Emma found her and hugged her. “I’m going to call you next week to set up our girls’ day.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Des helped Martha with the cleanup, as did Colt and their friends, so they had everything put away in no time at all, while Logan and his crew took care of clearing the fireworks debris outside.

“Thank you for all the wonderful food today, Martha,” Des said as she slid the last of the plastic ware into the dishwasher.

Martha hugged her. “You were such a big help. And you were supposed to be a guest.”

Des laughed. “I enjoyed helping out. You had quite the crowd today.”

“And lots of helping hands, so it was no trouble at all. It isn’t often we have this big a gathering. We always have so much fun with it. Did you like the fireworks?”

“They were spectacular. Like wow spectacular.”

Martha hung up the dish towel and leaned against the counter. “Logan and Luke have always loved fireworks. So did their father. He was always such a big kid about it. When the boys were younger, the Fourth of July was a small affair. The missus hated fireworks, disliked all the noise. But when the boys got older, Mr. McCormack started getting bigger fireworks. Each year the show would expand a little, mostly, I think, to irritate her.”

Des laughed.

“And then we started inviting some of the neighbors, because Mr. McCormack liked having people over.”

“Well, who wouldn’t? Isn’t that the best part of a holiday?”

Martha crossed her arms. “Mrs. McCormack didn’t enjoy that at all. She wanted to go on vacation in the summer, to somewhere tropical like the Caribbean or to Hawaii. Honestly. Like a working rancher had time to take summer vacations.”

“That hardly seems likely, does it, given the amount of work to do around here?”

“True. Anyway, everyone else loved the Fourth of July get-togethers on the ranch—other than Mrs. M., of course. And every year more people came as word spread. Mr. M. and the boys all had a great time, and the fireworks got bigger and bigger until it became a huge extravaganza, like what you saw tonight.”

“It sounds like great fun, and an opportunity for all the people in town to sit back, relax, and reconnect.”

“Exactly.”

Though Des didn’t understand how Logan’s mother didn’t love the idea of joining in with her community. But . . . whatever. Judging from what Logan had told her about his mother, she probably wasn’t a big people or community person, so it was no surprise to hear she hadn’t been on board for this kind of party.

Des was, though. She’d had a blast and was sorry to see it end.

Martha yawned. “That’s my cue to go find my husband. I’m exhausted.”

They headed outside. Colt was leaning against their SUV, obviously having brought it up from the back of the property where all the vehicles had been parked. He, Logan, and Ben were all talking.

“Ready to go, Ben?” Martha asked.

Ben nodded, shook Colt’s hand and said good night to Des. They climbed into their truck and headed down the road.

“You coming with us, Des?”

She looked at Logan.

“I’ll make sure she gets back to the set,” he said.

A shiver ran up her spine. She was looking forward to the rest of the night.

Chapter 15

COLT NODDED AND smiled at Des. “See you in the morning.”

“Okay. Have a good night.”

She hoped Colt wrangled some fun alone time with Tony before he had to fly back tomorrow.

After they left, Logan looked at her. “Care for something to drink?”

“I’ve had way too much iced tea today. How about a beer?”

“Sounds good.”

They went inside, and Logan shut the front door. She noticed he didn’t bother to lock it, which made her shake her head. Life out here was so different from what she was used to in L.A.

Logan pulled a couple of beers from the fridge, then left the room. She followed him up the stairs, smiling as he led her into his bedroom, then out on the deck. He popped the top on one of the beers and handed it to her as she took a seat in one of the Adirondack chairs.

“Since it’s such a clear night, I thought you might want to look at the stars.”

She settled back and took a sip of beer. “Thank you.”

She tilted her head back and looked out over the night. Just as she’d imagined the first time he’d brought her out here, the sky was breathtaking—nothing but black except for all the stars. So many stars, in fact, they took her breath away.

“I can’t believe you don’t enjoy this view every single night, Logan. It’s awe-inspiring.”

“It is nice.”

She dragged her gaze away from the spectacle and looked at him. “Nice? It’s amazing. Do you know what I see when I walk out onto my balcony at night?”

“No. What do you see?”

“Other condo buildings. And a Dumpster. No stars.”

“You could buy your own place, couldn’t you? One with a view?”

“I could. But I don’t want to make a permanent home in L.A.”

He took a couple swallows of beer and stared out over the land. “Where do you want to live?”

“I don’t know. I’ve just never felt settled enough to consider setting down roots anywhere.”

“A product of your upbringing?”

She laughed. “Maybe. And because I travel so much for work, the condo I live in has always suited me. Until recently.”

“What changed recently?”

“Me, I guess. I’ve been . . . restless. Unhappy.”

He laid his beer down on the table next to him, and turned his chair to face her. “Tell me why you’re unhappy.”

“I don’t know. Maybe that’s the wrong word. Whenever I think it, I’m almost ashamed. What the hell do I have to feel unhappy about? I have this amazing career that I’m so lucky to have. Do you know how many women would kill to be where I am? So many actresses fight and struggle to get work. And I’ve been working steadily since I was nineteen.”

“Maybe that’s why you’re unhappy. Maybe you need a break.”

She laughed. “Working actresses don’t take breaks. You take a break, you’re forgotten.”

“I think that’s bullshit. If you’re good at what you do—and from what I hear and the little I’ve seen, you’re definitely good—then you can afford to take some time off. When was the last time you had a vacation?”