Chasin' Eight (Rough Riders #11)(40)

She didn’t say anything, just lifted her head and studied him with those big, startlingly expressive eyes.
“What? You think that’s weird?”

“No. I think it’s actually poetic, Chase. And it’s a good rule to live by.”

Relieved she didn’t find him a dork, he kissed her forehead.
That rarely seen shy, sweet smile lit her beautiful face a second before she burrowed back into him.
Man. He liked her. A lot. He could really fall for her. Hard. Even before they had sex.
Not that they were going to have sex.
Keep telling yourself that, buddy.
Chase began to drift off. A cool breeze and a warm woman—sometimes the best things in life were simple.
“I should probably go back to the girls’ cabin, huh?”

“Maybe. I’d hate for you to get kicked outta camp for fraternizing in the boys’ cabin on your first night.”

“True. But it’d be worth it not to be scared.”

“Ava, if you’re still scared, you can stay here. But this is an awful small bunk. It’d be better for both of us if you were on top of me.” Not what he meant. “On the top bunk.”

She kissed his sternum and disentangled from him. “Thanks for the offer. But what kind of adventurer would I be if I let my fear of a mountain lion attack derail me?”

Chase smiled. “You really are funny.”

“Night, Sundance.”

“Night, Hollywood.”

Chapter Eight

Ava had just finished her workout the next morning when she heard three raps on the bunkhouse door. “Come in.”

Gemma poked her head in. Her gaze dropped to the yoga mat and the big balance ball. “Am I interrupting?”

“No. I just finished. Come in. Maybe downwind from me since I reek.” Ava wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Thanks for letting me stay here. I hope it’s not an imposition.”

Gemma sat on the straight-backed chair. “We’re happy to have you. Although I’m sure it’s not what you’re used to.”

Ava mopped her chest and debated her answer. Gemma knew who she was. “It’s like going to camp, which I never had the opportunity to do.”

“So do you mind if a snoopy old ranch woman asks a question about your life as a Hollywood actress?”

“As long as you don’t mind if a clueless Hollywood actress asks questions about life on the range.”

“Deal.” Gemma grinned. “Is it hard livin’ your life the way you want when you have to worry that people are watching your every move?”

Ava pulled out the other chair and the table and sat across from Gemma. “It wasn’t an issue until I landed the role on Miller’s Ridge. Then I was this ‘hot, new actress’, even though I’d been doing bit parts on TV for a few years. The first time the paparazzi yelled ‘Look this way, Miss Cooper’ and snapped my photo? I thought I was freakin’ cool. I could not understand why other actors complained about photographers following them everywhere. It seemed I’d hit the big time when trade rags sent a photographer to trail me as I was out running errands.
“I made a few missteps. Doing the walk of shame, which naturally, the paparazzi captured on film. Getting pulled over for a broken taillight, which the tabloids twisted into me being under suspicion for DUI. I started dating an assistant director for the company that produces the show. He insisted we keep our relationship on the down-low since he was a really private guy. So we got…amorous on the patio at my place, not thinking anything of it because it’s secluded, right? I was in my own home, right?”