“We’re here,” she said groggily. Her voice reminded him of morning. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” She yawned and, using her fingertips, wiped the sleep from the corners of her eyes. It was a simple gesture, but Cal wanted to take her hands away and use his own to banish the sleep from her eyes.

  Instead, he opened the door. The temperature had dropped and it was much cooler than it had been during the day. He welcomed the fresh air. Getting out, he walked around to where Piper had already opened her door. He reached up and helped her down. While they’d held hands for most of the day, they didn’t touch each other as they mounted the steps to her front door.

  Piper turned to him. “I know this is a line that someone is supposed to say after a day like today, but I had a really nice time.”

  “We’ll have to do it again,” Cal suggested.

  “I’d like that.”

  Cal leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. He wanted to go further, but didn’t. Piper had returned to Montana after a bad relationship and Cal assumed she wasn’t ready for another one just yet.

  “See you tomorrow,” he said.

  “Not too early. I might sleep in.”

  “Me, too.”

  With a short wave, he returned to the truck. She watched him from the porch until he turned around the circular driveway and headed back to the road.

  It had been a good day. Cal couldn’t remember when he’d enjoyed himself more. He felt like a kid again, learning all about a woman he was attracted to. But one with whom his time was running short.

  His house was quiet when he entered it. It wasn’t very late, but he’d had a long day—one where he’d held hands with Piper and almost kissed her. Mounting the stairs one slow foot at a time, Cal got to his room and fell asleep the moment he got into bed. He woke with the sounds of Naomi bustling in the kitchen and the smell of the best coffee on the planet. Despite yesterday’s fun, he was wide awake and ready to get back to work. He wondered if Piper was awake yet and if she felt like he did.

  It struck him then that she was his first thought out of bed. And she’d been his last thought before he went to sleep. Cal couldn’t deny his feelings were changing toward Piper. He couldn’t wait to see her each day. He and Piper usually began with his riding lesson and then breakfast, but the aroma coming from the kitchen and the sunlight coming in his windows told him it was well past breakfast.

  * * *

  BY NOON ON MONDAY, the framework for the re-creation was finished and everything was in place. The crew started the cleanup, moving debris and unused supplies to a safe location out of the way. The cleanup would take the rest of the day. From her perch high above the ground, Piper checked several connections, giving the crew a thumbs-up signal each time. Spying Cal on the ground, she stopped. He was hunched over his laptop, probably going over measurements and calculations, running scenarios. She smiled. He worked all the time, making sure there was no contingency that he’d overlooked.

  She liked that about him, that he was always thinking of her safety. She even liked that he could read her moods, understand when she needed a break and stand by her, giving her his strength but never trying to make her decisions for her.

  Tamara was in the air, too. She and a pair of crew members, experienced in construction testing, looked over the equipment, inspecting it section by section for weight, balance, wind adjustment, loose connections, temperature increases and decreases, and any other factors that could affect a positive outcome.

  Looking for Cal again, Piper waved to him as he shaded his eyes and waved back at her. Grabbing one of the aerial hoops, she gently lowered herself to the ground.

  “How’s it feel?” he asked when she released the huge circle and stepped onto solid ground.

  “Perfect,” she said. “I didn’t find a single thing that was out of place and nothing unexpected.” She glanced up. Tamara and the two crew were still up there.

  “You looked comfortable on that ring.” He indicated the aerial circus ring she’d used to get to the ground.

  “I worked on circus pictures a few times. We went up and down it in practice so often, it became second nature.” He started to speak, but she stopped him. “Don’t worry. I won’t be thinking that anything is second nature during the stunt. There are precise movements that need to be done, marks that have to be hit, and I’m going to do them with nothing else on my mind.”

  Piper waited. She could see the concern on Cal’s face. Since the trucks began arriving with supplies and equipment, she’d noticed the lines between his eyebrows grow deeper.

  “Cal,” she said and hesitated. “I know you’re concerned. You haven’t said it.” She reached up and smoothed the skin between his eyes. “It’s written on your face, though.”

  She drew her hand back, but he caught it and held it.

  “I’ve never seen this before,” he said. “Usually, if there’s something that needs fixing or checking, I’m the one on the rig.”

  “I get it,” she told him.

  He pulled her closer, resting his forehead on hers. “You can’t always control everything, either. So be careful. Please.”

  “I will.”

  Piper didn’t move. She was surprised she could speak. She wanted to stay where she was. She wanted all the people on the site to disappear and leave them alone. Over the previous weeks, they’d been together constantly, either on a horse or hunched over a computer working out details. She liked working with him. That was the least of it. She liked everything about him. He was easy to talk to. He listened to her when she made suggestions. Often he made her laugh and he was persistent when she tried to push him away.

  Neither of them was pushing today. Piper took a step forward and hugged Cal. His arms went around her easily and stayed that way. She didn’t know how long Cal hugged her, but she knew keeping her mind on the stunt and nothing else was going to be harder now that she couldn’t let go of what it felt like to be his.

  * * *

  CAL NEEDED A few minutes alone after he left Piper. He could still feel her close to him and he wanted to hold on to that feeling, not have it taken away by conversations with the crew. Opting for the shortest distance around Piper’s gym, Cal went to his house. In the kitchen, he pulled the refrigerator door open.

  Surprised by what he saw, he forgot that Naomi was using the refrigerator for storing the crew’s food. The shelves were stuffed from the back to the front. Cal opted for a glass of orange juice. He’d just poured it from the carton when the doorbell rang. The sound was unfamiliar. He’d become used to people calling his name and coming straight in.

  Setting the glass on the counter, he went along the hallway and stopped short. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw who stood on the other side of the screen door. Cal’s boots hit the floor hard as his stride covered the distance in three steps.

  “What are you doing here?” He embraced his brother in a hug, then pulled Lauren into his arms and hugged her, too. “You two only left a few weeks ago.”

  “We couldn’t miss the big day,” Jake said as Cal ushered them into the living room. “When we left, we didn’t know the exact date. We wanted to support you. And Piper.”

  “We’ll have to impose, though,” Lauren added, biting her lower lip.

  “Impose?”

  “Unfortunately, the hotel is full and—”

  “No problem. You always have a room here,” Cal interrupted. He felt as if it had been years since he saw them and their presence filled him with delight.

  “How’d you get here?”

  “Meghan picked us up and dropped us off,” Lauren said.

  Cal looked out the door.

  “She had to leave but said she’d see you soon,” Jake told him.

  “I could have come for you.”

  “We wanted it to be a surprise,” Jake said.

  Minutes later, after Jake and Lauren had settled in and they were all in the kitchen with plates of Naomi’s steaks and baked potatoes, Jake looked out toward the ridge. “It is daunting,” he said.

  Lauren nodded. “I didn’t expect it to be so high up. Before we left, we couldn’t see any of it from here. And now...”

  “And now it looks like a giant metal monster,” Cal tried to joke, but failed. “That’s what Piper calls it.”

  “She must be very brave.” Lauren’s expression was serious.

  Cal nodded. A huge lump lodged in his throat and he found it impossible to speak.

  “How’s she doing?” Jake asked.

  “She’s nervous, but determined.”

  Jake looked at his wife and Cal wondered if that look meant he was hoping to see Lauren offer something reassuring, too. Cal was worried. While he had suggested they re-create the circumstances of the tragic mishap, he didn’t know how he’d feel when he saw that Piper would be putting her life in possible danger.

  The back door opened and shut. The three of them turned. Piper stood in the doorway for only a second before she rushed across the floor. Lauren stood and the two women hugged each other as if they hadn’t just seen each other a few weeks ago.

  “What are you two doing here?” She hugged Jake.

  “We came to see you perform tomorrow,” Lauren said.

  “And I wanted the chance to see Cal again, as well,” Jake said. “This time without his horse.”

  They all laughed. The story had been told and retold until it would follow Cal for a long time.

  “Sit down and finish your meal,” Piper said. “Naomi sent me in to get more drinks.”

  She went to the pantry and picked up a case of water.

  “Whoa,” Cal said. “I’ll take that.”

  Taking the case from her, he noticed Jake had joined him, Lauren following. “How many cases does she need?” Cal asked.

  “Three. I brought the truck.”

  “We’ll get them,” Cal offered, hefting the first one onto his shoulder. He headed for the door.

  “I’d like to go over to the site,” Lauren said.

  Both Cal and Jake looked at Piper. She nodded. They all climbed into the truck and quickly covered the distance back to her ranch.

  “Wow!” Jake said, once they arrived. “You did all this since we were here?” He got out of the truck, looking a little awestruck. Same for Lauren.

  “It’s ready,” Cal confirmed, nodding.

  * * *

  ANY EARLY MORNING call was no surprise to Piper. She was used to it. Meghan’s number appeared on her cell. Piper smiled as she answered.

  “Do you know what’s going on in town?” Meghan asked.

  “What?”

  Piper’s stomach dropped as she prepared for bad news. But Meghan’s voice had sounded excited.

  “Everyone’s talking about you and Cal.”

  “Me and Cal?”

  The old feelings rushed back. Were they condemning her? Were they gossiping about them being a couple? She wouldn’t ask. Meghan would tell her if she waited.

  “Even the kids are buzzing with excitement over seeing a real Hollywood stunt.”

  Piper felt such relief. Her imagination had made leaps, yet it was the stunt the town was interested in. To Waymon Valley, what she was doing was real news.

  “Oops,” Meghan said. “Gotta go. A minor emergency in the kitchen. See you tomorrow.”

  She was gone before Piper could say goodbye. The town was talking, Piper thought, and they were saying good things. She sat down. Suddenly feeling as if a great weight had evaporated from her shoulders.

  Putting her thoughts aside, Piper went into her final prep mode. The stunt was scheduled for the next day and there were a million details she needed to check and recheck.

  The day didn’t speed by as she thought it would with the constant tasks she performed. But night finally came and Cal suggested that she go to bed early. Feeling that she couldn’t possibly sleep with details running through her brain like wild horses racing, she was surprised when she opened her eyes and the sun was shining.

  But more surprises awaited her.

  It seemed like the entire town turned out to support Piper and watch her perform. Piper, Cal, Lauren and Jake sat at the kitchen table. Naomi was already at the site. Cal had taken to eating there recently, relieving Naomi of caring for him and the crew separately. Lauren and Jake filled in and made breakfast. They moved around his kitchen like a couple who’d worked together for years.

  Piper could see people arriving in groups of threes and fours. The stream had begun a couple of hours ago. She expected some of the people from her former Hollywood community to attend. Many had called to let her know they would. But from what she could see, the entire state looked like it had emptied out. SUVs, vans and luxury cars made a parking lot of one of her fields.

  There were many more people she recognized who she never thought would leave their comfortable offices in the Hollywood Hills to travel to rural Montana. Yet here they were. She wasn’t sure if they’d come to see her succeed or fail.

  Cal stood up and got a second cup of coffee. Walking to the huge windows, he faced Piper’s ranch. “Where did all these people come from?” he asked.

  “The great state of California,” Tamara answered, coming through the back door. “Good morning, everybody.” She smiled at the small gathering. Going straight to the coffeepot, she poured herself a cup. “You must be Cal’s brother. We didn’t get to meet the last time you were here.”

  “You were very busy,” Jake said.

  “The resemblance is striking.” Tamara looked from one brother to the other.

  “Jake Masters,” he confirmed. She shook hands with him.

  “Then you must be the other Dr. Masters,” Tamara said.

  “Lauren,” she replied, also shaking hands.

  “Well, Doctor and Doctor, this is what’s commonly called a production number. They’re here to see how a movie stunt is really made.”

  “Don’t they already know that?” Lauren asked.

  “Sure,” Piper explained. “This is a spectacle, a do-over. We don’t see these very often.”

  “Nothing bad’s likely to happen, right?” Lauren questioned, her eyes opening a little wider.

  “No,” Piper said before either Cal or Tamara could jump in to reply.

  Piper knew how both Tamara and Cal felt about her doing the stunt. They were worried about her. While Piper had some apprehension, she also had confidence in herself and in the people she worked with.

  “We’ll be ready by eleven.” Piper reminded them of the time. All the conditions they could duplicate would come together at eleven in the morning. It was barely nine now, but the place was set up. Cameras were trained on every inch of the framework, both inside and out.

  Her comment acted as a sign that it was time to break up. They cleared the table and left for Piper’s ranch. She wanted to go over it one more time. She and Cal walked the property. He took measurements every now and then. Looking up, they noticed camera operators on the roof. High-powered cameras were mounted on various scaffolds waiting for their controllers to begin rolling them. A series of steel poles that shot up toward the sky held cameras on wires that would follow her progress.

  “What are they doing up there?” Jake asked, pointing.

  Piper looked in the direction he indicated. “They’re going to film from up there.”

  “Apparently, they’re filming from everywhere. I’ve never seen so many cameras,” Lauren said.

  Piper laughed. “Tamara has outdone herself. She must have called in every cameraperson she knows.”

  “And probably some she doesn’t by the looks of it,” Cal added.

  Jake and Lauren looked at all the activity. “Do you mind if we just wander around?” Jake asked. “We’ve never been on a film set.”

  “Not at all. Just be careful of the wires on the ground.”

  “We will,” Jake said.

  His brother and sister-in-law walked toward one cluster of cameras.

  Going back to checking things, Cal again started taking measurements of the platform.

  “What are you doing?” Piper asked.

  “Checking the temperature of the metal.”

  “That has to be something you can’t do with a tape measure.”

  Opening his hand, she saw an instrument.

  “It does the measuring and transmits the data directly to my computer.” He touched the backpack he carried. “If there is the slightest variation, I want to know about it.”

  “You are very thorough,” she said.

  “Lives depend on it.” His voice was calm, yet the seriousness of his words was heavily weighted.

  Piper was sure Cal wished he could pull the words back the moment they were spoken.

  But he couldn’t.

  * * *

  A COMMOTION BEHIND them had Piper turning around. She closed her eyes against the scene she didn’t want to have. If anyone could add more pressure to her day, he was walking toward her.

  “This can’t be happening,” she whispered. “Not now. Not today.”

  “What’s wrong?” Cal asked. Piper was squeezing his hand. She didn’t remember taking hold of it. And she was unaware of the pressure her fingers were exerting on his hand.

  Piper sighed before speaking. “The man coming up the hill,” she said, staring at him. “That’s Xavier Fabriano.”

  He had his head down due to the steep grade of the land, but he’d obviously been told exactly where she was. His gait as he made his way toward her was determined despite the pitch of the hill.

  Piper felt bile rise in her throat. She pushed it down. How could she have ever thought she was in love with him? He looked like a small man now. Not in height. He was six feet tall and had all the charm needed when he decided to turn it on, but in terms of his character. The way he’d treated her was unconscionable.