Page 44 of A Cameo for a Cowgirl

And no, he sure didn’t want to sound like he was complaining. Yes, the western town barber’s bedroom had a cozy rustic charm, and was plenty comfortable, but it wasn’t exactly chateau suite luxury. Yet he couldn’t help compare this hotel to the wide open spaces on the ranch, and the feeling of freedom there. The fact that there, he could climb a hill and see no sign of humans, and feel a sense of peace, just himself and nature. Contrast that to the fact it was peak tourist season here, and even though they were surrounded by wilderness, there were just so many people, talking in a hundred languages. Simplicity and ease felt like a million miles away.

Or maybe that uneasy feeling was exacerbated by the questions roaming through his heart since last Monday.

He drained his water and leaned forward, elbows on knees, head in his hands. He closed his eyes, shutting off the famous view, as his mind tracked back to when he’d last spoken to Cassie. She’d no doubt appreciate this place, this view. And while her brother might be a well-paid hockey star, and her family couldn’t be doing too badly if they owned ten thousand acres of prime cattle country, he wondered if she’d ever stayed at a place like this.

But he bet she’d more appreciate the beauty of nature than the million-thread bedsheets or the fact the waiters called him sir. She didn’t seem to want that stuff, instead taking pleasure in simple things. And that fact drew him as much as her eyes, eyes that held more than a hint of the color and depths of the lake just outside his window.

A groan escaped. He didn’t want to be attracted to her. She might appeal, but how could a life ever work out between them? She was committed to the ranch, to her family and work there. He lived out of a suitcase, traveling wherever the next role took him.

But something about her, and her family, made him greedy to want more. Maybe there was a way he could put down roots and finally find a home.

His fingers clenched, as he remembered her question, about why he didn’t want to take advantage of a full weekend off and spend it with friends or family. Truth was that he had none. None that were genuine. His friends were mud-puddle deep and about as constant, only checking in on him when something was reported on E-news. And what did it say about a man when even his own father, the father who used to mock him for playing make-believe, now only talked to him when he wanted money? What kind of man did that?

He didn’t want to play pretend with his dad, nor the woman he was currently with. How could he pretend to like the woman who’d broken his mom’s heart and sent her to an early grave? Harrison sure didn’t have enough acting chops for that.

What he wanted was the cozy family he’d witnessed at the Three Creek ranch. He’d instantly sensed the affection between them all, a tight unit of love, of what family should be like. That’s what he yearned for. Someone to love, someone who could tease and relax with him, who smiled at him like she did with her sisters and friends, someone who didn’t play pretend but was solid and real and smart and hardworking and every shade of wonderful.

He wondered what she was doing now, how her brother’s wedding had gone, what she’d worn, what she looked like, who she smiled at, danced with, more.

He tugged at his hair. Rolled his shoulders. Stretched to relieve the tension.

But why was he still even thinking this when she’d barely agreed to be friends? She hadn’t even looked back when she’d trotted out last Monday, like she didn’t pay him another thought. She probably hadn’t, which meant all of this was just in his mind.

Loneliness must be sending him mad.

He glanced at his phone, counting the hours until his stay ended. He couldn’t wait to return to the ranch.

And to Cassie.

Ten

Anticipation filled Cassie as she rode Ginger through the western town, checking over the site before filming began today. It was amazing how much lighter she felt with the wedding over. Franklin and Hannah were now in Fiji, the reception tent and chapel decorations were down, and the western town looked exactly as it ought to represent the past one hundred and fifty years.

Yep, not a speck out of place to show that a hundred or so guests had been partying the night away just three nights ago. Most of the cast and all of the crew had returned, the only ones missing were those cast members not scheduled for shooting scenes today. Which meant Harrison was somewhere, as he was supposed to be filming today.

But…how silly was she to look for him, to still think about him when it was clear he wasn’t for her. Put it down to feeling alone on the wedding weekend, even when she’d been surrounded by people, and the talk of love that had filled nearly every conversation

Mom had noticed, asking Cassie how she was feeling. She’d admitted to relief that everything had gone smoothly, even though she hadn’t admitted to all of her emotions.

“I imagine that you’ll feel something of a letdown after all the energy you’ve put into making this so special,” her mom had said.

Cassie had nodded, and sure enough exhaustion had hit hard on Sunday. A nap and wedding cake leftovers and early nights for the past two evenings had helped with some of that. But the flatness had lingered, even as she tried to remember to be thankful, to count her blessings. Hopefully life could resume a slower pace now that all the wedding frantic-ness was done.

With no sign of anyone—no, she wasn’t looking for anyone specific—she nudged Ginger along the road and up the hill, taking the path to the trailers and dining hall. She stopped in, saw Annie, got a coffee, but didn’t linger beyond exchanging pleasantries with a couple of people.

Ainsley was one, her “great to see you” holding a sincerity Cassie now recognized as genuine.

“Did you enjoy your long weekend?” Cassie asked.

“It’s always great to see my family.”

“Where are they?”

“Just outside Vancouver. But enough about me. Tell me about your brother’s wedding. I saw a couple of pictures on social media and it looked amazing.”

Cassie smiled. “It was awesome. Everything went as planned, and I’m so grateful that God gave us good weather.”

“Good weather sure helps with outside events.”

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