STUDS AND STILETTOS (Romantic Mystery) (27 page)

“All my clothes are in Louisville. A nice wardrobe lady has been helping me out. They have quite a selection of jeans.” She gave a rueful shrug. “But no bras.”

He smiled, despite his despair. His mother hadn’t been nearly as creative, insisting they sell half their horses, including his pony, to purchase her expensive show clothes. But it hadn’t mattered. She’d still left.

“This is going to hurt.” He paused for a moment, his fingers gripping the tape. “Is it worth it? Giving up your family for a shot at fame?”

She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes startled. “Of course not. I love my sister. And I’ll go back and visit. But I need to succeed at something first.”

He steeled his jaw and ripped. She winced but didn’t make a sound. He dropped the tape in the trash can and gave a relieved sigh, impressed at her stoicism. “Well, you definitely succeeded in drawing Anthony’s attention. That’s going to take a few days to heal. Luckily you won’t need to use tape again.”

His left hand was still splayed over her ribs and he felt her stiffen. “Or do you? Did Anthony ask for the same look? Dammit. Look at those welts.” He placed his hands on her hips, turned her toward the mirror and pulled the towel lower.

She tilted her head, frowning at her reflection. “Yes, they are bad. I’ll definitely use a different tape.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, then raised the towel and wrapped it around her, carefully avoiding the abrasions.

“I forgot how different I look without makeup,” she said, still staring critically in the mirror. “Like a different person.”

“Yes,” he said. “You’ll make a good actress.” It ached to be this close and not touch her but if he did, it would hurt even more when she left. He backed out of the bathroom. “I’m going to make up the bed in the kitchen. You can sleep in my room.”

Her head whipped around, her brown eyes so full of hurt, he had to grip the doorknob. “Not even a last night together?” she asked. “You care that little?”

“No,” he said. “I care too much.”

Emily pried open her eyes, clutching the pillow as memories of last night’s rejection flooded back. The skin on her chest ached but not nearly as much as her heart. What man turned down strings-free sex? He must have been truly repulsed, whether it was her wet hair, lack of makeup or the ugly chafing below her breasts.

She thrust aside the sheets and immediately winced. Perhaps the skin was a little more than chafed, although it wasn’t such a big deal. It certainly didn’t justify Dan’s expression. He’d looked stricken when he saw the tape.

Her mind still felt numb. At first she’d thought he was disappointed because her breasts were a bit smaller than initial appearances. But he’d already seen her naked and based on his performance in bed, he hadn’t found them unattractive.

She squashed an ache of longing and impatiently swung from the bed. She didn’t intend to moon over Dan. She’d been almost naked and he’d walked away. A guy couldn’t be more blunt.

She pulled on her jeans and shirt, dragged a brush through her hair, and strode from the bedroom, feeling rather liberated. It was convenient to play a groom’s role and not have to worry about hair and makeup. Certainly getting dressed in the morning was easier.

She pasted on a smile and walked into the kitchen, rather deflated to see it was empty. The pullout bed had been restored to a kitchen bench and the clock above the stove said six a.m.

Obviously, Dan was an early riser but this time he hadn’t left a note. Hopefully she’d see him on set though, especially if Anthony chose her for background in a horse scene.

She moved to the kitchen window and peered outside, searching for a worker lugging a toolbox. Wrapping herself in tape again would be painful, but show biz wasn’t for the faint hearted. It was too dark to see anyone so she walked down the hall and knocked on the spare bedroom door.

“Time to get up, Judith,” she called.

“I’m up,” Judith said. “Come in.”

Emily pushed open the door. The narrow bed was made and Judith sat on the floor, surrounded by open boxes. “What are you doing?” Emily asked, her eyes widening. “That’s Dan’s stuff.”

“He wouldn’t have put me in here if it was confidential.” Judith barely looked up from the papers spread on her lap. “And this explains the script. It says Tracey disappeared on a Thursday, ten days before the Derby. She was wearing a baseball hat when she disappeared.”

Emily crossed her arms. “Put it away.”

“But this will give us an edge. We’ll know how the director wants us to look.”

“Close it. Now.” Emily’s voice sharpened. She scooped up a picture and rammed it back into a box.

“Fine,” Judith said, her voice sulky. “But that picture wasn’t in the box. It was in the binder by your foot.”

Emily yanked the picture out of the box and paused. A blue-eyed boy hugged a Shetland pony, his mischievous smile mirroring the pony’s expression. He looked like a boy she would have liked to play with. She glanced at the lady beside him and almost stopped breathing. “Wow,” she said.

“Gorgeous, isn’t she? That’s Dan’s mother,” Judith said. “She was a stunt rider and rodeo queen. She even worked in Vegas for awhile.”

It took a moment for Emily to breathe again. “No wonder he likes perfect women,” she managed. And Dan had the same profile, the same striking cheekbones, the same arresting eyes.

Judith snorted. “No wonder he distrusts them, you mean. His dad raised him. His mother just dropped in for visits. He wrote some cards begging her to come home and apologizing for making her sad—”

“Judith!” Emily dropped the picture back in the box. “Get out of here. Now!”

“There’s not much about Tracey anyway. It’s mainly horse notes.” Judith rose and brushed off her jeans, not at all repentant. “Don’t forget, we are here trying to figure out what happened to a missing person.”

Emily shook her head, grabbed Judith’s arm and yanked her from the room. “We’re leaving Dan’s trailer,” she snapped, “and not looking sideways. In fact, we’re walking out right now.”

“Fine,” Judith said. “But I’m surprised you don’t want to read the script notes. It might help land more background, maybe even get you a line.”

Emily pushed Judith down the hall and toward the kitchen door. “He trusted us.”

A polite knock sounded and they both gave a guilty jump. Emily hesitated then reached over and cautiously turned the knob. A gray-haired woman in a blue windbreaker stood on the doorstep, a bulky envelope in her hand.

“Delivery for Emily,” the woman said.

“That’s me. Thanks.” Puzzled, Emily took the package and closed the door.

“Who knows you’re here?” Judith asked, watching as Emily ripped open the seal.

“Only Dan. But he wouldn’t send anything. He didn’t even leave a note…” Emily’s words trailed off as she opened the envelope, her throat constricting as she pulled out a perfectly sized, lace push-up bra.

“We need a female groom to push a wheelbarrow to the manure pit,” the casting director said. “It’s a wet gloomy morning.”

“That sounds easy,” Emily whispered to Judith. “It’s not even raining.”

Judith pointed at the large industrial fan and extensive network of hoses. “Looks like they plan to do some drenching.” Her eyes flickered over Emily’s chest. “Bet you could get the job. That fancy bra is doing its thing.”

Emily’s gaze drifted toward the barn aisle. She hadn’t had a chance to thank Dan for the thoughtful gift. However, it looked like he and Anthony were finally leaving the interior set and coming this way. She clasped her hands, surprised at her rush of nerves. This heart-pounding excitement was far worse than any high school crush.

“Do it,” Judith said, giving her a poke. “You can check out Billy’s cottage later.”

Emily pulled her attention back to the casting director and stepped forward, joining a line of four other women.

“Any union here?” the man asked. No one answered. He gave a humorless chuckle. “Guess none of our union performers want the job. Okay, you’re going to get a little wet. And the wind will be blowing.”

One of the ladies shrank back, shaking her head.

The man was still talking but Emily could no longer concentrate. Dan had arrived. He spotted her and a slow smile curved his face. He looked deep in her eyes, not at her chest, despite the scooped shirt.

“Thank you,” she mouthed.

He nodded. His gaze drifted to the black hoses. His smile flattened.

Anthony’s assistant gestured at Emily. “You did a good job yesterday. We like you for this scene.”

Dan abruptly stepped forward. “Pick someone else,” he said.

The assistant shrugged. “How about you in the green shirt?”

The lady in the green tank top nodded happily.

“The rest of you can wait for the next scene,” the assistant said, gesturing at the remaining background.

“Not you, Emily,” Dan said. “I need someone else in the gate.”

She stared blankly. Even Judith, who understood set procedures, appeared puzzled.

“Let’s get a coffee first,” Dan said. He slipped a hand over her elbow, gestured at someone and guided her to a spot at the rail. But he didn’t speak, not until they each had a coffee in their hand and the attendant had shuffled away.

“Sorry,” he finally said.

Emily studied his face over her hot cup. He looked rested, handsome and somewhat sheepish.

She shook her head in confusion. “I don’t understand. Why did you send this lovely bra—thank you very much by the way—if you’re going to stop me from getting these parts?”

“It’s cold this morning. That rain machine can cause ear infections. You might be under it for over an hour. The water hasn’t been tested.” He paused. “And I guess I don’t like to share.”

“But you didn’t…last night, we didn’t.” She stopped talking and pulled the lid off her cup, her confusion switching to annoyance. “So you pretend to need me in a gate scene knowing that completely blows the chance at any more groom background?”

He looked at her as if she spoke a foreign language. “But I do want you for the gate.” He glanced at Anthony, his voice lowering. “You’re non-union. I can look after you better if it’s my scene.”

“Oh,” she managed. A warm flush spread through her chest. Suddenly she wasn’t annoyed at all.

“With me, you won’t get hosed.” His gaze slid over her chest, his eyes glinting with amusement. “And you’ll be wearing a protection vest. A really big one.”

“I’ll wear a suit of armor if necessary. And five layers of dirt on my face.”

His smile deepened. “When we first met, you were dressed for a party shoot. You looked very different.”

She automatically smoothed her shirt, swiping off a piece of straw. A week ago, she would have taken such a comment as criticism. Now though, she wasn’t sure. There was too much approval in his eyes, in his voice.

“Jeans are more practical,” she said. “Besides they don’t want the grooms with obvious makeup or fancy hair. The wardrobe department is very strict.” She gave a rueful shrug. “I already tried for more glamour.”

“I bet you did.” Still smiling, he glanced over his shoulder at the waiting golf cart. “I have to go. Don’t get in any trouble, okay?”

“Will I really be breaking from the gate?” she asked, wishing he’d linger.

“Hell, no.” He chuckled. “You’ll just be sitting on a horse. We have to back them from the gate when Reckless, played by Bruno, rears.”

“Okay,” she said. “But if you need anyone to break from the gate, I can do that too.”

“You’ve ridden from the gate? At Three Brooks?”

She opened her mouth then stopped, reluctant to stretch the truth. “Well, it was just a pony.”

“Your pony? Peanut? He’s probably not as explosive as a racehorse.” But Dan turned back to her, ignoring the waiting golf cart. “How did your little guy do in the gate? He probably couldn’t see over the bars.”

“He couldn’t. But he behaved very well when he was standing there. He wanted to eat grass though and was rather annoyed there wasn’t any hay in the starting gate. When the door opened, he started bucking. I lasted maybe three seconds. It was still fun though.”

Dan’s eyes twinkled. “I had a Shetland pony who loved to eat too. I fell off every time he stopped quick. Mischievous fellow but damn fun. And so tiny I could almost pick him up.”

“Yes.” She sighed with nostalgia. “I didn’t like it when I grew too big to ride. It was fun sharing Peanut with the other little kids, but I missed our adventures.”

“That didn’t happen to me,” Dan said. “My mother sold Silver before I outgrew him.”

“I’m sorry.” She gave his arm a sympathetic squeeze. “My father did the same thing when we needed money. But Jenna found Peanut and somehow convinced the owner to sell him back on credit. We gathered pop cans for a year and half.”

Dan’s eyes darkened. She realized she was still touching his arm, and yanked her hand back. According to Judith, he was one of the most private people in the industry. Already she could feel curious stares.

“Sorry.” She flattened her palms against her sides, appalled at her familiarity. “I know you don’t want rumors—”

But she stopped talking, had to, because his mouth covered hers in a quick and totally tender kiss.

He straightened, his expression enigmatic. “See you in a few hours, Em.”

Ignoring the gawking production crew, he stepped into the waiting golf cart. She stared after him in bemusement, her heart pounding, her hand pressed to her tingling lips.

Judith charged into the stud barn. “Did you check the apartment yet?” she asked, her face flushed from running.

“Couldn’t,” Emily said. “The door was padlocked when I arrived.” She stepped back to Barney’s shoulder. “But watch this trick. He can grab my empty cup and shake it, as if he wants more coffee. He even rolls his lip. I have to show Dan. I think Barney is definitely worth keeping.”

“It’s padlocked?” Judith clutched the stall door, ignoring Barney’s inquisitive muzzle. “But I wanted to take another look at the apartment.”