Rising Star (8 page)

“
Come on Selena,” Jeffrie
called over the sound of the waves. “Everyone is waiting for
you.”

Selena followed Jeffrie down to the small
crowd and Angelique made introductions. She introduced the two
cameramen as Mike and Dave. “And that’s Jake over there with the
horse.” Next, she pointed to a petite blond girl with bright red
lips. “And this is Betsy. She’ll be doing your hair and
makeup.”

Betsy took Selena’s hand warmly. “Come on up
to the house. With your beautiful skin and hair, this shouldn’t
take long.”

Angelique gave Selena a business card with
several phone numbers on it. “Anything you need, you let me know,”
she said. Selena nodded and watched as Angelique made her way up
the hill to her car, her high heels sinking into the sand.

“
Come on,” Betsy said and
Selena went, following Betsy back to the house where they entered
by a rear door. Betsy had a stool already set up for her, with
makeup and brushes spread out on a counter. She closed her eyes as
Betsy worked on her face and hair. From the time her plane had
landed in Los Angeles, Selena felt like she’d entered a parallel
universe. All of this was just so far removed from her quiet life.
It was exciting and strange, yes, but she felt uncomfortable more
than anything, as if she really didn’t belong here. Betsy chattered
aimlessly as she worked on Selena’s makeup. She talked about her
children and family, never saying anything that required an
answer.

After an hour, she claimed she was finished
and Selena stood up and looked in the mirror. She could not believe
the person in the mirror was really her. Betsy had transformed her.
She was no longer the small town rodeo girl. She looked like one of
the models in magazines or one of the movie stars on TV. Her eyes
looked huge and dark and mysterious with long dark lashes. She
could see now what Angelique had been talking about. Her eyes did
look mysterious, as if she were hiding her secrets from the world.
Well, maybe I am. If they only knew how much I don’t want to be
here right now.

Betsy had only teased her hair, giving it
more body, but keeping the wild, untamed look. It set off her dark
eyes and made her look even more mysterious. Betsy had really
worked wonders with her hair and makeup. Selena barely recognized
the person staring back at her in the mirror.

“
You really are a beautiful
girl,” Betsy said as she looked in the mirror over Selena’s
shoulder. “And your eyes are one of your best features. You should
always accent them.”

“
Thank you, Betsy. I never
thought anyone could make me look this good.”

“
It’s my pleasure Selena.
It makes my job a lot easier when I have something to work with.
Some of these frumpy actresses…,” she sighed heavily, then both
girls giggled.

Betsy carefully removed an evening gown from
a garment bag and Selena went into the bathroom to change, sliding
it over her head carefully so as not to mess up her makeup or hair.
It was a floor-length gown by a well-known designer. It was white
lace with short see-through sleeves. It fit Selena to perfection
and set off her dark hair and dark eyes perfectly. The back was
see-through lace all the way down her back—too far down—she
thought. It had small white mother of pearl buttons down the back
that Betsy helped her with. Selena stood in front of a full-length
mirror when Betsy finished with the buttons. “It almost looks like
a wedding gown,” she whispered as she stared at the wraith-like
beauty in the mirror.

“
Yeah, but without the long
train. It really does look beautiful on you Selena. Me, I couldn’t
fit even one of these hips in there.”

They returned to the beach, Selena holding
the hem of her gown up out of the sand, where she was introduced to
the horse. “Her name is Catalina and I’m Jake,” the tall man
holding the reins told her as he took her hand politely. “They tell
me you can ride? Cause Catalina here is quite a handful.”

The mare still danced daintily as she eyed
Selena and snorted. She had no saddle, nothing but the shiny black
bridle against her snow-white coat. Selena nodded in answer to
Jake’s question as she held the back of her hand near the mare’s
nose. The horse blew softly as she sniffed the hand. She stopped
dancing as Selena ran her hand along the smooth, arched neck and
then, holding the hem of her gown in one hand, she grabbed the
mare’s mane and swung deftly onto her bare back. She let go of the
hem and the dress floated out across the horse as Catalina reared,
yanking the reins from Jake’s hands. As Catalina’s front feet hit
the ground again, Selena leaned forward and the horse was away at a
gallop down the beach. Two different cameras had been set up on
tripods and the men began snapping pictures as Selena and the horse
became one, the long white mane mingling with her long auburn hair.
She turned the horse down the beach and came back past the cameras
at a slower gallop, the white dress billowing around her. She could
hear the click of the cameras as she passed, but she let Catalina
continue her run down the beach. She wanted to take the edge off
this fiery little horse’s energy and get to know her a bit to be
able to handle her in front of the cameras. As she tried to slow
Catalina for another turn down the beach, the horse suddenly
grabbed the bit between her teeth and stretched out in a dead run
down the beach, away from the cameras. Selena sawed at the reins
with no luck for a minute, then finally pulled on the left rein,
turning the horse into the ocean. As the horse hit the waves,
Selena slowed her out of control run. She brought her down to a
trot but kept her in the surf as the horse tried to turn back
toward the beach. She slowed her to a walk in the edge of the surf
as she reached the cameras, but one of the men waved her on. “Keep
going, this is great stuff,” he called out to her. Selena urged
Catalina back into a trot and spun her around to trot back in front
of the cameras. For a few minutes, she had been able to forget the
cameras and people as she became one with the horse. When the
cameraman called out to her, it had broken the spell and reminded
her of why she was here. Should of just let her keep going down the
beach, she sighed and brushed sand off her face, as Catalina danced
in front of the cameras.

“
Whew, that girl sure can
ride,” Jake said, wiping his brow. “I thought we were going to have
to chase them all the way to San Francisco.” He knew the horse and
he’d seen her take the bit and run. He was very impressed with
Selena’s smooth handling of the situation.

Chapter 14

Matthew Mason had stopped by an actor
friend’s house for brunch. Several other young, well-known actors
had shown up and it had gotten noisy inside. Matt walked out onto
the balcony overlooking the ocean for a bit of fresh air and to
enjoy the peace and beauty of the beach. He thought about Selena as
he stood there quietly. He’d had no contact with her since New
Mexico. He knew a relationship would be difficult given their
different worlds and the distance between them. He’d done his best
to forget her, but so far he’d had no luck. She crept back into his
mind constantly and he was picturing her standing beside him right
now, her big, beautiful violet eyes—her long hair blowing in the
ocean breeze as she stared across the Pacific. He was thinking how
much she would probably enjoy this view, when he was startled by a
movement down on the beach. A white horse was racing up the beach
toward him at breakneck speed with a young girl in a flowing white
dress on its back. His mouth dropped open as the girl turned the
horse down on the beach in front of him, right into the ocean, and
then slowed it to a trot as she rode back the way she’d come. It
had looked like Selena on that horse! Was he missing her so much he
was seeing her everywhere? But no, even though it was some
distance, he remembered the way she’d sat her horse, as if she were
glued to it, as if she and the horse were one. This girl had
Selena’s long thick hair and had handled that horse like a rodeo
queen. Matt started down the stairs and trotted south along the
beach, wondering if he could ever catch up to the girl on the white
horse. “I must be crazy,” he chuckled to himself as he trotted down
the beach in the direction they’d gone.

Selena sat on the horse in front of the
cameras, still in the edge of the waves. She heard both cameras
click, click, click until finally one of the men called out, “Okay,
we got it Selena.”

She rode Catalina onto the beach and was
about to dismount when she saw a tall man walking briskly down the
beach toward her little group.

“
It never fails,” one of
the cameramen said huffily. “Always some tourist, hoping to get a
peek at a model or movie star.”

But Selena didn’t think so. She knew that
purposeful stride and the tall, proud way Matt carried himself. She
sat her horse and watched in disbelief as he approached.

“
I’m sorry sir, this beach
is closed.” Betsy had stepped in front of him and put her hand up.
Selena watched her hand drop as she recognized Matthew Mason. He
had never taken his eyes from Selena as he reached Betsy and she
saw the smile creep across his face and reach his blue eyes,
setting off the mischievous twinkle. He strode on past Betsy, and
Selena dropped to the ground, her damp evening gown clinging to her
slender form as he looked her up and down. “Hi,” he said, his grin
growing ever wider.

“
Um, what are you doing
here?”

“
Well,” he drawled. “I was
at a friend’s house and I saw a white horse with a dark-haired
beauty racing down the beach. I had to pinch my arm; I thought I
must be dreaming. What are
you
doing here?”

Selena laughed nervously. “I’m working.” She
nodded her head toward the cameras, then looked back at Matt’s
steady gaze. His blue eyes gleamed with mischief.

Why is he looking at me like that? As if
he’s never seen me before. Her stomach knotted again under his
intense stare and she felt a little tug at her heart as she stared
back.

“
Come on Selena, we have to
get you changed,” Betsy called out.

Selena handed the reins to the handler,
Jake, and then turned back to Matt.

“
He can come too if you
want,” Betsy yelled over the pounding surf.

Selena’s face reddened as she realized all
eyes were on her.

“
Do you mind?” Matt asked
gently, still staring down at her with that intense way he
had.

“
No, of course not,” she
answered shyly.

Matt took her arm as they started up the
hill toward the house. “How do you walk through this sand in those
shoes?”

“
What shoes?” Selena was
confused.

“
Are you wearing heels or
what with that evening gown?”

“
Oh.” Selena felt her face
redden again as she lifted the hem of her gown. Matt saw that her
feet and legs were bare underneath.

He laughed, his beautiful, musical laugh
ringing out across the beach and instantly putting Selena at ease.
“I should have known,” he said as he put his arm across her
shoulders. Selena almost felt like one of these rich movie stars as
she reveled in the feel of his strong arm around her. She leaned
into his side as she trudged through the sand. She was wet with
salt water and uncomfortable in the dress, yet she was wishing this
moment would never end.

Matt sat on a stool and watched as Betsy
freshened Selena’s makeup and combed her hair.

“
So, why are you here?”
Matt asked.

Selena explained how she’d come about the
modeling gig through Don Broward. She tried turning her head to
look at him as she talked, but Betsy quickly turned it back as she
brushed Selena’s hair.

Matt couldn’t believe his good fortune at
finding her here. “Seriously, it looked like something from a
fantasy movie,” he told Selena jovially. “You all in white on that
white horse with your dark hair flying. I thought I was dreaming or
something.” Matt closed his eyes for a second as he pictured the
sight. She had looked to him like one of the Greek Goddesses, come
down from Heaven to race across the ocean on her mystical horse. He
was pretty sure the sight would keep him awake nights, picturing it
in his mind.

“
Yeah, her handler was
right. She is quite a handful,” Selena giggled.

“
Is that why you ran her
into the ocean?”

“
Yeah, I had to do
something to slow her down.”

“
How long you going to be
here?” Matt asked.

“
I fly out Thursday
morning.”

“
Really, so
soon?”

“
Yeah. If we don’t finish
up here today, then I have to come back tomorrow. Besides, I’ve
gotta be back home Friday for graduation.”

“
Oh yeah, I forgot. Can I
take you to dinner when you’re finished?” Matt leaned closer,
staring deep into Selena’s eyes as he asked the
question.

Selena felt the strange tingle in her
stomach again as Matt stared at her with such intensity. “Yeah.
Sounds great,” she said, her face reddening as Betsy combed her
hair.
Did we have to discuss dinner in front of Betsy? How
embarrassing.
She was not used to being asked out in front of a
makeup artist—or at all for that matter. She wasn’t exactly Miss
Popularity at her school.

Selena changed into a different evening
gown, a shiny black number with spaghetti straps and a long,
flowing hem.

Matt’s mouth dropped open when she emerged
from the bathroom. She looked even more exotic in the black
dress—it hugged her curves perfectly and made her hair and eyes
appear even darker. “You look beautiful,” he whispered in her ear
as he held out his arm and escorted her across the balcony and down
the steps, as if he were taking her to the prom. She was a little
embarrassed by his gentlemanly moves, but she had to say, she
really liked the royal treatment when it came from him.