He studies me for one long moment through narrowed eyes, then backs away, letting me leave the stall to go check on our next mare.
***
I’m still a little miffed at my brother when it’s time to wrap things up for dinner, so instead of heading for the big house, I meander toward the small barn they’re shooting in. They’ve been at it all day. I nod my head at Glenna, Aura’s assistant, and she puts a finger up to hermouth before scooting off and returning with a pair of headphones for me. I slip them on and settle into one of the folding chairs. How do these TV people sit in these all day? They weren’t exactly designed for comfort.
Aura is standing in the barn with Hayden. There’s an unfamiliar chestnut horse tied up in the aisle, and he’s leaning over its back to talk to her. He’s got a lazy smile on his face, while she looks closed off, suspicious. It looks so real. I remember that look on her face from our early interactions. Caleb’s words from earlier tickle at an unwanted place in the back of my brain. She is an actor, and a good one at that. It does make me pause and review every conversation we’ve had. But no. This is different. She’s good, but she’s different when she’s talking to me. The guardedness is still there, but softened.
They do the same scene several times over and she hits her lines every single time. Hayden stumbles a few times at first but eventually gets it together. They perform it perfectly multiple times. But the director calls out subtle changes to them and to the camera crew after each run, making imperceptible adjustments that must make sense to her even if I’m lost as to what they’re supposed to accomplish. The process is fascinating.
It’s so fascinating, they’ve reset and filmed two more scenes and the sun has disappeared behind the horizon before my stomach twists with a pang of hunger. I glance at my watch to see it’s long past dinner, and I really should be getting out to the barn to do night check on the broodmares.
The director calls it a wrap, though, and I don’t want to miss the opportunity to talk to Aura. I hang out for a couple more minutes while she laughs with Hayden and Savannah, giving them each a hug.
But she spins around when I softly call her name. Her eyes widen. “Quint, how long have you been watching?”
Glenna gestures at me for the headphones and I hand them back to her, walking over to Aura. “Long enough to recognize you’re brilliant and this whole acting thing isn’t as easy as it looks.”
Her mouth twists up in a crooked smile. “You think?”
I shake my head, noticing how now that the cameras are off and she’s let her professional face slip away, she looks exhausted. They’ve been working longer hours than we do on the ranch. “I’m impressed, but you must be starving. Wanna come over to the house for some dinner? It’s a little late, but I’m sure there are some leftovers we can heat up.”
She purses her lips, a single line forming between her eyes. “I’m pretty tired. I think I’m going to head back to my room with everyone else.” I follow her gaze over her shoulder where the rest of the cast is huddled in a circle, chatting. They look like old friends at this point, even though she told me none of them knew each other too well before filming started.
“If it’s too much, you could just come back to my place with me. I’ll make something easy, give you a massage.”
As soon as I mention that, she pulls her hand away from the shoulder she was rubbing. The frown is back, and itlooks like she’s wavering, staring at her feet and nibbling on her lower lip. “I don’t know.”
Maybe it’s wrong to use my dog as a bribe, but I can’t help myself. “Blink really misses you.”
Delaney walks up behind Aura, twisting her long blonde hair up in a knot. “Go on, you’ve hardly gotten a chance to see your boyfriend, we’ve been so busy this week. You should go hang with him.”
There’s a gleam in her eyes, and when Savannah sidles over and slings an arm around Aura’s shoulder, she’s got a matching one on hers. “Seriously, go. I only wish I had someone that handsome…and patient waiting for me to finish filming for the day.”
I hate that she has to be talked into saying yes, but it does work. She nods, glances at her new friends, and slips a soft hand in mine. “Just dinner. I can’t stay the night. I’ve got an early call time tomorrow.”
It feels right, having her hand in mine, and a sense of ease and happiness floods me as I give it a squeeze. “I’ll give you a ride back when we’re done.”
The walk back to my place is quiet, like she needs the stillness after such a busy day, but I break it as my front door closes behind us.
“How do you do it? All that intense emotion. Do you really feel the things your characters are feeling?” This is one of those things that’s been weighing on me. Because she hasn’t filmed any specific romantic scenes yet, but I can feel it coming. The tension between her character and the actor playing one of the ranch hands. They’re definitely setting something up there.
She walks beside me to the kitchen before collapsing into one of the pine chairs at my small table. “Yes and no. I feel the emotions, and it can be draining or exhilarating. But at the same time, I know they’re not mine. It’s hard to explain. It’s like I lose myself in the character, and while I’m acting, I think and feel everything as if I was her, but once the camera’s off, they ease up. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to shake it off if the scene is heavy or intense.”
“I can’t even imagine.”
“I don’t even really think about it most of the time, you know? Because I’ve been doing it for so long.”
“I guess that makes sense.” I survey the contents of my cupboards. “You up for some tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich? Nothing fancy.”
She sighs. “Sounds amazing.”
I get to work, pulling all the ingredients out of the cupboards and preheating the oven.
“Can I help?”
“Nah, you must be exhausted, you’ve been on your feet all day. I got this.”
“Thanks. Sorry I haven’t been around more. It’s been so hectic with the start of shooting.”
