Page 15 of A Cameo for a Cowgirl

She waved a hand at Hector at the gate. The security guard and his clipboard were constant mainstays of any production, and he took his job very seriously. Not that the Three Creek Ranch Western Town and Backlot had ever experienced vandals or thieves. But thanks to the huge interest in As The Heart Draws there was intrigue about the set’s location, and Hector had kept the odd fan or lost tourist away. It’d be nice if he steered his interest in her away too, but she’d learned the delicate art of suppressing hopes and killing off those rabbit trails of admiration in the effort to keep him on-side. His burly presence offered a feeling of protection she certainly didn’t experience in the company of a certain actor who was supposed to be a hero. Harrison’s presence instead held an unsettling quality, like he was dangerous.

She parked, shaking her head at her foolishness. Good thing she wouldn’t have to deal with him today. After retrieving Miranda, she opened the prop barn’s door and entered the world of a bygone era.

The scent of age arose to meet her but, fortunately, she couldn’t smell anything else. Miranda’s reaction would soon make it plain if there was something to be concerned about. She opened the carrier’s door, and sure as a bullet, Miranda streaked out, a silent blur of orange fur.

Cassie’s heart tensed. But Miranda racing off like that didn’t mean she’d spotted the enemy, more that she didn’t like being cooped up in her travel cage.

Sure enough, after a thorough investigation of the premises, Miranda returned, her demeanor placid. The cat took to her chair, a plush vintage armchair one commandeered from a faith-friendly production from two years ago, and commenced licking herself, the sign that all was well.

“Thank You, God.”

The next hours were spent fielding phone calls and counting stock for upcoming accountancy purposes, before a knock preceded the door opening.

“Hello?”

Cassie hurried down the aisle of framed sepia photographs to the front, where a young woman she hadn’t seen before was peering around, her eyes huge. “Yes?”

The young woman startled, then smiled. “Are you Miss James?”

“Yep.”

“Oh, hi. I’m Maxine. I’m the assistant to Mr. Woods.”

Mr. Woods? Why didn’t that name ring a bell? Was he one of the new crew or producers? “Okay. How can I help you?”

“I’m really sorry to interrupt you, but Mr. Woods has asked me to find alternative accommodation. I was told by Lance Fidler that there were some spare rooms in the town we could use.”

“Yes.” Cassie straightened, eyeing the young woman who looked fresh out of college. “You weren’t on set last year, were you?”

“No, I’m new.”

Cassie nodded. “Okay. So, we do have a few rooms in the western town we’ve used for accommodation.” She smiled. “Lincoln Cash stayed in one of them for a dare a few years ago.”

Maxine grinned. “That must’ve been fun having him around.”

“He was game for anything.” Unlike a certain man who was scared of a mouse. She smirked. “Anyway, my dad and I spent last winter refurbishing some of those rooms for guest accommodation.” As another revenue source for the ranch. “And while in the past we’ve had most of the cast and crew stay in trailers, some cast members”—like Tanner last year—“didn’t like the claustrophobic feeling of them. So we thought we’d offer an alternative this year to the trailers, and if anyone wanted they could stay in one of our on-site apartments.”

“Do they have bathrooms?” Maxine rolled her eyes. “Apparently that’s a really important factor.”

“They do.”

“Good. And they’re ready to go now?”

“Sure are.” Cassie smiled. “I can put Mr. Woods in one of our nicest rooms at the back of the barber’s. It’s one of the biggest so he should feel quite comfortable there.”

“Thank you.” Maxine’s nose wrinkled. “He gets a little fussy about some things, so if there’s a chance to make things right I’d appreciate it.”

“Fussy?” She didn’t like to gossip, but none of the cast she knew could claim that characteristic. Apart from someone she’d deigned not to think about anymore.

The blonde grimaced. “Apparently there was a mouse in his trailer, and—”

Ah, bless. She might’ve known.

“—so that’d be awesome if you could help me out.”

Cassie nodded. She’d be helping this poor woman out, even if she didn’t really want to be helping out Harrison. His manner with her was too unnerving to ever be truly comfortable. She bet he still thought she was part of the crew. Which, to be fair, she kind of was. But still.

The reminder from her earlier prayer time drifted close again. Fine, God. She gritted her teeth and smiled. “I’ll come with you now and show you where it is.”

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