“You had no right to do that.”
Hillary’s eyebrow drew together. “I’m sorry, but it’s the fifth season, and we needed to shake things up a little. You’re my friend, and I thought you’d be the best one because it’s me, and you know I love you. I want you to find someone. You’ll eliminate two more guys in the next four weeks, and you’ll have a full six weeks to get to know four of them. To make a real connection. I didn’t want you getting hurt.”
It was actually sound reasoning, and Sophia couldn’t find fault with it. Secretly, she’d wondered how she’d navigate through ten guys and really get to know someone. “Still, you should have told me.”
“Maybe, but this way, you weren’t the bad guy. We sprang this on you, and the audience can rail against us.” She smiled. “You’re still sweet Sophia.”
Sophia rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’m still mad, and you owe me.”
“Owe you? Did you see that Justin Turner guy? Cowboy, owns a ranch, hot as all get-out?” Hillary raised her eyebrows.
“Thomas Gun wasn’t so bad either.”
She shrugged. “He’s okay, but that rancher…I’m hanging my hat on him. He’s so good-looking, and that accent? I can’t wait to see him in some jeans. Not that he didn’t look great in that suit, but nothing says country like some jeans and a cowboy hat.”
Sophia giggled. “True.” Still, Thomas Gun had certainly gotten her attention. He was so charming, and as much as she liked Justin…or the rest of the guys, there was something about Gunner she couldn’t quite put a finger on.
“Okay, so, I’m going to go nuke some popcorn, and you’re going to tell me everything about tonight. I want every detail.”
“I’m not supposed to do that.” Sophia snickered. “Plus, didn’t you watch as it was being filmed?”
Hillary cocked an eyebrow. “I’m the executive producer, but I’m your friend first. I want to hear it from you firsthand. You’ll dish if I have to hold you down.”
A knock came from the door. “It’s me,” Travis called through the door.
Sophia opened it and smiled. “About time you got here. What’s that?” she asked as she eyed a letter in his hand.
“Uh, it was left in the limo. I think it might be from one of the bachelors.” He handed it to her as he walked in. “Desperate guys call for desperate measures.”
Hillary rolled her eyes. “Ha ha. These guys aren’t desperate. All of them are great.”
“Then why are they on a show?” he asked, chuckling. “Great guys don’t need a television show to find a woman.”
Sophia popped him on the arm. “Stop being a jerk, Trav. They were really nice tonight.” She pulled the envelope open, unfolded the letter, and her eyes widened as she read it. “Six bachelors left. What secret does one hold? Will you pick the best one, or are you already sold?”
Travis yanked the letter out of her hand. “How did this get in the limo?”
Hillary took the letter from Travis. “The FBI profiler said she was pretty sure they were coming from someone attached to the show. This proves it. It has to be.”
“What do you think it means? ‘What secrets do they hold?’ I thought background checks were run on all of them.” Sophia hugged herself. “I also thought no one knew I was staying in this cottage, but I guess if they’re attached to the show, they would know.”
“I don’t know,” Hillary said, looking up from the letter to Sophia. “We’ll get some additional security assigned to the cottage.”
Travis crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Hillary. “Either you need to hire outside security or you need to stop the show. This is too dangerous.” He dropped his arms and pulled Sophia into a hug, rubbing her back. “I don’t like this.”
“Okay, first, we’ve tried hiring outside security. The letters stopped, and we’re no closer to catching the person. Second, I can’t stop the show. Not only does Sophia have a contract, but there are thousands of people working on this show. If I stop it, they won’t get paid. I can’t do that. Not everyone in Hollywood is a millionaire.”
Hillary was right. If Sophia backed out, not only would she get sued, but the people working for the show would be out of a job. She pinched her lips together and pulled away from Travis. “It’s just a letter. Granted, it’s creepy on all kinds of levels, but there were no threats to me this time. We’ll keep things status quo for now.”
“Exactly. This is the first time we have some proof that it might actually be someone from the show.” Hillary smiled. “I want to catch this person. We’ll have plenty of security tomorrow for the date.”
Travis shook his head as he looked from Hillary to Sophia. He huffed. “I think you both are nuts.”
“I’m going to call security so they can come get this letter and get it to the authorities. Maybe that FBI profiler can work some magic this time.” Hillary pulled her phone out of her pocket, tapping the screen.
Sophia let out a slow breath. “I’m going to fix something to eat and try to get my mind off this. Are you staying for a while?” she asked Travis.
Travis let out a long, frustrated sigh. “I think I should stay here. I don’t like this.”
“You can’t stay here. We’re already kind of breaking the rules as it is with Hillary getting me on the show and you on set. I’ll be fine.” She touched his arm and smiled.
He covered her hand with his. “You know I love you, right?” His voice was soft as his eyes held hers, seeming to plead with her to quit the show.
She softened her stance. “I know, and I love you too. So stay, eat popcorn with me, and let’s watch Die Hard.”
Laughing, he shook his head. “It’s not Christmas.”
“No, but you don’t have to watch it at Christmas.” She shot him a cheesy grin as she walked to the kitchen, grabbed a bag of popcorn, and put it in the microwave.
Leaning her stomach against the counter, she took a deep breath. As strong as she wanted to appear, she was worried. The letter writer knew she was in the cottage, they’d left the letter in the limo, and one of the bachelors had a secret. How was she supposed to know who was telling the truth? She’d wondered that before agreeing to be on the show. Maybe the writer was messing with her. For now, that’s what she was going with. She was going to enjoy the dates, get to know the six remaining guys, and hope for the best.
Chapter 7
It had been two weeks since the show started filming. And in that time, Gunner was no closer to finding a lead than when he started, which was a letdown. He’d hoped to find the writer, come clean to Sophia, and go home. He couldn’t lead her on if he wasn’t there.
So far, he was able to fly under the radar for the most part. Gwendolyn had been wrong about the group date competitions and one-on-one dates. They’d pulled another switch-up on them. Oh, they’d gone on group dates, but the team who won all went on the date.
Gunner’s team had won a couple of times, but he’d hung back, letting the two guys he was with get the attention. He didn’t want to lead Sophia on, and the more time he spent watching her, the less he liked his undercover assignment.
During one of his calls to Ryder, Gunner had learned that Sophia had received another letter. Where it had come from was a mystery. It hadn’t been in the limo when the bachelors had been dropped off. The driver had given it to her, but they’d checked out the show’s driver, Jeremiah. He was the on the list of cast and crew that Hillary had given Noah. The guy didn’t even have a speeding ticket.
At the moment, the bachelors were in the limo with Sophia on their way to a bowling alley. According to the itinerary, they’d be starting the one-on-one dates this week. The winning team would each get a full day spent with Sophia.
Instead of taking the bachelors to a nearby bowling alley, the show was taking them on a two-hour ride north to a little town so they wouldn’t have to worry about crowds of people. The location was kept secret, even from them and most of the crew following them. The cameramen stationed in the car with them ma
de the stretch part of the limo feel way smaller than usual.
“So, none of you know where we’re going either?” Sophia asked.
Landon shook his head. “We got a wake-up call, some bowling shirts, and were told to be ready in an hour.”
Not Gunner’s favorite look either. He preferred t-shirts and jeans or shorts.
“I like them,” Riley said. The guy had nearly broken his neck to get a seat next to Sophia.
The sour look he’d given Justin when Sophia asked him to sit on the other side made Gunner chuckle. He was pretty sure no one saw Riley do it, but with the cameras trained on him, it was hard to be certain.
“Christopher, how do you like the house?” Sophia asked as she looked at him.
Of the guys, Gunner liked Christopher the least. He had a snobby, elitist air to him which rubbed Gunner the wrong way. He was the wrong guy for Sophia, which made him wonder how he’d managed to match with her on a personality test. What little Gunner could tell, Sophia was as down-to-earth as they come.
Christopher shrugged. “It’s nice, but nothing beats what I have at home in Colorado. I mean, I love the beach, but the mountain view of my cabin can’t be beat.”
Her eyebrows rose to her hairline. “Oh, wow. I guess I didn’t realize you lived on the side of a mountain.”
“I love it. I don’t think I could leave the view of the mountains.”
Gunner flicked a glance in Christopher’s direction. Before he could stop himself, he said, “Guess it’s a good thing California has mountains.”
The guy threw him a look filled with daggers. “I think a relationship takes compromise.”
“Yep, you’re right.” Gunner wanted to keep going, but he needed to stay out of it. He was just a fifth wheel with no dog in the show.
To be fair, he had to hand it to Sophia. She made the bowling shirt look great, the way she’d tied it at her waist. And her skinny jeans—the woman had legs that wouldn’t quit. He couldn’t say he wasn’t a little jealous of Riley and Justin. More so Justin since she’d asked him to sit by her.
“What about you, Gunner? Do you like the house?” Sophia asked.
Christopher snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure he does since he took the room with the ocean view. Although, you couldn’t tell it by the way he screams in his sleep.”
Gunner froze, a sick feeling overwhelming him. He knew he had nightmares but had no idea the guys could hear him. What could he say? He’d been tortured for three months, and it gave him night terrors? If it was just him and Sophia, maybe. But he wasn’t opening himself up for all these yahoos and everyone else watching in the world. He swallowed hard and looked out the window.
“Screams in his sleep?” she asked softly.
“Yeah, like someone is beat—”
Landon interrupted Christopher. “I think it’d be best if you stop right there. It doesn’t make you look good to bring him down.”
“Aw, we’ve got a bromance.” Christopher smirked.
Blake rolled his eyes. “Just stop.”
“If by bromance you mean I think he’s a decent guy, okay. I’m here to see how things go with Sophia, not to make enemies,” Landon replied.
Justin leaned over, tapping Gunner on the shoulder. “Don’t let that guy get to you. It wasn’t that bad.”
With a nod, Gunner glanced at him. “Thanks.”
Gunner ran his palms down his jeans and returned his focus to the scenery flying by. How was he going to live the next eight weeks, knowing these guys could hear him during the night? Not sleeping wasn’t an option. He needed to be able to function. All he could hope was that it would be dropped and he’d become invisible.
Chapter 8
For the most part, the drive to the bowling alley was fun, if not filled with a bit of drama. During the ride, part of Sophia wondered whose secret the letter could be talking about, but she’d decided that morning that the letter wasn’t going to influence her. It was from a creep trying to mess things up.
Over the last two weeks, she’d gotten a glimpse of each guy’s personality. Blake was easygoing. Nothing seemed to faze him, which was a nice change from Riley, who seemed to take everything personally. Landon mostly proved that he was good at being a comedian. If a situation needed a little comedy, he always delivered. She really liked him.
Justin? He was all cowboy, and Hillary was right…he was hot as all get-out. From the top of his Stetson to the tips of his ostrich boots, there wasn’t anything she didn’t like about him. And the wrangler jeans he always wore were the cherry on top of the cowboy sundae.
Christopher was officially the villain. If Sophia had her choice, he would have been sent home the first day of filming. He’d been rude and obnoxious. They’d gone to an aquarium, and the entire time, he’d gone on and on about how it wasn’t as good as the one he’d been to in Australia. Blech.
Now, Gunner. That man thought he was staying in the shadows, but there was no way she didn’t see him. There was such an ease about him. From time to time, he’d lock eyes with her, and she’d be rooted in place. Those piercing blue eyes always made her wonder what was going on in that head of his. He’d sworn he wasn’t being charming, but she wasn’t sure he could turn it off.
That morning, she thought it was almost comedic how Riley bulldozed through the guys to sit by her. He was good-looking and seemed interesting enough, but his constant attention-seeking made it seem as if he was trying to look confident when he didn’t feel it.
Having Justin sit next to her was interesting. He looked great in his jeans and bowling shirt, smelled great, and she loved his wild curly hair, which had been a complete surprise. Apparently, at the ceremony, the makeup team had coiffed him—as he put it. It was funny hearing that word come out his mouth with such a twang attached to it.
The most interesting part of the ride was Gunner. Christopher thought he was being funny when he brought up his nightmares, but he wasn’t. Not with the way the color drained from Gunner’s face. It had bothered her that Christopher had taken someone’s weakness to try to build himself up. He reminded her of a bully, and she was very familiar with that.
When Sophia was told they’d be going two hours away, she wasn’t sure what to expect, but the chosen bowling alley was really cute. So far, they were still waiting for the cameras to get set up and for filming to begin.
In a split-second decision, she casually drifted over to Gunner while the other guys gave interviews. He’d given a super short one, and then he’d found a corner and stood as far from the group as he possibly could. It was time she took some initiative and figured him out.
“Hi,” she said.
He lifted his head and smiled. “Hey.” If he was trying to hide his feelings, he was doing a poor job of it. She could feel the sadness in the word.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
She shifted on her feet, chewing on her lower lip. “I’m sorry about Christopher. That was mean.”
Gunner shrugged. “It’s a competition. Nothing different than the last two weeks.”
“That’s not the way to compete for me. I don’t like bullies.”
A small half-smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. “You don’t strike me as someone who does.”
Sophia grinned. “Oh, I don’t?”
He shook his head. “No, you’re a sweet woman with a giving heart. It bleeds from every pore. I could feel it when I was watching your show, and nothing about that opinion has changed since the show started filming.”
“Uh, thanks.” She cast her gaze to the floor, her pulse picking up speed. “I think that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
He tipped her chin up with one finger, those smoldering blue eyes of his holding hers. “Then you’ve been hanging around with the wrong people.”
Wow. She swallowed hard and nodded. “Oh.” Oh? Geez, what a lame comeback.
Chuckling, he dropped his hand. “Thanks for checking on me.”
“Sure.” Sh
e wanted to ask about the nightmares, but a bowling alley was definitely not the place to ask that. Instead, she guided the conversation to something lighter. “Are you ready to bowl?”
“I think so. It’s been so long that I doubt I have a shot of winning. What bothers me most is that my team will be handicapped.”
“And you strike me as someone who doesn’t brag about his abilities.”
He chuckled again, and she realized just how much she enjoyed being the source of his laughter. “Oh, I do?”
“Uh-huh.” She leaned in. “I need you to try really hard to win. Between you and me, I’d really like a one-on-one date with you.”
He flicked a glance over her shoulder and back to her, a smile playing on his lips. “Since it’s a television show, it’s not just between me and you.”
She shrugged. “A girl can have favorites.”
“Isn’t that against the rules?” he asked, his voice husky.
It was all she could do not to shiver. That voice. Mercy. “What can I say? I’m a rule breaker.”
Gunner narrowed his eyes. “You go forty in a forty-five.”
Laughing, she rolled her lips in. “Maybe.” It was so much fun flirting with him. The playful glint in his eyes. Oh, he was dreamy with a capital D.
He pushed her hair over her shoulder, his fingertip heating her skin through the fabric. Holy cow. She’d heard of electric touches, but she’d never experienced one until now. “I really hope you find someone who will love you and appreciate all the things you have to offer. Even if that person isn’t me.”
“That’s very sw—”
“Okay, cameras are up, and we’re ready to start filming,” Gwendolyn said, her voice shredding the little bubble Sophia and Gunner were in.
Sophia turned and nodded. “Sure.”
Gwendolyn tipped her head toward the two middle lanes. “That’s where you guys are going to be. We’re going to start with you picking names out of the hat to form the teams.”
The Ranger's Heart: A Clean Army Ranger Romance Book Three Page 5