Page 59 of He's The Reason Why

She’d included a link to a breaking news article. He clicked on the link and started reading.

Adrenaline shot through Blake, and he was instantly wide awake.

A raging fire has consumed two outbuildings and now threatens the main structure at Buckhorn Ranch this morning. The fire, which was reported at 4:30 a.m., likely started in the largest barn, where a current film production had set off a large number of fireworks. According to Clark County Fire Department, the structure is a total loss, and they are now working on saving the other outlying buildings and the lodge where guests have been evacuated.

“Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.” This wasn’t happening. This could notbehappening because if itwashappening, that would mean they had nowhere to shoot seventy percent of the damn movie.

He gave up on sleep and flipped on the light. They’d planned on doing most of the interior shots at that ranch. It had plenty of space for the cast and crew to stay on property, plus three enormous empty barns and enough land to set up the desert car chase. There wasn’t anything else remotely like it with such easy access.

He sent back a quick message to Marissa.Marshall there Monday. Will help with Plan B.

Three dots appeared.

We’re on Plan F,Marissa replied.

Blake headed for the shower to seethe about the incrediblecarelessness that had to have led to this disaster. Someone else’s lack of planning had just become his major problem, and there was nothing he could do about it.

How the hell did any movie ever get made?

He threw on clothes, then headed for the media room to tell Marshall, but his friend was dead to the world. A replay of yesterday’s ball game flashed odd colors across Marshall’s face.

He wanted to shake him awake just so he’d have someone to rant to, but Marshall would be doing the heavy lifting later today. Might as well let him sleep. It wasn’t like he could put out the fire.

He continued to the office, where he stood in front of the whiteboard contemplating options. They didn’t really have a backup plan for the ranch. They could try to build sets for what they needed at LA Center, but that would drive the cost of his already skyrocketing budget up even further.

Eighty-five million sounded like a lot of money until the costs of construction and union wages kicked in. Then it felt more like trying to create a blockbuster movie with the change he could scrounge from his mom’s purse.

He snatched the note with the ranch details off the whiteboard and crossed to the desk. He had an hour and a half before they had to leave for the studio. He could get a jump on the research for Marshall.

Thirty minutes later, soft footsteps interrupted his focus as Piper came in carrying a mug in both hands like it was some sort of offering. Watching her wander casually through the door into his inner sanctum drove home the reason he hadn’t been able to sleep.

Seeing her fresh from the shower just filled him with visions of her naked, which, he sternly reminded himself, was something he absolutely should not be picturing. He had a deal with Marshall, and he didn’t want to lose. She was a guest in his houseand a colleague. They had a project to finish. They had to keep things professional.

The little rush of adrenaline her appearance had caused didn’t care about his deals or his professionalism. It cared that she smelled like fresh apples and rain, and that her T-shirt managed to be loose yet somehow caressed the curves of her breasts at the same time.

“Good morning,” she said with a yawn that ended in a squeak. “Did you get any sleep?”

He leaned back in his chair and answered her yawn with one of his own. “Not really. You?”

She curled up in one of the chairs like a cat and sniffed whatever was in the mug. “An hour or two.”

“What are you drinking?”

“Coffee.” She sipped, closed her eyes, and sighed with pleasure. She made it look like mana from heaven.

“I had coffee?” He’d never learned to like it, but he thought maybe now was the time to start.

“No.Ihad coffee in my go bag.Youhave a coffee maker, but no coffee. At least, none that I could find.” She peered at him over the rim of the cup. “How have you survived this kind of life this long without coffee in the house? Have you no soul?”

He saluted her with an empty can of Diet Coke. He’d had three so far this morning. “I have preservatives and caffeine.”

“You don’t drink coffee or tea.” She shook her head and sighed at him. “You’re missing out. Coffee is one of life’s truly great pleasures.”

“Maybe I’ll give it a try.” He crossed to the whiteboard and put the ranch note back where it belonged, now with a giant redxacross it.

“What’s going on?” Piper uncurled and joined him at the board, still cuddling the coffee. “That looks like an angryx.”

“It’s a frustratedx.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Thelocation I counted on for about seventy percent of the shoot is currently on fire.”

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