Rising Star (20 page)

“
You really love him,
huh?”

“
Yes. Even though he
doesn’t want me, it will never change how I feel about
him.”

Paul walked over and put his arms around
her, hugging her tightly. “I understand, Selena. I’ll be your
friend, okay?”

“
Thank you Paul.” Selena
said, feeling the tears coming again. “I really need a friend right
now.”

They sat down and opened another beer as
Selena described what she’d been through, with horrible TV
interviews and modeling offers.

“
And what do
you
want to do?” Paul asked.

“
I don’t even know anymore.
I’m not interested in modeling or acting; I guess I can deal with
the interviews that go along with promoting my books. I just want
to go back to my small town and ride my horse and write my stories,
and yet, if Matt wanted me, I would want to be wherever he
is.”

“
Would you like me to talk
to him for you?”

“
Would you?” Selena’s eyes
brightened at the thought. If there was any way to make Matt see
that she was trustworthy, she was willing to give it a shot. And
Paul could tell Matt the stories weren’t true.

“
I’ll make him see the
truth. He’s never believed all the garbage those magazines print.
Why would he start now?”

“
Thank you,
Paul.”

They hung out and talked for a while,
slipping easily back into their friendly relationship. Paul left
her finally, after promising again to talk to Matt for her. He
stared at her longingly before he left, wishing he had met her
first, before she’d had a chance to fall for Matt. Sure, he was a
Hollywood playboy and he didn’t stay with one girl very long—but
Selena—there was something different about her. Something that made
him feel like he would like to settle down with one girl. Aside
from her mystical beauty, she had a purity and an honesty about her
that was hard to find in Hollywood. He wondered as he left her
hotel, if maybe he was a little in love with her.

Selena flew home the following day, happy to
be back to the peace and quiet of her desert. She took Rusty out
for a long ride along the river, letting him pick his way between
the huge cottonwoods. She cried silently as Rusty wandered along.
She missed Matt so much; it had been weeks and the pain in her
heart was as strong as ever. She thought about what her life might
have been like if she had never went with Beth to be an extra in
that movie. But then she would have never known how sweet love
could be. Even though it hurt so much now, she wouldn’t trade the
times she’d shared with Matt for anything.

Chapter 23

Paul banged on Matt’s huge door a few days
later and rang the bell repeatedly. He was sure Matt was there, but
was ignoring him. He had called repeatedly, but Matt’s phone seemed
to be turned off. He finally walked around the house and climbed
the stairs to the balcony. He found Matt sitting there, a warm
bottle of beer in his hand and a bottle of whiskey by his feet.

“
Why can’t I forget her?”
Matt said by way of a greeting. “I’ve tried everything, but I just
can’t seem to forget her.”

“
Maybe it’s because you
belong with her, buddy.” It was hard for Paul to say the words, his
craving to be with Selena himself almost overshadowed his promise
to talk to Matt for her.

He dropped into a lounge chair beside Matt.
“You know all that crap in the mags in not true, don’t you?”

“
I thought I did—I didn’t
want to believe it, but there were just more and more pictures. And
now this Michael Sabatino—you know his reputation. And did you see
the picture? What kind of business meeting is that? Two people
cuddled together on one side of the table.”

“
Yeah I know the reputation
he has. But I also know Selena—maybe even better than you—at least
I’ve been spending more time with her than you the past few months,
and you know what I’ve found out? She loves only you and she won’t
even look at anyone else.”

Matt stared at his friend, his eyes
bloodshot and haunted from lack of sleep, his hair tousled and his
face scruffy and unshaven.

“
Come on,” Paul said,
standing up and going through the sliding glass door. “Let’s get
you cleaned up and on your way to New Mexico.”

Selena rode Rusty every day, sometimes with
Beth, but most times alone, enjoying the peace and quiet of the
river and the shade of the cottonwoods alongside it. Beth had
invited her to the local rodeo this coming weekend and she was
trying to get herself motivated to practice for it. She rode a
little more every day, but she never did get around to practicing
on the barrels. She just couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything
and she was having more trouble than she’d thought with slipping
back into her old life.

She went to the rodeo anyway, after Beth
begged her on the phone. “You need to get out of the house, Selena.
You’ve done almost nothing since you’ve been back.”

“
Okay, okay.” Selena
finally gave in. She loaded Rusty up on Saturday morning and
stopped for Beth and Tripp on the way. They warmed their horses up
in the large arena and Selena watched as crowds began filling the
stands and even standing along the rails of the arena. She was near
the last to have her turn at the barrels and she rode Rusty around
at the back of the arena, keeping his muscles loosened up before
making the mad dash through the arena. She heard her name over the
intercom and she turned Rusty toward the gate. Rusty began dancing
as she went through the gate with him, his weeks of pent-up energy
seeming to break free in an instant. She circled him to the right
and as he danced, she leaned forward and yelled, “Go.” Rusty was
off like a shot and he turned into the first barrel beautifully,
dropping his shoulder as he circled it. Keep it up, Selena thought,
and we’ll have another first place. They raced for the second
barrel and Selena slowed Rusty for the turn. He fought for his
head, unwilling to slow down, and her knee hit the barrel, tipping
it, but thankfully, she thought, it didn’t fall over. She leaned
over the horse’s neck as they dashed for the remaining barrel,
where once again she tried to check his speed.

24

Matt watched with the crowd at the railing
as Selena and Rusty rounded the first barrel perfectly, then raced
to the second barrel and almost knocked it over. He thought Selena
had never looked more beautiful as he watched her long mane of dark
hair mingle with the horse’s long orange mane. He couldn’t imagine
racing that fast on a horse, only to spin it at that speed around a
barrel. It looked almost magical to him, but Selena and Rusty made
it look easy. He watched as they sped toward the third barrel—they
seemed to have almost too much speed to make it around it. Slow
down! He thought, otherwise Rusty’s gonna run too wide. He heard
the crowd suck in their breath and he watched in horror as the girl
and her horse spun around the barrel at top speed. He saw, almost
in slow motion, Rusty’s feet slip in the soft dirt. Matt saw the
barrel go tumbling away as Selena disappeared under the horse. He
saw Rusty’s feet in the air as the horse rolled completely over,
then he came back up onto his feet, shaking his head and looking
dazed. Matt had moved without realizing it, climbing over the rails
and running through the soft dirt toward the still form of his
girl.

Selena lay unmoving where she had fallen, on
her back—staring at nothing.

Matt was the first to reach her and he
dropped to his knees beside her. “Selena,” he screamed.

“
Don’t move her.” He heard
someone yell. Matt saw her eyelids flutter before he was pushed out
of the way by EMT’s. Oh, thank God, he thought, at least she’s
alive. He watched as the medics strapped a thick white collar
around her neck, then carefully moved her onto a stretcher. They
quickly loaded her in the back of an ambulance and Matt ran for his
car, pulling onto the street behind the ambulance and keeping pace
with it as it screamed through the sleepy town.

Selena opened her eyes hours later and, as
the room swam into focus, she saw first her mother in a chair
beside her, and then she saw from the corner of her eye, her
father, Beth and Matt sitting in chairs along the wall. “Matt?” Her
voice was low and hoarse, yet the surprise was still evident. Her
mother stepped out of the way and nodded her head at Matt.

“
What are you doing here?”
Selena’s voice was a whisper as she stared at Matt.

Matt leaned close to hear her. “I came for
you.”

Selena suddenly remembered the horrible
crash. “Rusty?” There was a note of terror in her voice as she
asked.

“
He’s fine. Beth took him
home. He’s back in his corral, but he’s asking for you.”

“
What’s wrong with me?”
Selena felt as if she couldn’t move, as if she were strapped to the
bed.

“
You should be back on a
horse in no time. Just a few broken ribs and a bruised spleen from
the saddle horn. Rusty rolled all the way over you. You just need
to stay here a few days so the doctors can keep an eye on
you.”

“
Why did you come back
here?”

“
I told you Selena, I came
for you. If you’ll still have me?”

“
You believe me then?
Instead of the Rag Mags?”

“
I believe you, Selena. I’m
sorry I was being such an idiot.”

“
You were being an ass,”
she said softly.

“
I know, and I’m sorry,”
Matt said as he kissed her lips tenderly.

Her family and Beth interrupted them then as
they surrounded her bed, everyone talking at once.

Matt stayed with her the next couple days in
the hospital, sleeping in the empty bed in her room. If Selena even
moaned in the night, Matt was instantly awake and at her side.

She received tons of cards and letters, from
friends and family, but also from adoring fans that she hadn’t even
realized she’d had. Someone in the audience had captured her
spectacular fall on video, and it appeared on the internet and news
stories around the country. Young people from all over the country
were sending cards and letters by the thousands, wishing her
well.

Matt came home with her a few days later,
sleeping on the couch in their small trailer. He took care of
Selena while her parents went to work, even though Selena swore she
could take care of herself. “I’m fine now, really.” She told him
repeatedly. She was getting around okay, just slowly. She was stiff
and sore from having a thousand pounds of horse roll across her,
and her broken ribs hurt whenever she moved, but she felt perfectly
able to care for herself.

But truthfully, she was enjoying being
pampered by him. She had thought she’d lost him forever and she was
not going to let him get away again.

“
I love you, Selena,” he
told her as she was drifting off to sleep. She felt too sleepy to
answer, but she smiled in the darkened room as he took her hand and
held it tight.

Matt finally left her alone for a while
after a few days, saying he had to go into town for a few errands.
Selena wandered slowly through the small trailer, feeling lost and
alone without him by her side. He had been so unbelievably sweet
and kind to her, tending to her every need. Now, she was missing
him horribly, even though she knew he would only be gone a few
hours. She knew he would be going back to L.A. soon and the thought
almost brought her to tears. She paced slowly up and down the small
space, wishing she knew what their future could possibly hold. She
didn’t want to go through this repeatedly, she didn’t think her
heart could take it. She wondered if she could stay with him in
L.A. anything would be better this the constant ups and downs.

Matt was gone for several hours and Selena
was beginning to worry, when she heard his car coming up the drive.
Matt stepped out of the car and stared at her as she made her slow,
painful way toward him.

“
I thought you were turning
into one of the Hollywood girls I can’t stand,” he said as she came
slowly toward him. “I can clearly see now how wrong I was.” She
stopped, surprised at his words.

“
You know I don’t even like
Hollywood.”

“
I do know that. You’re
still the same Selena I fell in love with. The same one I’m still
in love with.”

Selena went into his arms then, kissing him
as tears rolled down her face. There was nothing she wanted more
than his love.

Matt kissed her tenderly as she clung to
him. “Hey, I have a surprise for you,” he said when she was finally
able to unwind herself from him.

“
What?”

Matt walked over to his car, her hand still
clasped in his. He opened the car door and pulled out a folder
filled with paperwork.

“
What is that?”

Matt flipped the folder open, the
mischievous smile back on his face and in his blue eyes. “It’s the
deed to a ranch…near Santa Fe.”

Selena’s mouth dropped open as she stared at
him.

“
How? Why?”

“
So I can be near you,
silly. Of course, I’ll still have to spend some time in Hollywood,
but I can be near you most of the time, and maybe someday, you’ll
even want to live there with me.”

“
I can’t believe you did
this. And yes, I want to live there with you. I want to be wherever
you are.”