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Val had seen photographs of her mother at her age, as well as a few of her movies. She was a dead ringer for her.
“My mother is Gloria Halladay,” Val told him, watching his face to see if the name brought any recognition with it.
Miguel’s eyes widened with surprise and then infinite pleasure as he put the name to a face. A much-beloved face.
“Yes, of course. Gloria Halladay.” There was excitement and a touch of reverence when he said the name. Val found herself instantly liking the man. “I remember seeing her in several movies years ago—I took my wife,” he recalled with a fondness enveloping his words. “Washington’s Birthday was my wife’s favorite.” Still eying Val, he cocked his head slightly, as another thought occurred to him. “I always thought it was a shame that your mother did not make more comedies. She was very gifted.”
Val smiled. “I’ll let her know you said so. She’ll be very pleased,” she told the man. Though she enjoyed her work as a casting director, nothing pleased her mother more than hearing flattering words from a fan. It gave her a sense of continuity as well as bringing back some of the old days.
Miguel nodded thoughtfully and with approval, as if some sort of a bond had just been forged between him and this movie star’s daughter.
His eyes swept over the young woman and then his son. The thought occurred to him that Raphael and Gloria Halladay’s daughter made a nice couple. A very attractive couple.
He began to wonder what he could do to help them see that.
“So, what is it that I can do for you, Valentine Jones?” he asked warmly.
“She’s a location scout, Dad,” Rafe interjected. The moment he said it, he realized that his father probably had no idea what that was. He was quick to explain. “That’s someone who—”
Miguel waved away the rest of his son’s words. “I know what she does, Raphael.”
“You do?” This time, it was Val who spoke, surprised that a man from his generation, with no ties to Hollywood, would know what she did for a living.
Miguel inclined his head. “Of course. I know what a scout is and I know what location is. And you said you were with a movie company. That means you are looking for some place suitable to make this movie of yours.”
He smiled tolerantly at the two young people. When he was their age, he was certain he was smarter than his father was, too. It was only when he grew older that he realized that perhaps he was not so very smart and his father was not so very dumb.
Miguel’s smile deepened fondly. Youth always felt it was smarter than any generation that had come before them.
“It really is not that hard to conclude,” he told her. “Continue, please. What is it that you want to say to me?”
Maybe this wasn’t going to be so hard after all, Val thought. She was fairly certain that she had won over Raphael, and his father certainly seemed to be reasonable and willing to hear her out.
“Well, Mr. Rodriguez, I think that your ranch would be just perfect for the movie that my boss is getting ready to direct—”
The rest of her sentence was unexpectedly interrupted and then aborted by the loud voice that called out, “Dad, you should see those quarter horses that Eli just got. They— Hello,” Mike automatically said, suspending his narrative as he took a look at the stranger sitting in his father’s living room. His dark eyes shifted to his father. “Sorry, I didn’t know we had company.”
Entering behind him, the youngest of the Rodriguez brothers, Ray, came to a sudden halt when Mike stopped moving, all but plowing into his oldest brother. Sidestepping at the last moment, Ray looked to see what had nearly caused the human pileup.
The second he saw the woman on the sofa, a broad grin took possession of his mouth as he tipped the brim of his Stetson in time-honored cowboy fashion.
“Hi,” he greeted the woman with enthusiasm. “I’m Ray Rodriguez.” His eyes swiftly raced over her as he made a quick, succinct assessment of the woman. “And you are?”
“Overwhelmed,” Val readily admitted, looking from one tall, dark and handsome man to another. If she didn’t know any better, she would have said she was sitting in the outer room of her mother’s casting office when she was casting for the male lead in that last action-adventure movie that had taken place at the turn of the past century.
She turned her attention to the senior Rodriguez. “You’ve raised a very handsome family, Mr. Rodriguez,” she told him. Shifting her attention momentarily back to the two men who had just walked in, she said, “I’m Valentine Jones and I think your ranch and property would be the perfect backdrop for the movie my boss’s production company is going to be filming.” At this point, her gaze took in all four men, seeking to make a connection with all of them and silently preparing to bring them all on board with this proposal she was about to make.
Mike turned toward his father. The expression on his face was far from pleased. “You didn’t say yes, did you, Dad?” he asked.
“I have not had a chance to say very much of anything yet, Miguel.” The head of the family looked at the young woman and made the necessary introduction. “This is Miguel Jr., Miss Jones. My oldest.”
Val began to rise and extend her hand toward Mike, but before she could say anything, Mike nodded at her curtly, summarily dismissing the offer she had been about to tender.
“If we’re voting on this,” he told his father, even as he continued looking at the woman, “I vote no.”
“Miguel,” his father said sharply. “It’s only polite to hear the lady out first.”
“I don’t need to be polite and I don’t need to hear what she has to say.” The look on Mike’s face challenged the interloper in their midst. “They’ll come, invade our privacy, disrespect our land, make a mess and then leave.” His eyes narrowed dismissively. “Like I said before, I vote no.”
Val could feel herself taking umbrage. She’d worked with this director and his crew a number of times before. They all got along well and had become more like family than merely a crew. She didn’t take kindly to this man’s careless and dismissive assessment of her “family.”
“We clean up after ourselves,” Val informed him with a deceptively calm voice. “And your privacy—as well as your land—will be fully respected,” she assured him. “Now, would you like to hear why you should say yes?” she asked pleasantly.
Mike was not particularly receptive. No doubt he’d heard stories of what a production crew could be like and didn’t want to see that happening to his family’s property. “Not particularly,” he answered coldly.
“I would,” Ray spoke up brightly, flashing a one-thousand-watt smile at her. “By the way, I’m Ray,” he said, extending his hand to her. Both he and Mike were still standing where they had entered. “The nice brother,” he clarified.
“All my sons are nice,” Miguel immediately corrected, then slanted a look at his oldest. “Some are just a little more hotheaded than others.”
Val smiled warmly at the patriarch. “I understand,” she told Miguel Sr., then appraised the other three men. “I really do. But this is not going to be like some intrusive reality program where the cameramen are going to be following you around, capturing your every movement on film. All we would require from your property would be a few outdoor shots of the ranch house and some panoramic shots of the outlining property.” She paused for a moment before adding something that she worried Mike might take exception to. “Our set decorator might want to come and look around inside—”
“And that’s how it starts,” Mike declared as if he had just scored the game-winning point.
Val was not about to give up this easily. “But only to be able to recreate the best parts of your home on a studio set,” she insisted, then stressed, “You wouldn’t be inconvenienced.” Val paused before adding what she hoped was the thing that would win them all over despite Rafe’s earlier comment about money not meaning very much to them. “And you would be well compensated for all this.”
“Exactly what is ‘well compensated’ in your book?” Mike asked.
Making the final offer would be the director’s decision once he saw her photographs. She didn’t want to aim high and then come in with a lower figure. The oldest brother would just use that to try to make his father change his mind.
“Well, just off the top of my head.” Val thought for a moment, then quoted what the last person had been paid for the home she had located for the last movie her boss had directed.
No one said a word as the figure sank in.
Ray was the first to say anything, after emitting a long, low whistle in response to the number. “You’re kidding.”
Mike seemed in complete agreement with the sentiment Ray had just expressed. She had to be kidding. No one paid that kind of money just to “borrow” a ranch house. That was the kind of serious money men who were looking to buy a ranch house bandied about.
“You’re just saying that to get us to agree,” Mike accused.
“I’m ‘just saying it’ because it’s true,” she informed him. “That was what was paid out for the last house we used on location.”
Mike snorted. “Right.”
By nature, Rafe was the easygoing one, the one who was neither hotheaded nor sought to be the first to jump into a fray. But he had stood back and listened to just about enough. Since he’d brought the woman to the house to talk to the others, he felt responsible for her. And as the responsible one, he felt obliged to protect her from the likes of someone like his oldest brother, who was acting surly even for Mike.
“Why don’t you back off, Mike, and let her talk?” Rafe suggested in a voice that was deceptively calm. “I’m sure there’ll be a contract drawn up and if it doesn’t have the numbers on it that she’s telling us, then Dad doesn’t have to sign it and they’ll go find their property somewhere else.”
Val looked from one member of the family to another. She did not want to be the source of discord between these brothers. But she really liked what she saw, both the exterior and the interior of the place. The more she saw, the more perfect this ranch house seemed to her. She was certain that the director would feel the same way.
“There’s another reason to consider agreeing to having my boss film here,” she told them. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. She just had to do everything to convince them.
“You having second thoughts about that sum you waved in front of us?” Mike asked.
“No, what I was going to point out is that the crew will be in town for the duration of the shoot, which at this point will be six or eight weeks. That means that for six to eight weeks, they’ll be eating here and spending money here. You can’t tell me that your town couldn’t use that kind of a boost in business, especially in this economy,” she said, looking from one man to the other.
Gotcha, she thought in satisfaction.
Chapter Four
“She does have a point,” Rafe said, addressing his words to his father.
Their father insisted that they all have an equal voice when it came to matters that affected the ranch, but it was understood among the siblings that it was usually Miguel Sr. who, by mutual agreement, had the absolute final say. They all respected his judgment and knew that he had their best interests, as well as the best interest of the ranch, at heart.
Listening, Miguel nodded, then looked back at the woman who had caused such a stir in their lives with her proposal and, unless he missed his guess, with her very presence. He had seen the look in Raphael’s eyes when his son had brought her into the house.
Saw, too, the interest that arose in Ramon’s eyes when his youngest son had walked in. Miguel sincerely hoped that there would be no trouble between the brothers because of it. They, like their other brothers, were both handsome young men and while Raphael attracted his fair share of women, it was Ramon, his youngest, who was the playboy, the one who seemed determined to have as much fun as humanly possible, all the while eluding any serious entanglements that might be in the offing.
He wanted to see all of his sons married off, but Ramon gave him the most concern in that department. If any of his sons seemed bent on being an eternal bachelor, it was Ramon.
“I think that we will need to talk this matter over among ourselves,” Miguel told the young woman in his usual gentle, quiet cadence. “If this man who you are working for does decide that he wants to use our home and land for his...background, you call it?” She nodded in response and he continued, repeating, “If he wants it, then we will decide. Until then,” Miguel gestured vaguely about the room, indicating that his words referred to anything that they had, “please feel free to make use of our hospitality.”
The man seemed incredibly genuine, Val thought as she smiled her gratitude for his understanding. However, she didn’t want to take a chance on overstaying her welcome. Rafe’s father was right, they needed to talk about this among themselves and either win the dissenting brother over or come to some sort of an understanding they could all agree to. They wouldn’t be able to do that if she was standing around within earshot.
“Thank you, but I’d better be on my way,” Val told the older man, rising to her feet. Taking the initiative, she shook his hand. “Thank you for your time and I hope we’ll be seeing one another again very soon.”
Rafe got to his feet, as well. “I’ll walk you to your car,” he told her. It wasn’t an offer so much as a statement.
“Um, Miss Jones—” Ray began, catching her attention as she started to leave.
Val stopped and looked at the youngest member of the family, waiting. “Yes?”
“Who’s going to be in this picture of yours?” he asked. It was well-known that his father was only aware of the stars from a bygone era and his brothers weren’t interested in the current celebrities who frequented the silver screen, but Ray loved the entertainment world. There were several actresses who had more than captured his admiring attention and he seemed eager to know if any of them would be in town if all this turned out well.
Val didn’t bother correcting Ray by saying it wasn’t her movie. A movie belonged to the producer, to the director, to the writer who had come up with the script and to all the performers who were in it. She was just involved in taking the story and giving it a physical basis where it could unfold.
She thought for a moment, trying to remember the names she’d been told. Coincidentally, her mother had been the casting director for Cowboys and India, and her mother had been the one who’d told her who was going to be in this picture.
“Melinda Perkins and Jonathan Kelly are the leading performers,” Val answered, remembering. “If you want to know the full cast, I can get that fo—”
“Melinda Perkins?” Ray echoed, his voice rising an octave or so as he repeated the popular actress’s name in absolute stunned reverence. “Melinda Perkins is going to be here, standing right here, making a movie?” he asked, his breath growing short as his eyes widened with star-struck wonder.
Val’s mouth curved as she nodded. “Unless someone’s come up with an alternate way to film on location, she’ll be here.”
“Melinda Perkins, filming right here in Forever,” Ray repeated more to himself than to any of his brothers or father, looking even more dazed than he had just a minute ago.
“You already said that,” Mike pointed out, shaking his head at what he viewed as juvenile behavior. When he received no response from Ray, other than an utterly goofy look, Mike took the flat of his hand and hit his brother upside his head. “Get a grip, kid,” he instructed sharply.
Ray blinked, looking at his oldest brother ruefully, although there were threads of annoyance woven into his expression.
“Miguel,” his father said warningly. He himself had never raised a hand to even one of his children and he disapproved of that sort of behavior displayed by any of his offspring.
It was Val who came to Ray’s rescue. “Don’t feel bad,” she told the younger man. “Melinda has that sort of an effect on a lot of people.”
Ray flushed slightly, but he was obviously grateful for her defense. He grinned at her. “Mostly men, I’m guessing.”
Val didn’t answer. Instead, she smiled at him, the look on her face telling Ray that his guess was absolutely right.
“Miss Jones?” Miguel Sr. broke into the existing conversation. But rather than have her come back to him, the older man crossed over to her. “Are you planning on doing any of your filming in the town itself?” he asked as the thought suddenly occurred to him.
“Most likely,” she answered. “I think that the director is going to want to get as much of the local color into this film as possible. That means,” she added quickly, “that he’s going to want to tap some of the local people to act as extras.”
“Extras?” Mike repeated. “Extra what?”
Ray rolled his eyes but Val pretended that this was a perfectly normal question, not one she took for granted.
“Extra people. People who fill in the spaces behind and near the principle actors.” She directed her words to the brothers. “You could pick up a little money just by walking around. No dialogue to memorize,” she promised.
Miguel rolled her words over in his head. He didn’t see a downside to this, but that didn’t mean that some of the other people who lived in Forever wouldn’t. “I think you might want to present this idea to Miss Joan.”
“Miss Joan?” Val echoed a little uncertainly. She glanced at Rafe for an explanation.
He was quick to fill her in. “Miss Joan owns the local—and only—diner. It’s also the only restaurant in town. Nothing happens in Forever without her knowing about it. She kind of runs the town,” he admitted. “There is a town council in place, but mostly they just listen to what Miss Joan says and go along with it. She’s been in Forever as long as anyone can remember.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Miguel nodding at his son’s words. “So this Miss Joan would be the one to win over,” Val said thoughtfully, already planning how to best appeal to the woman she had yet to meet.
“She’d be the one to win over,” Mike echoed, nodding his head.
“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind,” Val replied, adding, “I’ll try to be particularly charming. Thank you,” she told Miguel warmly, pausing at the door to shake his hand again.
He closed both his hands over her small one and assured her, “My pleasure.”
“If you’re going to go talk to Miss Joan,” Rafe spoke up, joining her at the door, “maybe I should go with you. Always good to have someone from the home team on your side,” he added innocently. Having been somewhat undecided when she’d originally told him what she was doing, he’d decided that having Val around might prove to be very interesting. And she was incredibly easy on the eyes, he thought.
“What about the fence?” his father asked belatedly. He liked the idea of his son going into town with this beauty, but he couldn’t afford to appear lax.
“The fence isn’t going anywhere, Dad,” Rafe responded. His thoughts were that he could always look for the break later today, or first thing in the morning. At the moment, this bright, perky woman had captured his full attention.
“Maybe not,” his father agreed. “But the cattle apparently are.”
Mike frowned, looking from Rafe to his father. “I’ll take care of finding the break, Dad,” Mike volunteered. “Let Rafe go with her to town.” He offered Val a very small smile. “Can’t have the lady thinking we’re a bunch of rude cavemen now, can we?”
“I wouldn’t have thought that anyway,” Val assured Mike, then turned toward Rafe and added, “But I wouldn’t mind having a guide come with me to make the introductions.”
She flashed the smile at him. Rafe found he was having less and less resistance to it every time he saw the smile on her lips.
Miguel could see that he wasn’t about to get any decent work out of Gabriel’s twin brother today, not judging by the smitten expression on his face.
Seeking to encourage what he felt he saw unfolding before him, Miguel waved Rafe off. “Your brother has a good suggestion. Go, show our guest the way to Miss Joan’s.”
Rafe had already gone out through the front door. Stopping at the porch, he looked back over his shoulder for a second, nodding his thanks not just to his father, but to Mike, as well. The latter had really surprised him, he had to admit. He was not accustomed to having Mike go out of his way to be nice to him.
“Thanks,” Rafe tossed over his shoulder.
But Mike had already left the room, going to the kitchen to grab a bite of something to eat before he headed out again.
It was his father who called after Rafe, promising, “Do not worry, I will tell him that you are grateful.”
This time, Rafe nodded his thanks to his father.
Val followed Rafe down the front steps and toward where they had parked their individual vehicles. “I don’t think your brother likes me very much,” Val confided once they were clear of the house.
“That’s just Mike being Mike,” Rafe told her. “My older brother tends to be a little standoffish with strangers.”
“I would have thought your father would be guilty of that, not your older brother. You know, older generation, my being an outsider, that sort of thing,” she explained. Val stopped by her CRV. “Instead, your dad seems to be a very warm, friendly man.”
Rather than going to his Jeep, Rafe paused by her light blue vehicle. “He always has been where a pretty woman was concerned,” he told her.
For a moment, the words just seemed to hang in the air between them. And then she laughed.
“I think you’re a little confused,” she told him. “I’m supposed to be flattering you to get you to go along with my boss’s production company using your ranch for the movie, not the other way around.”
Val’s amused smile rose up into her eyes, all but mesmerizing him. Rafe had never believed that eyes could actually smile before.
He did now.
“Didn’t see any harm in stating the truth,” he told her. She probably thought that was a line. The woman was from Hollywood, which undoubtedly made her see everything with a jaded point of view, not to mention that she was probably immune to any kind of a compliment, genuine or not. He cleared his throat and said, “If you wait a second, I’ll go start up my Jeep and you can follow me into town.”
Val looked over her shoulder. The house was some distance away now, but she could still make out Miguel Rodriguez. The man was standing on the porch, observing them. When he saw her looking in his direction, he smiled and waved at her.
Val waved back. “You’re sure I’m not taking you away from anything?” she asked Rafe.
“Just from driving around, looking for that damn break in the fence. Trust me, going into town and introducing you to Miss Joan is a much better proposition. Besides, Mike’s really better at that sort of thing, anyway. It’s like he’s got a sixth sense when it comes to that. He’s a natural-born rancher.”
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