Stunt Doubled: A Movie Star Standalone

It was pretty funny to listen to. They all had their own areas of expertise and were quite picky about them.

On Monday, when I looked for Ford in the morning, he gave me a choice—running together or practicing some stunts in the ring. I chose the latter, and he showed me how to fake a kick to the head. It was pretty fun, though I was a little insulted that he wore a heavily padded helmet the entire time we practiced. So little trust!

On Tuesday, I chose to run with him. And on Wednesday, I didn’t get a choice, because when I went into the gym, Ford and Tanner were working with a young woman. Since I’d never seen her before, and since she was drop-dead gorgeous, I figured that she had to be Sierra.

I didn’t want to interrupt, but I was curious about what Ford was teaching her. It was my understanding that the lead actors didn’t do many of their own stunts. Tanner gave me a shy smile when he noticed me—the same shy smile he’d been giving me all weekend after our kiss.

Ford seemed intent on his work, but when he noticed me, he waved me over. “Sierra, this is Ronnie. Ronnie, this is our lovely lead actress.”

The actress shook the hand I offered. She took in my ponytail, sports bra, and running shorts. “Are you a stunt woman?”

“No,” I said with a little laugh.

“She’s good, though. She could be someday,” Ford interjected. Huh. I hadn’t really thought about that. Sure, it was fun learning kicks and jumps and all, and I’d been practicing that cool flip that Ford did to get to his feet, but somehow, I never thought of it as anything more than just fun.

Sierra was studying me, but not in a judgmental way. “Are you an actress, then?”

“No. I’ve only been here a week. I’m just kind of helping out where I can.”

“Mac is her father,” Tanner said. I was glad that he was sensitive enough not to introduce me as his stepsister. I still hadn’t made my peace with Mac leaving me for them so many years ago—and my feelings were even more conflicted now that Tanner and I had kissed.

“Oh, Mac, he’s the one who sent me over here.”

She definitely wasn’t dressed for stunt work. She had on cut-off denim jean shorts, cowboy boots, and a white dress shirt that was tied off just above her waist. Sierra must not have spent much time around red desert sand if she chose to wear white. Still, the outfit looked hot on her, and I couldn’t help wondering what Ford and Tanner thought of it. Well, it probably wasn’t much of a mystery. They were both heterosexual males.

There was no doubt that Sierra was a knock-out. She was gorgeous from head to toe, but it was her hair I noticed first. It was a luscious honey-blonde, and it formed long, lazy curls that dipped past her elbows. Even I wanted to sink my fingers into it. Her eyes were green—darker than Ford’s. And her figure was your classic hourglass shape. Her chest made mine look small, her waist nipped in, and her hips flared out. She was guaranteed to be a fan favorite, at least among men, when the movie came out.

“What are you guys practicing?”

“A scene they’re filming this afternoon,” Ford said. “Aiden—I mean Chase—basically kidnaps Sierra’s character to keep her safe. But she doesn’t know him or trust him yet, so she resists as forcefully as she can.”

“Which isn’t all that forceful,” Sierra admitted. “I’m not very good at these things.”

“You’re doing fine.” Ford was definitely in teacher mode.

“Not really,” she said. She sounded frustrated with herself.

“That’s why we’re practicing. We’ll get it.” Tanner’s voice was full of support, but I glanced at him in confusion.

“If the scene is just Sierra struggling against Aiden, why does he need a stunt double for it?”

Ford and Tanner stared at me for a long moment and then burst into laughter. Neither of them could stop long enough to answer my question, which was a little annoying, but it was also the kind of laughter that made you want to join in, even if you didn’t know what it was about. Sierra had a smile on her face, too, as she watched them.

Finally, Ford got himself under control. “I wish to God Aiden had heard you ask that.”

“Me, too,” Tanner said.

“To answer your question, Aiden most definitely doesn’t need a stunt double for this scene, but they sent Tanner over to practice it with Sierra.”

Tanner gave an ironic shrug. “Aiden’s got too many important things to do for something like this.”

“Plus, he’s done enough stunts over the years to know how to grab Sierra and wrestle her to the car without hurting her. But Sierra needs to practice.”