The valley in front of us was filled with rock cliffs and canyons. A memory emerged, and I scanned the horizon off to the right. “Look over there,” I told Ronnie.
She did, but not in the right spot.
“Higher. Up on top of those hills over there.” When she still didn’t see it, I stepped behind her and guided her head in the right direction. God, her hair was like silk.
“I see it! It’s an arch.” She stared at the distant rock formation and my hands came to rest on her shoulders, squeezing lightly. “Is that the one on the Utah license plate?” She turned to look up at me and our faces were so close. I wanted to kiss those rosy lips more than anything.
“I think that’s in another park.”
She nodded, her gaze returning to the view. “I always thought those plates were far prettier than the ones in Tennessee.”
“Do you miss it?” My body was so close behind hers that I could feel the heat from her skin. She had on a V-neck t-shirt and those tight shorts she sometimes wore when she went running. They looked amazing on her.
“The license plates?” She grinned up at me and I couldn’t take my eyes from her lips.
“Your home.”
“I haven’t been gone that long,” she said. It felt like it was a dodge. None of us knew exactly why she left, but it had to be something big, and I doubted a week was enough time to get over it. “I miss how green everything is there. Especially compared to here.”
“I know. California has a lot more trees than this, too.”
“But the desert is beautiful too. Beautiful but kind of lonely. When you walk or run out here, it’s like you’re the only person left in the world. When I run along a path through the woods back home, I’m alone there too, but somehow with the trees surrounding me, it doesn’t really feel that way.”
I waited a beat. “Maybe it’s good you run with Ford, then. So you won’t feel so alone.”
She nodded. “Do you ever run?”
“Not unless something’s chasing me.”
Ronnie chuckled.
I smiled and then gave her a more truthful answer. “I run on the treadmill sometimes. I prefer weight training, though.”
“Try running outside sometime. It’s a whole new experience.”
She moved away, and my hands felt empty. She stopped on the far side of the low wall separating the overlook from the canyon. After a moment, I followed.
“This really is gorgeous,” she said when I neared. “You said you’ve been here before?”
“We filmed here once, a long time ago.”
Ronnie turned toward me, leaning against the wall behind her. It cut off her view but made mine better. “You can film in a state park?”
“With the right permits.”
“How long ago was that?”
I had to think about it. “Eight or ten years. Long before Aiden was a star. I don’t even think his character had a name. He was just Bad Guy Number Three or something.”
“Were you his stunt double then?”
“Yes, but he didn’t get enough screen time to warrant a full-time stunt double, so I doubled for other guys and even played some non-speaking parts.”
“You do that? I didn’t know you could act.”
The interest in her chocolatey eyes made me wish I could say I did, but it wasn’t true. “No, it was just like being a background baddy. You know, a character who doesn’t do much besides get thrown from a moving car or get shot and collapse. Doesn’t take a lot of skill to fall.”
“It does to fall and not get hurt.”
That was true, but I didn’t know how to admit it without sounding like I was bragging.
Ronnie seemed interested in the topic, however. “Do you miss playing the different roles? I mean, as Aiden’s stunt double, I wouldn’t guess you get killed off very often.”
I chuckled. “No, not these days. But it’s better this way. Aiden’s the lead, so he has the most to do, which means I get to do the best stunts.”
“Do you prefer fighting or driving stunts?”
“Both. I love working out the choreography of the fight with Ford. But driving really fast like we did this morning doesn’t suck.”
She grinned in acknowledgement, and I continued. “Plus, back when I was doing stunts for more than one character, I’d have to wear wigs and make up. At least I don’t have to try very hard to look like Aiden.”
“No, you definitely don’t.”
I wondered if she took that as a good thing or a bad thing. “Are you ready for breakfast?”
“Sure.” She bounded away from the wall with a spring in her step and a bounce in… other parts. “Can I drive again?”
I hesitated. “Why don’t you let me until we get back on level ground. I don’t imagine you encounter routes this steep where you live, and there’s a trick to descending without putting too much wear on the brakes. Since we’re just ‘borrowing’ this car, it would be nice to return it in the condition we got it.”