Sean was kissing Bonnie again, against the rules, sure, but ask him if he cared. It felt amazing to be with her again, earth shattering to hold her in his arms, to know she’d come home to him again. It didn’t matter why, just that she had. With the way she kissed him, her entire body in it, he wouldn’t complain. He reached under her top feeling warm soft skin and traced the edged of her silky bra.
“I’m all yours,” she said, removing her top and straddling his hips. She wore a black bra similar to the one in the ad campaign she’d posed for long ago. “Please, Sean, make love to me.”
She didn’t have to ask him twice. They rolled around in the tangle sheets, burning them up with their blazing heat.
“I’ve got to go now,” Bonnie said suddenly, pulling out of his arms. “I have an audition.”
She was fully dressed, wearing a short dress and heels.
He blinked and rolled up on one elbow. “Now?”
“You wouldn’t hold me back from my dream, you would?” She canted her head and smiled.
No. He wouldn’t. She was beautiful and deserved everything she ever wanted out of life.
“How long will you be gone this time?”
And just like smoke dissipating over a fire, she disappeared.
He woke with a start, clutching nothing but air. Someone was pounding on his door.
What the hell?
He hopped out of bed and threw on a pair of jeans, running down the steps two at a time. This could be another emergency with one of Riggs’s and Winona’s children. A few months ago, Cal had a high fever. They called in the reserves then, both Delores and Sean. He’d rocked and held Mary, giving her a bottle and later pacing the floor with her. Delores took care of Joe. Riggs and Winona, panicked, drove Cal to the clinic in the middle of the night.
Sean threw open the door to find Winona. “Is one of the kids sick again?”
But she simply smiled and didn’t ask for an invitation as she waltzed right past him. “The kids are fine. Put on a shirt.”
“You’re lucky I put on pants. I was sleeping.” He reached for s shirt from the pile of laundry he’d left on the couch.
“At six o’clock?”
Normally he had ranchers’ hours but lately he’d taken advantage of the fact his chores were being done for the next few weeks. A little perk of being on Mr. Cowboy and some extra sleep never killed anyone.
“What do you want?
She took a seat on the sofa and crossed her legs. “I’m sorry but I can no longer take the guilt.”
He squinted. “Huh?”
“I didn’t want to tell you, but now I feel like I have to.”
Sean grumbled then went to the kitchen to make coffee. Winona followed him.
“What do you have to tell me? That I should have never signed on to be Mr. Cowboy? Do I have to remind you this whole thing was your idea?”
He pulled out a filter from the cabinet and started shoveling store-bought canned coffee into it.
Bonnie hated the stuff and called his use of it “criminal.” He wouldn’t tell anyone, but there was a reason he’d never switched to the fresh ground coffee Delores served. For years, he took secret pleasure in irritating Bonnie, even long distance.
“Sean, you have to understand. I didn’t think it would get this far.”
“Spit it out, Winona!”
“Okay, okay. I agreed to hire Bonnie for the show.”
“You did?”
“Well, of course, it was Beulah’s idea to begin with. And I wasn’t supposed to tell ou. She wanted to get Bonnie back home. The parts have dried up for women her age, she needed the money and…well…”
“Yeah?”
“Beulah has this mistaken idea that it’s her fault you and Bonnie didn’t wind up together.”
“Well, she’s wrong about that. And if you’re worried Bonnie is going to mess with my head, don’t. She’s out of the picture.”
“That’s not what I’m hearing. Lenny said you two took off alone and got away from the cameras.”
“Yeah, before I knew why she’d really come back. She told me the truth.”
“She did? Oh, phew! And I’ve been feeling so guilty keeping this quiet.”
“Information I could have used before I made a damn fool out of myself, but never mind. She’s here for a job. Not for me. Got it.”
“You shouldn’t be all that surprised she took the opportunity. After all, they’re paying you, in a way.”
“That’s different.”
“Is it, though?”
“Once they agreed to the contribution, I didn’t see the harm. I figured if I hadn’t found the right woman by now, maybe I’d let someone else try. The worst that could happen is another broken engagement.”
“And then Bonnie showed up.”
“The producers obviously want Tabitha. She’s selfish, full of herself, not great with children.”
“Well, at least you don’t have to marry her. Either that, or she’ll grow on you. Look at me and Riggs! And who knows, maybe you’ll find someone new in the women who stuck around. I hear the fitness trainer is very nice.”
“Yeah.” He couldn’t argue with that, even if she was currently sleeping with Levi.
“Either way, you could come out a winner in the end. It’s time some wonderful woman noticed how fantastic you are.”
“Ha! You used to hate me.”
“You used to hate me.”
Ugly rumors had swirled around Winona when she’d first arrived in Stone Ridge. Sean worried about Riggs. Sean thought she’d end their marriage of convenience soon after the twins were born. She’d go back to Nashville, taking the kids with her, and break his brother’s heart. Sean knew all about being left behind by the woman you loved, after all. He could give graduate courses on the subject.
But Winona had saved Riggs life when she aimed at the man who’d pulled a gun on him, holding a damn shotgun in her hands. After that, Sean nicknamed her ‘the singing Annie Oakley’ and forgiven all.
Next, she’d given him nephews he’d teach how to ride a horse and a little angel niece he’d guard with his life.
“Glad we don’t hate each other anymore. If you don’t hate me, what are you doing here bothering me?” He flipped the switch and started the brew.
“No matter what happens after the show, I want you to wind up with the right woman.”
“I don’t need your help but thanks.”
“You do need my help. This contest was to bring more women. Beautiful women who were dying to meet you once they saw your photo. You’re a real catch, Sean, but I’m afraid you’re still stuck on Bonnie.”
“I’m not stuck on Bonnie,” He held up air quotes. “She somehow manages to get my attention. I think it’s force of habit.”
“You agreed to this. And look at it this way: if they choose Bonnie, you’ll get to break it off with her later and give her a taste of her own medicine.”
“What exactly do you have against a woman who pursued her own dreams of an acting career? Didn’t you do the same with your singing career? Isn’t that a little judgy of you?”
“I wish I could have met Riggs when I was sixteen, but I didn’t. You can bet if I had I’d have never walked away from him.”
“You don’t know that.” He scoffed. “You have no idea how hard it is to be in love when you’re too young.”
Sean didn’t know how to explain, either, that his perspective had shifted. He realized on some level he hadn’t given Bonnie much room to grow. The only thing that had mattered to him was his own timing and he’d wanted to get married right away. He had ignored Bonnie’s very real dreams, which when he considered it, he should have supported better.
“Sean, she’s beautiful and I know first love can be tough to get over, but don’t let her hurt you again.”
“She won’t.” Sean took two mugs down from the cupboard and poured.
Winona accepted the mug of coffee. “And I know how tough it is for women our age in the industry. When I met Riggs, I still had somewhat of a career, but I chose him and our family over my everything else. I don’t want Bonnie to come crawling back to you because she’s come to the end of the line in Hollywood.”
Sean didn’t want that, either. Much as he thought he might still have strong feelings for Bonnie he’d also never again settle for being her second choice. He’d already been last too many times with her. But Bonnie was right. He’d been the one to put the miles between them because he couldn’t accept she didn’t want to settle down at the age of twenty-three, get married, and have a houseful of children. When he was younger, he thought she’d rejected him and everything he stood for. A rejection of who he was at the core. A slap in the face.
He might have overreacted.
“Don’t worry. What you need to know is maybe I’ve also changed from the man who wanted everything in his own structured time. Plans didn’t work when I tried to shove them into place where they’d fit. That didn’t work for Bonnie, and it sure didn’t work when I tried to replace her with Robyn.”
Later that day, Sean headed over to the mansion to announce the winner of the school event. The producers’ heavily weighed Angela for the win, and Sean didn’t disagree. She’d had the attention of every little girl as she read to them patiently, but on the other hand Bonnie had all the boys. Still, the way he felt about her today, he welcomed letting the idea of letting her go.
When he walked in the front door, he met Elton on the way out, carrying some of his equipment with him.
“Oh, hey man,” Elton said. “Nice working with you.”
“Uh, you too. What’s going on?”
“Talk to Lori.”
He found Lori in the kitchen on the landline, pacing back and forth. Bonnie, Angela, and Tabitha were seated at the counter.
“Sean!” Tabitha ran to him and grabbed him a hug. “Something is going on. We have no idea what it is. Thank God you’re here.”
“This is unacceptable. We have a contract,” Lori said. “Yes. Yes, of course. I understand, but—you—now, listen here.”
He moved to Lori’s elbow, which meant having to shrug Tabitha off him to walk.
“I think we’re cancelled,” Bonnie said.
“Cancelled?” Angela squeaked. “How can we be cancelled? I gave up weeks of work for this gig. My listeners are waiting to hear from me. My colleagues are picking up the slack. What do you mean cancelled?”
“I don’t know about reality shows, but this happens in the business sometimes. Entire series pilots get filmed, never to be seen again. I’ve made four of them.”
“But this show has been heavily advertised, for weeks!” Angela said.
“I took time off work for this, too!” Tabitha said. “All I want is to get married and have plenty of babies. That’s my dream.”
When it came out of Tabitha’s mouth, the words made Sean inwardly cringe. These were the words he’d longed to hear for so long, but damn if they didn’t sound the same coming out of the wrong woman’s mouth.
“That’s show biz,” Bonnie said.
Lori hung up the phone and strode to Sean, hostility emanating from her every pore.
“Don’t tell me,” Sean said. “We’re cancelled.”
She crossed her arms. “Not exactly.”
“What does that even mean?” Angela stood. “I demand an explanation.”
“Alright, alright. Calm down. The show is merely postponed. We have a problem with one of the distributors. Once we work it out, we’ll pick up where we left off. In the meantime, I’ve got to get back to California.”
“I know you don’t think I’m going to stay here waiting for you to come back and resume this show.” Angela waggled a finger. “I have a life.”
“We all have lives,” Tabitha said.
“You can stay here in the mansion and enjoy the free food and accommodations. It shouldn’t be longer than a week. Maybe two, tops.”
“Two weeks? Well, I’m going to need some equipment so I can do my podcast from here,” Angela said.
“Fine, I’ll have Elton set something up for you.”
“I guess I’ll go home and stay with my mother for a while,” Bonnie said. “She’s been waiting for me to visit.”
“What about me?” Tabitha held out her arms. “What should I do?”
“Soak up some color,” Lori said. “Get to know the place where you might someday make your home if Sean should choose you. Make friends.”
“Good plan,” Angela said. “And I might consider interviewing you for my podcast if you’ll dial back on the drama.”
“And folks, needless to say: tweet daily and often, hashtag Mr. Cowboy. Nothing confidential like whose already been eliminated, but little tidbits here and there about how much fun you’re having in Texas cowboy country. Yeehaw. You know the drill.”
“But what about Sean?” Tabitha’s gaze slid up and down his body, and he felt like a slab of meat.
“Needless to say, no one here is dating Sean until we get back to filming.”
With that, she finished packing, hopped in the Hummer, and the whirlwind that was Lori “Marti, Jr.” was gone.