laugh. “Thanks, boys, but I’m a big girl. Good at taking care of myself. I wouldn’t mind, though, if you walked me to my car, Mr. Campbell,” she said, sending Grant a suggestive look. “It’s dark, and I’m a bit turned around, so if you could point the way out of town …”
Grant did not want to escort this woman anywhere—why the hell couldn’t Carter? Grant was far more interested in finding Christina, talking to her … All right, kissing the hell out of her again. But his mama had raised him to be polite.
Grant held out his arm, trying not to sound resigned. “Sure,” he said. “Come on.”
Chapter Five
Karen held on to Grant’s arm as they walked away from Carter, but only to steady herself through the wet and clumpy grass. No clutching or crushing her body into his, as the groupies did. Simply walking along as though they were old friends.
The guests’ cars had been parked in the circular drive in front of the house, excess vehicles spilling into the field beyond. No one was out here right now—everyone was still dancing and partying in the tent. In the driveway and field, all was darkness and silence.
“I did interrupt you, didn’t I?” Karen asked, glancing up at Grant. “Sorry about that.”
“Nah, it was …” Grant cleared his throat. “It wasn’t going anywhere.”
“Too bad.” She sounded genuinely sympathetic. “Weddings can be hell. You get bored, so you hook up, and both of you are too drunk to realize it’s a bad idea. Then it’s awkward when you see each other again.”
“Sounds like you go to a lot of weddings.”
“No, honey, I was talking about one of mine.” Karen cackled with laughter. “My first one. That groomsman was too hot to pass up. But hey, my husband was running after my maid of honor, so what the hell? Both of us knew in our hearts the marriage wouldn’t last.”
“Then why did you go through with it?” Grant asked, mystified. Seemed like a lot of trouble for nothing.
Karen moved her hand in an indifferent gesture. “I was seriously young, and I sort of believed in happily ever after. I thought the magic ring on my finger would make it real. He probably did too. After my third husband—the vile, cheating bastard—I finally realized that there’s no such thing as happily ever after. There’s only happy for now.” She stopped. “Oh, no offense. I mean, your brother and his new wife might be one of the lucky ones, who knows? They do make a cute couple.” Karen rubbed Grant’s arm, her interest in cowboys coming through the caress. “Where do you stand on happily ever after, Mr. Campbell?”
Grant shrugged, though his heart was beating thickly. “I don’t know. I guess it happens, but not to everyone.”
“Ah, you’re wise for one so young.”
Grant would be twenty-eight this year. Christina was thirty now, and this woman couldn’t be much older than her.
“Where you from?” Grant asked with genuine curiosity.
“I live in Houston for the moment, but originally from Los Angeles. Got into filming young, and realized that it’s cheaper to shoot in places other than California. Lots of studios in Canada these days, for instance, and New Mexico.”
“Yeah, we do some work in New Mexico. Arizona too.” Grant’s mouth kept up the conversation, while his mind was back under the trees with Christina. “You can still find the Wild West out there.”
Karen stopped him next to a four-door BMW. “You ever do any acting outside of stunt work?” she asked. “You look good. I’ve seen some of your performances—the camera obviously loves you.”
People asked him this all the time. Grant had long ago come to terms with what he was good at, and what he wasn’t. “Trouble is, I can’t act. Give me lines, and I get all uptight. I blow every take. If I stick to riding, not talking, I’m fine.”
“I don’t know about that.” Karen didn’t touch him, but she looked him up and down. “With the right coaching, you could do something. Let me think about it.” Karen took keys from her pocket and clicked a remote. Her car chirped, and lights blinked. “Looking forward to working with you, Mr. Campbell.”
She opened the car door then turned and stuck out her hand. Grant still didn’t want to touch anyone, but people got offended when you didn’t shake hands with them. He grabbed her by the shoulder instead and dropped a quick kiss to her cheek.
“It’s Grant,” he said. “Mr. Campbell was