Oh, and a bolo tie.
It had been a wholething. And Emmett had not been pleased.
“I’d never wear this around the farm. Like… ever. Hell, I’d never wear this anywhere except at a rodeo as a sponsor or if I was being a cowboy for Halloween. Because this is acostume,” he’d forcefully complained to Teri, one of the head story producers, as he sat in hair and makeup a mere hour before.
“Exactly! We’re putting on a show here!” had been her exuberant answer. Like her positivity might trick him into being equally enthused.
I don’t know what he was expecting from a dating show calledRomance Ranch, but it was evident to me that the forced cowboy attire was only adding to his discomfort in front of the camera.
“Did he ask you to be on set?” I ask Riley, attempting to make small talk.
She looks around, her hands propped confidently on her hips. “Oh, hell no. He specifically told me he’d kill me if I showed up.”
Then she turns and hits me with a grin. “But you know Em. All bark, no bite. Biggest fucking softie I know. Plus, I have so little blackmail fodder to use against him, whereas I’m the one who’s always fucking up around here. So I wouldn’t miss this for the world. I’m not waiting a year for it to be on TV.”
I try to keep my brow from furrowing as I glance back at her brother. He’s scowling right in our direction. Riley may be confused about his persona, because he looks primed to commit murder.
My brother, Theo, is a softie. A big goofball with a smile for pretty much everyone. Emmett, though? Emmett has a dangerous edge to him, a permanent “fuck off” sort of twinkle in his eye.
Riley waves at him, but his hands stay in the pockets of his silvery-gray suit pants. The muscle at the back of his jaw flutters in response, and that’s it.
Flustered giggles draw my gaze back around the corner as the crew sets the stage to film the first meet and greets.
“Okay, okay. We haven’t got all night, people. Let’s get the cameras rolling while it still looks like this.” Richard points up at the sky, now painted shades of pink and purple as the sun sets over the valley. “It looks romantic and shit, hear me? We want fucking on the beach at sunset, not lights out so no one can see the action.”
As I usually do around the guy, I clench my molars to keep myself from cringing. He’s just so… crass. And blunt. And rude about the whole show and everyone on it.
I went into this project thinking the vibeswouldbe romantic somehow. But that was naive of me, because Richard makes everything he touches sleazy.
Some people chuckle, other people move faster, but everything falls into place.
And then it’s Emmett’s turn in the spotlight. They’ve been showing B-roll with him all day, peppering him with interview questions, hoping to get the perfect sound bite. But now the introductions start.
When someone counts down and then calls “action,” Riley’s hand shoots out to grip my forearm like she’s suddenly nervous.
“Are you ready to meet your future wife?” Brad asks Emmett, and I almost burst out laughing because Emmett forces the cheesiest grin onto his face and replies with, “Absolutely, Brad.”
“Wonderful, let’s get started then, shall we?”
“Can’t wait,” Emmett replies brightly, and it makes Riley slap a hand over her face as her cheeks flare pink. We both know this version of Emmett is too bubbly to be real.
“You know what?” Riley mutters. “This is too fucking awkward for me. I’m going to go shovel shit or something instead.”
“You enjoy that,” I reply, amused.
She pauses for a beat, gaze appraising. “Are you single?”
She catches me off guard. And for a moment I freeze. I hate talking about this.
“I am,” I reply, forcing my voice to come out light and my shoulders to stay down so that I don’t completely clamp up in front of her.
She smiles conspiratorially. “A friend came by to look at a horse and saw you working here. Was asking about you. Want me to let him know? He’s a really sweet guy.”
I make a show of glancing around us, silently directing her attention to the fact that I’m technically at work right now. “Sure. But maybe we can talk about this later?”
What I really want is to put this conversation off entirely. And based on the way her eyes widen, I think I’ve achieved my goal.
“Shit, you’re right. I’m sorry. We’ll talk later!” With that, she turns tail and darts off set.
