hint that you really were at a ranch researching for a movie role with them would work?” Ayla looked over at Nadeem the publicist. “It could give the film good publicity too, right?”
“If we handled it properly.” Nadeem nodded and turned to Silver. “We’ll need to use the real name of the ranch, to make sure we sound authentic.”
“This is authentic!” Silver glared at all of them. “That’s what I actually did! Please don’t forget the truth among all these lies.”
Her dad cleared his throat. “Look, how about I put in a call to Morgan Ranch and give them a heads-up? Hopefully, that will be the end of it. The indie movie will get a boost, the ranch will get new guests, and we can go back to worrying about whether it’s ever going to rain again in L.A. this century.”
Everyone but Silver laughed, but then why shouldn’t they? They weren’t having their name smeared and their career trashed for nothing. She abruptly got to her feet.
“I’m going down to the gym to meet my trainer.” She raised her chin. “If that’s okay with everyone? I promise I won’t try and score any drugs on my way down the stairs.”
She’d barely made it into the home gym before her father caught up with her.
“Silver...”
She fiddled around lacing her shoes so she didn’t have to look at him.
He sighed and leaned against the door. “I’m sorry.”
“For which particular part?” she asked, focusing hard on achieving the perfect loop ratio.
“All of it. I should’ve trusted you. I just ... overreacted because I was scared.”
She started on her second shoe. For the first time in her life she wasn’t willing to simply roll over and forgive him. She loved him, but she couldn’t live the rest of her life with him constantly looking over her shoulder, and accidentally or deliberately, undermining what she had achieved.
“My trainer will be here in five, Dad. Why don’t you go and call the Morgans?”
* * *
Ben pulled his Jeep up in front of the Gomez ranch house and got out to the sound of barking dogs and honking geese. He stayed where he was for a moment and let the dogs check him out before looking around for Pablo.
“Hey!” Pablo came out of the house and whistled to his dogs who obediently came back to him. The geese stayed where they were, their mean eyes focused on Ben. “Come on in, Ben. It’s good to see you.”
Carefully edging past the guard geese who would happily kneecap him if they took a sudden dislike to him, Ben went into the ranch house which was of a similar age to his family home, but about a third of the size. Pablo only had one daughter who lived in the Bay Area and worked as a doctor.
“Coffee?” Pablo held out the pot. His family had arrived in California from Mexico in the early twentieth century and had quickly established their ranch in Morgan Valley. Pablo now specialized in organic beef. His place was a lot smaller than the Millers’ and the Morgans’, but he still managed to survive.
“Thanks.” Ben took his mug and sat opposite Pablo at the table. As promised, he’d done all his work, had his dinner, and come over to Pablo’s on his own time.
“Jeff didn’t seem very happy at the thought of you not working for him,” Pablo commented.
“That’s my dad for you.” Ben shrugged. “He’s got five sons. Adam works full-time along with him and Danny’s perfectly capable of taking on my job if I decide to branch out.”
“I only have my daughter and she has no interest in working here.” Pablo sighed. “I tried to get my nephew involved, but he hates living in such a remote place. He wants to move back to the coast as soon as I can find a replacement for him. What I’m looking for is an experienced person to run the everyday operation of the ranch with me. Knowing Jeff”—Pablo grinned—“I guess you’ve been well trained.”
Ben sipped his coffee. “I definitely know the work, and I wouldn’t let you down.”
Pablo nodded and slid a piece of paper over to Ben. “This is what I’m going to put in the paper if I can’t get you on board. It sets out the pay rate, the minimum hours—although you know how ranching goes—and that the job comes with a place to live.”
“Yeah?” Ben looked up from the paper. “Because if I do take this job, I don’t see my dad