Two
The wide, curved staircase leading up to the second-story balcony overlooking the entryway would be the perfect place to shoot the opening scene. Grant wanted to begin the movie with the early years of Damon and Rose Barrington, and since this home was the focal point for their family, this would be where they began.
Taking mental notes as he walked through the main house at Stony Ridge Acres, Grant could already picture Max Ford, the lead in the film, leaning over the balcony, watching two little girls frolic in the open floor plan.
Of course, Max was playing the younger version of Damon Barrington, when he had first started making a name for himself on the racing scene.
Grant couldn’t help but smile at the image of a young Tessa running through the house, which had been handed down to Damon from his own father. Even as a child, Tessa probably had had the whole family on a tight schedule, from lunch breaks to riding times.
“Grant.”
Turning toward the wide side hallway, Grant smiled as he moved through the open foyer to greet Damon. The tall, thin man with silver hair had a presence about him that demanded attention and respect. Grant was more than happy to devote both, considering this film would take him to the next level of his career plan.
Directing had always been a passion. Grant loved the up close and personal contact with the actors, loved the level of trust they built with each other.
But now he was ready to take that next step, and coproducing this film would only add another monumental layer onto what he’d already attained.
“I apologize for not being here when you arrived,” Damon said, slapping him on the back. “I trust you found Tessa in the stables?”
Bent over, looking sexier than she had a right to.
“I did,” Grant confirmed, keeping his carnal thoughts to himself. “I’m meeting her in a bit to go over a few preliminary questions. She has a schedule for me.”
Damon’s robust laughter filled the foyer. “That girl. If she’s not on a horse, she’s at her computer with color-coded schedules.”
That woman needed to relax, and Grant fantasized about making that happen during his month-long stay here on the estate before his team arrived. Of course, he had to maintain his professional manner because of that clause he was growing to hate more and more.
Stupid “no fraternizing” section. He’d had one slipup a few years ago. Okay, so he and the makeup artist had drunk a bit too much and had made headlines, but that was in the past. Yet he was still paying for his sins.
And he refused to get in deeper than lust. Tessa was sexy as hell, but her world and his did not and could not mesh.
Besides, he wasn’t ready to settle down. In the future he wanted to have a family, but right now he didn’t have the time. No reason he couldn’t get Tessa to relax a little and enjoy herself, however. They would have weeks together, and he didn’t intend to spend them looking at his watch and checking some damn spreadsheet to see when he could take a bathroom break.
Flirting while he was here would help him keep his mind off his real issues.
“Apparently my allotted times are in green, but I’ve yet to see the schedule.”
Damon sighed, raked a hand over his face. “She is her mother’s daughter. My late wife had labels on everything, each day scheduled to the minute. Used to drive me insane.”
“I’m hoping when Lily arrives for the filming, the two of you can talk,” Grant said, referring to the A-list actress playing the role of Rose Barrington in the early years. “She’s been studying your wife’s biography and looking at the pictures you supplied, but I know it will help to have a firsthand account from you.”
“I look forward to speaking with her.” Damon beamed. “I still can’t believe a movie is being made of my career and life.”
“You’re a remarkable man, Damon, and you can’t deny you have an incredible dynasty here. Not only did you win the Triple Crown, you now have a famous daughter who is a jockey and another daughter who is a trainer. Everything in one perfect family. Some may say you’re the luckiest man in the industry.”
“Luck has nothing to do with it,” Damon corrected with a slight grin. “Life is all skill and patience. Remember that and nothing can stop you.”
Grant had a feeling there was so much more to this man than racing and owning a prestigious horse farm. While those elements were key, Grant got a true sense of family loyalty here. Besides the countless framed pictures hanging along the walls in each room, celebrating various family milestones, Grant had seen the pride in Damon’s eyes when discussing his girls, and that same pride and protection in Tessa’s eyes when she talked of her father.
Being part of this film thrilled Grant more than he’d originally thought. Family meant everything to him...which was why he could never face his sister again after ruining her life.
Shaking off the haunting memory, Grant focused on the film. When Anthony Price and Bronson Dane had first approached him, he couldn’t say yes fast enough. The big break he’d been working for, fighting for, was finally here, and he wouldn’t let anything stand in his way...even a beautiful, sexy jockey. She might be totally opposed to this film, but she really had no say over the matter.
Of course, she could make these next several weeks difficult, but he’d find a way to crack her outer shell. She might be immune to his charm, but she was attracted. He’d seen the way her eyes widened, the pulse at the base of her throat sped up, and more than once he’d seen her gaze dip to his lips.
Yeah, she was cracking already.
“Listen, I’ve got to head out and meet a man I’m thinking of hiring on as a groom. But I shouldn’t be gone too long.” Damon checked his phone, then slid it back into his pocket. “Please, make this your home. Look anywhere you like, and Tessa can show you around the grounds. I assume you got your stuff into the guesthouse?”
“I did,” Grant replied. “I appreciate the use of it. Though I’d be perfectly content in a hotel until the on-site trailers arrive.”
Damon waved a hand. “Nonsense. We have two extra guesthouses, other than the one my oldest daughter, Cassie, and her baby live in. They’re a bit on the small side, but they’re better than any hotel or trailer.”
On that Grant would agree.
“I’ll be back later if you need me, but I imagine Tessa will have everything under control.”
Laughing, he nodded. “I have no doubt.”
When the elderly man walked out the front door, Grant continued his stroll around the house. He’d been through it before, but now he was looking at even finer things and really thinking of each scene, each facet of Damon’s life.
Several scenes would be shot at various horse parks before and during the races, but he would mainly stay here, directing the shots from the estate. Bronson and Anthony would be more on location, traveling with their wives and kids.
Bronson Dane and Anthony Price were half brothers and a force to be reckoned with in the film industry. And Grant was beyond thrilled they’d asked him to coproduce this movie about the Barrington dynasty.
Glancing at his watch, he noted he had about five minutes until his scheduled time, so he headed out the front door and toward the stables. Wouldn’t want to be late and have to be rescheduled to—gasp—the yellow slot.
Grant smiled as he walked across the lawn, calculating all the ways he could throw off Ms. Spreadsheet. How could he not want to have a little fun with this? People who were that uptight missed out on all the joy in life.
He totally understood the need to be serious, when the time called for such actions, but wasn’t life supposed to be fun and enjoyable? A spreadsheet for daily life? Who actually lived that way?
Tessa stepped from a stall just as he came to the entrance. Sliding her hands into the pockets of her very slim, hip-hugging, mouthwatering riding pants, she headed toward him.
“Punctual,” she said, closing the gap between them. “I think we’ll get along just fine.”
Grant allowed his eyes to roam over her face. A fine mist of sweat covered her flushed skin, and damp tendrils of hair clung to her forehead where her riding helmet had rested.
“Why don’t we go inside, get some water and talk?” he suggested.
Tessa crossed her arms over her chest and offered a smile that flashed a dimple just to the right of her full lips. “City boy can’t handle the heat?”
He laughed. “Actually, I thought you may need a break.”
“I don’t take breaks,” she told him, tilting her chin in defiance. “And a little heat never bothers me.”
Unable to stop himself, he stepped forward and slid a stray lock of hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger a bit at the side of her face. Tessa’s swift intake of breath pleased him. He had a feeling nothing much set her off her game.
“Good to know you can handle activities that work up a sweat,” he murmured, mentally cursing himself for crossing into carnal-thought territory. Thoughts led to actions, and he didn’t have the time or the authority for such shenanigans.
Tessa reached up, put her hand in his and smiled. “You’re going to have to do better than that, Slick. Clever innuendos won’t work on me.”
Grant couldn’t help but grin. “Oh, I’m just getting warmed up, Country. Throwing you off your guard is my main goal here.”
Keeping her eyes on his, Tessa tilted her head. “I thought producing and directing this movie was your main goal.”
He leaned in, close enough to smell her musky scent, feel her warm breath on his face. “I’m an expert at multitasking.”
She patted his cheek as if he were a little kid, and laughed. “It’s good to have goals, Slick. Now, what do you say about grabbing some lunch? Your two-hour time slot just narrowed down to an hour and fifty minutes.”
She sauntered around him, while Grant stood there looking like a complete moron as he watched the sexy sway of her hips in those taut riding pants.
But from the heat he’d seen pass through her eyes, and that frantic pulse at the base of her throat, he knew she wasn’t unaffected by him.
This project had just got a whole lot more interesting.