Allison Leigh: Fortune's June Bride

Aurora hid a sudden smile, for there was nothing more certain to turn off Galen Jones than to compare Horseback Hollow unfavorably against its nearest neighbor, Vicker’s Corners.

“Well,” Galen settled his hat back in place, even though they were indoors. “Always have said there is no accountin’ for taste.” His easy tone took the insult out of the words, even though Aurora was certain he meant each one. Then he looked at Aurora. “I’d better head back out there. I’ve only got a few more hours before I need to get back to my place. I’ve got chores piling up by the minute and I don’t have anyone to help me around the place right now like your daddy has you.”

“Okay.” She rubbed her hands down the sides of her dress, wishing she had even a tenth of Diane’s confidence. “Thanks again for helping out today.” She glanced at the other woman. “He filled in for Joey so we didn’t have to cancel the show.”

Diane’s red lips curved. “The hero rides to the rescue in more ways than one.”

Galen looked uncomfortable. “Yeah, well.” He glanced at the applicants sitting in the chairs who’d been following their exchange like viewers at a tennis match. “See you around, Aurora.” He pulled open the office door. “Might grab a root beer at the Foaming Barrel later if you’re interested.”

She had to struggle not to look surprised, much less too interested. “Sure.”

But the door was already swinging shut after his departure.

“ That was a fine specimen of cowboy,” Diane breathed.

Aurora couldn’t get overly annoyed with the other woman for that, since she happened to agree.

But oohing and ahhing over Galen Jones hadn’t gotten her anywhere when she’d been fourteen to his eighteen, and it wasn’t going to get her anywhere now.

“So,” she addressed Diane once more, “about Joey’s part. Any chance you can find a temporary replacement for the rest of the shows today?”

The one guy sitting in the chairs perked up visibly.

Aurora could have told him not to bother. “Rusty” was written for a specific physical type and the hopeful applicant was about half the size he needed to be.

Diane returned to her desk and flipped open a folder. “I’ve been through all the performers on file.” With Galen out of the room, she was all business. “We’ve got two who fit the type, but neither can ride a horse.” She shook her head a little. “Casting shows for Coaster World’s other locations is a lot easier than casting here,” she murmured, tapping the end of her pen against the desk. She glanced at Aurora. “You can dance, right? Tap, ballet, that sort of thing?”

The question seemed to come out of nowhere. “Yes.” She’d listed all of her skills on her application months earlier, well before Cowboy Country had opened to the public, even though they’d been learned as a little girl taking lessons over in Vicker’s Corners. She’d also listed the few college parts she’d been able to play before she’d had to leave school after Mark died. “So, about Rusty’s part?”

Diane lifted her shoulders and tossed down the pen. “If Joey’s not back in the saddle tomorrow or the next day, it’s possible we can bring in someone from another location,” she said. “But that’ll take some time.”

“Which means, what?”

“Without a Rusty, there’s no Wild West Wedding ,” Diane said with another shrug. “No worries, though.” She picked up her phone and punched a few numbers. “Yeah, this is Diane in casting. Let me talk to Phillip.”

Aurora winced, knowing she was calling Phillip Dubois, the production head.

Diane tucked the receiver in her shoulder and looked back at Aurora again. “I hear Outlaw Shootout will be set to go by the end of this week. It’ll replace Wedding , and in the meantime we’ll fill in—”

“—replace Wedding !”

Diane lifted her hand, speaking into the phone again. “Hi, Phil. We’re going to need to pull Wild West Wedding from the sched—” Her jaw dropped when Aurora’s fingers slammed down on the phone hook. “ Excuse me?”

Aurora retracted her hand, flushing. “You can’t just cancel the show.”

Diane gave her a pitying look. “Stuff happens, hon.”

“But Joey might well be back in the saddle, as you say, tomorrow.”

“That doesn’t solve the problem for three more shows today.” Diane started dialing again.

“Please don’t,” Aurora begged.

Diane sighed loudly and looked up through her lashes at her. “Why?”

“The show means so much to, uh, to so many people,” she said weakly. “We’ve got one of the largest casts in all of Cowboy Country’s productions.” The only shows with more parts were the Sunday Go to Meeting House with their choir show and the How the West Was Won Saloon Show , both of which were musicals.

Diane made a face. She replaced the receiver and folded her hands together, leaning across the desk toward Aurora. “You found yourself a Rusty for the noon show,” she advised. “Get him to finish out the day. After that, we’ll see.”

Aurora nodded quickly. “Thanks, Diane.”

The other woman shooed her away with a flick of her fingers before looking at the applicants waiting in her chairs. “You,” she barked at the middle-aged woman sitting closest to her. “Can you yodel?”

Aurora quickly ducked out of the office while the applicant was still stammering.

Being cast as Lila was one of the brightest spots in Aurora’s life right now. If that meant somehow talking Galen into repeating his part in the role of Rusty three more times that day, she was going to do it.

Even if it meant offering to take care of his ranch chores herself!

Chapter Three

“No way.”

It had taken her a solid hour, but Aurora had finally found Galen out by the Twin Rattlers.

The roller coaster was the premier attraction at Cowboy Country, and after a start plagued with mechanical difficulties, it was now running perfectly. The line that wound like a serpentine around the base of the behemoth attested to its popularity.

“No way,” he said again. “I agreed to play Rusty once, and that was enough for me.”

“Galen, please . If you don’t, they’re going to cancel the rest of today’s shows.”

“And what happens if Joey’s not back tomorrow? Or the next day?”

“Diane says they can probably bring in a performer from another one of their locations.”

“Probably.” He gave her a steady look. “That’s not a certainty.”

“No,” she agreed unwillingly. She absolutely didn’t want to share with him just how easily the management could supplant one production with another. “It’s not a certainty.” Her hands latched onto his forearm. “But you did a really good job as Rusty,” she said quickly. “And it wasn’t as awful as you thought it would be, was it?”

His gaze flickered over her hands. “I’ve got other responsibilities, too, kiddo,” he said almost gently.

“I’ll help,” she promised even more quickly, letting go of him. She hadn’t even realized she’d grabbed him like that. But now her palms felt all warm and tingly. “You know I’m a good ranch hand. One of me is equal or better to two of someone else,” she added. “Daddy’s always telling people that. You know he is.”

“Why is it up to you to find a replacement for this Joey fella?”

“It isn’t,” she admitted. There was an entire production team, headed up by Phillip Dubois. And he wouldn’t care any more than Diane did which show ran in Wedding ’s time slots, as long as something did. She chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment. “I’m helping to pay for Mama and Daddy’s cruise with the money I’m earning here,” she finally admitted.