Page 12 of Cowboy Seeks Husband
Twinkle Toes? Was that a gay joke? By a presumably gay man? Roan didn’t know what to think about that.
“Andrew Towes.” At Roan’s confused expression, he went on, “Goes by Andy. He’s the showrunner. This is his baby. Didn’t you get any emails from him? Or phone calls?”
“No, I always talked to some lady.”
Chad’s eyebrows drew down a bit but the smile lingered on his face. “It’s fine. I’m sure Andy delegates most of that kind of work. Anyway, he’s a decent guy. For a Hollywood type. Come on, let me introduce you around.”
“How do you know the other suitors?”
“We all met up in the lobby and then went out to dinner last night.”
“Was that a planned activity?”
“No, just an impromptu thing. The producers were kind of mad about afterward, actually.” He laughed. “We weren’t supposed to meet each other until this morning. I’m sorry you didn’t make it out with us, though. We had a good time. Did you fly in late last night?”
“No. I’ve been here. I guess it was just bad timing.” Roan shifted from foot-to-foot. How had he missed everyone so completely? He’d have liked company last night, and getting to know some of the other contestants in advance would have been a nice boon, perfect for forming alliances and strategizing. Hopefully it wouldn’t matter. The other contestants didn’t make the decisions about who to cut and when. That was on their cowboy…whoever he was.
Roan followed Chad, dragged his luggage into a corner with everyone else’s, and met his fellow competitors, promptly forgetting all their names.
Except for Ben’s.
Ben was gorgeous. Holy crap. He was the only one apart from Roan who wasn’t in some sort of formal evening wear, but unlike Roan he’d just thrown on a white T-shirt and a pair of tight jeans. And fuck, that was genius. They were heading to a working farm, not a party. Ben’s tattoos clung lovingly to sculpted biceps, and Roan wanted to take a look at them up close. Very close. Possibly with his tongue.
Damn.
“You’re drooling,” Chad whispered in his ear.
“Can you blame me? I should just pack up and go home. What even is the point?”
“I don’t know.” Chad gave him a quick up and down. “You’re not so bad yourself, cutie pie.”
Roan blushed to the tips of his ears but couldn’t help feeling a little pleased. He was about to say something nice to Chad too—please God don’t let him accidentally mention the blinding whiteness of Chad’s teeth—when someone clapped their hands. Loudly. Everyone in the lobby turned, including hotel employees and other guests who clearly had nothing to do with the show. An effeminate guy in tight pants and a floral top stood with his hands on his hips gazing intently at them all.
That must be Twinkle Toes then.
“Listen up, everyone. My name is Andy, and for the next six weeks—” he smirked “—if you’re lucky enough to stay to the end—you’ll do exactly as my producers and I say. Got it?”
Roan rolled his eyes and when he looked straight ahead again, he found Ben’s gaze on him.Oh hello, baby blues.Roan licked his lips. Hell, he could get lost in those eyes if given a chance. Ben shot him a small but wicked grin, then turned his focus back to Andy.
Who was still talking. Roan got the idea he liked doing that. A lot.
“We’re going to head out to two different filming locations today. First, we’ll start filming the intros. We might not get around to everyone, but that’s fine. We’ll have more time after the meet and greet. Therewillbe a lot of sitting around, people. So prepare to be bored. It’s not going to be all fun and games around here.”
Roan glanced at Chad, feeling more confused than ever. Chad just nodded along like he knew exactly what Andy was talking about.
“Before we leave, we’ll divide you up into groups, and you’ll meet your producer. Your producer is your lifeline, kids. He or she will be the one you go to with any problems, got it? Not me, not the AD, and definitely not the bachelor. Your producer is on your side and wants to help you shine. So if you know what’s good for you, you’ll do everything they tell you to do. If you don’t like their suggestion, suck it up, and do it anyway.” He raised a brow and said with a lascivious grin, “I know you’re all pros at sucking it up, aren’t you?”
“Nice,” Roan whispered sarcastically, and Chad snorted.
“Let’s get on with it,” Andy said, referring to a clipboard. “Our first group will be produced by Rhonda. So that’s Nick, Taylor, Davis, and Jaden,” Andy called. Two hunks, a skinny dude, and a ginger guy all wearing cheap suits stepped forward. “Oh. And don’t forget to hand in your phones, laptops, books, and any other forms of entertainment to Jillian,” he said, motioning to a young woman wearing a Florence + the Machine tour T-shirt and a pixie cut. “She’ll keep them until you’re sent home.”
“The next group will be produced by Molly.” Andy tossed his thumb in the direction of a very fresh-faced woman with sharp eyes and even sharper smile. She wore a loose-fitting T-shirt and cut-off jean shorts but somehow looked dangerous as hell. And also like she might not even be out of college yet. Roan swallowed anxiously. Andy squinted at the clipboard. “Right, so that’s Chad, Victor, Roan, Ben, and Antoine.”
Great.
He shook out his damp hands and tried to smile. Molly beckoned for everyone to gather around her. Handsome Ben, a muscled guy in a gray suit, and a mousy-looking fellow in a brown one all moved toward her. Roan took a deep breath. He’d wanted things to hurry and start, and now that they had, he wished he had a few minutes more to wait.
“C’mon cutie,” Chad said, bumping his shoulder against Roan’s. “Let’s go get produced.”
