Page 29 of Christmas with the Cowgirl
Riley remembered that day at Jeremy’s birthday party, and the interaction between Miles and the apparently detested partner.“How on earth does a guy like that get people to work with him?”
Nic rolled her eyes.“It’s Hollywood.The bottom line is the be all and end all, and he’s good at picking projects that will make him richer.”
“You’ve learned a lot about that world,” Riley said.
“Not,” Nic said wryly, “because I wanted to.”
“But because you love Jackson.”
“Yes,” Nic said simply.
She could not be anything less than deliriously pleased for her friend.She would not.“And in three weeks, it’ll be for life,” she said.
Nic giggled, in a way Riley hadn’t heard from her since those babysitting days.A sound of utter, total happiness.She reached out across the table and grasped Nic’s hand, the left hand that held the decidedly restrained engagement ring.She knew Jackson had wanted something bigger, more impressive, but had admitted that would not be the best choice given Nic spent her days wrangling horses and tack.
“He loves you so much, Nic.You’re going to have a great life together.”
“Yes, we are.”Nic sighed.“My only problem is wanting all my friends to be as happy as I am.”
Riley laughed, purposely making it light, cheerful.“You’re a great horse trainer, Nic, and you’re going to be a great wife and mom.But you’re not a miracle worker.”
Nic tapped her finger lightly on the table.If her friend had one nervous habit—good horse trainers didn’t lean toward nerves—that tap was it.And Riley guessed she was trying to decide whether to say something.
“Out with it,” Riley said resignedly.
When Nic did finally speak, her voice was soft and held a note of sadness that startled Riley.“So you’re going to let him win?”
She blinked.“What?Who?”
“Derek.You’re going to stay alone because he was a blind jerk?”
Oh.Riley winced but kept it inward.“You were only a kid when that happened.”
“I was eighteen.And I was at the chapel for the wedding that got called off,” Nic reminded her.
Riley didn’t say the first thing that came to mind, which was that to her, eighteen was a kid.You’re definitely getting old, Garrett.
But thirty-four wasn’t a kid.Too young for her, but not a kid.
Not that it mattered—this particular thirty-four-year-old was not for her.Talk about being tethered to a big city…he was tethered to one of the biggest of all, and one of the top two she would never, ever want to live in.And in a business she didn’t even want to understand.
Although it—and he—certainly produced things that reached her, touched her.Some of her favorite shows, with stories she loved to follow.But how much of that was him, and how much the storytellers he hired?
Although that had to count too, didn’t it, that he knew which ones to pick to tell the story the way he wanted?
Abruptly she realized that Nic simply talking about her rather sad romantic history had immediately catapulted her into thinking about Miles Flint.That she’d subconsciously connected the two was a warning she would do well to listen to.And listen she would.
“He’s a good man,” Nic said softly.“Jackson says he’s considered a bit of a rebel in the business, because he wants the people who work on his projects happy as much as he wants a successful show.When he says his door is open to anybody on the roster, he means it.Down to the lowliest errand runner.”
Riley didn’t bother to deny that she was thinking about the man.Nic would know better anyway.Even as that little kid she used to babysit, Nic had been very perceptive, especially about people’s moods.
“That’s…hard to believe, in that world.”
“I thought so, too.But Jackson told me about this young guy they hired as just that, an errand boy, but about three months in he started calling in sick.The brass wanted to just can him, but Miles…he wanted to know why.Turned out the kid’s mother was really sick, maybe dying, and they didn’t have insurance and couldn’t afford the help she needed, so he was trying to do both his job and see to her.Want to know what Miles did?”
Riley had the feeling this was only going to make things worse, but she did want to know.“What?”
“He not only got them some in-home daily help, he got her referred to a specialist.Thanks to that she recovered.That kid is now one of Miles’s top assistants, and in charge of the crews on all his shows, with instructions to see to them the way Miles had seen to him.”
