CHAPTER ONE

“Please remove your hand from me.” Ashley Price’s quietly hissed words pulled my attention away from Anthony Peterson, the snobby production coordinator who, after introducing himself, refused to shake my hand.

I scanned my Aromatherapy Apothecary shop and found Ashley backed into a corner by a tall, strikingly handsome man. It was Nigel Hollister, Hollywood’s heartthrob in his younger years and now a swoon-worthy actor in his mature years. He and the film crew were in town to shoot Hidden Crimes, a gritty murder mystery, from what I’d been told, with Nigel cast as the lead homicide detective. Unfortunately, his reputation with women appeared well-earned.

“Aw, c’mon honey, I didn’t mean any harm.” Although Nigel had dropped his hands to his sides, he continued to stand much too close to my best friend and assistant. “I’m just trying to get to know you, seeing how I’ll be stuck in this tourist trap for the next two weeks.”

Ashley’s arms remained tightly crossed in front of her shapely chest. “I’m not interested, so please step away.”

I knew Ashley was more than capable of defending herself if need be. She dated our local police officer who practiced self-defense safety measures with her. But, knowing her as I did, she’d try to smooth things over since my shop was providing aromatherapy and reflexology sessions for the cast party the following evening. I couldn’t allow the situation to escalate, so I turned to assist Ashley.

Before I’d taken even two steps, the production coordinator placed his well-manicured fingers lightly on my arm as if to stop my forward movement. “She’ll be fine. Nigel won’t cross the proverbial line. Besides, the ladies seem to enjoy his attention.”

“Anthony, from my vantage point, my employee is not enjoying his attention. It’s my legal responsibility to make sure she’s working in a safe, harassment-free environment.” As the daughter of Oak Creek Valley’s chief of police, I felt I had good authority in making sure nothing untoward happened.

“You don’t have to get all snippy.” He fidgeted with his navy-blue tie, then tugged at the sleeves of his charcoal-gray suit jacket. “Nigel, why don’t you wait for me in the patisserie? I’ve almost finished reviewing the event details with Ms. Carmichael, and I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

“Sure, man.” Nigel leaned over and whispered something into Ashley’s ear, his salon-created chestnut-colored hair a sharp contrast to her long, blonde, beach-wavy hair. Her face turned mottled red, and she seemed to shrink back even more.

I’d had enough of the leading man’s antics and stepped toward him, ready to give him a piece of my mind, even if it cost me the lucrative event fee. Before I’d gotten more than a few steps across the shop, Nigel spun away from Ashley and bolted for the door. I closed the gap between myself and Ashley.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, but what a jerk!” Ashley muttered, keeping her voice low enough so that Anthony wouldn’t be able to overhear. “It’s a good thing there aren’t any customers in the shop to witness my humiliation.”

I squeezed her shoulder for a moment. “Take a break as long as you need. I can handle everything here.”

“Thanks, Carissa, but I’m really okay.” Ashley jutted her chin in Anthony’s direction. “You’d better finish with him so he can go keep that Neanderthal in line. I’ll be in the back room bottling your batch of lavender oil. Call me if it gets busy.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I studied Ashley’s baby-blue eyes as she nodded, trying to find out if she had told me the truth. She didn’t look away, so I squeezed her arm, then went back to Anthony.

“You blew that way out of proportion.” Anthony rolled his pale gray eyes. “Nigel is just being himself. He might be overly friendly, but he doesn’t mean any harm.”

While I wanted to argue with him, I bit back my words and focused on the reason I’d opened my shop thirty minutes earlier than usual, on a Sunday morning, no less. We needed to nail down the final details of the event. “Will Mr. Hollister be there tomorrow evening?”

“Of course. He’s our star.”

I leaned in closer to Anthony. “Then be sure he stays away from Ashley. I will not tolerate him harassing her for even a second.”

“Really. You’re making too much of this situation.” He waved his hand in the general direction where Ashley had been standing. “Can we move on and finish the details of what I need?”

“Fine.” I crossed my arms, not fine at all.

“The directions and map to the location of the movie shoot are in the back.” He shoved a sheaf of papers toward me, forcing me to uncross my arms. “It’s out in the middle of Timbuktu, so plan on some extra time to get there in case you get lost. And be prepared for a primitive setup. You’d think people in this area would know about modern conveniences.”

Heat rose from the center of my chest and up to my face. First Nigel and now Anthony had denigrated our town. I hoped Ashley hadn’t heard his comment because the property he was criticizing belonged to her and her mother.

Anthony continued his criticism. “I don’t know what the location scout was thinking. The house is like going back sixty years in time, and the film is supposed to be set in modern times. Then there’s all the dust from the orchards and the burned-out garage. Didn’t your wildfire happen a couple of years ago? Why would a homeowner just leave the thing sitting there without tearing it down and replacing it? And this little hick town… there’s nothing to do, and only one reasonable place to stay and eat. But I guess I should have expected it, since practically no one lives here.”

My anger was edging toward the boiling point. How dare he think he was so superior without knowing what Ashley and her mother had been through. And our town? Oak Creek Valley, located a mere eighty miles northwest of Los Angeles, was a vacation getaway for numerous celebrities and notable people. They’d been flocking to our town since the early 1920s. And movie studios had been using our locale since the 1950s. “Excuse me?”

He stopped his rant mid-sentence. “What?”

“You’re not from Southern California, are you?” I made a purposeful study of his suit, tie, dress shoes, and his youthful face. He barely looked out of high school, and he was definitely out of place in our casual town in Southern California.

“Proudly born and raised in New York City.” His face fell. “My uncle hired me two days ago as his production coordinator for this movie, and I just flew into LAX last night. I can’t believe I had the misfortune to end up in some place like this. Nigel is okay to work for, and he’s a magnet for the ladies, which helps, but still…”

“I’m going to do you a favor before you embarrass yourself any further.” I pointed at his cell phone. “Open your browser and type in Oak Creek Valley. While you’re reading, I’m going to pour myself a cup of tea.”

I left him standing alone, his mouth hanging open, and practically stomped off toward the breakroom. Making a quick detour, I stopped by my office and scooped up my rescue pup, Pixie. She’d been sound asleep after a brisk early morning walk with me, but I needed some cuddling to lower my blood pressure. She nestled into my chest, and I instantly felt better.

Instead of pouring a cup of tea, I carried Pixie back to where Anthony stood. Pink had flooded his cheeks, and he wouldn’t meet my gaze. “How is it you could drop everything and move out here at the last minute for the position? The on-location shoot is supposed to last for almost three months, right?”

“I had to get…” Anthony grimaced. “I was free and my uncle needed some help. So here I am.”

Was he about to say he needed to get out of town? I let it drop, but knew I’d be paying close attention to any gossip floating around during the event the following evening. “How’d your uncle get you hired so quickly? He must have connections.”

He ran his long fingers through his flaxen hair. The strands fell back into place as if he’d never touched them. If I tried that, my raven-black curls would spring up all over the place. “I guess you’ll hear about it anyway, but he’s Marshall Pierce, the director of the film.”

That explained so much about this young man’s arrogance. I’d have to ignore it as much as I could. Pixie reached over as if to lick his hand, and Anthony recoiled.

“Isn’t it a health violation to have an animal in a place of business?”

“Nope. Are you allergic to dogs?”

“No, but they just seem so unsanitary.”

Here was another reason to dislike this person. But business was business, and I’d just have to get on with it. “What else do you need from me?”

“You and your employee need to sign the nondisclosure form and email it to me before noon today.” He handed me a business card that appeared to have been hastily produced on a desktop printer. “Read through all the documents about the security measures that will be in place and the protocol for interacting with the actors.”

I raised my eyebrows. “I’ve been working with Dot Normandy about the setup for tomorrow night. Should I contact her to confirm that the supplies and arrangements I need are in place?”

“She’s no longer with the production.” Anthony sniffed. “Send me an email with whatever you discussed with her by noon, and I’ll see what we can do.”

“But I set everything up with Dot two months ago. You should have access to our emails and a list of what she said she ordered.” Not only was I frustrated by this man’s attitude, but I was also disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to meet Dot in person. She had been a delight to work with, on top of being friendly. We’d planned on going out for drinks and dinner while she was in town.

“I have too much to do and can’t take the time to weed through her inbox.” He looked at his wristwatch, which probably cost more than my Ford SUV. “I’ve got to meet Nigel and hopefully find a decent cup of coffee. Send me the email along with any other questions you might have.”

Without saying another word, Anthony spun on his heels, pushed through the glass door, and headed toward the patisserie. I hoped Nigel and Anthony wouldn’t harass the owner and baker, Jasper Whitby, who happened to be my boyfriend. Not that Jasper couldn’t handle himself, but he didn’t deserve the angst. There was a fine line in catering to the whims and wishes of the elite who visited our town without denigrating ourselves.

As soon as Anthony was out of sight, Ashley emerged from the distilling room. “I can’t believe I’m going to have to put up with those two off and on for three months. I’m afraid I might have made a deal with the devil by renting my property to the studio.”

The studio location scout had found Ashley and her mom’s property and asked if she’d be interested in renting out the house and orchard for their film shoot. At first hesitant, since she, her son, and her mother would have to move out for at least three months, she caved when she heard the rental fee the studio offered. It would be more than enough to catch up on their mortgage payments and put some money away for future needs. Plus, the studio would film the scenes that contained the burned-out garage, then rebuild it at the studio’s expense for the remaining scenes. It made the offer impossible to pass up.

I slung an arm over her shoulder while Pixie licked Ashley’s cheek. “It’ll be worth it once all is said and done. Just think of the relief you’ll have once the check is cashed and your creditors are satisfied.”

“You’re right. I’m hoping Mom will start sleeping better without the cloud of debt hanging over our heads.” Ashley wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I can’t tell you how thankful I am that your dad got the mortgage company to work with us in the first place. Otherwise, we wouldn’t even have a place to call home.”

After the death of her boyfriend, serving overseas in the armed forces, Ashley became a single mother and moved back in with her mother. Circumstances beyond their control, along with the ravaging wildfire, had made their financial position even more precarious. My shop had opened just when Ashley needed it most to support her family. I’d done everything I could to create opportunities for her to earn extra money aside from the salary I paid her.

She’d become skillful in reflexology services and had a long list of repeating clients. Her talent with graphic design allowed her to create gift items to sell in my shop, and her monthly aromatherapy workshops had become sellouts. Still, it hadn’t been enough to catch up on outstanding mortgage and credit card debts. This solution had been a godsend, and I was relieved that Ashley would finally be able to breathe easier without the burden of debt.

“I’m glad Dad knew someone who could help.” I gave her another hug, then set my wiggling pup down. “What did that jerk whisper to you just before he left? It looked like it really upset you.”

“While Anthony might not know I’m the owner of the house…” Ashley huffed. “Yeah, I heard his entire horrid conversation. Anyway, that jerk knows and insinuated what he wanted to do in my bedroom. It was pretty crass.”

“That does it. I’m going to file a formal complaint with the studio. Nigel might be their star, but it doesn’t give him the right to treat people, especially women, like that.”

“Leave it alone. I’ll just stay out of his way when I’m on set.” Ashley shrugged. “Maybe once they start working, he’ll have less time on his hands to bother me. I can’t risk jeopardizing the rental money.”