Close Enough to Touch (Jackson Hole 1)

“You? I thought you just got to town.”

Grace took a deep breath and told herself to ignore the self-doubt that rose up, telling her to be quiet. “I did just get to town. I’m sure you know of a dozen other places, but… I went for a drive yesterday. Have you heard of a ranch called Easy Creek? It’s rustic and beautiful. A little brutal-looking and isolated enough that you can do panoramic shots with no interference. I know they said they could eliminate other buildings in editing, but the isolation of this place might make things a little simpler.”

“Depends on how far away it is.”

“Not far, from what I remember.”

“You know how to get there?”

“Yes.” Probably.

Eve grabbed her purse and stood up. “Then let’s go check it out. I need to get out of here for a few minutes anyway. You might be used to this, but I’m not.”

“It gets easier,” Grace said.

“Really?”

“No, not really.”

Eve’s face broke into a wide smile, and her bright laugh surprised Grace. She hadn’t realized how tense Eve was until she’d relaxed for a moment. She looked younger and softer, and Grace found herself wondering what her story was. Oh, well. None of her business.

“Come on. Let’s save Madeline Beckingham’s ass.”

* * *

THREE HOURS LATER, Grace left the Easy Creek Ranch in shock.

They’d done it. They’d really done it. Because of her.

She’d never experienced anything like that before. She’d come up with an idea, put it out there and everything had just fallen into place.

Well, it had taken a little more work than that.

Somehow, she’d managed to direct Eve back to the Easy Creek Ranch with only two false turns. And as they’d driven down the long ranch road, Grace had realized she’d been right. The place was perfect. Exactly the location that had been described in the location list. Low hills obscured any views of civilization, but didn’t rise high enough to block out the Tetons. The buildings, clustered in a loose circle at the end of the drive, were sturdy but ancient-looking. Dark wood aging to gray. Easy Creek looked like a symbol of American ranching.

And somehow…somehow it had worked out.

Granted, the production people still had to approve it, but how could they possibly walk away from such an ideal location?

Mr. Easy, the owner—and, she assumed, Cole’s boss—had initially been skeptical. In fact, he’d said no. They’d laid it out for him, offering the same amount of money that had been offered to the previous site owner. Then they’d upped it. But he hadn’t seemed tempted until Eve had mentioned Madeline Beckingham by name. The man was obviously a fan, because he’d perked right up.

“Three weeks,” they’d explained. “One week now and then two weeks of filming in a month or so. That’s it.” There would only be two scenes filmed here, after all. The rest of the movie would be filmed in California and on soundstages to accommodate the special effects.

Easy had finally agreed. Now they were armed with crude measurements and dozens of pictures Eve had snapped. If Madeline Beckingham liked it, the place was theirs.

As soon as they pulled away from the ranch, Grace and Eve smiled at each other.

“They’d be crazy not to use this place,” Eve said.

Grace sighed. “I know. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Amazing. How’d you find it?”

“A neighbor showed me around. Cole Rawlins?”

Eve shook her head. “I don’t know him.”

“He works on the ranch.” Grace braced herself, thinking Eve was going to follow up with more questions, and Grace wouldn’t know how to answer them. But Eve’s frown had nothing to do with Grace.