Page 1 of A Cameo for a Cowgirl

One

Three Creek Ranch might be only thirty minutes from the hustle and bustle of Calgary’s high-rises, but it may as well be a million miles away. A different world away. A century—more—away. Cassie James leaned back in the saddle, stroking Ginger’s mane as she took in the view, her heart swelling with contentment. From her position on this rise, the ranch’s hills and valleys soared and dipped as they stretched toward the higher peaks of the Canadian Rockies, with not a sign of human habitation anywhere to be seen. Instead, she gazed upon trees and grassy meadows, the occasional deer or bird, and the three creeks that gave the ranch its name. The scenery was as it had been for hundreds of years, and for the past century or so that Cassie’s family had lived here.

She gently nudged Ginger and the palomino turned obediently in a half circle, bringing into view the ranch’s small western town. The buildings—everything from a steepled white chapel to a wooden boardwalk-lined collection of stores—had formed part of an original settlement, once upon a time. But the village had lain empty for years, superfluous as larger centers thrived. Then after the depression hit, forcing the last of the inhabitants to sell, Cassie’s great grandfather had expanded the family acres, swallowing the town in its entirety. Not all of the town was original—the schoolhouse and Silver Spur saloon had been trucked in from a hamlet an hour away—but the township was so complete, a perfect representation of pioneer life, that it had been used as a movie set for nearly twenty years.

She might’ve been a little girl when her parents had first mentioned the possibility of a movie company coming to film on their ranch, but she remembered it like yesterday.

Her dad had been so excited. “The producers love it here, love the fact it looks so unspoiled, with no modern-day trappings. And they’re willing to pay us to use the town,” he’d said. “Our ranch has to diversify. We can’t survive on just cows these days.”

Of course, it had helped that the Hollywood company had decided after filming that it was easier to offload the props, sets and costumes, selling them at a fraction of their cost to her folks rather than pay to transport them elsewhere. That had led her parents to the momentous decision to expand Three Creek’s operations into including a western movie set and backlot business as well, something that had fascinated Cassie for years, and something she’d taken responsibility for since graduating college five years ago.

So, while she still helped her dad around the ranch as much as she could, she had near total charge of ensuring the day-to-day running of the western town went smoothly. This meant everything from repairing buildings, and checking the prop and costume barn was watertight and pest-free, to fielding enquiries and taking bookings, to being the point person while a production company was in residence.

And today would see the return of the crew of the company filming As The Heart Draws, the historical TV show that had taken millions of viewers around the world by storm. People, like her, who longed for a simpler life, a good life. A time when good was good and evil wasn’t marketed as normal, or fun, or exciting. Over the years the ranch had played host to a number of famous actors, including Lincoln Cash, whose Hollywood career had skyrocketed since his appearance on the show several years ago.

Lincoln had been easygoing, even willing to sleep on-site in the accommodations Cassie had helped her dad create in some of the buildings. The show’s heroine, Ainsley Beckett, was another unpretentious type, perhaps because she’d been with the show since the beginning. Her blossoming career meant she was involved in other things as well now, but any day she was on set was a good one. Ainsley was super sweet, just like the character she played on As The Heart Draws. Viewers loved Abigail, the school teacher played by Ainsley, and her Canadian Mountie love interest.

But Cassie had heard that Abigail’s brand-new husband had been killed off—thanks to a conflicting Marvel movie schedule—which meant this season would see a new man in the schoolteacher’s life. Not that viewers knew this yet, as that season’s cliffhanger hadn’t yet aired. Cassie’s site manager role meant she was privy to all kinds of insider gossip, which had seen her sign a non-disclosure contract as well, ensuring her mouth stayed shut. Not even her parents knew that Abigail was getting a new beau, along with a scenario ensuring viewers would be in for another few seasons of “will they? won’t they?” as they negotiated the ups and downs of attraction before finally admitting they cared for each other and embarked on a relationship.

Such drama seemed like overkill to her. Why couldn’t two adults just have a mature conversation and admit they liked each other instead of teasing it out for so long? Drama for drama’s sake was way too complicated for her taste.

It wasn’t that she didn’t understand hurdles in a relationship. Her brother Franklin had certainly experienced his own challenges with trying to date local sports reporter, Hannah Wade, thanks to Hannah’s job. But they’d sorted it out, and were getting married in just a few weeks. Cassie had her own experiences with men who were needy in various ways—most often a need to prove their superiority—but a busy girl didn’t have time for playing games. It was just too much fuss. If she ever met a guy she liked, she’d let him know she was interested, without such shenanigans.

But it was precisely such shenanigans that meant the show could go on—and Three Creek Ranch would get paid—and the viewers would stay enthralled, both at the storyline and acting as much as the glorious scenery that brought every episode to life.

She drew in another breath, the crisp morning air holding a reminder of early spring, even as the clear skies promised summer. Oh, she loved it here. Call her conservative—various high school and university boyfriends sure had—but she was proud of her family’s legacy that allowed for an untainted landscape, that made it possible for people to escape into this world where the good guys ultimately won, and the bad always got what they justly deserved. Her family’s and her own Christian values shaped what movies and TV productions they allowed to be filmed here, which was why the occasional enquiry had to be rejected, as it didn’t fit the ranch’s “family values.”

As a repeat client, As The Heart Draws was always welcome, and she knew the sixteen-week schedule they’d booked for would be busy. She’d negotiated for a weekend off at the end of June to allow for her NHL player brother’s wedding. Franklin and Hannah—who’d been Cassie’s friend since high school—were due to use the chapel and a wedding tent rental for their celebrations, and the logistics of preparing for the huge number of guests were already starting to stress Cassie. Why she’d said yes to helping Hannah when Cassie already had huge responsibilities with the TV show was a mystery. Except it wasn’t really. Hannah was her best friend, and Franklin her favorite brother. Her only brother, but whatever. She might have workaholic tendencies—ranch life had taught her and her siblings the value of hard work from a young age—but she’d do anything to help make the day run smoothly and their dream wedding day come true.

She patted Ginger’s mane, enjoying the early hour, her favorite time before the day began. The time when peace would steal across her heart and remind her that while she wore a number of hats—movie set manager, ranch hand, cowgirl, daughter, sister, friend—that God was ultimately in control. The wedding would be fine, everything would run smoothly. And the new TV production would go well, and would surely help the ranch’s bottom line. “In Jesus’s name.”

In the distance, a small cloud of dust drew her attention. She squinted then exhaled, recognizing the line of trucks that signaled the arrival of the production company.

“Come on, girl.” She nudged Ginger and took the shortcut down the hill in order to help their arrival at the prop barn and office where she’d arranged they would meet.

She arrived at the white barn and dismounted, tied up Ginger, and dusted off her gloves and jeans. Then pushed back her shoulders, her white cowboy hat tipping back as she lifted her chin, smiled, and drew forward to greet Lance Fidler, the show’s location manager she’d dealt with before. Yes, today would be a good day. She could feel it.

* * *

A sea of expectant faces gazed at him, their smiles almost as big as his as he clutched the golden figurine. Pride filled him as he grinned and lifted the trophy high. “Thank you so much. You’ll never know—”

Bleep bleep bleep.

Harrison Woods cracked open a bleary eye as the alarm cut through his dreams. He groaned, then reached out a hand to tap off his phone. Let the day begin.

He rolled out of bed, staggered to the bathroom, then showered. Wrapped a towel around his waist, and smeared the fogged-up glass to study himself in the mirror. Winced. That face sure wouldn’t be winning any awards anytime soon. Anytime ever, the way he was going. And now, with this TV show he was still in two minds about, even though Richard Kneever, his agent, kept insisting that playing Special Constable Nathaniel Fraser was an awesome opportunity, he probably could kiss goodbye to any chance of ever being considered a serious actor. As The Heart Draws might have millions of fans around the world but come on. Honest talk? It was next door to being a TV soapie. And after just missing out on a gritty part in the latest Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon collaboration, stepping into a Mountie role first made famous by Lincoln Cash was not exactly where he’d envisioned himself this time last year.

A faint memory of an old verse his grandma used to say tried to poke through his mental haze. Something about how a man could plan his course but God would determine his steps. Huh. Weird. Whatever. He yawned, stretched, then snatched up the fallen towel, and hurried to get changed. There weren’t any paparazzi cameras here, but a man could never be too careful. And with it being his first day on set at a new job he needed to be extra careful.

He quickly ate his breakfast—the hotel’s room service had got his eggs order wrong again—then packed, and walked out to his Camaro. Sure, it looked a little fancy for these parts, but it was warmer now, and with any luck, he might get the chance to take the top off soon.

Thirty minutes later he was following the audio cues of his CarPlay’s navigation system, frowning as he drove west along Highway 1. Maybe he should’ve taken the offer from Maxine, the production assistant assigned to him, and agreed to a driver, after all. He had a feeling he’d missed the turn-off. A sign to Canmore flashed past, triggering another memory. Hadn’t the directions said something about the set only being half an hour from the city center? He’d now been driving more than that, surely. He pulled over, hazard lights flashing, and checked his phone map. Hissed out a word. Then waited for a break in the traffic to rejoin.

A peek at the car clock wrinkled his nose. He’d now be pushing it to be on time. Way to go to make a good first impression. Well, second impression for some. He’d obviously made a good enough first impression with the director and producers in order for them to hire him. But for the rest of the crew, if he didn’t hurry, he’d show up late like an arrogant you-know-what who expected the world to revolve around him. Which he wasn’t. And didn’t. Which meant he needed a way to turn around. Pronto. But with no overpass in sight, and only the occasional potholed crossroads to farms or ranches that allowed zero margin of error—and certainly weren’t built for low-slung vehicles like this—he’d have to wait a little longer. Great.

He eyed his phone, toying with calling Maxine and giving her an explanation for why he’d be late. But from their previous interactions, he was pretty sure she already didn’t think highly of him. Apparently daring to complain about wanting his meals hot and not lukewarm might do that. Who knew? Regardless, he didn’t want to add to her load unnecessarily—or add to her low opinion.

Breath exhaled as an overpass appeared in the distance. Thank goodness. He flicked on his signal lights and veered off the service road, then had to wait to rejoin the road circling back to the highway as a huge truck trailer laden with logs inched its way past. He tapped the steering wheel, impatience writhing within. He supposed he could blame the navigation system, although really, it was his own need to make the most of the creature comforts of a hotel room before he was supposed to stay on-site at the ranch where they were filming.

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