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Amanda paced across the living room, trying to wrap her head around the fact that all of this had apparently been happening without anyone bothering to mention it to her. She’d finally started enjoying the Rock again. The quiet had stopped feeling suffocating somewhere along the way and become something she looked forward to. She could sit on Edith’s porch without cars rumbling past every few seconds. People weren’t constantly rushing from one place to another, and her phone didn’t ring every five minutes unless Madeline was trying to ruin her life.
And now Hollywood was coming to Wyoming.
“Do you have any idea what you’re about to unleash on this town?”
“It’s not an invading army, Amanda.”
“Have you met our production crew?”
Madeline laughed. “Touché.”
Amanda wasn’t amused. “Equipment trucks, cameras, lighting, sound people, assistants running everywhere. They’ll take over the hotel, the restaurants, half the parking in town—”
“They know how to work in smaller locations. They’ll manage.”
“That’s not the point.” She walked to the window. Nothing moved except the chickens pecking at something near the fence. A few weeks ago, the lack of activity would’ve driven her crazy. Now, the thought of a production crew descending on Antelope Rock made her want to barricade the road into town.
“I came here to help Aunt Edith. I’m doing my community service. I’m getting work done. For once, I don’t have a camera shoved in my face.” The last part surprised her. She’d spent years loving the attention that came with being on camera and had never minded having one follow her around. But now, the thought of a production crew descending on Antelope Rock and disrupting the life she’d begun to enjoy bothered her more than she cared to admit.
“I know, but the network sees a great opportunity. People are going to love seeing this side of you.”
“What side? Convicted criminal?”
“You weren’t convicted of anything serious, and you said the misdemeanor will be expunged from your record after the community service is complete.”
“That’s comforting.” She rubbed her forehead as she tried to accept that there was nothing she could do to stop this. “When are they coming?”
“The advance team arrives tomorrow. Filming will probably start early next week.”
“And when are you planning to come out here and join the circus?”
“I’ll be there before filming starts, although I’ll only stay for a few days. I have other work to handle after that.” Amanda wasn’t Madeline’s only client, but she was the most successful so far.
As she paced again, her frustration grew. “What about Fen?”
“He’s flying in on Sunday.”
“So soon?”
“Yes. I figured you’d want him there before the crew starts showing up.”
She couldn’t argue with that. Fen had been her assistant long enough to know how to handle both her and the production people when either became unreasonable, which was probably going to happen frequently over the next few weeks. “Where is everyone staying?”
“Vividmark is handling accommodations for the crew. Fen will stay at a B&B in town, and I’ll do the same when I get there. I had him call and make reservations before anyone from Vividmark could take all the rooms.”
Amanda let out a long sigh and rubbed the back of her neck. “This is really happening.”
“It’s really happening.”
Wonderful. In less than twenty-four hours, the quiet little bubble she’d unexpectedly grown fond of would start filling with people from her other life. She was still trying to wrap her head around that when another problem occurred to her.
Grady.
“Oh, shit.”
“What?”
“The sheriff.” Amanda grimaced as she pictured his reaction to learning a television crew was coming to town. Between traffic, crowds, equipment trucks, and whatever else filming entailed, his department would undoubtedly get dragged into it.