“I’m already trying.”
Rubi pressed his cheeks with her palms and kissed him soundly. Her heart begged him to be strong enough to handle the separation, and smart enough to trust her while she was away, and faithful enough to be trustworthy.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Rubi rubbed her hands up and down the dry skin on her arms. Utah was definitely a desert state. She hadn’t been out of the airport more than thirty minutes before her skin tightened and pulled as the moisture was sapped from her pores. Her mouth was constantly dry and her fingernails were splitting something fierce.
The drive from the Salt Lake International Airport to Moab, Utah, had taken a little over four hours. The Rocky Mountains were just as beautiful as she remembered from family ski trips when she was a preteen—before her stint onSchool days.
The town car cruised down the I-15 freeway, its darkened windows shielding her from the looks of curious motorists. Her lips lifted into a soft smile as a child in a car seat waved at the driver. He waved back, never taking his eyes off the road.
The densely populated Orem and Provo valleys gave way to lush, neatly laid out apple, peach, and cherry orchards that faded quickly as they turned east in Spanish Fork and headed into the mountains. Pretty soon, those faded into white sands and sparse exits. Signs indicated pioneer trails and Rubi huddled into her seat, admiring the courage it took to cross this barren land with nothing but a wagon tarp for protection.
The white sands mingled with red earth, and soon she was in red rock country, where the wind carved mountains into monuments.
Her arrival on set created a devil of commotion. Assistants and assistants to assistants barked orders and offered her everything from a hot meal to a cool drink of water. She accepted the water with gratitude, her throat scratching with unfamiliar desert pollen.
Amidst the chaos of learning the set and settling into her trailer, she found herself thinking of Cash and his smooth-talkin’, soft-touchin’, Southern-lovin’ style accompanied by his lip-burnin’ kisses.
She missed him.
Already.
Which was dumb.
And crazy.
And the best thing that had happened to her in a long time.
Having Cash in her thoughts was like tasting semisweet chocolate. There was a hint of bitter because he wasn’t here, but sweet because her heart would flutter at the memory of being on his boat, and she’d giggle right out loud as she lay in bed with the windows open to let in the cool night air and thought of his fishing phrases and terms.Procrasta-fishingreally? She giggled again. Her phone said it was much too late to call him, considering the time difference, so she plugged it in and tried to get some sleep.
The first day on set went well. Something came alive in Rubi as she stepped on set in her full costume. Something she hadn’t felt in a very long time.
Excitement.
The feeling tingled in her toes and put bounce in her step. She hopped up into her chair, the one with her name on the back, and opened the script for a last perusal. Beau, her co-star,was in makeup. He turned out to be a fun guy—a friend type of guy. Never having had a brother, Rubi couldn’t make that comparison, but if she were to pick someone for the role, Beau McKay would fill in nicely.
Cindy, the owner of Knight Studios, stopped by as Rubi was waiting for her call. She gave Rubi a tentative hug, mindful of her costume and the hair extension that cascaded down her back. “I’m so glad you made it. How was the flight?”
“Smooth.” Rubi’s eyes danced across the scene, taking in the cameramen, the lights, the camels and the horses already shiny with sweat. They were filming the moment when their desert guide turned on them, stole the map to the treasure, and left them to die. It would take the better part of a week to get all that on film. Some of the work had been done before she arrived, using a stand-in. Of course the panoramic images were completed before the other actors arrived several weeks ago. Sprinkled over the top of all of that, like fairy dust, was a sense of movie magic.
“Cindy, this project is something special. I am so happy to be a part of what’s happening with the studio.”
Cindy pressed her fingers to her lips and blinked rapidly. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”
“Rubi?” said Tanya, a production assistant. “They’re ready for you.”
“I’m coming.” Rubi grinned. There was nothing like the sense of anticipation that accompanied the first time the director calledaction.
“Here.” Tanya handed Rubi a small canning jar with a cream inside. “Try this. It’s got olive oil, vitamin E, and almond oil to help keep you moisturized, and a little beeswax to act as a barrier and hold it all in.”
“It sounds heavenly.” Rubi unscrewed the top and used her finger to scoop out some of the thick mixture. Her first day on set had gone well and she’d shed her extensions and exchanged her costume for a pair of soccer shorts and a T-shirt. The makeup artist had offered to peel away the fake lashes, but she told him to leave the rest; she’d wash it off in the shower. “Who makes it?” If it worked well, and judging by Tanya’s beautiful olive-toned skin it did, then she’d buy enough to fill a bathtub.
“I do. My mom’s into all this natural stuff and she has a recipe for everything from laundry soap to conditioner. I’m not as intense as she is, but I really like the lotion.”
Rubi rubbed the oily substance into her hands, surprised at how quickly it absorbed, leaving her skin soft but not greasy. “It feels amazing. Can I buy some from you? This might last a week.”
Tanya grinned. “No way! Beau is taking some home and giving it to Leticia Green for her all-natural skin care line—have you seen it?”
