Chapter Two
Blaire
My month in Wyoming had gone quickly, and I couldn’t believe that we were heading into the last couple of days. The filming had gone well, and I’d enjoyed being away from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. I’d talked to Sloan that morning, the main actress, and she’d looked melancholic about heading back to New York. But we’d all seen her spending a lot of time with Brady, one of the ranch workers, and I had a strong suspicion that there was something more serious going on than any of us realized. I liked Sloan, but she kept to herself a lot and didn’t show much of her personality. I had a feeling that lurking under her cool New York exterior was a whole different person. She looked far too comfortable in her role as a cowgirl to not be actually enjoying it.
I couldn’t blame her. There was something about this place that was hard to ignore. Although I’d heard some of the other actors complaining, so maybe it wasn’t for everyone. I liked it here, though. I liked how slow everything was. How nothing was rushed. I liked how friendly the people were. But, despite all this, I still missed home. I was lying in my hotel room now, waiting to get called for the final shoot, when my phone rang.
“Katie!” I said when I saw the number.
Katie was my best friend and the one person that I always wanted to talk to no matter what I was experiencing in my life. She had been friends with me before I’d become an actress, she had been friends with me while I tried to make it in this very difficult career, and she was still friends with me now that I was finally getting acting jobs. I knew that she would be friends with me even if I became famous. When I was with Katie, everything went back to normal. She was my escape away from the madness.
“Hey, Blaire. Come on, you’ve been gone too long now. When are you coming back?”
“Tomorrow, hopefully. We’re doing a final shoot today, but we’re pretty much done. I think the producer just wants us all together for one final shoot before wrapping up. Although I must say, the month went by fast.”
“Maybe for you. It went slowly for me. You’ve been gone too long. But how was it? Did you enjoy it? Did you get a chance to relax a bit too?”
I lay down and smiled. “I did. It was the perfect place to shoot, to be honest. It was great for the film, but it was also a nice place to just hang out when we weren’t filming. And I’m not the main actress, so I had a lot of downtime. I made the most of it.”
“Good,” she said. “You work so hard. It’s good to take a bit of time to yourself sometimes too. I can’t wait to see the movie. How was Sloan? Did she have a hard time fitting in?”
“Sloan really likes it here. In fact, between you and me, I think she’s fallen for the ranch worker. He’s been helping her with the horseback riding and showing her how to become more of a cowgirl for the movie.”
“What? Are you serious? Sloan Hill with a ranch hand? That’s the last person I would’ve expected her to be with.”
“Yeah, I think there’s more to Sloan than she lets on. I thought I’d spend more time with her, but she’s been spending all her time with him. It’s nice, though—she looks happy.”
“Well, that’s always good. And how about you? What are the guys like in Wyoming?”
“They’re okay. I mean, I haven’t really hung out with them. I’ve spent most of the time with the film crew or just chilling by myself. But you won’t believe who I met here.”
“Who?”
“Do you know Ryan Maxwell?”
“Uh, the name rings a bell, but I’m not sure.”
“He’s that MMA fighter. He won a whole bunch of fights recently. His face has been everywhere.”
“Hmm, I don’t know. It’s not exactly a sport that I follow. Why did you meet him? Is he a part of the movie too? That doesn’t seem to match the theme all that much, though.”
I chuckled. “Oh no, he’s not a part of the movie. But he’s Brady’s brother.”
“Whose brother?”
“Oh, Brady is the ranch worker. He’s the one that Sloan is into. Ryan Maxwell came for a few days to visit him. I couldn’t believe it. I recognized him immediately.”
“Seriously? I didn’t know you were into that sort of thing.”
“Oh, I love it. I’ve actually watched one of his fights. Not in person, but on TV. And I watched it just before coming to the shoot. The last place I would’ve expected to meet him was here in Wyoming. Brady looks a bit like him and the whole time I was wondering why he looked so familiar. Then I saw Ryan, and I knew why.”
“So, what is he like? Is he scary looking?”
I thought back to when I’d met Ryan for the first time. It had been hard not to notice how handsome he was beyond the tough exterior. “Scary looking? Why would he be scary?”
“I thought you said he was a fighter.”
I laughed. “Oh! Well, I don’t find that scary. I like that look. He looks like someone that has been in a lot of fights, but it suits him.”
“Sounds like you have a bit of a crush,” Katie teased.
“Nah, not a crush. But he is very good looking. He’s tall and muscular, with a defined jaw. And he’s covered in tattoos.”
“You know, for someone as clean-cut looking as you, you sure like the bad boys.”
“I like them to look like bad boys. I don’t like them to actually be bad boys.”
“So, are you going to see him again then?”
“Well, we exchanged numbers. I haven’t heard from him yet so I’ll probably call him when I get back to Los Angeles. I don’t know, do you think I should? I’m not sure why he hasn’t called yet, although I suppose it hasn’t been that long. And he knows that I’m still here, so maybe he’s waiting for me to get back,” I said. Then I groaned. “What’s wrong with me? I sound like I’ve never talked to a guy in my life. I sound like a teenager.”
“Wow, did you really like him?”
“Oh, I don’t know. We didn’t get to know each other all that much, so it’s hard to say. But he was nice.”
“I wouldn’t stress, Blaire. If he likes you, then he’ll call you. If he doesn’t, then he won’t. Either way, you’ll at least know where you stand. Don’t call him, though. Let him call you.”
“Yeah, you’re right. You see, this is why I need to come home. I need my best friend to make sure I stay sensible at all times.”
She laughed. “Yes, hurry back!”
We talked for a little while longer, and when I put the phone down, I realized I was ready to go home. I always loved chatting with Katie. She had such a kind soul. An ‘old soul,’ someone had once said, and I had to agree. There was something about her that was always so comforting to have around. Just then, there was a knock on my door. It was the producer, Roger, telling me that they were about to do the last shoot.
“The driver will take you to the ranch in about half an hour, if that’s okay?”
“That’s perfect.”
I quickly got dressed and made my way downstairs. There wasn’t much left for me to do and I didn’t think that I even had a scene to do that day. But I think Roger wanted me in the background, so I still had to at least look the part. I stood on the side and watched as the main characters finished up.
It was the early afternoon when I heard Roger shout, “That’s it, guys! It’s a wrap. Congratulations, team!” and everyone burst into applause. We were done.
We all walked around, congratulating one another. Roger looked incredibly pleased with himself, and I had a feeling this movie was going to be something big. I walked over to him so say thank you.
“This was great, Roger. Thanks for allowing me to be a part of it.”
“Blaire! You were wonderful. We couldn’t have done this without you.”
I was sure that he said that to all the actors in the movie, but I smiled, anyway. It was always nice to get compliments, especially from the producer. He looked happy, so maybe he really did mean what he said to me. “Thank you, Roger. It was so much fun. And you obviously chose the right venue. This ranch is absolutely perfect for the script. I have no idea how you managed to find something like this. I think it’s going to reflect in the movie.”
“Thank you. I think so, too. It’s great here. So, are you looking forward to going back? It was nice here, but I’m craving a bit of home.”
“Tell me about it. I can’t wait to go back. I really enjoyed myself, but there’s nothing quite like home. Going away for so long always makes you appreciate it even more. In fact, I better go and pack.”
“I’ll see you at the airport.”
“See you, Roger.”
I said goodbye to Harold, the owner of the ranch, who looked quite melancholic as he watched us all pack up. It must’ve been weird for him to have so many people on his farm, and I thought he’d be happy to see us go. It was going to be quiet on the farm without us. He was a good man, and he gave me a great big hug as I left.
“You’re a great actress, Blaire. It was fun watching you work.”
“Thanks for letting us use your ranch. I’m glad we got a taste of Wyoming life for a while. It was relaxing.”
“Good. It’s a wonderful place. Have a safe trip, and come visit anytime you want.”
“Thanks, Harold. I’ll do that.”
The driver took me back to my hotel room, and I started packing. I didn’t have all that much to pack. I’d brought a lot of clothes with that I’d never worn at all. They were my casual clothes in Los Angeles, but out here in the middle of a farming community, they were still too outlandish. I’d even gone shopping once with some of the crew members just to have some clothes to wear when I wasn’t working. As I packed them into my suitcase, I wondered if I would ever wear them again. Once I was all packed, I decided to make my way downstairs and enjoy a cup of coffee before the driver came. But before I headed out, my phone rang, and I rushed to answer it. I frowned when I recognized the number. The same number had called me a few times already, but the person on the other side never said anything. I was sure they had the wrong number.
“Hello. Blaire speaking,” I said.
Nothing.
“Hello? Who is this? Why do you keep calling?”
Nothing. Although I swore I could hear breathing on the other end. Someone was there. They just weren’t saying anything.
“Who is this? Are you sure you don’t have the wrong number? What’s the point of calling if you don’t say anything? Hello?”
I sighed and cut the call. If someone was playing a game with me, it wasn’t very funny. If they continued to call, I’d have to get a new number when I got back to Los Angeles.