Anna DePalo - Tempted By The Movie Star

Rosie looked over her shoulder and paused. “That’s Damon and Philomena. They have a baby girl now.”

“I know. I met them last night...sort of.”

“What do you mean, sort of?” Rosie walked back to stand with her in front of the photograph.

“I was waiting in the driveway debating whether to go up and knock on the door when they came out. They were friendly until they found out who I was. Then they politely offered to escort me back to town.”

“Oh, dear. I suppose he was trying to protect Matt. They do stick up for each other. By the way, I called Damon this morning, told him you were staying here and that you were a very nice woman.”

“Thank you, Rosie.” Geena impulsively gave her a hug and then wondered if she should have. “You’ll have to excuse me if that was overly familiar. I just—”

“I love getting hugs.” Rosie smiled at her. “The more the better.” She gestured to the wall of pictures. “My boys are all good huggers. Some of them came here with the idea that it was unmanly. They got over it.”

“I wish I could have seen this place back then. It must have been something.”

“I have videos. Maybe while you’re here we could have a movie night.”

“I would love that.” Geena gazed at the two smiling people who’d been so suspicious of her last night. “Do you have videos of little Sophie?”

“My first grandchild?” Rosie’s blue eyes glowed with pride. “You know I do! I’m supposed to get a studio picture for this wall any day now, too.”

“I guess you could end up with a lot of baby pictures, couldn’t you?”

“I hope so. I’ll start a new wall somewhere else in the house if I need to. Now, let’s go find you something cool to wear. It’ll be a scorcher today.” She led the way into a master bedroom containing furniture that was probably as old as the marriage. It wasn’t a fancy room, but the bed was neatly made with a white chenille bedspread and the surfaces looked freshly dusted.

“This is my stash of hand-me-downs.” Rosie slid back the doors of a large wall closet tightly packed with jeans and shirts hanging from the rod and boots lined up along the floor. “Some kids leave stuff and friends donate things. Sometimes I shop at the thrift store. It’s all washed and mended.”

“This is amazing, Rosie.”

“Thanks.” She gave Geena an assessing glance. “I could let you go through them, but it’ll be faster if you let me pull some things out. By now I’m pretty good at knowing what will fit and look good.”

“All I care about is the fit. Looking good isn’t a priority.”

Rosie laughed. “Oh, yes, it is. Everyone functions better when they like the way they look. That was one of the first things I learned when I worked in social services. Get someone a decent outfit or two and their entire attitude changes.” She quickly chose three shirts and three pairs of jeans. “Not that I think you need an attitude change. Yours is excellent.”

“Why, thank you.” Geena flushed with pleasure. “What a nice thing to say.”

“I know quality when I see it.” Rosie handed over the clothes. “Go into the bathroom and try those on while I sort through the boots. That’s trickier. Are you about an eight?”

“Nine. I really appreciate this, Rosie.”

“I appreciate you going the extra mile.” She hesitated. “Nobody likes to be falsely accused, but Matt’s more touchy than most. His birth mother used to blame him for all kinds of things he didn’t do.”

“I’m not surprised. Any mother who can walk away and leave her kid...”

“Did he tell you about that?”

“This morning.”

“Good. Then he must trust you, because he doesn’t share that with many people.”

“I completely understand that he’s a very private person. But I’m desperate to find a way to improve his image. I was hoping to use his background, but he doesn’t want that for many reasons. Reporters aren’t the only ones who could show up here asking questions.”

Rosie nodded. “Right. There’s Mindy. I’ve been worried about her ever since he landed that role. She could already be trying to find a way to contact him, but no point in making it easy for her.” Rosie patted Geena’s arm. “I know this is a knotty problem, but give it a little time. You’ve only been here since last night.”

Geena laughed. “Funny, but it seems much longer. I feel as if I’ve known you for years.”

“That’s a lovely compliment.” Rosie held her gaze. “I’m going to help you figure this out. Like I said, give it time.”

Geena drew a deep breath. “Okay.” She chose not to mention that time wasn’t their friend. Even as they stood there discussing the problem, Briana’s PR machine was spewing out garbage about Matt. The longer he stayed in hiding, the more likely people would believe all those hateful lies.

* * *

After Geena changed into her borrowed clothes, she checked in with Larissa and took notes for the calls she’d make after she finished cleaning. The hour’s time difference would be a bonus. Matt, Cade and Lexi had gathered the supplies and were heading to the porch by the time she left her bedroom.

She’d taken everything Rosie had chosen and put on the outfit she liked best. Rosie had also come up with a straw Western hat to keep the sun out of her eyes during the walk to the meadow. Geena had twisted her hair on top of her head and shoved the hat over it.

The boot-cut jeans were a little snug on her, but they were soft and amazingly comfortable. So were the boots Rosie had found. The button-front green plaid shirt was designed to tie at the waist, which gave it a sassy feel. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed that she was finally wearing something that fit the occasion.

Matt’s wide smile told her she passed muster. “You look great.”

“Thanks.” She noticed he’d taken time to shave, which could mean there were kisses in her future. The thought warmed her all over and she worried that her cheeks were pink. Couldn’t be helped. “What should I carry?”

“How about a bucket and a mop?” Cade handed them to her and then divided up the rest of the supplies. He was clearly the person in charge.

While Geena had been trying on clothes she’d asked Rosie to fill her in on Cade, whose function wasn’t clear to her. It turned out that besides being the ranch foreman and primary student chaperone, he also taught an academy class in horse psychology. He and Lexi lived in a new log home near the meadow and the pasture, and Rosie had said they couldn’t manage without him.

As they all started down toward the meadow, Cade put a hand on Matt’s shoulder. “Have you provided Geena with any background on these historic log cabins, bro?”

“He has not,” she said. “For one thing, I didn’t know they were made of logs. And there are four?”

“Now there are,” Cade said. “But originally there were only three. Damon and Phil built the fourth one last summer, so technically only the first three are historic. Especially the first one.” He glanced at Matt. “Is it okay if I tell her about the brotherhood?”

“Go for it.”

“I should hope you can tell her,” Lexi said. “She volunteered to clean cabins, for pity’s sake. She’s working hard to save Matt’s reputation. Geena’s aces in my book.”

Geena flashed Lexi a smile. “Thanks.”

“So, the story of the brotherhood.” Cade adjusted his grip on a second mop he carried on his shoulder like a rifle. “The first three guys Rosie brought home were Damon Harrison, Finn O’Roarke and me. Damon’s—”

“I know who Damon is,” she said. “And Finn’s the guy who brews the beer we drank last night.”

“Exactly. So we created the Thunder Mountain Brotherhood. We had a blood-brother ceremony in the woods where we swore to be straight with everyone, protect the weak and be loyal to one another for life.” He stated the pledge without a trace of mockery. He’d obviously believed in the concept then and he believed in it now.