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One thing was for sure… he was extremely excited to see Evie again.
Chapter 17
Evie took a short flight from LAX to Fresno with a member of the crew staff. Apparently, the crew staff had to travel with The Host and the potential Hostess so no one was tempted to talk about the show.
Her parents greeted her and her assigned crew member at the baggage claim area. After her parents’ initial reaction to her shortened hair and a promise to explain later, they collected her bags and loaded them into her dad’s truck. They drove the hour's distance to the ranch while her dad and mom talked about the comings and goings of everyone in the family, including how quickly Renee’s twin boys were growing and how life on the farm was coming along.
A sense of peace enveloped her as they drove under the CTR Ranch sign which stood for Call Taylor Ranch.
She was home.
Cody and Wyatt were the only siblings at home and each greeted Evie with hugs and teases about her newly found fame. They were baffled as to why she would want to cut her hair. She then explained to all of her family present, how she got into her predicament. Wyatt laughed at her while Cody hugged her and reassured her he’d make sure she would be safe.
“I’m not afraid of Matt,” Evie assured her family. “He has been very kind, generous, and respectful. I’m just having a very hard time accepting how public this whole thing is. You all know how private I am.”
“Says the Rodeo Queen!” Wyatt pointed out.
“Being rodeo queen didn’t plaster my face or my romantic interest all over national TV,” Evie corrected.
“So how do you want us to interact with Matt when he gets here?” Kimi, Evie’s mom asked.
“Sorry, ma’am,” the crew member interrupted. “This has to be as genuine as possible. I understand this might be new to you, but that’s the rule.”
“Not new to us!” Wyatt blurted again. “I would say our family is quite used to TVs blaring in our faces.”
“Wyatt!” Spence reprimanded.
“Whatever, Dad,” Wyatt uttered as he got up and walked to the kitchen.
“Sorry about that,” Spence sighed. “Our family has recently been accustomed to cameras and media presence.”
The crew members’ eyes widened in surprise.
“Nothing to do with your show, we promise.”
The crew member looked reassured and then answered her phone. When she hung up, she said, “The rest of the camera crew has arrived. I’ll go let them in.”
Twenty minutes later, cameramen were placed strategically around the family room and out in the porch area.
“Matt will be here in five minutes!” shouted a crew member.
Evie’s heart began to beat faster and she started to wring her hands.
“What makes you so nervous?” Cody asked.
Evie focused on breathing deeply. “So many things,” she finally replied.
“What comes to mind first,” he whispered.
“What will be his reaction when he sees so many church artifacts lying around the house?”
Cody nodded, “Lake did mention something about you not being allowed to discuss anything related to religion.”
A crew member tsked and sighed with agitation.
“I’m sure you can just cut that part of our discussion out during editing!” Cody stated. “Just be yourself and let Jesus take control. We’re here for you.”
Evie leaned up and gave Cody a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you!”
