Page 63 of Rescued Heart

The man with a beard, who Eddie didn’t remember, frowned. “Who are you?”

The other guy checking Bianca’s safety connection bumped the bearded man’s arm. His name was Ted or Ed or Jed or something. “That’s her?—”

“Hero,” Bianca answered for him. “Do you guys mind if Eddie helps me into the car?”

Bearded guy hesitated. “We’ll have to double-check your harness afterwards.”

Bianca threw on one of her smiles she used for fans. The one that made her dimple shine almost as bright as her eyes. “Of course. And remind me again what the car is going to do in the scene?”

Bearded guy tapped his fingers on the car being held beside the platform. His focus remained on the crane and pulley overhead, completely missing Bianca’s trembling hands. “You’re going to climb into the driver’s window. Then we’ll change out safety connections from here”—he touched the cord that linked to the platform—“to the system that’s in the car. Once you’re all strapped in and we’ve given the signal, the car will tilt until its nose faces downward, and when it’s exactly where we want it, it’ll drop. As soon as it hits the water, the car will level out. You unstrap your safety cords and climb out, swim toward the cameras, and bam. We get it all in one take.”

Eddie shifted his feet. Sounded like an awful lot of things would have to go right to get it in one take.

Bearded guy pointed below to the river’s edge. “Camera one is at surface level. Then two right there on the dash, which will get your facial expressions on the way down.”

Bianca fisted her hands and nodded. “Is there any way I can be teleported into the swaying car?”

Bearded man laughed. He really was missing her cues.

Eddie scooped Bianca up and cradled her against his chest.

Her eyes flung open as she squeaked, “What are you doing?”

Her nails dug into the back of his neck.

“Teleporting.”

At that, she smiled her soft grin and loosened her grip. “Can you tell me when I’m inside the car? I’m not sure if I can look down at the ground and still be able to finish the scene.”

“Just look at me instead.” Eddie paused in front of the car’s open window. “Or I can fireman-carry you back down the ladder.”

She laid her head against his chest. “As excited as Grace would be to put that on my social media page, you better only place me in that car.”

Once she was in the car, Eddie triple-checked her connection and only then allowed the safety guys to do their job.

The younger one gestured toward the ladder. “We’ll need you to, at minimum, be at the back of the platform.”

“Eddie.” Bianca’s call had Eddie rushing over to the car that was now being tilted downward toward the water.

“Stop.” Bearded man thrust his arm out in front of Eddie. “We gotta get this in one take.”

But with the way Bianca’s eyes locked onto his, Eddie was about to demand someone rewrite the scene. “Do I need to get you out? Just say the word, Bianca, and I’ll make it happen.”

Her fingers squeezed around the steering wheel. Her hair swung down in front of her face. “Will you think less of me if I ask you a favor?”

He squatted, inching closer. “Anything.”

And he meant it.

She blew out two quick puffs of air that made her cheeks chipmunk out. “I don’t want to be a drama queen, but I really think I’m going to need another marshmallow shake as a reward if I survive this. If I don’t, drink one in my honor.”

He reached through the open window and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “You’ll not only survive, but I’ll order you two shakes that will probably be here before you get dried off.”

She licked her lips. “I don’t want to think about what I’d do without you.”

Eddie swallowed. “Well, right now, you don’t have to.”

“Right,” she murmured, but her expression did not bear the grin he’d expected.

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