Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open (Hollywood Legends #2) (23 page)

“Name it.”

For the first time in hours, Nate felt like laughing. Homer
was all in, the look on his face a lot like the one Beauty had given him. Puppy
love. Hero worship. Who knew they were so similar?

“Number one. And this is non-negotiable. Everyone under the
age of eighteen? I’m sorry, but the movie set is off limits.”

“But Nate!”

“I’m not trying to punish you and your friends, Jenna. Your
safety is my priority.”

“Because you care about me?” Jenna’s friend Wynona jabbed
her in the ribs. “I meant us.” Jenna shot her friend a warning look before
turning back to Nate. “You care about us?”

“Of course I do.” Nate held his arms open. Five girls rushed
in for a group hug. “When this is over and the bastar—” Nate cleared his
throat. “I mean the jerk responsible is behind bars, you can come back.” Nate
stepped back. “In the meantime, what if I get Colt to send you some autographed
swag?”

They squealed, leaving the way they always traveled —
bunched together.

“Homer. Will you give the young ladies a ride home?”

“But—”

“We pick up the day after tomorrow. Bright and early.”

“Fine.” With a sigh, Homer waved a hand toward the barn
door. “Come on.”

“Poor Homer.” Chuck smiled at the retreating teens.

“Poor me. One mention of my brother and my adoring fan club
jumps off my bandwagon.” Nate meant it jokingly. However, he had enough of an
ego to feel a bit of a twinge.

“Don’t be so sure.” Edith gathered her purse and jacket. She
gave Beauty a pat on the head, sending the puppy’s tail wagging. “They adore
you. Trust me; they won’t desert you that easily.”

After that, the barn cleared out quickly. Nate waved as the
last car drove away. Then in the distance, a black SUV appeared. Chuck and
Paige stood on either side of him as the vehicle came to a stop.

“Mr. Landis?” A man with a military haircut and arms the
size of tree stumps stepped out. Tattoos covered every inch of exposed skin. He
was tall. Almost matching Nate.

“Yes.”

“Travis Marshall.” He smiled, softening his chiseled
features. “Jack Winston sent me.”

Setting Beauty down, Nate shook the man’s hand. “Travis.
This is Chuck Chamberlin and his daughter Paige.”

“Pleased to meet you.” There was a touch of the South in his
voice.

“Georgia?” Nate asked.

“Tupelo, Mississippi. Best honey in the world.”

“I can’t argue. I spent a very pleasant spring down South.
Biscuits and honey every morning.”

“And grits.” Travis sighed. “Don’t forget the grits.”

“You’re making my mouth water,” Chuck smiled. “You want to
come in the house? I can’t promise a Southern breakfast, but I have a pot of
corn chowder on the stove. Do you like cornbread?”

“Yes, sir.”

Gesturing to Travis, Nate held back as Chuck and Paige
headed inside.

“I haven’t had a chance to call Jack.”

Grinning at the puppy sniffing his boots, Travis bent down
to introduce himself. “Is there a problem?”

“You could say that. We need to increase the security.”

Travis stood up straight, the good old Southern boy quickly
replaced by a man who meant business.

“When you say increase, how many do you mean?”

“I’m not sure.” Nate rubbed the back of his neck.

“Let’s call Alex,” Travis said. “He handles this kind of
thing every day. You can fill us both in. He’ll get you what you need.”

“Let’s take this inside.” Nate started up the front steps.
“Chuck and Paige should hear this.”

“This is their ranch, right? They need to sign off on
bringing in more security?”

“That won’t be a problem.”

Nate held the door for Travis. Whatever it took to keep
Paige, Chuck, and everyone safe. He would brook no arguments. If it took a
hundred men to lock this place down, so be it.

Beauty sat, waiting patiently.

“I won’t let anything happen to them. This is between us.”
He scooped her up. “If I don’t think I can keep them safe, we are out of here.
You and me. Understand?”

Beauty gave him what looked like a nod. Nate knew she didn’t
understand his words. However, he swore the look in her eyes said, “What about
Paige? Can’t she come?”

It was his own conscience talking. And maybe his heart. Nate
rubbed his chest, right above that beating organ. Nope, Paige didn’t belong
with him and his nomad lifestyle. She belonged here. With her father. With her
horses. This was her home.

Nate took a long look at the ranch and the mountains that
bordered it. He knew he would miss this. Most of all, he knew he would miss
Paige.

HER FATHER HADN’T blinked an eye when Nate declared he was
bringing in more security. On speakerphone with Travis’ boss, Alex Fleming,
Chuck laid out the logistics of the ranch and number of people who worked on
the movie at any given time. Once they had everything worked out, the speed in
which it was set into motion made her head spin.

H&W Security gathered their crew and had them on a plane
to Montana in record time. This Alex Fleming knew how to get things done.

Travis had explained that Alex was ex-Army. He said it with
a touch of reverence that made Paige curious about what the man’s job had been.
When she asked, Travis shrugged. Alex was the best, he said. That was it. The
subject was closed.

The best? The best what? Sniper? Code Breaker? Spy? She
quickly realized that she had seen too many movies. Travis and Nate trusted
Alex. That was all Paige needed, or wanted, to know.

The house couldn’t accommodate fifteen large men and the
equipment they brought with them. Luckily, the weather was holding. Early
October could turn cold — fast. However, it seemed this year they were in for a
mild, seasonably warm month. The barn, in addition to housing the movie
paraphernalia, was now a makeshift barracks.

“It won’t be very comfortable,” Paige said as she watched
the men remove cots and sleeping bags from a large, black van.

“This is a five-star hotel compared to some of the places
we’ve slept,” Travis informed her.

The group worked like a well-oiled machine. There was no
need for conversation. They were trained to be ready for last minute
assignments and knew how to hit the ground running.

The rest of the day was a blur of activity that often looked
like barely contained chaos. Paige watched the show with admiration and a touch
of awe. Motion sensitive cameras. Flood lights. Alarms. She lost track of
everything they installed.

The men spoke in a kind of shorthand that was confusing at
first, but the longer she listened, the easier it was to decipher. There was no
question about what was going on when one of the men reported that the house
had been swept. It was clean. No listening devices, cameras, or other foreign
objects found

Alarmed, she asked Travis why he thought someone would bug
the house.

“It’s routine for us to check,” he assured her.

Paige was relieved. She was still working on reassured.

On top of everything else, the men had brought along
portable gas stoves and an upscale version of K rations. It was an impressive
setup.

When she asked her father what all this was costing, he told
her that Nate was handling it.

“You’re letting Nate foot the bill?” Paige couldn’t believe
her ears. Her father was a stickler about paying his way. There was no way they
could afford one of these men, let alone fifteen of them. And the equipment? It
boggled the mind.

“You heard him, Paige. All of this,” he motioned to the
bodies at work, “is the only way he would agree to stay. Do you want him to leave?”

“You know I don’t.”

They hadn’t discussed the reason that she and Nate had been
at Lottie’s house, and Paige didn’t expect they ever would. However, Chuck
wasn’t a fool. He knew her relationship with Nate had taken a more intimate
turn.

“I’m signing over all rights to the movie.”

“Dad! You can’t do that.”

“I wanted Erin’s story to be told. It was never about making
money. Now,” Chuck shrugged. “I’m not fooling myself. If the movie turns a
profit, it will be a miracle, but it’s the only thing I have to offer. Nate
would never agree to take part of the ranch.”

“Damn straight.”

Paige took in the sight of Nate. There was nothing for him
to do. Every man had a job. He would be in the way if he offered to help.
However, there was no doubt who was in charge. Travis orchestrated the action,
but he consulted with Nate every step of the way. It wasn’t because he footed
the bill. Nate was a born leader. He was the man one would gravitate toward in
any crisis — confident that he would find a way out.

Paige understood. She believed in standing on her own two
feet. Making her own way. Solving her problems with no outside help. Yet all
she wanted to do was curl up in his arms and let him take care of everything.
That impulse made her keep her hands firmly anchored to her sides.

“This is your ranch, Chuck. Yours and Paige’s. The same goes
for the movie.”

“I can’t let you do all this without paying you back. I know
the movie isn’t worth anything, but it’s all I have to offer.” Paige recognized
the stubborn set of her father’s chin. Her brown eyes weren’t the only thing
she inherited from him.

“My mess, my responsibility.”

“You’re here because of me,” Chuck reasoned.

“Technically, I’m here because of Paige. Isn’t that right?”

Paige nodded. She didn’t trust herself to speak. Too many
emotions that she hadn’t found names for.

“Fine.” Chuck crossed his arms. “You agreed to stay because
my people guilted you into it. That shifted the responsibility back to me.”

Fascinated by the game of testosterone ping-pong, Paige
waited to see how Nate would respond now that the ball sailed back his way.

“I hold all the cards, Chuck.”

Nate’s stance was deceptively relaxed. Even with her father
between them, she could feel the coiled energy radiating from him. Nate looked
like he didn’t have a care in the world. Paige wouldn’t want to be the person
who made the mistake of testing that theory.

“Damn it, Nate.” Paige knew her father was out of arguments.
And so did he.

“One more thing.” Nate’s gaze landed on her, then shifted to
Chuck. The deep blue color intense. “That is the last time I want to hear you
say that the movie isn’t worth anything. I’ve never been privileged to work on
a project that meant more than this one. You can’t measure it in dollars and
cents. The sense of accomplishment and pride I see in the cast and crew. The
way you are honoring Erin’s memory. It’s priceless, Chuck. Never forget that.”

“He’s the most arrogant person I have ever met,” Chuck said
with a huff as they watched Nate walk over to where Travis was making notes.

“Yes,” Paige agreed.

“Frustrating.”

“Absolutely.”

“Pig-headed.”

“No argument here.”

“Admirable.” Chuck’s tone softened.

Paige smiled, nodding her head.

“A man like that is a rare thing.”

Once in a lifetime
, Paige thought.
If you were
lucky
.

“Lottie called him a good man.”

“Mmm. She hit it on the head.” Chuck put an arm around her
shoulders. “You’re in love with him.”

“I…” Paige shook her head. “I barely know him, Dad. People
don’t fall in love this fast.”

“I fell for your mother the second I saw her. I opened the
front door and saw my future wrapped up in a coat that made her look like the
Michelin Man. The heart has no sense of time, Paige.”

“I don’t know what I’m feeling.” Paige couldn’t tell her
father something when she didn’t know the answer. “Nate has me tied in knots,
Dad.”

“That’s okay. Knots aren’t always a bad thing.”

“In this case, they are. Nate and I are on two separate
paths that have briefly intersected. In a few weeks, he’ll be off to who knows
where. I’m fine with that.”

“Oh, Paige.”

“What?”

“Earlier, you gave him hell when you thought he was
leaving.”

“No one wanted him to leave. Don’t laugh.” Paige smiled in
spite of herself. “My reasons may be a bit more personal than everyone else’s.”

“Just a bit.” Chuck tucked her arm through his and began
walking toward the house. “You may believe it will be okay, Paige. But when the
time comes, letting him go won’t be easy.”

“No.” That much she would admit. “I won’t make a scene or
beg him to stay.”

“You forget one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“This love thing can work both ways. When the time comes,
Nate might not want to give
you
up.”

Hours later, her father’s words stuck with her, like little
whispers of hope that she couldn’t shake off. Closing her eyes, Paige rolled
her head in a slow circle. Right now, all she wanted was a good night’s sleep.
It had been crazy to think she would be in any condition to go out. When Lottie
had called, Paige yawned through the conversation as she filled her friend in.

Mentioning the addition of the security force had not been a
good idea. She blamed it on a fuzzy brain. Lottie’s first reaction was a squeal
of excitement. Fresh blood. It was all Paige could do to keep her from jumping
in her car and racing over. The men were not here for Lottie’s enjoyment. They
had a job to do.

“They take breaks, don’t they?” Lottie asked slyly.

“Yes. What’s your plan? Sit around and pick them off one by
one? Five minutes here? Five minutes there?” Paige had to smile. She knew
Lottie better than anyone. If she thought it would work, she would do exactly
that.

“I hoped for a little longer.” There was a pause. “Five
minutes? I can work with that.”

“Down, girl. You don’t want to be the cause of a man losing
his job.”

“Fine.” Lottie heaved a huge sigh of disappointment.
“Fifteen of them?”

“Fifteen,” Paige confirmed.

“What a waste.”

“You’ll survive,” Paige teased.

“I suppose.” Lottie laughed. “It’s a good thing they don’t
know what they’re missing. Those men would be eating their hearts out.”

They hung up with a promise to get together as soon as
things returned to normal.

PAIGE HAD LONG ago passed exhausted. Sometime during the day,
there had come a point where her eyeballs began to feel like they were glued
open. Add to it the rollercoaster of emotions, and it was a wonder she
functioned on
any
level.

She stood in front of the bathroom mirror, brushing her
teeth with slow, deliberate motions. It was just after nine o’clock. At this
time last night, she had been bouncing around, anxious for her night with Nate
to begin. The only thing on her mind had been how good the sex would be. The
answer was great. Fantastic. Earth shattering.

Since then, her world had turned upside down and spun around
in the span of a few short hours.

The explosion. Nate’s decision to leave. His decision to
stay. Not to mention the influx of strangers whose job it would be to keep the
ranch and everyone on it safe.

Paige pulled the band from her hair, running her fingers
through the long tresses. As with brushing her teeth, washing her face was a
nightly routine she refused to skip no matter how tired she was. A touch of
moisturizer and she was done. She shut off the light and headed down the hall.

Travis and two of his men shared the bedroom on the first
floor. She refused to worry about those big bodies trying to fit onto a couple
of twin beds and an old love seat. They insisted they would be fine, and she
took them at their word. She made sure they had clean sheets and towels and
knew where the bathroom was. The rest was up to them.

At the end of the hall, her father’s door was closed. There
was no telltale sliver of light underneath signaling that he was still awake.
He was as worn out as the rest of them. The early night would do them all good.

Without a second thought, Paige walked past her door,
instead entering the bedroom farthest from the stairs. Removing her robe, she
slid under the covers.

“What are you doing?” Nate’s voice rumbled. The room was
dark, but Paige had no problem finding him. She snuggled up against his back,
her arm reaching around his waist.

“Going to bed.”

Paige laughed quietly when she felt a wet tongue lick the
back of her hand.

“Beauty is happy to see me.”

“She’s a sweetheart. She’s happy to see everyone.” Nate took
her hand, rubbing the damp spot.

“I’d like to think I’m a little bit special.”

“You have no idea.”

Paige smiled, her lips touching Nate’s warm back. No shirt.
Being good, she didn’t check to see if he had anything on below the waist. Her
nightgown provided enough of a barrier to keep this visit G-rated.

“I made a promise to your father, Paige.”

“You are an honorable man, Nathaniel.” Paige rested her head
on the pillow, her eyes drooping.

“Paige?”

“Hmm?”

“We can’t do this.”

“What?” Having Nate close by was all the extra push Paige
needed. Sleep was blissfully close. If only he would stop talking.

“No sex. I promised.”

That caught her full attention.

“No sex? What would you call what we did last night?”

“That was at Lottie’s. We can’t do it here. In this house. I
promised.” Nate made no effort to move away. He
was
honorable. He was
also a man. He asked her to leave before he broke a promise he considered
sacred.

Relieved, Paige relaxed. Sex was still a go. Letting her
eyes drift shut, she reassured Nate.

“I want to sleep with you.
Just
sleep. I don’t want
to be alone.”

Nate understood. It felt good to have her with him. It felt
right. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. His
body settled into the mattress, his limbs heavy.

“Good night, Paige.”

She didn’t answer. Nate felt the warmth of her even
breathing against his back.

I could get used to this
. Nate waited for the feeling
of panic. When it didn’t come, he knew something had changed. However, he was
too tired to figure out what it was.

Lacing his fingers with Paige’s, Nate drifted off. No more
worries. Not tonight.

“TELL ME WHAT’S going on.”

He hated being left in the dark. It was one of the reasons
he hired others to be his eyes. Information was power.