AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She pressed her fingers to her eyes as if pushing the tears back that were trying to fall. “I don’t expect you to understand, but I was terrified of coming here. I’m normally completely awkward and nervous in new situations, and I tried to turn around several times as I was driving here. But Faye told me I had to come, for my career, and she suggested that every time I wanted to crawl into my shell and hide, that I channel my spitfire heroine in my books and force myself to do what Sassy would do instead.”
“Okay. That sounds like good advice.”
“Maybe. But I think I took it too far. I tried to take Sassy’s personality and make it my own. All the times I was with Luke when I was fun or witty or trying something new, like learning the two-step, that was all me trying toactlike Sassy. So that’s who Luke fell in love with—not the real me, but this fake persona that I’ve been trying to be.”
“I don’t believe it. You all have been together all day every day. You couldn’t have been acting thewholetime.”
“No, but during the most important times.”
“I doubt that. I have a feeling he fell for you in the times when you were the most you.”
“But that’s a problem too. Because now I’ve spent so much time acting like Sassy, I’m not sure where the realmeends and the fakeherbegins.”
“But Kaylee, she’sallyou. If you were acting like one of your fictional characters, she’s still one ofyourcharacters. You made her up. So she comes fromyourfeelings and emotions.”
What Dean was saying made sense, and Kaylee wondered if she hadn’t acted too soon in pushing Luke away. “I want to believe you. But it’s hard. And non-writers don’t understand the way these characters can become almost real in our heads. The way they talk to us.” She lowered her chin to her chest. “I must sound like a crazy person.”
He huffed out a laugh. “Believe me, I know all about characters coming alive in your head. And I also know firsthand, that writers put pieces of themselves into their characters all the time. That’s why I’m sure Sassy is made up of pieces of you.”
Either something Dean had said or the way he’d said it stopped the rebuttal she’d been ready to give him. “Wait. What do you mean byfirsthand?”
He pulled the truck to a stop at the town’s only traffic light. Gripping the steering wheel, he took a deep breath then turned to her, his normal easy-going expression now humorless and severe. “If I tell you something, you have to swear that it stays in the confines of this truck.”
The intensity of his voice told her he was serious, and her writer-brain curiosity was piqued. “Okay.”
“I mean it. Not keeping your word could hurt Emma.”
“I would never do that. I promise. I won’t tell anyone.”
The light changed, and he eased up on the brake and drove toward the highway. “I know firsthand about all this stuff, because I’m a writer too.”
“Oh,” she said, feeling a little letdown after that big buildup. Half the people she knew claimed they were writers. Almost everyone wanted to write a book at some point in their life. “I mean, really? Have you written a novel? Or tried to get something published?”
“Yes, and yes. I’ve written several novels, and a bunch of them have been published. But I write under a pen name to protect the innocent.”
Several novels? Protect the innocent? Okay. He had her hooked again. “That’s amazing. Would I have heard your pen name, do you think?”
“You might have. I write thrillers,” he paused again, “Under the name JD Hawk.”
Kaylee’s mouth fell open. “You’reJD Hawk?”
He nodded again, a sheepish grin on his face.
“Oh my gosh. I can’t believe this. I’m a huge fan. Like one of yourbiggestfans. I’ve read every single one of your books.” A flush heated her cheeks. “Well, that’s embarrassing that I just told you that. I’m totally fan-girling right now. But I mean, come on. Dean, you’re likereallyfamous.”
He laughed. “This is kind of fun. I don’t get to meet fans in person. And I never get to tell anyone who I am.”
“I’m in shock. Faye was just using you and the research you do for your books to convince me to come to Montana.” She narrowed her eyes. “Did you really spend two weeks camping out alone in grizzly bear country when you were writingMountain Justice?”
Dean chuckled. “No, but Emma and I did spend twohoursat the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. And we also spent time with the grizzlies at Zoo Montana in Billings.”
“Zoo Montana?”
“Yeah, but maybe we should keep that between us. I’m not sure who exaggerated that research experience more—me or Faye.” His eyes sparkled with amusement.
She tried to frown at her editor’s embellishment but couldn’t do it and ended up laughing with him. “I’m sure it was Faye. But I don’t get it. Why don’t you go public? Your books are amazing. If I were you, I’d tell everyone.”
“I can’t. And you promised you wouldn’t either.”
