“What’s in here?” asked Jennifer.
Jack fumbled once with the lock.
Keep it together,Dunder growled.We’re counting on you.
“Stay out of sight,” he fired back as the latched loosed. With his arm stretched ahead of him like a safety patrol officer, Jack blocked Jennifer and Miguel from stepping inside. “No one is allowed in here.”
Miguel snorted like a bull getting ready to charge. Jennifer bristled at his tone, but he didn’t care. Some things were more important than keeping a producer happy.
“You two will leave. Immediately.” Jack lifted to his full six-foot-two height.
Jennifer lifted her chin. “We have done nothing wrong.”
“You’re trespassing.” He scrambled to come up with a reason they would need to stay out. “These animals are dangerous.”
Miguel took several steps from the open door, where the warm air rushed to escape. “Dangerous?”
Dunder chortled.Misfit toy.
Jack ignored him and took another step toward Jennifer. “if you don’t leave now, I will have to forcibly remove you from the premises.” He wondered why he sounded like a cop from a TV sitcom all of a sudden.
Jennifer lifted an eyebrow. “I think I might enjoy that.” She spun slowly, her eyes taking in as much of the barn as possible.
Jack prayed the reindeer were behaving, but he didn’t want to look over his shoulder to check. One moment of distraction and she might slip by him.
With a flirtatious sway of her hips, she sauntered out of the barn, leaving the door open behind her.
Dunder made a grunting noise.Good ridden. You should have let me push them out.He shook his antlers menacingly.
“Right. Because we need rumors of a rabid reindeer in the barn.” He walked over and scratched the reindeer behind his ear. A rabid reindeer rumor wasn’t such a bad idea. “These are Hollywood people. They think they can do anything. Don’t worry; we’ll protect you guys.”
Dunder chortled.You? I can handle them.
“I know you can take care of yourself.” Jack laughed, shoving the reindeer’s antlers much like he would shove his brother for giving him a hard time. With a quick look behind him to make sure that the barn was clear and then a look above him to ensure there were no reindeer in the rafters, he shut the door firmly as he left.
Picking up his phone, he dialed Pax. “Are you going into town today?”
“Yeah. So?” Pax replied, clearing the sleep out of his throat.
“Will you pick up some stay out, dangerous animals and whatever other kinds of disturbing signage you can to plaster on the barn and indoor arena? These people don’t understand boundaries.”
“I’m on it.”
He hung up the phone. Across the field, the lights were on and smoke puffed out from the food truck’s wood-fired grill. He couldn’t imagine what they had in store for breakfast. His eyes raked over the residential trailers, wondering if Natasha was up and if she was thinking about him. Because, even with all the worries on his shoulders, she was on his mind.
CHAPTERSEVEN
Nat wandered through the Christmas trees, breathing in the deep scent of pine. The trees themselves were made of PVC plastic and wires and the pine scent was piped in. The smell won’t appear on camera, but the extras hired for filming tonight keep taking deep breaths and grinning as if they’re buying a tree to adorn their living room, and that does come across on camera.
Magic.
Beyond the tape that marked what was visible to the camera and what was considered “off-set,” the art department stood at the ready with their drills. They hadn’t filmed one scene here yet, and already they were chomping at the bit to get the next set ready.
Filming a television movie in 3 1/2 weeks was a tight schedule. Every moment counted, mainly because they had limited daylight here. Good thing half the movie happened at night.
Natasha glanced down at her red and white striped tights and short green velvet skirt, wondering if her life choices had been good ones. She was freezing and wanted nothing more than to stand beside the barrel with an applewood fire glowing bright or under one of the portable heaters hovering above every camera. Rick, who operated camera one, had stripped off his coat and wore only his hoodie.
Behind the crew, the Nicholas family home rose into the sky. In the daylight, the green swags and poinsettias were festive. However, at night, the place was downright charming. Fairy lights lined the roof and windows. The trees inside the house lit up, their joy brimming over the threshold. And somehow, the scent of cinnamon hovered in the air. No one was allowed to so much as knock on the door as the family was doing their best to allow Abner to rest.
