Lenora Worth - That Wild Cowboy

Nancy pushed a bejeweled hand through all that red hair and grinned. “My lips are sealed. But I think it’s sweet.”

“Right, sweet like those chewy little candy things that eventually break your teeth.”

Nancy frowned and went about her work, while Victoria sweated in the early morning Texas sun. Taking a deep breath, she shook off her trepidation and decided to get on with her job.

Clint sat in a corner reading over the list she’d given him earlier. She’d decided to frame this segment out by the pool and she’d asked Clint to invite some friends over. His sisters and his niece were supposed to be out of the house and Bitsy had elected to keep to the old farmhouse for the next couple of days. So Clint should be relaxed enough to get into the groove and forget the cameras were even there. She hoped.

Gearing up, Victoria walked around the lighting and camera crew and stepped over cords. She hopped around the main camera operator, who’d be in charge of the B-roll—the head shots and any extra footage they would try to work in today.

Clint looked up as she approached, his eyes moving from her face to her toes in a way that left her feeling stripped and vulnerable, but also warm and...tempted.

“So you want me to just forget about all these people milling around and be me?” he asked, his expression showing signs of fear.

Victoria had to smile at that. The man was big, strong and brawny, and yet he was camera-shy. It was her job to calm him down and get his mind off the cameras. “Yes. Be you, Clint. Entertain your guests and have the kind of party you’d have if we weren’t here.”

“Really?” He gave her a wink. “Some of that might not be suitable for prime-time television, darlin’.”

Victoria’s whole being buzzed like a bee to a flower. But she reminded herself this big bee could sting. “Keep it clean. Keep it real. Keep it going. That’s what my boss always says.”

She did one more visual of the entire pool area. “We want fun, and calamities and honest personal conflicts, but we’ve always been proud that we don’t have to bleep out words or edit too heavily. We do warn parents to keep their young children out of the room, especially when we’re doing party segments.”

“Cowboys and shindigs just go hand in hand, don’t they?”

She nodded. “It seems that way, yes. That’s what our show is all about—highlighting the rich and the spoiled and the bigger-than-Texas attitude.”

“You know most working cowboys don’t have the luxury of a swimming pool or a party every night, though, right?”

“Yes, that’s why I put the emphasis on the rich part.”

Clint gave her a hard glance then pulled out that charming smile. “I’m not all that rich so I hope I don’t disappoint.”

Victoria knew better. The man wasn’t hurting, not one bit. She’d verified that with several reliable sources, but the rumors that he was losing everything only fueled the hard-to-put-out fire. And made Victoria want to figure him out even more.

“Are you ready for this?” she asked.

He got up, shook his jeans down over his boots. “Yes. Let’s get this show on the road. I’ve got real work to do later today.”

“What kind of real work do you do?”

He gave her an exaggerated frown. “Do you really believe all that hype about me going from bar to bar, making trouble and breaking hearts?”

Victoria thought of one heart long ago, but then she reminded herself she was so over that night. “Yes,” she said, more to herself than to him.

“Well, then, you’ll come with me and you’ll watch and learn. This is a working ranch—not just for show.”

Victoria’s radar went off. “We’ll tape that side of you, too, if you don’t mind. To show the contrast between the good-time Clint and the Clint who truly does do a day’s work.”

A disappointed look colored his eyes a dark gray like a quick-passing cloud. “Yeah, that’s me. Two different personalities in one broken, tired body.” Then he lifted an arm to show off his biceps. “Think I’m still in pretty good shape considering.”

“Not bad,” she said through a haze of awareness. “Not bad at all.” She turned away before he saw the flare of that awareness in her eyes. If Clint even saw a hint of interest, he’d swoop in and do what he did best—enjoy the hunt. When that was over, she’d be left for dead. “Okay, everyone, let’s get going,” she called out.

When she looked back at Clint, his eyes were back to that knowing, glowing silvery gray. Dangerous. This was going to be a very long day.

* * *

CLINT DECIDED TO give the cameras a good show. And since everyone in this so-called household was fuming at him right about now for agreeing to do this, he planned on making the most out of the situation. He had his reasons for signing up for this crazy show, but no one around here needed to hear those reasons. A man had to keep some things to himself.

His mother had been so conflicted she’d announced she was going back to the other side of the ranch to the old farmhouse and she did not want to see a camera anywhere near that house.

Denny was so mad that she’d taken Tater on an extended trip to the New Braunfels Schlitterbahn to meet up with some of their Louisiana friends. And Susie was piping mad because he refused to let her be a part of things—for now.

He didn’t mind Susie chiming in since she was single and looking for work, but he wanted to get the lay of the land and he didn’t need his baby sister hanging around and messing with his head when he did it. So now she was off on the other side of the house, lurking and pouting.

Add to that, he couldn’t stop thinking about the woman who’d convinced him to do this in the first place. Victoria Calhoun’s curvy little body and wild mane of sun-streaked hair were driving him nuts. But her lips were killing him softly.

He still wanted to kiss those lips. Why, he couldn’t understand. He’d kissed a lot of women in his life but for some reason he needed to verify what his mind was already telling him—that a kiss from Victoria would either cure him or kill him. And he didn’t care which right now.

She came hurrying toward him, her clipboard on her arm, her dark green cargo pants looking more feminine than outdoorsy. And her form-fitting white T-shirt made her look like she was on the prowl instead of on a busy set.

“Ready?” she asked, a long curl of bangs falling across her face. “This is it.”

Clint nodded, took a breath. He didn’t have a nervous bone in his body but she made him jumpy. “Yep. So I just look into the camera and welcome people into my home, right?”

“Right. We’ll give them a quick tour and explain you’re about to throw a party out by the pool. Fun in the sun with friends.”

“Got it.” He knew how to play things up, but he wasn’t so sure he could pretend to be having a great time with cameras all around. “I’ll give it the ol’ college try.”

“Give it your honest self,” she replied, her smile indulgent. “Just do what you did the morning I met you.”

Her expression told him she remembered every bit of that little scene.

“Right. I’ll need at least two cheerleaders and a model for that, darlin’.”

She shot him a look filled with both anticipation and distrust. “Well, bring ’em on then.”

“They should be arriving any minute now.”

Victoria glanced around, obviously not all that impressed that he could conjure up pretty women with the snap of his fingers. “Let’s get you going on the tour,” she said, her mind already racing ahead.

Clint braced himself and put on his game face. He knew the drill. Tease ’em, give ’em a good time, then move on.

A few hours and several takes later, he’d made it through what would be the intro to his time on the show and was now opening the doors to the patio. The party was already going on and the crew wanted to get in some segments before the hot Texas sun settled in the western sky.