Only Mine (2 page)

She would have turned down the assignment, except Mayor Marsha had pleaded. Dakota had grown up here. When the Mayor needed a favor, the good citizens agreed. Until the production company had shown up, Dakota would have sworn she would happily do anything for her town. And, as she'd told Finn a couple of hours before, it was only for ten weeks. She could survive nearly anything that long.

“Have the contestants been picked?” Marsha asked.

“Yes, but they're keeping it a secret until the big announcement.”

“Anyone we need to worry about?”

“I don't think so. I've looked over the files and everyone seems fairly normal.” She thought about Finn. “We do have a family member who isn't happy.” She explained about the twenty-one-year-old twins. “If they're half as good-looking in person as they are in their pictures, they're going to be on the show.”

“Do you think their brother will make trouble?”

“No. If the boys were still underage, I would worry that he would try to ground them. As it is, he can only worry and threaten.”

Marsha nodded sympathetically. Dakota knew the mayor's only daughter had been something of a wild child, then had gotten pregnant and run away. It couldn't be easy, raising a child. Or in Finn's case, two brothers. Not that she knew about being a mother.

“We can help,” Marsha said. “Look out for the boys. Let me know if, or maybe when, they're chosen for the show. We don't have to like that Geoff brought us this mess, but we can make sure to keep it contained.”

“I'm sure the twins' brother will appreciate that,” she murmured, suspecting Finn might be grateful but wouldn't have much expectation for the town helping.

“You're doing a good thing,” Marsha told her. “Keeping an eye on the show.”

“You didn't give me much of a choice.”

The mayor smiled. “That's the secret to my success. I box people into a corner and force them to agree.”

“You're very good at it.” Dakota sipped her diet soda. “The worst part is I actually like reality TV. Or I did until I met Geoff. I wish he'd do something illegal so Chief Barns would arrest him.”

“We can always hope.” Marsha sighed. “You've given up a lot, Dakota. I do want to thank you for taking on the show and protecting the town.”

Dakota shifted in her seat. “I haven't done all that. I'm on set and making sure they don't plan anything truly insane.”

“I feel better knowing you're around.”

She was good, Dakota thought, eyeing the older woman. Years of experience. Marsha was the longest-serving mayor in the state. Over thirty years. She thought of all the money the town had saved on letterhead. It never had to change.

While this was far from Dakota's dream job, working for Geoff had the potential to be interesting. She knew nothing about making a television show, and she told herself she would enjoy the opportunity to learn about the business. At least it was a distraction. Something she wanted these days—anything to avoid feeling so…broken.

She reminded herself not to go there. Not everything could be fixed, and the sooner she accepted that, the better. She could still make a good life for herself. Acceptance would be the first step in moving on. She was
a trained professional, after all. A psychologist who understood how the human mind worked.

But knowing and believing were two different things. Right now it seemed as if she would never feel whole.

 

“T
HIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT
,” Sasha Andersson said as he leaned against the battered headboard. He glanced down at the copy of
Variety
he'd bought from the old guy at the bookstore. Someday, he would be making thousands, or even millions, and he would subscribe and have it delivered to his phone, as the real stars did. Until then, he bought a copy every few days, to keep costs down.

Stephen, his twin brother, lay across the other bed in the small motel room they shared. A worn
Car and Driver
sat open on the floor. Stephen dangled his head and shoulders off the mattress as he flipped through an issue he'd probably read fifty times.

“Did you hear me?” Sasha asked impatiently.

Stephen looked up, his dark hair falling over his eyes. “What?”

“The show. It's going to be great.”

Stephen shrugged. “If we get picked.”

Sasha tossed the paper to the foot of the bed and grinned. “Hey. It's us. How could they resist?”

“I heard there were over five hundred applicants.”

“They narrowed that number down to sixty and we're going to make the final cut, too. Come on. We're twins. TV audiences love that. We should make it seem like
we don't get along. Fight and stuff. Then we'll get more camera time.”

Stephen shifted on the bed, then rolled onto his back. “I don't want more camera time.”

A fact that was both irritating and true, Sasha thought grimly. Stephen wasn't interested in the business.

“Then why are you here?”

Stephen drew in a deep breath. “It beats being back home.”

Something they agreed on. Home was a tiny town of eighty people. South Salmon, Alaska. In the summer, they were flooded with tourists wanting to see the “real” Alaska. For nearly five months, every waking moment was spent working impossible hours, struggling to keep up with the crowds, to get the job done and get paid before moving on to the next job. In winter, there was darkness, snow and crushing boredom.

The other residents of South Salmon claimed to love everything about their lives. Despite being direct descendants of Russian, Swedish and Irish immigrants who had settled in Alaska nearly a hundred years before, Sasha and Stephen wanted to be anywhere but there. Something their older brother, Finn, had never understood.

“This is my chance,” Sasha said firmly. “My shot. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get noticed.”

Without even closing his eyes, he could see himself being interviewed on
Entertainment Tonight,
talking about the blockbuster movie he was starring in. In his mind, he'd walked a million red carpets, celebrated at
Hollywood parties, had women show up naked in his hotel room, begging him to sleep with them. Which he graciously agreed to do, he thought with a grin. Because that's the kind of guy he was.

For the past eight years, he'd wanted to be on TV and in movies. But the industry never made it to South Salmon, and Finn had always dismissed his dreams as something he would outgrow.

Finally old enough to be able to do what he wanted without his brother's permission, Sasha had been waiting for the right opportunity. A casting notice for
True Love or Fool's Gold
had been it. The only surprise had been when Stephen had wanted to come with him on the interview.

“When I get to Hollywood,” he began, playing a familiar game, “I'm going to buy a house in the hills. Or at the beach.”

“Malibu,” Stephen said, rolling onto his back. “Girls in bikinis.”

“Right. Malibu. And I'll meet with producers and go to parties and make millions.” He glanced at his brother. “What are you going to do?”

Stephen was quiet for a long time. “I don't know,” he said at last. “Not go to Hollywood.”

“You'd like it.”

Stephen shook his head. “No. I want something different. I want…”

He didn't complete the sentence, but then he didn't have to. Sasha already knew. He and his twin might
not share the same dreams, but they still knew everything about each other. Stephen wanted to find a place to belong, whatever the hell that meant.

“It's Finn's fault you're not excited about this,” Sasha grumbled.

Stephen looked at him and grinned. “You mean because he's so hell-bent on us finishing college and having a good life? What a jerk.”

Sasha chuckled. “Yeah. Where does he get off demanding we're successful?” His humor faded. “Except it's not about us. It's about him. He just wants to say he's done a good job.”

Sasha knew it was more than that, but he wasn't willing to admit it. Not out loud, anyway.

“Don't worry about him,” Stephen said, reaching for the magazine. “He's a couple thousand miles away.”

“Right,” Sasha said. “Why let him ruin our good time? We're going to be on TV.”

“Finn will never watch the show.”

True enough. Finn didn't do anything for fun. Not anymore. He used to be wild—before…

Before their parents had died. That's how all the Andersson boys measured time. Events were either before or after the death of their parents. But their brother had changed after the accident. Today Finn wouldn't know a good time if it bit him on the ass.

“Just because Finn knows where we are doesn't mean he's going to come after us,” Sasha said. “He knows when he's beat.”

Someone knocked on the door.

Since Sasha was closer, he stood and leaned over far enough to reach the knob. The door eased open. Finn stood there, looking as mad as he had the time the twins had trapped a skunk and left it in his bedroom.

“Hello, boys,” he said, stepping inside. “Let's talk.”

F
INN TOLD HIMSELF
that yelling wasn't going to accomplish anything. His brothers were technically adults, although it wouldn't be hard to make a case that, over eighteen or not, they were idiots.

He stepped into the tiny motel room, crammed with two full-size beds, a dresser, battered television and the door to an equally small bathroom.

“Nice,” he said, glancing around. “I like what you've done with the place.”

Sasha rolled his eyes as he sank back on his bed. “What are you doing here?”

“Coming after you.”

The twins exchanged a look of surprise.

Finn shook his head. “Did you really think an email telling me you'd left college to come here was enough? That I would simply say, ‘No problem. Have fun. Who cares if you abandon college in your last semester?'”

“We said we were fine,” Sasha reminded him.

“Yes, you did and I do appreciate it.”

As there weren't all that many motels in Fool's Gold, locating the twins had been relatively easy. Finn knew that money would be tight, which had eliminated all the
nice places. The motel manager had recognized them immediately and hadn't minded giving Finn their room number.

Stephen watched him warily but didn't speak. He'd always been the quieter of the twins. Despite the fact that they looked nearly exactly alike, they had different personalities. Sasha was outgoing, impulsive and easily distracted. Stephen was more silent and usually considered his actions. Finn could understand Sasha taking off for California, but Stephen?

Stay calm,
he reminded himself. Having a conversation would get him further than shouting. But when he opened his mouth, he found himself yelling from the very first word.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he demanded, slamming the door shut behind him and planting both hands on his hips. “You had one semester left of college. Just one. You could have finished your classes and graduated. Then you would each have had a degree. Something no one could take away from you. But did you think of that? Of course not. Instead you took off, quitting before you were finished. And for what? Some chance to be in a ridiculous show?”

The twins looked at each other. Sasha sat up and sucked in a breath. “The show isn't ridiculous. Not to us.”

“Because you're both professionals? You know what you're doing?” He glared at them both. “I want to lock
you in this damn room until you figure out how stupid you're being.”

Stephen nodded slowly. “That would be why we didn't tell you until after we were here, Finn. We didn't want to hurt you or scare you, but you're holding on too tight.”

Words Finn didn't want to hear. “Why couldn't you finish college? That's all I wanted. Just to get you through college.”

“Would it really end there?” Sasha asked him, coming to his feet. “You said that before. That all we had to do was finish high school and you'd get off our butts. But you didn't. There you were, pushing for college, staying on us about our grades, our classes.”

Finn felt his temper rising. “How is that wrong? Is it bad that I want you to have a good life?”

“You want us to have your life,” Sasha said, glaring at him. “We appreciate all you've done. We care about you, but we can't do what you want anymore.”

“You're twenty-one. You're kids.”

“We're not,” Stephen said, sitting up. “You keep saying that.”

“Maybe my attitude has something to do with your actions.”

“Or maybe it's just you,” Stephen told him. “You've never trusted us. Never given us a chance to prove what we could do on our own.”

Finn wanted to put his fist through a wall. “Maybe because I knew you'd pull something like this. What were you thinking?”

“We need to make our own decisions,” Stephen said stubbornly.

“Not when they're this bad.”

Finn could feel control of the conversation slipping from him. The sensation got worse when the twins exchanged a look. One that said they were communicating silently, in a way he'd never understood.

“You can't make us go back,” Stephen said quietly. “We're staying. We're going to get on the show.”

“And then what?” Finn asked, dropping his hands to his sides.

“I'm going to Hollywood to be on television and in the movies,” Sasha told him.

Hardly news, Finn thought. Sasha had been starstruck for years.

“What about you?” Finn asked Stephen. “Want to become a spokesmodel?”

“No.”

“Then come home.”

“We're not going back,” Stephen told him, sounding strangely determined and mature. “Let it go, Finn. You've done all you needed to. We're ready to be on our own.”

They weren't. That's what killed Finn. They were too young, too determined to screw up. If he wasn't nearby, how could he keep them safe? He would do anything to protect them. Briefly he wondered if he could physically wrestle them into submission. But then what? He couldn't keep them tied up for the entire trip back. The thought of
kidnapping wasn't pleasant, and he had a vague notion that he would be flirting with felony charges the second he crossed state lines.

Besides, getting them back to Alaska wouldn't accomplish anything if they weren't willing to stay and finish school.

“Can't you do this in June?” he asked. “After you graduate?”

The twins shook their heads.

“We don't want to hurt you,” Stephen told him. “We really do appreciate all you've done. It's time to let go. We're going to be fine.”

Like hell they were. They were kids playing at being adults. They thought they knew it all. They thought the world was fair and life was easy. All he wanted was to protect them from themselves. Why did that have to be so hard?

There had to be another way, he thought as he stalked out of the small motel room and slammed the door behind him. Someone he could reason with. Or, at the very least, threaten.

 

“G
EOFF
S
PIELBERG
, no relation,” the long-haired, scruffy-looking man said as Finn approached. “You're from the city, right? About the extra power. Lights are like ex-wives. They'll suck you dry if you let them. We need the power.”

Finn studied the skinny guy in front of him. Geoff “with a G” was barely thirty, wore a T-shirt that should
have been tossed two years ago and jeans with enough rips to make a stripper nervous. Not exactly Finn's mental image of a television executive.

They stood in the middle of the town square, surrounded by cords and cables. Lights had been set up on stands and strung up on trees. Small trailers lined the street. Two trucks carried enough Porta-Potties for a state fair, and tables and chairs were set up by a tent with a buffet line.

“You're producing the show?” he asked.

“Yes. What does that have to do with my power? Can I get it today? I need it today.”

“I'm not from the city.”

Geoff groaned. “Then go away and stop bothering me.”

Even as he spoke, the producer was heading toward a trailer parked on the street, his attention on the smart-phone in his hand.

Finn kept pace with him. “I want to talk about my brothers. They're trying to get on the show.”

“We've made our casting decisions. Everything will be announced tomorrow. I'm sure your brothers are great and if they don't make it on this show, they'll find another.” He sounded bored, as if he'd said those same words a thousand times.

“I don't want them on the show,” Finn said.

Geoff looked up from his phone. “What? Everybody wants to be on TV.”

“Not me. And not them.”

“Then why did they audition?”

“They want to be on the show,” he clarified. “I don't want them to be.”

Geoff's expression shifted to disinterest again. “Are they over eighteen?”

“Yes.”

“Then it's not my problem. Sorry.” He reached for the handle of the trailer door.

Finn got there first and blocked his way.

“I don't want them on the show,” he repeated.

Geoff sighed audibly. “What are their names?”

Finn told him.

Geoff flipped through files on his phone, then shook his head. “You're kidding, right? The twins? They're going to make it. The only way they'd be better for our ratings is if they were girls with big boobs. Viewers are gonna love them.”

Not a surprise, Finn thought. Disappointing, but not a surprise. “Tell me what I can do to change your mind. I'll pay you.”

Geoff laughed. “Not enough. Look, I'm sorry you're not happy, but you'll get over it. Besides, they could be famous. Wouldn't that be fun?”

“They should be back in school.”

Geoff's attention had been captured by his phone again. “Uh-huh,” he murmured as he scrolled through an email. “Right. You can make an appointment with my secretary.”

“Or I could convince you right here. You like walking, Geoff? Want to keep being able to do that?”

Geoff barely glanced at him. “I'm sure you could take me. But my lawyers are a whole lot tougher than your muscles. You won't like jail.”

“You won't like a hospital bed.”

Geoff looked at him then. “Are you serious?”

“Do I look serious? We're talking about my brothers. I'm not going to let them screw up their lives now because of your show.”

Finn didn't enjoy making threats, but nothing was more important than making sure Sasha and Stephen finished their degrees. He would do what he had to. If that meant physically crushing Geoff, then he would do it.

Geoff shoved his phone in his pocket. “Look, I appreciate your position, but you have to see mine. They're already on the show. I have nearly forty people working for me here, and I have a contract with every one of them. I'm responsible to them and to my boss. This is a lot of money.”

“I don't care about the money.”

“You wouldn't, mountain man,” Geoff grumbled. “They're adults. They can do what they want. You can't stop them from doing this. Say I kick them off the show. Then what? They head to L.A.? At least while they're here, you know where they are and what they're doing, right?”

Finn didn't like the logic, but he appreciated it. “Maybe.”

Geoff nodded several times. “You see what I'm saying. Better they're here, where you can keep an eye on them.”

“I don't live here.”

“Where do you live?”

“Alaska.”

Geoff's nose wrinkled, as if he'd just smelled dog excrement. “You fish or something?”

“I fly planes.”

The scruffy producer brightened immediately. “Planes that hold people? Real planes?”

“As opposed to those that are remote controlled? Yes.”

“Sweet. I need a pilot. We're already planning a trip to Vegas and we're flying commercial to keep costs down. But there are other places, maybe Tahoe and Frisco. If I rented a plane, you could fly it, right?”

“Maybe.”

“It would give you a reason to stick around and watch your kids.”

“Brothers.”

“Whatever. You'll be part of the production staff.” Geoff placed his hand on his chest. “I have family. I know what it's like to care about someone.”

Finn doubted Geoff cared about anything or any one but Geoff. “I would be there while you were filming?”

“As long as you didn't get in the way or cause trouble.
Sure. We've got some chick from the city hanging around already.” He shrugged. “Denny, Darlene. Something.”

“Dakota,” Finn said dryly.

“Right. Her. Stick with her. She's gotta make sure we don't hurt her precious town.” Geoff rolled his eyes. “I swear, my next gig is going to be filming in the wilderness. Bears don't have demands, you know? That's a whole lot easier than this. So what do you say?”

What Finn wanted to say was no. He didn't want to hang around while they filmed their reality show. He wanted his brothers back in college, and he wanted to return to South Salmon and get on with his life.

Standing between him and that was the fact that his brothers weren't going to go home until this was over. His choices were to agree or walk away. If he walked away, how could he make sure Geoff and everyone else didn't screw them?

“I'll stay,” he said. “Fly you where you need to go.”

“Good. Talk to that Dakota chick. She'll take care of you.”

Finn wondered how she would feel about him hanging around.

“Maybe the twins will be voted off early,” Geoff said, opening the trailer door and stepping inside.

“My luck's not that good.”

 

D
AKOTA WALKED
to her mother's house. The morning was still cool, with a bright blue sky and the mountains to the east. Spring had come right on time, so all the
trees were thick with leaves, and daffodils, crocuses and tulips lined nearly every walkway. Although it was before ten, there were plenty of people out on the sidewalks, residents as well as tourists. Fool's Gold was the kind of place where it was easier to walk to where you were going. The sidewalks were wide, and pedestrians always had the right of way.

She turned onto the street where she'd grown up. Her parents had bought the place shortly after they'd married. All six of their children had grown up here. Dakota had shared a room with her two sisters, the three of them preferring to live in the one bedroom through high school, even after their older brothers had moved out.

The windows had been replaced a couple of years ago, the roof a few years before that. The paint color was cream instead of green, the trees taller, but little else had changed. Even with all six kids out on their own, Denise still kept the house.

She walked around to the backyard. Her mother had said she would be spending much of the week working on the garden.