acknowledged that. People know Josiah Williams now in a way they didn’t before thanks to you. Be proud of that. Also you and your grandmother are both Oscar winners. Your whole family should be over the moon.”
“They are. They are. And you’re right. Thank you for that blunt, but much appreciated perspective.”
“You’re welcome. Now for your next project can you please do something that requires more male nudity?”
“Listen. If you have the porn script ready just say so.”
Amanda looked over at
him again and that blinding smile let her know she was in deep, deep trouble.
She was gonna have to sleep with him again. She’d be a fool not to.
* * *
Sam was still a bit in shock. He’d been thinking about two things all week: his career and finding Cha-Cha again. He’d never thought he’d find himself sitting with her during the opening ceremony of Helene and Ignacio’s wedding Olympics. And he didn’t expect his attraction to her to grow exponentially during one conversation. He prided himself in having a team, hell, a family that kept it real with him. But beyond the many opinions the Internet had to offer, his cousin Corie was the only one to question the themes in the film. He loved Corie, but she dragged everyone and everything, so Sam spent most of his time taking her opinions with a grain of salt.
Sam understood. They all wanted to encourage him in his craft, still no one had given their complex perspective as succinctly as Amanda McQueen. He was gonna call her Cha-Cha though until she said otherwise.
“So you’re here for all the wedding party things but you’re not in the wedding party. How did that work out? How did you and Helene meet?” Sam asked.
“Ugh, our meet cute was actually kind of a bummer.”
“What happened?”
“It was in a Starbucks out in Malibu. I walked in as another customer said some pretty racist things to Helene and she was just in shock. She didn’t respond. I told the lady off and then sat outside with Helene until she felt okay to drive home. You know, sometimes your adrenaline’s so high you almost feel dizzy?”
“Oh yeah. I’ve been there. Rodeo circuit was full of good ole boys who wanted my dad and my brother gone. You get your racist studio exec here and there, but I heard the worst of it standing right by the chutes.”
“I don’t know what a chute is, but yeah, you get it. She asked for my number so she could thank me properly when she was more clearheaded and we’ve been friends ever since. She invites me to things all the time, but my schedule is weird and I don’t always get to make it out. This whole seeing-each-other-twice-within-seven-days thing is an anomaly.”
“Ah, okay.”
“I’m here a day early because again Helene is amazing and just wanted to give me a little time away from Los Angeles. I appreciate the break.”
“Oh, well, if it’s a little R and R you need, you’ve come to the right place, little lady. I do have the hookup around these parts and could get you access to all the ranch’s fine amenities.”
“Okay, slow down there, Tex. I’m just here to chill.”
“Nah, you didn’t come all the way out here just to chill. I’m serious. Perks of knowing a Pleasant. In the biblical sense.” Sam waggled his eyebrows and was rewarded with another of one of Cha-Cha’s sexy smiles. “For real. You’re not in the wedding. I’m not in the wedding. They will not notice if we disappear for a while.”
Her smile dropped and she looked over at him like he had lost his damn mind. “Are you kidding?”
“What? Helene has seven hundred people in this wedding and the staff of the whole ranch is at their service. You won’t be missed.”
She sucked her teeth. “No, I mean we’re in the middle of an open field, so unless you want to army crawl to that barn way over there using the dogs as cover—”
Sam laughed quietly at that particular visual.
“I’m not just walking off with you during this rehearsal.”
Sam knew his reasons for being so private. Celebrity came with a cost. He did what he had to in order to keep his business under wraps, but it seemed a little strange that Cha-Cha was suddenly throwing down her own verbal NDA. They weren’t walking down Melrose. They were on private property for an event where photos were expressly limited to the wedding photographer.
“Listen, if you don’t want to be seen with me, I get it,” he said, only sort of joking. The sudden softening of her expression made him wish he could take it back. “Hey, I was just playing. I didn’t mean—”
“Listen, I know you’re just a regular guy who looks ridiculously fine in a cowboy hat, but you’re also Sam Pleasant. The other night still doesn’t feel real. I just need a minute to adjust.”
“Yeah, we can do that.”
Sam sat back and focused his full attention on the spectacle being choreographed in front of them. There had been hundreds of weddings at the ranch, but this might be the one to top them all. The silence between him and Cha-Cha stretched out and all Sam could do was start cataloging all the other questions he had for her, when he was done making her feel completely awkward.
“I really want to pet a horse,” she whispered suddenly.
“Say again?”
“A horse. I love horses, but it’s been years since I’ve seen one in person.”
“Sometime this weekend when no one is looking, I will introduce you to a very special horse. My girl Majesty.” Sam reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Of course a picture of Majesty graced his cell’s lock screen. And his home screen. And the wallpaper on his laptop and his tablet.
“Oh, I know this horse. From the GQ spread.”
“You read my GQ article?”
“By accident. I was flipping through looking for some cologne ads.”
“Hmmm. I’ll also introduce you to my brother’s horses, Steve and Bam Bam.”
“I know nothing about Bam Bam and I already love him.”
“I’m sure he’ll love you,” Sam said. Then he went ahead and took a risk. “I know I just met you and this might sound crazy, but could I get your number?”
“No,” she replied with crisp ease. Sam had forgotten the acute sting of rejection, but it took hold right in the center of his chest, burning as it spread.
“I’m staying in room twelve though. If you can be cool, maybe stop by after tonight’s festivities. Or tomorrow night.”
And he’s back in the game!
“I can do that.”
“I look forward to it. Now tell me more about Bam Bam, my new favorite horse in the world.”
* * *
For such a festive evening, a dark cloud had somehow settled over Amanda’s mood. Was this what it felt like to have the most basic of crushes on someone? She hadn’t looked at a guy romantically—or sexually—since she’d started working for Dru. She couldn’t stress enough how her night with Sam had been a colossal fluke, but there she was trying her hardest just to enjoy the lovely bonfire the ranch staff had planned for Helene and Ignacio’s guests.
She couldn’t though. Her stomach wouldn’t stop fluttering every time Sam caught her eye. This insistent heat that had crept up her neck when he’d whispered in her ear all those hours ago had spread, bringing a tingle with it. Over her cheeks, the crown of her head, and down between her legs. Amanda couldn’t stand it.
She’d gotten a few moments with the bride and groom after dinner and before they headed over to the dance hall for a little square dancing. She spent the rest of the evening keeping mostly to herself or making quick but polite small talk with their friends and family. She’d gotten trapped momentarily by an uncle, the key demo typically attracted to her full curves, but she was able to spin away as soon as she saw Helene’s sister heading toward the restrooms.
Sam had been there the whole time, keeping a careful distance, but she watched him work the room, charming everyone in sight, stepping off to the side to check in and share a quick laugh with the ranch employees.
She wondered what it was like to be so out there all the time. She was an absolute pro at making herself invisible. Since she’d arrived that afternoon, she’d successfully avoided no fewer than five professional photo opportunities. Sam wasn’t the guest of honor, but there was no way Amanda could miss the way everyone in the room gravitated toward him. Adoring gazes followed him everywhere he went. It wasn’t shocking. He was so damn fine and he looked poured into the suit he was wearing, and somehow the wool-lined jacket he popped up in during the bonfire made him look even sexier. It was a lot to take in, and as the
night went on Amanda came to a decision.
After she banged Sam one more time, she had to move on. He wasn’t for her, even in a casual sense. She could see herself in another life waking up early in the morning and stepping out onto the porch of one of these high-end cabins. Looking out over their children as Sam rode his black stallion across the range. But life wasn’t one of her fantasies. In thirty-six short hours she’d be in traffic on her way back to LA. Back to life as an assistant. She was still proud of her work, even if she’d fibbed about it a little, but D-LIST ASSISTANT STRIKES UP FLIRTY FLING WITH A-LIST RISING STAR was not a gossip headline she wanted to see.
She wasn’t going to give Sam her phone number. He’d text or call and she’d respond, she’d answer and she knew that would only lead to disaster. Whatever was going on between them would stay right here on Big Rock Ranch.
Around ten while a friend of Ignacio’s was entertaining everyone with a rousing rendition of “Back That Azz Up” on acoustic guitar, Sam’s brother Zach popped up. Amanda watched from across the fire as he checked in with Helene and Ignacio. A few minutes later Sam and Zach disappeared into the night.
“Having fun?” Robyn asked.
“I am. I think I’m going to turn in though. I keep toddler hours. I’m up way past my bedtime.”
Robyn smiled, then pulled her in for a light hug. They both made their way to the other side of the log sitting circle. Helene saw them coming and stood just as they reached her. “Join us for breakfast tomorrow, yeah?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
“Great. Let me get one of the boys to walk you back,” Helene said.
“Oh no. I’m fine.” It was dark, but there was a clear lantern-lit path all the way back to the lodge. Besides, she was ready to be alone. It had been a long day.
“Nonsense. Tom?!” Amanda looked over at one of the groomsmen who was a few feet away, texting like mad on his phone.
“Yeah,” he said without looking up.
“Walk my lovely friend back to the lodge.”
“Yeah sure.”
If the Boot Fits Page 6