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CHAPTER 1

The meeting room was more crowded than expected for the first day on the set. Aaron Decker leaned hard against the folding metal chair, scanning the oversized canvas tent with a cautious eye. It was typical for a western television series, with a number of extras already clad in their eighteen-eighty's old west style clothing. Adding to the entourage was one of his horses tied near the front, for dramatic effect. The kick-off for the first day of filming would begin after a brief press conference, which was a waste of time and usually all for show.

The press held steady to one corner, popping off flashes as actors, actresses and extras made their way inside, mingling in party fashion. He locked gazes with his brother, Gabe, who appeared less than amused as he stood with their gelded quarter horse, Charger. He chuckled to himself when his brother's gaze strayed following several women who made their way to one corner of the tent. Some things never changed, like the fact Jeremiah still hadn't shown, though it wasn't often his youngest brother was on time for anything.

The director of the series, Horace Leland of Leland Films, entered the tent followed by a number of others, all taking seats behind the tables at the front. The Bounty Hunter logo tablecloths covered the tables inside, sporting crossed western pistols and a silhouette of a cowboy jumping a horse. The lead players in making the television series and some of the top actors found their places. Among them the famous Drake Masters, who would play The Bounty Hunter hero, Shane Walker. The pretty boy from New York grinned, his pearly whites saluting the crowd of cheering women. Typical. He and his brothers had worked a number of television series over the years, providing horses and riding as stuntmen and as extras. He'd been around enough to know how it worked. The actors played their parts, the women swooned and he jumped horses for a paycheck.

The Bounty Hunter was predicted to do well and word had it. That it would be picked up by the networks for several seasons. That meant consistent income and a chance to put a down payment on the one hundred acres that backed his family's ranch in Sun River. With any luck he'd start the working ranch he'd dreamed of operating for teenage boys trapped in the foster care system. Boys much like he and his brothers before Sarah and Amos had adopted them. He shook his head, recalling them taking in three misfit unrelated boys who gave them nothing but trouble from the start. He ran a hand through his hair. It might be his far-fetched dream was right in his grasp. With what he'd make on this series, which was close to home, he'd be able to start building on the first forty acres by next spring.

"Welcome to the first season of The Bounty Hunter." Suit-dressed Leland smiled as spectators and actors erupted in cheers. "And we are fortunate to have cast Mr. Drake Masters as our lead, Shane Walker. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you The Bounty Hunter."

Drake tipped his hat toward the crowd. It was apparent the dime store cowboy had purchased his hat at Helena Regional Airport on his way to the set. Aaron smoothed his beard as women around the tent chattered amongst themselves, some fanning as if faint from seeing the Hollywood legend in person. A wanna-be cowboy. Perfect.

"Bro." Jeremiah shuffled into the chair beside him, resting his elbows on his knees, still wearing his fire department uniform.

He eyed his brother with speculation, lifting a brow and glancing at his watch.

"Late call." Jeremiah stifled a yawn.

He'd figured as much. As a paramedic, Jeremiah pulled the regular twenty-four on, forty-eight off at the fire department, working search and rescue all over the northwest.

Horace continued at the podium. "We've got a number of items to cover. Filming will begin today if we have all the players. Production and film crews? Lights? Props? Wardrobe and make-up? Grounds?" The director glanced around, getting a raised hand out of the lead for each group.

"And some of you are already dressed for the occasion. I need to remind everyone that we are all about to time warp back into the eighteen-eighties and we're going to make everything seem as real as possible, including the animals." The flashy director pointed over his shoulder to Charger, who nibbled along the grass at tent's edge.

Jeremiah stretched his legs out in front of him, tucking his hands behind his head, his sandy blond hair curling out from under his fire department baseball cap. "Charger looks less than enchanted."

"But Gabe's in his element." Aaron nodded where across the tent, the camera man before him was focusing in as Gabe chatted with the pretty blond reporter holding a microphone.

His youngest brother chuckled. "That'll tickle Lily pink."

Aaron couldn't resist a smile. Lily, his five-year-old daughter, loved when any of their animals appeared on television. And while cartoons were her favorite, she stayed transfixed when her own pet horses were the star of the show.

He'd brought her to the set a few days ago. They'd walked around the little ghost town so he could get a sense of what filming might encompass. The ground had been littered with nails and metal shards from tossing up an old west town overnight. He'd made a game of it with Lily, seeing who could hurry to find items to put in a bucket, clearing the grounds around the barn. She was thrilled at the game, and he'd hid his annoyance, though after a brief discussion with the men from props, the set had been cleaner on his morning walk through.

His contract provided for a small barn, but the structure hadn't been reinforced well enough should real weather hit. Given the set was located north of Helena, there wasn't any doubt harsh weather would come again before spring. Gabe's truck held two heaters that would need to be unloaded later. The horses didn't need much in the way of warmth, but the gas-powered units would knock the chill off the barn, even in a blizzard.

"A lot of stunts are planned, and we are still in the process of adding to the set. Our little western town will continue to grow as we film this series. The catering tent will be open every day we film. I think a lot of you know the wonderful Sally Wang out of Denver." Horace introduced the petite Asian chef who smiled amidst claps, cheers, and whoops. "You can let her know of any of your special dietary needs."

Aaron shot a quick glance at his brother. He didn't know what had happened to the hint of romance between Jeremiah and Sally on a set a few years ago, other than distance. His brother sat stoic, not giving him any hint he was bothered. But if he knew his brother, he was bothered. Probably hot and bothered.

Leland nodded in Sally's direction once more. "We have a medical tent that will be staffed by a registered nurse. Jenna Wilder will also serve as a nurse consultant for filming medical scenes, since she has a vast knowledge of the medical history of the old West."

The nurse blushed, giving a nervous wave to the noisy crowd. He sat forward, unable to take his eyes from her as Horace went on with his introductions. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a pony tail, and she had the most captivating amber eyes. She leaned closer to Sally, both ladies whispering, all smiles.

"A splinter should do it," Jeremiah hinted, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Huh?" He narrowed his gaze on his younger brother.

"A splinter might get you into the medical tent." His brother was quick to dodge the elbow Aaron sent his direction as he made his escape outside.

Aaron turned back in search of the nurse who had disappeared along with Sally. He glanced at his thumb where he'd dug out a nice size splinter earlier. Maybe he should've waited, but he wasn't here to chase women. He was here to make a living and besides, he had Lily to think about and no time to for a relationship that might get him burned — again.

He slipped outside, catching up with Gabe who was leading Charger back toward the corral. "Want to get those heaters inside the barn?"

"Let me put him out." His brother glanced at him. "Filming starts in another hour. Who you gonna use for the opener?"

Aaron shoved his hands in the pockets of his denim jacket. The production lead had requested a calm horse for the bounty hunter to ride during the shooting of title takes. They had brought two of their Morgans, Maxus and Thor, both excellent jumpers and similar enough in their brown coloring to pass for the same horse on film.

"Thor's in a better mood. Maxus is acting up as usual. Had a tough time getting him into the corral." He glanced at the horse that perked his ears on their arrival.

"He hates being away from home." Gabe turned Charger out into the corral with the other horses and closed the gate, tossing the bridle over his shoulder.

Aaron trotted to the back of the truck and let the tailgate down. He grabbed the first wooden pallet, carrying it inside the barn. Returning for the second, he carried it to lie beside the first.

Gabe waited at the truck, scrolling his cell phone. "Jeremiah got the camper hooked up."

"We got it good here. Water and electricity, even in the barn." He growled as they lifted the first heater. They traveled with the fifth-wheel camper so they had a place to stay in between filming and to keep an eye on the horses. Twenty minutes from home, meant he could spend most nights home with Lily, which wasn't always the case when he worked a set.

"I'll call it good if they have Wi-Fi." His brother eased his end of the heater to the palate.

"Wi-Fi's coming." Aaron moved the heater to a better position with a heavy groan.

"All right then, I'm in." Gabe adjusted his baseball cap on his short dark hair.

"Of course you are, Mr. Media." He lifted a brow, teasing his brother.

"I know you care little for the press, it's expected that I, as the most handsome of the brothers, be the one on camera." Gabe roared in laughter.

He rolled his eyes. "You're so full of shit. It wasn't the interview; it was the blonde with the mic."

"Got her number, too." His brother gave him a wink as they lifted the second unit.

"Keep the women to one at a time on this set. I need the pay off from this job." He warned with a slight grin as they jostled the second heater inside the barn.

"I've gotta meet the production boys. They're talking about a ramp for a jump. Episode five." His brother grunted with the effort of setting down his side of the heater.

"I read that scene, more like a bridge jump." Aaron stood again. He was the one that trained their horses for stunts, jumps being part of it, but sometimes what was called for on a script didn't plan for the safety of his animals, and that came first.

"One side of the bank to the other, as if from a bridge, but over the deeper part of the river. You're on at two." Gabe headed outside the barn, as he followed.

He glanced into the sky, the afternoon sun giving a hint. "What time is it?"

"One-thirty." His brother trotted toward the set.

He turned back for Thor. He hadn't had a chance to read the script he'd been handed earlier and pulled it from his back pocket. The first take would be for title captions with the cowboy hero doing a variety of runs and gallops. Shoving the script back into his pocket, he grabbed Thor's bridle and walked into the corral meeting Maxus.

"Nope, you're too ornery for this take." He rubbed the horse and moved across the corral to Thor, who was more interested in the fresh pile of hay he'd put out for the animals earlier. He placed the bridle and bit and then led the horse outside the corral, adding the old west blanket and saddle to the animal. Thor was the best choice, given he had no idea how much riding experience Drake Masters had under his belt, and Maxus was hard to handle.

He grabbed the brush and began running it across the horse to free him of dust. Thor gave him an appreciative nudge.

"All right, wise guy." He brushed harder to appease the animal.

"So you're part of the stunt team? The 'fall guy' I believe they call it."

He turned to the female voice behind him, finding himself face to face with the nurse. Well, I'll be damned.

She smiled and after a moment of hesitation moved closer.

He grabbed Thor by the reins, his mouth going dry. "Yep."

"Jenna Wilder, nurse consultant. Let me guess, rodeo cowboy, probably bull riding?" Those amber eyes sparkled along with her grin.

"Aaron Decker. Stunts yes. Ranching yes. Rodeos, not so much." He held out a hand, taking hers. She was spectacular up close and he had to remind himself he wasn't in the market for the most part and he needed this job.

She pulled her coat tighter as she admired Thor. "Scared of falling?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Scared of the landing."

She glanced at him and laughed with a nervous edge. "I'd have to agree."

"You got a nice sized medical tent." He'd seen it earlier in the week when he and Lily had explored the set. It seemed once again that Leland had spared little expense on making sure everything on the set was done well.

She looked that direction and back. "I was surprised. I've got all the modern equipment, medications, a cart, and even an A.E.D."

"Automatic external defibrillator." He added his knowledge of the equipment Jeremiah often talked about.

"Medical experience?" she asked as she patted Thor's neck.

"My brother Jeremiah's a paramedic. You'll see him and Gabe, the one with the horse in the tent around here a good bit." He studied her as she traced a hand along Thor's side. She was some kind of beautiful, and he had to remind himself to take a breath.

"He's a beautiful animal. A Morgan, right?" Her amber eyes grazed across him again.

"Yep. You ride?"

"When I was younger." She shivered as the wind picked up.

"I've gotta get him to the set, but there's a lot of down time in between takes. These guys get restless and need the exercise, if you'd like to ride sometime." He should know better than where his thoughts were going.

She nodded after a brief hesitation. "I don't know, maybe some time, though it's been quite a long time."

"You don't forget." He had to admit the idea of teaching her meant he'd have his hands on her, and that made things a little more than interesting, though it had seemed her tone sounded abrupt. Final. Ah, he knew better, and getting tangled in a relationship on the set would only complicate his work.

"I won't keep you." A hint of a blush touched her cheeks. "Is this where I am supposed to say 'break a leg'?"

He shook his head. "Not with horses."

"In that case, how about happy filming?" She began walking back toward the medical tent, turning to smile his direction once more.

"Better." He tugged Thor behind him toward the little western town. She was very easy on the eyes if nothing else, but his life wasn't in a place where he needed to add a woman to it. He shook his head. Here he was, on the set of a television series with Hollywood babes walking all over the place, and the one woman who'd managed to capture his attention was the behind the scenes nurse consultant. There had to be something wrong with this picture, or things on this set had gotten a bit more than interesting.

"Jenna, you're needed in trauma-two." Shay McKenzie grabbed a pile of charts at the nurse's station, whipping her blonde ponytail off her shoulder in a frenzy of sorting reports from the lab.

"Is that before or after they commit us all?" Jenna kidded with a smile, letting it fade as she signed onto the computer, searching the electronic medical record. It had been a hectic shift but glancing at the clock, it was almost time for report.

Brianna Carlton, registered nurse and Jenna's best friend, leaned against the counter. "I'll join you both. We can commit ourselves as a trio to the mental health unit. Think they'll take us?" Jenna lifted her brows. "I'm sure they'd take you."

"They wouldn't know how good they had it if I showed up." Her best friend challenged with a swing of her hips as she sashayed away to her work, letting out a huge laugh.

"On second thought, they couldn't handle you at all." Jenna opened the next chart, taking a look, giggling to herself. Trauma-two could wait. The man with a broken leg had already been splinted and was sleeping off his booze, waiting on his ride.

The three-year-old boy with a fever in room four was waiting on discharge papers. She headed that way and re-assured the nervous parents that his fever was coming down and he would be released soon.

She smiled to herself thinking of Mason, her twelve-month-old son and the light of her life. After this shift was done, she would begin her new job, which would give her more time home with her son. She dropped by room five where the man with the broken leg was still sleeping. She entered his vitals into the Electronic Medical Record and passed by the desk again.

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Excerpted from "All But the Fall"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Kimberly Williamon Turner.
Excerpted by permission of The Wild Rose Press, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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