Ties that Bind (Sunshine & Shadow Book 3) (2 page)

     Ted wasn’t happy about April’s announcement the
following day.

     “I don’t understand. You were just starting to
get noticed by the other editors. Staying on here could make you good money.”

     “It’s not about the money, Ted. And I appreciate
everything you’ve done for me here, but I miss working with horses. No matter
how much I love this job and I’ll miss everyone here, I can’t pretend it even
compares to how I feel when I’m with animals. I’m sorry.”

     “I’m sorry, too. Sorry you’re giving up this
opportunity.”

     April sighed. “Do you want me to go now? Or do my
two weeks so you can find someone else?”

     Ted frowned. “Stay for another week. That should give
me enough time to find a replacement.”

     April spent the rest of the week in Ted’s bad book.
He ignored her completely. April was beginning to count down the hours until
she didn’t have to come to this unfriendly office ever again. She passed the
time texting Lex; Ted wasn’t giving her any assignments, so there wasn’t much
else for her to do.

Friday, October 22nd - 8:12am

From: April Cooper

Well, Ted officially hates me. This
morning I found a banana peel on my desk and a note that said ‘Trash is full.
Empty it then throw this out.’

Friday, October 22nd– 8:17am

From: Lex Mitchell

You’d think for a professional editor he
might be a little more ‘professional’. Oh well, baby, last day.

Friday, October 22nd– 8:29am

From: April Cooper

I’m counting down the minutes. I seriously
can’t wait.

Friday, October 22nd– 8:54am

From: Lex Mitchell

I have interviews all day. I’ll be
thinking about you the entire time. Try to have a good day, angel. Xx

     April put the phone in her desk drawer just as
Ted came into the office. She was expecting to see a scowl on his face – it
seemed to be the only expression he wore nowadays – but was, instead, greeted
with a wide smile. She smiled softly back, suspicious and more than a little
curious.

     “Good morning, April,” Ted said.

     “Good morning, Ted.”

     “I brought you a coffee.” He placed a large
Starbucks cup on her desk.

     “Thank you.” She frowned, completely thrown by
this change of mood.

     He headed towards his office. “I’ll send some
files your way for review in the next few minutes. Take your time with them.”

     “Of course…”

     As Ted’s office door closed, April’s eyes popped
open. “What the hell was that?” she murmured to herself. She licked her lips.
The coffee was good. She took another sip and turned on her computer.

     By the end of the day, Ted was acting like April
was his best friend. He had sent over many important files for her to review,
each one accompanied by a compliment, like ‘I trust you to take care of this’,
or ‘I need your expert skills for this one’. She was getting a little
uncomfortable.

     “April, can you come in here for a moment?” Ted
called just a few minutes before April’s quitting time.

     “Yes, what do you need?”

     “This is for you.” He handed her a document.

     “What is it?”

     “It’s a letter of reference.”

     She frowned.

     “April, it’s a small world we live in, and anger
is tiresome. I’m disappointed that you’re leaving, but I won’t begrudge you a
future career.”

     April’s eyebrows lifted. How had such kindness
come from such a sour mood?

     “And, in return, I hope we can expect a good word
from you if you’re asked about the company, or your time here.”

     “Of course, Ted.”

     “No hard feelings, April. And I wish you the
best.”

     April nodded and closed his office door behind
her. She retrieved her bag and hurried from the office. As she waited for the
elevator she quickly typed a message to Lex.

Friday, October 22nd– 6:12pm

From: April Cooper

I’ll be home in fifteen. Come over?

     April half-expected Lex to be waiting for her as
she opened her apartment door and was slightly disappointed when he wasn’t.

     She poured herself a glass of wine, changed into
a pair of comfortable jeans and switched on the TV. CMT was playing music videos,
so she left it on that. She began to pack. She was leaving the following
morning for L.A. with Lex. The boxes containing her belongings would go into
storage until she found a permanent place in California.

     She wondered when that would be.

     The horse’s hooves pounded into the soft ground, his
tail held high. He was magnificent, pure grace. His power flowed from him in
waves, the energy alert and royal. His mane and tail were both stained with the
same black usually found in ink wells, his coat seeming to have been covered in
oil. The white snip between his flared nostrils danced as he breathed, heavy
and labored, refusing to give in. Around and around he went, diving into the
sand and kicking his heels to the sky, screaming his defiance.

     The surrounding air was still, only roused by his
passing, and then in a moment the stirring was gone, as he moved on. The horse
turned. His ears pricked forward like he was hearing sound for the first time,
his eyes watchful of any movements that he deemed dangerous, and if he did, he
would flee again, caught in between a gallop and a soar, appearing to never
touch the ground. The only proof that his mighty hooves felt the sand was the
dust flying in every direction, spraying out from his path.

     “Cut!”

     The horse stopped dead in his tracks, his head
dropping slightly, and he relaxed. One hind foot rested on the dirt like he was
bored.

     April smiled at him. The horse, Maverick, was by
far her favorite. She had known from the moment she started to work with him a
month ago, that he knew when it was time to train, and when it was time to
play. His work ethic was like none other.

     She clapped with everyone else, admiring the way
the sweat on the stallion’s coat made it gleam even more under the florescent
lights of the studio. She dusted her hands on her jeans and made her way to the
director’s chair, where Elliot Campbell was studying the scene.

     “Yes, yes, I like this bit…a little long, but we
can shorten it…All in all, I’m happy!”

     When he saw April, he turned to her. “Well done,
April. I can see now why Damian speaks so highly of you.”

     April glanced over to where the main stunt horse
trainer, Damian, stood, talking softly to the horse. He sensed her looking and
smiled.

     “Thank you,” April said.

     Campbell’s attention had already diverted back to
the monitor so she wandered over to Damian.

     Damian looked like he belonged out front of a
club rather than stroking a horse’s face on a movie set. He was at least six
foot four, with wide shoulders and a booming laugh. April liked him. His smile
was infectious, and he always seemed to have a kind word to say about people.

     “Hey kitten! What did you think?”

     April raised her eyebrows. “What did I think?
That was incredible, Damian. I mean, I watched you work with him in the arena,
but it was like you took it to a whole new level.”

     “
He
took it to a whole new level. Didn’t
you, boy?” Damian scratched the stallion behind the ears and the horses head
dropped to his waist, nudging him slightly. Damian laughed. “I guess someone
wants his dinner. Did you finish with Prime Time in the barn?”

     April nodded. “Yeah, but he doesn’t seem to want
to eat.”

     Damian shook his head slowly, leading the horse
away from the set. April followed him. “He’s been off for a while. He doesn’t
seem to want to do anything.”

     “Is he a stunt horse?”

     He shook his head. “Not really. He’s a saddle
horse. An actor rides him around on set, but nothing more than that. He’s not
on a vigorous training program like these guys are.” Damian patted the big
stallion’s neck.

     April pressed her lips together. There were many
reasons why a horse would stop eating; stress, anxiety, pain, an illness. But
the vet had cleared Prime Time, and although Damian had removed him from the
training schedule for nearly a week, the horse hadn’t improved.

     “Is he still being used onset?”

     Damian nodded.

     “By who?”

     “Violet Rose. He’s her saddle horse for the main
part of the movie. It’s a big role for him, but like I said, it’s easy. All he
has to do is be ridden, and quite often not even in the studio. I just don’t
get it.”

      “If he’s not eating that’s enough reason for him
not to want to do much else. I’ll try some things in the morning to see if I
can get some food into him.”

     “What are you going to do?”

     “There are different herbs and oils that can help
a horse’s appetite. I guess I’ll just fiddle with his diet until I get it
right.”

     “Good luck.”

     Entering the barn was a sight April didn’t think
she’d ever get used to. The aisle was wide enough to tie a horse on each side
and still have room to lead horses down the middle, four abreast. The concrete
floor was cleaned daily and the stalls were immaculate, built from dark timber
and black metal framing. The roof was high, making the building airy and open.
And the smell was the most overwhelming factor of all. After not being around
it for so long, the scent of horses made April’s entire body relax. The barn
was the only place she felt at home in this giant, intimidating city.

     She hadn’t had the chance to explore L.A. The
movie had rented her a hotel room, and when she wasn’t there, she was at the
movie lot, and when she wasn’t at the movie lot, she was trying to figure out
what she could do to curb the twisted feeling in her stomach whenever she was
alone.

     Lex was due to arrive at 2:00 pm. He strode
through the door, greeting Damian as he passed. His eyes found April’s and he
smiled. He wandered slowly to where April stood, pulling hair out of grooming
brushes.

     “April,” he said.

     “Good afternoon, Lex.” She tried to be as formal
as possible as there were people close by.

     Loud enough for any listening ears, Lex said, “April,
if you have a chance tonight I’d love to pick your brain about Benny. He’s been
giving me a bit of trouble recently.” His eyes twinkled inside a frame of dark
lashes.

     “Of course. I’m here to help.” April picked up another
brush and held it out to him. “As are you?”

     He raised an eyebrow but took the brush from her.
“I suppose I could help until I need to be on set in…” He checked his watch.
“Six minutes.”

     “That’s cutting it a bit close, don’t you think?”

     “I was running a bit late today.”

     “And why’s that?”

     “Just daydreaming about a beautiful girl, as men
do.” He winked.

     April dropped her head, her cheeks heating up.
She knew they were crimson by now. She still hadn’t figured out how to respond
when Lex complimented her.

     “Lucky girl,” she murmured, after a short minute.

     “Well it was nice chatting, April. But I agree; I
mustn’t keep the director waiting.”

     He motioned as if he was tipping his hat and
walked away. April admired the way the muscles in his back showed through his
thin, black t-shirt and rippled as he walked. She knew what they looked like
without cover, and her stomach tightened at the memory.

     April didn’t want to go back onto the set, but
she knew she should. While Damian was busy with horses in the arena, it was
part of her job to oversee the horses’ filming. She was avoiding the set for
two reasons.

     Lex.

     And Violet.

     Ever since arriving in L.A and beginning her new
job, April had been torn between a love of what she was doing, and unhappiness,
because every day she had to watch Lex and Violet be a couple, on screen. She
tried her hardest to focus on her work with the horses but she found it nearly
impossible.

     On the set, Campbell shouted, “Action!”

     “I finally realized,” Violet said in a sickly
sweet voice. “You’re the one I’m meant to be with.”

     “Are you sure?” Lex replied, stepping up close to
her and putting his hands on either side of her face. “Because I can’t take
false hope from you.”

     “I’m sure. I love you. I’ve always loved you. It
just took me a while to see it. But now, my heart beats for you, and only you.”

     April turned away. Every time Lex’s hand would
graze Violet’s cheek or he would kiss her in front of the cameras, April would
feel jealousy eating away at her heart. There was nothing she could do about
it. If anyone found out about her and Lex, not only would she lose her job, he’d
lose his entire career. No matter how difficult it was to watch, April had to
remember that she was here for the horses. Only for the horses. She focused on
them and put Lex and Violet out of her mind.

     Prime Time was her main concern. After what
Damian had said, April really needed to find out why he was off his game. There
was no mistaking it. His head was down, his eyes were dull, until he was given
a command when he would snort and plant his feet in defiance. He wasn’t
cooperating and it was upsetting the scene they were shooting.

     “Cooper!” Campbell called April over.

     “Yes sir.”

     “What’s wrong with this horse?” He pointed at
Prime Time. Violet was having a hard time getting on. The horse was determined
not to let her.

     “I’m not sure. It could be…well, anything. I
haven’t had time to work with him one on one yet, sir.”

     “Well, find the time.” He picked up the
loudspeaker. “Bring me another saddle horse for Ms. Rose. Now.” He waved at the
groom standing by the sidelines. Turning back to April, he said, “Fix it.”

     April walked to the horse, taking his rein from
the defeated groom, and exchanging a look with Lex. His eyes were sympathetic;
he knew what a hard-ass Campbell could be at times.

     April led the horse through the barn and into the
indoor arena.

     It was massive, much larger than any April had
seen before, and she understood why. The area had been separated into three,
equally-sized arenas. She took Prime Time to the far one and set him loose. She
wanted to watch how he acted on his own before putting him in the round pen.

     Jumping up on the fence, she studied him.

     At first all he did was sniff the ground. His
nose skimmed the sand and he inhaled and exhaled, blowing dust into the air and
snorting. Then he rolled, scratching himself on the dirt, then standing up and
shaking.

     April sighed. He was behaving just like a regular
horse, not one that was ill or overly stressed. She jumped down and took a hold
of his halter, leading him into a round pen beside the arena.

     Once in the circular pen, she let him go and went
to the center.

     “What’s your issue, buddy?” she asked as she
observed the horse trotting around the outside, putting no pressure on him to
make him move.

     His head was up, defiant. He stomped his feet and
swished his tail as he moved, like he was fending off an attack of flies. But
as there were none in the building, April knew it to be another sign of
dominance. He was very upset with humans, and she knew as soon as she put any
pressure on him, his aggression would come out.

     She swung her rope in a small circle and Prime
Time turned, pinning his ears flat to his head and showing the whites of his
eyes. She swung her rope again, this time more forcefully, and took a strong
step towards him. He kicked out at her with both back feet and stopped,
planting himself on the rail and turning his hind end in her direction, his
tail tucked in tight.

     April didn’t want to back up and show submission,
but she knew that one kick from those powerful hooves could kill her. She
flicked her rope towards him and the horse rushed her, mouth open and eyes wild
with the fire of a crazed animal.

     Jumping out of the way at the last second and
landing on her knees in the dust, April said, “What the hell is your problem?”

     She stood up, brushing the sand off her jeans and
watched the horse trot the fence across from her, ears pinned, hitting the
ground with his hooves like he was trying to break through the earth’s crust.
His chestnut coat glistened with a fine layer of sweat, but April had a feeling
he wouldn’t give in even if he was drenched and dripping foam.

     “April! Be careful!” Damian rushed across the
arena towards her.

     “Yeah, he’s not in the best mood.”

     “No, you don’t understand,” he said, as he
reached her, “We don’t round pen this horse. I tried, when he first arrived and
he almost killed me.”

     April frowned. “Then how did you train him?”

     “Carefully,” he said, laughing humorlessly. “Once
he’s caught and saddled he can be trained, but you have to let him be the boss,
as bad as that sounds. He’ll never submit. And I hate to say it, but as a girl,
you’ve got no chance.”

     It was understood in the world of horses, that if
a strong-minded horse wouldn’t back down to a man, he definitely wouldn’t
submit to a woman; something about the smell made women seem inferior to them.
April had proved that theory wrong with the horses at Blue Haven, but she
didn’t want to overstep the boundary by telling Damian that.

     “What’s his issue?”

     “No-one knows,” Damian said, opening the gate to
let her out. “We got him from a ranch in Colorado. He was bred to be a stunt
horse, trained from the ground up to do this line of work. And for a while he
did. He accepted the new tricks without complaint.”

     “When did the complaining start?”

     Damian took his baseball cap off and scratched
his head. “Right around the start of this movie. I tried taking him back to
basics and doing the exact same things I did when he first arrived, but nothing
worked. I even called the ranch in Colorado and they had no clue. Apparently he
didn’t put up any kind of fuss when they broke him. They described him as a
pussycat, if you can believe that.”

     With April out of the round pen, Prime Time used
the entire area to show his annoyance. He pranced along the fence line,
swishing his tail back and forth and tossing his head so that his mane swung
from side to side.

     “I came to tell you it’s three o’ clock,” Damian
said.

     “I’ll put him in his stall and head home, I
guess.”

     “I’ll do that.” He took the rope from her hand.
“He’s going to need some time to calm down before we can catch him anyway. Head
home and relax. Study up on those herbs and stuff. Maybe we can figure him out
that way. It might be something really simple we’ve been missing.”

     April nodded and left the arena. She didn’t say
goodbye to Lex, preferring not to see his lips locked with Violets in the scene
that the director insisted they do over and over again to make sure it was
perfect. She grabbed her things from the staff room in the giant barn and
headed to the parking lot. As she closed the back door behind her, her phone
vibrated.

From: Lex Mitchell

Hey, meet at my place? I’ll be done early.

     April felt her heart speed up. Even though
meeting at Lex’s house was a regular occurrence, butterflies still erupted in
her stomach whenever he suggested it, expectant of the afternoon’s usual
activities. Lex had rented her a car and, as she pulled out of the parking lot
in the brand-new Land Rover, she got looks from passerby’s that made her cheeks
flame.

     She headed straight to Lex’s house, planning to
hang out with his puppy Maxwell until Lex arrived. Pulling into his long,
tree-lined driveway, she punched the memorized code into the keypad and watched
as the huge, wrought iron gates swung open, revealing the winding road up to
the big house.

     The house itself was impressive enough without
all the add-ons. High in the Hollywood hills, the view was extraordinary. The
house sat atop a mound, lifting it away from the grass and flower-covered
courtyard where April stopped her car. She opened the door as she turned the
ignition off. Cash appeared on the porch.

     “Did you want to pull into the garage? It’s going
to hail. Just please don’t hit my car.” Cash smiled and went back inside the
house.

     The garage was behind the house, half for cars
and half for a workshop. Lex liked working on cars, a hobby of his that April
had only just discovered. She parked beside Cash’s Range-Rover, in Lex’s spot. She
inched around the SUV, aware of how protective Cash was over his pride and joy.

     Inside the house she was greeted by the smell of
fresh blueberry muffins. She followed the scent to the kitchen and found Cash
reading a book up the kitchen island. His head was buried in the novel,
mouthing the words to himself as he read. 

     “Smells good,” April said, sliding onto a stool
opposite him.

     “Lex made them this morning. He said they’re your
favorite.”

     She nodded. “They are.”

     Grabbing one off the plate, she chewed
absentmindedly. April laughed as Maxwell skidded around the corner and into the
kitchen, wiping out on the slippery hardwood and sliding towards her. She
jumped off the stool and let the puppy leap into her arms.

     “Someone’s happy to see you,” Cash said.

     April scratched the collie behind the ears. His
bright, hazel eyes twinkled beneath two brown eyebrows. Lex had chosen him
because he always looked happy, and because the black spot of hair under his
nose looked like a moustache.

     “Yeah, it’s been a few days, hasn’t it boy?” She
laughed as Max licked up the length of her face.

     Cash phone vibrated on the table. He glanced at
it.

     “Lex says he’s got a short day today, so he’ll be
home in a few.”

     “I know,” April said.

     Cash’s phone vibrated again. This time he picked
it up. “Cash Mitchell,” he said in a very formal tone. “Yes, one moment please.”
Cash closed the book and stood up, covering the microphone with one hand. “I’ll
be upstairs if you need me.”

     April nodded and gave him the thumbs-up. He
disappeared up the stairs. Max tugged at her shirt and she chuckled, watching
the way his little body wiggled when he wagged his tail.

     “Come on boy,” she said, picking him up. “Let’s
go find you a toy.”

     April carried the puppy down to the basement. There
was a miniature movie theatre, a spare bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, a
storage room, and Maxwell’s bedroom; although April had a feeling the puppy
hadn’t even spent one night in there since Lex had brought him home. Whenever
she slept over, it seemed he had a permanent spot at the foot of Lex’s bed.

     There was a treasure chest in the room, filled to
the brim with chew-toys, ropes, treats, and other things Lex hoped Maxwell
would grow into. The only toy he seemed interested in playing with at the
moment was Lex’s cowboy boots, which were now tightly locked away in his
walk-in closet. Maxwell had since moved on to visitors’ shoes, left unprotected
by the front door.

     She brought out a rope and encouraged Max to grab
one end. His little nose twitched and he tipped his head to one side, whining
quietly, trying to understand what she was asking.

     A car pulled into the driveway.

     “Fine. If you don’t want to play, we’ll just go
back upstairs.” April stood up and put the toy back in the chest. She looked
down at the pup, still watching her. “Come on, Max! Let’s go see Daddy!”

     Maxwell jumped into action, sliding out of the
door and up the stairs before April had a chance to take a step. As she rounded
the corner into the hallway, she could hear Lex laughing and talking to the
dog. She headed in the direction of his voice.

     “Hey baby!” he said when he saw her. Putting the
puppy down and standing up, he hurried over to her, picking her up in his arms
and swinging her around.

     She laughed. “You knew I’d be here. Why are you
so excited?”

     “I’m always excited when I see you. It’s what’s
called being
in love
.” He kissed the tip of her nose and bent down to
pick up the puppy, who was impatiently climbing his leg, hoping for more fuss.