In the Paths of Righteousness (Psalm 23 Mysteries) (8 page)

“Sometimes Kyle can just get under a person’s skin, you know?”

He chuckled. “Apparently he got under yours.”

It was not the response she had been hoping for so she pushed a little harder. “Sometimes I think it’s me, that everyone else in the world thinks he’s a saint. I know my parents do. Maybe I am the crazy one.”

“I don’t think everyone sees him as the golden boy he thinks of himself as,” Brent replied.

“Really?” Cindy asked.

“Really. Now, this is my first time working with him, but it’s not that big a network and you hear things sometimes.”

“Like what?” she asked, not having to fake the eagerness in her voice.

“I know poor Martin didn’t want to work on this show. He disliked working with Kyle because Kyle thinks of himself as the director and cinematographer of his shows instead of just the star.”

“Then why did Martin agree to work on the show?”

“He didn’t have a lot of choice, the way I heard it. Kyle pitched a fit because he wanted the best cinematographer on the job. Such a tragedy, too, that it got Martin killed, especially when Norman would have loved to have been here in the first place.”

Cindy blinked, trying to hide her rising excitement. “Norman wanted to be the cinematographer for the show?”

“He was supposed to be. In fact, the idea for the show was actually his. He was so excited when the network decided to run with it. And it broke his heart when the executives told him he wouldn’t be working on it. We were filming an episode of my show the day he got the news. I’ll never forget it. I can’t remember ever seeing anyone so torn up about something in my life. I ended up convincing everyone to take the rest of the day off. He was no good to anybody in that condition.”

“Wow, he must hate Kyle,” Cindy muttered.

Her mind was racing. It sounded like Norman also had reason to hate Martin. But Norman hadn’t been there the night Martin was killed. He had arrived really early the next morning, though, suggesting that wherever he had been couldn’t have been too far away.

“You know, I could hold Kyle down while Norman punched his other eye,” Cindy joked, hoping to cover her intense interest in the information she was getting.

Brent laughed. “That would be a sight! Norman isn’t the type, though. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“So, I guess I’ll just have to pin Kyle anyway and see if anyone else volunteers to blacken his other eye. That way he can at least have a matched set.”

Brent shook his head. “He really must have pissed you off.”

“You have no idea,” she said fervently.

“You never know. Roddy might take you up on the offer. I know he gets really frustrated sometimes. He’s supposed to be a production assistant but Kyle treats him like his personal assistant. Or maybe Wayne would take you up on it. I heard he took a swing at Kyle over something when they were filming in Belize last year. Never heard what happened.”

It seemed the list of people who might want to hurt her brother just kept growing and growing.

“At this rate maybe I’ll auction off the privilege,” she said.

Brent laughed again. “I’ll bid a dollar. After all, making bacon out of lamb isn’t nearly the hardest thing I’m having to do this week.”

“What is?” she asked.

“I had to learn how to drive this wagon,” he said. “And I’m afraid of horses.”

The way he said it made Cindy laugh. She couldn’t help herself.

“Wait, make it two dollars. I nearly forgot that I have to make his dinner separate from everyone else’s.”

“Why?”

“Apparently the Kosher stew I came up with for everyone else isn’t good enough for him. He wants pork in his. I swear that man would put pork in anything. Plus, he’s obsessed with this particular type of truffle salt. He wants it in everything. Well, he can have it in his stew, but I refuse to put it in anything else. If I’m going to use truffles I want the real thing, you know?”

“And I thought he was high maintenance when we were kids,” she joked.

He laughed as well.

“Okay, so the bidding is at two dollars. I’ll have to see if I can get that up a few more dollars when we stop for lunch,” she said.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll have some takers on that,” he said with a laugh.

“Yeah, who do you think would pay top dollar to slug my brother?” she asked.

He turned and looked at her, and she suddenly noticed just how intensely green his eyes were. He had been smiling a moment before but now his face began to change, becoming more serious, more intense.

“You know, you ask a lot of questions,” he said.

She caught her breath. She had pushed too far and made him suspicious. She felt panic begin to flare up inside her and she tried to calm herself down. After all, that would only matter if he turned out to be the killer.

“What can I say?” she asked, sounding more than a little breathless. “I’m just naturally curious.”

“I kind of got that impression. I think I know what your game is, though.”

“You do?” she asked, trying to hide the panic she was feeling.

“Yes. And I have a question for you.”

“A question for me? What kind of question?”

He leaned closer until his face was all she could see. His eyes were blazing and they pinned her to the spot.

“Let’s just say someone’s life hinges on how you answer.”

Cindy thought about screaming for help, but her throat constricted. “What is the question?” she barely managed to whisper.

“Will you go out with me?”

She stared at him, sure that she was going insane. There was no way she could have heard him right. “What?” she gasped at last.

“See, not the right answer. The answer is ‘yes, I’d love to go out with you’,” he said.

“You’re asking me out on a date?”

“Yes, I am,” he said, still intense.

“How does someone’s life hinge on that answer?” she asked, blinking rapidly in her relief and confusion.

“Because my life is going to be over if you say no.”

“I-I. Okay,” she blurted out, still too rattled to really grasp what was happening.

“Excellent!” he said, smiling and leaning back. “I promise you, you won’t regret it.”

Cindy had no idea what to say. Fortunately that seemed to be okay with Brent and they rode for a while in silence.

After a while Zack rode up beside the wagon. “I didn’t get a chance to ask you how your ankle was doing this morning,” he said.

“Much better. Thank you,” she answered.

“Glad to hear it. You can probably return to a horse tomorrow if you want.” He gave a shrewd look. “Or, if you need me to, I can order you to ride in the wagon for the rest of the trip,” he said.

She smiled. “I appreciate that. I’m leaning toward the wagon, but let me see how I feel in the morning.”

The truth was, there wouldn’t have been any question for her if it hadn’t been for Brent asking her out. Now she felt a bit shy and awkward around him and it might be just enough to get her back on a horse. At least she wanted to keep her options open.

Next Zack addressed Brent. “We’ve been making better time than expected this morning. We’ll be stopping in an about an hour, there’s a little draw with some good grass and a stream just over the next hill.”

“Sounds good,” Brent said.

Zack tipped his hat and then headed back for the herd.

Brent urged the horses to a faster clip. “I’d like to start setting up before the rest get there,” he explained.

“Before the hungry hoard descends?” she asked.

“You’ve got that right. The camp cook thing is an awkward setup because it doesn’t allow you enough time to really prepare the food before everyone’s ready to eat it.”

“I can imagine that would be hard.”

“It is. But, like I always say, ‘Where a good chef falls, a great chef rises to the challenge.’”

“I like that,” she said.

“Thanks. I came up with it myself the day I taped my first cooking show. I kept thinking I wanted some sort of inspirational catch phrase and that was what I came up with.”

“It’s good, and it could apply to more areas of work and life.”

“I know, right? Substitute another word for chef like man or woman or cowboy and it works just as well.”

They fell back into silence and Cindy was surprised at how soon they reached the location Zack had described. Since they had beaten everyone else she volunteered to help and was soon busy making sandwiches. She had just finished when she saw the herd crest the rise.

Jeremiah was toward the front of the herd and she stopped for a moment, marveling at how well he rode. He looked so natural and graceful. It made her almost want to give riding another try even though she knew she could never achieve his level of skill.

As he rode toward her she continued to stare. He seemed larger than life, invincible, like some sort of knight in shining armor. She felt herself relax ever so slightly the closer he got, and with a start she realized that having him around always made her feel safer.

My hero
, she thought, and then felt herself blush.

Jeremiah felt a surge of relief as he saw Cindy standing beside the chuck wagon. He’d been unhappy when it had gone on ahead and realized he’d been worrying about her. Given everything that had happened to her, he was always far more comfortable when she was where he could see her at all times.

A few minutes later he was off his horse and walking over with Mark and Traci. After momentarily forgetting, he forced himself to walk a little stiffly as if the riding was getting to him.

Cindy looked pale and slightly uneasy and it worried him. The others must have noticed, too.

“What happened to you?” Traci asked before he could say anything.

“Brent asked me on a date,” Cindy blurted out.

It was all he could do not to say something he’d regret.

“Well that was unexpected,” Traci said.

“Tell me about it.”

“What did you say?”

“I was so shocked, I’m pretty sure I said ‘yes’,” Cindy admitted.

“Really?” Traci asked, managing to look even more surprised.

“Apparently so. He totally caught me off guard. He was saying that I was asking a bunch of questions and then he said he had one and I actually thought he was threatening me and then...he wasn’t.”

“Well, at least that will make a great story for your kids if he ends up being the one.”

Cindy groaned.

Traci just smirked at her.

Jeremiah felt like he wanted to rip something apart with his bare hands. A number of objects and people kept flashing through his mind as he clenched his fists, chief among them Brent.

You have no right to feel this way
, he told himself sternly.

It didn’t help ease the tightness in his chest, though.

“Okay, let’s break it up. Remember, it’s lunchtime. We’re supposed to be mingling,” Mark said.

Mark was grateful that the other three listened and did as he said. Cindy headed over to talk to Liz while Jeremiah made his way toward the cowboys. He was personally
planning on having a chat with Wayne and Junior. Divide and conquer was their best strategy here.

More than anything else, though, he had wanted to get Jeremiah thinking about something other than Brent asking Cindy out. He had no idea if either Traci or Cindy had noticed but there had been a murderous look on Jeremiah’s face when he found out. It had been so intense that it had actually scared Mark. Apparently the one thing that angered the rabbi more than someone trying to kill Cindy was someone trying to date Cindy.

Good to know.

Jeremiah grabbed his food and took a seat on the ground with Zack and Curly who both looked at him in surprise. Tex must be the one in charge of taking care of the horses and watching the cattle while they ate, he realized.

“I just wanted to thank you both for the great job you’re doing,” Jeremiah said by means of explaining his sitting down with them.

“Just doing our job,” Curly said.

Zack rolled his eyes at the other cowboy. “You’re welcome seems like an appropriate response.”

Jeremiah smiled.

“You ride pretty well,” Zack said. “You grow up with horses?”

“Something like that,” Jeremiah admitted. “I enjoy riding.”

“Yeah, me, too. I missed that more than anything when I was deployed overseas,” Zack said.

“I understand. Army life is hard,” Jeremiah said.

“You served?” Zack asked.

Jeremiah nodded. “I was born and raised in Israel. There, everyone serves their time.”

Zack shook his head. “That’s one way of doing it. I don’t know if I could stand that, though. Someday I’d like to have kids and I plan on steering them clear away from that particular experience.”

His eyes looked haunted as he spoke. Jeremiah realized that the doctor turned cowboy had seen far more overseas than he ever wanted to. He’d seen enough that he abandoned medicine in favor of something more isolated and less bloody. Jeremiah had seen a lot of men go through similar transformations.

“You grew up in Israel?” Curly asked, suddenly seeming interested.

“Yes, why?”

“My girlfriend is Jewish. She keeps talking about taking a trip there.”

“I would recommend it, especially if she wants to really connect with the culture and the people,” Jeremiah said.

“Mind if I ask you some questions?”

“Go right ahead.”

Cindy went and sat down on the ground next to Liz with her food. “How’s it going?” she asked.

“Good. One of the strangest shoots I’ve ever been on, but good.”

“How’s it strange?” Cindy asked.

“With all the dust and everything else and the constant movement and the fact that my kit has to ride in the wagon I’m not checking makeup and doing touchups every so often. I feel like I’ve got almost nothing to do and I keep
feeling bad like I’m shirking my duties, but that’s the nature of the beast, I guess.”

“It’s funny, I never think of Kyle wearing makeup,” Cindy said.

“Oh, trust me, lots and lots on most shooting days,” Liz said with a smile. “But, that’s being an actor. It’s going to take a lot to cover that shiner he’s working on. Then with all the environmental factors I’m not even sure how well I’m going to be able to disguise it.”

“Sorry, I didn’t realize I was going to be making your job hard,” Cindy said.

“I’m sure all you were thinking about at the time was how much you wanted to hit him,” Liz said.

“Yup. I’m thinking of auctioning off the chance to black his other eye. Who do you think will bid the most?”

Liz shook her head. “Who knows? Kyle’s a bit of an egomaniac, but no more so than most stars. Most of the time he’s a lot nicer, too.”

“I can’t be the only one who wants to deck him,” Cindy said, working to put the disappointment in her voice.

Liz shrugged. “Personally I’d rather smack Junior. The little perv keeps hitting on me.”

“Not your type I take it.”

“No way,” Liz said fervently. “Besides, I’ve got a boyfriend.”

“That must be nice.”

“It is,” Liz said, breaking out into a grin. “He’s perfect. Kind, thoughtful, brilliant.”

Cindy felt her own thoughts drifting toward Jeremiah and it took all her self control not to turn and look for him.

“How about you, dating anyone?” Liz asked.

“No,” Cindy said quickly.

“Are you sure?” Liz asked.

Cindy nodded.

“Don’t worry. You’ll find Mr. Right. And when you do, it will be magic. You’ll do anything for him and follow wherever he goes.”

Cindy forced herself to smile.

Mark ate lunch with Wayne and Junior who weren’t very talkative. When it was over he had his work cut out for him just staying on his horse and paying attention to the terrain and cattle to try and get close enough to anyone to question them.

The cattle were moving slower than they had in the morning and Mark felt like he ate a ton of dust. He was certain he was never going to get the stink of the cattle out of his skin and hair let alone his sinus passages. He got occasional glimpses of Traci and she was usually grinning from ear to ear. He had to admire her chipper attitude and wished he could share it.

His spine was beginning to feel like it had been jolted one too many times when they finally reached the place where they were going to be spending the night. He felt relief surge through him. He’d been afraid he was going to fall off his horse from pure exhaustion before they made it.

Two of the cowboys bunched up the cattle while the rest of the group clustered around Kyle. Kyle’s face was smeared with dirt and dust from the trail and Mark couldn’t help but wonder if he looked better or worse.

“Nice job today everyone,” Kyle said. “Make sure to drop your helmets off behind the chuck wagon. Set up camp. Dinner I’m told will be in half an hour.”

Mark practically fell off his horse, wondering how he was going to survive another four days of this. Traci groaned as she slid off her horse and tossed the reins to Tex. Even Jeremiah looked a little stiff as he dismounted which definitely made Mark feel better.

They moved to the back of the chuck wagon where Cindy had already pulled out their sleeping bags and backpacks. After dumping their helmets in a pile for the camera guys, the four of them took their gear and headed over to the spot where Kyle had indicated they should set up camp.

Mark tried to squat down on the ground and instead landed on his rump. Traci snickered and he just shook his head. “This is hard work. I vote that Cindy gets to set everything up since she got to ride on the wagon.”

“I was injured, remember?” Cindy said, blinking big doe eyes.

It was so funny he laughed despite his exhaustion.

“Well, I found out some interesting things today,” Traci said, lowering her voice. “Apparently this show is going to be their flagship for the new season.”

Jeremiah frowned. “You think this could be more about hurting the network than Kyle?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I do know that he and Wayne aren’t very fond of each other.”

“I heard Wayne took a swing at him while they were filming in Belize,” Cindy said.