Rising Star Read online

  “Forty-two thousand dollars?” Selena didn’t think her family’s mobile home and property had cost that much. She had never even seen more than a thousand dollars at one time in her entire life. It sounded like a veritable fortune to her.

  “Okay…well, yeah, I guess,” she stammered. “I’ll talk to my parents this afternoon.” How could she possibly say no? Forty-two grand? It was a ridiculous amount of money for six weeks work. And part-time work at that.

  “Great,” Don Broward said. He took her hand again in a warm handshake. “And please call me Don, everyone does.”

  “Sure, Don. Thank you.”

  He gave her a script to read, quickly circling her few lines. “If you can come back after school tomorrow, we can get started right away?”

  “Sure, I guess I can do that.”

  “And bring Rusty too. Unless you’d rather ride one of the horses we brought for the movie.”

  “No, I’ll bring Rusty.”

  Selena walked slowly back to Beth, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. She still wasn’t very interested in their movie, but forty-two thousand dollars? It was a fortune. And I guess it’s a little exciting too, she admitted to herself. I’ll get to watch myself on TV one day.

  Rusty followed along with his head near her shoulder, like a huge puppy. He paid very little attention to the crowds and excitement as they made their way back to Beth.

  “What did they say?” Beth asked as soon as she reached the horse trailer.

  “Don Broward offered me a small part in this movie,” Selena answered quietly, searching her friend’s face for jealousy or hurt feelings.

  “Are you serious? I told you, you look like a movie star.” Beth seemed excited for her, and Selena let out the breath she’d been holding. She would’ve turned the part down before she would hurt her friend’s feelings.

  “It’s only a small part, not many lines or anything. He said he mostly wants someone who can ride.” Selena tried to downplay it, to spare her friend.

  “It’s wonderful, Selena. I’m so happy for you.”

  Thank God, she doesn’t seem jealous or anything. Selena searched her friend’s face as they talked, but Beth seemed to be genuinely happy for her.

  Selena’s parents, when she told them, were ecstatic about the movie, and when she mentioned the amount of money, her mother cried a little. “You can use it for college,” she sniffed, wiping her eyes. “I’m so proud of you, Selena.”

  Her father gave her a hug. “I’m proud of you too, little girl.”

  Selena was a little embarrassed by her parent’s praise. She had, after all, only gone in the first place because Beth begged her to. She had always been more of a loner, an outsider even. She didn’t enjoy being the center of attention or making a spectacle of herself. She preferred to go through life on the fringe, riding Rusty quietly through the desert or hiding out in front of her computer. Other than when she was on Rusty’s back, she almost felt as if she didn’t fit in; she felt like an outsider most days.

  Chapter 3

  Beth went back to Santa Fe with her the following day. “I just want to see a movie being made,” she said. “And I’ll be close by if you need anything.”

  Selena was more than happy to have Beth go with her. She felt nervous enough, knowing that she would actually have a part in the movie. It had been just for fun to go with Beth as an extra, but this—this was the real thing.

  The set was a hustle and bustle of crew members again. They were busy setting up a camera on the back of a pickup truck.

  Lenoir Rhodes came over and instructed Selena on her marks.

  “You don’t have any lines today,” she said. “You’re just going to trot your horse across the desert while the truck rolls alongside, filming.”

  Selena nodded and saddled Rusty. Her stomach had been a ball of knots, but now, she began to relax. It’s just riding Rusty, she told herself. Something you would have done today, anyway. Lenoir showed her where to begin and pointed out how far she was to go and Selena set out, trotting Rusty across the desert in a northwesterly direction. Rusty paid no attention as the pickup rolled alongside, thirty or forty yards out from him. Selena sat tall and straight in her saddle, watching the desert ahead. It was strange, something she did on almost a daily basis, felt so uncomfortable with so many people watching, not to mention a camera rolling beside her. She figured she would probably look stiff and unsure in the movie, if it didn’t end up on the cutting room floor. They might decide she wasn’t right for the part after all. She forced her body to relax. She pretended she was alone in the desert, as she had so often been, just her and her horse and the occasional jackrabbit.

  “Okay, that’s good,” the man on back of the pickup yelled out. Selena turned Rusty and trotted him back to the group of people, her body more relaxed and easy in the saddle.

  “Let’s do it again,” Don Broward said as they reached him. “This time at a lope.”

  Selena turned Rusty and waited for the pickup to get into position, then moved Rusty out into a lope. He tucked his head and settled into his rocking chair gait as Selena took a deep seat in her barrel racing saddle, her long mane of hair flying behind her.

  They reached the mark quickly this time and Selena turned Rusty and loped him back. As she reached the crowd of crew members, she was pulled back to reality by a new face standing at the front of the crowd, staring at her. He was tall, she noticed. He was wearing jeans and cowboy boots and he stood tall and straight as he stared at her. Selena was tall and slim herself so she always noticed when a guy was taller than her. She slowed Rusty to a walk as she neared and, as the young man continued to stare, she gave him a nervous smile. He smiled back, his blue eyes lighting up with a mischievous twinkle. Selena walked Rusty on by, but she could feel his eyes on her back. Great, she thought. It’s not bad enough, having a whole crew staring at me, now this pretty boy has to make me feel even more nervous.

  “Did Matthew Mason just smile at you?” Beth asked excitedly when she reached the horse trailer.

  “I guess,” Selena shrugged it off. “I wasn’t sure if that’s who it was.”

  “Oh, Selena, you’re hopeless. Of course that’s who it was. I saw him come out of a camper trailer over there. When he saw you riding Rusty across the desert, he came through the crowd to watch.”

  They were interrupted then by Lenoir Rhodes approaching. “That may be it for today Selena, but if you could just hang around unless we need to shoot it again?”

  “Alright, sure.” Selena took off Rusty’s bridle and replaced it with a halter and lead rope. She tied the lead rope to a metal ring on the trailer and gave him a flake of hay.

  “There’s a catering truck and a table full of food set up by those campers over there,” Beth said. “Let’s go raid it and maybe we’ll catch another glimpse of Hottie Mason.”

  “Okay, I am getting pretty hungry.” Selena’s eyes darted across the crowd as they walked by. Was she hoping to get another look at the tall, sexy guy? No, she told herself as she looked away and shook her head. What do I care about some gorgeous movie star?

  There were cold cuts and chips and sodas laid out on the table. The girls quickly made sandwiches with ham and turkey and they each took a soda. Selena took a bite of the sandwich as she was turning away from the table and she ran right into the chest of a tall young man. She took a step back, her gaze traveling up to his face. She felt her heart skip a beat. It was the same guy…Matthew Mason. He put out his hand, the same mischievous smile lighting up his eyes. “Hi, I’m Matt Mason.”

  Selena took his hand as she swallowed her bite of sandwich, almost without chewing it. “Hi. I’m Selena Summers and this is Beth Winston.” She had swallowed the bite of her sandwich and now she quickly wiped the back of her hand across her mouth as Matt stared at her, his blue eyes twinkling.

  Beth took his hand excitedly. “I’ve seen all your movies, Mr. Mason. My favorite was ‘Shadow Dance.’ You’re a great dancer,” she chattered nervously. Matt
shook Beth’s hand and smiled at her, but his blue eyes never really left Selena. “Thank you,” he told Beth. “I appreciate the loyal fans. How about you, Selena? Are you a fan?” That’s odd, she’s looking at me like she doesn’t even know who I am. He found it a refreshing change to see a teenage girl who wasn’t fawning over him and asking for autographs. Honestly, her eyes were completely unreadable. Mysterious, even.

  Selena wasn’t sure how to answer his question. It would be rude to say no, but if she said yes, he might ask her which movie was her favorite. She honestly couldn’t name a one of them.

  “Sure,” she finally answered. “But I don’t watch a lot of TV or go to the movies very often.”

  She began walking past him, the uneaten sandwich still in her hand, but Matt turned and followed along. He was really intrigued now. “What do you do then, if you don’t watch TV or go to the movies?”

  “Ride horses and rodeo,” Selena answered guardedly. She was afraid he would think she was just some small town, hick girl who didn’t even own a TV. “I guess it’s pretty tame compared to Hollywood.”

  “No, it sounds nice. I like to ride too. I just don’t get a chance often enough.” Matt matched her pace as she walked. “This movie has been fun, though. My whole body is sore from riding every day.”

  She quickened her stride as Matt talked. He made her feel nervous and she knew she couldn’t hold a decent conversation if he talked about his movies. Just go away, Hottie Mason, she thought as she walked faster.

  But he kept pace with her, his long legs matching her stride easily. “You get used to it…riding, I mean,” she said. “If you do it every day.” At least he’s on a subject I can handle, she thought.

  Selena turned when she realized Beth was no longer beside her. Beth was still by the table, eating her sandwich with her back to them. Oh my God, we probably hurt her feelings, Selena thought. She had never ditched her friend for some guy and she wasn’t about to begin now.

  “Come on, Beth.” Selena waved her arm and Beth hurried to catch up, a big smile on her face.

  “I guess I’ll see you around,” Matt said as Beth caught up to them.

  He stopped walking as the girls continued on their way. He stood and watched as they walked away. Selena’s cowboy boots had a bit of a heel on them and he liked the way it made her hips swing as she walked across the desert. She was quite different from the type of girls he was used to. Normally, he was around models and actresses who were too full of themselves to pay much attention to him. Or fans, who were completely in love with his character from a movie, but they didn’t know him personally. They had no idea who he really was. They almost seemed surprised when he didn’t look and act like the character they had fallen in love with.

  But this girl was different. He could sense it about her. She was much deeper than the shallow actresses he knew and she obviously wasn’t an adoring fan. And those big, dark eyes, they looked like she was hiding some sort of mysteries behind them. If he could just pry her away from her short, curly-haired friend, he thought he just might like to get to know her better. Maybe I can find out what secrets she’s hiding behind those beautiful eyes, he thought. He watched until the two girls disappeared into the crowd, then he turned back to the catering table, his thoughts still on Selena.

  Chapter 4

  Selena and Beth hung around the set the rest of the day. Selena wasn’t needed again; she mostly sat around bored as the crew moved lights and microphones around. It seemed to take so long to set up for each shot, then only a few minutes of filming. What a boring job, she thought as she leaned back in her chair, the spring sun beating on her face. She closed her eyes as the sun relaxed her body, the noise of the crowd fading into the background.

  It was late in the afternoon and Selena was dozing in her chair when she heard a galloping horse. She opened her eyes to see Matt Mason galloping across the desert on a big bay horse with black legs and a black mane and tail. The pickup was rolling alongside as they filmed. She noticed immediately how well he sat his horse as it galloped. He sat tall and straight in the saddle, his hands light on the reins. Selena was stunned at how handsome he looked wearing a black cowboy hat. She could see his blue eyes shining happily as he galloped past. A funny tingle started in the pit of her stomach as she watched him and she was wide awake for the first time in hours.

  “See, I told you he was hot,” Beth whispered. “And he seemed to feel the same about you.”

  Selena shrugged her shoulders, not sure how to answer as her eyes continued to follow Matt. He does look good on a horse, she thought. I like the tall, dark and sexy look. He seems so completely different from the local guys around here. She finally shook her head to clear it as she stretched back out in the chair and closed her eyes. He’s just eye candy, she told herself. He’s probably got more Hollywood girlfriends than I have blue ribbons from barrel racing.

  Beth wasn’t able to go with her to the set every day after school. She was involved in so many after-school activities, it was late every day when she got home. Selena missed her friendly chatter as she sat around the set each day after school, lonely and bored. She had only filmed one short scene, where she repeated her few lines over and over until Don finally called out, “that’s a wrap.” It hadn’t been as bad as she’d expected. She blocked the crowd from her mind as she said her lines, pretending she was one of the characters in the stories she was always writing. The rest of the time had been spent sitting around with nothing to do. She took her schoolbooks and did her homework. She tried reading, but she hadn’t found a good book lately, one that would really draw her into a good story. After a few boring afternoons, she finally pulled out a notebook and began writing. She picked up the story of Trish where she had left off, planning to transfer her work to her home computer as time permitted.

  She was lost in the life of Trish one evening just before sunset, her hand moving furiously across the page as she worked to get her thoughts down. She paid no attention when someone occupied the chair beside her. The crew came and went constantly, grabbing whatever seat they could get.

  “Are you doing homework?”

  Selena jumped as the smooth, sexy voice penetrated her thoughts. She looked up, her mind struggling to return to the current time and place.

  “Uh, no. It’s a book I’ve been working on,” she stammered as she looked at Matt. Her face reddened as she realized she’d told him the truth. Beth didn’t even know about her stories. Well, she had been caught off guard; her mind had been in another time and place. Matt leaned closer and draped his arm over the back of her chair. He leaned toward her as he spoke and the intimacy of his nearness confused Selena. She quickly closed her notebook and shifted in her seat, turning to look at him and putting a little space between them.

  “Are you serious?” Matt said with the mischievous glint to his blue eyes. “You’re a rodeo queen and an actress and now you’re going to be a famous author too?”

  “I’m none of those things,” Selena laughed nervously. “I’m just a person who enjoys horseback riding and barrel racing. I’m stuck in a movie that I have no interest in, and I enjoy writing stories.”

  Matt threw back his head and laughed. His laugh had a musical, happy sound. It caught the interest of a couple of passing crew members. Selena looked up as the two women stared at Matt, then continued on their way, giggling and whispering to each other. I bet he gets that a lot, Selena thought, a bit of a frown crinkling her forehead. I bet he’s used to girls fawning all over him.

  “I just stopped by to see if you’d like to have dinner with me tonight?” Matt’s face took on a serious tone as he stared into her eyes. He almost looked like a fourteen year-old boy, asking a girl to his first dance and afraid of the rejection, she thought, amusement replacing her frown. How charming. I would have expected more of the, ‘I’m an incredibly sexy movie star and you’re lucky I’m paying attention to you,’ kind of attitude, she thought as she stared back at him.

  “Sure, I guess,”
she answered. What was this guy doing asking her out when he could have his pick of any of the girls here? And acting like a kid instead of a smooth, sexy movie star. Ah, well he is an actor, after all. She smiled as it came clear to her.

  “Do you know Santa Fe? I’ve mostly stayed out here in the RV. I haven’t really had a chance to explore the town yet.”

  “Sure. I know a couple of nice restaurants in Old Town.”

  “Great.” Matt whipped out a cell phone and made a quick call. “Right by the beige horse trailer,” he said into the phone.

  He took Selena’s arm and led her toward her horse trailer. She refilled Rusty’s water bucket and threw him another flake of hay. “We’ll be right back, Rusty,” she told him as she scratched his withers. Rusty dropped his head, scratching his face against her side, and then returned to his meal.

  Selena looked up at the sound of a long black car bouncing across the desert toward them. “A limo, really?”

  “Yes. It’s for the cast to use. I just haven’t had an excuse til now.”

  “It looks like it should be following a hearse.”

  Matt laughed as he held the door and she stepped into the long, black car. The interior was a soft, beige leather. It was so out of place out here in the desert, she almost laughed herself. She felt like a character in one of her stories. Maybe I can even use it, she thought. Write it into a scene. Bad guy chases Trish across the desert in long, black limo.

  “Which way?” Matt pulled her head back from the clouds. The car had reached the highway and the driver awaited their direction.

  She directed the driver to Old Town, where he parked on the street in front of a New Mexican restaurant. The driver hurried to open the door for her and even took her hand to help her out. I’m being treated like Hollywood royalty, while I’m wearing jeans and boots and riding a horse in their movie. She smiled as she stepped out and looked back at the car. Other drivers passing on the street and even pedestrians were staring as they passed by. Matt took her arm as they moved to the door of the restaurant.