And the Winner Is Read online

  Sierra squeezed in next to the makeup artist, sort of off to the side of the large group but near the front so she could see. There were several people milling around and she recognized a few of them as the producers of the movie. She’d met them when she’d signed the contract for the role. A tall man had his back to the crowd, and she assumed that it must be their new director.

  He was tall. Dressed in faded blue jeans and a t-shirt, he had wide shoulders and powerful arms. Not to mention a really nice rear view. Apparently, Ryan Ward spent some of his free time working out when he wasn’t making movies and romancing beautiful and famous actresses.

  She took a bite of her lemon poppy seed muffin and choked slightly when he turned around to face the group. She easily recognized the crooked grin, the dark brown hair that was now dry, and the intense stare that seemed to take in everything around him.

  It was the handsome mystery reader from the bookstore last night.

  And he’d aimed his blue gaze directly at her.

  * * *

  Ryan had never thought to see the pretty woman from the bookstore again but here she was and apparently, she worked on this film. In what capacity he wasn’t sure but this was surely a sign from fate. He meant to talk to her again, and he would, just as soon as he was done addressing the cast and crew.

  “Thank you for the warm welcome,” he said after being introduced by the producer. The crowd applauded and his face went warm. He wasn’t used to that shit. He was a director, not an actor. He worked behind the scenes and that was fine. He had no desire to put his life in the spotlight. “I’m really happy to be here, although these are sad circumstances. I want you to know that I spoke with Stan just this morning and he’s doing much better. He’ll be recovering at home in Beverly Hills and he wishes us well. We spoke at length about his vision for this movie and my job here is to continue that journey. I may have a signature brand but this isn’t about me. I’m here to finish Stan’s film, not make my own mark. He’s been a good friend through the years and this is my way of giving back. So I don’t think there will be many changes going forward. Of course, Stan and I do work differently but we’ll all get used to this together. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to speak with me. I’m on a first name basis with all the cast and crew on my pictures and I don’t want it to be any different here.”

  Yes, I definitely want to know that beauty’s name.

  “I’ll be having one on one meetings with the senior crew and also the actors. I want to get a feel for what you think is going well and what could be improved. For the actors I want to discuss your characters and their arcs. We’ll be setting those up right away. As for today, I’m planning to have those meetings in between shooting some background sets. Tomorrow we’ll be up and running. Any questions?”

  No one said anything but Ryan didn’t expect them to. He’d hit them with a lot of information, plus they were all probably surprised that he was here. This wasn’t his usual type of film and they had to all be wondering what made him sign on. It literally was because of his friendship with Stan but Hollywood was so cynical no one was going to believe that.

  He’d first speak with the crew, and then he’d start in on the cast. He immediately recognized Angela, who was playing the female lead. He’d heard a few things about her and hardly any of it was good. She made trouble on the set, acted like a diva, and slept with all of her co-stars and a few of the extras for good measure. Since her male lead Henry Goodwin was a happily married man Ryan wasn’t sure who she was going to try her wiles out on. He sure as hell wasn’t interested.

  “Thank you all. Everyone is being given a call sheet with your assignments. Let’s all work together and get this movie done for Stan.”

  More applause but this time it sounded truly genuine. Stan was a nice guy and a good director, although he was a man’s director. He didn’t do women and their feelings all that well, and he didn’t enjoy it, either. Stan wanted to do car crashes and gunfire fights. That was what was so interesting about him taking this romantic comedy. It was probably a deal with the studio. Do this film and we’ll let you do this other one.

  Gary, the producer, handed Ryan a stack of file folders as the crowd dispersed. “Here are your main actors. Their head shots and resumes are in there. I think you’ll be happy with all of them. The dailies that we’ve been seeing from Stan were excellent.”

  In better circumstances, Ryan would have made sure to see the footage already shot but he’d been in Milan when he’d received the frantic call to step in. Wrapping up the location scouting he’d been doing for his next film, he’d then packed his bag and flown here. Exhausted but ready to work. Tonight he’d watch all the footage. At least twice.

  “Thanks, Gary. I’ll look through them.”

  “We really appreciate you stepping in, Ryan. You’re saving our asses here.”

  “I’m happy to help Stan.”

  Ryan didn’t really trust Gary Thomson all that much. He had a slimy reputation as a ladies man who liked to party. As for whether the women were always willing, that was up for debate. The casting couch was alive and well in show business, although it was becoming more and more of an anachronism. But some men held on to the past longer than others. If the rumors were true, Gary was one of them. Ryan, however, tried not to judge people based on gossip. He’d never worked with the producer before so as far as he was concerned, innocent until he saw something different.

  I’ll be keeping my eyes open.

  Thomson scurried away and Ryan paged through the files, stopping when he opened one and saw her face again.

  Sierra Oliver.

  She wasn’t all that seasoned of an actress. She’d made a few films but her resume was thin. She was extremely attractive with long dark hair and big green eyes. She was playing the role of the best friend, which in Ryan’s opinion was the juiciest role in the movie. Well-written and funny, the part was ripe for stealing the picture.

  If the right actress were cast. Was Sierra the right person? She didn’t have much experience and nothing she’d done so far had been comedic. People always thought dramas were the hardest thing to play but it was really comedy. An actor had to have the right timing. It was instinctual and innate. Ryan had worked with actors in the past to try and help them learn but it didn’t appear to be a skill like juggling. The more they practiced they didn’t necessarily get any better.

  He had an appointment with the assistant director and then he was going to meet with each of the actors and discuss their roles. There were only a few weeks left of principal photography but he had time to fix any issues that there might be. But he needed to know about them first.

  The first person he was going to meet with? Sierra.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The morning went rather quickly for Sierra. She had a costume fitting and then the hairdresser wanted to try a new style for an upcoming scene. By the time her meeting with Ryan Ward rolled around she was starving, but lunch was going to have to wait.

  Excited. Anxious. Ready to jump out of her skin.

  She felt all those things and more, in turns dreading and then anticipating the meeting. There had been a spark of attraction – at least on her side – last night. Not that she intended to act on it. Ryan Ward was the director. A romance between them was out of the question.

  She wasn’t looking for love right now anyway. If she dated, there would be no strings. If she slept with someone, it would be casual. Love and commitment were not in her near future. That was something for later. Much later. If ever.

  The door of his trailer swung open immediately after she knocked as if he was waiting for her. He probably was anxious to get these meetings over with. He had a mountain of work ahead of him to get caught up with all that Stan had done, plus the schedule of scenes that still needed to be shot. Some of them were absolutely vital to the story.

  “Come on in, Sierra. You’re right on time.”

  Was that unusual? Did people just randoml
y show up whenever they wanted to? He was used to working with big stars – like her brother-in-law Tyler Gaylord – but she didn’t think Tyler would do that. He’d given her a lecture about work ethic and professionalism when she’d accepted her first role. It was advice she’d taken seriously.

  Not sure what to say or do, Sierra stood by the door to the trailer. It was strange to see him again. She’d been so sure she never would but here he was. In the flesh. All six-plus feet of him. And he was her director. They’d be spending a great deal of time together for the next two to three weeks.

  Motioning to a seat at a small table, Ryan took the chair opposite. Their knees brushed underneath and a zing of electricity rang up her leg. He was far too attractive today. He’d looked good wet last night but now she could see that his dark hair was a little wavy. He could use a haircut and a shave. His jaw was decorated with stubble that only seemed to emphasize how strong and square it was. He could have been a leading man if he’d wanted to be. “I took the liberty of ordering us some lunch. Craft services seemed to know your preferences. I thought we could eat and chat. Get to know one another.”

  “Thank you.” Her voice was finally working and words were actually being formed. “That sounds like a good idea. I’m ravenous.”

  He had indeed ordered lunch and it was her favorite. A grilled chicken sandwich with some secret recipe of spices that the chef wouldn’t divulge along with steamed broccoli that actually tasted amazing. She’d never liked green vegetables much but this was delicious.

  Twisting the cap off a bottle of water, he handed it to her before opening one for himself.

  “So why don’t you start telling me about yourself. Your background and how you got into acting.”

  Sierra didn’t like talking about herself. Her life story wasn’t pretty and she never wanted to sound like she expected sympathy. She wasn’t a victim. She’d taken control of her life with a hell of a lot of help from her sister Billie and Billie’s husband Tyler. If not for them she might still be waiting tables at that crappy diner in Wisconsin and dodging her husband’s fists at night.

  “I grew up in the Midwest. Wisconsin. I have a twin sister. You may have heard of her. Billie Oliver Gaylord. That’s how I became interested in the movie business. I worked as an assistant to Billie on her film with Sam Collins before being cast in my first role.”

  Brief. To the point. Everyone thought that Sierra was cast because of her connections so she might as well get them right out there so they could move past it.

  Ryan smiled and took a swig of his water. “I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting your sister but I did meet Tyler at a charity function a few years ago. Great guy and solid actor. I’m looking forward to seeing the film your sister made with Sam. The trailer looks amazing.”

  That was one of the surprises to Sierra when she’d joined her sister in Hollywood. It took forever and a day to get a movie released. Filming was only one small part of the process. Between editing, reshoots, marketing, and distribution it might be over a year before a movie was released to the public.

  “They’re very proud of the final product. I haven’t seen the final cut but what I did see was terrific. I think you’ll enjoy it.”

  She took another bite of her sandwich which was mouthwatering, but her stomach was tumbling in her abdomen under the weight of Ryan Ward’s scrutiny. His gaze was intent, rarely wavering from her face. As a director, he probably did study faces and expressions but it felt unnerving to be…examined like this. It took all her effort not to squirm in her chair. She didn’t want him to know that he affected her in any way.

  “So, Sierra…how do you feel about your role? Are you satisfied with the screen time that your character gets?”

  That question was a trap. Some actors were obsessed with screen minutes and number of lines in a script. They couldn’t ever get enough and were constantly pushing for more, even at the expense of others in the production. He was testing her and she didn’t like it.

  “I think Molly makes an impact in the scenes she’s in.”

  Ryan flipped open a script that was sitting on the table. “I think Molly is a terrific character. One an actress can really sink her teeth into if she has the ability.”

  Was he asking if she had that ability? He doubted it? Frankly, so did she. She hadn’t been in this industry long enough to believe in herself. To be confident. She didn’t think she was bad but she wasn’t sure she was good, either.

  “I hope I can do her justice. I love the character.”

  His shrewd gaze took in far too much. “But you’re not confident.”

  “No,” she admitted. “I’m not. I’ve only been in a few movies.”

  He nodded and stroked his chin. “I know that you’re new to the business and that makes it hard to know what you don’t know. I think Molly has the potential to steal the picture and launch you into bigger and better roles. Would you be willing to work with me a little bit? We could run lines together, talk about how the scene should unfold. It’s fine if you don’t want to or have other commitments but I think it would take your performance up a notch. Of course, that’s me running off at the mouth when I haven’t even seen your work yet. You might be doing it perfectly and I need to just leave it alone.”

  Billie had given Sierra a different lecture from Tyler’s. It was about producers and directors who would try and get into her panties. They’d dangle roles in front of her but they came with a price.

  Was Ryan Ward that type? She hadn’t heard anything like that about him and Hollywood was a small corporate town. There weren’t many secrets. He certainly didn’t need to use force to get a woman into bed but abusers weren’t about sex. They were about power.

  But he already gave you an out. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.

  Her hesitation must have set off alarm bells because he slapped himself in the forehead and smiled sheepishly. “Jesus, how that must have sounded to you. This is not me coming on strong or making a play, Sierra. This is business only, I swear. I don’t have any future roles to promise you and nothing bad will happen if you tell me that you have this all under control. It’s all good. I’m just trying to make this picture the best it can be and dammit, I love this character. She’s a real pistol and ten times more interesting than either of the leads. If you’re worried about me being a lecher we can work at a cafe or coffeehouse. I can understand why you might not feel comfortable being alone with me.”

  That…didn’t sound too bad. In public. With people watching.

  She couldn’t say yes, though. He might not be attracted to her but she was attracted to him. Chronologically she was an adult but when it came to romance and dating she was really still a teenager. She didn’t know the rules. It seemed like a bad idea to place herself in Ryan’s company, one on one, when she felt like a schoolgirl around him. Perhaps if she were more sophisticated and worldly she’d do it, but she was a nobody from a piss-ant town in Wisconsin and he was a big-time director who had won an Oscar. She wasn’t even remotely in his league.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she finally said when she realized he was still waiting patiently for her answer. “I don’t want you to think I don’t want to work hard because I do, but I think I’m going to have to pass on your offer. I do want to thank you, though. It’s very thoughtful and from what I’ve seen that’s pretty rare in this business.”

  “I’d like to think it’s not that hard to find.” He looked disappointed but he didn’t press. “I understand your hesitation. We’ll work during shooting and just know that I’m here for you if you have any questions or if you change your mind.”

  He didn’t truly get why she turned him down and she had a sneaking suspicion it didn’t happen often. She wanted to spread her wings and have some fun. Have some casual sex, maybe. But she needed to start small. Like a little bicycle with training wheels.

  Ryan Ward was no kiddie bike. He was a freakin’ Harley.

  CHAPTER FOUR
/>   After a long day on set, all Sierra wanted to do was soak in a hot tub and eat the leftovers in her fridge. An early night sounded like heaven on earth. She was in good shape and had worked hard her whole life but the long hours on set really did take a toll. It was a “hurry up and wait” environment. She was either running around madly or bored out of her mind.

  She stripped off her clothes and lowered herself into the steaming water with a sigh of pleasure. Letting the water lap at her chin, she closed her eyes and let all her worries and troubles drift away.

  Almost all of them. She was still thinking about Ryan’s offer at lunch, and perhaps she’d been shortsighted to turn him down. She wasn’t going to jump his bones in public and he certainly wasn’t going to put any moves on her in front of God and the little town they were currently in. It would have been completely innocent but she’d said no.

  Her nature was to be cautious and watchful. It was those instincts that had kept her alive all those years with her abusive ex-husband. She’d learned to gauge his moods in mere seconds, although as time went on he hadn’t bothered pretending to have a reason to be an asshole.

  It was also those instincts that made it difficult to cut loose and take chances. She wanted to do all of the things she’d missed out on but then that voice in her head would start lecturing her about being careful. Luckily, Billie was there to encourage Sierra to follow her dreams whether small, big, silly, or profound. One night in Paris after Billie had finished filming for the day they’d sat in a little cafe, drinking wine and making a list of all the things Sierra wanted to do.

  It was a long list. Frankly, some of the items on it were kind of stupid but then they’d had quite a bit of red wine when they’d made it, so it wasn’t surprising. She’d been to the top of the Eiffel Tower, she’d had her picture taken at the Hollywood sign on the side of the hill, she’d streaked her hair pink and gone dancing at some crazy nightclub with Tyler and Billie. She’d even gone to a topless beach in the south of France. There was plenty more to do, though. Every time she crossed one off, she added two more.