Read Online Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open (Hollywood Legends #2) by Mary J. Williams - Free Book Online

time until his cast came off and he could get back to
    work.
    Montana and Paige. Untamed. Nate couldn’t wait to start his
    exploration.

 

CHAPTER FOUR
     
     
    “IT WAS GOOD of your father to send you, Nate.”
    “He and my mother wanted to be here. When they get a break
    in shooting Mom’s movie, they’ll take a few days and come up.”
    “They will?”
    Nate gave Paige a slow smile. “You need to rethink your idea
    of Hollywood. If you had a friend who needed your help, what would you do?”
    Help, of course. Paige understood what Nate was saying.
    Friends were friends, wherever they lived. Still…
    “Your parents aren’t the neighbors down the road, Nate.”
    “They could be.”
    When Paige gave him a give me a break look, Nate’s
    grin got bigger. “I don’t deny that Callie Flynn and Caleb Landis are
    different. What I’m saying is that they still think like the people they were
    before all the fame and fortune. Small town values don’t wash away in the
    California rain.”
    “I didn’t think it rained in California.”
    “Smartass.”
    Chuck watched the rapid fire, back and forth banter with
    amused bewilderment. He searched his memory trying to remember when Paige had
    seemed this… what was the word? Engaged. That was it. Men weren’t her focus.
    They never had been.
    In high school, when her friends worried about boys and
    getting asked out on Saturday night, Paige preferred spending time with the
    horses. She had a social life. Boys, then men, naturally gravitated to Paige.
    She had a beauty not easily defined by the usual standards. Like her mother,
    Paige glowed from within, drawing admirers to her irresistible light.
    Unlike her mother, Paige had no patience with silly
    flattery. Where Erin would soothe, smile, and charm, Paige batted away unwanted
    attention with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
    Erin used to say that Paige needed a man who wasn’t afraid
    to give back as good as he got. The local boys had always been intimidated by
    her sharp tongue and keen intelligence. She didn’t play games or hide her
    strengths to pump up their male egos.
    Chuck had hoped that she would meet someone while away at
    college. Unfortunately, his daughter spent most of her time with her nose in a
    book. According to Erin, she dated. One time, his wife tried to assure him that
    Paige wasn’t a virgin. Why she thought that was something he wanted to know, or
    would find reassuring, Chuck didn’t know.
    No father wanted to hear that his little girl was that grown up.
    Since Paige’s return to the Double C, she had turned down
    more dates than she had accepted. Lyle Wilson, the owner of the next ranch
    over, was the most persistent. He finally wore her down. They went out on a
    semi-regular basis. Usually, when Paige felt restless. Lyle was convenient. Easy
    going. And it was obvious he wanted much more than Paige was willing to give.
    Chuck felt sorry for the man, but he knew Paige wasn’t
    leading him on. She made it clear upfront that she wasn’t interested in
    anything permanent. The fact that Lyle kept coming back was a testament to his
    determination. She hadn’t wanted to date him, but she changed her mind. He
    figured it was only a matter of time before he had a ring on her finger.
    It wasn’t going to happen. As much as he would love a
    grandbaby to spoil, he knew Lyle Wilson was not the man for Paige. As his
    beloved Erin had said, their daughter needed a man who was her equal. Smart.
    Strong. Willing to let her be herself while not allowing her to run roughshod
    over him.
    Lyle Wilson was pleasant. A little too pleasant.
    Chuck couldn’t put his finger on the problem. Except for the fact that Lyle
    preferred running his ranch from the comfort of his office instead of getting
    his hands dirty, there was no reason for Chuck to object to the man’s designs on
    Paige. It was her choice.
    Deep down, he knew, as did Paige. Lyle Wilson was not the
    man for her.
    He had begun to wonder if that