BUCKED Box Set: A Bull Rider Western Romance

BUCKED

The
Complete Series

By
Alycia Taylor

Copyright
2016. All rights reserved.

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BUCKED #1

Chapter One - Laci

There’s no
better feeling in the world than standing center stage as a torrent of applause
roars through the crowd. Kind of like my last night on stage as a high school
senior. I’ve been acting for as long as I can remember, and I’ve been lucky
enough to be cast in the lead role more often than not. This particular play
gave me the chance to be a feisty little
Latina
who brought a hell storm of drama down all around her. I flashed my biggest
smile and bowed deeply as I drank in the ovation. Like I said…no better
feeling.

The
company stepped up to join me and my co-lead, then we all joined hands and took
one final bow before the curtains slid closed in front of us. Reveling in the
success of a great run—and the relief that it was finished—the hugs and high-fives
immediately began. But, much to our surprise, the curtains started to creep
open again and a voice came over the sound system. We all turned to face the
audience, no one quite sure what to do, but all prepared to bow once more.

“Ladies
and gentlemen, on behalf of East High, we’d like to thank you for coming out
tonight, but we aren’t finished just yet. As many of you likely know, our very
own Laci Daniels has made quite a name for herself on the local theater scene.”
The ovation returned, and I waved a hand, stepping forward with a little bow
and a grin, not having any idea where this was going.

“Here to
make a special announcement regarding that name she’s made for herself is
Laci’s father, Bradley Daniels. Give him a warm welcome!” Just then, good old
Dad came strolling onstage with a huge bouquet of roses in one hand and a
cordless mic in the other. Make no mistake, I’m a huge Daddy’s girl. So him
bringing me flowers for my last high school hoorah isn’t a major surprise. My
dad’s my world, and he just so happens to also be my agent. Go figure, huh?
And, maybe I’m biased, but I think he’s the best in the business. Of course,
there are a few A-List celebrities who would agree with me.

Dad walked
over and handed me the flowers, then threw an arm around my shoulders,
squeezing tightly before he planted a kiss on my forehead. He did a fake
sputter and wiped his mic hand across his mouth before he started to speak. “I
guess it’s not the brightest idea to kiss a forehead caked in stage makeup and
sweat, huh?” he joked and gave me a wink. I stuck my tongue out in return and
waited for him to continue. “First of all, I think this cast deserves another
round of applause; what do you say?” he encouraged the audience. They applauded
once more. “I know you’re all wondering why I’m up here.” He turned to me. “My
daughter especially.” I nodded my head, now very curious as to what was going
on.

“Well,
little Miss Laci here loves to act.” I gasped in faux surprise and the audience
laughed. “I know, shocker. Anyway, she’s been a natural on the stage ever since
she could walk, and obviously, she’s developed her skills pretty well.”
Apparently, the audience agreed because they let out another round of applause,
which brought about more of a blush than someone in the spotlight is supposed
to have.

When the
clapping died down, I had to say something to break it all up. “Alright, Dad,
enough with the compliments, get to it.” Yet another chuckle from the audience.

Dad smiled
and pulled me to his side. “Getting to the point, I have a little surprise for
my daughter. Thanks to her hard work and countless hours of honing her skills,
the lovely Laci Daniels you see standing before you have landed a role
co-starring in a feature length film to be directed by Bill Condon!”

I’m fairly
certain I heard my jaw hit the when he uttered the words “feature film” and the
name “Bill Condon” because Dad pushed my chin back up before continuing.
“That’s right, you’ll get to see this stunner,” he squeezed my shoulders, “on
the silver screen!”

That’s
when the applause became somewhat ridiculous—even for someone who loves nothing
more. People stood and my ears filled with the sounds of clapping, whistles,
hoots, and even a “Go, Laci!” or two. Dad pushed me forward, urging me to take
a bow and stop looking like a deer in headlights, but what else was I supposed
to do? I mean, for crying out loud, I was just told that I would be in an
actual big budget movie! Not many aspiring actors can say they have that
opportunity by the age of twenty-five, let alone eighteen. So, I stood there
before my peers and friends and did what any trained actress would do: I bowed
gracefully and
basked in
the moment.

***

Half an
hour later, after hanging up my costume and scrubbing off my stage makeup—along
with probably three layers of skin—I wandered into the lobby of the auditorium
where members of the crowd always milled about to congratulate the cast after
shows. Mom ran up as soon as she saw me and let out an ear-splitting squeal as
she wrapped her arms around me.

“Aaah, my
baby!” She squeezed me to her chest and shook me back and forth like she was
mixing one of those protein shakes she loves so much. “You have no idea how
hard it was to keep the secret! Can you believe it? You’re gonna be a star!”

“She
already is, Lisa.” Dad stepped up again and
pried
Mom off me, reminding her that other people wanted to congratulate me, too.
“I’ll have to have a talk with the producers, though.”

I frowned.
“What do you mean? Is something wrong with the contract?”

“Well,
they mentioned a possible start for filming next month. That’s two months
before you’re officially graduated. I’m going to try to talk them into moving
the table read back to August since you graduate in June. That way, you’ll have
time to be a high school graduate and go party at the beach for the summer, or
whatever high school graduates do. I’m not going to have you so close to being
salutatorian to just throw it away for a movie.”

“Dad, it’s
the opportunity of a lifetime. If the movie is even remotely popular, it won’t
matter if I have my diploma. You know better than anyone that people look for
talent in this industry, not education.”

“Yeah, but
what kind of dad would I be if I just let ‘em stop my little girl from
finishing her education?” He made a fist and nudged my cheek. That’s the thing
about my dad—he’s always been the “scout’s
honor-I’m-the-world’s-most-righteous-dad” type. It’s not necessarily a bad
thing, but it can get in the way of what I want to do sometimes. Like this
time.

“I can’t
expect the whole world to drop their plans for me, Dad. Delaying filming is
gonna cost them time, and as we’re all well aware, time is money,” I contested.
“Not to mention I could easily switch to online high school.” That’s when he
gave me the “nice-try-but-it’s-not-happening” look.

I threw a
sassy look right back before I continued, “Take Mark, for example. You know he
switched to online school halfway through sophomore year, and he’s already
graduated. He’s even started on college classes. Call him, call his parents. I
can easily handle that. I won’t be filming
nonstop,
so I can do schoolwork during my
downtime
on set. Mark does it all the time.” Mark Hannon and I practically grew up together.
Our parents met when Mark and I had acting classes together at the ripe old age
of seven. We’ve been friends ever since. Dad even represents him. Next to
Emily, Mark’s probably my closest friend, even though I hardly ever get to see
him these days aside from a video chat here and there. He’s been super busy
becoming the next big heartthrob for my generation and rightfully so. Mark is a
talented actor, a super sweet guy, and better looking than the Hemsworth
brothers.

I was
about to continue my protest when Mom broke in. “Honey, with it being your
first movie, you’ll be too busy trying to take in the sights to focus on any
kind of schoolwork. It’s best to let your
father
at least
try to postpone filming until you graduate.”

“Just
trust me, Laci Bug.” He gave me a smooch on the forehead and ruffled my hair.

God, that
man has always had a way of disarming me, even when he’d treat me like I was
five. Maybe it’s because I’m an only child—a “rainbow baby” after four
miscarriages—but they have always been very protective of me, and they’ve tried
their hardest to make sure I never missed out on the things I wanted. Some
people might say I’m spoiled, but I’ve never thought so. At least, not with
material things. When I was little, before Dad’s career really took off, they
busted their butts to send me to dance classes, voice lessons, every theater
camp imaginable, and even piano lessons. All because I wanted to do those
things.

So, maybe
in that way, I was a little spoiled, but that doesn’t mean my parents always
let me have anything I wanted. I had to save my money and buy my own first car.
When I wanted a six-hundred-dollar dress for junior prom, my parents laughed
and told me they’d give me one hundred dollars for a dress and not a penny
more. I had to work weekends at the horse ranch thirty minutes away to earn the
extra money for the dress I wanted.

Not that
it was really what I considered work. Thanks to my mom, I love horses. I have
to admit, one of my favorite things from growing up was horseback riding. Mom
grew up on a ranch, and even though she moved to the city with my dad, she
still loved horses and taught me to love them, too. She took me riding when we
had the spare time, which only amounted to at least a couple of times a month.
I always looked forward to driving out to the small ranch.

Not many
people know that about me, and it would likely make them think I’m spoiled even
more. Nope, those things don’t count as material, they count as life
experiences. Mix those life experiences with the endless love of my parents
and, well, I had a pretty amazing childhood.

 
Even through my terrible teens and now that
I’m technically an adult, things are still pretty good, and my relationship
with my parents is even more important to me. I love my mom to no end, and I’m
probably more of a Daddy’s girl at eighteen than I was as a toddler. My guess
is you can chalk that up to the fact that he’s been my agent since I was two.
He’s helped me focus on what I love and even make a bit of money doing it. Dad
has always kept me grounded. From the time I was little, he has reminded me
that I’m never going to be the best. There will always be someone who can do
what I do, I just have to work harder. Right now, I’m just a big fish in a
small pond. Out in the real world, a forty-minute ride on the express into New
York City, I’m Nemo—a tiny fish in an enormous ocean.

Because of
that, I try to be a realist. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big, as long
as you don’t keep your head in the clouds so much that your feet leave the
ground.

Come to
think of it, maybe that’s why I’m not spoiled. I know the world doesn’t revolve
around me. Never has. Never will.

***

When I got
home after the show, I called my best friend Emily to tell her the news. Since
she went to the show on opening night, she wasn’t there to hear the big
announcement, and I couldn’t go without her squeals of delight. She picked up
on the second ring.

“
Hey,
loser. What do you want?” Ah, her loving
insults.

“Hey,
freak. Guess what?”

“The show
went well? Or did you trip on stage and make a spectacle of yourself and I
missed it?”