Page 1 of This Time Around
One
Rebecca
“Come on Max, you can’t be serious about this.”
“I think it’ll be good for him, Rebecca.And you could use the help.”
Boy, could I.With my cell phone in one hand, my other curled around the kitchen countertop.Outside my small kitchen window, cows roamed in the pasture and goats ate their hay.I was behind on everything—the cattle, the other animals, the house,andthe bills.
Knowing a defeat when I sensed one through the silence coming through the phone line, I asked, “What’s his name again?”
My uncle chuckled good-naturedly.“Cooper Hawke, and you’re probably the only female I know who doesn’t know who he is.”
“Well, who has time to watch TV these days?”
“Movies, Rebecca.He does movies.”
Whatever.That was worse.I had less time for those.I blew out a breath, flipping wisps of my black hair out of my face where they’d escaped my falling apart ponytail.“When will he be here?”
“I have to run it by him first, but I’m hoping by Saturday.”
Great.I had four days to prepare for Hollywood’s heartthrob to step foot on my ranch.I didn’t like the idea of any of this, but Uncle Max was the only family I had left besides my brother Jordan.Even though he lived out in Los Angeles, we’d always been close.He wouldn’t be asking for my help if he didn’t desperately need it.
And because I loved Max so much, I found myself finally putting a voice to the largest fear I had since he called.“There hasn’t been a man here, Max, not since….”
“I know, darling.I know.”His voice went soft, that caring tone being almost enough to burst through the dam I barely held together on the best of days.Today was not one of them.“But Joseph is gone, and you need the help.Cooper needs this.He needs to get out of town, blow off the paparazzi following him.It’s been months and it’s driving him insane.I need him focused before he starts filming in a few months.Put him to work and distract him.He can use it right now, and I promise you he’s a good man.”
I trusted Max implicitly.He wouldn’t set me loose around a jerk.
Although, I also had Jordan to watch my back if I needed it.I rarely got messed with when people find out my brother was Jordan Marx, former MLB Pitcher for the Colorado Rockies.He lived here in town now and ran the Carlton Golf Resort and Spa.He designed and opened it after he walked away from his professional baseball career.
I was excited to have my family back together, finally, after years of wanting nothing more than for us all to be together again, but just like everything else in life, a curveball came my way.
First it was our parents.
Then it was Joseph.
And since then, I’d been treading water.If I didn’t get some serious help, it wouldn’t be long until I drowned completely.
“I trust you, Max, and you know I’ll do anything I can for you, but—”
“I know, sweetheart, and I appreciate this.It’ll be good.I promise.I’ll call you back once I meet with Cooper and we’ve finalized everything.”
“Are you sure he’ll even want to come?”My thumb found its way between my teeth and I nibbled.It was possible this might not even happen.
I despised the idea of another man working on my ranch.It was stubborn pride and lingering grief mixed with a barrel of anger, but I wanted to be enough to do everything like I’d always dreamed of.
“He’ll come,” Max said.“He’ll do what I say because he knows the risk if he doesn’t.”
My uncle was an agent.The best one in L.A.from what he said, and even though I rarely watched television, I didn’t doubt him.He wasn’t only charismatic, he was also intelligent and powerful.He started and ruined more careers than anyone else in Hollywood in the last twenty years.I figured Cooper Hawke knew this.
If he wanted to stay popular in the business, he had to listen to Max.
“Okay, I need to get to work.Call me when you know more.”
“Will do, sweetheart.Make sure you get some rest.”
“Right.”
