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Widowed in Wyoming

Page 38

by Samantha Cole

“Do you? Because unless you’ve secretly added another dozen deputies to the county payroll, I don’t have the resources to babysit a television crew for several weeks.”

“No one is asking you to babysit them. The production company will have its own security. They’ve also agreed to cover any overtime costs for your department or any other local agencies that have to provide personnel because of the filming.”

“That helps, but money doesn’t give me more deputies. If I’ve got people directing traffic or handling crowds for them, those are deputies I don’t have somewhere else.”

“I know.” Tom held up a hand before Grady could continue. “That’s why we’re meeting with the company before they start. The board approved the filming. They didn’t promise them everything they asked for. We still need to find out exactly what they need, what they’re handling themselves, and what falls on the town or county. Nobody has agreed to give them unlimited access to your department.”

That mollified him slightly, but not enough. He took a drink of his coffee, thinking about his conversation with Amanda the night before. She’d told him about her show and her team, but she hadn’t mentioned a production crew coming to town.

Had she known while they were sitting across from each other at dinner?

The possibility irritated him more than it probably should have. He’d thought they’d gotten past some of the animosity between them last night, and Amanda certainly hadn’t seemed to be keeping something this big from him.

“When did you say they contacted you? The production company.”

“Day before yesterday.” Tom’s brow furrowed when Grady’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“No reason.”

That earned him a skeptical look, but Tom let it go. Grady, however, couldn’t dismiss the timing as easily. If Vividmark Productions had contacted the mayor two days ago and the town board had approved the request yesterday, Amanda surely would’ve known before he’d even picked her up for dinner. A production company couldn’t just decide to follow its star to Wyoming, contact the town, and start making arrangements without talking to her first.

Could it?

Hell, he didn’t know. Until meeting Amanda, the closest he’d ever come to the television business was watching the damn thing.

“Don’t go getting worked up until we know what we’re dealing with,” Tom warned. “This could be good for Antelope Rock.”

“You already gave me the tourism speech.”

“And I’ll give it to you again if I have to.”

“Oh, Jesus.”

Tom chuckled. “I’m the mayor. I’m supposed to see the possibilities.”

“And I’m the sheriff. I’m supposed to see everything that can go wrong.”

“Which is why we make such a good team.”

Grady gave him a look that expressed exactly what he thought of that statement, earning another chuckle from the mayor.

“I’ll let you know as soon as the production company confirms the meeting,” Tom said. “In the meantime, don’t start borrowing trouble.”

Too late for that. He stood and picked up his coffee. “Anything else?”

“Nope.”

“Best news I’ve heard all morning.” He headed for the door, eager to get back to his own office and the mountain of work waiting for him, but Tom stopped him before he reached it.

“Grady?”

He turned around. “What?”

The nosy bastard was grinning now. “How exactly do you know Amanda Sparks?”

“None of your damn business.”

Laughter followed him into the hallway as he headed back toward the sheriff’s department. Maybe there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for why Amanda hadn’t mentioned the production crew last night, and he’d give her the chance to explain. But if she expected him to spend the next several weeks smiling for cameras while his deputies played traffic cop for her television show, the woman had another thing coming.