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“Serena Wellens,” the woman finished, her eyes widening.
“I go by Sara now. Sara Wells is my real name.”
Brandy pumped Sara’s hand at fever pace. “I loved Just the Two of Us. My sister and I lived for Tuesday nights.”
“Thanks,” Sara said weakly, her stomach beginning to churn. She braced herself for the questions about her career, her fall from stardom, her stint in rehab. She waited for criticism to cloud Brandy’s gaze.
Her eyes clear, Brandy glanced around the room. “Josh said this house belonged to your grandmother.”
That was it? Where was the third degree she was so used to from people she met in L.A.? She answered, “I didn’t know her well, but she left it to me when she passed.”
“It’s a great setup and really nice of you to help Josh make it work this summer. Having a place of his own for Claire means the world to him.”
Her mother’s refrain from her childhood filled Sara’s mind: “the world doesn’t revolve around you.” Based on life in Crimson, that might really be the case. Maybe outside the dysfunctional Hollywood bubble, people didn’t care about her past. She wanted to keep the conversation away from her personal life so she asked, “Do you know Josh well?”
“Those four are like brothers.” Brandy nodded. “Manny and Josh started the circuit at the same time. Noah and Dan are the only ones related by blood, ten months apart. Irish twins, if you know what I mean? Noah doesn’t actually ride. He does search and rescue up here in the mountains, but he’s an honorary member of this crew. I’ve been dating Dave, the older one, for about five years.”
“You don’t look old enough for that.”
“We met when I was sixteen at a county fair in Indiana. My dad’s a big-time doctor so it about killed him that I had it bad for a bull rider. He’d expected me to follow in his med school footsteps. But I graduated high school and got a job at a preschool so I could have summers off to be with Dave.”
“How’d your dad take that?”
“He was on fire for a while, but in his heart he wants me to be happy. He learned to live with it. You know how it goes.”
Sara only wished that were true.
“We’re getting married this fall.” Brandy held out her left hand where a small diamond ring glittered on her finger.
“Congratulations. I hope you have a great life together. What about the baby-faced redhead?”
Brandy smiled. “That’s Bryson. He’s new this year and the guys have taken him under their wing. He was dying to meet Josh so came with us to the ranch. I’m sorry if getting here early made extra work for you.”
“It’s no biggie.” Sara watched Josh throw back his head and laugh at something Manny said. “He seems happy tonight.”
“He seems happy here,” Brandy corrected. “We weren’t sure whether he’d recover from the accident.”
Sara turned her attention more fully to the other woman. “I didn’t realize his injuries were life threatening.”
“The physical part was bad, but the worst part was losing his career and the life he’d known. He took it hard. If it wasn’t for having to get things together for Claire, I’m not sure he would have made it.”
Sara had assumed Josh’s leg and the surgeries he’d endured to fix it had been the worst of his struggles. She knew a thing or two about losing a career and the emotional damage it could inflict. She hadn’t considered she and Josh might have that in common.
“I’ll introduce you.” Brandy walked forward into the room, clearly expecting Sara to follow.
“You all need a chance to catch up,” Sara said, suddenly feeling out of place in her low-slung jeans, tight T-shirt and heavily made-up face. Even the streaks in her hair made her feel like an outsider. It was one thing to wear her carefully crafted mask in California, but these people were real. She felt like a huge phony.
“Come on.” Brandy’s smile was open and friendly. “They know me too well to be on their best behavior. Without backup, I’ll be stuck judging burping contests, or worse.”
Sara couldn’t help but return Brandy’s smile. “For a few minutes, I guess.”
“Hey, y’all,” Brandy announced over the music. “This is Sara. She’s keeping Josh’s tight buns out of trouble this summer. And she’s taking care of all you yahoos while we’re here. Try not to make her regret the hospitality.”
Sara felt a blush rise to her cheeks as the attention turned to her. That and the mention of Josh’s buns. Good gravy.
All four men jumped to attention. “Nice to meetcha,” Dave said, coming around the coffee table to shake Sara’s hand before draping a long arm across Brandy’s shoulders. “Thanks for taking us in early.”
“No wonder you look so dang happy,” Noah told Josh as he came to stand in front of Sara. “You are the prettiest thing I’ve seen in ages,” he said to her, making her color deepen. She put out her hand but he swatted it away, instead grabbing her up in a bear hug and twirling her in a fast circle.
“Put her down,” Josh ordered.
“Oh, darlin’, you smell so good. Sweet as my mama’s apple pie.” He nuzzled his face into Sara’s neck. She heard Josh growl behind him.
“I mean it, Noah. Enough.”
Manny stepped in front of Josh. “Señorita,” he crooned, pulling Sara away from Noah’s tight embrace. “You make us crazy hombres act even more loco.” He took her hand, but instead of shaking it, brushed his lips across her knuckles.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Josh grumbled.
“Wow,” Sara whispered. She hadn’t experienced anything like this in years. To be the center of attention for these men was strange and exhilarating, like the first time she’d flipped through channels and watched herself on TV. She felt strangely exposed, but not in a bad way like she had so many times in L.A.—still safe, although not quite herself. It gave her a dizzy sort of feeling.
“You guys are funny,” she said with a giggle, then cupped her hand over her mouth. Sara was not a giggler by nature.
Manny released her hand as Noah stepped forward. “I feel like I know you from somewhere. Do you have a twin sister?”
Sara’s shook her head as her grin evaporated. Here it comes, she thought.
He paused and wiggled his eyebrows. “Then you must be the most beautiful girl in the world,” he said to a chorus of groans from the rest of the group.
Josh gave him a quick thump on the head. “Knock it off, bozo.”
“Who died and made you boss of me?” Noah countered, his good-ole-boy ease replaced with six feet of tall, angry man. Josh’s shoulders stiffened.
“It’s okay,” Sara said, stepping between the two.
“Not to me,” Josh answered. It felt like all the air whooshed out of the room at the intensity of his tone.
Noah studied Josh. “Is there something you’re not telling us? You guys have a fling going on here?”
“No,” Sara and Josh answered at once. Josh continued, “I don’t want things complicated while you’re here.”
“Uncomplicated,” Dave said, giving Noah a soft elbow to the back. “That’s us.”
“Dinner,” April announced in the ensuing silence.
As quick as that, the mood changed again. “I’m starving,” Noah said, heading for the dining room.
“With service like this, we may never leave,” Manny agreed with a wink at Sara as he passed.
When everyone else had left, Sara turned to Josh. “I know they’re just joking with all of the compliments. Trying to be nice.”
“Those guys don’t do nice.” He scrubbed one hand across his face.
She put her fingers on his arm, shocked at the tension in his corded muscles. “What’s the problem?”
“Is Noah your type?”
“What?” The question took her aback.
“At first I thought it was Ryan, the slick Hollywood bit. But maybe you’d like slumming with a bad boy. Tell me, which way is it going to go?”
Sara sucked in a breath. “You are way out of line, Josh. My idea was to spend the night holed up in my cabin. Alone. But April convinced me to come out here to meet your friends. It was hard as hell since I was sure they’d give me the same once-over I get every day in L.A. then make a big deal about who I used to be. But you know what? Those guys were nice. And sweet. And funny. I don’t get that a lot and would appreciate if you’d stop raining on my parade with your bad attitude.”
She whirled away but he held her wrist. She wouldn’t turn around but felt his heat against her back. “I’m sorry,” he said finally.
“Fine. Now let go.”
He didn’t release her. “You deserve someone nice, sweet and funny. You deserve someone whole. I hope you find that man. Even if it’s one of those guys. Any of them would be lucky to have you.”
She looked over her shoulder and her breath caught at the stark pain in his eyes. “What do you mean whole?”
He dropped her arm. “Never mind. Let’s go eat.” He moved past her without another word.
As he walked from the room, her gaze caught on the slight limp in his gait that became more pronounced at the end of a long day. She couldn’t answer for herself, but she was certain he didn’t deserve the self-inflicted solitude he seemed to carry as his burden. He’d had everything in his life taken from him. Not the slow unraveling that marked her failure, but one instant that stole his future and challenged a reputation he’d built for years.
At least she knew that she could go back to acting if given the chance. His days on the back of a bull were done. She couldn’t imagine the strength it had taken him to move on, to start over on the ranch and with Claire. How could he think he was anything less than whole? His strength of character was deeper than most of the men she’d known combined.
The question remained: What did she want in a man? Her eyes roved over his strong body as he disappeared around the corner, a shiver dancing along her spine. It had been years since she’d considered dating after a string of relationships with would-be actors had left her hollow inside.
Josh was 100 percent real man. As she followed him into the dining room, the thought crossed her mind that she might not even be up for the challenge that he held.
Once again, she reminded herself it was a good thing she was only on the ranch for the summer. For any number of reasons.
Chapter Eight (#ulink_f8c02a91-7775-5b43-b14d-373348b77dae)
Josh sat through dinner with a chip on his shoulder and a pit in his stomach that prevented him from enjoying any of the delicious food April had prepared. Not so for his friends, who dug into heaping dishes of enchiladas and all the trimmings with the gusto of a pack of NFL linebackers.
What ate at his gut even more was the way Noah and Manny continued to flirt with Sara right in front of his face. Her rich, musical laughter filled the dining room as she immediately slid into the rhythm of their close circle as if she’d been a part of it for years.
That got him, too, because she was so different from any of the girls he’d met on the circuit. The ones he’d known his buddies to date throughout the years. The “buckle bunnies,” as they were called, were a special brand of groupies, and it was rare to find a true love, like Dave and Brandy, when you were on the road in cheap motels and seedy diners for weeks at a time.
He took another pull on his beer and groaned inwardly when he heard the front door slam shut. One more complication for his evening.
“Daddy? Sara? Whose truck is that in the driveway?”
Claire came into the dining room, and out of the corner of his eye, Josh saw Bryson sit up straighter.
Down boy, Josh thought to himself, giving a mental eye roll at how much he sounded like an old geezer.
He got out of his chair to stand next to Claire. “Claire, I think you’ve met Dave and Brandy. The guy who looks like his twin is his little brother, Noah. That’s Manny at the end of the table and Bryson next to him. Everyone, this is my daughter, Claire.” He pointed a finger in Bryson’s direction. “Off-limits,” he ordered, placing a protective arm around Claire’s shoulders.
“Dad,” Claire said with a groan, “don’t embarrass me.”
“Hi, sweetie,” Brandy crooned. “It’s so good to see you again.”
“Hey.” Claire gave a small wave and shifted uncomfortably next to him. “I’ll just go up to my room.”
He wondered what could be wrong with Claire. There wasn’t a more welcoming group than this bunch, but he got the sense that Claire was ready to bolt. Sara stood before Josh could answer. Her eyes met his for a brief second before she turned to Claire. “Did you have a good time with your friend?”
“Sure, I guess.”
“Come and sit next to me. We can be newbies to this group together.”
After a little push from Josh, Claire shuffled toward Sara and sank into the empty chair next to her.
Noah took up the conversation without a beat. “Did you hear about the last event?” he asked Josh.
“I don’t get a lot of bull-riding news out here,” Josh said without emotion. “And that’s the way I—”
“It was awesome, man. I rode Big Mabel and after six seconds she really let loose. I hung on like never before, legs back and chin down just like you taught me. You wouldn’t believe the high. I was in the zone like never before. You have no idea.”
“I have an idea,” Josh grumbled as he took his seat again.
“Five thousand dollars, dude. The biggest purse this season and it was all mine.”
Manny leaned over and thumped Noah on the head. “Shut up, amigo.”
“No, it’s fine.” Josh took another drink of his beer. “I want to hear everything.” He turned to Bryson. “How’s your first season going?”
Sara rubbed her hand along Claire’s back as she kept one eye on Josh. “Are we still going shopping this weekend?” she asked quietly.
“Sure.”
“What’s wrong, honey?”
“Do you think they blame me for what happened to Dad? I mean, maybe they hate me. It was my fault he—”
“Stop,” Sara said, hoping to soothe the young girl before Josh noticed her distress. “What happened to your dad wasn’t your fault. We’ve been over this. These are his friends. I think he’d want you to enjoy tonight, not to beat yourself up.”
“You’re right.” Claire smiled, although it looked more like a grimace.
Sara laughed softly. “That’s a start.” She grabbed the plate of brownies April had brought out a few minutes earlier. “Let me share something I’ve learned over the years. Chocolate is often the best medicine.”
Claire’s smile turned genuine. “I like that philosophy.”
With Claire happily nibbling on the brownie, Sara turned her attention back to Josh. His full focus was on Bryson as he nodded at something the young bull rider said. To a casual observer he’d looked relaxed, but Sara noticed the tension that radiated from his jawline down through his shoulders. His fingers gripped the beer bottle with a white-knuckled grasp.
It must be so difficult for him to listen to stories from a new crop of bull riders. She knew what it was like to have failure tap you on the shoulder and ask for advice in the form of a new generation of rising stars.
