Page 214 of Promise Not to Fall for the Rich & Famous

He chuckled. “You betcha. Only I made it sound cool, like a country rap type of thing.”

“I bet you did. Wait, do they really have matching tee shirts and all that?”

“They sure do. The last time I was a leader, our group was the Holy Trailblazers. I’m the one who designed the logo, so youknowit was the coolest.”

“Man, I’d like to see that, you in your coolest-ever camp shirt, blowing the whistle to gain the kids’ attention and rapping the rule motto. You were probably their favorite camp leader.”

“Noprobablyabout it, sugar,” he said while puffing his chest. “Makes me excited to take my own kids camping one day. When I have them, that is,” he added, not wanting to give the wrong impression.

Ellie let out an exaggerated sigh. "Like I said, you guys are living the lives that we only dream about."

She said it with a hint of amusement in her tone, but there was no escaping the underlying theme: It seemed that her life in Hollywood had been losing its luster.

Buttercup kept in perfect pace with Pepper as they followed along the open trail. Soon, they’d reach the heavily wooded portion, where the horses would break away to walk single file. Nash glanced over to catch a pleased expression on Ellie’sface. He was glad she’d been able to relax and enjoy some conversation as they went.

"So, were the camp directors right?” she asked. “Was following the rules more fun?"

"I'd say about eighty-five percent of the time, yes, absolutely. It's like with football. How fun would it be to play the game if nobody followed the rules?"

"Okay, so let’s talk about the fifteen-to-twenty percent."

"Well, when you put it that way, maybe that number’s a little high. Let's say only five percent of the rules are more like guidelines that, when broken, can result in a lot of harmless fun. Like food fights."

"Food fights? I thought those only happened on TV.”

Nash shot her a shocked expression. "Didn't you ever go to middle school?"

Ellie shook her head. “Nope. Personal tutors, usually on set."

"Food fights are real, all right. We had a few in school, of course, but the ones at camp were wild. We’d be forced to stay after and clean up, but it was worth it. And you’ll be interested to know that my family has a tradition where we throw pudding pies at each other for an hour straight."

Ellie laughed. "Okay, now Iknowyou're lying."

"No, no, you can ask anyone.” Nash went on to explain how the pudding pie tradition began in honor of a young girl who'd lost her life to cancer. A girl, he reminded himself, that his brother Wyatt had fallen hard for. As similar as their life paths had been, he guessed that wasoneloss Nash couldn’t relate to.

"Anyway,” he said, “now, every year, we all get together and suit up in raincoats, looking like we’re about to take that boat tour into the Falls. There are literally hundreds of small pudding pies on tables we set up in this big old field. One of the guys calls out on a bullhorn, and we take turns throwing pies in our lovedones’ honor. We invite the whole town, and it keeps growing bigger each year."

It went quiet after that, and Nash wondered if he was making himself and his family sound like a bunch of crazy hicks.

But then Ellie’s reply came at last. "I would give anything to be there for that."

Her declaration hung in the air as the trail began to narrow. Nash sensed her longing, as tangible as the smell of fire smoke from a barbeque. Again, that urge stirred deep within him, the desire to make the most of her time here. And the funny thing was, he’d forgotten all about the fact that this was the Ellie Blaire he’d seen in the movies and wanted so desperately to meet. Now, she’d become someone else. The woman behind the scenes, minus the bright lights and the carefully written lines. And she was more beautiful than he’d ever dreamed she’d be.

“Oh no,” Ellie said as the trees grew thick up ahead. "We're not going to fit.”

“Not side-by-side,” he agreed. “Would you feel more comfortable if I led or followed?”

“Umm, does Buttercup know which way she’s going? And what about when it gets dark—will they be able to see their way back?”

“Yes to both,” Nash said. “Horses can see at night nearly as well as they see in the daytime, and Buttercup can lead the way if you’d like her to.”

“Okay, why don’t you go behind me then? That way, you can’t bolt ahead and leave us in the dust.”

“And I was so looking forward to doing that,” he teased, falling back to allow Buttercup to step in front of Pepper. She did, and soon Nash was watching Ellie on the horse, the locks of her hair swishing with each dip and sway.

Even that made his insides warm with desire. He wondered just how long she’d be in town and when she needed to be back for her next role. Not that he wanted to think about that.

With the pines standing tall on either side, it was slightly darker here, but with each steady step, streaks of sunlight pierced through the pointed treetops. Nash inhaled the pleasant scent of pine and sighed, unable to believe the moment was real. What a night. What a week. What a woman.