“So you want to have children of your own?”

  “I do,” he said. Cal hadn’t really thought of it until that moment. Maybe it was the ranch, all that space and the huge house. A family should live there. Clearing his throat, he dislodged the images of that little girl and focused on Piper. “Well, that’s me. What about you? Before you came back to the Valley to give riding lessons, what did you do?”

  The look she gave him was baffling.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Nothing.” She shook her head quickly as if dislodging a thought. “I worked in Hollywood.”

  “Actress?” She was certainly pretty enough to be on the screen. “I haven’t seen many movies. Not a lot of free time, I’m afraid.”

  “I wasn’t on the screen, at least not that anyone would know it was me,” Piper said. “I worked as a stunt coordinator.”

  Cal stopped eating and stared at her. “That’s why you have the gymnastics equipment and keep up with the stunt riding.”

  “Something like that,” she concurred. “They’re mainly for exercise, but I love riding.”

  There was more to it than that, Cal thought, but he didn’t ask. There had to be a reason why a beautiful woman hid herself away on a ranch alone, except for caretakers and ranch hands. Cal could only wonder what had driven her to this point in her life.

  “Hollywood sounds interesting. What does a stunt coordinator do?”

  “Mainly I design stunts for the screen.”

  “That’s a little simplistic,” Cal said. “What do you mean by design?”

  “I began as a stuntwoman but moved into coordination. And yes, there’s a lot more to it. Mainly, I help with making up the sequences and putting together all the steps involved in capturing a stunt on film. Everything from the scaffolding to the lighting to the position of every camera. What you see on the screen...” She paused. “If you ever watched a screen, what you would see is due to the careful work of a large team of highly professional people.”

  He nodded to her, remembering that he didn’t watch many movies or television programs.

  Piper continued. “There are a lot of moving parts necessary to make a movie. Stunts are only a small section of the overall plan.”

  “And you love your part in bringing those stories to the screen,” Cal stated. He could hear it in her voice. As much as she tried to keep her voice level, he could hear the undercurrents of hope, pride and love.

  Piper held on to her thoughts by taking a bite of her food. “I did,” she finally said.

  “Did? You don’t love it anymore?”

  She looked up, above his head at the top of the windows, then back at him. “I thought we were just going to have dinner, not delve into personal history.”

  Cal nodded. Obviously, she did not want to discuss her past. “Conversation is part of getting to know each other, but I’ll postpone any discussion until you decide you can trust me.”

  “Why would I want to trust you?”

  For some reason, Cal thought she’d spoken before remembering to hold back her words.

  Cal smiled. “I’m a trustworthy guy. I know you don’t know me well, yet.” He added yet to signal her that it was only a matter of time before that happened. “So far, you know I’m an engineer. Worked all over the world. I have one brother, who lives in New York. He was married last year.”

  “Why are you telling me all this?” Piper asked. “Is it merely conversation or do you think I’ll do the same thing and reveal my family history?”

  “Since you want to keep your secrets, I thought I’d tell you some of mine,” he said.

  “A job, family, these don’t sound like secrets,” she said. “Not unless there’s some skeleton you’re going to reveal.”

  “No skeletons. Although my brother is a doctor, and for a couple of years, he couldn’t use his right arm.”

  Piper’s eyes narrowed and her brows knitted together.

  “A surgeon?” she asked.

  “Trauma surgeon.”

  “Involved in a bombing in France?” She said it as if she knew more about it than her words conveyed.

  “You know him?” Cal shouldn’t be surprised. Dr. Jake Masters had an international reputation.

  “I’ve never met him. One of the producers wanted to make a movie of his life. From what I hear, he’s done some pretty miraculous things. But he refused to even discuss the subject.”

  “That would be Jake,” Cal said. “He was an angry man for a long while. Then he met Lauren, his wife. She turned him around.”

  “Love will do that.” Piper’s voice was a whisper, but Cal heard it. He also heard the same undercurrent that told him something was wrong. Someone had wronged her romantically, and from her actions, she was never going to allow it to happen again.

  * * *

  DINNER WASN’T TOTALLY AWKWARD, Piper thought, though she was relieved that it was over. She left the restaurant more friendly with Cal than when she entered it. He didn’t press her to talk about her past, even though he volunteered that he always liked finding out how things worked and that had led him to engineering. Silently, he walked her to her truck and stopped.

  “I’ll see you home,” he told her.

  “That won’t be necessary,” she protested.

  “Yes, it is.” He was adamant and she made no further argument.

  The drive seemed to take longer than usual. Piper continually checked her rearview mirror for the lights of his truck. Cal was a safe distance behind her, and he didn’t waver from keeping up with her speed. She reconsidered why he’d wanted her to eat with him. He was new to the Valley and she was his closest neighbor, but she thought there was more to it. Maybe it was attraction, yet during his lesson, he didn’t make any personal or romantic type of overtures. They’d both understood Montana was a temporary stop on their life path. Was that the reason?

  Did like souls want to gather together? Were they like souls? And was he romantically interested in her? Piper knew there was an interest. Yet neither of them planned to remain in Waymon Valley for long. For him, that leaving might come sooner than her chance to return to Hollywood, if she ever could.

  Hadn’t Cal said he’d traveled around the world? And she wanted to get back to making movies. She loved what she did.

  She pulled into her driveway and got out of the truck just as Cal got out of his.

  “I’m all right.” She waved, hoping he would get back inside.

  He didn’t.

  She noticed how he walked as he approached her. The lights of his truck were still on and it silhouetted him. He had strong legs, great for horseback riding, and a determined stride. His arms hung loose and relaxed.

  “I never noticed how dark and quiet it was out here at night,” he said, facing her.

  Piper looked up at the starry sky. “It’s beautiful.”

  “It is,” he sighed.

  “And peaceful.” Piper spread her hands. “Can’t you hear the cicadas and crickets?”

  He cocked his head as if he’d just noticed them. “With this vastness, they seem dwarfed. Isn’t it a little scary being here alone?”

  “I’m not alone. I have ranch hands and a caretaker, a housekeeper.”

  “Do any of them stay after the sun sets?”

  She took a moment before shaking her head. “But I’m perfectly safe.”

  “You’re alone, several miles from a road and even further from the town.”

  “I can take care of myself.” She tried to keep the anger from her voice, but she’d heard this argument before. “I have an alarm system and the caretaker has several dogs that roam the property.”

  “That’s still not enough protection. Break-ins can happen anywhere.”

  “And you think I’m vulnerable?”

  He nodded.

  To prove her point, as Piper knew she’d have to, she quickly hooked her foot around one of his legs and pulled him off balance. She was smaller and weighed less than he did, but she had the element of surprise on her side, not to mention years of practice. He went down like a brick wall when all the mortar had eroded and a soft wind would topple it.

  Standing above him with her hands on her hips, she said, “See?”

  In answer, Cal scissored his legs, catching hers and bringing her down to the ground with him. Quickly, he pinned her under him.

  “Yes, I see,” he said, as if he had the upper hand.

  Piper had been in this position before. Then it was a stunt, but it didn’t matter now. She knew what she had to do.

  “Let me go and I promise I won’t hurt you,” she said.

  Cal laughed. It was the response she expected.

  He wasn’t holding on to her hands. Bad idea. Piper did two things simultaneously. She raised her knee, making no contact, just as she’d do in a movie. Since Cal expected contact, he braced and shifted. Using the time she had, she tossed him aside, the dust and dirt pluming as he landed hard.

  Piper scrambled several yards away.

  Cal lay on the ground, likely stunned and with the wind knocked out of him. For a few seconds she was worried. She’d only ever performed this as a stunt.

  A moment later he lifted his head and rolled over, sitting up to face her. “I give,” he said, raising a hand as if she was about to launch another attack. “You can take care of yourself. I’ll never question you again.”

  Piper relaxed, moving into a standing position. Offering him her hand, she gladly pulled him up.

  “Who taught you those moves?” Cal asked.

  “Hollywood,” she answered.

  Cal frowned.

  “So, what are you doing here? You said you were a stunt coordinator. No filming happening in this county, is there?”

  “Technically, I’m retired,” she said.

  “Aren’t you a little young for retirement? Were you injured and had to stop?”

  He looked her over as if he’d find scars from her mishaps.

  “The truth is I defied the odds,” Piper said. “I’ve never been hurt. Not even a scratch that needed cleaning.” Raising her arms, she showed off her flawlessness.

  “I’m one of the lucky ones,” she told him. “Stunts are designed with every possible outcome examined. Safety first.” She echoed the mantra of her profession but did not answer his question about being retired. She had her reasons and at this point she wasn’t ready to share.

  Piper dropped her chin and looked away so Cal couldn’t see the tenseness in her features. The truth was she didn’t feel lucky. She’d always prided herself on doing exactly what was required for a stunt with unblemished precision. But doubt had seeped into her mind and taken hold. She’d done something wrong and she couldn’t deny it.

  Stepping up on the bottom rung of the porch stairs, she found Cal was still a little startled by her actions.

  “Think I’m all right here alone?”

  “You’re a wonder,” he said, holding his hands up in surrender. “Maybe you can protect me instead.”

  “It’s possible,” she conceded. “Thank you for dinner, Cal.” Her voice reminiscent of a formal teacher. It was a voice she used for students. “I enjoyed myself and our conversation.”

  “I did, too. I hope we can do it again.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse.

  “You have to admit that sharing a meal is better than eating alone,” he encouraged.

  Piper didn’t speak for a moment. “I’m busy and I prefer to make my own meals.”

  “Maybe you could cook for me and I can do the same for you,” he suggested humorously.

  “Naomi cooks for you,” she told him.

  “Not every night,” Cal defended.

  “Can you cook?” Piper’s brows rose.

  “I can,” he said confidently. “I’m good at some meals. Not a gourmet, but I have skills, a couple of favorites.”

  The porch light showed anticipation in his eyes. Was he hoping she would go for it? Piper considered it, weighing his comment for some time. She asked herself if he was telling the truth or just throwing an invite out there like a hook trying to land a fish.

  Finally, she replied, “Like I said, I prefer my own cooking.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  THE HOTEL EMILY sat near the train station in Waymon Valley. It had more than one dining room after renovations Meghan had spearheaded a few years ago. The dining room they went in was the original one. It still held some of the features and all of its original charm. The coffered ceiling with its dark beams had been fashioned and installed by Meghan’s great-great-great-grandfather Luke Evans.

  Piper had attended many events in this building. From cotillions to weddings to the Hunter’s Ball and family dinners. Sitting in the center of the formal gold-and-white room, she waited for Meghan to get a break in her duties and join her for their postponed lunch.

  Piper gave the menu more attention than it deserved. She didn’t want to look around, didn’t want to know if the stares and whispers she was subject to were happening. When she used to visit her aunt and uncle while working in Hollywood, her friends and the community were awed by her. Now, with her, they seemed wary and disappointed.

  “Small-town girl makes good” hits the local papers and is quickly tossed on the recycle pile. But “Small-town girl accused of doing bad” is discussed ad nauseam.

  Cal had heard the rumors. When he first got to town and people knew his ranch was next to Piper’s, they volunteered tidbits. Cal still wanted to be friends with her. She smiled at that. Their time in the diner and their dinner conversation came back to her. The after-dinner events were also pressed into her memory, just as Cal’s body had been when he had her underneath him on the ground. Her face grew warm at the thought.

  Before she had time to revisit the rest of the night, Meghan slid into the chair opposite Piper. A waiter immediately appeared and took their order. Piper knew it was because everyone who worked at the Emily essentially reported to Meghan. It was a happy workplace and Meghan was a fair employer. The problem was it kept Meghan so busy, she had no social life. What a pair the two of them were, Piper thought. Meghan wanted a relationship and Piper didn’t.

  “Before I forget,” Meghan began, a little out of breath. “I’m having some friends over next Friday. I expect you to come.”

  “Meghan, no.”

  Meghan was shaking her head, cutting off any excuse Piper might voice.

  “It’s time.” She paused. “Besides, most of the guests are people you’ve known for years.”

  “They’ll want to ask about the accident.”

  “They won’t ask,” Meghan assured her.

  “But I’ll see the question in their faces.”

  “I can’t prevent what you presume is in someone’s face,” Meghan smirked. “Eight o’clock. Don’t be late.”

  Piper gave her a long look. In the back of her mind, she knew Meghan had a point. It had been a year since she returned to the Valley and the only people she communicated with were the cashier in the grocery store and several of her students’ parents. She’d refused all invitations, except Cal’s offer to join him for dinner, and she almost hadn’t gone to that one.

  The waiter arrived with their food. Piper felt he took an unusual amount of time as he elegantly set things on the table. She watched his movements but really saw nothing. Her mind was someplace else.

  “Piper?” Meghan’s voice called her back from her daydreaming.

  She looked up.

  “You’re not listening to me.”

  “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

  “I said, don’t keep me in suspense,” Meghan repeated when the waiter departed. “I’ve been waiting to find out how your date with Cal went.”

  “It wasn’t really a date. We ate at the diner.” Piper glanced at the opulent surroundings and couldn’t help comparing them to the simple decor of the diner.

  “It was a date,” Meghan stated adamantly. “So how was it?”

  “Fine.”

  “Fine,” Meghan imitated.

  “What do you want me to say? We met. We ate. I went home.”

  “That sucks,” Meghan said.

  Piper gave her a warning look.

  “I have a busy hotel to run,” Meghan reminded her. “Am I going to have to wait until the next century or are you going to just tell me?”

  Piper’s shoulders dropped. She knew she had to tell Meghan or they would go round and round until Meghan got the story out of her.

  “It was pleasant.”

  “Pleasant? That’s what you say about someone you don’t like.”

  “I never said I liked him.”

  Meghan rolled her eyes. “What did you two talk about?”

  Piper had enjoyed dinner. It had been a long time since she spent any time with a man. Cal was interesting, but she pushed thoughts of him aside. She wasn’t ready for another relationship. She’d been betrayed by more than one man in her life, and this wasn’t the time to open her heart to someone new.

  “Piper,” Meghan warned.

  “Sorry,” Piper said. “We talked about normal things, his job, his travels. Did you know his brother is Dr. Jake Masters?”

  “The surgeon? Wasn’t he hurt a few years ago?”

  Piper nodded. “He’s recovered, married and, according to Cal, doing well.”

  “That’s good to hear. But back to dinner. Did you enjoy talking to him?”

  “I did.” Piper smiled. “He’s easy to talk to.”

  Meghan leaned forward as if Piper had just revealed a juicy piece of gossip. “Much different than the Hollywood scene?”