“The town can deal,” Easton said firmly. “Graham’s the mayor. He can handle those idiots. They’re his payback for not giving you your filming permits.”
“Oh, he’ll hate it.”
She wrapped her arms around him, pulling Easton down to her. Careful not to crowd her, he settled in to steal those giggling lips.
“We need to talk,” he told her before things grew too heated.
“Four words that are never a good sign. Do we have to? I’m liking the not talking.”
Easton squeezed her hand before pressing a kiss to the inside of her wrist. “Me too. For the sake of more of the same, what’s it going to take to make all those people go away?”
“Honestly?” Pursing her lips, River thought a moment. “I probably need to make a statement to the press. Preferably from right here. If they get the good stuff, I have a better shot of being left alone long enough to get back home.”
“If that’s what you want, I’m not going to argue,” he told her. “But I hate the idea of letting those vultures anywhere near you.”
“The protective growl is cute.” She kissed him again. “You should do that more often. And this more often.”
It was impossible not to. Settling back in, Easton was more than happy to distract her until suddenly River pulled away, a horrified expression on her face. “I’m going on camera. In front of the world. Minus a toe.”
“Technically, you still have the toe,” he reminded her. “And I’m fine with locking the doors so no one ever bothers us again.”
“If only it were that easy.” She ran a worried hand over her hair. “If I look half as rough as Bree said I do, they’ll never leave.”
He had no idea what she was talking about. But then again, his face was currently buried more interesting places, trying to remind her how much more fun it was to stay distracted.
“Hey, Easton? Do you know anyone who’s good with makeup?”
“Hmm?”
“Like really good with makeup?”
As a matter of fact, yes, he did.
• • •
“What do you think?” Zoey held up a compact mirror for River to see her reflection. “Good enough?”
“I think you’re a godsend.”
Zoey smiled at her. “My job wasn’t hard. Are you sure you don’t want me to make you look less put together? I mean, you are in the hospital right now. Even I’m having a hard time believing you and Easton went through what you did.”
“Thanks.” Returning her smile, River squeezed Zoey’s hand. “I appreciate that, but I need to look my best. If I’m all messed up, it’ll only make everyone more interested. Trust me, the town does not want them sticking around.”
“How bad was it up there?”
“Most of it was amazing. A few times, when things were going wrong, I was scared. But it’s hard to be too worried with Easton there.”
“He’s a really good guy.” Zoey glanced at her shyly. “Did he tell you he found me when I was lost in the woods? I was on an ATV trip that went sideways, and I ended up getting stuck out in a storm. I was scared to death, then I turned around, and this massive Sasquatch-looking guy was there. He got me back home safe. I’ve had a pretty big soft spot for him ever since.”
Totally understanding, River nodded. “Yeah, Easton’s kind of got that whole sexy mountain man thing going on. I was a sucker from the moment we met.”
“I feel the same way about Graham.” Zoey’s entire face lit up at the mention of the diner owner’s name. “The people here have been really good to me, but Graham and Easton are the best guys I’ve ever met.”
“Are you sure? Because I kind of wanted to punch Graham within thirty seconds of first meeting him. If he’s sucked you into a cultlike situation, please let me know. I’m happy to rescue you.”
With a sweet laugh, Zoey tucked her makeup supplies back in a bag. “Trust me, he drives me crazy plenty. It wouldn’t be any fun if he didn’t. But I’m kind of ridiculously in love with the big lug, so I ignore his more irritating habits. Okay, you’re all set. How do you want me to handle everyone out there?”
With a grimace, River sat up straighter in her bed, ignoring the pain in her toe as she pulled her blanket over her foot to cover it from view. “Open the floodgates. Trust me, they’ll find me.”
And find her they did. Stuffed together so tight in the tiny hospital room, everyone’s personal bubbles had officially been popped by the time River started her interview. To her credit, Zoey stubbornly stayed at River’s side, although the poor woman was uncomfortably squished between the hospital bed and a cameraman’s shoulder.
“Wow, this is a lot of attention,” River joked. “I should have fallen off a mountain earlier in my career.”
A murmur of laughter rippled through the camera crews.
“River, how are you doing?” someone asked.
“I have some frostbite on my foot. It’s not pretty, which is why no one gets to see it. Other than that, I’m fine. I need to rest up awhile, and then they’ll send me home.”
Another reporter held out a microphone in her direction. “River, what happened on the mountain?”
“You’ll have to see my documentary to know that.” She flashed the same pleasant expression she had practiced for years in her mirror. “As my first job behind the camera, I’ve both appreciated the opportunity and deeply enjoyed experiencing all the wonderful things Moose Springs, Alaska, has to offer. I think the Alaskan Tourism Board will be pleased with the end result of our documentary. As for the actual details of the film, you all know the drill about how nondisclosure agreements work. None of us can talk about what happened, legally.”
“River, can you tell us about Easton Lockett? Are you and he in a romantic relationship? What about Sweeny?”
“Sweeny and I are friends, and we still enjoy each other’s company.”
Actually, she couldn’t stand him, but she knew better than to ever tell the paparazzi the truth of the relationship. Instead, she pushed ahead.
“Easton is the guide who got us up and safely back down the mountain. But like the rest of us, Easton’s signed a nondisclosure agreement. Everything we’ve been doing here in Moose Springs has been a part of filming, so we really can’t talk about any of it. You ladies and gentlemen know how much trouble we’ll all get in if we spill the beans.”
“River,” a familiar entertainment report asked. “What can you say?”