Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 57350 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57350 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Ewan glanced at his spreadsheet. “We need it ready to go tomorrow morning at first light to catch the sunrise. Let’s go. I’ll go with you.”
Bianca waved at Maggie, who was over by the climbing vine Bianca had trained along the side railing earlier.
Maggie hurried over, dressed in overalls and a pink checked shirt, her face alight. “This is so much fun. Thank you for letting me be an extra.”
“Of course,” Bianca said. “We need to scope out the secondary location. Are you still willing to let us use it?”
“Oh yeah, absolutely. Of course.” Maggie winked. “Especially for the ten grand.”
Bianca took a deep breath. She had promised Adam she wouldn’t leave the ranch without telling someone, but if she was with Maggie and Ewan, she should be all right. Nobody would notice if they took off for a bit. “We’ll be back within an hour. Right, Maggie?”
“Oh yeah, it’s quick,” Maggie said. “In fact, I’ll drive if you want.”
“Even better.” Bianca turned back to Liam. “I’ll call you with descriptions.”
“It sounds perfect,” Liam said. “We only need about half a day there, tops. We’re going to wrap this up faster than I hoped.”
A small pang struck Bianca right in the chest. She didn’t want to wrap up quicker. The thought surprised her with how strong it felt. When she’d arrived, the plan had been simple: film the scenes, finish the work, and move on to the next location. That had always been the rhythm of her life. But now Adam was here.
The mornings in his kitchen and the quiet evenings after the crew left had started to mean a lot. Maybe she could put off the trip to Texas for a bit, although she still needed to scout that area. “All right, let’s go.”
They hurried past the organized chaos of the film set. Large trailers lined the far edge of the yard, their doors open while wardrobe racks stood just inside. Long cables stretched across the ground between lighting rigs and cameras mounted on wheeled platforms. A group of grips hauled a tall metal stand toward the porch while someone balanced a clipboard and called out the next setup.
The whole place buzzed with motion, and Bianca threaded through it easily, used to the rhythm by now. They reached Maggie’s older SUV parked near the edge of the property, dust streaking the doors while the back seat looked comfortably worn. Bianca climbed in and pulled the seatbelt across her chest just as Ewan jumped into the back.
Maggie started the engine and drove away from the chaos. “You and Adam seem like you’re doing well.”
“We’re having a lot of fun,” Bianca said. That was the safest way to say it, since her heart was already involved way too quickly. “He wants me to buy into the flower shop in town.”
Maggie’s eyes lit up. “Do you want to?”
“Not even remotely.” Bianca laughed softly and shook her head. “I don’t want to own a flower shop. I love planting flowers and landscaping, but I love seeing a setting for a movie too.” She looked out the windshield as the road curved gently ahead. “I see things. The lighting, the shadows, the possibilities.” She spread her hands a little, trying to explain a feeling that was hard to describe. “I don’t want to give that up.” She felt like she’d known Maggie longer than she actually had, because the woman made conversation easy. Mineral Lake in Maverick County had that way about it.
“I understand,” Maggie said. “But really, how often are you gone?”
“Not that often,” Ewan said from the back seat, stretching his legs and settling deeper into the seat. “If you think about it, you stick around because you want to, not because you have to. You could have been here four days and then moved on for this film, and you don’t really set up the studios. Somebody else does.”
“That’s true,” Bianca said thoughtfully. Over the past few years she had drifted from project to project, never having a home to think about.
Maybe she’d been sticking around places longer than necessary because she didn’t really have anywhere else to go.
The SUV rolled along in silence for a while. The road curved between trees and open stretches of land where the mountains rose in the distance. She watched the shadows move across the hills and tried to picture scenes in her mind.
“Our land and Boyd’s land border here,” Maggie said, turning down a rough trail that was barely a road. The vehicle bumped gently as the tires rolled over loose stones and uneven ground. “None of us have cattle on this side.”
A creek rushed along beside them, water flashing in the sunlight as it slipped over rocks and curved through the narrow valley.
“That’s gorgeous,” Ewan said, leaning forward between the seats.
“We could get some good shots there,” Bianca murmured, her heart leaping as she studied the view.