Page 16 of Cowboy Seeks Husband
Chapter 4
“Asuit? Arethose producers out of their damn minds? It’s ninety-five degrees out there and—”
“One hundred percent humidity, I know. Stop complaining and let me straighten your tie.” Tessa fiddled with the black silk thing, pushed on him by a woman from the damn costume department or whatever the hell they called it. “You know you’re lucky to even be here in your own home. If it was up to some other director—”
“Showrunner.”
“Whatever. If it was up to someone else, you’d probably be off somewhere in the middle of nowhere in a trailer or whatever. So be grateful to this Andy.” She put her hands on his lapels and smiled up at him. “There.”
“Thanks, Tess.” Like he could ever go stay in a trailer somewhere for six fucking weeks. He had too much work to do.
Tessa put her hands to her rosy cheeks. “My beautiful boy. Look at you.”
“I’m hardly a boy anymore.” He winced. “Some of these kids coming out here to try to woo me are a decade younger than I am, though.”
“They’re all legal, and they want to be here, baby.”
He snorted, checked the mirror one more time, and then gently put his hand on the small of her back to guide her out of his room. She barely reached his shoulder, his sweet step-mama, and he had to suppress the urge to pat her on the head. “They’re in this for the same reason I am. The money.” He hadn’t realized he’d harbored some vague hope that maybe he’d actually meet someone real, someone worth knowing or caring about, until he heard how his declaration fairly rang in the air with its veracity.
Hope was ridiculous. No one found true love on these shows.
Tessa turned around and stopped him with a hand on his arm. “You never know,” she said. “Keep an open mind. Life’s a mysterious thing, Walker, and love even more so.”
“I know, just look at how you and Dad got together.”
“Never saw it coming,” she agreed. “Now, come on. Show your father how handsome you are and then get out of here. The last thing I want are any of those horrible little peckerheads in my house again, telling us what to do.”
Walker laughed and followed her down the creaking stairs. The farmhouse was old, but big enough that he had no problems still living here, under his parents’ roof. The whole attic had been converted to a space just for him, including a bathroom and an office.
His dad was packing away lunch in the kitchen, and Walker saw him sneak the jar of jam—the sugary one—back onto the top shelf.
“You should be eating the sugar-free,” Walker told him, and his dad spun around, a slight flush on his cheeks.
In the bright light of the country kitchen with the voile curtains and huge sink, range cooker and old style fridge, Walker was hit by how he might be looking at his mirror image in thirty years’ time. Weather-beaten and wrinkled, his daddy was, with a hard, wiry body shaped by decades of hard labor. But his eyes were kind and at least half of the lines around his mouth were from laughing. Not a bad way to grow old.
“I’ll eat what I damn well please,” Dad said. “Now, what the hell are you wearing, boy?” He grinned at Walker. “Think that’s how yer gonna hook a man? Dressed like that?”
“It’s what they told me to wear.”
“Will there be any women out there?”
“Not for me, no,” Walker said in confusion.
“I meant in the crew, son.” He wrapped his arm around Tessa. “Maybe I should take a look and see if there are any pretty ones.” He brought a hand to his chin and scratched his jowls. “I’ve been thinking about upgrading.”
“Joe Reed!” Tessa said, laughing. “If there’s anyone who deserves an upgrade in this house, it’s me. Maybe I’ll take a look at the men on the crew and pick one for myself.”
Dad pretended to stumble back, clutching his heart. “Now, Tess. Don’t you go around saying things like that. My poor ol’ heart can’t take it.” He hauled her closer. “And you know there ain’t no woman for me but you.”
“No one else would have you,” she said, but she let him pull her closer and smiled, mollified. When they began to kiss, Walker spun on his heels.
“I still don’t need to see any of that. Later, guys.”
“Good luck,” Tessa called after him.
“Snag one who’s built like a horse,” Dad yelled. “We can use the free labor.”
“I’m not really marrying him, Dad,” Walker threw over his shoulder.
