Chased by Love (Love in Bloom: The Ryders): Trish Ryder (21 page)

THE NEXT FEW days flew by in a flurry of nonstop filming, with meetings that carried over well into the evenings. Chuck worked them at a breakneck pace, and it paid off. They’d cut a full two days off of their filming schedule. He’d shocked them all when he’d decided to relocate the warehouse scene to the farmhouse because he said Boone and Trish’s on-screen connection was too strong to chance losing it by flying back across the country to film. Boone couldn’t argue that filming here with Trish felt more natural by the minute.

Boone sat beside Trish in the makeup trailer while Ronnie and April worked their magic.

“I told you you’d get used to this,” April said, waving a makeup brush across Boone’s forehead.

“Not like I have a choice.” He winked at Trish and reached for her hand. “Three more days for you.”

“I can’t believe this is your last day of filming. You have been amazing, Boone. Are you ready for this scene?” Trish faced straight ahead as Ronnie made her hair look like she’d spent a week sleeping in a gutter. April had already done an incredible job of making Trish’s skin look ashen and filthy. She had on the requisite dirty yellow dress, and despite the filth, she looked stunning.

 April pulled back and smiled. “Even if he’s not ready, at least he’ll look hot.”

“That would be thanks to you, April. Thanks for making me look good and for putting up with a guy who’s not into makeup.” He turned to Trish, whose hair was practically dripping with whatever they were using to make it look greasy. “Now, if Ronnie would stop making my girlfriend look like she washed her hair with baby oil, we’d be all set.”

He kissed the back of Trish’s hand, and April
aww
ed.

“Don’t you have someone else to torture?” he teased.

“Why would I do that when it’s so fun to torture you?” April set her makeup brush down and leaned against her supply table. “Besides, you’re way more fun than working on schedules with Jared. I was glad you gave him a good talking to. He bugs me.”

Boone tried to steer the conversation away from Jared. He wasn’t about to get caught gossiping about a guy whose biggest faults were an inflated ego and one too many asshole genes. “To answer your question,” he said to Trish, “I’m ready, beautiful. Thanks to you. Nervous as hell, but ready.”

The trailer door opened and Zoe poked her head inside. “We’re ready in five.”

“Okay,
beautiful
,” Ronnie said to Trish with a wink. “Only you could make dirt and grime look this good.” He stepped back, giving Trish room to stand up. “Whatever you do, don’t touch it.”

“Thanks, Ronnie.” She and Boone headed out of the trailer, where Zoe was waiting.

“Oh good,” Zoe said. “Boone, if you nail this, I’ll give you a million dollars.”

“I’ll do my best,” he assured her, then turned to Trish. “Hear that? A quick mil if I nail it.”

“I should say, if you can nail it in less than five takes, because I have a date tonight,” Zoe explained. “So if you need fifty takes, you’ll have the guilt of ruining my date with a hot country boy on your shoulders.”

“Whoa, that’s a lot of pressure.”

“Oh no. Not as much pressure as that’s going to be.” Trish pointed to the driveway, where Duke, Cash, and Gage were getting out of an SUV. “What the heck are they doing here?”

Boone was amused and impressed by the sight of her three surprisingly large brothers standing shoulder to shoulder like a cavalry. They probably thought they’d scare him off, but seeing them had the opposite effect. He loved knowing they cared enough to get involved, regardless of whether Trish was an adult or not. Without having ever shaken hands with these men, he already had a great deal of respect for them.

Zoe smoothed her shirt and threw her shoulders back. “What I said? Forget it, Boone. Take as long as you need. I had no idea Trish’s brothers were coming. Gage
is
still single, right?”

“Yes, but not really. He’s just too bullheaded to do something about it.”

“Bummer. Okay, my date is back on,” Zoe said. “Go quick, or you know I’ll be hollering for you again.”

Trish looked at Boone. “Ready to be grilled?”

“Why not?” He followed her across the yard.

Duke helped a tall, dark-haired woman from the vehicle, and Boone recognized her as Gabriella from their Skype call. Cash helped another woman out of the backseat, and Boone knew by her pregnant belly that she was his wife, Siena. Siena grabbed Gabriella’s hand, and the two women hurried up the hill toward them. Trish glanced at Boone with wide, excited eyes.

“Go,” he said with a laugh.

“Thank you!” She ran down the hill with her arms out to her sides, yelling, “Don’t hug me! I’m in full makeup! Don’t hug me!”

Mags would love these girls.
When Boone had talked to her the other morning, Mags had raved about how much she liked Trish. She and Trish had been texting each other since their visit, and Mags had confided to Boone that she’d always wondered what it would be like to have a sister. She said Trish was the first woman she’d felt that kinship with. Not that he needed his family’s approval to fall in love, but hearing that from his sister had further confirmed how right he and Trish were together.

The girls jumped on their tiptoes inches from each other. The air beat with their excitement
and
with the willpower it was clearly taking for them not to give in and hug each other.

Boone waved to them and continued down the hill toward the men to face the firing squad.

**

“DUKE WAS HELL-BENT on coming out here and meeting Boone face-to-face,” Gabriella explained, shaking her head. She was tall, with an olive complexion that gave her a sun-kissed glow even in the winter. In her sundress and sandals she looked more like a college girl than the family law attorney she was. “Blue and Jake tried to talk him out of it, but you know Duke. You’ll be fifty and he’ll still think of you as his baby sister.”

“He’s such a pain sometimes.” As irritated as Trish was by her brothers’ need to barge into her life unannounced, she couldn’t deny that the little sister in her secretly reveled in their protective nature.

She smiled at Siena and Gabriella. “At least you guys are here to run interference with me.”

“You didn’t think we’d let you face them without us, did you?” Siena said to Trish. She set one hand on her baby bump. “Lizzie was upset that she and Blue couldn’t make it, but Blue is knee-deep in renovations on a huge project. But you know Blue. Duke will do whatever he has his heart set on doing, and Blue would probably rather meet Boone under less stressful circumstance.”

 “Duke’s in for a surprise,” Trish said sharply. “It would take more than the three of them to intimidate my man.”

Gabriella’s and Siena’s eyes widened and they both said, “My man?”

“I have been dying to hear you say that about a guy!” Siena said to Trish as they headed down the hill toward the men. “This must be serious.”

Trish slowed her pace and lowered her voice. “It is. I mean, I think it is.”

“Think?” Gabriella asked.

“I mean, I know it is, but we haven’t talked about the future or anything.” She took a deep breath. “Okay, girls. This is it. Who’s the biggest alpha?”

They exchanged smiles and said in unison, “Mine is.”

Boone stood facing her brothers with his back to the girls. His arms were crossed, his legs planted firmly, hip distance apart. Even from the back Trish could see it was a defensive stance. Duke slid one hand casually into the pocket of his dark dress slacks. His expression was nearly unreadable, but there was a shimmer of appreciation and respect in his eyes. It was so slight, if Trish hadn’t been his very perceptive sister, she might have missed it, which meant Boone probably had. Cash stood much the same as Boone, arms crossed, jeans-clad legs planted like tree trunks.
I am man, hear me growl
. She giggled inside at the ridiculousness of them. Thankfully, Gage, her most passive and reasonable brother, stood between them in a pair of cargo shorts and a shirt emblazoned with the name of the youth center where he worked as a sports director, No Limitz. His easy smile contrasted sharply with her other brothers’ serious expressions. Despite all their chest-bumping, feather-ruffling posturing, she adored them.

But now was not the time for little-sister Trish to appear. She tucked away those tender feelings and listened as she approached, but the men had either silenced when they’d noticed the three of them, or they were having some sort of stare down. A shiver ran down her back at the thought.

She walked between them and Boone, eyeing each of her brothers. “I’d hug you guys, but that would only encourage this behavior. Besides, I’m in full body makeup, so I can’t.” She glared at Duke, fighting the smile tugging at her lips. “You are the most ridiculous brother
ever
.” She smiled with the half-truth, and so did Duke. “And, Cash?” She held her palm up toward the sky. “Really?”

“What I don’t understand is why you would think I
wouldn’t
be here?” Cash asked.

Siena and Gabriella went to Cash’s and Duke’s sides, each resting a firm yet gentle hand on their man’s arm. Trish’s heart squeezed. She knew they were doing that for her, silently reminding her brothers that there was more to this conversation than assessing the worthiness of the man Trish was falling for. They were reminding her brothers that just as it wouldn’t have mattered what anyone had said about the women they’d fallen in love with, Trish was an adult, and she would give her heart to whomever she wished.
As if I have any control over my heart. It belongs to Boone no matter what you guys think
.

Siena glared at Cash, and his gaze softened.

Gage laughed.

Trish rolled her eyes at Cash and stood in front of Gage with her hands on her hips. “And you’re here to keep the peace, right? All the way from Colorado?”

He shrugged. “Someone’s got to pull the reins.” He leaned forward and lightly kissed her cheek. “You’re my sister. Of course I’m here.”

“Thanks, Gage.” She glared at Duke again and sidled up to Boone, whose face was a mix of amusement and seriousness. How did he do that?

“Fill me in. What kind of ridiculous things have already been said?” she asked Boone, but before he could answer, she turned her gaze to her brothers. “This is the absolute worst time for you to come in here all Neanderthal and protective. We’re about to film Boone’s toughest scene.”

“I’m sorry about the timing,” Duke said calmly. “We’ve been trying to reach you since this morning, when we finally got our schedules together.”

“That’s true,” Gabriella added. “We’ve been blowing up your phone.”

“Boone! Trish! Two minutes!” Zoe yelled from the top of the hill.

Boone gave Zoe a thumbs-up, then set a supportive hand on Trish’s back.

“We’ve been filming since seven.” Trish pointed to her greasy hair. “I’m sorry, but I don’t check my phone until after we’re done for the day.”

“Right,” Duke said, and rubbed his chin. “Sorry. We didn’t think that part through. All we really wanted to do was take you two out to dinner, get to know Boone.”

Uh-huh. If by
get to know him
you mean grill him until you know everything from his birth weight to his blood type
. She glanced at Boone, both apologetically and curiously. She’d leave the dinner invitation up to him.

“Sounds good to me.” Boone smiled at her brothers, which impressed Trish, because she might not have been so casual if she were on the other side of the fence.

“Look,” Boone said. “We all know you came here to check me out. And from what I know about you, Duke, you’ve probably already done so.”

Gage covered a chuckle with a cough.

“I have nothing to hide. You can ask me anything after we do this scene.” Boone turned a confident, warm gaze on Trish. “But right now your sister’s Oscar is at stake.” He shifted his gaze to Duke again, then slowly to the others. “And nothing is worth screwing that up.”

Lacing his fingers with Trish’s, he kissed the back of her hand, despite the makeup. “She deserves more than an Oscar. She deserves the world at her feet.”

“Boone,” she whispered, touched by his sweet words.

Duke’s brows knitted, as if he were picking apart every word and deciding whether he wanted to believe them. Gage nodded and smiled at Trish. She knew Gage felt Boone’s love and already had his answer. Cash’s expression was somewhere in between Duke’s skepticism and Gage’s acceptance. Gabriella and Siena
awwed
and sighed the sighs dreams are made of. Just like Trish was doing inside.

TRISH AND BOONE headed up the hill. The set had been built on the edge of the woods at the far end of the property. They’d brought in old crates, broken bottles, and other paraphernalia, transforming the edge of the field into a dump, which they’d cut into other scenes to appear as if it was located next to the abandoned warehouse as originally planned. April and Ronnie were waiting for them by two director chairs for last-minute primps. Cameramen and crew members were moving about the set, getting ready for Boone’s toughest scene. Trish heard her brothers talking as they followed them across the field. Gabriella and Siena were laughing about something. She imagined her brothers looked like an entourage of security guards and was glad the girls had come. For all their brawn, her brothers were softies when it came to the women they loved, and she knew that would help ease the tension later when they all had dinner together.

She knew her brothers meant well, but she was nervous for Boone about his performance, not about the familial nonsense. That just added pressure to an already stressful situation.

“Are you okay?” She searched his serious expression, and her stomach twisted and burned. “I’m so sorry about all of this.”

“Your brothers are doing the right thing,” he said without looking at her. “They love you.”

“But you look stressed. Do you want me to ask them to leave and we can meet them later? I’m sure they won’t mind. Believe it or not, they do understand how difficult this will be.”

He stopped walking far enough away from the crew that they wouldn’t hear what he had to say, but her family was on their heels, and they stopped a few feet behind them. She gave Boone a questioning look, hoping he knew she was asking if he wanted privacy for whatever he had to say. He glanced at Duke, who smiled and looked away, offering them a modicum of privacy. Gage nodded knowingly in their direction and took Cash by the arm, turning him away. Gabriella and Siena immediately sought Duke and Cash’s attention the way only the best girlfriends would know to.

“Baby,” Boone said softly. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous, and it has nothing to do with your family. I’m glad they’re here. They care so much about you I can feel it from here. I’m nervous because you’ve worked so hard to help me bring my acting up to par, and I don’t want to let you down.”

She slid her fingers into a belt loop on each of his hips. “You could never let me down. Even if we have to do a million takes.”

“But this is your shot, and you’ve worked hard to get here.” The sincerity in his voice slid into her chest and cradled her heart.

“So have you,” she reminded him. “If there’s one thing in life I’ve learned from my parents”—she looked at Duke, standing with his arms around Gabriella, and Cash, whispering in Siena’s ears, and at Gage, who was texting—probably Sally, because she was always on his mind—“and my family, it’s that things like awards are for egos. My ego doesn’t need filling up, but my heart is a different story. Knowing you’re giving your all to this film, that you care about me, that’s
everything
.” She went up on her toes and kissed him. “The best things in life aren’t
things
at all, Boone. They’re this moment right now and when we were down the hill and you said I deserved the world at my feet—which I don’t, but the sentiment meant so much to me. Even if I never get an Oscar, this film brought us together. Those are the things that matter.”

“Guys!” Zoe interrupted, strutting toward them with a clipboard in one hand and a stern expression on her face. “Chuck is stressed, and when Chuck is stressed, we’re all stressed. Can we please get moving?”

“Sorry!” Trish smiled up at Boone. “You’ll do great.”

Fifteen minutes later, Trish was lying on the ground among the rubbish, staring blankly up at the clear blue sky. Cameras moved overhead, but her stare remained vacant and distant. Her brothers and the girls had seen her act before, but it didn’t lessen the sense of pride she felt knowing they were there. It didn’t matter that this scene only required her to be drugged out and wouldn’t show her range of emotions. It took immense skill to zone out the way she needed to and to go lifeless when Boone would eventually lift her into his arms and carry her away.

She thought about Boone and all the other stuff going on in his life—Jude going to rehab, his worries about Lucky, outing their relationship to the press, his confrontation with Jared, her brothers showing up, his upcoming performance. Even with all of that, he was focused on Trish and how his performance might affect her chance at notoriety. If that didn’t tell her brothers everything, she wondered if anything could.

**

BEFORE EACH PERFORMANCE with his band, Boone centered his mind by mentally ticking through all the steps it had taken him to achieve the level of success he had. Doing so made him even more appreciative of the opportunities he had been given and drove him to give his fans the best damn show he could. Now, as he stood on set preparing to give his most critical performance, he tried using the same tactic to calm his racing nerves. But his nerves were more fried than ever. To make matters worse, he wasn’t sure exactly why he’d gone from feeling more confident with each scene they’d filmed to suddenly feeling as though he were standing in quicksand.

In seconds they would begin filming and all eyes would be on him. He could do this. He’d been acting all week without issue. Soon he’d face Trish lying lifeless before him. His chest constricted, but not in the same way it had before he and Trish had worked through his past. This feeling of suffocation had nothing to do with
detaching
from his feelings and everything to do with how deeply he cared for her.

Her brothers and their significant others looked on from the fringes, wearing expressions of rapt anticipation. This movie had the power to launch Trish’s career to a higher level, and despite what she’d said, he knew damn well how important it was to her. That had to be what had him feeling as though his lines were sinking into the muck, and he had to use that knowledge as motivation to pull his shit together.
Fast.

The first assistant director yelled, “Roll sound.”

The set fell silent.

Deep breaths. One. Two
.
Three
.

The boom operator hollered, “Sound speed.”

I can do this. For Trish, I can do anything.

He listened as the next few directives were announced.

“Roll camera.”

“Camera speed, hit it.”

An assistant stood before the cameras, called out the scene designation, and clapped the slate. Boone’s pulse skyrocketed, and he took in the rubbish-littered grass and finally allowed his eyes to drift to Trish lying on her back, staring absently up at the sky. Her arms were tracked with needle marks, her fingers angled limply upward. Dark moons shadowed each beautiful eye. Her wrinkled dress was bunched up over her bruised thighs. The makeup was so real he could feel the pain of every bruise, every scar, every bad decision. No longer was he experiencing flashes of his past or anger at Destiny’s parents. No, those emotions had been unearthed, laid bare, and he’d mentally done exactly as Trish had suggested. He’d forgiven the weaknesses and failures of Destiny’s parents. He’d moved on, and in doing so, he was weighed down by new, even more powerful emotions: earth-shattering, chest-constricting, overwhelming love for the woman lying on the ground.

Someone yelled, “Set.”

This was it.

Chuck yelled, “Action,” and Boone’s breath caught in his throat.

He knew the scene by heart. Crouch beside her and say,
What do you expect me to do now?
But those words were all wrong. He would never think of himself at a time like this.

Fear and urgency sent him across the field. He fell to his knees beside Trish. “Delia! Delia. Delia.” Trish and Delia were intertwined like ghosts fading into each other, feeding his fear, rage, and confusion with every frantic beat of his heart. His knees dug into the earth as he hovered over her, trembling, his eyes burning with tears. His lines washed away with the scent of Trish, the woman he loved, hovering on the brink of death. 

“Baby! No, baby. No!” He took out the prop phone he wasn’t supposed to use until the end of the scene and instinctively punched 911 and balanced it between his shoulder and chin as he lifted Trish’s limp body, cradling her against his chest while he rattled off the fictional address to the nonexistent emergency services at the other end of the line. The phone dropped to the ground as he rose to his feet with Trish’s lifeless body.

He brought his face to hers, speaking through gritted teeth. “Don’t die on me, baby. Don’t you die on me.” Tears streamed down his cheeks, dripping onto her skin. “I love you, baby. You’re the reason I’m here. The reason I
breathe
.”

His eyes darted over the set, a rush of emotions swamping him. Everything blurred together. “Keep breathing. Breathe, baby, breathe.” He stared out at nothing and yelled, “Where’s the fucking ambulance?”

With his heart in his throat, he turned his face up toward the sky. “Take me!” he screamed through his sobs. “Please! Take. Me.”

Trish’s arm fell limply toward the ground. Her head lolled back over his arm, and he pressed her prone body to his chest. Sirens sounded in the distance.

He took a step and his knees weakened. He stumbled, swaying as he tried to regain his footing from the bone-deep fear coursing through him. He fell to his knees again, cradling her safely against him as the sirens neared.

“You’re good, baby. Good and smart and beautiful, and I love you. I love you so damn much. Don’t give up. Don’t you dare give up, baby.”

Sirens blared, and as he fell back on his heels, paramedics rushed to claim her. He held too tightly, couldn’t let go. A paramedic grabbed his shoulder, but all Boone saw was Trish’s glassy eyes staring into a world of nothingness.

“We’ve got her. Sir, let go. We’ve got her.”

He felt her weight leave his arms, and a flurry of activity ensued, but Boone was in a fog, lost between reality and fiction. He was vaguely aware of movement and voices, but he was frozen in place. Silence fell over the fields, competing with the rush of adrenaline flooding Boone.

Boone turned toward heavy footfalls off to his left, and his mind slowly came back to the moment. Blurred faces came into focus. Trish stood, slack-jawed, beside Duke. Boone felt every eye on set boring into him with shock and worry. Panic surged through him, sending him to his feet. He stumbled again, trying to ground himself as the horror of the moment hit him like a gale-force wind. He’d royally fucked up. He’d unintentionally
improvised
.

Chuck’s pounding, angry steps closed in on him like a death sentence, dark and powerful. Jaw clenched, eyes narrow, he said, “This is a
Chuck Russell
film. We
do not
improvise.”

Silence nearly suffocated him as he choked out, “Yes, sir.”

He looked around the set and seethed, “Do we improvise?”

A series of
no, sirs
rang out, and Chuck returned his attention to Boone. “Do you know why we don’t improvise?”

“Because you purchased the script for the way it was written. I’m sorry. I just...”
Lost my fucking mind?
He had. He’d lost touch with reality. “I apologize. I’ll get it right next time.”

Chuck stepped closer, bringing a wave of tension with him. “There won’t be a next time.”

There was a collective gasp around them.

Boone’s eyes shot to Trish. Her hand covered her mouth, and fear shone in her wide eyes. He mouthed,
I’m sorry,
his heart shattering into a million little pieces.

“Because that was damn perfect,” Chuck said, and slapped Boone on his back, throwing him off-balance. The interminable silence of the crew continued.

“Wh…” Boone shook his head, sure he’d heard him incorrectly. “What?”

Thunderous laughter burst from Chuck’s lungs. “We don’t improvise. We will
never
improvise ever again. But we’re keeping that scene. That was magnificent! You are one hell of a lucky man.”

A rush of relieved expressions sounded around them at once, followed by applause and cheers as Boone tried to wrap his head around what Chuck had said. And then Trish was hugging him and the crew and her family were slapping him on the back, showering him with compliments, embracing him.

Knowing he hadn’t screwed things up for her put all those shattered pieces of his heart back together. “It was all you, baby,” he said to Trish.
When I said “I love you,” I meant it
. “You drew me in, and I hope you never let go.”