Which is why I work quietly and plan to always be available for any issues that might arise during filming. Something brokeon set and needs to be replaced?I’m here.Need to pivot to a different backdrop?I’ve got ideas.Someone is boxed in where the crew parks?I’ll find the offending driver.
I’ve kept my head down, slipped under the radar, and worked longer hours than I’m paid for, completing tasks beyond what any established location manager would tackle. But as the new girl, I don’t mind. I’m not above grunt work. And if it gets me to where I’m going, I’ll put that time in without complaint.
My only complaint is that Emmett keeps popping up. Every morning I see him. And every so often, he insists on helping me, even though I don’t want it.
Needless to say, he isalwaysaround. Helping. Watching. Working.
Often shirtless.
I’ve tried hard to keep my distance. To not overstay my welcome. To conduct myself as staff and not as a neighbor.
But unfortunately, his family has made it more awkward than necessary. Leon and Tina are constantly inviting me in for snacks and drinks when I’m on-site, and I’m a jerk for turning them down. They’ve begun trying different food and beverage combinations as though that’s the root cause of why I’m never available.
Cookies and coffee?
Tea and banana bread?
Beer and potato chips?
Wine and cheese?
My answer is always no, but I worry they’re starting to take it personally—which I don’t want, because they are genuinely the sweetest people.
I don’t interact with Emmett much. Save for the odd time when he stomps past and feels the need to make my business his own. But I doseehim. Driving a tractor. Stacking haybales. Setting jumps for his sister in the outdoor arena. He’s…everywhere. Inescapable.
“Cut!” someone calls, and Brad’s fake-ass smile drops instantly as the crew goes from quiet and still to bustling.
I look toward the driveway where a flash of movement catches my eye. It appears the women have arrived, and my stomach twists into a knot. Casting wasn’t part of the prep that I was included in—my predecessor was still on staff for that. So this is my first time meeting them.
They exit their limos and line up around the side of the house, out of sight for Emmett, but perfectly in view for me. Each woman who joins the line is physically different from the last. Varied ethnicities, different hair colors, and bodies that range from lean to curvaceous.
The thing that ties them all together is that each one is beautiful in her own right.
My stomach turns over, and my palms sweat. I can’t help but wonder if Emmett is feeling the same now that it’s finally go time. I scan the people dashing all over the place, searching for high, stubbled cheekbones and sandy waves.
When I find him, he’s impossible to read. Face blank, eyes straight ahead, posture straight. He looks as though he belongs in a wax museum. Stoic. Possibly even nervous?
I frown as I take him in. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t for him to appear as though he’s about to walk the plank into shark-infested waters.
“Heyoo, don’t eye-fuck the bachelor if you aren’t on the show.”
I startle and turn to see his younger sister, Riley, sidling up beside me with a wide grin plastered on her face. Her brown hair falls in a thick ponytail from the back of her ball cap. She’s wearing a T-shirt and navy-blue riding jodhpurs with black paddock boots and colorful socks pulled up to her knees.
I’m no equestrian, but I know the socks make it easier to slide tall leather riding boots on and off.
I shoot her a droll look and scoff. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting all the Brandt siblings since I started on location, and they are all incredibly likable. Down-to-earth, funny, warm. And nothing like I expected.
“I wouldn’t dream of it. I don’t do cowboys. I just wasn’t expecting him to look so…” I search for the word to describe Emmett’s face and body language.
“Constipated?” Riley provides, and I can’t help but chuckle.
“Yeah, that.”
“Not much makes my brother nervous. But the prospect of traditional dating might be the one thing to do it. He’s probably got hives underneath that dorky suit.”
I swallow and smile tightly. I saw enough on the cruise ship to know that thinking too much about what Emmett Bush has under his suit is dangerous territory.
The suit they forced him to pair with cowboy boots and a cowboy hat.
