Martha rolled her eyes. “Come on, boys.”
Though as they passed through the security gate, Logan noticed most of the set was gone, replaced instead by billowing white tents and a wood floor. And lots of food, drinks, and waiters.
Fancy.
There was already a crowd of people, too. Some pretty dressed up. Okay, so maybe he was underdressed. Then again, no one was going to be interviewing him, so he could fly under the radar. This was Des’s gig, not his.
There was some kind of champagne fountain, and a bar set up where people could get drinks, and a whole buffet of all kinds of food Logan couldn’t even identify.
“Wow,” Martha said as they walked past the buffet table. “If I’d known there was going to be food like this, I wouldn’t have bothered to make dinner.”
“I can still eat,” Ben said.
“Of course you can. All right, let’s grab a plate, and then we’ll go find a table in the corner somewhere where we can observe and I can sneak photos. You coming, Logan?”
“I’m going to see if I can find Des. I’ll catch up to you later.”
They waved him off and went in the opposite direction. Logan stopped at the bar and grabbed a beer, which he didn’t have to pay for. Nice. He took a long swallow, and after today, the cold brew tasted great. He wandered around, seeing a crowd and a lot of noise, so he went to investigate.
And there she was, in the middle of a throng of press. Des was dressed in something red and sparkly—and short, her legs looking sexier than he had ever seen because she also wore killer high heels. Her hair was curled and partially piled up, and she had makeup on—not on-the-set makeup, but getting-her-picture-taken-by-professionals kind of makeup, with her lips all glossy and kissable.
He’d never seen anyone look more gorgeous.
“So tell us, Desiree, how did the shoot go?”
“It went well. Colt and I worked incredibly well together, as always.” She turned to the side, and the dress bared her shoulders, and her back. All of her back.
Christ. She was just . . . So. Damn. Sexy.
“And how did you handle the Oklahoma heat? It’s one of their hottest summers.”
“I managed just fine. There’s a lot to like about the land here. And with all the trees, there’s plenty of shade.”
“But we heard the shoot was pretty brutal. No trees on the barren landscape of Quazena, the post-apocalyptic planet where these scenes were set.”
She turned and smiled at the cameras, and the effect was devastating. “That’s true. But the crew takes very good care of us, and Theo Winfield is a very generous director who doesn’t overwork his actors.”
Logan wanted to laugh. Des was the one who was generous, considering how much of an ass**le Theo was. Theo should consider himself lucky she hadn’t thrown him under the bus and told the press what a womanizing, cheating prick the guy was.
“Any on-set romances brewing? Like between you and your costar, Colt Stevens?”
She didn’t even hesitate. “Colt and I have been friends for many years. That’s all it’s been between us, though I feel we have wonderful chemistry on film. You’ll see that when Lost Objectives releases in two weeks. I hope you’ll all be there to see it. It’s a great movie. I think it’s one of Colt’s finest performances.”
Des was in her element, fielding questions easily, deflecting those she didn’t want to answer without insulting the press.
This was what she was born to do. She took his breath away. No wonder she loved this acting thing so much. Not only was she good at sinking into a part, but there was a glow about her when she was the center of attention. Not that there was an ego involved, because as far as he’d seen, she didn’t have any. But she was an entirely different person now that she was dressed up, fielding questions, and talking about her craft.
The press ate it up, snapping pictures, asking her questions, and surrounding her.
She was a goddamned movie star.
And as he watched her playing to the press, he realized he had no choice.
He had to let her go. She no more belonged in his world than he belonged in hers.
The thought of it caused an ache in his chest, as if someone had reached in there and snatched out his goddamned heart.
Maybe they had. Des had.
He’d thought tonight they could talk about a way that they could possibly make this relationship between them work. Because he couldn’t imagine her leaving this ranch and him never seeing her again.
But now, watching her tonight, he realized she would never be satisfied with someone like him, living in a place like this. The L&M ranch could never hold her, would never make her happy.
They might have fun for a little while. Just like his mom and dad had. But eventually, she’d be gone, craving the limelight and adventure, needing more than dust and cow shit and miles of nothing but land.
This wasn’t the life for her.
And he wasn’t the right man for her. She needed someone like Colt, who dressed up nice and made movies like she did and looked good standing next to her. Not a dusty cowboy who knew nothing about this business.
When she finished with the press, she stopped and said hello to a few people, then made her way over to him.
“You look good,” she said. “I want to kiss you, but the press is still here and I don’t think you want to be on the front page of some entertainment website tomorrow.”
“No, I don’t. And you look gorgeous.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“You really know how to handle the press.”
“Thanks. Years of experience in learning what to say and what not to say. And typically, they ask the same types of questions over and over again, so it’s just a matter of knowing the right answers.”
“You did well.”
“Did you get something to eat? They catered in a bunch of fancy food.”
“I’m still full from dinner.”
“Okay. Once the press leaves, I want to talk to you about something.”
“Yeah, I want to talk to you, too.”
She grinned. “Hopefully it’s the same thing.”
He doubted it, but still, he didn’t want to ruin the high she was obviously on, so he smiled at her. “I’m going to let you mingle with the important people. I think I’ll track down where Martha and Ben wandered off to.”