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“Who are you again?” she asked.
Great. The star of their movie didn’t even remember him.
“Landon Dixon,” he said, hoping his last name would do the trick. Rourke Dixon was pretty well known in the industry, and he seemed to be the only one who could get Jessica to act like the professional she was supposed to be.
“We’re almost finished.” Audrie looked up at him then, and their eyes locked in a stare that made him realize, once again, just how long it had been since he’d even gone on a date.
Yes, he called himself a retired rancher. That simply meant he’d sold off his property and invested the money into his brother’s production company. It was an investment that was paying off considerably. The agreement when he’d bought in had been that they’d share the proceeds fifty-fifty, but Rourke would call the shots.
Rourke, Landon’s younger brother, had always been the savvy businessman in the family. He’d seen their family ranch as a road to nowhere. He’d never had an appreciation for the business aspects of tending the land and raising cattle to sell.
But all that meant Landon and Rourke had spent the majority of the past couple of years making Sugar Cookie Productions as profitable as possible. These Christmas movies were their bread and butter, but they’d also produced a couple of mystery series and some suspense movies, all sold to the same cable network.
“No big deal,” Landon said. “They’re just all set up out there. I’ll go see if they need any help.”
He stepped backward and nearly lost his footing on the top step. Yeah, that was just what he needed to do—make a fool of himself in front of the first woman who’d caught his eye in months.
“She’ll be right out.” Audrie gave him a big smile.
Jessica’s attention had already returned to her phone. She didn’t have time for talking to him, especially since she no doubt still wasn’t sure who he was.
He headed back to the set, looking around as he did. They were shooting on the bank of the pond today, so all Landon had to do was follow the noise.
Luckily, this ranch didn’t have any neighbors around the pond, just land as far as the eye could see. The mountains were well off in the distance but visible from the deck attached to the back of the house.
The funny part of it all was the entire backyard was covered in Christmas. The trees and deck railing were decorated in lights, and a large Christmas tree covered one side of the deck. As he’d hung out there last night after shooting wrapped, enjoying a cup of coffee, Landon felt a peace he hadn’t had in a while. Christmas on a ranch with a pond sounded like his perfect life.
Soon enough, he’d have a ranch of his own. That was why he’d invested in this production in the first place. It shouldn’t take too long for his investment to pay off—not with his brother running things.
Today, though, the beautiful silence he’d enjoyed last night was gone. It was complete chaos behind the main house. Cameras were stationed on the deck and all around the bank, which really wasn’t large enough to suit a substantial scene, but the director was determined to get the shot. All Landon needed to do was stand by and hope they didn’t destroy the bank or the deck above it.
“There he is!” one of the production assistants yelled, pointing in Landon’s direction.
Everyone turned to look at him. “She’s coming,” Landon blurted.
He didn’t say that with full confidence. He trusted Audrie to get her here, though.
He trusted Audrie? He’d just met her, and he trusted her. At the very least, he trusted her more than Jessica or anyone else on this production, aside from his brother. And he wasn’t so sure about that these days.
“Get the hair girl down here, too,” the director called out.
Landon winced. The hair girl? First, she was a woman, not a girl. Second, she had a name.
There was a third problem he had with what the director, Michael, who he’d just met yesterday, had said. Landon was not a production assistant. He shouldn’t be tasked with fetching cast and crew.
But he didn’t argue. Why? Not because he wanted to help out Michael or anyone else but because of his brother. Because protecting this production meant protecting his own investment. The less money they spent, the more money they’d have in the bank at the end of this.
Of course, there was also the fact that he didn’t mind heading back to the trailer because it meant spending a little more time in Audrie’s company. Instead of hiding out in the trailer, she could be down here on the banks with all of them today, taming Jessica’s hair altitude issues or making sure every strand of the leading man’s hair stayed in place. Although somehow that guy’s hair managed to look picture perfect, high altitude or not.
“Be right back,” Landon called out as he turned and headed toward the trailer.
It didn’t matter. By then, everyone had gone back to what they were doing. He may as well have said nothing. Not that he cared. In fact, it was shaken off by the time he rounded the corner, and the trailer was in sight. The prospect of seeing Audrie again pushed him forward, his thoughts filled with those warm blue eyes and the smile that seemed to immediately put him at ease.
Yes, he felt at home when he looked at Audrie.
And it had been a long time since he’d felt at home.
His heart was racing as he neared the door to the hair section of the trailer. Was he actually nervous about seeing her? This was just weird.
