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  A big black bird croaked from a branch near his face.

  “That’s mine,” he said as if the stupid animal could understand him.

  The bird tilted its head and croaked again.

  “I thought you were hungry,” Nate said. “Why did you give your muffin to that bird?”

  “I didn’t give it to the bird,” Blaze shouted.

  An audience grew and so did the laughter. Heat crept up Blaze’s neck. All he needed was the perfect rock.

  Chapter Three

  Alex made a quick stop in her office and was heading to the set when Beth, one of the perkier seasonals, came running up to her.

  “I saw him,” Beth squealed, her face flushed.

  “Who?”

  “Blaze Johnson,” Beth screeched.

  Alex shrugged and shook her head. “Who?”

  “Blaze Johnson,” she repeated as if saying his name again would somehow enlighten Alex. “The hottest star in Hollywood. And I mean hot.” She fanned her face for emphasis. “I heard he was making a new movie. I can’t believe it’s going to be here. Did you see his last one? Good Lord.”

  “Can’t say I have.”

  Beth’s mouth hung open. “You really don’t know who he is?”

  “Nope. I know Steve, the first assistant producer. I’ll be dealing with him the most, so he’s my main concern.”

  Beth tilted her head and frowned.

  “Will you cover the entrance gate today?” Alex asked, making a mental note to keep Beth busy while the film crew worked. Mr. Howard’s advice ran through her mind—keep the star-struck staff and visitors away from the actors.

  “Sure, I guess.” Beth’s smile fell.

  “Thanks. Time to get to work.” She nodded, giving Beth an encouraging pat before continuing along the path toward the overflow parking lot.

  The crowd had doubled from the previous day with over a hundred people already on set. Her anxiety set in, stealing her breath and muting all the sounds around her. The rough edge of her thumbnail became the focus of her worry as she picked at the flap of skin she had chewed the previous day. You can do this, she reminded herself. One small cluster of people stood out from the rest because they were shouting at a juniper tree, which didn’t make any sense.

  She pushed into the circle of people in time to see a man chuck a rock at the branches. A raven croaked and hopped higher, clutching a shiny bag with its feet.

  A tall, muscular man bent over, picked up another rock, and raised his arm.

  Alex lunged forward, gripped his wrist, and said, “What are you doing?”

  “That little bastard stole my muffin,” the man shouted, turning his attention from the bird to Alex while he twisted free from her grasp, his steely blue eyes boring into hers.

  “Ravens are protected by The Migratory Bird Treaty Act,” she stated. “They also mate for life, so if you hurt it, you’ll be hurting its partner, too.”

  He smirked. “Who gives a shit? It’s just a stupid bird.”

  “I do.” Forgetting her worry for a moment, she glared at him. This asshole needed to be put in his place. “So stupid it managed to steal your muffin?” Alex lifted her eyebrows and stared into his eyes, challenging him. “If I see you assaulting another living thing inside this park, I’ll fine you.”

  “Don’t you know who I am?” the man replied before puffing his impressive chest. “Of course you do. Is this your way of asking for an autograph?” After looking her up and down, he glanced at the man standing closest to him. “Nate, get me another muffin.”

  Without a word, the sandy-haired man scurried away, making a hole in the group.

  “Excuse me?” Alex said.

  “There you are,” Maggie said, clutching Alex’s elbow and pulling her out of the crowd toward the craft service truck. Maggie leaned in and asked in a whisper, “Do you know who that is?”

  “A dick, with a capital D,” Alex shouted. “You should’ve heard what he said.”

  “That’s Blaze Johnson. The Blaze Johnson.”

  Alex flinched. The hottest star in Hollywood. Shit. No wonder he was so ripped.

  “Remember the whole conversation you had with the regional manager? About glowing recommendations, a donation to the park, and us getting raises? We need that letter and that’s an important guy to have on our side.”

  “I don’t want him on my side. He’s a dick,” she shouted.

  The sandy-haired man chuckled and made eye contact with Alex before disappearing into the crowd.

  “Oh shit. Do you think he heard me?” Alex struggled to breathe.

  Maggie grimaced. “Probably. You shouted he’s a dick loud enough everyone in a fifty-mile radius could hear you.”

  She buried her face in her hands. “Just shoot me now. See? I can’t do this. Day two and I’ve already insulted the most important actor on set. Save me. Please? Don’t have your baby. Ever. Okay?”

  Maggie laughed and tugged on her arm. “Come on. We have work to do.”

  ****

  Some of the actors clustered around Mr. Reid, the director, while others visited the trailers set up for costuming, hair, and makeup.

  From her vantage point near the set, Alex watched Blaze walk around in his tight-fitting cowboy costume. Nothing like the classic attire worn by the stars of spaghetti westerns, his clothes were meant to show off his body. And what a body it was. A gun hung low on one side, tugging down his pants to reveal the carved hollow above his hip and the muscles that flexed when he walked. The smooth planes of his tan chest were visible under his loose vest. With a perfectly sculpted hat tucked on his head, he strutted toward her.

  A dense fog settled in her brain, and her mouth went dry.

  “Like what you see?” Wiggling eyebrows accompanied a cocky smile. Without giving her a chance to answer, he went on. “You know, I thought you were a dude. You have a man’s name. Two, actually. Alex. Mitchell. Your parents must have really wanted a son.”

  A frown tugged down the corners of her mouth. “I don’t have a man’s name,” she said finally. “And I wasn’t watching you,” she lied, making a note to wear sunglasses in the future.

  “Yes, you were,” he said as he hooked his thumbs over the waistband of his tight pants, drawing her eyes to the golden trail of hairs running down the center of his abs. “It’s okay, I’m used to the attention. I can handle it, little darlin’.”

  Swallowing hard and crossing her arms over her chest, she said, “I’m not your darlin’. What’s wrong with you?”

  “Oh, you’re feisty. I love a challenge.” Confidence oozed out of him and his stupid, sexy smile.

  “I’m trying to work and you’re in my way.” Her words had the effect she hoped for and his arrogant smile faltered. She shooed him away with her hands. “Don’t you have something to do?”

  “That’s still in the works,” he said before winking and swaggering away. In spite of herself, she watched him join the other actors gathered around the director. The view of his backside was just as good as the front.

  After hours of supervising cameramen, everyone took a break for lunch. Alex found a secluded spot in the shade while Neal, Robyn, and Dana got in line with everyone else at the food truck. Neal had been the park’s naturalist for years and, like Maggie, had loads of experience with movie crews. Robyn and Dana were the only experienced seasonals, having returned for another summer at the park. At the moment Maggie was instructing Beth, Todd, and Brandon on what was expected of them during filming, a task Alex was glad to delegate and even happier to know Maggie was still there. Just in case.

  Neal wandered over to her with a plate in his hands. “You should get some food. It’s good,” he said before taking a bite of his burrito and nodding.

  “I already ate,” she replied showing him an empty wrapper.

  “A granola bar? It’s not really about the food. It’s about getting to know these people. We’ll be working side by side with them for the next two weeks. You should reach out, make a good impressio
n,” he added, reminding her of Mr. Howard’s stern lecture.

  Blaze lounged at a cluster of tables around the food truck, laughing and eating with his friends. Reaching out to him filled her with equal parts of disgust and curiosity. ”I don’t feel like getting to know them.”

  Neal followed her line of sight and nodded. “I’m not a fan, either. They’re not all like him.”

  Alex had worked closely with Neal over the past year improving the naturalist programs in the park, so she trusted him. “Okay, but I hope I don’t regret this,” she called out before wandering over to the food truck to order lunch. “Do you mind if I sit here?” she asked Steve.

  “Not at all. Sit, please.” Steve smiled at her. “How do you like it so far?”

  “It’s noisy,” she said, glancing at Blaze’s raucous group before taking a bite of her delicious lunch.

  “He’s not always like that,” Steve said.

  “I’ll have to take your word for it.” The last thing she wanted to talk about was Blaze. “How do you like the park so far?”

  Steve smiled widely and squinted up at the bright blue sky.

  In that unguarded moment, she realized why she liked him so much: he reminded her of her dad. It had been years since she’d been home, and she missed him.

  “It’s spectacular. I’ve never been here before and I can’t figure out why. I’ve always loved being outdoors. We spent every summer at Live Oak Canyon above Beverly Hills at my grandparent’s estate. My sister and I just inherited it.”

  She let out a low whistle. “I bet that’s prime real estate.”

  “I could never turn it into a neighborhood.”

  “A neighborhood? How much land are you talking about?”

  “Fifty-seven acres. My sister doesn’t want to develop it either. Neither of us has kids, so I’m not sure what we’re going to do.”

  “Why not protect it? Have you thought about turning it into a nature reserve?”

  “I wouldn’t know the first thing about that.” Steve shrugged. “I can tell people what to do all day long on a set, but I don’t know anything about taking care of a piece of property.”

  “All you need to do is contact your local wildlife trust. They could get you started.”

  “You know, that’s not a bad idea. I’m going to talk to my sister about it. Thanks, Alex.”

  “No problem.” The conversation shifted to his plans for the rest of the day before everyone was called back to the set.

  While she stood around watching everyone and everything, she thought of a million things she could’ve been working on: the rocks marking the edge of the trail needed to be tidied, cairns had been tipped over, and weeds needed to be pulled. But she couldn’t do any of it. Being on the film crew’s clock almost every day for the next two weeks meant everything else would have to wait. She hated it.

  When they wrapped up that night, Alex walked down the road toward her house. As the crew packed up and drove out, a peaceful calm settled over the desert as if it had been waiting for them to leave, too.

  Koko smashed her nose against the window and then wiggled to the front door to greet Alex.

  “Hey, did Maggie give you lots of love today? I bet she did,” she said in a singsong voice to her dog as she rubbed her ears. “Let’s get you some dinner.”

  Maggie knocked on the window before she had a chance to close the door.

  “How was it? Tell me everything,” Maggie said as Pelli pushed past them. Maggie held her hands behind her back, clasping a long tube of white paper.

  “What’s that?”

  “A gift.” Maggie pressed her lips together, smothering a smile.

  “A gift?”

  “To help you during the filming.” Maggie unrolled the tube, revealing a full-size glossy picture of Blaze Johnson: shirtless, sweaty, and smiling.

  Just like earlier, he had his thumbs hooked on the waistband of his jeans, but this time, they happened to be unbuttoned. It was an even better view than the one Alex got earlier that day.

  “How is that supposed to help me?” Her cheeks burned. Had Maggie seen her ogling him earlier?

  “So you remember who he is,” she answered sweetly. “Also, he’s hot. I kind of want to lick him.” She wiggled her tongue near Blaze’s shiny abs.

  “Stop,” Alex protested with a groan.

  “I asked Jim to pick it up in town with the intention of giving it to you as a gift.”

  “Jim won’t let you keep it, will he?” Alex arched her eyebrows, waiting for the answer.

  “Hell no. Blaze is paid to look good. I think Jim’s a little intimidated by him, which is ridiculous.”

  Alex chuckled. “Especially if Jim knew him. Blaze is a disgusting pig.” The events of the day replayed in her mind, and she rolled her eyes. “You’re not leaving it here, so you might as well go put it in the fire pit.”

  “I’m not going to burn him. He’s too pretty to burn. He’s so hot he might spontaneously combust, but that’s beside the point. I’ll find something else to do with him.” Maggie spoke to the glossy face, “Can you believe she wants to throw you in the fire? Me either.”

  “You’ve lost your mind. Get that out of here.” She shook her head and walked into the kitchen. “Pelli, are you hungry?”

  Maggie called out, “I need to use your bathroom.”

  “You know where it is.” Alex turned her attention to Koko and Pelli who sat together waiting for dinner. She filled Koko’s bowl with extra kibble and put it between them. “Share please.”

  By the time Alex got back to the living room, Maggie was waiting on her couch with an exaggerated pouty lip.

  “I’m sad you didn’t like my gift.”

  “It’s the thought that counts,” Alex said, soothing Maggie’s fake hurt pride.

  “Okay. Tell me everything.”

  ****

  Blaze pulled his hat down to hide his face. It didn’t matter how discreet the staff at the hotel was supposed to be, it was still embarrassing to have to use the computer in the lobby. Yet again, he wished he had his phone. It had been confiscated on the plane along with his wallet.

  That was the deal. Blaze promised to stay out of trouble and his agent made sure he kept his promise by removing the temptation. He didn’t like it. At all. As an adult, he should be able to do whatever he pleased. Should be. In the past, he had done plenty of things that nearly ruined him, which meant his agent had reasons not to trust him. But a lot had changed. Blaze had changed. None of it mattered. The only thing that mattered was work. Without work, he was nothing.

  “Birds of prey,” he said as he typed. The screen filled with images of all kinds of birds. “What did she call it?” He searched his brain for the answer. “Bird protection act. Bingo. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 is a United States federal law… I guess she wasn’t lying about that.” He skimmed the article. “Makes it illegal to possess, import, export, transport, sell, purchase, barter… It doesn’t say anything in here about throwing rocks at them. They mate for life,” he mocked Alex’s high voice. “You’ll hurt its partner.”

  The next search focused on ravens. “Like I’m supposed to care about some stupid bird,” he muttered as he read pages of information about the common raven. “They are intelligent, graceful, confident, and inquisitive.” The articles backed up everything she said and more. “The parents both care for their young for several months. Aw that’s nice.”

  “What are you doing?” Nate asked from behind him.

  Blaze flinched. “How long have you been there?”

  “Long enough to hear you say something was nice.” Nate frowned. “What’s all that?”

  “Nothing.” Blaze shrugged. “Just doing a little research. Remember the bird this morning?”

  Nate nodded.

  “They’re one of the smartest birds. They remember faces and can solve complex puzzles.”

  “Are you trying to tell me ravens are smarter than you?” Nate laughed. “Not surprising.”

&
nbsp; Blaze shook his head and closed the browser. “You’re an asshole, you know that?”

  “Takes one to know one.”

  “Real mature.” Just like that, Blaze was thirteen again, being teased by the school bully.

  It didn’t matter how much fame or money Blaze had, he still had to deal with pricks like Nate. It was actually the opposite. Fame and money put him directly in Nate’s path. “I’m going to my room.”

  “What are you doing tonight?”

  “None of your business,” Blaze snapped.

  “Cathy, or whatever her name is. From this morning,” Nate asked as he nudged Blaze’s shoulder.

  “Caitlin,” he corrected.

  “Right. Caitlin’s been waiting for you all this time while you’ve been doing research?” Nate asked.

  “Something like that.” Blaze slid into his larger than life persona, the one with a thick skin Nate couldn’t bother. “I had to give her a chance to catch her breath before round two.” He winked and strutted toward the stairs. Nate didn’t follow.

  As soon as he was alone, he eased out of his exaggerated walk and jogged up the stairs to his room. The door clicked behind him.

  He stripped, dropped his clothes on the floor outside the bathroom, and then stepped into the shower and turned the water on. “Looks like it’s just you and me again,” he said to his hand as he closed his eyes and touched himself. Even though he tried to keep his mind blank and focus on the physical pleasure, his brain had other plans. Like a movie playing in his head, dozens of pretty women flashed before his eyes. And then Alex’s face appeared—glossy brown hair, chocolate eyes, soft lips parted. In the moment he’d walk toward her, her face was totally unguarded and he had seen desire. When he had tugged on his pants, her eyes had followed. His dick hardened and he pumped it hard and fast, holding onto the memory of Alex—her eyes glazed over, her breasts heaving inside her brown uniform as she denied watching him.

  It was obvious she wanted him, but she wasn’t like the others. He would have to work to charm her, and he loved a good challenge.

  “Don’t you have something to do?” she had asked.